Chapter 13: Ghostly Winds and Bleached Bones

“I want to be the first to touch the Stone of Transmission; that’s my stance.” Wei Cheng spoke calmly, surveying the increasingly silent crowd. Suddenly, he continued, “In exchange, the best performer among us next will have the chance to open a mining tunnel in the Spider Demon’s Cave. If there is another Stone of Transmission at the tunnel’s end, he may be the first to touch it.”

“And so on, in succession.”

“If no one has any objections, let’s prepare to act now. From here on, our greatest enemy may not be the monsters guarding the stones, but time itself. Zhang Yong, Han Dong, you must hurry. We can’t afford to wait for you every time.”

Wei Cheng spoke with deliberate emphasis, then turned to begin clearing the tunnel. Soon, faint white light streamed through the cracks in the rocks ahead.

Another new trial awaited them, yet it might be of the same level as the Bat Demon’s Cave.

In a blink, with the last stone removed, a vast space appeared before them, its layout eerily familiar.

The same Stone of Transmission stood in the center, flanked by three sealed mining tunnels and littered with countless skeletal remains.

No monsters?

That hope was quickly dashed.

A sudden, chilling wind swept through, causing everyone—including Wei Cheng—to shudder. A coldness seeped into their bodies, even slowing the flow of Mountain-moving internal energy within them.

Next came an unnerving clatter; the scattered skeletons began to gather, forming white-boned demon soldiers before their eyes!

Undoubtedly, these creatures were more formidable than the Bat Demons. They could even affect their internal energy, making battle unavoidable.

“Wei, what do we do? I—I can only muster ninety percent of my Mountain-moving internal energy,” Yu Liang stammered, panic in his voice.

“We’re the same. I think we’re in trouble. This chilling buff seems to grow stronger with time.”

“Then let’s finish this quickly! Formation!”

“Guard!”

Wei Cheng shouted. Though he, too, was affected, it was negligible. As he activated his Mountain-moving energy, the visualization technique automatically arose within him. The energy coursed along mountainous paths, producing the sound of dragons and tigers. At its peak, his shout scattered the cold aura entirely!

At the same moment, Bald Brother on his left and Hu Hailong on his right felt their bodies lighten, as if the chill had been halved.

Before they could grasp what had happened, golden light surrounded Wei Cheng, forming a bell emblazoned with images of lofty peaks—solid and resplendent.

In the next instant, Wei Cheng charged forward, no pickaxe needed. Clenching his fists, he met the oncoming bone demon soldiers head-on. With a punch accompanied by a tiger’s roar, the first bone soldier shattered to pieces.

The force was far greater than Zhang Yong and Han Dong’s Dragon Palm technique—brutal and overwhelming.

Bang! Bang! Bang! In just a moment, three bone demon soldiers were destroyed. Yet, as soon as they reformed, the chilling wind enveloped them, making them fast and agile, not the least bit clumsy.

Swish! Swish! Swish! The wind swept through, and within seconds, dozens of bone demon soldiers surrounded Wei Cheng, while others lunged at the rest of the group.

Bald Brother and Hu Hailong quickly activated the first stage of the Golden Bell Shield, but at the first clash, the cold pierced their bodies like thousands of steel needles, nearly shattering their shield, giving them no chance to recover.

Fortunately, they weren’t fighting alone. Behind them, Zhang Yong and Han Dong leapt up, purple energy flaring, unleashing the Dragon Palm. Purple palm shadows filled the air; though the bone demon soldiers were bizarre, their bodies were fragile. A single palm dispersed the cold wind, a second shattered their bones.

The technique was powerful, especially for its speed!

In moments, Zhang Yong and Han Dong had destroyed over a dozen bone demon soldiers, but they, too, needed time to recover.

“Yu Liang, Wang Wei, Cheng An, go!”

These three, who hadn’t acquired the Golden Bell Shield but had touched the first stage of Iron Shirt, stepped forward to relieve Bald Brother and Hu Hailong, blocking the second wave of bone demon soldiers.

They were notably weaker. With the same internal energy, the difference in technique meant the cold invaded their bodies, causing them to stagger backward, nearly unable to stand, pale and shivering like three frightened quails.

Still, it gave Bald Brother and Hu Hailong time to recover, activate the Golden Bell Shield, and rejoin the fray, buying Zhang Yong and Han Dong a moment to catch their breath and unleash the Dragon Palm again. In an instant, a dozen more bone demon soldiers were shattered, resolving the crisis.

For a moment, whether it was Hu Hailong, Yu Liang, those who had opened their second meridian, or Zhang Yong and Han Dong, everyone’s heart raced as they became acutely aware of the strengths and weaknesses of their respective techniques.

The cold wind from the bone demon soldiers could only be blocked by the Golden Bell Shield. Their Purple Mist internal energy easily dispersed the chill, but it was purely offensive and lacked comprehensive defense. One breach by the cold wind meant instant defeat.

Wei’s foresight was clear: three professions, perfectly complementary. It was a pity their team lacked anyone cultivating the Spirit Swallow Heart Method.

As the group struggled to survive this wave, Wei Cheng, fighting alone at the front, was slaughtering the enemy.

His tangible Golden Bell Shield was impervious to the assaults of the bone demon soldiers, while his fists, imbued with Mountain-moving internal energy, struck like thunder and wind—each punch a death sentence for a bone demon soldier.

Though it looked like he was besieged, in truth, he was forcing the bone demon soldiers to retreat, their formation collapsing!

In just moments, Wei Cheng had single-handedly destroyed the remaining hundred bone demon soldiers.

Meanwhile, the others managed to circulate their internal energy and expel the lingering chill.

The divide between strong and weak was now as vast as a chasm.

Wei Cheng turned to glance at the group, calmly withdrew his Golden Bell Shield, and approached the Stone of Transmission, placing his hand upon it.

Immediately, a miraculous light shone upon him, rapidly restoring his vitality and spirit, elevating them to another level.

This time, the light lasted four seconds.

Exactly as Wei Cheng had anticipated.

Along with this, he successfully acquired the third stage of the Golden Bell Shield technique.

When the light faded, the Stone of Transmission silently shrank by half.

“Zhang Yong, you’re first. Han Dong, you’re second.”

Wei Cheng spoke calmly. The combination of Purple Mist internal energy and the Dragon Palm was indeed the best for violent output, crucial at key moments. The Dragon Palm also offered agility and wide-range attacks—a rare advantage.

Wei Cheng was well aware: though his Mountain-moving internal energy could imbue his fists with great power, the process was slow, like Ultraman fighting monsters.

This time, the bone demon soldiers had all rushed him at once, allowing him to dispatch them one by one.

If the enemies were nimble, he would have been exhausted, unable to land a blow.

This experience taught him a valuable lesson—their team lacked anyone practicing the Spirit Swallow Heart Method. He needed to make arrangements in advance.

Otherwise, they might encounter some insurmountable oddity ahead.