Chapter 28

"Wrong!"

Just as he had rushed out of the outer cave, Li Chen’s mind flashed with the huge gray shadow he had seen earlier. He cautiously turned back, and only when he saw clearly did he let out a sigh of relief.

This stone cave was more than half the size of the outer one. Inside, a huge protruding rock occupied half of the space, and on it lay an enormous set of森white animal bones, twice the size of an iron-backed bear. This was what had frightened Li Chen.

Looking at the shape of the bones and the dark green, sharp, two-foot-long horn on the skull, Li Chen determined that it was an unknown, ox-shaped demon beast.

Judging by its size, it was at least a mid-stage second-rank demon beast, possibly even a late-stage or peak-stage one. As for anything higher, Li Chen didn’t dare to think. The mere aura emanating from the skeleton made him feel suffocated.

"Origin Stone!"

A sharp light flashed in Li Chen’s eyes, and he quickly approached, picking up a crystal emitting a faint blue-white glow from the golden-yellow withered grass under the skeleton’s belly.

He gathered all the withered grass and threw it into the torch, instantly illuminating the entire cave.

He carefully searched every corner of the cave and found nearly thirty Origin Stones. However, about half of them were dull, clearly having been absorbed by the iron-backed bear.

There was also a short dagger, about two palms long, which glinted coldly when he pulled it out, as if it had a natural blade aura.

"Spirit Weapon! This is great!"

Li Chen was pleasantly surprised. According to his knowledge, martial artists’ weapons were divided into three categories: Fine Weapons, Spirit Weapons, and Treasure Weapons. The ability to emit a natural blade aura clearly placed it in the Spirit Weapon category.

Relieved, he continued his thorough search. In a corner of the cave, about ten feet away, he found a scattered human skeleton, with tattered clothing and a faint, hidden luster.

He had seen many dead bodies and was not afraid of skeletons.

"What is this?"

Li Chen’s figure flickered as he approached, carefully examining the scattered skeleton. Inside, there was a faintly green, scale-like armor, but there was a neat hole in the chest area.

He compared the size with the ox-shaped skeleton’s horn and suddenly turned his head. It was not hard to imagine that the owner of this skeleton had likely died under the ox beast’s horn years ago, possibly in a mutual destruction.

Under the torchlight, Li Chen noticed a one-inch-deep palm print on the ox’s forehead. Looking at the human skeleton’s arm, it was broken into pieces, and on the hand, there were a few sections of a glove that had not been completely destroyed, with the left glove being relatively intact.

"Senior, you have been left here to rot. I, Li Chen, a junior disciple, have come here by chance, and it is a matter of fate. I will bury you and give you a proper resting place. Your external possessions are of no use, so I will take them as a token of respect!"

Li Chen respectfully bowed three times to the skeleton, then without hesitation, removed the armor and gloves from the skeleton, even the two broken finger covers, which were clearly the main focus.

Puff!

A soft sound caught Li Chen’s attention. He looked down and found a gray, palm-sized bag, which had gone unnoticed among the tattered clothes.

He bent down to pick it up. It felt extremely thin, like an ordinary cloth bag, but there was a slight coolness, indicating it was not ordinary.

He tugged at it, and to his surprise, the bag did not change at all. With his strength, even ten layers of cloth would have been torn in half.

Staring at the bag, Li Chen pulled the thin string at the opening, but it did not budge. A flash of inspiration crossed his mind, and his breathing quickened, more excited than when he found the Origin Stones.

He threw the bag into the fire, and the skeleton fell to the ground, but he ignored it, his eyes fixed on the bag in the fire.

"Got it, got it! As hard as fine gold, impervious to water and fire, could this be a Storage Bag?"

The bag in the fire showed no change. Li Chen, ignoring the heat, grabbed the bag from the fire, jumping with excitement.

This was a legendary Storage Bag, containing a small space for storing items invisibly, a must-have treasure for high-level martial artists, which could only be opened by the True Qi of a True Essence Realm martial artist.

After jumping for a while, he suppressed his excitement, reluctantly putting the Storage Bag in his inner pocket, took a few deep breaths, and re-collected the skeleton, carrying it outside to bury it.

"Only you are left!"

Back in the cave, Li Chen looked at the two horns on the ox skeleton’s head, his eyes flashing with excitement.

Such powerful horns were undoubtedly excellent materials for forging weapons, and there was no reason to leave them behind.

He pulled out the ordinary dagger from his waist, which emitted a faint, grayish glow, indicating its sharpness, a natural blade aura of an ordinary weapon.

A cold glint flashed, and a metallic sound rang out as sparks flew. Despite his mental preparation, Li Chen was still surprised by the hardness of the horn.

Crack!

After about fifteen minutes, he finally managed to dig out the two green horns from the base. The sharp horns could even be used as weapons directly.

"This place is not suitable for staying long. After such a commotion, other adventurers might be attracted!"

He did not dare to linger, wrapped the two green horns and slung them on his back, and quickly rushed towards the cave entrance.

Bang!

As he approached the cave entrance, Li Chen’s face changed drastically. Without thinking, he punched the figure entering the cave.

"Ah!"

The person, caught off guard, was hit in the chest and fell out of the cave with a scream.

"Trouble!"

Li Chen did not stop, and as he emerged from the cave, he saw figures flickering nearby. He gritted his teeth and rushed back into the cave.

At this point, it was impossible to escape. The adventurers who could enter this place were undoubtedly of high cultivation. The only way to escape was to find an exit from the inside.

"Boss, over here!"

At the base of the stone wall, a thin, thirty-something cultivator with shifty eyes saw Li Chen’s back and suddenly turned to shout.

"Chase!"

The boss, a middle-aged man with a robust build and a scar across his right cheek, waved his hand and leaped up.

Behind him, there were about seven or eight adventurers in tight-fitting clothes, all experienced in the outer regions of Ancient Cangshan. They could easily determine the direction of the intruder from the broken grass and the slight friction marks on the rocks.

After a short while, three more people arrived, searched the area, and followed the trail left by the first group. In total, there were dozens of people.

All of them were outstanding adventurers with extensive tracking experience. With their numbers and the clear trail, they did not go wrong.

"Damn, they’re on my tail!"

Clothes fluttering, Li Chen pushed his Wind Walking technique to the limit, moving like a snake through the dense forest and scattered rocks. Wherever he went, only a green shadow flashed, like a ghost.