The light of day was bright, and the sun and moon shuttled by. As time passed, Qing Ling drew closer to his destination.
Along the way, he had seen many strange mountains and lands. In this chaotic realm, every mountain peak or territory was ruled by a powerful being.
The territories of the strong were naturally vast, while the weak had none. The mountain lords harbored grudges or formed alliances with each other. Some relied on their own strength to remain aloof, occupying a single mountain peak to live freely, much like the era in Journey to the West where various demon kings established their own domains.
However, this place was more chaotic and bloodthirsty, with new mountain lords replacing the old daily. The weak were eliminated, and the strong did as they pleased.
He had even witnessed a Taiyi realm mountain lord raising a small tribe in a valley, treating them as livestock to be farmed and bred for their flesh.
The scenery of heaven and earth was countless, each with its own way of existence.
Qing Ling never interfered. He was merely a traveler, not of the same ilk as these desperate individuals.
They were all stained with immense karma and malevolent energy, and Bai Fu could even see a heavy aura of tribulation.
They were alone, and their actions were borne by themselves. Qing Ling, however, had the Xi Shan Serpent Clan to rely on, his fortune intertwined with theirs, and the primordial fortune of the Azure Dragon also divided among them. As long as he was not a protagonist of a great tribulation, he had a sliver of hope for survival.
Born in this era, no matter where one was, they would be affected by the tribulation of heaven and earth, differing only in degree.
Those with less tribulation aura could use their own luck to offset it and survive.
Those with heavy tribulation aura, even if survival was hopeless, could go all out in the great tribulation, seeking life in death.
Qing Ling pondered how much time remained until the Dragon-Phoenix First Tribulation. Perhaps tens of Yuanhui, perhaps hundreds, or perhaps even further.
But at least, given the current non-interference between the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes, there would be no change for at least thirty to fifty Yuanhui.
As Qing Ling traveled, his thoughts swirled. Suddenly, the bat perched on his shoulder spread its wings, and a pair of dull gray eyes scanned ahead.
Qing Ling stopped instantly and asked, "Xiao Bai, what did you find?"
"Venerable deity, not far ahead, I faintly sense a supremely ominous entity being gestured, extremely terrifying!"
Qing Ling's expression flickered, and he said without hesitation, "Then let's change course and take a detour."
Saying this, his escape trajectory changed, and he skirted past the left side of the enormous deep pit ahead, continuing his journey.
However, after traveling over two hundred thousand li, his escape trajectory stopped again.
For before him stood a peerlessly beautiful woman in flowing white robes, who smiled seductively, her purity tinged with allure.
Qing Ling sighed. More trouble.
Although this woman was stunningly beautiful, it would have been better if the continuous white skeletons beneath her feet did not exist.
This was a mountain of skulls.
There were no rocks, only bones. The white bones gleamed like snow, piled into a mountain ten thousand zhang high, stretching for three thousand li.
Various types of skulls were piled together, each in a different posture, none identical. Bone fragments had turned into white powder, piled into a mountain. The thousand li of skulls were utterly pure, frighteningly white, and awe-inspiring!
Soaring malevolent energy and the resentment of the deceased converged, and for tens of thousands of li around, no mountain peak dared to approach this place. It was clearly not to be trifled with.
"Fellow Daoist has traveled a long way. Why not accompany me into the mountain for a brief rest? It has been a long time since I last saw someone as fair as you!"
The young woman in white smiled faintly, as if possessing some sort of enchantment that made one captivated at first sight, willing to sacrifice everything at the second, and fall in love at the third.
However, to Qing Ling's primordial spirit, far beyond the Taiyi realm, the enchantment was somewhat terrifying.
What entered his eyes was not a peerless beauty, but a skeleton whose eye sockets, glowing with faint flames, were desperately trying to give him various "flirtatious smiles."
Qing Ling looked at the endless black crows standing on the myriad skeletons of the thousand-li white bone mountain. Their sharp eyes, thousands of them, fixed on him. The stark black and white of their eyes, the dense multitude of crows, gave him an extremely oppressive feeling.
"Perhaps not. Fellow Daoist's kindness is appreciated. I have important matters to attend to and cannot delay. If I return, I can visit your mountain then, how about it?"
"That will not do. The vast Primordial World stretches far ahead. What if you perish somewhere along the way? Then I would have to wait for countless ages!"
Qing Ling smiled, his smile like spring snow, so dazzling it was hard to look away. His near-perfect heterochromatic eyes met hers, like a stream of spring water flowing directly into the heart.
"Then why not accompany me? That way, you can be by my side constantly."
The soul fire within the white-clothed woman's chest inexplicably began to burn intensely. In her long existence, it was a rare surge of emotion. She found it increasingly difficult to suppress the longing in her heart to treasure those perfect eyes, to collect the skeleton within that handsome body, and bury it within her Myriad Spirit Coffin to keep company day and night.
Seeing her fall silent, Qing Ling raised an eyebrow and said, "Since you do not wish it, then I shall take my leave!"
With that, his escape trajectory rose, and he prepared to depart.
"Can you still leave?" the woman in white chuckled softly, a chilling eeriness in her smile.
Black crows filled the sky, obscuring the sun and moon, instantly plunging the world into darkness. Blue ghost fires ignited across the thousand-li mountain of skulls. The puppets seemed to come alive, twisting their bodies and pulling their heads out from the scattered bones, turning to face Qing Ling.
Endless black crows formed a wall and a net, blocking Qing Ling's path. Countless squawks erupted.
"Caw~ caw~ caw"
"Caw~ caw"
...
The woman's white bones beneath her feet spontaneously rose, lifting her into the air to face Qing Ling.
"Since that ferocious beast appeared and blocked this area, not many who come alive to my White Bone Realm have ever left.
Rare beings like you, fellow Daoist, I have never seen. I will treat your body well, using ten thousand years of soul fire to refine your skeleton, soaking it in the Nine Heavens Moon Essence, and using the resentment of myriad bones as ingredients, so your skeleton can enjoy endless spiritual nourishment!"
The woman spoke with increasing fervor and excitement, a morbid excitement and a ferocious laugh appearing on her face. Her eyes, filled with madness, were fixed on Qing Ling.
Qing Ling frowned and asked, "This is the White Bone Realm, then what is your name, fellow Daoist?"
The woman's delicate jade-like fingers gradually transformed into terrifying, slender claws. She raised them before her eyes and slowly unfurled them. The soaring malevolent energy behind her surged into the sky like a tornado, and her white skirt fluttered, appearing terrifyingly beautiful.
"I am the King of this three-thousand-li White Bone Realm, Lady White Bone!"
The squawks of the crows sounded anew simultaneously. The entire White Bone Land was swept by a vast, eerie wind. Lady White Bone's palm commanded the mountains of skulls, as if she were a deity.
Qing Ling nodded, seeming to understand, and murmured, "Perhaps that is how it will be."
This Lady White Bone, born from the three thousand li of skulls, had encountered him today. Perhaps from now on, this place would be ruled by a stone spirit.
The Skull Mountain, the White Bone Cave, a good place!