Chapter 296 - 295: Skull King

Chapter 296: Chapter 295: Skull King

Elder Miao’s words were highly inflammatory. Even though Tuoba Yan couldn’t see, he sensed the danger from the sudden shift in the surrounding atmosphere—he had been abandoned. He didn’t even qualify as a hostage anymore.

Gu Qingyin looked down at him with a derisive smile. "Looks like you’re not very popular, President Tuoba. Tsk, tsk."

Humiliated and enraged, Tuoba Yan snapped, "If you have the guts, then just kill me!"

"Hm?" Gu Qingyin scoffed. "Dirtying my hands on someone like you? Not worth it."

Tuoba Yan’s face flushed red with rage. Then, as if remembering something, his entire demeanor turned bleak.

Gu Qingyin clicked her tongue, ignoring him. Her gaze locked onto Elder Miao. "Was that your idea?"

Elder Miao’s face was grim as he remained silent, but his hands never stopped preparing a talisman. It looked like he was about to unleash a powerful move.

Gu Qingyin glanced at the surrounding Heavenly Masters, her eyes filled with disappointment. She lowered her gaze and walked back. "Yun Jing, it’s time."

Huo Yunjing had been waiting for those exact words. A light flashed in his eyes, and the skeleton army, which had been cowering in one spot, instantly stirred to life.

A pearlescent white light emanated from the skeletons. Despite being creatures of the Underworld, they now exuded a strange holiness under the night sky. To the Heavenly Masters’ horror, the skeletons they had exhausted themselves shattering were reassembling into complete forms under the white light.

’How are we supposed to fight this?!’

The skeleton army paid them no mind, pressing forward step by step. Once they grabbed hold, they never let go. Not a single Heavenly Master they seized was able to escape. Even if a Heavenly Master shattered the skeleton gripping them, its hand would cling on with a will of its own.

A single moment of hesitation was all it took for a second hand, then a third—and then countless skeletal hands—to clamber on. In the end, they would be completely pinned down, suffering the same fate as Tuoba Yan.

The skeletons advanced slowly but with grim determination; they were unkillable and could not be driven away. Furthermore, the area was enveloped by the Array Gu Qingyin had set, leaving them with nowhere to run.

As they watched more and more Heavenly Masters get captured, the several association elders, including Elder Miao, finally unleashed their full power.

In an instant, flames, ice, and spears rained down on the skeleton horde like a sudden storm.

The Heavenly Masters on the brink of capture were instantly rescued. The lucky ones, who had already been pinned down and immobilized, seized the opportunity to break free and retreat behind the main group.

The assault seemed effective, but in the next moment, the Skull King at the rear of the horde released another wave of pearlescent light. The glow washed over the scattered bone fragments on the ground, which began to CLATTER and CLICK as they reassembled. In the blink of an eye, they were whole again.

The elders exchanged grave glances, then simultaneously fixed their gazes upon the Skull King.

’With the horde of skeletons in the way, a close-range attack is out of the question. A long-range one... The distance seems too great. We can’t reach it.’

The elders were in a dilemma, unable to devise a better plan. Their gazes swept over the surrounding Heavenly Masters, who had already lost their will to fight. When their eyes met again, their expressions had all turned grim and calculating.

’They had just noticed something. When a skeleton pinned down a Heavenly Master, it, too, became immobilized. Sometimes, it took five or six skeletons to hold down a single Heavenly Master.’

’If enough Heavenly Masters get captured, the number of active skeletons will be drastically reduced. Then we can get closer to the Skull King, and the problem of attack range will be solved.’

After two seconds of silence, Elder Miao suddenly roared, "Charge if you don’t want to die!"

Everyone instinctively surged forward, attacking the skeleton horde with desperate abandon. At this point, they had no other choice.

The association elders advanced with the other Heavenly Masters. As time passed, more and more skeletons on the periphery were neutralized, and the elders drew closer and closer to the Skull King.

Finally, upon reaching a critical point, the elders erupted in unison. They each summoned their Lifebound Magical Artifacts and attacked the Skull King together.

A violent torrent of Spiritual Power merged into one, instantly engulfing the Skull King.

Gu Qingyin’s heart pounded, and she nervously jumped to her feet.

"Don’t worry." Huo Yunjing, sitting cross-legged at the edge of the Trapping Array, was the picture of calm. "The Skull King’s bones are plenty tough."

Gu Qingyin blinked, then sat back down to await the outcome.

Elder Miao and the others, having finally seized their chance, unleashed wave after wave of attacks, as if afraid to give the Skull King a moment to react. They only stopped when they were panting with exhaustion, their eyes fixed on the Skull King with a mixture of tension and anticipation.

’It worked,’ Elder Miao thought. ’See? The smaller skeletons have almost stopped moving.’

As the smoke and dust settled, the Skull King’s figure grew clear. The elders’ expressions slowly went slack, and when they recovered, their eyes were filled with utter disbelief.

"How is this possible!" Elder Miao couldn’t accept it.

’Even with our combined strength, after attacking with all our might multiple times... how is the Skull King... completely unscathed?!’

Gu Qingyin relaxed and sighed in admiration. "He certainly is tough. He’s no ordinary skeleton, is he?"

"In the Underworld, you can’t call yourself a king without some real power," Huo Yunjing said, a faint smile in his eyes. "If he didn’t owe me a favor from long ago, I’d never be able to command him."

Gu Qingyin was completely reassured.

Meanwhile, Elder Miao felt as if he’d been plunged into an icy abyss. ’It’s over. We can’t kill the small ones, and we can’t even hurt the big one. Is there any point in struggling anymore?’

The Skull King seemed to have been dazed by the assault. It stood motionless for a long moment before tilting its head back and opening its mouth wide... as if to roar? But no sound came out. A silent roar carries no menace; it was actually rather comical.

But no one dared to laugh. Even Gu Qingyin quietly covered her mouth.

The Skull King was enraged. The surrounding skeletons instantly bristled with energy. The soulfire within their empty eye sockets shifted from deep blue to crimson, and they began to radiate a thick, bloody stench.

The pinned Heavenly Masters were the first to notice the change. Before, the skeletons had merely held them down. Now, the skeletal hands tightened their grip relentlessly, their fingers piercing flesh in an instant to grasp bone. And then, they squeezed...

A series of CRACKS from breaking bones mixed with a chorus of screams. The damp, metallic scent of blood grew stronger.

As far as the eye could see, the Heavenly Masters on the ground were drenched in blood, their auras fading. Without immediate medical attention, all their lives were in peril.

Having dealt with the rank-and-file Heavenly Masters, the skeleton army surged toward the elders.

The elders were stronger, but they were hopelessly outnumbered.

The elders were quickly subdued. Then, like porters carrying cargo, the skeletons lifted them high and transported them from the perimeter to the front of the Skull King, where they were reunited with Tuoba Yan.

The Skull King glanced down at them, then turned its head away in disgust and looked toward Huo Yunjing, its posture a silent question.

Huo Yunjing shook his head and sighed. "I’m trapped at the moment. Even if I wanted to intervene, I’m powerless to do so."

A sudden stroke of genius hit Gu Qingyin. She leaned against the Trapping Array, her expression sorrowful. "My love, if you can’t get out, then I’ll kill myself right here to be with you forever!"

Elder Miao’s heart trembled. "Wait! I know how to undo the Array!"