Chapter 351: White Bone Elder

Before the cliff face of the cavern, the White Bone Demon King slowly raised its hand and pressed it against the stone wall.

A rumbling sound echoed forth, as if some kind of mechanism was operating within the cliff itself.

Along with a cloud of dust, the cliff face slowly lifted upward, revealing a Daoist temple within.

This space was even larger than the outer cavern, and the grand temple standing within it didn't feel cramped at all.

The ceiling was at least four to five hundred meters above the ground!

Hanging from above were clusters of sharp white crystals that emitted a soft glow.

The light radiating from these crystals created the feeling of broad daylight.

A flicker of awe appeared in everyone's eyes.

They never imagined that a Daoist temple could exist in a place like this.

Yang Ling's sharp eyes caught sight of a plaque hanging at the mountain gate before the temple, inscribed with four characters: White Bone Dao Palace.

The White Bone Demon King bowed slightly and looked toward Yang Ling:

"Master, the White Bone Dao Palace houses three great secret treasures: the White Bone Body Tempering Pill, the White Bone Demon Spirit Pill, and the White Bone Vital Qi Pill."

"The secret treasures are personally guarded by our Grand Elder."

[Congratulations, you have unlocked the hidden side quest of the Beginner Skeleton Cavern Dungeon - Contest for the Secret Treasures]

[This hidden side quest can be withdrawn, but it will affect your mission completion evaluation]

Everyone saw the game's notification appear before them, their expressions turning somewhat grim.

This clearly meant they would have to fight another BOSS before receiving the final hidden reward.

If they chose to end this side quest right now, it would actually negatively impact their dungeon completion evaluation.

"You're not being honest with me. I spared your life, and you won't just hand over the secret treasures?"

Yang Ling frowned.

Based on the game's notification, he suspected that completing this hidden side quest might raise his evaluation rank by another level.

"I already got an S+ from the Three Minor Stages. If this final stage pushes my evaluation up a bit more, there's a real chance I could get an SS- rating."

The White Bone Demon King bowed its waist, its tone fawning:

"Master, this is the rule of our White Bone Dao Palace. If you are unwilling to meet with our Grand Elder, this lowly one can close the gate once more."

"So it seems there are only two options: either defeat the Grand Elder of the White Bone Dao Palace, or withdraw from this hidden side quest."

Yang Ling glanced at the Daoist temple, told Qin Mo and the others to wait where they were, then called for the White Bone Demon King to lead the way.

"Could this hidden side quest be even more difficult? Can Brother Yang handle it?"

Jiang Tian'ai's eyes held a trace of worry.

The White Bone Dao Palace looked so magnificent—how powerful must the Grand Elder inside be?

"Amitabha. With Rank One Yang's strength, I believe this quest won't be a problem. After all, it's only B- difficulty."

Li Shou mused: "The White Bone Demon King didn't even have room to resist against Rank One Yang. At worst, the Grand Elder coming out would be a fifty-fifty split?"

"If we can complete this quest, our evaluation might all go up by one rank."

Lin Caiyi murmured to herself.

Everyone's eyes lit up. The F- rating had already earned them 3 Spirit Nurturing Pills.

After this dungeon run, combined with the hidden side quest rewards, and then the final settlement of total rewards—just how much could they gain this time?!

"Too much to even imagine..."

Meanwhile, Yang Ling had already stepped onto the staircase, approaching the first hall of the White Bone Dao Palace.

"White Bone Demon King, how's the temper of your Grand Elder? Easy to talk to?"

Yang Ling asked casually.

Just as the White Bone Demon King was about to speak, a cold shout suddenly rang out from within the first hall:

"White Bone Demon King, you useless waste! You actually brought outsiders to our White Bone Dao Palace!"

"Grand Elder, this Master has forgiven my disrespect. I hope you can offer one of the secret treasures to him as a gift."

The White Bone Demon King said awkwardly.

"Traitorous wretch!"

With that fierce shout, a long sword suddenly flew out from within the hall, like a bolt of lightning, thrusting toward Yang Ling!

Lesser Flying Sword Art? Its power appeared to be a full tier above the White Bone Daoist's Lesser Flying Sword Art!

The White Bone Demon King's face filled with terror, and it immediately scrambled to the side.

Yang Ling didn't waste a single word. His 500-plus points of Agility exploded into action instantly.

Treading Emptiness!

His figure vanished from where he stood, charging straight toward the first hall.

Since his opponent was using Lesser Flying Sword Art, he was probably following the White Bone Daoist's path—high Spirit, weak physique!

Just then, a black shadow suddenly appeared at the entrance of the hall.

The shadow was like a massive door panel, nearly filling the entire gateway.

【White Bone Elder】

Strength: 600

Agility: 500

Spirit: 500

HP: 20000

Special Skills: Lesser Flying Sword Art, Ironclad Fortress, Corpse Explosion Scorching Heaven.

"I'll be going now!"

Yang Ling turned around and left immediately. His speed was not slow, brushing past the flying sword as it streaked by.

The White Bone Elder stood silently before the hall, showing no intention of engaging in melee combat, continuing to manipulate the flying sword to slay Yang Ling.

If Yang Ling didn't use Treading Emptiness, his speed would clearly be a notch slower than the flying sword.

Now, with his constant use of Treading Emptiness, his Vital Qi was steadily draining.

After defeating the White Bone Demon King earlier, his Vital Qi had already been depleted by a significant margin.

Now, with each use of Treading Emptiness, he lost 100 points of Vital Qi for every ten meters.

"At this rate, I'll be worn down to death. But this White Bone Elder's Strength is extremely high—only a few dozen points lower than mine."

"In Agility, he's not much weaker than me either."

"If I engage him in melee, I won't be able to overwhelm him in a short time."

"Instead, I'll keep getting hit by his flying sword every so often..."

Yang Ling's heart tightened slightly.

He suspected that the White Bone Elder's combat power absolutely exceeded Middle Fifth-Rank, at the very least matching a peak Middle Fifth-Rank level.

He was even a notch stronger than Cao Yunlong, the eunuch from the Directorate of Ceremonial Affairs beside the Third Prince!

"Little insects, you now have a chance to kneel and beg for mercy."

The White Bone Elder's eyes were filled with mockery.

A prompt suddenly appeared before everyone, asking whether they would kneel and beg for mercy.

Lin Caiyi and the others watched Yang Ling continuously dodging the flying sword on the staircase, their expressions growing complicated.

This Grand Elder's strength was beyond their imagination.

This was no fifty-fifty split—at best it was forty-sixty, with the other side at sixty and Yang Ling at forty.

"What do we do?"

"Follow Brother Yang's lead. If he chooses to kneel and beg for mercy, we'll do the same."

Lin Caiyi said in a low voice.

Zhang Shendao and the others didn't voice any objections, but a trace of regret stirred deep within their hearts.

If only they had just killed that White Bone Demon King outright. This hidden side quest might very well fail now.

And then everyone's rewards would be affected.

"Asking me to beg for mercy again? You have a flying sword, but don't I have flying daggers?"

"It's just a matter of spending some money."

Yang Ling's figure suddenly came to a halt.

His transcendent perception allowed him to predict the flying sword's trajectory with remarkable precision.

The sword brushed past him, not harming him in the slightest.

The next second, his hands transformed into a blur of afterimages.

One Quenched-Gold Armor-Piercing Flying Dagger after another shot forth in rapid succession.

The flying sword, blocked by the daggers, could no longer approach Yang Ling by even a hair's breadth.

At the same time, a massive wave of daggers poured toward the White Bone Elder.

Yang Ling didn't use the more powerful Fire Blades—they consumed 10 points of Vital Qi each, which would be disadvantageous in his current situation. Besides, Fire Blades would self-destruct upon impact, making them impossible to recover.

He used Ice Blades instead, each costing only 3 points of Vital Qi!

In an instant, rolling waves of frigid cold swept across all directions.

The temperature in the entire cavern plummeted by three-tenths!

The White Bone Elder seemed not to have expected that his opponent also possessed ranged attacks.

After several Ice Blades pierced into its body, it discovered that frost was spreading, attempting to imprison it.

Only then did it snap back to reality, unwilling to withstand such attacks with its physical body. Its 500 points of Agility exploded, and its form transformed into a wisp of afterimage, trying to evade.