CHAPTER 240: THE REAL SKELETAL GIANT

Lu Chen and his three avatars spread out like wings, assuming a defensive formation shaped like the character "八", with Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian at its center, both of whom were sealed inside the barriers.

Lu Qing took the right‑front position, eyes fixed on the skeletal giant's palm as it tore at the earth. He watched every motion, scanning the surrounding ground for any strange change.

Lu Chen stood at the left‑front corner, keeping one eye on Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian's condition. He stomped his right foot and, with a light turn, sent dozens of vines burrowing beneath the surface. The vines wove quickly under the soil, forming a web straight beneath Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian.

Inside the cage, Jun Laoye and Nantian Yijian battered the transparent walls, signalling for Lu Chen to take Nantian Wan'er and flee. Lu Chen ignored them, keeping his gaze fixed on the skeletal palm. He tugged Nantian Wan'er closer, then raised his left hand, unleashing layer after layer of vines between them and the looming hand, blocking flying stones and the crushing pressure radiating from it.

Boom!

The cracks widened as the skeletal palm pried the earth apart. Another massive palm forced its way up through the widening rifts. The two palms closed together and spiraled upward like a drill before slamming down on either side in a cloud of dust. Their fingers dug into the fissures, tearing the ground like ragged cloth.

A massive skull forced its way out of the split, its eye sockets glowing an eerie violet that locked onto Lu Chen. The skull leered with a hollow, rattling laugh as black mist seeped from its exposed jaw.

As the fissures widened, more of the skeletal giant pushed free, bracing itself on the ground and prying the chasm wider with each shove. It watched Lu Chen like a hunter sizing up prey, stretching its hands forward with every inch the crack opened.

When the skull first appeared, Lu Chen felt a cold, inexplicable fear. He straightened, pulled Nantian Wan'er behind him, then flashed, landing three zhang back and pressing himself against the transparent cage.

Nantian Wan'er trembled behind him. She asked anxiously, "Lu‑gege, what should we do now..."

Raised under Nantian Xiu's protection, she had seen many beasts, but never a towering skeletal fiend like this. She shook with dread.

Jun Laoye pounded the transparent wall. "Little Lu, take Wan'er and go. Climb the cliff and find the ancestor! He's grasped part of the space law. He can get us out of this cage."

When he realized sound couldn't pass the seal, he wrote words in the air with spirit qi.

Lu Chen read Jun Laoye's message and calmly reassured Nantian Wan'er. "Everything will be all right."

He then narrowed his eyes and responded to Jun Laoye, "Judging by its aura, this skeletal giant is at most at the Sunken Core Realm. If I unleash everything I have, I can still put up a fight against it."

Jun Laoye kept pounding and wrote more lines, urging Lu Chen to leave before things went wrong. Lu Chen shook his head. "You're sealed here. I will not abandon you."

He extended his divine sense to check the small world's link. Finding it unsealed, he let out a sigh of relief.

Seeing Lu Chen's resolute expression, Nantian Yijian leaned against the transparent wall and wrote with his spirit qi as he tried to communicate with Jun Laoye. "It's alright. I trust the boss. He never changes his mind once he decides on something. Since I met him, he's never failed..."

He forced a smile despite his fear. "That skeleton may seem strong, but I believe boss will defeat it."

Nantian Wan'er peered through Lu Chen's vine web at the black mist curling from the giant and still felt uneasy. "But Lu‑gege..."

Seeing what Nantian Yijian had written, Lu Chen smiled faintly. "Little Jian, you're spot on."

He gently squeezed Nantian Wan'er's hand. "Wan'er, don't worry. Have you forgotten our real trump cards?

"With them here, that skeletal giant is nothing but child's play. It's just a shame they only act when I'm near death. Otherwise, I'd call them out now and finish it where it stands."

Nantian Wan'er saw the firmness in his face and knew she could not change his mind. All she could do was plead with him to be careful.

Lu Chen patted Nantian Wan'er's hand once more. "Don't worry. I'll never let myself fall into danger. Wan'er, step back. Leave the rest to me."

He turned to his three avatars. They exchanged a brief, understanding glance before he raised his right hand, sending a surge of spirit qi toward Wind Dragon.

Whoosh!

Just as Wind Dragon was about to be sealed within the cage, the Hunyuan Greatsword responded to Lu Chen's call. With a clear, ringing sound, it shot free from the dragon's forehead, tearing through the cracks in the enclosing walls as it sped toward him.

The moment the Hunyuan Greatsword separated from the Wind Dragon, the six enclosing walls merged at an alarming speed, as though they had been waiting for Lu Chen to summon the sword before fully closing.

Watching the sword streak through the air, Wind Dragon said, "Break the Void... Yes! To shatter the cage, you must shatter the Void itself! Little Lu, use the Planetary Jade Token! To counter the Void, you must use it against itself. Only Void can defeat Void!"

He pounded frantically against the transparent walls, roaring, "Who exactly is behind all this!? Who is it!?"

However, the six walls closed in mercilessly, trapping both himself and his voice. His struggles achieved nothing other than inflicting pain upon himself.

Meanwhile, Red Fox found herself confined in her own transparent cage. Unlike the agitated Wind Dragon, she remained calm, as if she had anticipated this outcome all along.

Lying quietly within the prison, her eyes swept the sky, looking for Blindman Lu. "This cage only confines me. It doesn't harm me. Could it be a trial set by the Lord of Rituals?"

Roar!

Just then, a thunderous noise erupted from the direction of the skeletal giant as it burst out of the ground, followed by Lu Chen's furious roar.

Red Fox activated the Divine Eye on her forehead, locking onto the skeletal giant even before Lu Chen. Half of its colossal form had already emerged, and its dark pupils flickered with intense purple light.

From the swirling black fog within its chest cavity, streaks of violet light pulsed like veins. Just as with the previous skeletal giant, formed from countless cultivators' remains, these violet veins acted as the new giant's life force.

The purple glow on this giant was far more vibrant and concentrated. The radiance stirred a strange familiarity within Red Fox.

As a royal descendant of the Red Fox Clan, she recognized the aura of spirit beasts at a glance. The energy emanating from this skeletal giant was unmistakably that of the violet-eyed ferret, and not just any ferret, but a member of the royal bloodline.

In her memory, the Violet-Eyed Ferret royal clan wielded innate mastery over space and mental control. The Imperial Lord of Rituals had once kept such a spirit beast by his side.

Red Fox's gaze locked onto the violet light pooling in the giant's eyes as pieces fell into place in her mind. "Brother Pup... if it really is you, then everything finally makes sense."

The mysterious force in the shadows had imprisoned both her and Wind Dragon using powerful spatial sealing. It caused no harm and even toyed with Wind Dragon. They had sealed off all unrelated parties, leaving only Lu Chen and Nantian Wan'er to face the skeletal giant. Every clue pointed to a single conclusion: this was a trial, a true combat test meant for Lu Chen. And the one controlling the skeletal giant was none other than the first spirit beast under the Imperial Lord of Rituals.

"Brother Pup..." Red Fox's eyes glowed red as she stared into the giant's violet-lit eyes. "I know it's you controlling this bone giant. After all these years... you haven't changed."

A familiar voice echoed from within her sealed cage, "Hehehe... Red Fox, you're still as dull as ever."

To those outside, Red Fox appeared to be struggling in vain, but inside, the conversation continued.

Hearing his voice, her fox-like eyes curved into crescent moons, her lips curling into a faint smile. She pouted playfully. "Brother Pup, you're the dull one. Your sense of fun is... strange."

"Is that being dull? No, that's just adding flavor to a boring life," Little Pup replied, his tone soft yet teasing, like an older brother scolding a younger sister. "You were like this back then, and even after all these years, you're still the same."

Red Fox's smile deepened, though she continued to tease. "Unlike you, I don't waste my time on nonsense."

Her tone softened as she genuinely worried for Little Pup's well-being. "Still... It's been a long time. How have you been?"

Little Pup laughed in response, and his laughter was bright, carefree, and infectious. "Hahaha, Red Fox, what's gotten into you today? You're actually asking how I'm doing?"

"You... you damn dog..." Red Fox sounded annoyed, but the affection in her voice was unmistakable. "How dare you tease me like that. Just wait until I get out of here. We'll see who's laughing."

"Ahem..." Little Pup cleared his throat, suddenly becoming serious. "Alright, alright. I still have tasks assigned by the Lord. Once I'm done, I'll come find you."

Red Fox smiled. "Fine... I'll be waiting."

She then lay down slowly on the cage floor.

"Oh, right. One more thing," Little Pup said, voice firm. "No one can know we've come back. Not even the Seventh Ancestral Avatar. Keep that to yourself."

"Ugh, you're so annoying." Red Fox sighed impatiently. "Of course I understand. Do you still think of me as the same little fox from three hundred thousand years ago? If you talk like this, don't bother coming next time."

Little Pup let out an amused sigh. "Fine... It's good as long as you remember. But your temper really hasn't changed at all."

He gently returned Red Fox's cage to the real world.