Chen Nan suddenly remembered the divine bones outside the main hall and couldn't help but ask, "There are some glittering white bones scattered on the steps outside the Demon Palace. Could they be the remains of that ancient god who self-destructed his divine body?"
The old man said, "That's right, it is his remains. After the master of the Demon Palace disappeared, the first generation of servants of the gods were anxious and worried. Later, they took their anger out on the deceased ancient god and laid his remains on the steps outside the main hall, letting them be exposed to the wind, sun, rain and snow."
After a long talk with the old man, Chen Nan learned about the origin of the main hall and some of its secrets.
Through detailed conversation, he learned that the Nine Nether White Bone Array condenses the power of heaven and earth and gathers the souls of all living beings, making the underground cave beneath the Demon Palace as solid as an impenetrable fortress. Anyone who forcibly enters or exits will surely be torn apart by the power of heaven and earth and devoured by the souls of all living beings. This array is truly bizarre and unpredictable, with unparalleled power.
Although Chen Nan learned the solution from the old man, he understood that completely breaking the great formation would be extremely difficult. There were sixty-four Yuan Condensation Stones hidden in the eight directions of White Bone Mountain, and three hundred and sixty-five Soul Gathering Stones hidden in the Demon Palace. They needed to be dismantled one by one to paralyze the great formation.
However, these Condensing Yuan Stones and Gathering Soul Stones are very well hidden. According to the old man, he has stayed here for three hundred years and has only discovered four or five tenths of them. It can be said that it is almost impossible to completely break the great formation.
The Xuanwu Armor is a divine armor coveted by all cultivators. Although Chen Nan desperately wanted it, he was also aware of his limitations. He couldn't possibly break through the Nine Nether White Bone Formation completely, much less force his way in. Moreover, there was an extremely powerful and terrifying beast inside the cave. Even if he were incredibly lucky enough to enter, he would only become its snack.
The old man said, "I never thought I would be able to reveal my secret in my lifetime. I never imagined that someone could break into this place." Then he smiled at Tiger King Xiaoyu and said, "Little cat, you haven't grown up at all. You're still as timid as you were a hundred years ago."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu let out a low growl, then "whoosh" jumped off Chen Nan's shoulder and hid behind him, seemingly quite afraid of the old man.
Chen Nan asked, "Did this lecherous tiger come here a hundred years ago?"
"Yes, it sneaked in here stealthily and I locked it up for three days. During those three days, I kept talking to it, but the kitten was timid as a mouse. It ran around the whole hall in fright and finally lay down on the ground, covering its head. I was afraid of scaring it, so I let it out."
"Haha..." Chen Nan laughed heartily.
Xiaoyu seemed extremely annoyed that the old man had brought up its old, stinky past. It kept baring its teeth and claws at the old man, but it didn't dare to go over.
That night, Chen Nan stayed at the Demon Palace. The main hall was cold and eerie. According to the old man, it was just a little bit of Yin energy leaking out of the Nine Nether White Bone Array. One could imagine how terrifying the underground cave was.
Chen Nan didn't sleep well that night. Recalling everything the old man had said, he found many suspicious points worth examining, and the truth didn't seem to be entirely as the old man had described. The more he thought about it, the more terrifying it became. He thought he had completely understood this great hall, but upon closer reflection, he realized that this place was still incredibly mysterious. Judging from Xiao Yu's reaction, Chen Nan even began to doubt the old man's identity. Thinking about this, he felt a cold sweat break out on his body, and he decided to leave as soon as possible after dawn.
The old man was then added to the ranks of the corpses, making the hall appear somewhat eerie and unsettling...
The next day, Chen Nan bid farewell to the old man and walked out of the main hall.
The morning glow bathed the valley, where the giants were having breakfast; the bloody scene was too gruesome to bear. Chen Nan and Xiao Yu hid at the exit of the Demon Palace, quietly waiting for them to leave.
Looking at the divine bones on the nine steps, Chen Nan sighed, "If we collected all these divine bones and sold them to Shenfeng Academy... they'd fetch at least a million gold coins." But he knew that while he was innocent, possessing a treasure was a crime. If people knew these bones could sell for such a high price, he'd be hunted down every day. Besides, that despicable vice-dean wouldn't pay for the bones willingly; if he were extorted by him, he'd be spitting blood.
Half an hour later, a loud noise came from the Bone Mountain. A large pile of bloody animal bones was thrown onto the mountain by the giant. Then the earth trembled slightly, and the giants walked out of the valley in twos and threes, starting another busy day.
Watching the giant gradually disappear into the distant mountains and forests, Chen Nan grabbed Xiao Yu's ear and said, "You refused to bring me here even if it meant death, but look at you now, nothing's happened! You're such a coward, a useless lecher!"
Xiao Yu let out a low growl, as if in rebuttal. Chen Nan saw it stretch out its little tiger paws as if to make a gesture, and said, "Stop flailing your teeth and claws to make excuses for yourself. Hurry up and grow bigger, let's go back to the City of Sin."
Xiao Yu jumped off Chen Nan's shoulder, quickly reverting to its original size as a ten-foot tiger. After Chen Nan mounted it, it flew towards the distant mountains and forests. It proceeded cautiously along the way, only taking flight when it was outside the giants' territory and the area where dragons roamed.
The sky was azure, the clouds pristine white, and Chen Nan rode Xiao Yu for hundreds of miles in an instant. Soaring freely through the sky, gazing at the vast expanse below, he took in the mountains and rivers, feeling a sense of exhilaration.
"You're so lucky, you actually have a pair of wings! You can roam freely in this world, traveling to the East Sea in the morning and the West Mountain in the evening. A distance of ten thousand miles is nothing more than a journey within your own courtyard. How enviable!"
Xiaoyu proudly shook the huge tiger's head and let out a loud roar in the air. The deafening tiger's roar reverberated through the sky, and the rolling sound waves startled a flock of wild geese in the air, causing them to flee in panic.
"You're getting cocky just because I called you fat. Behave yourself, or you might attract a giant dragon, and then it'll be too late to cry."
Upon hearing this, Xiaoyu indeed quieted down. Having grown up in the Hundred Thousand Mountains, it knew how terrifying the dragon was.
"Hmm, that's not right. When you brought back the divine bone, you disappeared for three days, but this time we only took one day. Did you go to other places last time? Are you hiding something from me?"
Xiao Yu trembled, then let out a low growl, shaking its tiger head as it flew swiftly.
"It seems you have quite a few secrets. You must have been to other places last time. Are there many other mysterious places hidden in these mountains?"
Chen Nan kept pressing it for answers, but Xiao Yu remained resolute, shaking its head in response. Finally, when cornered, it began to tumble and tumble in the air, startling Chen Nan, who quickly grabbed its tiger ears tightly. It took quite a while for it to stabilize itself.
"You've got quite a temper, haven't you? I'll definitely force you to take me with you sometime."
Tiger King Xiaoyu flew through the clouds and over the mountains, heading west. Half an hour later, the City of Sin came into view. To avoid causing a sensation, Chen Nan ordered it to lower its flight altitude.
"You lecherous tiger, if the little devil interrogates us about where we've been after we enter the city, you know what to do, right? The Demon Palace is no safe place; we absolutely cannot take that little girl there."
Xiaoyu wholeheartedly agreed with this, nodding repeatedly. It landed in a grove of trees outside the eastern city, shrinking to the size of a kitten, and followed Chen Nan into the city.
Xiaoyu left the city on her own and ran towards the Divine Wind Academy. Chen Nan returned to the inn where he was staying. His room clearly showed signs of being "ravaged." Although the innkeeper had cleaned it, clues were still visible, and it wasn't hard to imagine the scene of the little princess's furious outburst that day.
After returning, he rested for half a day and did not go out until the afternoon. At this time, the city of sin was still abuzz with the news of the earth-shattering dragon roar that night. All the dragon knights were still angry and were searching for people all over the city of sin.
Those cultivators who came to the City of Freedom in search of the ancient god's relic naturally became suspects, and the atmosphere in the city was tense. Chen Nan walked down the street with some trepidation. If people found out that he was the culprit, he was doomed, and to a terrible end. If dozens of dragon knights attacked at the same time, not to mention him, even a peerless master would find it difficult to withstand them.
In the city, he encountered some students from the Divine Wind Academy. Several of the mages glared at him, but fortunately, no one came forward to cause him trouble.
As the sun was about to set, the expected thing happened: the little princess came to the inn carrying Xiaoyu, looking like she was there to interrogate her.
"You scoundrel, you're finally back! Tell me where you forced Xiaoyu to take you? You bastard, you actually ditched me! You let me miss out on such a fun thing, you're utterly despicable!"
Chen Nan feigned anger, pointing at Tiger King Xiaoyu, and said, "That lecherous tiger is utterly despicable! It led me recklessly through the mountains, and all we saw were mountains and more mountains; there was nothing special about it. And this guy actually tried to abandon me in the mountains and run away! It's infuriating!"
The little princess looked at him suspiciously, then at Xiaoyu in her arms. She had already interrogated Xiaoyu, but the Tiger King refused to take her away from the City of Sin, even at the cost of his life.
To increase credibility, Chen Nan "angrily" pulled Xiao Yu out of her arms, first hitting it hard on the forehead a few times, then grabbing it by one ear and throwing it into the yard.
The little princess cried out anxiously, "Ah, you scoundrel, what are you doing? What have you done? How could you treat Xiaoyu like that?"
Xiaoyu was completely enraged. Her body grew larger in an instant, and she rushed into the house like lightning. She glared fiercely at Chen Nan, her eyes practically spitting fire.
Chen Nan said, "What are you glaring at me for, you lecherous tiger? Who told you not to take me to that mysterious place obediently, but instead led me aimlessly around in the mountains..."
Listening to his "nonsense," Xiaoyu's eyes flashed with a fierce light, but in the end, it gradually restrained its ferocity and reluctantly retreated to the little princess's side, but its eyes were filled with deep hostility towards Chen Nan.
Chen Nan secretly praised the Tiger King, saying that he was indeed clever and almost supernatural, managing to suppress his anger and cooperate with him in lying.
The little princess patted Xiaoyu's head and said, "Good job! It would be even better if you could successfully leave that bastard in the mountains." Then she said to Chen Nan, "I knew it! Xiaoyu wouldn't take me, so why would she take you? Humph!"
Chen Nan said, "I'll definitely have it take me next time."
Xiaoyu was furious and kept snorting. She had just received a good beating and still had to cover up for Chen Nan. She felt extremely wronged.
The little princess said, "I don't care. Now you have to keep your promise to travel. First, help me completely dispel the power of the Binding God Finger. Then help me teach Ren Jian, the third prince of the Moon Worship Kingdom, a lesson. Otherwise, I will tell everyone what you did in the Dragon Field of the Divine Wind Academy."
Chen Nan said, "Please don't threaten me with this, okay? I didn't do it at all. Even if you tell others, it won't make a difference."
"You know perfectly well whether you did it or not. Now quickly lift the restriction on me, and you'd better keep your word."
Chen Nan would certainly not refuse. If he didn't help the little princess get rid of the power that bound her, the old monster would definitely come after him again.
An hour later, the little princess's restraints were completely lifted. To test whether her power had been restored, she slapped the bed hard. With a loud "boom," the wooden bed shattered into pieces. She cheered, "Great! My power has truly been restored to its original state!"
She had been feeling incredibly stifled lately, unable to use her considerable skills despite them. She felt restricted in everything she did. Today, she finally broke free of those shackles, and she was overjoyed.
Before leaving, the little princess said, "You scoundrel, don't forget to teach Renjian a lesson for me, or you'll regret it." After leaving Chen Nan's room, she muttered to herself, "You filthy scoundrel, just you wait. I'm free now, and I'll make you pay."
Chen Nan was exhausted. Dispelling the power of the Binding God Finger had taken too much of his energy. He felt completely empty inside, as if his internal energy had been drained.
"With my current skill level, it's too difficult to either use this finger technique or neutralize it. I must be more careful next time."
It was already dark by then. Chen Nan had just lit a candle when he heard footsteps in the courtyard, followed by a knock on the door. He opened the door and found it was the innkeeper's assistant. "What is it?" he asked.
"Young master, someone just asked me to deliver this letter to your room."
"Who is it? Did you see their face clearly?" Chen Nan asked as he received the letter.
"It was a woman, but it was too dark to see her face clearly."
"Oh, thank you for your trouble."
After the waiter left, Chen Nan opened the letter and read it. There were only a few words on the letter: "You scoundrel, quickly write down the cultivation method of the Dragon Capturing Hand and send it to your brother in the Eastern Martial Arts Department of Shenfeng Academy."
"How did she know I lived here? Hmm, she must have followed the little devil to find this place." Chen Nan had a headache. Long Wu actually came to his door. Although he had only talked with this stunning beauty for a short while at Shenfeng Academy, he could already clearly feel that she was quite difficult to deal with.
Long Wu's stunning beauty presents an unusual kind of allure, coupled with her unique words and actions, free-spirited personality, and confident demeanor, making her stand out from the crowd. Undoubtedly, she possesses more than just a beautiful appearance; her words and actions also reveal a clever and insightful mind.
Chen Nan certainly didn't mind interacting with beautiful women, especially a stunning beauty like Long Wu, whose looks could topple kingdoms. But right now, he didn't want to get too entangled with this beauty; the Eastern Phoenix had already made him lament his bad luck.
The old man's words still echoed in his ears: "You brat... I'll beat you up every time I see you... You shameless bastard, remember this, I'll break your stinky hand sooner or later."
Who knows if he accidentally offends Long Wuhou and a "Dragon Elder" will suddenly appear? The thought of an old man from the East already makes him uneasy.
"Of the fifty-six stratagems, there's always one more; I'll hide." That was the only way Chen Nan could console himself. That very night, he moved out and checked into another inn. For the next two days, Chen Nan lived a leisurely life, spending his time either practicing martial arts or sleeping soundly.
On the afternoon of the third day, trouble finally arrived. The old man from the East, whom he dreaded most, appeared in his house without him noticing. Startled, he immediately cried out, "You old geezer from the East… how did you find this place?"
The old man from the East chuckled coldly, "You brat, you really know how to hide, haven't shown your face for days. But I finally found you, hehe..."
Chen Nan felt a chill run down his spine as he listened to the old man's cold laughter. His various rude actions towards Dongfang Fenghuang had already enraged the old man before him, who had once threatened to break his right hand. The situation was indeed dire.
"You old man from the East...you're bullying the weak."
"Pah!" the old man from the East said angrily, "You brat, you've bullied my granddaughter time and time again. If I don't teach you a lesson, you'll really think I'm a vegetarian."
"You old fool, the feud between me and your granddaughter was settled in the last duel. Are you still going to keep nagging me?" Chen Nan retorted loudly to the old man from the East, forcing himself to speak.
"You brat, I'll give you a chance. I won't make a move for the next three days. During these three days, you can either escape the City of Sin or go into hiding. On the fourth day, I will begin to hunt you down. If I catch up with you or find you, there's nothing to say but that I'll beat you up, beat you mercilessly, and break your right hand. Of course, there's a time limit. As long as you can evade my pursuit for three days, our score will be settled."
The old man from the East gave Chen Nan no choice at all. After speaking, he quickly slipped out of the house, and by the time Chen Nan chased after him, he had already disappeared without a trace.
"Heavens! A terrifyingly powerful old man is going to hunt me down in three days. If he catches up, the dire consequences are unimaginable. Hiding in the city is definitely not an option. Should I really flee this City of Sin? No, that won't work either. The Eastern Phoenix has a divine eagle. If this old man rides it, he can catch up with me in no time. Unless I escape into the mountains..."
At this moment, Chen Nan was really frustrated, having been forced into such a predicament by the old man from the East.
"That old bastard already beat me up last time, and this time he's forced me to hide everywhere. He's absolutely despicable, and I swear I'll get my revenge."
There might be a lot of parody here. If you don't like this style, start reading from Chapter 5 of Volume 6, where the protagonist goes to find his soulmate from ten thousand years ago. The style will change and become more serious.