…Wait.
Lin lan froze.
That girl—
It's her. The one I ran into on campus.
What were the odds?
Even he felt a flicker of surprise.
"That's Liang Wan," Shen Daolun said casually, clearly enjoying Lin lan's reaction. "She's the current holder of the Nine Netherworld Divine Jade. Right now, we're inside the Nine Nether Immortal Realm contained within it."
He continued, unhurried.
"The jade has been passed down through the Liang family for generations. An heirloom, nothing more—or so they thought. No one ever realized what it truly was. To them, it was just an old antique."
Shen Daolun had owned the Emerald Spirit Mirror for years. Despite claiming he rarely used it, he still kept a loose eye on the outside world.
So her name is Liang Wan…
Lin lan let the name roll around in his thoughts.
Nice name. Shame about the temper.
His gaze lingered—just a second too long—on her slender figure wrapped loosely in a bath towel. Honestly, claiming he felt nothing would've been pure hypocrisy.
She was beautiful.
Then—
The impossible happened.
The towel slipped.
Just like that, it fell to the floor.
For a heartbeat, everything stopped.
Smooth, pale skin gleamed under the bathroom light. Her curves were soft yet defined, natural and unguarded, carrying a quiet allure that hit far harder than anything staged or deliberate ever could.
Lin lan's mind went blank.
His soul flame flickered wildly.
He barely even watched adult videos back when he was alive. And now?
A live scene.
A stunning woman.
Zero warning.
Pure instinct surged through him.
For the first time since becoming a skeleton, Lin lan desperately wished he had his human body back.
Inside the bathroom, Liang Wan stiffened.
The towel slipping had startled her—but she was in her own home. No one else was supposed to be there.
She calmly bent down, picked it up, and wrapped it back around herself.
Still…
Something felt off.
A faint heat prickled across her skin. An inexplicable sensation—like unseen eyes lingering on her.
Meanwhile, Lin lan was utterly captivated.
His mood lifted instantly.
This mirror… this Emerald Spirit Mirror…
It was incredible.
Peeping. Surveillance. Observation.
An absolute must-have for home and travel.
"Brother Shen," Lin lan said, suddenly all smiles. "Let's talk business."
Before Shen Daolun could react, Lin lan snatched the mirror straight into his hands.
"How about you just give this treasure to me?"
Shen Daolun's face twisted in silent agony.
Inside, he screamed.
A divine-grade treasure… used for spying on women bathing…
This was beyond painful.
This was sacrilege.
But he knew the truth.
Once Lin lan got his hands on something—especially something shiny—there was no getting it back.
Regret hit him like a truck.
Why did I show it off? Why did I open my big mouth?
His insides turned green.
Forcing a smile that looked more like a grimace, Shen Daolun waved his hand magnanimously.
"Aren't we good brothers?" he said weakly. "If you like it, take it. No need to stand on ceremony."
Lin lan laughed and tucked the mirror away without hesitation.
"Then I won't," he said cheerfully. "Don't worry, Brother Shen. I'll make it up to you."
"I'll give you a bigger share of the soul energy when hunting skeletons."
That… helped.
A little.
At least it wasn't a total loss.
The wind howled.
Sand churned violently across the wasteland.
Lin lan tightened his grip on the dagger he'd taken earlier, scanning the terrain as he moved.
This was bad weather.
Visibility was nearly nonexistent. Even if undead lurked nearby, the storm swallowed all traces of their presence. The wind masked sound. The sand concealed movement.
Sometimes, the only warning came from impact.
Collision meant combat.
Up close. Brutal. Fast.
In these conditions, perception meant everything.
His recent cultivation had sharpened his instincts. A faint, almost supernatural awareness warned him moments before danger struck—and that brief window often decided life or death.
Shen Daolun had retreated into a protective formation. Without combat ability, following Lin lan in this storm would've been suicide.
Then—
Lin lan sensed something.
Four presences.
Nearby.
Newborn skeletons… but different.
On the verge of evolution.
Undead in the Nine Nether Immortal Realm could continuously grow stronger through battle—if they survived long enough and absorbed sufficient soul energy.
Lin lan's pulse quickened.
Skeletons about to evolve carried far richer soul energy. Dangerous, yes—but the reward?
Worth it.
This was a feast.
He surged forward—
Only for a sharp whistle to rip through the air.
A flash of cold steel.
In an instant, all four evolving skeletons were cleaved apart—split cleanly into eight scattered halves.
Someone stole my prey?!
Lin lan spun around, killing intent flaring.
Not far away stood a skeleton unlike the rest.
A long sword in its right hand.
A small round shield in its left.
It stood tall—nearly six feet—its bones thick and solid. Deep white soul flames burned steadily within its eye sockets.
A Skeleton Warrior.
Lin lan's heart skipped.
Skeleton Warriors were an entire tier above newborn skeletons. Any area they occupied was classified as high-risk territory.
No matter how much stronger he'd become, he was still—at best—a reinforced newborn skeleton.
No contest.
…Forget it.
Let it have them.
Lin lan turned and ran without hesitation.
No shame in survival.
Behind him, the Skeleton Warrior, still unsatisfied, went on a rampage.
Lin lan escaped the immediate carnage, watching from afar as the warrior cut through newborn skeletons with terrifying efficiency—one strike per skull.
The slaughter triggered something primal.
Nearby newborn skeletons, driven by instinct, began to gather.
Then surge.
Hundreds of skeletal forms flooded toward the Skeleton Warrior, engulfing it completely.
Lin lan watched, grinning.
Karma's a bitch.
Even monsters couldn't fight an army forever.
Or so he thought.
Suddenly—
A blinding crimson arc exploded from within the mass.
BOOM!
The ground shook.
Where the blade passed, over a dozen skeletons were reduced to dust instantly.
Lin lan's grin vanished.
What…?
That kind of power—
It made no sense.
By all logic, the Skeleton Warrior should've been overwhelmed. Instead, it was tearing through the swarm.
Drawn by disbelief, Lin lan crept closer.
Half the attackers were already destroyed.
Bones piled beneath the warrior's feet. Dozens of soul energy orbs drifted in the air.
Then Lin lan saw it.
The sword.
A blood-red bone blade, nearly five feet long, curved like a crescent moon. A faint crimson glow flowed along its surface, leaving eerie trails with every swing.
Even from a distance, Lin lan could feel the dense death energy radiating from it.
That blade…
That's the real source of its power.
His eyes burned.
With a weapon like that, survival in this realm would become far easier.
Moments ago, he'd wanted nothing to do with this battle.
Now?
Heh.
What a treasure.
That blade is mine.