Chapter 1261: Drip of Heavenly Marrow Explained

While ordinary bones would have long decayed into dust, this skeleton remained remarkably well-preserved, its shape clearly indicating the individual's great strength in life.

Such an individual's possessions were undoubtedly priceless treasures. Duan Tiande, unable to contain himself, flickered through the shadows, appearing swiftly by the skeleton. His slender sword shot towards Wu Liang's wrist, clearly aiming to force him to release his grip.

At the same instant, Ma Huang moved as well. With a sweep of his cloak, he transformed into a crimson blur, swiftly flying to their side and reaching directly for the pendant in Wu Liang's hand.

Just then, Wu Liang flung out two yellow talismans. As Duan Tiande and Ma Huang's attacks made contact with the talismans, they instantly burst into flames, effectively blocking both assaults.

Wu Liang then seized the opportunity to roll along the ground, his entire body like a fleshy ball, rolling directly away at an astonishing speed.

The other demon clan experts quickly reacted, each employing their unique movement techniques to give chase.

Even Princess Soren was no exception. She pondered the immense favor she now owed Zu'an. Although he hadn't explicitly asked for repayment, a favor with unclear terms was always the hardest to settle. What if he were to make some… excessive demand later? What could she do then?

She therefore reasoned that if she could seize the pendant this time and present it to Zu'an, their debt would be settled.

Prince Silver Shark, as her devoted follower, naturally pursued her without hesitation.

Zu'an and the remaining few were left wide-eyed. Yun Jianyue asked, "Aren't we going after them?"

Zu'an shook his head. "Let's not bother. That plump Taoist priest meticulously orchestrated all of this likely for that pendant. Who knows what other contingencies he has planned? We shouldn't join the fray."

He was now eager to quickly find the item the great serpent mentioned, which could help Yu Yanluo achieve a breakthrough, and then leave this place as soon as possible. After all, sensing that powerful presence secretly observing them in the mist forest felt like a constant Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads. It was best to avoid conflict with that entity if at all possible.

Yan Xuehen asked curiously, "Did any of you get a clear look at what that pendant was?"

She was currently severely wounded, her cultivation having significantly declined, making it difficult for her to discern objects clearly from such a distance.

Yun Jianyue replied, "It was a dark golden object, very strangely shaped. It didn't resemble a jade pendant or any kind of jewelry; rather... rather..."

"More like a claw," Zu'an supplied.

"That's it! It was indeed like a claw!" Yun Jianyue's eyes lit up. She had finally found the most apt description, and a wave of satisfaction washed over her.

"A claw?" Yu Yanluo was taken aback. "How could something treated with such reverence be a mere claw?"

A group of people had been fighting tooth and nail; what would their expressions be if they knew they were battling over a claw?

"It's not just an ordinary claw. It's a bit like a... *cough*... a 'Mojin Fu' from my homeland. Legend has it that some tomb-raiding families would craft 'Mojin Fu' from pangolin claws to ward off evil..." Zu'an then gave a rough description of the legends he had heard in his previous life about 'Mojin Xiaowei' (tomb-raiding captains).

"Pangolin?" Yu Yanluo's heart stirred. "Among the demon race, the pangolin lineage is indeed highly skilled in tomb raiding. Due to their ability to unearth numerous ancient tombs, they frequently discover treasures and secret techniques, which explains why the pangolin lineage often achieves high levels of cultivation. However, because they gather cultivation methods from various burial sites, their knowledge is incredibly eclectic, and there's a subtle risk of their skills becoming impure if they aren't careful."

"Furthermore, tomb raiding is a despised practice among both demons and humans alike. Many ancient tombs still have descendants, and the desecration of an ancestral grave is considered a blood feud. Consequently, the pangolin lineage was almost universally ostracized. Many years ago, they incurred widespread public fury and were attacked collectively by various races, after which this lineage gradually vanished from record. Even if there are descendants, they dare not reveal their identity."

Yan Xuehen's heart stirred. "I, too, have heard legends of the pangolin lineage. The way that plump Taoist priest curled into a ball and rolled away just now strongly resembles the legendary escape technique of the pangolin lineage."

"Indeed, look..." By this point, the group had approached the skeleton. Yun Jianyue pointed to its hand and also to its coccyx.

From a distance, they hadn't seen clearly, but upon closer inspection, they realized that while the skeleton was clearly male, its stature was considerably shorter than that of a normal human. Its fingers were exceptionally long and slender, with tips that appeared somewhat sharp.

Moreover, the coccyx was quite prominent, appearing as if a tail had not fully atrophied, clearly indicating that these were not human bones.

Although the demon race comprises numerous species, most are born capable of roughly maintaining a human form, while naturally retaining certain distinctive characteristics of their own lineage.

Another portion, even if born in their true demon form, can transform into human shape within a few years.

In this world of cultivation, the human body is considered the closest to the Dao. Therefore, cultivators generally maintain a human form to practice.

Many ferocious beasts, no matter how formidable their strength, are still classified as such. Beyond their undeveloped sentience, their inability to transform into human form like normal demons is a significant reason for this classification.

"This appears to be the skeleton of a pangolin clan member." Among the group, Yu Yanluo possessed the most extensive knowledge of demon races. After a period of observation, she delivered her assessment. "I recall now: the pangolin clan last appeared a century ago. At that time, there emerged an individual known as the Old Ancestor Pangolin, who was extraordinarily gifted. His cultivation surpassed even that of his predecessors, and every time he acted, he invariably uncovered a prime, high-grade tomb. Various clans pursued him for a considerable period, yet not only did they fail to capture him, he retaliated by excavating numerous of their ancestral graves."

"The incident caused an enormous uproar at the time, and the bounty for his capture soared to an astronomical sum. Later, he inexplicably vanished without a trace. The world believed he must have met an untimely demise in some formidable ancient tomb. Could this be him?"

Everyone was startled. Yun Jianyue and Yan Xuehen carefully examined the remains. "Based on the condition of these bones," they concluded, "this individual was likely a half-step Grandmaster in life, or perhaps had just recently achieved Grandmaster status. Since only a skeleton remains, it's difficult to be entirely precise."

"Around the Grandmaster level, then," Zu'an's expression turned solemn. "Even someone with such high cultivation died here. Moreover, he frequently frequented ancient tombs, meaning he lacked neither experience nor life-saving techniques. What kind of entity could have possibly killed him?"

As he spoke, he moved to examine the skeleton, hoping to ascertain the cause of death.

Suddenly, his gaze sharpened. He moved the entire skeleton aside, dug away the soil beneath, and retrieved a book. Its cover appeared to be intricately woven from gold threads.

The women were astonished. In a place where even bones had decayed, this book remained perfectly preserved, clearly indicating its extraordinary nature.

"Hmm, what is written on this?" Though the women were quite learned, the characters on the book were exceedingly peculiar in shape, utterly unlike any known script.

Zu'an's heart, however, stirred with recognition. He was intimately familiar with this script, having encountered it multiple times within various secret realms. This was the ancient Chinese script known as Small Seal Script, from his previous life.

Having Mi Li as his teacher for such a long time, he was now perfectly adept at recognizing Small Seal Script.

"'Di Tian Sui Chan Wei'!"

Hearing him read the title aloud, the women looked utterly bewildered. What on earth was he talking about?

Zu'an opened the first page and discovered, in addition to the main text, some tiny, cramped notes, evidently made by the skeleton's owner during his lifetime.

The notes explained that he had narrowly escaped death in a grand tomb to acquire the book, but to his profound regret, he could not decipher the characters within.

Nevertheless, he was also a prodigy. By painstakingly combining his lifetime of learning, he managed to grasp some superficial insights from the book's diagrams and even the underlying intentions hinted at by the character strokes. This partial understanding was enough to make him far superior to his clan's predecessors, enabling him to successfully locate tombs and auspicious sites from then on.

He was even able to discover elemental stone veins and various blessed lands and grotto-heavens, providing him with abundant cultivation resources. Consequently, his cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds, far surpassing his clan's ancestors.

The more potent secrets he uncovered, the more he lamented his inability to fully grasp the book's essence...

"It truly is Old Ancestor Pangolin," Yu Yanluo remarked, noticing the signature at the end. The Old Ancestor Pangolin's signature included a claw-shaped seal, which was clearly the very pendant they had all just been fighting over.

"It's a pity we don't know what this book is truly about," Yun Jianyue said with a hint of regret. "Old Ancestor Pangolin's description has certainly piqued my curiosity."

Zu'an looked at the book's title page and slowly read aloud: "To comprehend the myriad laws of the Three Origins, first observe the Imperial Record and Divine Efficacy..."