Chapter 8, Bone Needle Mutation

Are there no objections? Then it is decided! Utreid announced loudly: "Stop crossing the foolish plains, we will turn back to the camp where we were born and wait for Lord Bone Rider to return"

Lü Yan felt somewhat wronged; he had not poisoned anyone, but was merely bathing in the pond with three of his subordinates

I cannot die, I want to live!" Lü Yan's right hand was raised swiftly, almost in an unconscious state, and then it struck decisively and forcefully at the broad center of Zha Ma's forehead.

The more powerful the human warrior or mage, the stronger the soul they possess. Killing them can yield a substantial amount of souls. If a skeleton encounters the recently deceased bodies of humans who have killed each other, it can absorb a small amount of soul energy. According to legend, some small skeletons have inadvertently become involved in large-scale human wars, and overnight, on the battlefield strewn with corpses, they evolve into powerful general skeletons.

Lü Yan felt uneasy about Karen Val's casual attitude, which seemed to foreshadow that when the time came to pronounce his fate, Karen Val would not protect him either

This is the command of Karenval. As Lü Yanmeng looked up, he saw Karenval standing less than two meters behind Utrede. In that instant, he understood everything. Lord Karenval had not abandoned him; Lord Karenval merely intended to carry out a coordinated assassination with him, and the target of the assassination was the arrogant Utrede.

"Just kill it." Karen replied casually.

Poison ... ... '' Zama struggled to utter a word from his throat, and Lvyang understood; Zama said he had poisoned the water in the pond

At that moment, another voice echoed in Lv Yan's mind: "Kill him!"

Utreid was almost beside himself with rage, but being an ambitious skeleton, he understood how rare it was to have capable subordinates. Therefore, he decided to give Lu Yan one last chance

The bone needle smoothly pierced into Zama's forehead, as effortlessly as if it had sunk into a mass of soft mud. Even more terrifying was the intense heat that emanated from the tip of the needle, instantly turning the brain matter into steam. The immense pressure forced blood and flesh to spurt out from Zama's eye sockets and ear canals, yet this was still insufficient to relieve the pressure. With a muffled "pop," Zama's head exploded, scattering fragments of his skull everywhere, resembling a mess of uneaten watermelon rinds.

"Do not die! Do not die! Do not die!" The voice in his mind was roaring frantically, but this time the voice did not have an immediate effect. Although Lu Yan was trembling all over, seemingly on the verge of collapsing to his knees, he still did not.

Lü Yan felt every bone in his body tremble; he wanted to escape, but the red bones under Utreid had formed a semicircle several meters wide, leaving him with no way to flee

From Lord Karenval, Lü Yan learned what the power emanating from the recently slain human was. This substance, known as the Soul of Life, is invisible and intangible, yet it is the key to the growth of skeletons. It can repair the cracks in the bones of the skeletons, stimulate the evolution of bone techniques, and also strengthen the skeleton's body.

Death! A madness of mutual destruction was evident in Zha Ma's eyes. With a surge of strength, he broke Lü Yan's leg bones, rendering the power of the red bones insignificant before him

"I am sorry, Lord Kerenval, I cannot return alive." Lv Yan suddenly thought of his battle comrade, perhaps because apart from Kerenval, he did not know another name in this world.

Lü Yan did not understand why Utrede would go to such lengths, but his knees did not bend at all, showing no intention of kneeling down

Lü Yan did not expect the situation to be so tumultuous. He initially thought he was going to die, but unexpectedly managed to launch a surprise attack successfully. He believed victory was assured, only to be crushed by the severely injured Zama. The vitality of this human is terrifying; even with a pierced skull, he is still alive. Lü Yan can barely lift his hand now, and his consciousness is gradually fading. He estimates that he is finished.

Protecting oneself? Lv Yan suddenly found her thoughts quite ridiculous; it seemed that the word "protection" did not exist at all within the skeleton, and moreover, the role of the red bone was merely that of a slightly sturdier cannon fodder

"Enough, no more arguing. I have already stated that traversing the grassland is unsafe. We should return to the original camp and wait for Lord Bone Rider's troops to return!" said an arrogant, animal-like war bone.

"Kneel, or I will tear you apart!" Utreid raised a claw.

When the bone of the neck was pressed down, the coldness of death nearly engulfed Lü Yan. He suddenly shuddered, "I cannot die! I cannot die! I must survive!" The roar from the depths of his heart surged forth once again, pushing Lü Yan's consciousness back from the abyss of death

Utrecht let out a chattering laugh: "Hehe, Kerenval, there aren't many Red Bones around now. If you must protect your subordinates..."

kneel

The immense pain nearly caused Lu Yan to faint, but the fierce determination within him compelled him to act. He struck Zama's face with his right hand, driving the bony needle in his palm into Zama's left eye. A black liquid mixed with plasma gushed out, and the viscous fluid seeped from the gaps in Lu Yan's knuckles, mingling with the power that invigorated the skeleton.

Lü Yan felt that perhaps kneeling could save him from death, but for some reason, he just could not bend his knees

"Very well, Kerenval, one of your Red Bones has let a human go to send a message. How should this be dealt with?" Utreid's sharp and slender facial bones looked ominously at Kerenval

Zama's body trembled noticeably; this pain was something he could not ignore. However, the title of the tribe's foremost warrior was not earned lightly. His hands once again found their way to Luyan's lumbar spine, and with a bear hug, he pressed Luyan firmly against his chest, causing Luyan's lumbar spine and several ribs to break simultaneously

Utrede moved with delicate, small steps, his four paws silently treading on the grass as he slowly approached Lu Yan. The tattered crimson cloak fluttered lightly in the wind behind him, resembling a demon dog from hell

Lü Yan stood more than ten meters behind Kaiernvaar, quietly awaiting the outcome. This discussion also included his judgment. As a scout of the Red Bones, one of the most important rules was to never lead humans to the skeletons' camp. Although Lü Yan did not directly bring humans, he allowed a boy who might report back to escape. Some of the War Bones proposed his execution.

After a barely noticeable whimper escaped from his jaw, Lu Yan collapsed onto Zama like a soft skeleton, the fracture in his lumbar vertebrae making him feel as though all the strength in his body had left him

Lü Yan recalled the nameless old man with a white beard from He Gu Village. To this day, he had not encountered a soul more powerful than that of the old man. The corpse beneath him, though formidable, had a soul that was merely a fraction of the old man's, not even one ten-thousandth. If the old man had not died that day, Lü Yan could hardly imagine what his own fate would have been.

The young boy suddenly woke up in shock, dropping the water pouch in his hand and turning to run. Although Zama had told him that the red skeletons were very fragile, seeing Uncle Zama, who was known as the tribe's greatest warrior, being taken down by a single move from Lü Yan, he had completely lost the will to resist. He no longer cared whether he could survive in the grasslands after losing his horse and supplies, and he ran northward with his head held.

Lü Yan observed five sharp black claws slowly growing on Utrede's paw, each claw glimmering with a metallic sheen. That was Utrede's bone technique, and he had no doubt that Utrede could completely tear him apart with a single swipe.

The warriors immediately gathered together to discuss anxiously. This unexpected encounter had left a survivor, making it inappropriate to continue along the original route.

The Red Bones and even the Battle Bones stood at a distance, watching. They did not understand what Lü Yan was persisting in. The meaning of Utreid was already very clear; kneeling would ensure survival. Shouldn't the Red Bones obey the will of the Battle Bones?

With a thud, the mysterious water droplet within Lv Yan's body, m.hetushu.com, was also stimulated by this will to survive, and a faint energy, so weak that it could be completely ignored, flowed out from within it and into Lv Yan's bone needle

From Utrede's well-proportioned and slender physique, along with his lightning-fast speed, he should possess the skeletal structure of a cheetah. At the stage of battle bones, he already achieved nearly one-third the speed of a strong skeletal frame. This aspect subtly positioned Utrede as the leader of this ragtag team, with only Kerenval, the leader of Luyan, being able to somewhat restrain him. However, this time Kerenval seemed to be somewhat hesitant.

Lü Yan cast a glance at the speaking war bone, which was Utreid. Lü Yan had once killed a strong red bone under Utreid when selecting the gray bones. Although red bones were considered worthless by most war bones, Lü Yan could still sense Utreid's animosity towards him since that incident

Karen Val waved her hand and said with a sense of boredom: "It's just cannon fodder, why bother with so many formalities? Go ahead and make your move."

He must not escape. Humans are also social animals; they will call upon more warriors. Lü Yan pulled out the bone needle from Zama's throat, intending to pursue the boy, but Zama tightly clung to his legs.

As the red clouds floated up in the sky, Lü Yan returned to the camp with his three gray bones, having not completed the ten-kilometer journey, but instead turning back immediately after killing Zama. He reported the entire matter to Lord Kaiernvaar, including the details of the boy who had escaped

Zama was not faring well either; his carotid artery had ruptured, and blood was gushing out like a fountain, shooting over one meter high. The strength he once took pride in was now flowing away with his blood. What sustained him now was merely the honor and loyalty of a warrior. His hand trembled as it reached for Lü Yan's cervical vertebra; if he were to break this vertebra, Lü Yan would be doomed.

Karen Val casually followed alongside Utreid, seemingly eager to observe his execution process

"Karenval, don't you think it's time to go back and wait for Lord Qigu to reassign us?" Utreid asked loudly in front of the other battle skeletons.

Lü Yan felt a sudden stiffness in his entire body and mind, as if all his bones and thoughts had been abruptly seized: "He really agreed to kill me..."

Attacking at the risk of one's life may indeed kill Utreid, but there is an eight or nine out of ten chance that one would be torn to shreds oneself

The young man had long since run far away; the battered Lu Yan and the three Gray Bones could not possibly catch up to him. They could only sit beside the corpse of Zama, absorbing Zama's lingering soul while waiting for their injuries to heal.

Utrede stepped forward again, pressing his sharp head against Lü Yan's skull: "Kneel and beg me, and I shall spare you..."

Kneel and beg for mercy, and you may follow the more powerful Utreid

Kneel down, or face death

"Humble Red Bone, kneel!" Utreid commanded as he approached Luyan. He actually had a certain regard for this Red Bone who had independently eliminated the herdsmen. In the current situation where Red Bones were scarce, he also realized that indiscriminate killing was meaningless. As long as Luyan was willing to kneel and plead with him, he would speak on behalf of Luyan to the other War Bones, and at the same time, it would naturally allow him to take Luyan from Kairenwal's hands into his own.

The hand above the cervical bone had lost its strength, hanging limply to the ground. Lü Yan, slightly surprised, pulled out the bone needle that had been inserted into the grass. He noticed that the red-black bone needle had inexplicably transformed into an unusual pure white color, and was emanating a scorching heat.

The other battle spirits did not express their opinions; they were accustomed to following orders. When the two most powerful, Utreid and Kerenval, reached an agreement, all they had to do was comply

Between kneeling to seek mercy and risking his life to attack the skeletal warrior, Lü Yan chose the latter without hesitation. He could not clearly articulate whether it was due to his unwillingness to kneel or his trust and reliance on Kairenwal. In any case, he forcefully grasped Utrede's neck bone with his right hand in front of the watchful eyes of the crowd

Lü Yan and Zama were equally shocked, gazing at each other as if they were old friends reunited after a long separation, except that Lü Yan's bone needle had already pierced Zama's trachea and carotid artery

Karen Vale shrugged and said, "Whatever, I have no problem going anywhere."

A faint sound! Two horses nearby let out mournful cries, collapsing to the ground, frothing at the mouth