Online Game: Evil Dragon Against The Heaven - 186

Another half hour passed, and the endless wasteland of white bones remained ahead. Aside from the sky growing darker, there was no discernible change. Ye Tian Xie began to wonder if he had somehow returned to where he started.

An hour passed, then an hour and a half, nearly two hours…

The same scenery repeated endlessly in his vision, as if the wasteland stretched on forever.

Crunch!

An unusual sound suddenly came from underfoot. A rusted, weathered helmet was unintentionally dislodged by Ye Tian Xie’s step. He glanced at it casually and thought nothing of it. Among the bones scattered here, there were also many broken or intact pieces of armor and weapons—relics of the heroic warriors who had died in battle.

As he took two more steps forward, the helmet he had kicked free silently rose from the ground, floating into the air.

At the same time, a pristine bronze armor, a pair of bronze greaves, and a blood-stained spear emerged from the ruins, breaking through the earth and hovering near the helmet.

The unusual sight made Ye Tian Xie abruptly turn around, frowning at the floating weapons and armor. Their arrangement was deliberate, perfectly mimicking the form of an invisible person clad in the armor, helmet, and holding the spear like a proud and mighty warrior.

Focusing his attention, Ye Tian Xie activated the Evil Dragon’s Eye to pierce through the scene. With his concentrated gaze, he discerned a faint, shadowy figure—a warrior exuding boundless rage and killing intent. The armor emerging from the ground was worn on his spectral body, and the spear was firmly gripped in his hand. Ordinary eyes would only perceive the eerie floating equipment.

Warrior’s Wraith

Level: 20

Health: 950

Description: A brave warrior who perished in the defensive war 80 years ago. Though their body has perished, their unwavering belief in protecting their homeland and their indomitable fighting spirit linger on. Their lingering wraiths ruthlessly attack all intruders. Defeating them is the only way to grant their souls eternal rest.

Trait: Body of the Wraith—completely immune to all death-related attacks.

Skills: None.

Weakness: Vulnerable to all light and life-based attacks.

The floating armor, animated by the warrior’s wraith, charged toward Ye Tian Xie. The spear, carrying a ruthless and unstoppable momentum, aimed directly for his throat. Ye Tian Xie twisted his body slightly to evade the attack and struck the armor with a Dragon Fissure Slash. In a low voice, he murmured, “Rest in peace, heroic wraith.”

Ye Tian Xie held a deep respect for those who sacrificed their lives to protect their homes and beliefs. His single strike instantly obliterated the warrior’s wraith, scattering the assembled equipment across the seemingly endless wasteland.

However, this action was akin to disturbing a hornet’s nest. Warriors who had fought life-and-death battles together often shared bonds stronger than brotherhood. The death of one ignited countless sorrow and rage. As the warrior’s wraith dissipated, a bitterly cold wind suddenly swept across the Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones. The bone-covered ground surrounding Ye Tian Xie began to churn violently. The dark earth erupted, releasing fragments of intact or broken armor and weapons that flew out, assembling themselves around him.

One… two… three… ten… eleven!

Eleven warriors’ wraiths surrounded Ye Tian Xie, their thick aura of death and wrathful killing intent locking firmly onto him.

After nearly two hours, Ye Tian Xie finally encountered enemies, which oddly made him feel a sense of relief. If all he faced was an endless wasteland, even he wasn’t sure how much longer he could endure.

But at that moment, a notification sound that left him utterly dumbfounded rang in his ears.

【Ding… You have been in the 《Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones》 for more than two hours, which exceeds the daily limit for each player. You will now be forcibly ejected.】

“Hey! Hey… Wait a minute…”

Before Ye Tian Xie could finish shouting, his vision blurred, and the surrounding space shifted dramatically. The pungent stench vanished, and the light became bright again. In the next instant, he found himself back at the respawn point in Tianchen City.

Thus ended his first foray into the Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones. Ye Tian Xie stood there for a long time, caught in a dilemma. He was certain that the quest description never mentioned any time restrictions. This was clearly a hidden condition and likely the reason no team had stayed in the Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones for more than two hours.

Compared to the Heavenly Soul Cemetery, where defeating all enemies could complete the mission, this search-oriented quest was infinitely more challenging for him. If given a choice, he would much rather face a direct battle twice as difficult as the Heavenly Soul Cemetery.

That said, his venture into the Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones wasn’t entirely fruitless. The last encounter with the warrior’s wraith had given him a faint clue.

Each system quest map only allowed players to enter once every three days, meaning Ye Tian Xie would have to wait three days before attempting the Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones again. After thinking for a while, he turned and headed north in Tianchen City—toward the same direction as the Temple of No Flowers.

To Ye Tian Xie’s dismay, this time he wasn’t greeted by the Monk Without Flowers  from the previous day, nor by the Master of Leisurely Hours. Instead, an even older monk appeared. This monk’s aged appearance was so pronounced that if someone claimed he was over a hundred years old, Ye Tian Xie wouldn’t doubt it for a second.

“Greetings, adventurer from another world. Your expression tells me you have come here to undergo a trial,” the old monk said with a bow.

“Yes, Master. I trouble you to transport me to the Frozen Wolf Cavern.” Ye Tian Xie replied politely, returning the bow.

“The Frozen Wolf Cavern… That is a fearsome place, not only bone-chillingly cold but also teeming with ferocious beasts. May I offer you some advice, Benefactor? Do not attempt to go there until your strength has reached level 25. Even if there are no enemies, the freezing cold alone is enough to lead you to ruin. Amitabha,” the monk patiently counseled.

Ye Tian Xie’s expression remained unchanged as he said, “Thank you for your advice, Master. I will act within my capabilities. I kindly ask that you transport me to the Frozen Wolf Cavern.”

“Since this is your choice, I will not refuse,” the old monk said.

“May I ask, what is your Dharma name, Master?” Ye Tian Xie inquired.

“Amitabha. My Dharma name… is Little Bird.” the monk replied with solemn dignity.

“… Thank you, Master Little Bird,” Ye Tian Xie said, now certain that while the monks here appeared normal on the surface, none of them were actually sane. “By the way, where are Master Without Flowers and Master Leisurely Hours?”

“Amitabha. They have taken a rest because they have been too busy receiving guests,” Master Little Bird answered calmly.

“Too busy receiving guests…” Those words made Ye Tian Xie feel incredibly uncomfortable. Saying nothing more, he silently waited for Master Little Bird to perform the teleportation.

Master Little Bird did not immediately initiate the teleportation. Instead, he spoke seriously and slowly, “Today, one hundred and seventy-two brave teams have been sent to the entrance. However, none remain there now. Out of those, only two teams entered the Frozen Wolf Cavern. Even so, do you still wish to go there?”

“Oh? Why were so many sent there, yet only two teams entered? What happened to the others? Why didn’t they stay and wait, but instead left entirely?” Ye Tian Xie  asked with a frown, his heart filled with doubt. The rewards for the mercenary system quests had ignited the desire of countless players to complete them. The chaos of over three hundred teams vying for the final spot to enter the Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones was proof of that.

Yet now, the area before the Frozen Wolf Cavern was completely deserted. This baffled him.

“Benefactor, you will understand once you go there. This old monk cannot reveal more. Very well, I will now send you there.”

The old monk chanted softly, and a teleportation array quickly formed beneath Ye Tian Xie’s feet, whisking him away from the Temple of No Flowers.

“Amitabha. May you return safely,” the old monk murmured, sitting cross-legged as he resumed reciting sacred scriptures…

“I…am… a… little… little… little… bird… oh oh oh…”

[TL Note: This is a reference to 我是一只小小鸟 by Richie Ren (任贤齐).]

The bone-chilling cold felt like icy blades cutting into his body. The moment Ye Tian Xie appeared in this frozen world, he immediately understood why no team was willing to linger here.

The stench at the entrance of the Wreckage of Ten Thousand Bones was bearable, but this cold was something no ordinary person could endure for long.

-5.

-5.

-5.

-5.

Every second, a red number floated above Ye Tian Xie’s head. The cold here not only mercilessly pierced his body but also continuously drained his health.

He activated the life auto-recovery attribute of the Ring of Life, which he usually kept turned off. The health loss was immediately offset. Taking a step forward, Ye Tian Xie found that beneath the thick layer of snow was an incredibly smooth ice surface. Caught off guard, he slipped and almost fell.

“Ehehehe! Huh? Why didn’t you fall?”

As Ye Tian Xie slid, a rather arrogant laugh rang out. The voice was unmistakably that of a young girl, but the unrestrained boldness in her tone was far from what a child should have. However, Ye Tian Xie’s extraordinary sense of balance allowed him to stabilize himself in a posture impossible for most people, preventing him from falling. This left the voice’s owner both surprised and disappointed.

 After regaining his footing, Ye Tian Xie looked toward the source of the voice. To his surprise, he saw a snowman piled not far ahead, standing taller than a person. The area around it was pure white snow, blending so perfectly with its surroundings that he hadn’t noticed its presence before.

But wait—it wasn’t a snowman. It was an ice figure, because perched atop the snowman was a little girl with an expression of pure excitement.

If this were an ordinary snowman, it would have collapsed under the weight of a child sitting on it.