Starting as the heir of a marquis's mansion, I gained access to a summoning system.

Dongfang Weiwo knelt on one knee, pressing his left palm firmly against the wound on his abdomen.

Beneath his palm, the fragment of half an ankle bone, like a living worm, was still burrowing in, and dark golden light leaked out from between his fingers, scorching the flesh with a "hissing" sound.

Lin Xiaoman rushed over. The grayish-white orb of light from Lu Moshen's fingertip had already landed on her shoulder, but she still ignored it and threw herself to Dongfang Weiwo's side, placing her left hand on the back of his hand. Blood seeped from her palm, intertwining with the dark golden light.

"Don't use brute force," she said urgently, her voice trembling. "It's looking for your left leg bone; the more you press, the deeper it burrows into the flesh. Let go and let it go in on its own."

Dongfang Weiwo gritted his teeth, his fingers slightly loosening. The broken bone, as if granted a pardon, pierced his blood vessels with a "whoosh," sliding down his leg bone. The excruciating pain was like a scalding iron needle, shooting from his groin straight to the sole of his foot. Veins bulged on his forehead, but he didn't utter a sound.

The divine and demonic skeleton responded with a thunderous roar within his body. The nine bones returned to their positions, the eight broken bones resonated, and his entire left arm lit up.

The fragment of the ankle bone slammed into the middle of the left tibia, like a fish swimming upstream, and finally got stuck above the knee with a "click".

The excruciating pain stopped.

Dongfang Weiwo gasped for breath, his clothes soaked with sweat. He looked down at his left leg; the hem of his trousers was stained with blood, which faintly gleamed with a dark golden light. He tried to move his leg; it could bend and straighten, but with each movement, his knee made a cracking sound, like two iron joints worn together for a thousand years.

"It's done." Lu Moshen's voice came from the bone bed, hoarse but with a hint of surprise. "You are more tolerant than I thought. Although that ankle bone is only half a piece, it is still part of the god and demon's left leg."

"The free-floating bone fragments, outside of the three separate bone fragments, actually recognized your skeleton."

"What will happen if I admit it?" Wu Wudi asked, coughing as he got up from the ground, clutching his chest.

Lin Xiaoman suddenly looked up: "Then can he still...?"

"Yes." The Lu Demon God statue knew what she was going to ask. "As long as he lives, his life is still his own. It's just that this life is already bound to the remains of the god and demon. If the remains live, he lives too. If the remains are destroyed, he is destroyed too."

Dongfang Weiwo slowly stood up. The moment his left leg touched the ground, an extremely heavy force surged up from the earth, even causing the gray-white mist of the Ruins of Return to thin out slightly. He tried to take a step forward, his bones cracking like bells.

"This is the 'Heaven-Treading Stance' of the God and Demon's left leg."

"Lu Moshen said, "You don't need to deliberately activate it; it will naturally spread out with your steps. Under normal Reincarnation Realm conditions, just these steps are enough to crush the opponent's aura. But you only have half an ankle bone now, and your left shinbone is not complete, so you can only unleash three-tenths of the Sky-Stepping Motif. That's enough for you to protect yourself."

Wu Wudi's eyes widened: "This is only three points? What if the entire left leg bone were back in place? What would that be like?"

"If the whole thing is put back in place, one leg alone can shatter the stars."

"Lu Moshen said, "But after the ancient gods and demons died, apart from the three pieces of bone, the left leg bone was the hardest to find. The half of the ankle bone on Wan Wujiu's body was just the largest piece that flew out when the god and demon's left leg was shattered. The rest of the bones were scattered between Tianwu and Wanxing, and have long since turned into mountains, valleys, and peaks on the Bone Plain."

He then changed the subject: "But now, with that half of his ankle bone gone, Wan Wujiu won't live much longer."

Thirty years ago, he was a dead man; it was this ankle bone that kept him alive. With the ankle bone detached, he's just an empty shell. Even if he's not killed, he'll be slowly drained dry by the Void.

Dongfang Weiwo suddenly looked into the depths of the gray-white mist. Wan Wujiu's aura was still there, like a flickering candle in the wind, sometimes bright and sometimes dim. Further away, the five snow-white bone spurs lay scattered on the ground, like a comb with broken teeth.

"You knew all along." Dongfang Weiwo turned to look at Lu Moshen. "Thirty years ago, you broke his leg, but then allowed the Divine Demon Ankle Bone to enter his body. You were healing the bone."

"Not bad," said Lu Moshen, his withered face revealing no expression. "I couldn't kill him back then. The remnant consciousness of the ancient god and demon protected that half of his ankle bone. If I had forcibly destroyed it, the remnant consciousness would have carried the bone away and would have been difficult to find again."

I can only leave the ankle bone inside his body, nurturing it with his physical form. We'll wait for a successor to the divine or demonic skeleton to appear and retrieve the ankle bone.

"So you spared his life," Dongfang Weiwo said.

"It also left behind a future problem," said Lu Moshen. "For the past thirty years, he has been hiding in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain, using the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Master Seal to conceal the aura of his ankle bone. He thought he had mastered the power of gods and demons, but in reality, it was the remnants of gods and demons who were using him."

Through his mouth, the remnant consciousness spread another version of the Burial Pact: it required a living skeleton, the blood of the guardian, and the heart of the Myriad Star Domain. Did you really believe that?

Only I in the East remain silent.

"What the remnants of consciousness want is rebirth."

"What I want is a proper burial," said Lu Moshen. "The original Primordial God-Demon had long grown weary of living as a god-demon. It only sought death. But the bones, blood, and soul of a god-demon each have their own obsessions: the bones want to gather, the blood wants to circulate, and the soul wants to possess another body. The eight fragments you fused together allowed you to hear the voice of your remaining consciousness. But now that you've entered the Void of Return, it's silent. Do you know why?"

"Because there is no way back to the Ruins," Dongfang Weiwo said.

"Because the Ruins of Return are the burial ground of the youngest child of gods and demons. Here, the bones, blood, and souls of gods and demons cannot stir up any waves. This is a place of 'silence,' where all laws do not arise and all thoughts do not arise. It has hidden itself away."

Lu Moshen paused. "It didn't dissipate. It merely retreated deep into the ninth fragment. That fragment is in my right hand, suppressing it for thirty years. If I let go, my remnant consciousness will come back to life. If I don't let go, you won't be able to get it."

Dongfang Weiwo stared at his withered right hand. The hand was placed flat on his chest, and the dark golden light in his palm flickered like breath.

"So you have to choose for yourself," Dongfang Weiwo said.

"No," said Lu Moshen, "I want you to wait." He slowly turned his head to the other side, looking into the depths of the gray-white sea of ​​mist. "He's still one step away. Wan Wujiu isn't completely dead yet. The fragment of his ankle bone is still waiting for you to retrieve it."

"If you don't take the whole thing, your left leg bone will only be half. Half an ankle bone won't be enough to stop the complete erosion of the Myriad Star Domain's core. You still need the owner of those five bone spurs."

Dongfang Weiwo looked in that direction. Wan Wujiu's aura had weakened to the extreme, like a flame about to be extinguished. But just as that faint light was about to dissipate, an extremely thin and cold gray-black phantom rose from the mist, like a snake or a ribbon, silently swimming towards the direction of Lu Moshen.

"After hiding for thirty years, I've finally decided to come out," said Lu Moshen.

The grayish-black phantom stopped three zhang away from the bone bed, solidifying into a blurry human face. Its features were like reflections in water, making its age impossible to discern. It had no mouth, yet voices echoed from all directions:

"Demon God Lu, you think you can subdue me by feeding that kid your ankle bone? You're wrong. The more intact he is, the easier it is for me to get in. His skeleton is mine."

Dongfang Weiwo's grip on the sword tightened slightly. The voice was exactly the same as the one he had heard when merging the fragments. Cold, distant, carrying an ancient desolation and indifference.

"The remnants of ancient gods and demons," Lin Xiaoman whispered. The gray-white light on her shoulder flickered violently, as if it were about to be extinguished by the sound.

"Guardian of the Token." The remnant consciousness turned to her, its voice suddenly softening. "I recognize your blood. Your lineage made a pact with me to bury our bones, and was supposed to protect my resurrection. But now you're following an outsider, preventing me from returning home."

"You tampered with the covenant," Lin Xiaoman said, her voice soft but unyielding. "In my inherited memories, it says 'Return the bones to the homeland, return to the gods in heaven, and preserve the blood in the earth.' Not resurrection."

"That's because your ancestors only saw the first half," Can Shi said. "There were three more words that I erased. You don't remember them."

Lin Xiaoman's expression changed slightly.

"The next part is 'Wait for my return,'" the remnant consciousness slowly said. "The covenant of burial bones, the full sentence is 'Return the bones to the homeland, return the bones to the gods in heaven, guard the blood in the earth, await my return.' Your ancestors have guarded my remains for three thousand years, and one day, when the successors gather all the bones, I will return. Haven't you noticed that the more you awaken, the more painful the wound on your palm becomes? That is the last stroke of the covenant, etched into your bloodline. You don't want to admit it, but you can't erase it."

Lin Xiaoman gripped her left wrist, her knuckles turning white. Dongfang Weiwo reached out and pulled her behind him.

"Your successor is me," Dongfang Weiwo said.

The blurry face of the remaining consciousness turned to him, as if scrutinizing him: "Not bad. Your skeleton was chosen by me. From the moment you obtained the first piece of bone, every step you took was on my bones. The rejection of the Tianxuan Continent is the summons of Tianwu. The rejection of Tianwu is the summons of the Myriad Star Domain. You thought you were collecting bones, but in reality, I was returning to my place."

"Now that I've arrived at the Ruins of Return," Dongfang Weiwo said. "What do you want?"

"Take out the ninth fragment," the remnant consciousness said. "You and I both know. When the Demon God Lu loosens his right hand, your left arm will be whole again. With the divine and demonic skeleton complete and the three bones back in place, I can return."

"and then?"

"Then this body will be mine, and I will find a place for your soul to rest."

"That sounds nice," Wu Wudi interjected, slamming his broken sword on the ground. "It's just body snatching. I've been in the martial world my whole life, and I've never seen anyone snatch someone's body in such a refined way."

"Invincible Martial Arts," Can Shi said, his voice still calm. "The three drops of marrow fluid in your body are my blood and bones. If I return, I can grant you eternal life. Chuan Ying, your swordsmanship can borrow my power to break through to immortality. Yan Fei, the crack between your brows is a wound caused by the laws of the Myriad Star Domain; I can heal it with a single thought."

All three were startled.

"These aren't enough to exchange," Chuan Ying said calmly.

"Then forget it," said the remnant consciousness. The illusory figure suddenly turned and drifted towards the direction where Wan Wujiu's aura was weak. "It's not that I can't retrieve my ankle bone myself. It's just that the shell is useless now. I'll come back and settle things with you after I remove those five bone spurs."

The phantom disappeared into the mist. Deep within the sea of ​​mist, Wan Wujiu let out a shrill, inhuman scream. The sound was extremely short, like his throat being suddenly gripped, and then it was gone.

Lu Moshen said in a deep voice, "It went to retrieve the last remnant of that half of the ankle bone. When it returns, it will be stronger than Wan Wujiu. Because it no longer needs a human body. It has bones, blood, and a soul; it only lacks your skeleton."

"How should I fight?" Dongfang Weiwo asked.

Lu Moshen remained silent for a long time. Finally, his withered right hand moved, and his five fingers slowly opened.

In his palm, a dark golden fragment spun and floated up. The fragment was extremely irregular, as if it had been forcibly broken off from the joint of some enormous bone, its surface covered with dense lines. Each line seemed to breathe, flickering between light and shadow.

"The ninth fragment is called the 'Soul-Locking Bone'," said Lu Moshen. "It doesn't belong to the left arm. It's the connecting bone between the god's left leg and left arm, and also the place where the remnant consciousness resides. Now you understand why I've held it in my hand for thirty years without giving it to you."

"It's not a fragment of the left arm," Dongfang Weiwo said.

"No," said Lu Moshen. "It's stuck between your left arm and left leg. If you fuse with it now, all nine pieces will be in place, both arms will be connected, and your left leg will be half-formed, barely forming a divine and demonic skeleton. Residual consciousness will surge out from this soul-locking bone and fight with you for the skeleton within your body. If you win, it will be forever silenced. If you lose, it will return to its place."

"What if I don't merge?"

"Then you'll never escape the Ruins. The remnant consciousness has gone to collect the bones. When it returns, it will force this Soul-Locking Bone into your body without your consent. Because you took eight fragments, most of your skeleton is no longer yours. This is fate; you can't escape it."

Dongfang Weiwo lowered his head, looking at his hands. His sword-wielding hand was covered in blood and ash. The force from his left leg was heavy and steady, and the divine and demonic power in his left arm surged like a tidal wave. The dark golden skeleton within his body was slightly warm, as if urging him on.

He looked up at Lin Xiaoman. She was looking at him, her face pale, but with a smile. That smile was as pure as a spring in the gray ruins.

"From Tianxuan to Tianwu, you took me with you. From Tianwu to Wanxing, you protected me," Lin Xiaoman said softly. "And for this last part, I'll be there too."

Dongfang Weiwo nodded, then looked at Wu Wudi, Chuan Ying, and Yan Fei.

"Young Master," Yan Fei suddenly spoke, grayish-white powder falling from the crack between his brows, yet he smiled, "Along this journey, we've killed, broken formations, and guarded bones, never to help you escape. We've been here to see you stand until the end. Staying in this place for too long is indeed grueling, so—" He raised his sword, the tip pointing far into the depths of the misty sea, "let's finish this quickly."

Wu Wudi spat out a mouthful of blood and slammed the broken sword into his palm: "I've wanted to chop that thing down for a long time."

Chuan Ying only said two words: "Make your move."

Dongfang Weiwo laughed.

He stretched out his left hand towards Lu Moshen: "Give it to me."

With a flick of his withered fingers, Lu Moshen released the Soul-Locking Bone, which landed steadily in Dongfang Weiwo's palm.

In an instant, the entire Ruins of Return went dark. The Soul-Locking Bone bit into his palm like a living thing, its dark golden patterns growing wildly like vines, climbing up his arm to his shoulder and down to his left leg. All nine bones in his body resonated, and the fragments in all eight directions vibrated. A desolate and ancient will crashed into his sea of ​​consciousness like a tidal wave.

"You—you've finally arrived."

Then, excruciating pain overwhelmed me.

Deep within the gray-white sea of ​​mist, the roars of lingering consciousness resounded simultaneously, like ten thousand stars falling together, like the sinking of Tianwu, like the entire remains of gods and demons opening their eyes at the same instant.