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

Nine suns slowly rose from the eastern sea of ​​embers, spreading their shimmering light one by one, like nine ancient bronze lamps suspended in the sky, slowly illuminating the world.

The sunlight here is not the usual golden light, but rather covered with a thin layer of grayish-white. When it falls on the black tiles of Qingzhu Town, it can clearly reflect the fine shadows of bamboo leaves, exuding a cold and desolate atmosphere.

Dongfang Weiwo slowly opened his eyes deep in the bamboo forest.

The crack in his third rib on his left side has healed about 70%.

The dark golden martial arts energy, like molten copper, slowly flowed and solidified in the gaps between the bones, repeatedly tempering the damaged bones.

Looking inward at himself, he could clearly see the newly formed fascia on the surface of his skeleton, all of which were refined from the Heavenly Martial Qi.

Compared to yesterday, the fascia has thickened slightly, increasing from less than 10% to just over 10%.

However, the two old cracks at the junction of the ulna and radius in my right arm are healing very slowly, as if some inexplicable force is suppressing them, making it difficult to fully recover.

"Broken Bone Ridge".

He uttered three words in a low voice and slowly stood up. The slight movement shook the dew off the branches, and water droplets rolled down his shoulders, wetting the old cloth shirt that Lin Tieshan had left him.

The clothes were already faded from washing, and the cuffs were frayed, but they were clean and had a faint scent of soap.

At the end of the bluestone path outside the bamboo forest, a slender figure stood quietly.

Lin Xiaoman carried a medicine pouch that was much wider than her shoulders. A blue ribbon was tied in her hair, and the silver bells attached to it swayed gently in the morning breeze, making a soft, crisp sound.

She didn't chatter as usual; she just stood quietly by the bamboo fence, clutching two freshly whittled bamboo canes in her hands.

As soon as he walked out, she immediately handed him one.

"Your bones are still cracked, and the 700-mile mountain road is treacherous; you can't push yourself."

Lin Xiaoman's tone was crisp, like instructing a close older brother, "This is a three-year-old iron bamboo, extremely resilient, it can withstand your strength. I've brought the other one with me, just in case."

Dongfang Weiwo lowered her eyes to look at the bamboo staff in her hand. The staff was polished smooth and rounded, and the handle was specially wrapped with two layers of coarse linen. The stitches were crooked and uneven, obviously because she had made it overnight.

"Are you going too?" He raised an eyebrow slightly.

You promised me.

Lin Xiaoman looked up, the morning light falling on her face, the old scar on the bridge of her nose clearly visible, but her eyes were surprisingly bright, revealing a stubborn tenacity, "Last night you promised in the bamboo forest that you would come back safely."

I don't care about your past or your future. Since you promised me, I must watch you walk out of Shattered Bone Ridge alive.

After she finished speaking, she turned and set off, giving him no room to refuse. The bottles and jars in her medicine bag jingled and clanged all the way.

Dongfang Weiwo remained silent for a moment, then gripped his bamboo cane and followed.

Heading southeast from Qingzhu Town, the terrain gradually rises. Initially, there are rolling low hills covered with shrubs. Along the way, you can see a kind of dwarf tree with dark purple leaves and fist-sized burls on its trunk, which looks particularly strange.

"This is an iron burl tree, unique to the southeastern region."

As they walked, Lin Xiaoman casually explained in a familiar tone, "Tree burl powder is used in medicine, specifically to treat broken bones. The bone-strengthening ointment I made for you contains quite a bit of this."

She glanced back at Dongfang Weiwo's injuries and continued:

"This is a family recipe passed down through the Lin family for more than ten generations. The daughter of a family that guards the gate may not be good at fighting, but when it comes to healing bones and injuries, I am second to none."

Dongfang Weiwo could see it clearly. Although she said she wouldn't fight, her right hand was always unconsciously pressing on the inner layer of the medicine pouch, where a sharpened medicine-cutting dagger was hidden. It was her confidence that she kept on her person.

He didn't point it out and continued on his way in silence.

Two hours later, the surrounding terrain suddenly became steep, and the flat official road split in two.

The eastern road leads to Ironfeather City, which is under the jurisdiction of Eagle Fortress, while the southeastern branch road extends straight to the forbidden area of ​​Shattered Bone Ridge.

At the crossroads stands a stone tablet about half a person's height. Over the years, wind and sand have eroded the tablet, and most of the characters on it are blurred. Only the two characters "碎骨" (shattered bones) are barely discernible. The inscription below has been completely weathered away.

Three groups of people had already gathered in front of the stone tablet, each with a distinct aura and clear boundaries.

The first group consisted of people from Eagle Fortress.

Four armored knights stood guard at the crossroads, each riding a fire-crystal scaled beast. Their dark red scales gleamed coldly under the nine rounds of gray-white sunlight, their vertical beastly eyes were fierce and menacing, and their mouths and noses occasionally spewed out hot breath with a sulfurous smell, making them extremely intimidating.

The scarred man at the head of the group was the same one whose battle sword had been shattered by Dongfang Weiwo's single finger.

His left arm was in a sling, still injured, and his right hand was gripping a newly replaced broad-backed sword tightly. His eyes were filled with gloom as he stared intently at Dongfang Weiwo, who was walking slowly towards him.

He didn't dare to block the way, but only let out a heavy snort and raised his hand to signal his knights to make way, his eyes hiding a ruthless intent to retaliate.

The second group consisted of only three people, whose aloof and otherworldly demeanor set them apart from the surrounding martial artists.

An elderly man in a green robe sat cross-legged against the back of a stone tablet, with a sheathless longsword lying across his lap. The blade was covered with fine runes, faintly glowing and concealing its sharpness.

Standing beside the old man were two young disciples, a man and a woman. The man, around twenty years old, was calm and reserved, while the woman, around fifteen or sixteen, had a cool and aloof look in her eyes. Both of them wore the same blue robes with delicate cloud patterns embroidered on the lapels.

"They are from the Qingye Sect."

Lin Xiaoman lowered her voice to remind them, "There's a famous sword-cultivating sect in the southeast, whose sect leader is only at the peak of the Yin-Yang Realm. They come here every thirty years when the Shattered Bone Ridge opens, but they never go deep into the ridge. They only collect the ancient bones that have fallen off at the ridge entrance and bring them back to the sect to forge and temper their swords."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man in the green robe, who had been resting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them. A sharp gaze fell on Dongfang Weiwo, sweeping over the unhealed bone wounds all over his body. Then he slowly closed his eyes again, his expression indifferent, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The most eye-catching group was the third one.

Three ebony carriages were parked steadily by the roadside. The carriages were carved with intricate patterns of ferocious beasts, and the horses pulling them were not ordinary horses, but six strange beasts with black scales and claws, exuding a fierce aura.

The carriage curtains were drawn low, obscuring the view inside. Four black-clad guards stood on either side of each carriage, their swords at attention, their auras calm and imposing. These guards were at least at the early stage of the Yin-Yang Realm, forming an extremely formidable force.

"Black Scale Merchant Guild"

Lin Xiaoman lowered her voice even further, with a hint of apprehension, "A top-tier power that controls most of the trade routes in the southeast, with tentacles reaching everywhere, never participates in the conflicts of the secret realms. This time, they've abandoned their business and made a special trip to Shattered Bone Ridge; their purpose is definitely not simple."

Dongfang Weiwo's gaze narrowed slightly as it fell on the curtain of the main carriage in the middle.

Behind the curtain lurked a steady gaze, calmly scrutinizing him. It wasn't a furtive spying, but the confident and probing look of a seasoned hunter assessing his prey, imbued with a strong desire for control.

Dongfang Weiwo met his gaze calmly, neither avoiding nor dodging, nor intending to engage in conversation, and steadily walked forward with his bamboo cane.

As they passed the stone tablet, the old man in the green robe suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse and rough, like sandpaper grinding iron, extremely grating:

"With fractured bones, you still dare to step into this deathly abyss? You've got some nerve, young man."

My steps in the east never faltered, without the slightest pause.

"I'm just offering you some advice out of kindness."

The old man's voice came from behind, carrying a warning tone, "Bone Shattering Ridge opens only once every thirty years, and historically, only three out of ten people enter and three out of ten leave. The deathly aura within the ridge invades the body, most severely damaging muscles and bones, spreading along bone cracks into the bone marrow, and rotting away at the meridians and bones. With your injuries, you won't last an hour in the ridge; you will surely die."

Lin Xiaoman immediately turned around, her voice clear and fearless: "We have the Lin family's bone-protecting ointment, a secret recipe passed down through generations by the guardian of the plaque, which can suppress death energy and stabilize injuries."

"The keeper's recipe?"

The old man in the green robe suddenly opened his eyes, his gaze fixed on the corner of Lin Xiaoman's medicine pouch. His pupils contracted sharply, and his expression became more solemn, no longer showing his previous contempt.

The four knights of Eagle Castle exchanged glances. The scarred man quietly urged his beast to retreat a few steps, his lips moving slightly as he secretly transmitted a message.

All eyes of the surrounding forces were focused on the two figures stepping into the mountain range, each with their own thoughts.

Ignoring the undercurrents behind him, Dongfang Weiwo leaned on his bamboo cane, completely crossed the stone tablet, and stepped onto the gray-white gravel path leading to Broken Bone Ridge.

After walking for about 45 minutes, the surrounding environment suddenly changed drastically.

The pale sunlight from the nine heavens seemed to be filtered through layers of invisible barriers, becoming increasingly pale, thin, and devoid of warmth.

The roadside bushes all disappeared, first replaced by grayish-white moss growing close to the ground, and finally even the moss was completely wiped out, leaving only endless pale white gravel, desolate and lifeless.

A southeast wind howled, carrying an extremely ancient and dry scent. It had no putrid or foul smell, but rather seemed to be slowly awakening a deathly silence sealed for eternity, making one's chest feel heavy.

At the edge of the field of vision, Broken Bone Ridge finally revealed its full appearance.

This is no ordinary mountain range, but a massive mountain ridge stretching across the sky and earth, like the spine of an ancient behemoth, arching out from the ground and lying horizontally on the gray-white earth.

The entire ridge is barren, with exposed rocks as white as bone, their surfaces riddled with honeycomb-like holes, weathered by countless years, a scene of utter desolation. From a distance, the entire mountain range resembles a giant white skeleton, lifeless and desolate, exuding a chilling sense of oppression.

In the open area of ​​Lingkou, hundreds of cultivators had already gathered, with people from all sides converging, creating an extremely tense atmosphere.

The Grand Commander of Eagle Castle stood at the very front of the crowd, with three hundred armored knights arranged in a fan-shaped formation, their armor blades gleaming coldly, exuding an overwhelming aura, firmly occupying the most advantageous positions at the very front.

Today he was dressed in brand-new military uniform, with a fire crystal breastplate embedded in his chest. He held the broken black iron spear in his left hand, while his right hand was behind his back. His face was cold and his aura was intimidating.

Two unfamiliar faces stood beside him, both powerful figures.

One of them was a tall, thin old man in black robes, with sunken cheeks and deep-set eyes. He looked withered and old, but his aura was powerful and profound. He stood firmly at the peak of the Yin-Yang Realm, with a solid foundation.

The other man was a burly, strong man with a shiny bald head and dark red animal patterns tattooed on his scalp. He had a pair of heavy bronze hammers hanging from his waist, and his muscles were bulging. He had an imposing aura and was a top-tier cultivator in the late Yin-Yang Realm.

"That old man in black robes is Elder Qiu, the exclusive retainer of Eagle Fortress."

Lin Xiaoman leaned close to Dongfang Weiwo's ear and whispered a rapid explanation, her warm breath brushing against his ear.

"Rumor has it that he ventured deep into the heart of Broken Bone Ridge thirty years ago and came out alive, so he has a wealth of experience. That bald man is Copper Hammer Bear, a well-known leader of rogue cultivators in this area. He is ruthless and skilled in hard-fought battles. Eagle Fortress spent a lot of money to invite him to come and provide support and seize opportunities."

As soon as the words fell, countless gazes from Lingkou turned to the two approaching figures, scrutinizing, mocking, curious, and wary, a complex mix of emotions stirring beneath the surface.