Celestial Bloodline

Inside a dark cave, Jian struggled for breath, his muscles aching as he heaved several massive rocks to seal the cave entrance. Beads of sweat rolled down his face, combining with the dust.

The air was heavy with a musty, earthy scent, heightening the sense of foreboding in the oppressive atmosphere.

He slumped to the ground and wiped his forehead with his sleeve, trying his best to calm his irregular breathing.

It hasn't even been an entire day since he entered the tomb with the others, but he already felt like he would die any second.

Bia was lying sprawled on the ground behind him, also gasping for breath in her huge phoenix form, somewhat dirtied by dust from the life-and-death situation she had just crossed. Jian's voice echoed in the air as he glanced at the phoenix.

"Bia... what did you tell Kyle?"

Jian knew Kyle had reached out to the phoenix a while back when he and the phoenix were surrounded by a horde of undead. Bia sneered.

-"What else? I told him we are completely fine. He always lies; I learned from him. He can't blame me."

Jian chuckled at her words. The brief peaceful moment the duo shared didn't last long as the cave violently shook. Dust and debris scattered on their bodies, and in the next moment, Jian and Bia swiftly jumped from their positions to cling to the walls. As they did, a massive bony hand tore through the cave ceiling and entered inside.

The hand's fingers prowled the cave, seeking the human and bird concealed within as the duo held their breath, blending into the darkness to remain unseen. After a moment of probing, the hand retreated, eliciting sighs of relief from Bia and Jian.

The duo was actually doing pretty well when they got surrounded by a swarm of undead right after they landed in the tomb. But then, everything took a turn when a massive undead, towering twice the size of a building, rose from the ground.

Suddenly, a big white eye peered into the cave from the hole in the ceiling, instantly lighting up the area inside. Jian cursed and leapt swiftly towards the phoenix.

"Bia! Fly! Or we are dead!"

Bia spread out her massive wings and grabbed his body before swiftly soaring toward the gap in the ceiling. The eye staring at them moved back when golden flames erupted from the phoenix's body, burning everything in the surroundings. Jian shielded himself from the flames and held onto Bia's leg as she successfully flew out of the cave, before flying in the opposite direction from the colossal creature.

Jian's breath caught in his throat as he once again beheld the monstrous being before him. Its skeletal structure loomed ominously, draped in dead flesh, combined with a pair of glowing white eyes. In the center of the skeleton's chest hung a round plate engraved with a dim symbol.

"I can't believe we survived that..."

The undead's eyes shifted, locking onto the fleeing phoenix, and in an instant, its hand was already reaching towards the duo. Bia and Jian were ready to use all their energy reserves to push the hand back. It was this moment, Kyle arrived in the sky. His eyes narrowed when he witnessed the scene.

Asher halted in the air as the human did, gasping dramatically and attempting to reach out to Kyle for support, as they had been moving at a speed he rarely used. But before his hand could touch Kyle, the human vanished from his spot.

"What now!?"

His eyes immediately caught sight of the massive undead standing beneath him, and they widened with surprise.

"An undead king? How? They only come out from the ground once or twice a month. It's been a year since I've seen one of them!"

No one could describe his shock when he saw Kyle's figure materialize before the massive bony creature.

"No!! I have to stop him! These types of undead have consciousness! They can think and protect themselves!"

He quickly followed Kyle, but it was already too late. Under his watchful eyes, dazzling blue flames burst from Kyle's body as the human acted swiftly to position himself between the undead hand and the fire phoenix soaring in the air.

Kyle's eyes blazed with fury as he enveloped his fist in blue flames. Ice crystallized in the air around him as he moved forward and struck the colossal hand. A resounding tremor reverberated through the surroundings as his fist met the unyielding bones with a deafening impact. The undead staggered back, its white eyes flashing with a hint of surprise.

Jian's eyes widened at the sight, and the red-haired man quickly left Bia's side before flying towards the silver-haired man.

"Kyle!"

Bia tilted her head back at the noise and, upon seeing Kyle, she also moved towards him with relief in her eyes. She should have told him about the situation right away! Lying was really not a good idea at all!

Kyle's eyes were fixed on his fist. He glanced at the undead and then back at his fist, completely ignoring the voices echoing in his ears. He couldn't believe it... the bunch of bones didn't even crack when he used more than 80 percent of his strength. This very strength was sufficient to kill a transcendent rank.

A thought flashed through his mind. This place was dangerous, yet both Bia and Jian were taken aback when they noticed pure excitement and thrill gleaming in his eyes. Bia transformed back into her small form and slammed her body into his shoulder when she saw the undead attacking again.

-"Dodge!!"

Jian whispered numerous spells under his breath at a speed no one could catch before several earth walls emerged before the trio to stop the undead, which had swung the bony chain hanging on its waist toward them. In an instant, all the walls shattered, but before the attack could reach them, a massive portal materialized before them to engulf the aimed attack.

Jian nearly lost his balance in mid-air, his heart pounding thunderously.

"Thought we were goners for a sec..."