Chapter 74: An Extra Bone Segment – Demon Bone…

Released on August 27, 2026

Demon bones and immortal bones were innate, but the process of awakening them was utterly tormenting.

Rong Ye had gone through it once in his early years and knew it well. This time in the domain, it was merely a reenactment—far simpler than what he had endured back then.

But Gu Changhuai was different.

It was his first time.

He relied solely on instinct to absorb the surrounding demonic qi and assist the demon bone’s emergence, but he had no idea how to adjust or suppress it. Rong Ye took hold of Gu Changhuai’s hand and sent his divine sense into Gu Changhuai’s sea of consciousness, guiding him step by step from the side.

At that moment, Gu Changhuai acted purely on instinct.

He only knew that this power and aura made him feel at ease, so he flung open the gates of his sea of consciousness to let the man in, wholly unaware of just how intimate an act that was.

…

Thunder rumbled incessantly.

The downpour and gale-force winds were all blocked outside the barrier.

Rong Ye tightened his embrace around Gu Changhuai and lifted his gaze to the sky.

With his memories restored, the Dream-Making Flower was losing its effect, and the domain was gradually becoming unstable. Within the ink-black clouds, splashes of brilliant color flowed.

That was the harbinger of the domain’s impending collapse.

He lowered his head and looked at Gu Changhuai’s pale face. The demon bone’s spread had permeated his aura throughout his limbs, causing his brows to furrow tightly in pain, yet he refused to utter a single sound.

Rong Ye shifted his palm slightly downward, touching Gu Changhuai’s back. A gentle aura emanated from it as he leaned down and pressed their foreheads together.

It hurt terribly.

Feeling both aggrieved and safe, Gu Changhuai unconsciously burrowed deeper into Rong Ye’s embrace. The veins beneath his neck pulsed, streaks of red light flashing through.

A massive surge of demonic qi rushed in like a storm, only to be entirely absorbed.

“Crack—”

Amid the thunder, a faint fracturing sound rang out.

Rong Ye let out a soft sigh, patted Gu Changhuai’s back soothingly, and freed his other hand. With a sudden slash toward the sky,

the spiritual power bursting from his palm was no longer gentle—it surged upward with killing intent, piercing the clouds and reaching the fracturing domain.

The domain, now marred by cracks, was repaired and perfected in an instant.

The clouds gathered once more.

As if nothing had happened.

With the demon bone fully formed within the domain—completely isolated from the outside world—no dangers would arise.

Drip.

Drip.

Water fell from the leaves into a small puddle, splashing two icy drops onto a fair hand nearby, making it gleam like polished jade.

Gu Changhuai shivered and abruptly opened his eyes. He touched the chill on the back of his hand and slowly exhaled a long breath.

That had been close.

He had scared himself.

He rubbed his eyes, stretched his back, and faintly felt a lingering ache in the crevices of his bones, but it was nothing serious. More noticeably, his body felt more transparent and light.

Gu Changhuai stared at his palm, lost in thought.

What had happened last night?

Had he inexplicably grown an extra bone segment? Gu Changhuai pondered, then tentatively reached back to touch his neck, wondering if the legendary demon bone was really that impressive.

He felt nothing.

“Awake?”

Just as Gu Changhuai was about to keep prodding himself, a low voice suddenly sounded from behind him. “Judging by your state, can you still walk?”

Gu Changhuai jumped in fright, whipped his head around, and met Rong Ye’s gaze. The sudden motion made him yelp “Ow!” as he clutched his neck, tears springing to his eyes. “It hurts, hurts, hurts—”

Rong Ye stepped forward, placed his hand over Gu Changhuai’s, and sighed. “So clumsy.”

“You’re the one who walks without making a sound.” Gu Changhuai muttered under his breath. Then he realized something and looked up in delight. “Immortal Lord, you’ve recovered your memories? You can see me now?”

Rong Ye gave a faint “Mm,” and said calmly, “The Dream-Making Flower weakened this morning, so I recovered.”

The Immortal Lord massaged his sprained neck. Being so close, his breath brushed Gu Changhuai’s ear, the vibration making it tingle with itchiness.

Distracted by the sensation, he forgot to conceal anything.

But whether he hid it or not hardly mattered anymore… Gu Changhuai was beyond embarrassment. He had no way to explain why, right after Rong Ye fell off the cliff, he had opened his eyes to find him lying there covered in blood.

He certainly couldn’t say,

I followed the Immortal Lord off the cliff, saw him buy an immortal bone, and got a demon bone thrown in as a bonus?

No way.

What was the difference between saying that and courting death?

Gu Changhuai couldn’t tell.

After all, it was a demon bone—a demon bone!

The legendary thing capable of world-shattering power had sprouted on him*… Even if he felt nothing from it, it was clearly no good thing.

So he kept his mouth firmly shut.

He stealthily sized up Rong Ye. Fortunately, the other man didn’t press him on the matter and seemed more focused on figuring out how to escape the domain spawned by the Dream-Making Flower.