Besides clearing the Resting Forbidden Land to get the vehicle, Fang Zhen was also determined to obtain the King's Sword.
"I've given you my intel. Shouldn't you show so sincerity in return?" Avera asked.
"Fine. You provide the intel, I'll provide the muscle. An equal exchange," Fang Zhen said. "I haven't had any contact with the Sea Tide Family or the Night Shadow Family, so I don't know their strength, but I can probably hold off everyone from the Lei Ming family by myself."
"Plan around that. See what the best way to enter Anlon's forbidden land is."
Avera looked at Fang Zhen, a hint of doubt in her eyes, but she didn't say anything.
"The Legendary King Anlon's burial place is within the forbidden land on the Isle of Rest. It can only be opened after nightfall," Avera said. "But besides , the other three families also know this. We might run into them at the entrance."
"You can't possibly hold off three families at once by yourself."
"We'll cross that bridge when we co to it. The three families aren't a monolithic bloc; they're wary of each other. We'll just have to adapt to the situation," Fang Zhen said. "For now, let's rest, recover our strength, and get ready to move tonight."
「Four or five hours later.」
The sun was never visible on the Isle of Rest. A thick, cloud-like layer of persistent fog hung high in the sky, blocking it. The most sunlight that could pierce through was a golden glow.
Once night fell, the light faded rapidly.
After four hours of rest, both Fang Zhen and Avera had recovered to their peak condition.
Fang Zhen had brought self-heating military rations and shared one with Avera. He also gave her a small amount of the liquid from his Golden Jade Pot, which could enhance Spiritual Power and stamina.
Avera was a bit hesitant, but seeing Fang Zhen eat it without issue, she consud her portion as well.
The self-heating food was one thing, but the restorative liquid from the Golden Jade Pot left Avera utterly amazed.
In return, Avera gave Fang Zhen a rough explanation of how Crystal Bones worked.
Beyond what Fang Zhen already knew—that humans, beasts, and plants had a certain chance of being naturally born with a Crystal Bone—Avera ntioned an indescribable energy that drifted throughout the entire world. The people of this world called that energy 'Sakti'. To the inhabitants of the Crystal Bone Realm, it referred to a cosmic divinity, but it could also an feminine energy or creative power.
The people of the Crystal Bone Realm believed the universe was a mother, and 'Sakti' was the Mother Universe's power to birth and create life—a power that was omnipresent and endless.
A Crystal Bone, then, was the physical manifestation of Sakti energy concentrated within matter.
Because Crystal Bones and Sakti shared the sa origin, a person with a Crystal Bone could use Sakti energy to a certain extent, even materializing it.
A large part of any Crystal Bone Master's training was learning how to shape this energy.
So used Crystal Bone statues to coalesce beast-form warriors that would aid them in battle. Others used this power to modify their own bodies. These different approaches ford the various schools of Crystal Bone Masters.
Fang Zhen listened with great interest.
He now had a general idea of the source of power for the people of the Crystal Bone Realm.
'By my understanding,' he thought, 'the entire Crystal Bone Realm is like one big infinite charger. And any life-form with a Crystal Bone—be it human, beast, or plant—is like it has a microwave receiver for wireless charging.'
'Of course, each individual has a limited energy capacity, and what they use that charge for isn't fixed, which leads to all the individual differences.'
Fang Zhen grew a little curious.
'My Source Power can theoretically be converted into any type of energy. I wonder if it can be converted into 'Sakti', allowing
to gain the powers of a Crystal Bone Master.'
'Theoretically, if my Source Power could be converted into 'Sakti', I would still need to create a Crystal Bone-like organ in my body to receive the ambient energy of this world. Only then would I have truly adapted.'
'It should be possible,' he mused, 'but I'll have to experint to figure out the specifics.'
He also asked about Anlon Lie Feng's background and origins.
Unfortunately, Avera didn't know either. She said that according to records left by her ancestors, Anlon Lie Feng seed to have appeared out of thin air. No one knew his past, as if he had fallen from the sky.
Upon hearing this, Fang Zhen ford a theory of his own.
He would have to enter the forbidden land to verify if it was true.
By now, night had fallen. Night on the Isle of Rest was unusual. The fog in the sky never dispersed, day or night, so no stars were visible. However, a faint light emanated from within the fog, and occasionally, an aurora—the kind normally only seen at the poles—would appear, preventing the night from becoming completely dark.
Fang Zhen and Avera were well-rested and ready to head to Anlon Lie Feng's Land of Rest.
Avera was quite familiar with the terrain of the Isle of Rest and drew a simple map on the ground before they set off.
The Isle of Rest was long from east to west and narrow from north to south. The Light Gate through which Fang Zhen had arrived was on the far eastern side of the island. The lake was in the center, and Anlon Lie Feng's burial ground was on the far western side.
Fang Zhen estimated that, based on the scale of Avera's map, it would take him about an hour and forty minutes to ride his Jue Ying motorcycle from the easternmost point of the island to the westernmost.
From their current position, it was about another forty-minute ride west to reach their destination.
He started the motorcycle, and Avera sat in the small space in front of him as they sped west across the island.
「A little over thirty minutes later.」
With Avera on his motorcycle, Fang Zhen had arrived near their destination.
He could already sll the salty sea breeze and hear the sound of waves crashing against the reefs.
They were at the edge of the island, where cliffs hundreds of ters high dropped to the sea below. The Land of Rest was located sowhere in this area.
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