Bloodlines were inherently priceless. Among Demon Beasts, races possessing a bloodline were few and far between. Any Demon Beast Race with a bloodline was incomparably powerful.

Perhaps to humans, it wasn’t particularly obvious whether a Demon Beast possessed a bloodline. But to other Demon Beasts, facing one with an awakened bloodline meant a bone-deep suppression.

To put it simply, now that Little Ape had awakened its bloodline—even though it was a recent awakening—suppressing a Tier Three Demon Beast was like child’s play.

In Little Ape’s presence, a Tier Three Demon Beast stood no chance of resisting. This was the suppression that came from a bloodline.

"ROOOOAR..." Having awakened, Little Ape threw back its head and roared at the sky. The sound of its cry caused the hundreds of surrounding Demon Beast skeletons to crumble to dust.

After its bloodline awakened, Little Ape’s Combat Power had leaped by more than a single tier. It was safe to say that among Tier Two Demon Beasts, there was no longer any creature that could threaten Little Ape.

Even against a Tier Three Demon Beast, Little Ape could secure a decisive victory with its bloodline suppression. Only another Demon Beast that also possessed a bloodline could hope to resist it.

After briefly acclimating to the power of its awakened bloodline, Little Ape finally looked toward Lin Yun. As its gaze landed on him, a joyful expression quickly appeared on its face.

Seeing this change in Little Ape, Lin Yun finally let out a sigh of relief. ’Little Ape still remembers me. It wasn’t affected by the Evil Qi and resentful energy. This is the best possible outcome.’

Shrinking back to the size of a palm, Little Ape leaped onto Lin Yun. It bounced and hopped happily on his shoulders, letting out a constant stream of low growls.

"I know, I know. You’ve awakened your bloodline..." Lin Yun said with a smile, watching the bouncing little creature.

The commotion soon drew Chen Xin’s attention. She hurried over to Lin Yun, and upon seeing that Little Ape was all right, she happily reached out to pet it.

However, as she approached, Little Ape’s eyes instantly turned scarlet, and a terrifying Evil Qi erupted from its body, frightening Chen Xin so much that she stumbled back several steps.

"Little Ape, she’s a friend." Only when it heard Lin Yun speak did Little Ape retract its aura.

"What a stingy little thing. Fine, don’t let me hold you. It’s not like I’m desperate," Chen Xin pouted, having been mercilessly rejected by Little Ape. ’I just don’t get it,’ she thought. ’I’m a great beauty, so why is this little guy so averse to me?’

In truth, Chen Xin had completely misjudged Little Ape. It maintained a haughty distance from everyone except Lin Yun—a pride inherited from the Vajra Divine Ape and the Heaven-Destroying Demon Ape. This sense of proud aloofness had only intensified after its bloodline awakened.

Now, everyone was safe. The outcome had been a blessing in disguise, especially for Little Ape. With its bloodline awakened, Lin Yun’s group could now move through the Imperial City Mountain Range with impunity, unafraid even of Tier Three Demon Beasts.

"Alright, it’s about time we left." Lin Yun was in high spirits after such great gains. It was time to depart.

"Little Ape, do you know the way out?" he asked.

Hearing Lin Yun, Little Ape didn’t immediately point the way out. Instead, it let out two roars toward the deeper part of the valley floor.

’You want me to go in?’ Lin Yun asked, puzzled by Little Ape’s intentions. ’There’s no more Evil Qi or resentful energy here, so why does it want me to go deeper? And it seems to be saying there’s something inside that I really need.’

"HOOT HOOT HOOT..." Little Ape kept growling, pointing toward the depths of the valley with a sense of urgency.

Lin Yun trusted Little Ape completely. After only a moment’s hesitation, he decided to follow its lead and see what lay inside.

"Stay close to me," he said to Chen Xin, then took the lead, heading deeper into the valley.

They walked for several kilometers until they reached the end of the valley floor, which terminated in a dead end. This was the deepest part of the entire gorge.

Although there was no resentful energy or Evil Qi here, the air was thick with a dense Battle Intent.

’Battle Intent? There’s actually Battle Intent here...’ Lin Yun murmured to himself.

As he drew closer, Lin Yun could see clearly that there was nothing else at the dead end, only a single white Demon Beast Bone jutting out of the ground.

The bone was plunged deep into the earth, with just under a meter of it exposed. The Battle Intent was radiating from this very bone.

"HOOT HOOT HOOT..." At this point, Little Ape leaped from Lin Yun’s shoulder and gestured for him to go forward alone. The target, naturally, was the bone.

From what Little Ape conveyed, this bone was far more powerful than Lin Yun’s old Overlord Spear. Though not a Spirit Soldier, the bone was no weaker than a peak Earth Spirit Soldier.

"Stay here." Lin Yun’s heart burned with desire for the bone. After telling Chen Xin and Little Ape to wait, he walked forward alone.

Watching Lin Yun’s retreating back, Little Ape appeared perfectly composed and not at all worried. Chen Xin, however, was quite tense; the Battle Intent radiating from the bone made her feel as if she were suffocating.

The closer he got to the bone, the more concentrated the Battle Intent around him became. When he was just ten meters away, every step became incredibly difficult.

’Such powerful Battle Intent. The owner of this bone must have been at least a Tier Five Demon Beast when it was alive.’ In the presence of the surrounding Battle Intent, his War God Technique began to circulate on its own.

His own Battle Intent, which had barely reached the Entry Level, emerged from his body, simultaneously contending with and fusing with the surrounding aura.

With his own Battle Intent active, the pressure on Lin Yun lessened considerably. Pushing against the immense force, he walked steadily, step by step, toward the bone.

It took Lin Yun a full hour to cross the short, ten-meter distance. When he was finally less than a meter away, he carefully examined the bone.

It was white. A ghastly, chilling white. The pristine bone gave Lin Yun a feeling of profound, ghastly terror.

Judging from the exposed portion, it seemed to be a piece of a spinal column. ’To think,’ he mused, ’that a single piece of a spine could possess such might. If this Demon Beast were still alive, I’m afraid not even the entire Yanhuang Country would be able to stand against it.’

’Who could have killed such a terrifying existence?’ The question arose in his mind, but now was not the time to dwell on such things. Taking a deep breath, Lin Yun seized the bone.

The moment he grasped it, the bone seemed to come alive, beginning to tremble violently as if it had a will of its own.

It was resisting him. The bone fought back against his grip. A Combat Power that intensified with each passing moment surged wildly from within it. Within that torrent of power, Lin Yun could feel the bone’s contempt for him.

It was as if it were saying, ’A mere Opening Realm cultivator thinks he can wield me?’

The bone’s resistance only ignited Lin Yun’s fighting spirit. Elemental Power surged wildly from his body, and he unleashed his own Combat Power without reservation. In that moment, Lin Yun and the bone began a silent struggle.