Chapter 301

Chapter 301: I Yearn for Sunshine

Everyone stared at the White Jade Skeleton, waiting for his decision. Zhang Yang smiled. The ghostly figure remained cold. Only Yaoruoxian was deep in thought. Her gaze was not on the White Jade Skeleton but occasionally flickered toward Zhang Yang. She felt puzzled. Why did Zhang Yang’s words seem to align with her thoughts? Was he deliberately targeting her in his argument with the ghostly figure?

The others, including Jin Zhihong and the Moon-Returning Dragon, looked on in astonishment.

Regardless, Zhang Yang’s actions made them believe that what had seemed like certain defeat had now turned into a chance for victory.

Martial arts often defied fate.

This realization struck them deeply.

“Who am I? What was I like in my past life? Where do I come from?” the White Jade Skeleton murmured to himself. “The Abyss of the Buried Immortals, a cycle of life and death, what a tremendous risk! What decision must one make to board the Ghost Ship of the Buried Immortals? I truly want to know.”

“Perhaps, this was a choice I made for my family.”

“Perhaps, I longed for great opportunities that lay along the thin line between life and death.”

“Perhaps, there were countless possibilities.”

“I have thought of many things, yet I can no longer remember. All I recall is that I was once a living person with flesh and blood. I once walked in the sunlight. I must have seen magnificent mountains and rivers, felt the spirit in all things, and experienced love in life.”

“But here, there is only darkness. Only death. Only humiliation. Only meekness. I watch one skeleton after another perish, trapped here with no future. It’s pitiful, lamentable… laughable. Now that I finally have a glimmer of hope, I still hesitate.”

“Yes… skeletons deserve a tomorrow!”

The White Jade Skeleton’s voice trembled with emotion as he spoke, as if caught between memories and longing. Finally, he handed the Moonlight Saint Stone to Zhang Yang, saying, “I yearn for sunshine.”

These five words carried everything.

Yaoruoxian, watching the scene unfold, slowly closed her beautiful eyes. When she opened them again, all traces of emotion had vanished, replaced by a cold indifference, as if none of it had anything to do with her. She turned to leave, her voice drifting through the air.

“The sixth battle realms. Let’s see who can advance the most before leaving Ghost Island.”

Her words sent shockwaves through the crowd.

Jin Zhihong nearly shouted, “Madwoman!” again.

With the Moonlight Saint Stone in Zhang Yang’s hands, it was certain he would be able to propel his strength forward.

Yet she wanted to compete against that?

Was she putting herself in a life-or-death situation?

Wait! Where was she going?

Jin Zhihong’s eyes widened in shock. “The Death Crossing! You’re going to cultivate at the Death Crossing? You’ve lost your mind! Nine out of ten people die there!”

It wasn’t just him. The others, too, were visibly astonished.

Even the Blood Skeleton and the White Jade Skeleton stared at the petite figure in disbelief, feeling both admiration and apprehension.

Placing oneself on the edge of life and death.

Cultivating in the Death Crossing.

This was eerily similar to what Zhang Yang had described—defying fate to seize life itself.

Creating possibilities from impossibilities.

Yaoruoxian understood this better than anyone, and dared to attempt it.

What ambition!

Zhang Yang gazed at her retreating figure, the corners of his lips curling into a smile. Tossing the Moonlight Saint Stone into his storage bag, he said, “Yaoruoxian, from this moment on, you have earned my respect.”

“To show my respect for you, I, Zhang Yang, will not take advantage of the Moonlight Saint Stone.”

“I will defeat you with my strength alone!”

Everyone was stunned.

The Moonlight Saint Stone wasn’t just an opportunity; in a place like Ghost Island, it was practically a divine gift for cultivation. To willingly give it up was nothing short of madness.

However, Zhang Yang noticed Yaoruoxian’s delicate shoulders tremble slightly as she quickened her pace, disappearing in an instant. He couldn’t help but smile.

“Brother Zhang, there’s really no need for this,” the Moon-Returning Dragon said, concerned that Zhang Yang was being too reckless.

Without the Moonlight Saint Stone, how could he possibly compete with Yaoruoxian, who was putting herself through life-and-death trials in the Death Crossing?

Zhang Yang took out the Moonlight Saint Stone and handed it to him.

The Moon-Returning Dragon took it in confusion, only to exclaim in shock, “No Moonlight?”

Everyone froze.

The White Jade Skeleton’s voice rasped, “I used it… but the Moonlight Saint Stone is flawless; it hasn’t been damaged by the River of Death.”

Many of the onlookers, both human and skeletal, looked at Zhang Yang with disdain, thinking he was just putting on a show.

Zhang Yang ignored them. He continued gazing in the direction Yaoruoxian had gone.

He knew this woman was incredibly strong—unyielding in spirit, but also… amusingly sheltered. Like a flower in a greenhouse, she had never truly faced any real storms.

From the moment she entered the Daybreak Phoenix Ruins, when she was defeated by him, when he surpassed her in level—he had shattered the invincible image she had built since childhood. The Saints’ laws she practiced had made her indifferent to the world. She was destined to become an Immortal.

She had never experienced failure. Never truly been tested. As the treasured prodigy of the Demon Sword Forbidden Area, how could she have ever faced true danger?

Perhaps his initial judgment of her had been wrong.

Maybe, from the moment they first crossed paths, when he, lacking holy power martial arts, still managed to defeat her. It left a mark on her heart. A mark she hadn’t realized was there.

Just as Zhang Yang himself hadn’t realized it.

She had always claimed she would kill him to become an Immortal.

But was it really that simple?

“How could there have been a competition to comprehend martial arts techniques on the path of a saint arranged at the beginning of the third battle when I abandoned it before it even started?”

“The fifth battle was entirely about competing for the Moonlight Saint Stone.”

“You’re not just flustered—you should be realizing this by now.”

He increasingly wanted to see how Yaoruoxian, whom he had continuously challenged and provoked, would change after the Nine Battles Tribulation.

As he was lost in thought, laughter rang out.

It was harsh and filled with dread.

“Hahaha…”

“How amusing! On my island, among my enslaved skeletons, there is even a small skeleton capable of making me fail here. Hahaha, this is truly entertaining.”

The ghostly figure’s laughter was fierce, his gaze as sharp as a blade, fixating on the White Jade Skeleton with an intense killing intent.

The White Jade Skeleton, having made his decision, stood his ground. At most, the soul fire in his eye sockets flickered slightly before settling into calm determination.

“I fear death, but I yearn for sunshine.”

His resolve was unshakable.

The ghostly figure sneered. “Good! Very good! You yearn for sunshine, huh? I can help you with that. I’ll send you to die! Perhaps there is reincarnation, and you may be reborn as a beast. Maybe then, you will see the sunshine once more.”

Zhang Yang stepped in front of the White Jade Skeleton and said, “At this moment, I truly doubt whether you are the great terror that resides within the cabin of the Ghost Ship of the Buried Immortals. Your mindset, your vision, your courage, your ambition, even your very soul, are all pitifully lacking.”

The ghostly figure’s voice turned icy. “You dare insult me?”

Zhang Yang smirked. “I’m simply speaking the truth. You’ve made me look down on you.”

“You’re asking for death!” the ghostly figure roared in fury.

Zhang Yang scoffed. From the moment the ghostly figure had appeared, he had intended to kill him. Why should he be afraid now?

The ghostly figure snarled, “Foolish and ignorant little skeleton, you don’t even know who you’re offending. You will pay for this!”

With a furious roar, he erupted into a dark mist, dispersing into waves of shadowy energy that sank into Ghost Island.

In the next instant, the entire island trembled violently. Dark ghostly light shot into the sky, and death energy surged, even stirring the waters of the River of Death into a bubbling frenzy.

The ghostly figure’s voice echoed throughout the island.

“Now, let me show you my true identity.”