The movement from the temple immediately caught Ming Qi's attention, realizing it was the shaking of the ground that had alerted them.
Although Ming Qi didn't know how many people truly knew the secret of the divine dragon skeleton, he was certain that Gongzi Wushuang definitely knew. As for Yu Quanzhen and Ye Qizong, he was only speculating and unsure.
As for the others, few likely knew what lay atop Mount Osho. They believed it must contain a vast treasure trove, filled with elixirs and magical artifacts. They never imagined someone would orchestrate such a gargantuan scheme just for a single divine dragon skeleton.
Looking at the individuals flying towards the temple, the first was none other than Ye Qizong, the Dragon Thief who had activated the Dragon God's bloodline. Following him were the demon soldier Mieshen, Gongzi Wushuang, and the others. Behind them, Yu Quanzhen, sprinting through the air, approached at a rapid speed.
As for the monks still fighting in the rear, they only regained their composure after the other monks had already flown away from the Demonic Dragon Altar in front of the temple. They also began to move in this direction.
For a moment, the entire scene descended into chaos again.
At this moment, the only person standing still beside the Demonic Dragon Altar was the masked man.
Watching the numerous monks instantly forget everything in front of them and chase after Yu Quanzhen and the others, he couldn't help but sigh.
With a shake of his head, his metal-gloved hands opened and closed, instantly snatching up the two lagging monks and throwing them directly into the Demonic Dragon Altar. Puffs of black smoke flashed, and two more black beams fell into his hands.
Then, the masked man shook his head. Instead of running back, he plunged deeper into the temple, searching for something unknown.
At this moment, the monk who had taken the initiative had arrived by the small lake behind the temple.
When the arriving crowd saw Ming Qi diligently collecting the divine dragon skeleton, they were all shocked.
"It's you, brat!"
Ming Qi appeared as a young fox prince of the Fox Clan. Earlier, in the Demonic Corridor, Ming Qi had used the Supreme Diagram to capture the Hell Hydra, the magical pet of the Demon Spirit Walker.
Back then, the Hell Hydra posed a significant threat to the cultivators, and Ming Qi's capture of it was naturally acceptable. But this time, things were different.
Ming Qi had already completely drained the water from the small lake, revealing the entire divine dragon skeleton. The cultivators present could immediately tell it was a divine dragon skeleton.
A divine dragon skeleton is a rare find, rare only once in a thousand years. Ming Qi's attempt to easily capture it this time was likely impossible.
"Stop! This thing is too much for you to swallow alone."
One of the cultivators immediately spoke up.
Ming Qi paid them no mind, completely ignoring them. He simply focused his entire attention on the Divine Diagram Space, gradually covering the dragon skeleton within it.
However, the dragon skeleton was enormous, and Ming Qi had only just begun manipulating the Divine Diagram Space, so not only was his operation somewhat unfamiliar, but more importantly, the Divine Diagram Space was only the embryonic form of a small world, far from being able to freely and omnipresently contain it. While the dragon skeleton wasn't as vast as a mountain or ocean, the divine energy contained within it was immense, making it much more difficult for Ming Qi to collect it.
Seeing Ming Qi's relentless work and silence, some cultivators grew anxious and prepared to attack. However, seeing that the giants hadn't yet taken action, they could only watch from the sidelines. To be precise, for those like them who were trying to take advantage of the situation, the only outcome for those who took the initiative was death. This much was clear.
The situation remained deadlocked for several minutes. Just as Ming Qi was about to secure the Divine Dragon Skeleton, Young Master Wushuang spoke first.
"Are you all just here to watch the show?"
Young Master Wushuang's words puzzled everyone.
"A mere Fifth-level cultivator wouldn't be able to take the Divine Dragon Skeleton."
Ye Qizong stared at the vast divine map space and said coldly.
"Oh? Are you waiting until his power is exhausted before you start fighting us?"
Yu Quanzhen also spoke. These people were shrewd and calculating. They wanted the Divine Dragon Skeleton themselves, but they didn't want to be the first to strike. Even against a mere Fifth-level cultivator, they were wary of being the first to strike. Clearly, they shared this mutual concern.
However, even though several powerful individuals and numerous cultivators had arrived but hadn't made a move, Ming Qi was growing increasingly impatient.
His suspicions were correct. The Divine Map's space couldn't fully accommodate the entire dragon skeleton. Even if he pushed the map to its limits, it still couldn't fit inside. He couldn't even completely envelop it like he had previously tamed the Hell Hydra.
"Then I'll have to try one last method."
Ming Qi made up his mind and had no choice but to attempt to evolve the Divine Map.
Finally, he didn't want to take that step yet. After all, he had only been manipulating the Divine Map for a short time and hadn't mastered many of its secrets. A hasty attempt at evolution at this point would have a high probability of failure.
But he couldn't care less now. Attempting to evolve the Divine Map was his only option. If it succeeded, he could immediately fly away with the dragon skeleton.
While pondering, Ming Qi channeled a wisp of his spiritual consciousness to the Divine Map's core, the Primordial Starry Sky. He easily passed through the primordial energy surrounding the Primordial Starry Sky and entered directly into its interior.
Entering this dreamlike space once again, Ming Qi no longer cared to admire it. He instantly dispersed his spiritual awareness, searching bit by bit, to see if he could find anything about the evolution of the divine diagram.
After a short while, Ming Qi was pleasantly surprised to discover that, amidst the dazzling and bizarre space, a tiny brown dot, the size of a sesame seed, had appeared unnoticed on the massive, erupting volcanic rock.
The feeling this brown dot gave Ming Qi was similar to the unique feeling he had felt when he first entered this space and felt the volcano. Although the brown dot was so small, it felt incredibly real to Ming Qi.
"That's right, it must be it!"
Without hesitation, Ming Qi immediately focused his spiritual awareness and directed it towards the brown dot.
Instantly, a strange image flashed through Ming Qi's mind. He saw the small brown dot suddenly leap a few times, then soar to the top of the volcano. Then, a beam of light shot out from the brown dot, enveloping the massive volcano below. The massive volcano then shook a few times before suddenly soaring upward with a whoosh, rapidly shrinking. In the blink of an eye, it had merged into the small brown dot!
"This!"
Ming Qi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.
The fact that this sesame-sized brown dot could accommodate the massive volcano didn't definitively indicate that the Divine Map's spatial dimension had evolved, but one thing was certain: its capacity had undoubtedly increased. It seemed like a natural progression.
"A mustard seed containing Mount Sumeru—truly miraculous."
Ming Qi thought to himself as he withdrew his spiritual consciousness and swiftly returned to his body. In a split second, he could clearly sense a significant shift in the entire Divine Map space. Many previously chaotic areas were now becoming increasingly clear, and many were brimming with life.
With a whoosh, his spiritual consciousness returned, and Ming Qi immediately manipulated the Divine Map space, forcibly collecting the dragon's skeleton once again.