**Chapter 1284: A Grand Drama, Cause and Effect**
The sky was filled with fiery meteors, but Lin Moyu did not dodge or evade; he watched quietly. The fiery meteors crashed onto the mountain top, the mountainside, and the cemetery below.
The fiery meteors were dense and endless, raining down on the entire world. When the meteors exploded on the mountain top, they scattered a large number of bones, which fell to the ground. The same scene occurred in the cemetery, where bones covered the entire area, none of them intact.
This was a scene from the past, explaining the origin of the bones on the mountain top. Lin Moyu's heart tightened; it seemed that the expedition had failed. The skeletons that went out were whole, but only bones returned.
At the end of the fiery meteor shower, a much larger meteor descended from the sky, crashing heavily onto the throne. A heavy pressure swept across the mountain top, and the skeleton general reappeared on the throne.
Lin Moyu could sense the change in the skeleton general, from the high spirits at the start of the expedition to the current state of decay. The hoarse and majestic voice sounded again, "The enemy is strong, and we cannot match them."
"This defeat is my responsibility; you are not at fault."
"I will envelop you with the undying flame to help you be reborn."
"I will sleep, waiting for my master's call."
"The heavens and all realms, countless beings, only my master is immortal!"
His voice echoed throughout the cemetery, and flames erupted, setting the entire cemetery ablaze. The bones reassembled, and nearly a million skeleton soldiers in the cemetery were collectively reborn.
Lin Moyu heard the deafening shouts again.
"Master is immortal!"
"Master is immortal!"
The shouts were endless, shaking the soul. Lin Moyu was once again moved and felt like shouting "Master is immortal" himself.
After reviving all the skeletons, the skeleton general's aura became even weaker. Reviving these skeletons had exhausted most of his strength. His body began to crumble, and the flames covering him started to weaken.
Only then could Lin Moyu see that the skeleton general's body was actually only a small part of a complete skeleton. The remaining bones barely maintained his form. As before, most of his body was composed of flames, with only a dozen bones.
"Enter the coffins!"
He issued a new command, and the cemetery instantly fell silent. All the skeletons entered their coffins and began to sleep. The skeleton general's aura grew weaker, and he looked at his coffin but shook his head and did not enter.
He raised his head and looked into the distant sky. For some reason, Lin Moyu felt that at this moment, the skeleton general resembled an old man at the end of his life.
"Master, I have done my best."
"I will sleep, waiting to be revived."
"I hope one day, I can fight alongside my master and traverse all realms."
"I hope one day, all rebellious races will face disaster, their clans destroyed, and their worlds annihilated!"
"I hope my master's glory will shine upon all realms."
After saying these words, he seemed to use up all his strength and shattered with a loud crash! The dozen bones scattered on the skeleton throne, just as Lin Moyu had seen before.
All the flames disappeared, recondensing into a gray flame in the air. The scene before Lin Moyu vanished, and everything returned to calm. After witnessing the entire process, Lin Moyu felt as if he had witnessed a piece of history.
He now understood the origins of the mountain and the cemetery. The soldiers in the cemetery had once died but were revived by the skeleton general. These soldiers had faithfully carried out their duty to guard the cemetery for countless years.
If the skeleton general had not saved them, he might have had a chance to survive. Even if he had to sleep, he could have greatly shortened his slumber. But the skeleton general chose to sacrifice himself to save his soldiers.
Listening to his final words, he took all the blame for the defeat upon himself, leaving hope for his soldiers. "He was a good general."
Lin Moyu sighed from the bottom of his heart. Having been a general himself, he knew how difficult such self-sacrifice was. One in a thousand generals might not make such a choice.
Then he looked up at the gray flame burning in the torch. The scene just now was presented to him by the gray flame, and its significance must be more than that. Lin Moyu looked at it and slowly pronounced, "Undying flame!"
The skeleton general had mentioned the name of the gray flame, which was the same as the undying flame in Lin Moyu's spell. It was with the power of the undying flame that he could save all the skeletons.
Although the names were the same, there were some differences. Lin Moyu's undying flame was a mix of gray and white, with gray representing death and white representing life. But the undying flame before him was purely gray, filled with the power of death. However, the power of death was a great supplement for skeletons.
Skeletons were undead creatures that thrived on the power of death. The power of life was poison to them. "Another layer of connection."
Lin Moyu thought to himself. He always felt that the mysterious manor, the ancient tomb, and his spells were connected. Now, with the appearance of the undying flame, the connection deepened.
He walked to the skeleton throne and lightly jumped onto it. The throne was large, making him appear small standing on it. He saw a few bones. From a distance, they didn't seem significant, but up close, he realized each bone was larger than himself.
Despite countless years, the skeleton general had not revived. If the skeleton general were still alive and saw someone stepping on his throne, he might have slapped him to death. Lin Moyu approached a bone, which belonged to the head, slightly curved, making it hard to identify its exact part.
The bone was three meters long and nearly a meter thick. The countless years had not turned the bone to dust; instead, it appeared more crystalline. Lin Moyu even sensed a hint of life from the bone.
His expression changed slightly. The bone belonged to the skeleton general and was filled with the aura of death. But deep within the bone, there was indeed a trace of life spreading. The skeleton general was not truly dead; he might revive one day. But how long it would take, no one could say—ten thousand years, a million years, or even longer.
Lin Moyu stepped over the bone and continued walking. After a few meters, he reached the center of the throne. This was where the skeleton general had sat during the expedition. Lin Moyu had seen from the air that there was something different here.
Now, standing here, he indeed saw something different. A piece of animal hide! "Another piece of animal hide!"
Lin Moyu murmured to himself. It was identical to the one he had found in the mysterious manor. The hide itself was not important; what mattered were the words recorded on it. This piece of hide was larger than any he had found before.
The size of the hide was reasonable, given the skeleton general's size. If it were too small, it would be inappropriate. Lin Moyu took out the hide, which was square and about a meter long. He examined the words on it. Despite the passage of time, the words were slightly faded but still legible.
"This is the 32,643rd year since I became the leader of the guards."
"32,643 years ago, my master, recognizing my merits, granted me intelligence and transformed me into the skeleton general."
"This grace and virtue are beyond repayment, even in death."
"Now, my master faces a great enemy. The six realms, led by Heaven, have simultaneously rebelled. As my master's most loyal servant, I must quell the rebellion without delay."
"But knowing the dangers of this battle, I leave this technique. If I die in battle, my successor will inherit this technique and continue to serve my master!"