Gazing at the wyvern corpse materializing within the room, Xiao Yan smiled slightly, then moved his body, stepping down from the bed and slowly walking over to the creature's side, studying it carefully from head to toe. Due to the exceptionally long period since its death, the corpse's skin and flesh had shrunk and dried out, making it difficult for Xiao Yan to determine the type of wyvern merely by its appearance. While he wasn't particularly interested in the wyvern's original form, his sole focus lay on its pair of jade bone wings—wings that could be used to craft a pair of exceptionally refined Tian Yan Jiuxing Wings. With a light step, Xiao Yan paused at the pair of jade wings, spanning roughly two to three zhang in width, then knelt down, gently running his palms over the wing surfaces. To his touch, the wings felt cool, yet within that coolness, a subtle warmth lingered—unimaginable that a corpse preserved for so many years could still radiate heat. These jade bone wings were slightly translucent, allowing Xiao Yan to clearly see the unusual energy swirling within them, as if floating freely. "Clang! Clang!" Xiao Yan gently tapped the jade bone wings with his fingers. The solid sensation transmitted through the touch pleased him greatly, prompting a satisfied nod. Then, he narrowed his eyes, subtly channeling his spiritual energy through his fingers into the wings. The spiritual energy carefully entered the wings, yet before it could take any action, the jade wings suddenly burst forth with a brilliant array of jade light. Instantly, Xiao Yan's spirit felt as though plunged into a cyclone, subjected to a fierce, relentless suction force that violently tore his spiritual energy into nothingness. The eyes that had been slightly half-lidded suddenly snapped open. Xiao Yan's fingers jerked back as if electrified, and he gazed at the jade bone wings with a touch of lingering apprehension, his heart filled with astonishment. He hadn't expected such a violent wind-energy to be concealed within the wings—especially remarkable was the hint of intense heat that permeated the wind-energy itself. Two seemingly contrasting elemental properties, wind and heat, coexisted in perfect harmony within a single pair of wings—an occurrence that was truly extraordinary. "Indeed, no wonder this is a world-class, seven-stage-forging beast on the verge of transcending its stage. Even after so many years of being dormant, its wings still retain such formidable, turbulent energy. If used to craft the Heavenly Crane's Nine-Element Wings, the results would likely surpass even expectations. Xiao Yan licked his lips, a growing warmth spreading through his dark eyes. This time, perhaps he had struck gold—the several pills he had spent were well worth it. Though the dried-up beast within the corpse offered only a pile of rotting flesh, the pair of jade-winged bones alone were worth the value of the pills. Gently rubbing his hands, Xiao Yan glanced once more at the sizable dried beast. With a simple motion, a sharp long sword appeared in his palm, a subtle emerald flame slowly spreading out and finally coiling around the sword's edge. The intense heat caused fine white mist to rise from the finely forged steel blade. "Ssshh!" With the sword firmly held, Xiao Yan drove it straight into the junction where the jade wings met the body of the dried beast. He had expected resistance, but none came—the dry, brittle skin of the creature yielded like tofu, easily pierced by the blade. Seeing this, Xiao Yan sighed slightly, somewhat disappointed. It seemed the魔兽's outer skin had lost its protective strength over time due to the passage of years, and thus his intention to use it for crafting a leather armor had to be abandoned. Crack! With his palm firmly gripping the hilt, Xiao Yan guided the long sword to slowly slice through the outer skin at the base of the jade bone wings. As the skin unfolded, revealing an unusual, pale, flesh-like mass within, no blood spilled at all. Though it was somewhat surprising that such a魔兽's skin and flesh had remained unrotted for so long, after carefully examining it, Xiao Yan could only shake his head in disappointment—this flesh mass contained no trace of energy. Perhaps it had been preserved simply because of the protective outer skin. Xiao Yan then gently opened two large holes on the back of the dried魔兽's corpse with the tip of his sword, and carefully removed the pair of jade bone wings, placing them aside with care. The jade bone wings detached from the surface of his body did not dim in any way, which was a relief to Xiao Yan. He had indeed been worried that once separated, the wings would simply turn into useless scraps. Now it seemed his concerns had been unfounded. After removing the wings, Xiao Yan leaned his head toward the two large openings, where a pungent, dizzying acidity rose up, forcing him to quickly hold his breath. Retreating, he hesitated for a moment, then suddenly resolved, saying, "I simply won't believe that such a large body has nothing at all." With those words, he swung his sword, its sharp blade cutting through several arcs and swiftly carving deep gashes across the魔兽's dry corpse, leaving behind more than a dozen distinct marks. The sword marks, slender as threads, slowly curved and then rapidly expanded, widening within mere eyeblinks until they split open like fissures. The undead beast crumbled as if torn apart, collapsing with a thunderous sound, its pale flesh now exposed—directly opened and ruptured by Xiao Yan. The dry remains of the beast were completely severed by Xiao Yan, releasing a rich, tangy aroma that rose gently, only to burst with a hissing sound upon reaching the ceiling. In Xiao Yan's astonishment, the ceiling was gradually eroded, forming a massive hollow. From within, one could clearly see the crescent moon suspended in the night sky. Only after the acidic gases had completely dissipated did Xiao Yan emit a soft admiration, then carefully stepped beside the dried corpse of the beast he had encountered, whose body had been sliced open. As his gaze swept over it, a sense of disappointment surfaced—what he saw was merely pale, bone-white muscle masses, with not even a single bone remaining, let alone any internal organs. "Could it be that the acidic gases have corroded everything? But then, why haven't these muscle masses been affected?" Xiao Yan furrowed his brows, murmuring the question repeatedly, yet found no satisfactory answer. "Damn it. Even if the acidic gases can corrode bones and organs, what about the spirit core? That's where the beast's vital energy is concentrated—how could it have been corroded by the same gases?" Xiao Yan furrowed his brow, randomly slicing through the pale meat blocks with his long sword, making over a dozen cuts—especially at the魔兽's head—yet when the flesh was turned over, the sight remained horrifyingly pale, with no trace of blood or even any brain organs, let alone a magical core. "Does this creature really only possess these jade-like bone wings?" Unconvinced, Xiao Yan made several more cuts, but still finding no results, he finally had to reluctantly set down his sword and muttered under his breath. "Well, well, at least we've recovered our investment with these jade bone wings. If not, then not." After a moment of frustration, he shook his head in resignation. Just as he was about to gather the dismembered remains of the beast, a fresh, clear voice suddenly rang out in the room. "It's past midnight, and yet you're doing such a disgusting thing." "Hearing that familiar voice, Xiao Yan was momentarily startled, then lifted his head to see Zhu Yan shaking her two snow-white legs, her lips slightly pouted as she gazed at him. "It's past midnight—why aren't you sleeping? Why did you come all the way to my roof?" With a roll of her eyes, Xiao Yan sat down on the chair with a casual sigh and smiled. "I was actually asleep, but then I smelled something unpleasant, so I woke up and followed the scent." Zhu Yan gracefully leapt into the room and kicked at the pile of the mysterious beast's remains that had been divided into pieces, saying, "It must be this creature's odor." Xiao Yan lounged against the back of the chair, smiling, "If you're interested, feel free to take them. I just don't know if these meats, stored for so many years, are still edible." Meanwhile, Zhu Yan, facing away from Xiao Yan, paid no attention to his teasing. Her gem-like eyes slowly swept over the remains of the beast, and a gentle purple glow gradually curled around her. A soft purple glow surrounded them. Suddenly, Zǐ Yán picked up a long sword lying beside her and, in the stunned gaze of Xiao Yan, carefully severed ten pale claws from the wyvern's corpse. She then placed them gently on the table. "What are you doing? Do you really intend to keep these?" Seeing this, Xiao Yan was taken aback. He reached for one of the claws, about the length of a finger, and gently pressed it—immediately, the claw crumbled like soft mud, losing all its firmness. With a sigh, he said helplessly. Xiao Yan's lackluster interest was rare for Zǐ Yán—she was unusually excited and urged, "Help me use your unique flame to burn these." Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan paused, about to ask a question. But seeing Zǐ Yán's urgent expression, he decided to spare further words. With a simple flick of his fingers, a ribbon of emerald flame appeared at his fingertips and gently encircled one of the pale claws. As the strange fire continued to burn, the scene that had stunned Xiao Yan gradually unfolded. The pale, soft-clay-like claws and teeth, under the intense heat of the crystal lotus heart flame, did not instantly turn to ash but instead shrank slowly, their volume diminishing steadily. As they shrank, the pale hue gradually faded, replaced by a blend of green and crimson—colors that seemed to merge like wind and fire, radiating a roaring, vibrant heat. At the tips of the claws and teeth, a subtle chill, even making Xiao Yan feel a slight cold, shimmered faintly and intermittently within the strange flame. "This...?" After about ten minutes of continuous burning, the once-pale claws and teeth had transformed into slender, green-and-crimson spines only as long as Xiao Yan's finger bones. The green and red colors intertwined seamlessly, exuding a dynamic, scorching energy. Even Xiao Yan, witnessing this remarkable transformation, stood utterly still—how could anyone have imagined that after being subjected to the strange fire, this substance would evolve into such a form? Could this be the essence hidden within? That is to say... this mysterious, undead beast, perhaps, is not as useless as he had imagined? At this thought, a surge of intense warmth flooded Xiang Yan's eyes, and he swiftly turned them, fixing his gaze firmly upon the dense, pale mass of flesh.