The purple token flickered briefly before the light faded, a wisp of aura now lingering in the air.
It has reverted to an ownerless object? Wu Yuan smiled.
Such tokens could revert back to being ownerless if their owners chose to relinquish their ownership, or if their owner's aura imprint faded with the passage of time. Or, if someone forcefully erased the aura imprint, as Wu Yuan did.
It took me ten months to succeed. If it were Jin Quan, it would have taken him centuries. This item must have already been ownerless when he first acquired it. Wu Yuan felt a hint of pride creeping into his heart.
This was the power of luck.
Wu Yuan discovered numerous treasures within Jin Quan’s storage artifacts, including numerous high-grade etherstone rarely found in the Middle Land and powerful artifacts such as the sixth-grade spirit battle armor Jin Quan typically wore. Wu Yuan passed on some of these artifacts to Fang Xia.
He also found four complete sword arrays and 36 spirit flying swords, with some at the seventh-grade and others at the sixth-grade. There were also many broken pieces of spirit equipment of various grades, as well as Daoist scriptures, ancient books, and cultivation teachings, the most impressive of which was the ‘Dark Moon Sword Manual’.
All of this confirmed Daoist Wan Xing's words – Jin Quan must have had an extraordinary fortuitous encounter.
Furthermore, after the battle at the Holy Capital, Wu Yuan came across the Jin royal family’s forbidden zone near the city. There, he had found the mountain and the relic deep inside it. However, he was unable to enter the relic and had to give up and return.
Claim ownership. Wu Yuan willed his Soul Force to imprint his vital aura within the purple token. After which, he began to perceive the information within the token.
An instant later, a torrent of information rushed into his mind like a broken dam. "My name is Reverend Qing Yan. A great disaster will soon befall the Summerpeak World, I leave..."
Wu Yuan realized that this must be a message left by the token's original owner. Hence, Wu Yuan didn’t resist, absorbing all the information within the token in just a few breaths. Finally, he understood the entire story.
So, this is an inheritance of an Amethyst Cradle Reverend? Wu Yuan was astonished. When he first examined Jin Quan’s treasures, he suspected that this wasn’t the inheritance of a Golden Core Superior.
The information within the token revealed that many years ago, an Amethyst Cradle Reverend named Qing Yan, who was a sword cultivator, foresaw a great disaster sweeping across the entire Summerpeak World. Before the disaster struck, he hastily left behind an inheritance for anyone destined to find it.
It seemed that this Amethyst Cradle Reverend never returned, likely perishing in the terrifying disaster.
Was it the great war 100,000 years ago? Wu Yuan thought of the war mentioned by the realm master, a war that devastated the Greenridge Macrocosm, leading to the destruction of the powerful Hou Feng Tribe and wiping out all civilization in the Summerpeak World.
Let's go take a look. Wu Yuan made his decision.
Given that Reverend Qing Yan was in a hurry to leave an inheritance, it was likely that he left little behind in the way of material possessions. The bulk of his inheritance was most likely Daoist scriptures, which could be inferred from the relics found in Jin Quan’s storage artifacts. Nonetheless, Wu Yuan had to make a trip to the relic to find out.
Once the thought struck him, Wu Yuan didn't hesitate. He transmitted a message to Fang Xia and set off from Archeldritch Mountain immediately, not informing anyone else of his plans.
In a few flashes, Wu Yuan swiftly ascended into the sky, breaking through the dense clouds and soaring to an altitude of tens of thousands of meters. Below him lay a blanket of thick clouds, while above, the sky gleamed with brilliant light.
Going any higher will bring me too close to the Heavenly Lightning Stratum. Wu Yuan looked upward.
Wu Yuan knew he had two options if he wanted to leave the world of the Middle Land. The first was to use a teleportation array. The second was to cross the Heavenly Lightning Stratum then Gravitational Stratum with his own strength. But Wu Yuan knew he wasn’t strong enough to leave the Summerpeak World on his own.
"Little Black!" he called.
Instantly, a black flying snake emerged from his arm. It grew rapidly, growing into a colossal forty-zhang-long creature. Compared to its size a year ago, it had grown once more.
"Master," Little Black chirped excitedly, curling up and lifting Wu Yuan onto its head affectionately.
"We’re heading to the Zhong Continental City," Wu Yuan instructed with a smile. He knew Little Black loved coming to the world outside, so he let it out wherever he got the chance to.
Little Black hummed in acknowledgment, spreading its wings and taking off like an arrow. Despite their speed, invisible ripples seemed to form a barrier around them, blocking the wind.
Little Black’s speed has increased since reaching the sixth-stage Communion phase. Wu Yuan noted.
After a year of cultivation, Wu Yuan had progressed from the fifth to sixth-stage Communion phase. As his lifebound eldritch beast, Little Black had also made a breakthrough.
After reaching the sixth-stage Communion phase, the Teng Snake was even faster than before. At its normal speed, it could travel 100 li in a single breath, and with Deity Step, it could move even faster.
The trip from Cloudhill to Zhong Continental City spanned 20,000 li. Less than half an hour later, Little Black’s voice resounded in Wu Yuan’s mind. "Master, we're almost here."
The flying snake then broke through the cloud layer and descended towards the Holy Capital, now known as the Zhong Continental City.
Compared to how it used to be a year ago, it’s far quieter now. From his vantage point above, Wu Yuan peered down at the city. He could make out tiny buildings, streets, and people below. His current eyesight even allowed him to see ants scurrying on the ground.
The imperial city of Great Jin, once lively and prosperous, now stood desolate after Wu Yuan's battle with Jin Quan a year ago. A year ago, reparation efforts had begun during the battle, yet no progress was made since the battle ended. Weeds covered the area, and buildings and alleys still showed signs of the devastating battle.
Countless civilians drifted through the city streets, their eyes hollow and movements automatic, as though numb to their plight. It was a stark contrast to Cloudhill City's vibrant energy.
The saying ‘their rise is brisk, their fall is sudden’, echoed in Wu Yuan's mind, filling him with a sense of melancholy.
During Great Jin’s days of glory, the Holy Capital stood as the number one city in the world.
“Now that the Wu Empire is established and I’m the ruler of the Middle Land, Cloudhill City will soon become the next number one city in the Middle Land," Wu Yuan muttered to himself. "But how long can it last?"
The more Wu Yuan observed and experienced, the more profound his emotions grew.
Whoosh! Little Black soared through the sky with Wu Yuan on his back. The world below, filled with civilians and martial artists, remained oblivious to their presence. Soon, they landed on a mountain to the west of the Zhong Continental City.
The peak was shrouded in mist and guarded by soldiers, a forbidden area of the Great Jin that remained off-limits even after the fall of the empire. This wasn’t to protect what lay within but to ensure no one ventured inside for their own safety.
Open. With a thought, Wu Yuan's Soul Force spread out. The white mist automatically parted, allowing Little Black to fly straight in.
The number of giant snakes in the area appeared to have dwindled significantly.
Following a familiar route, Wu Yuan swiftly reached the end of the cave, coming to the entrance of a rather spectacular temple. The hall was simply constructed, but the material of the floor and walls alone was a testament to its extraordinary nature.
After killing Jin Quan, Wu Yuan had ended up at this temple during his subsequent exploration. Back then, he was unable to make further progress. After ten months, he finally returned.
The entrance is over there. Wu Yuan's Soul Force spread out in a 50-li radius. Everything within this circular area was within his perception. This mountain was actually hiding a massive metallic hall.
The hall extended more than four li at its longest, and over two li at its shortest, with a height exceeding 300 meters. It was also incredibly robust! At least, Wu Yuan's first attempt to forcefully break in a year ago had been unsuccessful.
Back then, he had only been able to confirm the location of the entrance through his Soul Force. As for the interior of the temple? It was like a massive black hole in his Soul Force, impossible to perceive.
Before long, Wu Yuan arrived at the entrance. The door was completely concealed and looked no different from the surrounding walls.
Go. With a wave of his hand, a purple token flew out and landed on the door. In an instant, countless cryptic patterns emerged on the door’s surface. These patterns seemed chaotic, yet subtly formed a whole.
Wind? The profundity of Wind? Although Wu Yuan did not comprehend the profundity of Wind, all Daos were interconnected, so Wu Yuan could vaguely sense it.
With a thunderous rumble, the countless cryptic lines converged, and with a dull thud, the wall split open to reveal a metallic passage, which emitted a strange green glow from its walls.
The token flew back and hovered beside Wu Yuan.
A passage? Wu Yuan scanned the passage with his Soul Force, perceiving the interior. It was very quiet, and the light was dim.
Too bad I don't have a puppet. Wu Yuan frowned slightly. Puppets were commonly used treasures among immortal cultivators.
Apart from their usage in battle, they were also very useful during exploration, treasure hunting, and many other exploits. The devil soldiers under the control of the worm devil bore many similarities to puppets.
"Little Black, go." With a thought, Little Black, who had been coiled around his arm, shot straight into the metallic passage, transforming its body into a thinner and longer form.
"Master, there's no danger. It's a very large hall, with several passages. I don't know where they lead." Soon, Little Black's voice echoed in Wu Yuan's spirit.
Just as Wu Yuan was about to enter, Little Black suddenly let out a cry of surprise. "Master, Master, there’s a legendary Star Embryonic Body!"
"Star Embryonic Body?" Wu Yuan was taken aback.
"Master, with it, you can now cultivate two true selves." Little Black was beyond ecstatic.