HSSB566: Myriad dragon hordes
“Spacetime is chaotic here. While we entered together, we might not end up on the same path,” Yan Zhaoge looked around, not being able to see Liu Shuo and the rest from Soul Shocking Island.
However, it was precisely because of the chaotic spacetime that the fact that this barrier was actually able to stably remain in this region without being swept away was such a shocking thing.
Within the barrier, only a skeleton remained. However, from its appearance, Yan Zhaoge was immediately able to tell that it was that black-clothed middle-aged martial practitioner who had gone to the underwater cavern at the bottom of the Star Shifting Sea and come into contact with the beam of the Divine Palace there.
Thinking about how this black-clothed martial practitioner had been so full of himself as he had intended to open this dragon tomb before going back to deal with the beam of the Divine Palace, yet had died here in the end, Yan Zhaoge could not help but feel emotional for a time.
With just a thought on Yan Zhaoge’s part, the Northern Ocean Clone extended a palm, grabbing that barrier.
The barrier that hovered amidst chaotic spacetime did not resist this external force as it was absorbed by the Northern Ocean Clone’s palm.
Seeing this, Yan Zhaoge felt even more certain, “It is a treasure specifically used for dealing with space and time. Being able to resist such chaotic spacetime, it should be able to pass through dimensions intact as well. This person may really have ‘descended’ from the World beyond Worlds.”
The source of the barrier’s strength was a paper fan in the hand of the skeleton.
As Yan Zhaoge took the paper fan, a will emanated from within it as a voice seemed to resound within his mind.
“I overestimated myself, underestimating this burial ground of dragons. It is only right that I perished here today. I brought it upon myself, I brought it upon myself!”
“How immense a power it is that comes with the sacrifice of so many dragons, truly possessing the power to exterminate the world. I have dragged down the Vast Ocean World into suffering this tribulation together with me.”
“The World beyond Worlds-I won’t be able to return in the end. Born in the dim darkness and returning to the dim darkness, death is not a scary thing. It is just a pity that I cannot see those traitors that are the Radiant Light Sect destroyed. What regret, what regret!”
Yan Zhaoge analysed these thoughts that had occupied the mind of the black-clothed martial practitioner right before his death, thinking, “It is indeed so. We have to keep the utmost caution in this dragon tomb. Otherwise, we might all be wiped out at any time, perhaps even causing the entire Vast Ocean World to face another world-exterminating tribulation.”
Ever since having come to the Vast Ocean World and come to clearly know the situation here, there had always been something that Yan Zhaoge had wondered about.
The timeflow of the Vast Ocean World was around five times faster than that of the Eight Extremities World.
In other words, the history of the post-Great Calamity Vast Ocean World was far longer than that of the Eight Extremities World.
Under such circumstances, the martial arts civilisation here was still incomparable to that in the Eight Extremities World, even being somewhat inferior.
Afterwards, he had discovered that the legacies and relic sites of pre-Great Calamity times were far fewer here than in the Eight Extremities World.
Many martial art legacies here had been created by the local martial practitioners themselves. They would inevitably go through many twists and turns in the process. This being so, it was only normal that they went a little slower.
However, in the history of the Vast Ocean World, other than the legendary Great Calamity, there were also many massive tribulations that had descended upon the world. Every single time, there would be innumerable casualties as the human race would be greatly exterminated within the Vast Ocean World. However, the reason for this was unclear as it was lost within the long river of history.
Yan Zhaoge came to understand this better at this moment. The many calamities that had burdened the Vast Ocean World might be because this world was the most deeply connected to the dragon tomb, thus having suffered more as a result.
Looking at that skeleton, he sighed.
This black-clothed martial practitioner was probably not the sole person who had tried to enter the dragon tomb in search of treasures yet failed in his attempt. Meanwhile, each of these failures may have spelt catastrophe for the Vast Ocean World.
Perhaps the Glacial Dragon Martial Saint who had come over from the Eight Extremities World might have caused one of them?
Thinking about this, Yan Zhaoge’s expression grew even more solemn.
He looked at the ancient, cold abyss down below, remaining in deep thought.
After Gao Tianzhong and the others had heard Yan Zhaoge’s explanation, they all exchanged looks.
Yan Zhaoge began carefully appraising the paper fan in his hand, realising after a while, “So this fan is actually forged of Divine Connection Wood. No wonder it can protect people in crossing through the wounds of the sky, preventing them from being injured by the power of dimensions!”
“With this thing, even without having reached the fourth level of the Martial Saint realm, one would also have a way to ascend to the World beyond Worlds,” Yan Zhaoge stroked the hilt of the fan, “Still, this barrier having been erected for such a long time in this dragon tomb, it should be rather devoid of spiritual power. Wanting to use it, some planning will additionally be needed.”
As Yan Zhaoge opened the paper fan, he saw that some lines were drawn simply in black ink across it as some profound concept seemed to be contained within.
“So it is from the intersection of light and darkness, radiance and dimness merging as the primordial darkness of the universe is conveyed. It is rather a high-level thing. It shouldn’t have been developed since post-Great Calamity times. There are some signs of the dao tradition of the pre-Great Calamity Dim Radiant Sect.”
“Oh, wait. He talked about the Radiant Light Sect just now. Is that also a power from the World beyond Worlds? It sounded like he hated it greatly. From the looks of it, light and darkness are opposed? Might the Dim Radiant Sect dao tradition have split into light as well as darkness?”
Yan Zhaoge saw the words ‘Dim Darkness Sect’s Liang Zhichao written on the back of the fan. Many thoughts and suspicions thus surfaced in his mind.
The darkness of the deep abyss down below seemed to have no end to it. Time passed very quickly amidst their journey.
It was just that amidst these many layers of spacetime which were sometimes fast and sometimes slow, one would be hard pressed to determine how many days, months or even years had passed over in the outside world.
Travelling like this, Yan Zhaoge and the others even encountered martial practitioners of the other sects, be they allies or foes or just passing by.
The further they went, the more it could be felt that the martial practitioners of the Vast Ocean World, Gao Tianzhong and the others of Changli Mountain included, were gradually all beginning to feel rather uneasy as well as uncomfortable.
They had been within the depths of the dragon tomb for too long a time. Stuck within whilst being unable to determine how much time had passed in the outside world, they would not be able to deal with any unexpected situations that might have cropped up in the Vast Ocean World.
Although all of them had made preparations before coming in, leaving sufficient troops back at their sects such that they would not fear enemy attacks, with the most strange and indiscernible Lin Qiancheng having been offed by Yan Zhaoge as well, if things continued like this for a long time, there was no guarantee that something might not go wrong.
Yan Zhaoge and the others had even seen some people try to turn back and leave the dragon tomb.
After persisting like this for yet an inestimable amount of time, when they felt the temperature in the deep abyss having already gradually fallen to one in which even Essence Talisman Martial Grandmasters might be finding it hard to bear, Yan Zhaoge’s heart suddenly jolted slightly.
He vaguely felt a familiar aura which originated from the old residence of the Glacial Dragon Martial Saint that he had once visited in the Eight Extremities World.
Yan Zhaoge’s spirits rose as he pushed forth the yellow dragon in swiftly descending.
The deep, dark abyss before them finally reached an end.
Meanwhile, it was a shocking sight that greeted them all.
Dragons, all of them dragons.
Not scaly dragons, not half-breed dragons, not chi-dragons, not any kind of mixed blood dragons at all. All of them were true dragons.
They were countable in the thousands, dense to the point that their number was just incalculable.
The scales and claws of the myriad dragons flickered with light in a lifelike manner, a majestic, fiery flourishing blood qi as well as a destructive death qi that intimidated people’s hearts intermingling together as they resembled an endless vast ocean.
All the dragons seemed as though they were still alive yet remained completely unmoving, frozen within the depths of the deep, cold abyss.