HSSB659: An unexpected surprise
Yan Zhaoge’s Northern Ocean Clone had been obtained from refining someone else’s mortal shell. He was a Martial Saint from the start, his foundation solid as it would not be easy for him to switch to cultivating in other martial arts. Thus, he had not cultivated in supreme martial arts of the Jade Clear lineage like the Peerless Heavenly Scripture and the Cyclic Heavenly Scripture.
However, Yan Zhaoge had supreme martial arts suitable for him as well, causing him to grow stronger and stronger.
After solidifying his foundations with the Supporting Soaring Art had come a famous supreme martial art of pre-Great Calamity times, the Great Wilderness Fish-Roc Art.
It was the elite martial art for the human race in cultivating in the power of that mystical creature.
Yan Zhaoge simulated the Great Wilderness Fish-Roc Art with the Peerless Heavenly Scripture, combining forces with the Northern Ocean Clone in manifesting its image.
If that old man had been fully devoted to defence as he had earlier, he would still have been able to barely hold on.
Now that he was proactively attacking, he was unable to retract his move as he was directly swept along by Yan Zhaoge and sent into the Myriad Dragon Palace.
After they had entered, the great gate of the palace mightily slammed shut before they sunk into the great sea and was gone far away in an instant.
In the Myriad Dragon Palace, that old man snorted, “You scheming brat!”
He flipped his palm, a cold, biting sword appearing within his hands, the sword-qi surging madly as his momentum skyrocketed.
Having heard rumours that Yan Zhaoge possessed a mystical bamboo cane that could suppress low-grade Sacred Artifacts, this old man had not used his accompanying weapon at all before this.
However, in fighting for his very life now, it naturally did not have to be asked which between himself and his Sacred Artifact was the more important.
If he could get out of here alive, even if his sword was damaged, he would only be able to accept it and hope to take revenge another day.
“The Grand Xuan Dynasty cannot give every Martial Saint a Sacred Artifact, but from the looks of it, you descendants of Shen Lingzi’s lineage indeed all possess accompanying Sacred Artifacts, your accumulated wealth not just simply being abundant,” Seeing him finally using his sword, Yan Zhaoge did not appear concerned as purple light flickered within his hand, that dark green bamboo cane appearing as it struck down towards the other party’s head!
“…” The other party’s expression was strange as he heard Yan Zhaoge’s words.
Looking at the Dark Feather Slaughtering Golden Spear in Yan Zhaoge’s hand and the Imperious Cold Martial Armour on his body as well as the Fish Dragon Spear in the Northern Ocean Clone’s hands, the old man felt stifled by rage as he was rendered speechless at those three Sacred Artifacts.
This old man calmed his mind, directing the sword he was holding.
The sharp sword-light combined with the sword-light of the Time Flowing Sword, transforming into long rainbows that traversed the entire space.
He attempted to obtain victory with the variations in his sword arts, avoiding Yan Zhaoge’s dark green bamboo branch and attacking Yan Zhaoge himself.
If he could force Yan Zhaoge and the Northern Ocean Clone backwards, he would have a chance to rush out of the Myriad Dragon Palace.
“Oh, the sword’s not bad. It’s close to the level of my Fish Dragon Spear. It can already be considered elite amongst low-grade Sacred Artifacts.”
Yan Zhaoge nodded slightly, the old man’s face only turning darker.
Only praising the sword, not praising the sword arts and the person…
However, the old man soon didn’t have the leisure to be despondent any longer.
Wherever the dark green bamboo cane went, the numerous rainbows of light were all shattered.
Yan Zhaoge’s Dark Feather Slaughtering Golden Spear and the Northern Ocean Clone’s Fish Dragon Spear went up together, obstructing that old man’s Glorious Rainbow Sword.
The next moment, the dark green bamboo cane had slammed downwards, causing the sword-light of the Glorious Rainbow Sword to instantly dim.
This old man evaded. As Yan Zhaoge’s bamboo cane swiftly followed, it struck his shoulder instead.
His body shook all over, a Shadow Shrinking Pouch falling.
Yan Zhaoge’s gaze flickered slightly.
The old man was greatly shocked. Yan Zhaoge and his clone advanced, each spear faster than the previous as they forced him into retreat.
The Northern Ocean Clone made a grabbing motion, that Shadow Shrinking Pouch falling into his hands.
A light fragrance emanated from within. It was precisely the smell that Yan Zhaoge had noticed earlier, which had indeed originated from this old man.
“Let go of it!” The old man rushed over in a panic yet was repelled by Yan Zhaoge once more.
Streams of dragon qi that resembled chains descended within the Myriad Dragon Palace as they surrounded the old man, wanting to entrap him.
The old man brandished the Glorious Rainbow Sword, chains of dragon qi instantly shattering.
However, just after his show of might, Yan Zhaoge’s bamboo cane was descending towards him once more.
Yan Zhaoge was not in a hurry now as he instead took a defensive stance, stably guarding the entrance to the Myriad Dragon Palace.
All he had to do was prevent his opponent from escaping.
His Northern Ocean Clone retreated to the side, opening that Shadow Shrinking Pouch.
While he had not seen the actual thing before, only having read a textual description of it, Yan Zhaoge could confirm at first glance that one of the things inside the Shadow Shrinking Pouch was precisely the Bearing Heaven Ceremony Fragrance that he had guessed about earlier.
While the space within the Shadow Shrinking Pouch was broad, it was currently stuffed full. There was only a limited amount of each item, but every one of them was extremely great in quantity.
For example, there must be as much as a hundred catties of Bearing Heaven Ceremony Fragrance. It was even more exaggerated for the quantities of the other items.
Some of them were extremely valuable, being priceless treasures in the quantities that they were in.
While some were extremely rare as well, their value and uses were comparatively limited as they were not all that precious.
As these things were placed there together, they would generally seem to have no relation at all.
Even if Sacred Ground-level powers like the Dim Darkness Sect, the Radiant Light Sect and the North Sea Sword Pavilion were to see these items, it would probably be just one or two of these treasures which were rather more valuable that would catch their eye.
However, as Yan Zhaoge saw them, the sound of shocking thunder seemed to reverberate by his ears.
“Bearing Heaven Ceremony Fragrance, Earth Ocean Lung Crystals, Prime Chaos Soil…” Yan Zhaoge’s gaze was heavy, “Adding on a few other things, they would comprise the required materials for the establishing of the Bearing Heaven Efficate Formation that is used to communicate with the deification of the Earth Queen.”
The Earth Queen’s deification was known in full as the ‘Bearing Heaven Efficate Deep Virtue Great Light Earth Queen Deification and in short as the ‘Bearing Heaven Efficate Earth Queen Deification’.
It was said: Heaven Sovereign and Earth Queen, the Heavens above and the Earth below.
The ‘Earth Queen’ here referred to the deification of the Earth Queen, commonly known as Mother Earth.
The Daoists had the saying of the three Purities and four Imperials. The ancestral founders of the three Purities naturally need not be explained.
The Earth Queen was one of the four Imperials, controlling yin and yang and nourishing all things as she was like the Mother of this great Earth.
In pre-Great Calamity times, in legends from even further back in time, she had already been one of the great figures that presided above all the heavens.
Looking at the items he was holding, countless thoughts instantly flashed through Yan Zhaoge’s mind.
Shen Lingzi’s lineage as well as King Xuanwen and the others who had founded the Grand Xuan Dynasty that year had all come from someplace beyond the Royal Reed Sea, settling down here. Why exactly had they done so?
The Bearing Heaven Efficate Formation had no other uses. In pre-Great Calamity times, due to her own unique circumstances, the Earth Queen had usually not resided in the Divine Palace. Some of those who had commonly thought about her had established this formation to communicate with this great power.
In the current era, someone had established this formation and sustained it for so many years. What could it be for?
These materials and treasures must have been collected by the Grand Xuan Dynasty all these years.
However, due to the anti-Xuan uprisings, many places had lapsed from the Grand Xuan Dynasty’s control, falling into the hands of the North Sea Sword Pavilion and the other powers.
The previously gathered materials had all gradually been depleted…
Could this be the reason for Shen Lingzi’s lineage finally moving a move? It wasn’t that they were concerned with the declining reign of the Grand Xuan Dynasty.
Now that the Grand Xuan Dynasty had regained the upper hand, wresting back much of its territory as well as precious resources, they were immediately rushing around collecting these materials.
Why had they established the Bearing Heaven Efficate Formation then?
A remnant legacy site of this great power had unexpectedly been found in this Royal Reed Sea that they were attempting to unearth?
Or could it be that they were attempting to search for the deification of the Earth Queen?
Might this great power still exist following the Great Calamity?
Logically speaking, she should. However, if the Great Calamity was man-made rather than a natural disaster, all this would be very hard to say…
Following the Great Calamity, whether it was the lower worlds like the Eight Extremities World and the Vast Ocean World or this World beyond Worlds he had come to, news was seldom ever heard of peak figures of pre-Calamity times revealing the magnificence of their true selves.
Yan Zhaoge licked his lips, “An unexpected surprise.”