HSSB944: In the depths of the white clouds
The Three-footed Golden Crow, also known as the Great Sun Golden Crow, was said to be the son of the vast heavens in the legends, a primordial spirit of elemental fire.
It was on the same level as phoenixes, dragons, qilins and Kunpengs.
There had been Fire Crows in the Floating Life World. These were related to the Golden Crow yet did not possess its actual bloodline, merely being of mixed, impure blood. Even then, they still possessed the ability to incinerate the heavens and cook the seas.
Still, they were vastly inferior as compared to actual Three-footed Golden Crows.
Fully grown Three-footed Golden Crows of pure blood who had cultivated to the peak following their birth could directly transform into a great sun that was comparable to the actual Solar Star. They did not exist as existences of the human realm.
Yan Zhaoge was very interested in Three-Footed Golden Crows, these divine beasts seemingly having gone extinct following the Great Calamity.
While the dragon race had deteriorated, they still lived on following the Great Calamity. As for golden crows, there was seldom news about them now.
Still, this silhouetted golden crow before him clearly was not an actual Golden Crow.
The southeastern Yang Heaven Territory’s Green Peak High Plains’ Three Foot Mountain.
The profundities of its martial arts legacy, the Golden Crow Incinerating World Scripture, came precisely from the true intent of the power of the Great Sun Golden Crow.
This supreme martial art had belonged to a major power known as Golden Crow Valley in pre-Great Calamity times.
After the Great Calamity, the founder of Three Foot Mountain had coincidentally obtained an incomplete version of the Golden Crow Incinerating World Scripture and utilised this in the establishment of the initial Three Foot Mountain.
Afterwards, the incomplete scripture had been remedied as Three Foot Mountain had thus become one of the strongest powers of the Green Peak High Plains, being renowned throughout the entire southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.
Up ahead of Yan Zhaoge, that silhouetted Three-Footed Golden Crow was unceasingly manoeuvring about the assaults of the Baleful Black Devil, enveloped by sunlight as it avoided numerous streams of black inky fog.
“Oh, they have some trump card, huh,” Yan Zhaoge raised his brows slightly as he watched this.
Enveloped by the Baleful Black Devil, it would be like numerous ninth level Martial Saints were simultaneously attacking oneself.
While it was not swift and agile enough, that black fog possessed shocking destructive power.
Even most Immortal Bridge Martial Saints would be injured if it brushed by them and slain if it touched them.
The Baleful Black Devil was too densely packed as it would definitely not be easy to traverse it.
He had heard that the Chief of Three Foot Mountain was an expert of the mid Immortal Bridge stage.
While the Golden Crow Incinerating World Scripture was remarkably profound and their sect also possessed a high-grade Sacred Artifact, there would still be a ninety percent chance of dying when facing the Baleful Black Devil.
Still, the golden crow that Yan Zhaoge was watching was still advancing forward non-stop despite its low speed.
It was still able to navigate relatively freely despite the pressure.
As a result, Yan Zhaoge could not help but feel somewhat interested.
He was faster than those of Three Foot Mountain as he had gradually come to catch up with them.
Still, guided along by their whisk, their two sides had finally arrived at their collective destination!
Detecting that someone had caught up with them, that silhouetted golden crow did not halt as it instead abruptly surged downwards.
Evading the streams of black fog, the golden crow descended into the air above the surface of the sea down below.
The snowy white seawater of the Wilderness Sea was already the most dangerous existence in itself.
If those below the Exalt level dared to tread within, their flesh and bones would be reduced to a pool of blood in mere instants.
Therefore, those who entered the Wilderness Sea would be more willing to face dangers like the Baleful Black Devil and the Heavenly Wilderness Dim Fire than descend to the surface of the sea.
At this moment, however, a massive whirlpool appeared on the surface of the Wilderness Sea whose centre led straight to the bottom of the sea.
There, it was all dark and murky as one would not be able to easily see what was lurking within.
As Yan Zhaoge gazed over, the white line extending from the half-broken whisk he was holding pointed straight towards the darkness at the depths of the whirlpool where nothing was visible.
There was clearly a white line also leading from the silhouetted golden crow to the bottom of the whirlpool.
The golden crow flapped its wings, transforming into a streak of golden light which plunged into the centre of the whirlpool, entering the murky depths.
The all-encompassing golden light was gone in an instant.
Yan Zhaoge was neither panicked nor flustered as he too descended towards those murky depths.
As soon as he entered, Yan Zhaoge felt space and time around him changing as it was like he had walked through some door, thereby entering another world.
“It is like when I was searching for the Profound Sky Purple Gold Furnace…”Even as he pondered, Yan Zhaoge stabilised himself, bringing Ah Hu and Pan-Pan along in traversing that dim darkness.
When the light of day reappeared, it was a rather dilapidated scene that came into view.
The spiritual qi had yet to dissipate completely within that world. Yet, it was chaotic beyond compare as others would be hard pressed to distinguish it.
This world was not large. It was rather similar to the Dim Radiant Mausoleum from back then, being specifically constructed for a cave manor.
Viewing the scenes before them, an extremely long time had indeed already passed as everything no longer possessed their original appearance beneath the flow of time.
From this, it could be confirmed that this was indeed the manor of some long-departed senior, its master having already perished.
Even if he had not perished, he had already left a long time ago, never once having returned.
Yan Zhaoge even suspected that this might be like the foreign dimension where Loose Practitioner He had once resided, having existed in pre-Great Calamity times. While it had not been destroyed completely, the tribulation that was the Great Calamity had left its mark, leaving it looking like this.
Yan Zhaoge surveyed their surroundings and did not see any trace of those of Three Foot Mountain. It looked like they had descended elsewhere.
There were lofty peaks and tall precipices in the distance that were concealed amidst white mist. These appeared rather ephemeral and out of this world. Still, it was hard to tell their background.
It was just that there seemed to be a Daoist temple existing amidst the white fog.
Yan Zhaoge strode forward, heading towards that Daoist temple.
As he walked, he discovered that this place seemed abnormal. As he traversed the white fog, space and time both appeared very strange indeed.
As Yan Zhaoge walked within, he felt as though he was not getting any nearer to the Daoist temple at all as he was just walking around in circles.
He shook his head, red sword-light vaguely flickering within his eyes.
Beneath the sharpness of the Immortal Trapping Sword that could shatter space itself, the white mist before them instantly began to gradually disperse.
The path instantly became smooth. Walking along, Yan Zhaoge soon arrived at the door of that Daoist temple.
Yan Zhaoge halted, seeing a fallen signboard half-buried in dust before the door of the temple.
He blew on it, the dust dispersing as a mottled board was revealed. It read: Clan Origin Temple.
“I don’t seem to have any impression of it…” Yan Zhaoge muttered to himself.
Had it been constructed in post-Great Calamity times or did it belong to a hidden practitioner of before the Great Calamity who had never shown himself to the world?
Before the Great Calamity, the Heavenly Court’s Divine Palace had virtually had records of all the major powers that ever existed within the whole entire universe.
The sole exception was the direct lineage of the Three Clear lineages. While most of their branches were known to the Heavenly Court’s Divine Palace, as new ones opened over the many long years, there would surely be some existences who never showed themselves that no one even knew of.
Yan Zhaoge’s heart jolted slightly as he circled about the left of the temple, walking for a distance before gazing down from the top of that mountain.
Close to the centre of the mountain, in this very direction, there was indeed golden light flickering indistinctly amidst the white mist, resembling the rising of the early morning sun.
It was precisely those of Three Foot Mountain.
Their rate of advance was clearly slower than that of Yan Zhaoge who possessed the Immortal Trapping Sword such that he had overtaken them despite arriving later to the scene.
As those of Three Foot Mountain looked up in the direction of the Daoist temple, they too immediately saw Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu who were currently standing right next to it.
Their expressions instantly changed.
Sadly for them, while the distance between them did not seem far, beneath the effects of the white mist, it was really like they were realms apart.