Chapter 247

"How is his cultivation?"

"The Big Black Dog cares more about how strong the crocodile ancestor is; if it's just a saint, he doesn't mind roasting it to eat."

"From the earlier words, he knew that the crocodile ancestor was actually suppressed here, with its fleshly body and strength greatly limited, unable to escape."

"And Yang Zhu possesses several imperial weapons; does he still fear being unable to slay the crocodile ancestor that's been trapped all along? 'Hehe... a saint‑level ferocious beast, that's a great tonic!'"

"Heihuang has just broken through the Immortal Platform not long ago; if he could taste some saint‑level roasted meat, that would be perfect!"

"Just thinking about it, he drooled right then."

"\"I want to go elsewhere to look around; what are your plans? \""

"Yang Zhu has no interest in the Great Thunder Sound Temple; it would be better to explore the ruins of a fallen civilization, perhaps gaining something."

"\"I'll accompany you. \" the Yaochi Holy Maiden said without hesitation."

"\"Then we two will keep rubbing here, see if we gain anything... \""

"When the unscrupulous Daoist said this, the corners of his mouth twitched up, obviously planning to team up with the Big Black Dog to do something."

"\"Be careful, don't cause trouble. \""

"With the nature of these two fellows, they'd dare to intrude even into a great emperor's relic, let alone the Great Thunder Sound Temple."

"Yang Zhu and the Yaochi Holy Maiden didn't linger long, leaving this place and pressing forward deeper."

"They moved extremely fast, turning into divine rainbows as they sped across this vast red land; if one's cultivation wasn't strong enough, they couldn't even catch a glimpse of their traces."

"After traveling tens of thousands of li, the two arrived at a collapsed ancient city ruin; from the scattered broken walls, it was clear that countless beings once lived here."

"Arriving at the city center, there was an abandoned ancient altar, most of its patterns worn away."

"Yet from the few remaining streaks of formation lines, one could see how extraordinary and vast this formation was—at the very least capable of transporting a person hundreds of thousands of li."

"\"A prosperous city, yet in the end it still fell. \""

"Yang Zhu landed on the ancient teleportation array, a primordial aura washing over him, a vast primordial breath as if it had connected the river of history and arrived before him."

"\"That's how cultivation and proving the Dao works: when an immortal inheritance rises, countless minor sects are wiped out. \""

"The Yaochi Holy Maiden glanced around and said:"

"\"Boom—! \""

"Suddenly, the void trembled like an unfurling scroll, ripples spreading, and in the next instant, scene after scene appeared before their eyes."

"It was a city, vast in territory and enormous in scale; although it lacked the golden splendor of the Eastern Wasteland Divine City, it had a solemn feel."

"Inside the city, ancient halls and houses predominated, mostly built of heavy materials, their hue leaning toward earthy yellow, thus not as dazzling as that place."

"It housed hundreds of thousands of people, but the vast majority were cultivators, with mortals extremely few, so its strength should not be underestimated."

"Soon, dark clouds pressed in from outside the city, and countless terrifying warriors advanced from afar, their momentum shocking."

"They all wore iron armor, held long spears, the sharp spear tips glinting with a chilling light, as if they could pierce any foe, unstoppable!"

"The iron armor, made of unknown material, was extraordinarily heavy; each step the warriors took seemed to trigger an earthquake, making the void tremble."

"\"Kill! We must not let them destroy our prestige! \""

"A thunderous shout exploded, earsplitting, emanating from within the city and shaking the clouds in the sky apart."

"A middle‑aged man turned into a beam of divine light and shot up, brilliant qi and blood bursting from his heavenly gate, his fighting spirit soaring as he fearlessly faced the approaching foe."

"Afterward, more and more cultivators rushed into the void, their eyes all glinting cold, charging forward without fear……"

"A world‑shaking battle unfolded, blood flowing like rivers; at every moment cultivators fell, only to be mercilessly trampled into bloody mud."

"Among them, a mighty expert flew into a rage; with a single roar the heavens and earth shook, over a hundred enemies were shattered by the shout, turning into gorgeous blood mist that exploded on the spot. The two great cities fought over their habitat, launching a duel where lives were as cheap as grass, mercilessly harvested and slain……"

"Yang Zhu stared unblinking, taking in the entire battle."

"This was the true battlefield that once unfolded here, imprinted by the Great Dao, and today it re‑enacts the tragedy of those years."

"His jet‑black eyes were unfathomably deep, their depths swirling with chaos; as he watched, he also gained insight from it."

"\"Perhaps it was only later, when this place's resources were no longer abundant, that they had to rely on strength to compete. \""

"The Yaochi Holy Maiden's beautiful eyes gazed at the scene before her, her tone tinged with a hint of helplessness."

"Only after the battle ended did they leave this place, pressing onward; along the way they encountered several more ruins, though none were as formidable as the earlier one."

"\"Baldy, nice move. \""

"After several days, they had crossed over twenty‑odd hundred thousand li in total, and finally Yang Zhu sighed like this:"

"\"Why say that? \" the Yaochi Holy Maiden wondered."

"\"The cities here may seem unrelated, yet they are linked by countless threads……\""

"After several days of exploration, Yang Zhu discovered that on Mars Gu Xing, the positions of the major forces were all carefully considered."

"Some of those forces stayed in cities, some in primordial mountain ranges, some clung to lofty peaks, and some were even separated by tens of thousands of li."

"If one looked down from high above and combined it with the local terrain, one would surely find their layout extremely meticulous, as if forming a huge diagram of a formation."

"\"This is a vast formation capable of gathering essence and energy in one place, and the position of its eye is precisely the Great Thunder Sound Temple. \""

"It turns out that the Great Thunder Sound Temple previously, besides relying on itself and the various Buddhas to suppress, also partnered with the terrain's formation lines, drawing this ancient star's vital energy to strengthen the seal."

"And this is also a major reason for the acceleration of this place's decline."

"\"So that's how it is; the Buddhists' handiwork is indeed massive. \""

"After hearing Yang Zhu's explanation, even the Yaochi Holy Maiden couldn't help but sigh."

"\"The Big Dipper is also a great formation; it is said that it can enable the world's people to achieve global ascension. \""

"Yang Zhu revealed another major secret: the Big Dipper is divided into five regions—the Eastern Wasteland, Western Desert, Northern Plains, Southern Ridges, and Central Province."

"When the five regions are combined, they resemble a five‑colored altar; in fact, this is an astonishing layout, very likely the handiwork of the ancient heavenly court."

"\"This……\""

"The Yaochi Holy Maiden was so shocked she couldn't speak; any single one of the five regions is immeasurably vast, a mountain range spanning a million li being merely a corner—one can imagine the immensity of the Big Dipper."

"Among them, the Eastern Wasteland must be the greatest; otherwise, it would be impossible to have so many forbidden zones." Yang Zhu said.

Life Forbidden Zone……It is said that there lies a supreme being of the Forbidden Zone in hiding; unknown where it comes from.

Not to mention the Yaochi Saintess, even in the vast universe, those who know where life energy is concentrated can be counted on one's fingers.

And as the Emperor's Son, Yang Zhu naturally knows this very well.

"You want to know?"

Yang Zhu looked at her, his pupils flashing with strange light, wondering whether to let her know these things.

"I'm fine with anything; it's all up to you."

The Yaochi Saintess met Yang Zhu's gaze, realizing this was no trivial matter, and promptly suppressed her thought.

(End of chapter)