Chapter 194: Searching for Sun Shards

The Old Ancestor was not annoyed either.

He looked around at everyone and said, "This time, thanks to everyone working together, we were able to defeat the King of Flame Demons. However, this is just the beginning; we still have more important tasks to complete."

"What task?" Zhang Yi asked curiously.

Jinwu Shengzhe took a deep breath and said slowly, "Find the lost Sun Shards, recast the Taiyang Shendian, and restore the radiance of the sun!"

"The Taiyang Shendian... was destroyed?"

Zhang Yi's voice trembled slightly; he looked at Jinwu Shengzhe in disbelief, as if he had heard some tall tale.

The others also wore expressions of shock.

Had they not been hacking through thorns and thistles and enduring all sorts of hardships all this way just to find the Taiyang Shendian?

Yet now they learned that the Divine Temple was long gone.

"Sigh..."

Jinwu Shengzhe let out a long sigh, a flash of painful memory crossing his eyes, "A thousand years ago, the Dark Demon Dragon led the Demon Race army to invade, the Great War of Gods and Demons broke out, and the Taiyang Shendian was completely destroyed in that battle..."

He paused, seemingly organizing his words, then continued: "The Dark Demon Dragon possessed the power to devour light; it devoured the energy of the Taiyang Shendian to the last drop and scattered the shards of the Divine Temple to every corner of the world. Without the Taiyang Shendian, the sun's radiance gradually dimmed, and the world also gradually fell into darkness..."

The Wind God Pterosaur scratched his head, "Then where is the Dark Demon Dragon now? Let's go and kick its ass!"

Jinwu Shengzhe shook his head, "The Dark Demon Dragon has long been sealed, but to recast the Taiyang Shendian, one must retrieve all the Sun Shards."

"Sun Shards..."

Zhang Yi muttered to himself, his brows locked tight.

This sounded like an incomparably arduous task.

"Old Ancestor, do you know where the Sun Shards are?" Xiao Pu looked up with her little face and asked innocently.

Jinwu Shengzhe affectionately patted Xiao Pu's head, "The Sun Shards are scattered all over the world, and no one knows their specific locations, but it is said that each shard contains powerful energy and will emit a unique golden light."

"Golden light?"

The jellyfish's eyes lit up, "I think I've seen it somewhere..."

She struggled to recall, then suddenly her expression changed, "I remember! Deep in the Mist Forest, I once saw a golden light. At the time, I thought it was some kind of treasure; now that I think about it, that was very likely a Sun Shard!"

"The Mist Forest, huh..."

Zhang Yi rubbed his chin, his expression grave.

He had heard of this place; it was said that eight or nine out of ten people who went in never came out, and even those who luckily survived and came out mostly turned into madmen.

"However, for the sake of the Sun Shards, this muddy water must be waded through."

Jinwu Shengzhe nodded and took an ancient-looking jade pendant from his sleeve to hand to Zhang Yi: "This 'Miasma-Avoiding Jade' can resist the miasma in the Mist Forest. Take it, and the journey will be much safer."

Zhang Yi took the jade pendant; it felt warm and smooth to the touch and emitted a faint, delicate fragrance.

He hung the jade pendant around his neck and cupped his hands, saying, "Many thanks, Old Ancestor!"

The group rested briefly before setting off for the Mist Forest.

On the way, they indeed encountered attacks from various Demon Beasts.

A giant spider of massive size descended from the sky, spitting out sticky spider silk in an attempt to trap everyone.

Zhang Yi sneered, his Jinwu bloodline erupting instantly, turning into a streak of golden light as he punched the giant spider, blasting it away.

Immediately following, a group of ferocious-looking man-eating flowers burst from the ground, opening their blood-red maws in an attempt to devour everyone.

Seeing this, Nudi lightly raised her slender hand, and countless ice cones appeared out of thin air, freezing all the man-eating flowers solid.

Later on, a Juman covered in barbs darted out from the dense forest, coiling toward Zhang Yi.

The Wind God Pterosaur let out a strange cry and flapped his wings, whipping up a gale that blew the Juman off balance, causing it to sway unsteadily.

Zhang Yi seized the opportunity to step forward and sliced the Juman into two sections with one sword strike.

After fighting all the way, the group finally arrived at the edge of the Mist Forest.

Looking out, one could see only a gray mist shrouding the entire forest, so thick one could not see one's own fingers, as if it were a gate leading to another world.

"This mist is truly wicked."

The Wind God Pterosaur couldn't help but shiver, "I just feel like there's something bad inside."

The jellyfish took a deep breath, trying hard to recall the location where she had seen the golden light: "Follow me, I think I remember where I saw it."

The group entered the Mist Forest, and the thick miasma immediately surrounded them.

If not for the protection of the Miasma-Avoiding Jade, they would likely have been eroded by the miasma in an instant, losing their senses.

Even with the Miasma-Avoiding Jade, the group could barely move an inch in the Mist Forest.

Visibility was extremely low, the terrain was complex, and one would lose their way if not careful.

"This godforsaken place is really hard to walk in!" the Wind God Pterosaur complained.

The jellyfish frowned tightly, trying hard to identify the direction: "Don't be impatient, I feel like we're almost there."

After traveling through the Mist Forest for several days, they discovered some peculiar plants and animals.

These animals and plants all emitted a faint golden light, which was extremely similar to the characteristics of the Sun Shards described by Jinwu Shengzhe.

"Could these things be related to the Sun Shards?" Zhang Yi carefully collected some samples.

"Perhaps."

The jellyfish was not very sure, "But it's better than nothing at all."

They continued deeper; the mist grew thicker and thicker until they could not see their own fingers, and they could only grope their way forward by relying on the faint golden light.

"Be careful!" Zhang Yi suddenly warned.

No sooner had he spoken than a huge black tentacle reached out from the mist, coiling toward Xiao Pu.

"Xiao Pu!"

Zhang Yi was shocked, hurriedly shielding Xiao Pu behind him while simultaneously swinging his sword to slash at the tentacle.

With a "pfft" sound, the tentacle was severed, and black liquid sprayed out, emitting a foul stench.

"What is that?" the Pterosaur was startled.

A low roar came from the mist, making one's hair stand on end.

Everyone looked around vigilantly, but they could see nothing.

"Everyone be careful, this thing is hiding in the mist!" Zhang Yi warned.

Just then, they unexpectedly discovered an ancient altar.

The altar was built from massive black stones, carved all over with mysterious runes, and radiated an ancient and powerful aura, as if telling of a sealed-away history.

"Here... it seems a fierce battle once took place."

Zhang Yi looked around; scattered on the ground were some broken weapons and armor, long since rusted.

The group searched carefully around the altar, hoping to find some clues.

"Daddy, look!" Xiao Pu suddenly pointed at a stone slab in the center of the altar and exclaimed.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice and saw a map carved onto the stone slab.

Marked on the map were several locations shimmering with golden light—they were the Sun Fragments they had been searching for all along!

"Great! We've finally found a lead!" the Jellyfish said excitedly.