Chapter 1722

They set the jade platforms in their hands down, and just as they were preparing to leave, a rumbling sound came from deep within the cave.

"What is that?" Liu Wenbo asked in terror.

Lin Chen and Wang Meng exchanged a glance, and a bad premonition rose in their hearts. They immediately ran toward the depths of the cave, growing more uneasy the further they ran.

When they reached the depths of the cave, they found the middle-aged man standing before a massive stone gate, his face pale.

"You've finally come." The middle-aged man beckoned to Lin Chen and the others. "Quickly! Faster!"

Lin Chen and the others immediately rushed over and saw the middle-aged man holding a glowing pearl in his hand, which he hurled at a pattern on the stone gate. The instant the pearl touched the pattern, a fierce light flared, followed by a tremendous boom.

The stone gate shook violently, as though something was about to burst out from within.

Blood seeped from the corner of the middle-aged man's mouth—clearly the result of forcibly activating the treasure just now.

"Get out of here, or it will be too late!" the middle-aged man shouted.

Lin Chen and the others immediately dashed through the stone gate, and they saw a startling sight.

In the cave behind the stone gate, a giant dragon was roaring furiously.

This dragon was dozens of meters long, its scales gleaming with golden light, looking exceedingly sacred.

But beneath the dragon lay corpses, one after another. Every single one of these corpses had been a powerhouse, and each bore an expression of despair before death.

Lin Chen and the others immediately felt the dragon's overwhelming pressure, but they did not retreat. They knew that if they did not deal with this dragon, they would not be able to obtain the inheritance of the Holy Wu Dynasty either.

Lin Chen hurled a "Sky-Splitting Finger" at the dragon. The dragon let out a roar, swept its tail, and shattered the Sky-Splitting Finger. But Lin Chen's attack also enraged it; it fixed its gaze on Lin Chen, its dragon eyes blazing with hatred.

Immediately after, the dragon opened its great maw and a column of water shot out, heading straight for Lin Chen and the others.

Lin Chen was already prepared. He raised the Heaven-Suppressing Staff high and executed the "Heaven-Suppressing Canon," a powerful force scattering the water column. Then Lin Chen's figure flashed, appearing above the dragon, and he slammed down with a "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms."

The dragon roared, swept its tail, and took the blow head-on. But it had clearly underestimated Lin Chen's strength—it was sent staggering and nearly fell to the ground.

At the same time, Wang Meng, Liu Wenbo, and Li Yunxi also launched attacks on the dragon. Though their attacks could not deal much damage to the dragon, they disrupted its rhythm, preventing it from attacking Lin Chen.

Lin Chen would not let this chance slip. He swiftly closed in on the dragon and kicked it in the chest with a "Coiling Dragon Leg." The kick carried tremendous force, sending the dragon stumbling backward. Immediately after, Lin Chen struck out with another palm, and the "Eighteen Dragon-Subduing Palms" hit the dragon once more.

"Get down there!" Lin Chen roared. A powerful gust of air erupted from his body, slamming the dragon viciously into the deep pit below. The pit was filled with corpses, and the dragon was caught among them, struggling furiously.

Lin Chen and the others quickly leapt down into the pit, giving the dragon no chance at all. They launched attacks on the dragon, but the dragon's scales seemed impervious to blade or spear—none of their attacks could inflict any damage.

"These scales…" Wang Meng frowned. "The strength of these scales seems to exceed my imagination."

"Everyone be careful," Lin Chen shouted. "This dragon's scales are extremely tough. We need to find its weak point."

Hearing Lin Chen's words, the others began searching the surroundings. Soon, they discovered a massive stone beneath the pit. This stone emitted a faint glow, seeming to be different from the rest.

Lin Chen stepped forward and examined the stone closely. He found some ancient patterns carved into it. These patterns seemed alive, constantly writhing.

"These patterns…" Lin Chen murmured thoughtfully. "These patterns are… a formation?"

Everyone immediately gathered around the stone to study the patterns carefully. Lin Chen's fingers slid gently across the formation patterns, sensing the tremendous power contained within the formation.

"This formation should be the one sealing this dragon," Lin Chen said. "It looks like we've found the right one."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Liu Wenbo shouted. "Hurry up and break the formation!"

Lin Chen and Wang Meng exchanged a glance. They too wanted to break the formation, but the problem was that this formation was not so easy to break. They could feel that the power contained within the formation was extremely strong and required careful study.

Lin Chen closed his eyes and channeled his true Qi into the formation. His body floated up within the formation, spinning continuously with the formation's power.

Time passed second by second, and Lin Chen's true Qi flowed ceaselessly within the formation. His body suddenly trembled, and a powerful force burst forth from the formation.

Lin Chen was blasted backward by this force, but he did not retreat. He immediately stood up and charged toward the formation.

At the same time, Wang Meng and the others also felt the formation's power and immediately rushed toward it.

The dragon in the pit saw this scene and roared furiously in rage. It struggled to crawl out from the pile of corpses, but its scales were caught and it could not move.

Lin Chen's true Qi flowed ceaselessly within the formation, and he felt his own power continuously growing. He suddenly waved his hand, and a ray of light flew out from the formation, shooting straight at the dragon.

This ray of light seemed to be the key to the sealing power. After being struck by the light, the dragon immediately fell silent. Its body gradually dimmed and faded, finally dissolving into a wisp of white smoke that vanished into the air.

Lin Chen let out a long breath. He felt his body was already extremely exhausted. But he knew this battle was won. They had successfully unraveled the secret of the legendary Holy Wu Dynasty ruins and found the formation that sealed the dragon.

Wang Meng and the others were also so tired they sat on the ground, but their hearts were immensely excited. They knew this adventure had been worth it—they had found the answers they sought.

Lin Chen walked up to that stone and reached out to touch it. This stone seemed to be the proof of the sealing power, recording the glorious history of the Holy Wu Dynasty.

They did not linger long, because they knew there were still many things waiting to be done. They needed to bring this news back to the Zong Sect and let the sect's elders come to inspect the ruins and search for more treasures and inheritances.

The group carried the dragon's corpse up to the surface and left it there. They knew this Shanfeng was still full of danger, but only those who had passed the test of life and death could obtain the true inheritance.

After bidding farewell to the middle-aged man, they quickly left the place. They knew this place no longer belonged to them—they were merely passers-by.

After returning to the Zong Sect, Lin Chen reported the news to the sect's elders. They immediately organized a massive team to head for the Holy Wu Dynasty ruins. This team included many powerhouses, all coming in search of inheritances.

When this team arrived at the ruins, they found the place filled with poisonous fog. But this time they had come to seek inheritances, not to throw their lives away. They used various methods to break through the great poisonous-fog formation and finally entered the treasure-hiding grounds.

They discovered many treasures and inheritances, all of them treasures of the Holy Wu Dynasty. Among them were some ancient manuals and miraculous spirit pills, all extremely precious. These treasures and inheritances greatly enhanced their strength. Even their Master benefited greatly. They all knew these were the treasures the Holy Wu Dynasty had left for posterity, so they did not privately keep any of them.

They handed all the treasures they had obtained to the Sect Master, who would keep them in unified custody, then dispatch dedicated personnel to guard them and disciples to stand watch, strictly forbidding any leak—those who violated the order would be executed.

Lin Chen had originally planned to dedicate all these treasures to the Zong Sect. But they knew that doing so would likely provoke fierce backlash from the entire upper echelon of the sect, even bringing about a catastrophe of Mie Sect. So he reluctantly parted with a few of his personal collection pieces, offering them to the sect as rewards.

Apart from gaining abundant material resources, this expedition to the ruins brought a breakthrough in Lin Chen and the others' cultivation. Lin Chen, Liu Wenbo, and Zhao Xiaohan all broke through to the Innate Realm; Chen Yudie and Wang Meng reached the early stage of the Spirit Refining Realm; and Zhang Siyuan also reached the peak of Qi Refining, about to step into the late stage of Qi Refining.

The gains this time exceeded expectations, but Lin Chen and the others also paid a heavy price. This time they nearly lost their lives—fortunately Lin Chen arrived in time, or else who could have survived was anyone's guess.

They did not dare stay any longer in the ruins and immediately returned to Huaxia Nation to report this major news to the Zong Sect.

Huaxia Nation was in an uproar. Although they had been prepared, hearing that there was a ruin left behind by an ancient Holy Emperor immediately caused an explosion of excitement.

They all demanded to enter the ruins to explore, because this place was both a treasure land and a place for tempering.

Thousands of cultivators suddenly poured into Huaxia Nation. Some joined various hidden clans, some joined the Gedamen Sect, and some joined the state apparatus. These were all personnel cultivated by the various powers.

With so many people, they could not all enter the ruins at once—after all, the food, drink, and lodging of so many people was a huge burden. So every two or three days, the various heroes of Huaxia would select elites to enter.

Of course, they could not swarm in all at once; they had to enter in batches. This reduced both the pressure and the losses.

On this day, a team from Huaxia entered the ruins. The team totaled fifteen people. All fifteen were young Gongye Junjie, with formidable strength—the top geniuses among Huaxia's Gedamen Sect or hidden clans. Each had their own specialty.

The young men and women in the team all wore uniform clothing, embroidered with different emblems—the marks of the various powers or hidden clans. They were a team formed by the outstanding juniors of the various powers and hidden clans, also known as the Tianjiao Group.

This Tianjiao Group totaled fifteen people. The leader was Li Haichuan, a direct-line junior of the Li Clan, Huaxia's number-one clan. The other ten came respectively from four hidden clans, including the Shen Clan.

The Shen family is a standout among the hidden noble clans, and its patriarch, Shen Wanjin, is a peak-level expert of the Transcendent Void realm.

As soon as these people entered the ruins, they were immediately drawn in by the dense spiritual energy here. Although they had seen much, they were still shocked by the environment.

Li Haichuan immediately gathered the team, preparing to seek the inheritance and opportunities.

They had barely stepped onto the land within the ruins when a sharp pain suddenly shot up through the soles of their feet; looking down, they found they had stepped on a leg bone.

"Ah—" The cry of agony echoed through the clouds.

"Who is it? Dare to harm us in secret?" Li Haichuan roared.

"What is wrong with you?" Shen Wanjin asked in haste.

"There's a snake! There's a leg..." the team members shouted, their faces deathly pale.

Upon hearing this, Shen Wanjin and the others were greatly alarmed and immediately watched the surroundings with vigilance.

Suddenly, a scraping sound came from beneath their feet; immediately after, they discovered their feet were sinking into a swamp. They struggled with all their might but could not pull their feet free, forced to watch helplessly as they sank deeper and deeper.

Just as despair took hold, they suddenly saw a glimmer of hope, for they felt something beside them dragging them and moving.