At the depths of the palace.
Aiden led Slyff Nae and the other two and continued exploring and advancing in the forbidden grounds.
The malevolent energy in their surroundings was getting heavier and Slyff Nae and the other two were not in great condition.
The three of them had injuries that could not heal completely given the environment. As such, their bloodline was flowing slower and their bodies were turning colder.
Noticing their condition, Aiden frowned to himself.
If they were to continue in that heavy malevolent energy, in less than a day, even without the threat of the otherworldly soldiers, the three of them would be in grave condition!
Unlike Aiden, they did not have the necessary strength or spiritual energy to be safe.
The malevolent energy could not get close to him at all.
Stopping in his tracks, Aiden said deeply, "Let's take a rest first. Once those otherworldly soldiers disperse entirely, I'll take the three of you to leave this place as soon as possible!"
He possessed universal sight and hearing and could notice the movements of the otherworldly soldiers beforehand, giving them a chance to hide in advance.
Slyff Nae and the other two nodded.
Aiden asked, "What other spirit herbs are needed for this so called 'Ancient Elixir'? I will look for it after sending you guys out."
"Rain Frost Flower, Purple Cloud Mushroom, Thousand Year Blood Ginseng, and Spiritual Essence Grass." Slyff Nae replied.
Aiden had dabbled in elixir refinement before and was familiar with spirit herbs. The moment he heard their names, he could not help but knit his brows.
Those four types of spirit herbs were way too rare!
They were rarely seen in recent years.
For example, Blood Ginseng could only be cultivated with the fresh blood of a living being and nurtured painstakingly, let alone a Thousand Year Blood Ginseng!
Pondering for a moment, a scene flashed through Aiden's mind and he could not help but remark, "When I came to the ruins, I saw that there was a gigantic ravine in the middle of the ruins. Those spirit herbs might be found inside."
"Psst!"
Lian Juhe was alarmed and gasped, shaking his head as he said with a frightful expression, "D-Don't go in there!"
"Why?" Aiden asked instinctively.
Gulping, Lian Juhe asked instead, "Do you know how that gigantic ravine was formed?"
Aiden shook his head.
Lian Juhe replied softly, "It's said that the ravine was created by that catastrophe 10,000 years ago! An ancestral level great dragon fought an earthshaking war with the top experts of two great monasteries and the Great Forgotten Empire!"
"It was an extremely tragic battle and the capital was destroyed overnight. Countless experts, mighty figures, and patriarchs of the two monasteries were killed as well."
Aiden had heard the Asura, Ward Atrez, mention about the catastrophe before but he did not know the details.
He could not help but look stunned when Lian Juhe mentioned it.
A single divine dragon caused a catastrophe that killed countless living beings, toppling heaven and earth while causing countless stars to plummet.
Aiden felt a sense of trepidation when he thought about it carefully. Such an event happened back then… If for some reason history would repeat itself, could he be safe? Could he keep his loved ones, his family safe?
After a moment of silence, Aiden asked, "What happened after?"
Lian Juhe sighed gently and lamented, "Everyone knows about the aftermath. The capital of Great Forgotten was destroyed and that gigantic empire broke apart while the two great sects disappeared from the surface of the world."
"Is that divine dragon still alive?" Aiden asked again.
Lian Juhe shook his head. "It's said that other super sects of the world were alarmed by that battle and more than one emperor came forth! Eventually, with the combined forces of a couple of emperors, with the painful price of a few emperors dying, the great dragon was killed here and buried in that ravine!"
A blood stench filled the air as the event was being recounted.
The atmosphere was turning extremely repressive!
Lian Juhe whispered, "The ravine's name is called the Dragon Burial Valley and the great dragon was buried 10,000 years ago with the blood of old emperors and the death of patriarchs. It's an extremely unlucky place."
"Rumor has it that even Quasi Divine Beings and Lesser Divine Realm Powerhouses could not make it out alive!"
When he said that, a sinister gust of wind blew past.
Instantly, Lian Juhe's face turned frightfully pale as he shuddered, not daring to say anything more as though he was afraid something unlucky might happen.
———
Aiden went silent.
At the mention of Dragon Burial Valley, even he felt a chill, let alone Lian Juhe.
It was as though a pair of eyes was watching them from the darkness, causing their hairs to stand on end!
Aiden shrugged his head to compose himself.
The blood of emperors and the death of patriarchs buried the great dragon.
There must be countless dangers lurking in that unlucky place. If it was somewhere a Lesser Divine Being could not make it out alive from, he would naturally not take the risk as a Martial Master."
However, the Rain Frost Flower, Purple Cloud Mushroom, Thousand Year Blood Ginseng, and Spiritual Essence Grass were extremely rare spirit herbs – where should he look for them?
This Ancient Elixir was way too crucial for the Azure Myst Sect's Sect Master.
Without that elixir, the poor man would have to endure a tremendous risk to attempt at a breakthrough. Otherwise, he could only wait till his lifespan was eaten up and die of a weakened blood energy.
Aiden strode in deep thoughts.
Before long, he felt a dull pain as though he stepped on something.
He did not think much about it and continued walking. After a while, he started wondering.
Even without circulating his Inner Core or invoking his spiritual energy, his body was tough enough to defend against weapons.
What could it be that could cause him to feel pain?
A treasure?
Many, many years ago, a capital was destroyed overnight alongside two great monasteries. Countless treasures were buried in the ruins.
However, Aiden did not find anything along the way.
The forbidden grounds in the palace that he was in was extremely unusual and there was quite a high chance that a great treasure might be buried within!
Turning back, Aiden took more than ten steps before he came to a stop, glaring at the ground beneath his feet with a deep gaze.
Under the stone slabs and dust, a piece of metal protruded with a dull green gleam.
Frowning slightly, Aiden waved his sleeves and cleared the slabs in the surroundings. More of the metal was revealed, looking like the handle of an object.
Grabbing the handle, Aiden pulled it outside.
"Hmm?"
Aiden's expression changed slightly.
That unknown object that was buried in the ruins merely budged slightly!
Freeing both hands, Aiden's eyes lit up as he grabbed the piece of metal. His Spirit Power surged and he exerted his entire body's strength, yanking upwards with a deep grunt!
*Bang!* *Boom!* *Boom!*
The ground shook violently and almost sank in!
Coming forth from the ground, a gigantic object gradually came into view.
It was a bronze tripod.
Tripods were the most mysterious objects in the world.
In the martial world, there were a specific category of weapons, the so called unique or origin weapons. They were the tripods, the cauldrons, pagodas and last but not least the bells… they were the most difficult weapons to control and they were not sharp – any martial artist that could use those four types of weapons were not to be trifled.
All four types of weapons had a common feature.
All of them had empty space within.
They could restrain and lock up living beings or other weapons.
The four types of weapons possessed different powers. To begin with, each of them had different mysterious powers that were frightening!
For example, the bell possessed the power of sound.
Each time the gigantic bells rang, the sounds of the unleashed energy would reverberate and fiends, beasts, ghosts and all kinds of monsters would not dare to approach.
As for cauldrons, they possessed the power of incineration right after they were refined.
Among them, the tripods were symbols of dignity and power.
Tripods were pillars of the top factions. A single suppression from them could stabilize the four seas and the landscape!
They possessed supreme powers and had an absolute position!
In the martial world, most of the tripods referred to three-legged round tripods.
Three legs, two handles, and one base. Innately, they fit the cosmic rules and the obscurities of the universe.
The tripod before him was a four-legged square tripod.
Unlike the three-legged round tripod that symbolized harmony with its roundness, the four-legged square tripod was defined and did not fit in with the world as it stood upright.
However, the defined shape of the tripod gave it a domineering look and a mighty aura!
If the heavens do not tolerate me, I'll break the heavens!
If the earth does not tolerate me, I'll trample on it!
If the world does not tolerate me, I'll create my own world!
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