"Hmm?"
The voice interrupted Aiden's thoughts.
Someone was truly alive at the depths of the Dragon Burial Valley!
Aiden pushed the wooden door open and walked out to see a young figure in robes assuming a meditative position on a praying mat. The young figure, that looked like a monk had his palms placed together before his chest as he chanted softly.
Aiden was momentarily stunned.
He thought that anyone who lived at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley would definitely be an incredible person. However, he had not expected it to be such a young monk.
The young monk before him should only be at the early stages of the Martial Master realm at most.
Although Aiden's cultivation was gone, his eyes were still sharp.
Sensing something, the little monk stopped chanting and turned around.
His eyes were clear as water, as though they contained pure sincerity!
The little monk smiled gently and stood up, greeting with clasped palms, "Guest, you're awake."
Aiden walked forward and bowed. "I am Aiden. Thank you for your lifesaving grace, blessed reverend."
"You don't have to do that, guest,"
The little monk smiled. "I've only brought you here because my master sensed you."
"Master?"
Aiden's tone was ladled with surprise.
It seemed like this little monk was not the only one at the bottom of Dragon Burial Valley!
Nodding, the little monk looked towards a gigantic hall not far away. "However, my master is currently in seclusion and will not see anyone for the time being."
The doors were shut on a majestic hall not far away.
Aiden nodded and asked, "How long was I unconscious for?"
"A month or so."
Aiden pursed his lips in silence, feeling a hint of bitterness in his mouth.
Because his martial power was destroyed, his body's healing capabilities had also decreased massively – he had not recovered entirely even after all this time!
After a short moment, Aiden asked again, "May I ask when your master will come forth from his seclusion?"
"I don't know,"
The little monk shook his head. "It can be tomorrow, it can be a year later, or even a hundred years later."
"A hundred years…"
Aiden chuckled bitterly.
Sensing Aiden's disappointment, the little monk consoled him sincerely, "Guest, there's no need to hurry. Time is fleeting and hundred years will pass by in the blink of an eye, like a divine steed crossing terrains."
The little monk looked like he was younger than twenty.
Those words truly did not sound like they should be said by him and seemed odd.
The little monk continued, "If you find yourself getting bored, you can casually look through the prayers in the Saint Chamber. Those holy scriptures contain a lot of knowledge and the secrets of the universe. Even a wise old person might not be able to comprehend the wisdom within fully."
"Those scriptures contain endless joy and time will pass by unknowingly once you're immersed in them. A hundred years will pass by quickly."
It was easy for the little monk to say that but Aiden truly could not gather his interest.
Embarrassed to decline the goodwill of the little monk, Aiden nodded with a smile and started surveying his surroundings.
The courtyard did not have many structures, only two.
One of them was the Saint Chamber and the other was the majestic hall – there wasn't even a meditation room.
This was an extremely simple and old temple.
Ancient and aged!
The only two structures looked like they were from a long time ago and had endured through the seasonal changes and the sands of time.
Two vegetable gardens were planted before the big hall, giving them some green food.
The main entrance of the old temple was extremely battered and creaked with the gust of the wind, as though it could fall over at any moment.
"Why is there such a strange old temple at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley?"
Aiden had a lost expression.
For a moment, a thought seemed to have flashed through his mind.
However, Aiden's mind was way too chaotic at that time and most of his attention was spent thinking of how to recover his martial power. As such, he did not think much about that thought.
After a moment of standing still, Aiden turned around towards the entrance of the old temple.
There was truly nothing to be seen around the old temple.
Aiden wanted to head outside and check out what was at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley!
The little monk had a worried expression and could not help but remark, "Guest, you have yet to recover from your serious injuries. Don't head too far out, it's dangerous out there."
"Thank you for your kind reminder, fellow guest. I'll be careful."
Aiden expressed his thanks with cupped fists before turning to head out.
The moment he stepped out of the old temple, he felt a chilling gust of wind breeze by and could not help but shudder.
Before him was a meandering valley with countless crushed rocks on the ground. The cliffs on both sides were filled with strange rocks.
It was dead silent throughout the entire valley!
Aiden frowned slightly and hesitated for a moment before continuing ahead.
Although the little fox had a frightened expression, she still chose to tag along behind Aiden.
Aiden reared his head and looked up.
A fog surged above the valley.
ten thousand years ago, when countless experts fought against one another, the remnant of their energies formed a region of chaos and interweaved above.
Any living being that was drawn into it would be shredded into a mist of blood!
Now that Aiden's martial power was crippled and he had lost every single method of ascending into the skies, it was easy for him to jump down from above, but impossible for him to return up.
Aiden realized that if he could not recover his cultivation, he would most likely grow old and exhaust his remaining lifespan at the bottom of this valley.
Yet, how could he recover his martial power?
His inner core which already had the strength and power of a Martial Master was already shattered into pieces and had dispersed entirely.
His other core was now a leaking existence that could not be used to gather spirit energy.
There was no way for him to recover his Martial Master.
The only thing that he could recover was his Inner Core.
Although his Inner Core was lined with tears, it was still intact at the very least.
However, how could he recover it?
Aiden had not martial power to the realm of being able to absorb the essence of the world. If he wanted to continue with his other, draconic training, he would have to use up a large amount of his lifeforce!
It could come from fresh meat, rare treasures, or elixirs…
However, apart from him, the little fox, the little monk, and his master, and two ordinary vegetable patches, there was nothing else at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley!
Without replenishment, it would be difficult to circulate the Ancient Dragonification Manual, let alone recover his Inner Core.
Although Aiden sank into his thoughts, his footsteps did not stop as he continued walking forward instinctively.
After they passed a bend, the little fox suddenly stopped in her tracks and bit Aiden's trunks, holding him back fervently.
Alarmed, Aiden snapped out of his thoughts.
Corpses were sprawled on the ground one after another before him.
Some of them laid horizontally, some of them sat on the ground while others were torn and distorted – they came in various shapes and positions.
The corpses strewn on the ground extended all the way to the edge of the valley with no end in sight.
Aiden realized that these corpses should have been buried here in the valley during that catastrophe ten thousand years ago.
Although ten thousand years had passed, those corpses were pristine and did not show any signs of decay!
In fact, Aiden caught sight of a perfect body among the corpses!
How frightening was that expert when he was alive?
These were people whose bodies have not decayed after ten thousand years!
Suddenly, Aiden sensed a scarlet glint shining from the corner of his eye and turned over to look instinctively.
"Hmm?"
His pupils constricted rapidly and his hairs stood on end!
A few drops of fresh blood were splattered on the walls around him.
Aiden merely took a single glance and felt a piercing pain surge through his eyes – his eyeballs felt like they were about to explode!
Which expert did that blood belong to for it to be this terrifying!
Even after ten thousand years, the splattered blood almost killed Aiden!
Right then, he felt an immense sense of danger jolt into his mind.
A sinister wind gusted without any warning!
Ten feet away, phantoms appeared one after another, producing menacing faces that faded away as rapidly as they appeared!
Aiden felt his heart skip a beat as he suddenly recalled something.
The otherworldly soldiers formed in the Great Forbidden Ruins were merely troops of the Imperial Army buried in the past.
Yet, what sort of people were buried in the Dragon Burial Valley?
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