Yan Zhaoge was very interested in Three-Footed Golden Crows, these divine beasts seemingly having gone extinct following the Great Calamity.
While the dragon race had deteriorated, they still lived on following the Great Calamity. As for golden crows, there was seldom news about them now.
Still, this silhouetted golden crow before him clearly was not an actual Golden Crow.
The southeastern Yang Heaven Territory’s Green Peak High Plains’ Three Foot Mountain.
The profundities of its martial arts legacy, the Golden Crow Incinerating World Scripture, came precisely from the true intent of the power of the Great Sun Golden Crow.
This supreme martial art had belonged to a major power known as Golden Crow Valley in pre-Great Calamity times.
After the Great Calamity, the founder of Three Foot Mountain had coincidentally obtained an incomplete version of the Golden Crow Incinerating World Scripture and utilised this in the establishment of the initial Three Foot Mountain.
Afterwards, the incomplete scripture had been remedied as Three Foot Mountain had thus become one of the strongest powers of the Green Peak High Plains, being renowned throughout the entire southeastern Yang Heaven Territory.
Up ahead of Yan Zhaoge, that silhouetted Three-Footed Golden Crow was unceasingly manoeuvring about the assaults of the Baleful Black Devil, enveloped by sunlight as it avoided numerous streams of black inky fog.
“Oh, they have some trump card, huh,” Yan Zhaoge raised his brows slightly as he watched this.
Enveloped by the Baleful Black Devil, it would be like numerous ninth level Martial Saints were simultaneously attacking oneself.
While it was not swift and agile enough, that black fog possessed shocking destructive power.
Even most Immortal Bridge Martial Saints would be injured if it brushed by them and slain if it touched them.
The Baleful Black Devil was too densely packed as it would definitely not be easy to traverse it.
He had heard that the Chief of Three Foot Mountain was an expert of the mid Immortal Bridge stage.
While the Golden Crow Incinerating World Scripture was remarkably profound and their sect also possessed a high-grade Sacred Artifact, there would still be a ninety percent chance of dying when facing the Baleful Black Devil.
Still, the golden crow that Yan Zhaoge was watching was still advancing forward non-stop despite its low speed.
It was still able to navigate relatively freely despite the pressure.
As a result, Yan Zhaoge could not help but feel somewhat interested.
He was faster than those of Three Foot Mountain as he had gradually come to catch up with them.
Still, guided along by their whisk, their two sides had finally arrived at their collective destination!
Detecting that someone had caught up with them, that silhouetted golden crow did not halt as it instead abruptly surged downwards.
Evading the streams of black fog, the golden crow descended into the air above the surface of the sea down below.
The snowy white seawater of the Wilderness Sea was already the most dangerous existence in itself.
If those below the Exalt level dared to tread within, their flesh and bones would be reduced to a pool of blood in mere instants.
Therefore, those who entered the Wilderness Sea would be more willing to face dangers like the Baleful Black Devil and the Heavenly Wilderness Dim Fire than descend to the surface of the sea.
At this moment, however, a massive whirlpool appeared on the surface of the Wilderness Sea whose centre led straight to the bottom of the sea.
There, it was all dark and murky as one would not be able to easily see what was lurking within.
As Yan Zhaoge gazed over, the white line extending from the half-broken whisk he was holding pointed straight towards the darkness at the depths of the whirlpool where nothing was visible.
There was clearly a white line also leading from the silhouetted golden crow to the bottom of the whirlpool.
The golden crow flapped its wings, transforming into a streak of golden light which plunged into the centre of the whirlpool, entering the murky depths.
The all-encompassing golden light was gone in an instant.
Yan Zhaoge was neither panicked nor flustered as he too descended towards those murky depths.
As soon as he entered, Yan Zhaoge felt space and time around him changing as it was like he had walked through some door, thereby entering another world.
“It is like when I was searching for the Profound Sky Purple Gold Furnace…”Even as he pondered, Yan Zhaoge stabilised himself, bringing Ah Hu and Pan-Pan along in traversing that dim darkness.
When the light of day reappeared, it was a rather dilapidated scene that came into view.
The spiritual qi had yet to dissipate completely within that world. Yet, it was chaotic beyond compare as others would be hard pressed to distinguish it.
This world was not large. It was rather similar to the Dim Radiant Mausoleum from back then, being specifically constructed for a cave manor.
Viewing the scenes before them, an extremely long time had indeed already passed as everything no longer possessed their original appearance beneath the flow of time.
From this, it could be confirmed that this was indeed the manor of some long-departed senior, its master having already perished.
Even if he had not perished, he had already left a long time ago, never once having returned.
Yan Zhaoge even suspected that this might be like the foreign dimension where Loose Practitioner He had once resided, having existed in pre-Great Calamity times. While it had not been destroyed completely, the tribulation that was the Great Calamity had left its mark, leaving it looking like this.
Yan Zhaoge surveyed their surroundings and did not see any trace of those of Three Foot Mountain. It looked like they had descended elsewhere.
There were lofty peaks and tall precipices in the distance that were concealed amidst white mist. These appeared rather ephemeral and out of this world. Still, it was hard to tell their background.
It was just that there seemed to be a Daoist temple existing amidst the white fog.
Yan Zhaoge strode forward, heading towards that Daoist temple.
As he walked, he discovered that this place seemed abnormal. As he traversed the white fog, space and time both appeared very strange indeed.
As Yan Zhaoge walked within, he felt as though he was not getting any nearer to the Daoist temple at all as he was just walking around in circles.
He shook his head, red sword-light vaguely flickering within his eyes.
Beneath the sharpness of the Immortal Trapping Sword that could shatter space itself, the white mist before them instantly began to gradually disperse.
The path instantly became smooth. Walking along, Yan Zhaoge soon arrived at the door of that Daoist temple.
Yan Zhaoge halted, seeing a fallen signboard half-buried in dust before the door of the temple.
He blew on it, the dust dispersing as a mottled board was revealed. It read: Clan Origin Temple.
“I don’t seem to have any impression of it…” Yan Zhaoge muttered to himself.
Had it been constructed in post-Great Calamity times or did it belong to a hidden practitioner of before the Great Calamity who had never shown himself to the world?
Before the Great Calamity, the Heavenly Court’s Divine Palace had virtually had records of all the major powers that ever existed within the whole entire universe.
The sole exception was the direct lineage of the Three Clear lineages. While most of their branches were known to the Heavenly Court’s Divine Palace, as new ones opened over the many long years, there would surely be some existences who never showed themselves that no one even knew of.
Yan Zhaoge’s heart jolted slightly as he circled about the left of the temple, walking for a distance before gazing down from the top of that mountain.
Close to the centre of the mountain, in this very di
rection, there was indeed golden light flickering indistinctly amidst the white mist, resembling the rising of the early morning sun.
It was precisely those of Three Foot Mountain.
Their rate of advance was clearly slower than that of Yan Zhaoge who possessed the Immortal Trapping Sword such that he had overtaken them despite arriving later to the scene.
As those of Three Foot Mountain looked up in the direction of the Daoist temple, they too immediately saw Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu who were currently standing right next to it.
Their expressions instantly changed.
Sadly for them, while the distance between them did not seem far, beneath the effects of the white mist, it was really like they were realms apart.
History's Strongest Senior Brother Chapter 945: Those who arrive first may not succeed, the able takes all
HSSB945: Those who arrive first may not succeed, the able takes all
After glancing at those of Three Foot Mountain, Yan Zhaoge turned, returning to the main entrance of the Daoist temple.
“The trees planted by predecessors give descendants shelter. This Yan will be entering your manor.”
Entering the temple, Yan Zhaoge saw a tree within. It was not huge but was ancient, its leaves and branches long since having wilted.
While there was still some greenness to it, its roots should long since have gone dry.
“Ancestral Mulberry Tree,” Yan Zhaoge slowly nodded.
The leaves of this spiritual tree possessed a special fragrance. As martial practitioners cultivated beneath it, it would nourish their spirits and replenish their qi.
Yan Zhaoge had once heard Mu Jun mentioning that such trees were commonly planted in the current World beyond Worlds.
Still, Yan Zhaoge could basically determine that this Ancestral Mulberry Tree was likely already over ten thousand years old.
The timeflow in this cave manor was much slower than that of the World beyond Worlds itself.
From the looks of it, it was more possible that this Ancestral Mulberry Tree had existed in pre-Great Calamity times.
In that case, this Daoist temple would probably have existed before the Great Calamity as well.
It was just unknown if its master had died as a result of the Great Calamity or for some other reason.
Yan Zhaoge, Ah Hu and Pan-Pan entered the main hall of the Daoist temple. There, they did not see idols of the founders of the Three Clear lineages as it was instead completely bare within.
After they had entered, variations immediately occurred amidst the space before them.
All-encompassing yellow sand arose within the hall, obscuring the heavens and earth.
The space shockingly formed a world that could project the scenes of myriad things.
While its original owner had long since departed with so many years having passed, it was still able to birth these numerous intricate images. It was truly worthy of admiration indeed.
The yellow sandstorm was not any inferior in power to the Baleful Black Devils from the Wilderness Sea outside that they had experienced earlier.
Each of these specks of sand shone brightly like crystals.
Any single one of them would be sufficient to penetrate through the well-tempered fleshly body of a Martial Saint.
As a sandstorm descended, it would be able to riddle one’s body with holes.
It was so terrifying such that even with Yan Zhaoge’s strength, he would not forcibly resist this head-on with his body.
“Young Master, the original owner of this place must have had an extremely powerful cultivation base. Where could he have come from?” Ah Hu pulled back the corners of his lips.
Yan Zhaoge flashed the Heaven Swallowing Earth Devouring Box, clapping on the sword box as its lid opened, an ancient bronze sword that flickered with black light flying out from within.
As the Evil Sword Taotie entered his hand, Yan Zhaoge made a hand-seal, the brutal black light instantly transforming into a black hole which devoured the yellow sand before him.
The yellow sand swept over from all directions with mighty gusts of wind, hacking through space as it resisted the suction force of the black hole.
While part of the wind and sand was devoured by the black hole, there was also much of it which broke through the obstruction of the black sword-light, still attacking towards Yan Zhaoge’s group.
Yan Zhaoge’s expression did not change as all-encompassing golden light slowly arose above his head.
The Extreme Yang Seal appeared, hanging high overhead with streaks of golden light descending as they kept the remnant sandstorm at bay.
Yan Zhaoge brandished the Evil Sword Taotie, the vicious black sword-light switching from defence to offence.
The sword-intent of the Immortal Ending Sword that could extinguish all things was merged within, causing the sharpness of the Evil Sword Taotie to become more fierce and vicious as it hacked apart the sand, opening a path forward.
Yan Zhaoge resumed his advance even as he said, “If I am not wrong, the former owner of this cave manor was at least an expert who had already opened the door to Immortality. As for his cultivation realm, I am unable to ascertain that.”
If not for this, it would be impossible that the restrictions here would still be so mighty and effective beneath the corrosive influence of time after so many long years.
Ah Hu’s eyes instantly shone, “Young Master, could there be an Immortal Artifact here just like in the Dim Radiant Mausoleum?”
Yan Zhaoge opened a path forward while casually answering, “Unlikely. The original owner did not perish here, instead having left and never returned. Even if he is dead, he would have died outside.”
“Generally speaking, people bring along their important treasures with them.”
The forging of the Evil Sword Taotie by Ancestor Hei was truly coincidental, an extremely rare case.
Ah Hu scratched his head, “Young Master, isn’t it then that there also isn’t much hope of you finding a supreme martial art of the Grand Clear direct lineage here?”
Yan Zhaoge said, “Maybe not. From the looks of the outer courtyard, it was not just one person who lived here. The master of this place should have had disciples to teach too. If we can find where they stayed, we might gain something then.”
“That’s true,” Ah Hu nodded as he could not help but smile as he looked at the yellow sand gradually being cleared away by Yan Zhaoge, “Young Master, with you opening the path, it will be much more convenient for those of Three Foot Mountain when they arrive later.”
Yan Zhaoge said nonchalantly, “It is fine, let them come. Those who arrive first may not succeed, the able takes all. We will all just be relying on our abilities. Since they are not my opponent, what does it matter if I end up making it more convenient for them?”
As he spoke, the sandstorm up ahead suddenly dissipated.
However, a strange river appeared before them. The river water whistled as it surged over towards Yan Zhaoge!
Yan Zhaoge did not cease in his footsteps as he still protected himself with the Extreme Yang Seal, next utilising the Evil Sword Taotie as the river water was devoured where the sword-light passed.
Still, that river water was clearly far from ordinary.
Yan Zhaoge actually felt the Evil Sword Taotie that he was holding becoming denser somewhat.
Also, it was getting heavier and heavier!
“Water of Heavy River?” Yan Zhaoge realised.
There was a river in pre-Great Calamity times known as the Heavy River. As its name suggested, its river water was extremely heavy. Just a single drop of it had the weight of over a hundred thousand kilograms.
The earth could not bear such a weight as it was only able to flow underground.
In pre-Great Calamity times, it had been said, “Starry River in the sky, Heavy River in the earth.”
This referred to the water of the Heavy River.
The master of this Daoist temple had clearly obtained a small branch of water
from the Heavy River through his own miraculous means and shifted it to this cave manor.
“While this cannot stop me, I will still have to spend some time on it,” Yan Zhaoge smacked his lips, retracting the sword-light of the Evil Sword Taotie that he held and condensing it at a single point.
That single point became incomparably heavy, even heavier than the water of the Heavy River!
A strand of white light was emitted from the tip of the black sword.
Combined with the sword-intent of the Immortal Ending Sword, the vicious sword-intent forcibly hacked through the river water that blocked Yan Zhaoge’s path, allowing him to continue forward.
Still, this caused Yan Zhaoge’s rate of advance to be much lower.
When he had finished breaking through the great river before him, the scenes before him changed once more as it was golden flames that had now appeared.
These golden flames looked exceptionally tranquil without any feeling of violence or restlessness at all as it was like multiple golden lotuses were blooming together.
“Miraculous Fire Golden Lotus,” Yan Zhaoge raised his brows slightly, not halting as he continued his advance.
Just as he approached, those golden lotuses that had originally appeared tranquil mightily exploded, transforming into boundless golden flames which sought to devour him.
Yan Zhaoge punched distantly forward, the Extreme Yang Seal above his head no longer serving merely as protection as it forcibly retaliated, colliding head-on with the incoming golden flames.
As the golden fire erupted, it could not harm the Extreme Yang Seal as it was mostly dispelled by it. Still, some remnant fire still surged over towards Yan Zhaoge.
Yan Zhaoge wielded the Evil Sword Taotie now in taking care of this, the black sword-light devouring all things as that fiery golden light was devoured as well.
As he walked, he broke through the multiple lotuses of flame that stood in his path.
Partway through his advance, his heart suddenly jolted.
Turning to look behind him, Yan Zhaoge indeed saw golden sunlight flickering far behind.
A three-footed golden crow entered his field of vision.
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