"Thank you, Senior."
Even though Xiao Yan knew Long Fan's consciousness had fully dissipated, he still gave a respectful cupped-fist salute toward the skeletal remains. A legacy that could rival the Thirty-Six Peerless Divine Arts held no small allure for him. Were it not for that, he truly wouldn't want to wade into such treacherous waters—he would have taken the Dragon Spirit Pearl and slipped away. After all, the harvest he'd already gained from this trip was more than substantial.
After putting away Long Fan's Dragonbone Guard body, Xiao Yan carefully sorted through the information about Battle Array Masters that had been imprinted into his mind. For a moment, he was left speechless. He suddenly realized that he seemed to be collecting way too many side professions, and none of them were at a shallow level either.
There was no need to even mention his skills as an Alchemist—that was a craft he'd spent years honing back on the Dou Qi Continent. His knowledge of spiritual arrays had evolved from his early understanding of formations, which made him a competent Spiritual Array Master. As for crafting spirit artifacts, that stemmed from the Symbol Crafting arts he learned in the Tianxuan Continent. Though he hadn't refined many items himself, considering the quality of the three Soul Weapons he possessed, he was confident that if he did, the results wouldn't be too far off.
And now, as for Battle Array Master—he had originally known absolutely nothing. Yet Long Fan had directly poured the complete knowledge into his mind, allowing him to master it in a single leap.
'Forget it… a few extra techniques can only help, not hurt.'
Sighing with a trace of helplessness, Xiao Yan carefully stored away the Dragon Spirit Pearl. This item was essential to his future ability to control the Dragonbone Guards. He didn't dare casually absorb the energy within it—at least not until he could command the Dragonbone Guards with his own strength. Who knew if the pearl's power would be exhausted and rendered useless once its energy was depleted?
Leaving the secret chamber, Xiao Yan rejoined the teams scouring the ruins for treasure. Just in case, he used a piece of Illusion Beast hide he'd brought from the Dou Qi Continent to alter his appearance. He didn't want to become a target. During this period of exploration, he managed to obtain several low-grade sacred artifacts and minor divine abilities. However, none of that compared to the gains he'd acquired from Long Fan.
That didn't surprise Xiao Yan. After all, even though the Dragon God's relics were vast and deep, treasures like the Spirit Gathering Bowl wouldn't be found lying around. The so-called low-grade sacred artifacts he picked up were already considered rare for a ninth-grade Sovereign. Even Earth Sovereign experts would covet them. Yet here, they seemed commonplace—a testament to how rich the Dragon God's trove truly was.
During this treasure hunt, Xiao Yan's strength had also advanced significantly. Not only did he fully stabilize his spiritual energy, but he also pushed it to the peak of the ninth-grade Sovereign realm. At this level, he was just a step away from Earth Sovereign. If he unleashed his full arsenal, he might even be able to challenge a high-rank Earth Sovereign!
Of course, that was only a theoretical possibility. Xiao Yan had no desire to actually encounter such an enemy. While the Dragon God Ruins were supposed to bar anyone above Earth Sovereign from entering, the sacred beast clans had ancient legacies—it was entirely possible they had ways to bypass that restriction. So, Xiao Yan remained cautious and did not act recklessly.
During his explorations, he also ran into Qin Wan'er and her companions. She had advanced from eighth-grade Sovereign to ninth-grade as well, likely obtaining her own opportunities within the ruins. However, Xiao Yan didn't reveal himself. They stayed with the main group, and after several days of searching, finally arrived at the deepest part of the Dragon God Ruins.
To everyone's surprise, the deepest area was a barren mountain range. Though it was even larger than the entire Sunset Mountains, it contained almost nothing. Bones littered the land, ruin stretched in every direction, and not a single blade of grass could be found.
"So this is the Dragon Tomb…"
Unlike the others, Xiao Yan had access to Long Fan's memories, and thus knew hidden truths. According to what Long Fan remembered, this place was known as the Dragon Tomb. It was the burial site chosen by the Dragon God himself and also the battlefield where the three Heavenly Demon Emperors ambushed him. Based on that, Xiao Yan speculated the Dragon Emperor must also be sealed somewhere here.
One of Xiao Yan's primary goals was to prevent the Dragon Emperor from breaking the seal. According to Long Fan, the seal set by the Dragon God had lasted for ten thousand years and was already beginning to waver. The Dragon Emperor could break free at any time. While Xiao Yan had made many preparations, it would be ideal if he could crush the Dragon Emperor before he even escaped the seal.
The others, unaware of this secret, rampaged through the Dragon Tomb like a swarm of locusts, stripping the area of everything they could find. They even dug up the soil in hopes of uncovering buried treasures, but ultimately came up empty-handed. Xiao Yan, blending in with the crowd, quietly searched for signs of the seal the Dragon God had left behind, but he, too, found nothing.
'Could Long Fan have been mistaken? Maybe the seal is somewhere else?'
Xiao Yan furrowed his brow, wondering if he should try a different location. Just then, a commotion broke out ahead. He looked up and saw the leader of the Kunpeng Clan slowly raising an object in his hand.
"That's Zong Yang of the Kunpeng Clan. The item in his hand should be what he acquired at the auction, right?"
"Yeah, I heard several factions tried to snatch that thing from him but failed. If he's taking it out now, he must have discovered something important."
Xiao Yan's eyes narrowed as he listened to the surrounding chatter. Ever since entering the ruins, many people had been hunting for the Kunpeng Clan's members, hoping to rob them. But none had succeeded. It seemed they had come well prepared. That so-called key Zong Yang had acquired at auction likely contained critical information. What Xiao Yan needed to know was—did that information have anything to do with the Dragon God's seal?
"Attack!"
As soon as Zong Yang took out the jade ring, the people who'd been eying it pounced, attempting to snatch it from him. But Zong Yang merely sneered and flicked his finger. The jade ring erupted in radiant light, forming a protective barrier that blasted all attackers away.
"That thing must be a sacred artifact!"
The eyes of everyone present gleamed with greed. To repel such a coordinated assault from so many Sovereigns, the jade ring had to be of considerable rank—no ordinary item could achieve that.
Apparently, the item Zong Yang bought at the auction wasn't just a key—it was also a sacred artifact. That guy had really hit the jackpot.
Only Xiao Yan, looking at the jade ring in his hand, felt a vague sense of unease.
(End of Chapter)
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