HSSB140: Sacred Artifact Fragment
The East Strangling Snow Mountain was large, but at the end of the day, its special characteristics that people would take heed of were still limited.
Not long after, the black-clothed martial pract.i.tioners reported back that between the mountains to the south there was an unusual flow of spiritual qi.
It actually seemed like there was a hidden yet extremely strong spirit formation there.
Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu immediately hurried in that direction, following which Yan Zhaoge raised his brows slightly, “It really is a ma.s.sive spirit formation.”
After feeling carefully, he could detect that the strength of the spirit formation was currently rising unceasingly.
Ah Hu grinned widely, “Young Master, such fluctuations of power-it isn’t something that people have set up here, but rather an ancient formation that has long existed!”
“Usually it is completely obscured, making it hard to detect.”
“Now, with people having set it off, the spirit formation has activated, its strength rising, forming an existence like a boundary that is gradually reaching its peak.”
Rubbing his huge hands, Ah Hu smiled till only his teeth and not his eyes could be seen, “This is very possibly a cave dwelling left behind by a senior expert who has long since died; we’ve struck it rich this time. Luckily we made it here in time; it really is that arriving coincidentally beats arriving early.”
Carefully observing the fluctuations of the formation, Yan Zhaoge gradually came to a realisation, “The legacies that were left behind in the Eight Extremities World following the Great Calamity cannot be considered too ancient; they’re at the very least far from the time of the Glacial Dragon Martial Saint.”
“While the one who left the legacy should not have reached the Martial Saint realm, this spirit formation is somewhat profound, remaining hidden and inactivated.”
“Even having been set off now, its spiritual fluctuations are still limited to the few mountain peaks in the vicinity; if not for me having specially sent people to search all around, we would not have been able to discover it from further away.”
As he thought thus within his heart, Yan Zhaoge swivelled his head to glance at the happy Ah Hu, “You yourself also said that the formation was only set off just now because of people; this means that someone has gone on ahead of us.”
Ah Hu gave a simple and honest laugh, “If someone has gone on ahead, you, Young Master, can come up from behind ah.”
“With Yan Shan heavily injured and retreated, it should most likely be that Thunder Rumbling Young Master Lin Zhou, right?”
He rubbed his hands, “Such legacies, though ancient and worn down, still likely contain some defensive measures. Even if Lin Zhou has entered first, if he wants to crack them, it will also not be easy. Conversely he would even be sweeping the path ahead on our behalf.”
“Young Master, the spirit formation has only just activated; there’s still some time for us to rush in now. Otherwise, we’d be kept on the outside.”
Narrowing his eyes, Yan Zhaoge thought for a moment, before he responded as if without a care, “Let’s go, we’ll just take a look first before deciding on anything else.”
The crowd of black-clothed martial pract.i.tioners remained on the outside while Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu proceeded inside, following the path of the spiritual qi to the centre of the spirit formation. It was a cave made completely of ice.
After checking the outskirts and confirming that there were no people waiting in ambush or orioles lying in wait, Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu entered the cave together.
The power of the spirit formation became stronger and stronger as it gradually produced the effect of separating them from the heavens and the earth.
Yan Zhaoge was not worried about his path back outside being cut off, though. As long as he had control of the core of the formation, it would not be hard for him if he wanted to leave.
Within the ice cave, danger came every three steps, crises every five, as the place was riddled with hidden mechanisms. This forced Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu to have to keep alert.
Pa.s.sing through that long tunnel of ice, reaching its end, the two seemed to have entered a large hall.
“Young Master, be careful!” Ah Hu’s expression was stern as no laughter could be seen on it whatsoever.
Yan Zhaoge nodded, focusing on that dense cold fog before him.
The fog enveloped the surrounding area, causing the very s.p.a.ce itself to seem somewhat warped.
Yan Zhaoge proceeded in a direction for a very long distance. However, no matter how he moved, he could not touch the walls or ceiling of the hall, as if it were a completely empty s.p.a.ce.
Enveloped by the cold fog, this hall seemed to have become infinitely large, and had become part of an intricate bewildering formation.
Ah Hu followed closely by Yan Zhaoge, not leaving his side by an inch.
Within the fog that suffused the air before them, although it was not like they could not see the fingers that they extended before them, they could only see an extremely limited distance, despite their enhanced vision.
Suddenly, the layer of ice beneath their feet shook as within the fog, over ten indistinct gigantic figures slowly rose up from the ground.
Ice Crystal Guards, giants formed of ice.
Their icy bodies were huge and burly, with strong fluctuations of power being emanated from the entirety of their being. Although the giants’ movements were a little stiff, the heavy power they possessed was not something that people would dare to look down on in the least.
While these Ice Crystal Guards did not possess any aura-qi whatsoever, their strength was terrifying, and the destructive power contained within their bodies superior to the flesh and blood bodies of humans.
As beings born from the spirit formation and its cold fog even if they were destroyed of damaged, after a period of time of nurturing, they would still be reborn once more from within the cold fog.
Yan Zhaoge raised his brows, “So it is the legacy of Old Man Great Sorrow.”
Ah Hu nodded a few times, “The ice fog bewildering formation, the Ice Crystal Guards-it is indeed the handiwork of Old Man Great Sorrow of the past.”
While Old Man Great Sorrow had died quite a long time ago, he was still quite famous in the Eight Extremities World, having left many legends behind for later generations to visit and ponder upon.
And the most well-known and colourful of those legends was the rumour that Old Man Great Sorrow had once possessed a Sacred Artifact fragment.
It was said that it was of a Sacred Artifact that had existed before the time of the Great Calamity, but had shattered after meeting with danger during the Great Calamity.
But even though it was only a fragment of a Sacred Artifact, it still possessed a somewhat strong power.
The power contained within it aside, as an ingredient, the fragment was also a precious treasure which one would be hard pressed to find elsewhere.
Because of that matter during the Calamity, Old Man Great Sorrow had even been surrounded and attacked, only managing to break out of the encirclement with much difficulty. Following that, he found a secret place of residence for himself and no longer appeared within the world.
“It looks like this is the secret residence of Old Man Great Sorrow,” Ah Hu was not shocked, rather being overjoyed, “Young Master, a Sacred Artifact fragment is no small thing. This time, you’ve really struck it lucky.”
Yan Zhaoge thought aloud, “If Old Man Great Sorrow did not step into the Martial Saint realm, he should be long dead by now.”
Ah Hu grinned, “If he became a Martial Saint, why in the world would he still be in hiding ah.”
As he said this, Ah Hu punched an approaching Ice Crystal Guard into smithereens, “I’ll hold them off here; does Young Master have any way to crack this ice fog?”
Yan Zhaoge said, “Cracking the ice fog would not be hard, but cracking it would not mean that all would be well.”
“After observing for a while, this place should be divided into two levels.”
“The first level is the cold ice, borrowing the external environment of the East Strangling Snow Mountains. The other level should most likely be a world of blazing fire; it is very likely that if we continue heading deeper down, borrowing the fire qi of the earth vein here, there might even be lava below.”
Ah Hu realised, “Oh, that’s right-Old Man Great Sorrow was acclaimed that year for cultivating in both ice and fire.”
Yan Zhaoge said, “Move together with me. I’ll break the formation; you’ll cover me.”
Ah Hu gave a simple and honest laugh, “Yes, Young Master.”
Not wasting their time on needless words, the two immediately began.
And at the same time, there was currently a person silently observing Yan Zhaoge and Ah Hu.
It was a handsome youth, his expression deep, his gaze piercing, his clothes similar to Yan Shan’s, with an appearance of a direct disciple of the Heavenly Thunder Hall.
If Yan Zhaoge and Yan Shan were here now, they would immediately discern this youth’s ident.i.ty.
The Thunder Rumbling Young Master, Lin Zhou!
Currently, where Lin Zhou was, half blazing fire, half cold ice, a great amount of spiritual qi was congregated. It was evidently where the core of the spirit formation guarding Old Man Great Sorrow’s old residence was.
Looking through the illusory world of a mirror hovering within the air, he observed Yan Zhaoge.
“Broad Creed Young Master, Yan Zhaoge…” Lin Zhou murmured to himself, “Let me see-are you the same kind of person as I?”