Chapter 1717: Broken
The four suns did not seem to be particularly powerful, but the First Protector could feel an unusual aura from the technique as he stared at four blazing suns. "Incomplete. It feels unfinished."
Lu Yin dismissed the technique. "Of course it"s incomplete. What was Senior able to sense?"
The First Protector showed a bitter smile. "How could I see through an invincible battle techniques that even Progenitors once desired with my paltry strength? Still, while it feels incomplete, there’s something to it that causes my heart to twitch. It’s possible that, as you get closer to completing the technique, you’ll be able to find the secret. I felt as if something was staring up at me from the underworld. The feeling that I sensed from the Nine Cauldrons’ Technique was as though it was alive."
Lu Yin frowned. "Senior, can battle techniques possess their own life?"
The First Protector also felt that this was a bit extreme. "I don"t know, and it was just a feeling of being stared at."
Lu Yin"s scalp went numb upon hearing these words.
"Let"s go to the Daosource Sect’s ruins. You’re from the Fifth Mainland, so you should spend some time there," the First Protector said.
Lu Yin immediately took out two prayer mats, one for each of them. He then left some instructions with the Cloud Valley Master’s first disciple, Emperor Luo, and the others before sitting down on the prayer mat next to the First Protector. They then disappeared and entered the Fifth Mainland’s Daosource Sect ruins.
The ruins were truly magical, as no one knew their precise location, and yet, they could be entered with the prayer mats from anywhere in the Sixth Mainland, the Technocracy, and the Human Domain.
The only place that Lu Yin had not checked was if the ruins could be accessed from the Perennial World, and he intended to do so the next time he was there.
He had no concerns of being discovered while in the Technocracy. Although the prayer mats were a secret in the Fifth Mainland, that was not true in the Sixth Mainland, and it was possible that the people of the Technocracy already knew about them.
Lu Yin entered the Daosource Sect’s ruins, and he appeared in the plaza of the First Divine Gate. The First Protector appeared there as well.
The First Protector looked around after entering, as this was a new experience for him. He was deep in thought regarding the various records concerning the Fifth Mainland’s Daosource Sect.
"What a pity that the overlord of my Fifth Mainland fell so far," the First Protector lamented.
Several people from the Sixth Mainland looked over from a distance, and one of them approached the two men and offered a respectful bow. "Junior Liu Fei from the Bloodburn Realm greets Senior."
The First Protector looked at Liu Fei. "What"s the matter?"
"May I boldly ask, does the Senior who has entered the Daosource Sect’s ruins have any requests? We would be more than delighted to complete them for you," Liu Fei solemnly explained. As he spoke, several other people stepped forward and bowed.
After it was discovered that Lu Yin was in the process of receiving the Nine Cauldrons’ inheritance, the Sixth Mainland started frequently sending older powerhouses into the Daosource Sect’s ruins. In the past, very few older experts entered the ruins, as the place was treated as a place of opportunity for youths to explore. The older generation had done the same in their youth, and it had become tradition. However, Lu Yin had forced the Sixth Mainland to break their tradition, and it had become rather common to find older powerhouses wandering around the ruins. Now, the younger cultivators from the Sixth Mainland had started ignoring the Daosource Sect’s ruins, and they instead focused on waiting for older experts to enter. Then, they would then try to make a connection with the older experts. After all, it was simply too difficult to gain anything from the ruins, as they had already been explored countless times over by countless people.
"No tasks. We’re leaving," the First Protector casually replied.
Although the youths were unwilling to leave things be and wanted to say something more, the First Protector had already disappeared.
Lu Yin stepped onto the path to the First Divine Gate on his own, and he waited for the First Protector in Budding Terrace.
It did not take long for the First Protector to appear.
"Boy, I came here with you, but will I leave with you?" the First Protector suddenly asked.
Lu Yin was caught off guard, as he had completely forgotten that everyone stayed in the Daosource Sect’s ruins for different lengths of time rather than a fixed amount, as it was based on one’s spiritual force. Lu Yin would leave after a month, but that did not mean that the First Protector would as well.
"Senior, your spirit force should not be particularly strong, right?" Lu Yin asked hopefully as he nervously looked at the First Protector.
The First Protector considered the question. "I don’t specialize in spiritual force."
Lu Yin let out a sigh of relief.
"But my spiritual force is still strong enough to kill you, kid," the old man said.
Lu Yin"s heart sank. This was the end. He had completely forgotten about this detail. It was easy to enter the Daosource Sect’s ruins, but leaving was an entirely different matter. With the First Protector’s strength, it would not be surprising if he stayed in the ruins for several months. Would Lu Yin be forced to wait in First Edition City for several months until the old man returned? If that happened, then what was the point in visiting the Daosource Sect’s ruins? It would have been better to just not visit and waste some time in First Edition City.
The Second Night King and Liu Huang were both still at the Ross Empire’s mobile fortress, and if Lu Yin did not return for a long time, it was impossible to know what would happen. Things would be fine with the Second Nightking as he was restricted by the Sealed Cage Technique, but the same was not true of Liu Huang. His relationship with Lu Yin was closer to what Lu Yin had had with Liu Ye and Fei Hua.
Lu Yin felt trapped, as he had already come to the Daosource Sect’s ruins. The only thing that he could do was continue forward. He also held out a bit of hope that he would be able to stay in the ruins for longer than before, as both his spiritual force and his cultivation level had improved greatly since going to the Perennial World. It was entirely possible for his time limit in the ruins to have increased as well.
These thoughts were the only way that Lu Yin could comfort himself.
Turning his focus to the Nine Cauldrons, Lu Yin hurried towards them with the First Protector. Along the way, Lu Yin gave the First Protector an introduction to Budding Terrace, Heaven’s Pit, the Scripture Pavilion, the Platform of Inception, and the other places. After hearing Lu Yin’s explanations, the First Protector became eager to explore.
Lu Yin quickly cautioned the older man. "Senior, please remember that we’re in the Daosource Sect’s ruins, which is a place where Progenitors have shed blood. The Sixth Mainland’s powerhouses typically avoid this place not only in order to leave behind the remaining inheritances for their juniors, but also because it’s easy for them to suffer a random accident in this place. It would be best if you don’t roam about too much, Senior."
The First Protector gritted his teeth. "Why didn"t you warn me about this before we got here?"
Lu Yin pursed his lips. "I forgot."
"Kid, you really are quite tricky. It’s no wonder why you were able to conquer the Outerverse," the First Protector commented. Still, he did not seem particularly bothered, as this was just typical behavior for cultivators. How could one succeed at cultivation if they were constantly worried about others? The First Protector could not even count how many selfless people he had seen die early.
The experts standing guard at the entrance to the Nine Cauldrons Region were not always the same. After the Sixth Mainland learned that Lu Yin had obtained this lucky chance, all the eyes of the major powers in the Sixth Mainland had grown red. Each of them wanted to control the Nine Cauldrons Region, and as a result, the guards occasionally rotated. Who was standing guard also determined who was able to gain access to the s.p.a.ce, as no one wanted to allow people from other powers to gain access to the Nine Cauldrons.
Man Li had been standing guard when Lu Yin had last visited, and Man Li had allowed people from the Arrow Sect to visit the Nine Cauldrons, as well as others from the Progenitor of Secret Arts’ Territory while blocking almost everyone from the Progenitor of Combat’s Territory and the Progenitor of Bloodlines’ Territory. This time, Lu Yin saw that the Nine Cauldrons Region was being guarded by Ancestor Sightless, who was from the Bloodburn Realm. This man was a Cosmic Imprinter.
Lu Yin had already defeated Man Li once before, and during that session, he had shattered another one of the cauldrons. That had badly startled the Sixth Mainland, and after that incident, all of the guards stationed at the Nine Cauldrons Region had been a Cosmic Imprinter at minimum.
This was already the highest level of consideration that the Sixth Mainland could make. After all, it was impossible for someone like Zhutian Yinzhao to guard it in person. The cultivators at their level did not care about the Nine Suns Technique, and Master Qing Hua did not care.
Having Ancestor Sightless guard the Nine Suns Region was already enough to show the importance that the Sixth Mainland placed on Lu Yin.
Unfortunately, they didn’t pay enough attention.
In the Nine Suns Region, Ancestor Sightless faced the First Protector with a dull expression and a circle of light behind him.
The circle of light was the ancestor"s innate gift. During the Sixth Mainland’s invasion, Lu Yin and the others had suffered greatly from this innate gift after they had entered the Innerverse from the Outerverse during a battle.
Given Ancestor Sightless’s strength, his technique should be invincible, but he was currently facing the First Protector. The First Protector was someone of the same era as Arch-Elder Zen, and was an unfathomable powerhouse even to the four venerables of the Sixth Mainland, . He simply stepped on the ring of light with one foot, knocking out Ancestor Sightless, who didn"t even have enough time to notice his opponent.
In addition to the ancestor, there were more than ten other people in the Nine Cauldrons Region, but all of them were youths, and they instantly lost consciousness.
"Well, I did it. Nothing too unexpected, though that old guy there took a bit of effort to knock out," the First Protector commented in surprise as he looked at Ancestor Sightless.
Lu Yin replied, "He"s an expert with a power level of a million. He’s on the same level as Yuan Shi."
"Yeah, that’s about right." The First Protector then looked out at the six cauldrons in the distance. “You said that there were nine cauldrons, so why are there only six?"
"Three broke."
The First Protector found this odd. "Broke? How did they break?"
Lu Yin told the truth, and after the First Protector heard the explanation, he stared at Lu Yin. "Kid, you better not have broken them on purpose so that no one else could learn the technique."
"Senior, if I was able to do that, then I wouldn’t have needed to ask for your help," Lu Yin protested.
This made the First Protector think for a moment, as the Nine Cauldrons had been famous even when the Fifth Mainland’s Daosource Sect had been standing strong. Those cauldrons were not something that Lu Yin could have damaged.
"Three cauldrons broke, and the pieces must have been taken away by people from the Sixth Mainland," Lu Yin explained. He then leaped up and entered the fourth cauldron. "This junior will start cultivating, so I will have to ask Senior to stand guard over me."
The First Protector just grunted as he approached the fifth cauldron. He stared at it for a long time and then entered the cauldron as well. He also wanted to see if he could grasp anything.
The Nine Cauldrons Region was no longer a public area. Anybody who qualified to enter the s.p.a.ce would already be there, and n.o.body else would have any thoughts of visiting the place.
Lu Yin absorbed the cauldron energy, and soon, half a month pa.s.sed. There was a bang, and the fourth cauldron shattered and collapsed.
The First Protector stared at the fragments of the fourth cauldron in shock. He had watched it break apart with his own eyes. This object had existed since ancient times, and while the First Protector had already been warned that it would happen, it was still a shock to see one of the Nine Cauldrons shatter.
The fourth cauldron had broken, and the sound roused Ancestor Sightless.
Ancestor Sightless sprang to his feet in horror. "A cauldron broke! Lu-"
But before he could say another word, he was knocked unconscious by the First Protector. "What a pain—I didn’t use enough strength. I need to focus better next time."
Lu Yin looked at the shards of the broken fourth cauldron beneath his feet and then turned to look behind at the five remaining cauldrons. With a thought, his body flickered, and he appeared in the fifth cauldron. His time in the Daosource Sect’s ruins had not run out yet, so he would continue absorbing the cauldron energy.
The First Protector did not say anything to Lu Yin. Instead, he bent down and picked up some of the broken cauldron fragments. When he squeezed down hard, the fragments were crushed into even smaller pieces. The old man was shocked; why were these pieces so fragile? He had already tested out one of the other cauldrons for half a month, but he had accomplished nothing at all. And yet, at this moment, the same material was so weak. Had something been extracted from the cauldron?
The old man thoughtfully looked over at the fifth cauldron. The youth had to be absorbing something from the cauldrons.
The First Protector was not the only one with such a thought, as the Sixth Mainland had come to the same conclusions. However, no one else was able to absorb anything from the cauldrons at all. Whatever it was that made the cauldrons indestructible was too valuable to not be desired.
A few days quickly pa.s.sed, and a young man with an arrogant expression entered the Nine Cauldrons Region. He was a Realmling, one of the newly appointed ones. All of the Realmlings had permission to access the Nine Cauldrons and attempt to gain enlightenment, and this was the youth’s first time entering the Daosource Sect after becoming a Realming.
He entered the s.p.a.ce full of antic.i.p.ation and excitement, eager to obtain the Nine Cauldrons Battle Technique. However, he pa.s.sed out the moment he entered the region, and he never even saw anything.
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