Indeed, it was an Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token.
Whether by the radiance it emitted or the aura it gave off, as well as the majesty ceaselessly surging within it, Lu Yuan could be certain in every conceivable way that it was identical to the one he had obtained earlier on Mount Tai.
He had not expected to find a second Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token in this place.
Without overthinking, he picked it up directly.
Upon contact, an aura capable of sweeping across the eight wildernesses surged forth, but unlike his first contact with the previous token, there was no resistance whatsoever.
In fact, it resonated in harmony with the one in his sea of consciousness. Because it had not yet been refined, however, it merely trembled slightly before its light gradually dimmed and retracted.
"A second Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token... I wonder what kind of effect it will have once refined," Lu Yuan pondered. He knew this was a taboo object. According to Jiang Ningxian, it possessed the power to confer divine titles upon immortals and deities, and was extraordinarily mysterious and powerful.
It was said that whoever obtained it would possess the qualifications to be proclaimed a Human Sovereign and Heavenly Emperor.
In short, the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token was of paramount importance.
Even across the universe, the top ten clans were searching for it, eager to claim it for themselves.
Yet two of them had now ended up directly in his hands.
Naturally, he would not choose to refine it right now. He would wait until he was in an environment that was completely safe and free from disturbance.
Lu Yuan put away the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token and looked at the slab fashioned from crystal.
He had observed it earlier; after undergoing specialized refinement, it was exceptionally hard—even he could not dream of leaving a scratch on it.
He had originally thought that if a divine treasure were hidden beneath the floor, he might never be able to retrieve it, but unexpectedly things had taken a turn.
"When I touched it, the blood in my body surged. Was it because of that?" That was Lu Yuan's guess, and he found it highly likely. Every drop of blood in his body had transformed through refining the Human Sovereign essence blood left behind by Shennong.
Perhaps this object had simply been waiting for the right person to come and claim it.
Yet who was the person who had left behind the Ancient Heavenly Emperor Token?
The Dragon Clan?
Lu Yuan was not certain, but whoever it was, they were undeniably an extraordinary figure.
"Forget it. Overthinking won't help. Best to head outside first."
Shaking his head, he returned the crystal slab to its place. He then scanned the area once more with the Fuxi Bagua Diagram. After confirming that nothing had been missed, he walked straight out of the immortal abode.
Zhu Qingyu, the Golden-Winged Great Peng, and the others were all waiting outside. Most of the fortunes in the Dragon Palace had already been gathered.
The group didn't say much and decided to depart. After all, the best treasures were already in their hands. As for the rest, the sea chart was incomplete anyway. Even though there were still many unexplored places, they could not enter them. So there was no need to force the issue for now; perhaps an opportunity would arise later.
On the way in, they had needed to deal with mutated beasts and scout their surroundings, making their progress slow. Their departure, however, was much faster.
The Dragon Palace was vast.
On their way out, they did not run into that group of extraterrestrial beings. Lu Yuan knew very well that all attainable fortunes had already been taken. No matter how much those outsiders searched, they wouldn't find anything of real worth.
Zhu Qingyu and the others felt no moral qualms about this. The reason was simple: the Dragon Palace was on Earth to begin with. In other words, if they didn't take it, were they supposed to leave it for those invaders?
Besides, setting aside the spiritual fruits, rare herbs, and various divine weapons, even just the Dragon Blood Pool alone was a tremendous harvest for them. In a short time, it would allow them to forge a batch of truly formidable Awakened.
And right now, they needed to build up their strength so they could contend with the even more terrifying extraterrestrial beings.
Before long, the group burst through the surface of the sea. Government warships had been patrolling the area all along, ready to receive them.
Once aboard the warship, however, they were suddenly informed that more than a month had passed since they had first plunged into the depths of the sea. It was just as the ancients said: a day in the cave is a thousand years in the world.
Though an exaggeration, such things were genuinely possible now.
"More than a month? But we were inside for barely a few hours!"
Ice Fairy was stunned, finding it completely unbelievable. That had been her firsthand experience; she hadn't noticed time passing so swiftly at all.
The Spirit Monkey and the Golden-Winged Great Peng also found it bizarre, yet they did not doubt it.
"Folded spaces might flow at a different rate of time than the outside world," Little Celestial Master Chunyang said, offering his assessment.
Yet the Three Immortal Islands were also a folded space, so why had there been no discrepancy with the outside world back then?
"Master, what should we do next?" the Golden-Winged Great Peng asked.
"Let's head back first."
Lu Yuan could guess some of the reasons. The space where the Dragon Palace lay was completely fractured. Perhaps some ancient war countless years ago had produced this result. Of course, that was merely conjecture. As for the truth, he would have to ask Jiang Ningxian; she knew far more.
Moreover, he had no other urgent matters for the moment, and the pill concoction in the Ziwu Heaven-Mending Furnace was reaching a critical juncture. Returning to rest and reorganize before making further plans was the best course of action.
No one had any objections. They decided to head to the Mount Tai Trial Academy first.
That place had essentially become the headquarters of Huaxia's upper echelon. With abundant resources, it served as a hub radiating outward to manage the five super cities. Practically all supreme orders were now issued from there.
Meanwhile, high in the sky in another location, the Yinglong, Ao Ze, soared through the air, wings beating lightly, leaving a streak of radiant light across the sky.
Its speed was astonishing, only marginally slower than the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
"According to the information they provided, it should be right here," Ao Ze muttered to itself as it parted layers of cloud and mist, finally arriving above a secluded, untrodden mountain forest.
Below stood antique buildings of classical design, possessing a refined, otherworldly charm. There were several humans among the buildings, all of them Awakened.
They spotted the Yinglong, yet they did not panic; instead, they reported it up the chain.
Moments later, a middle-aged man and a tall man in black stood below. They were the head of the Zhou family of Wuzhou Group and the tenth sequence of the Celestial Clan.
Seeing them, the Yinglong did not hesitate and descended directly.
"You're finally here." Seeing the Yinglong, the head of the Zhou family beamed with a warm smile.
He knew this was the legendary Yinglong. Even if its bloodline was currently suppressed, once it grew and its bloodline was continuously purified, it would definitely become a tremendous boon to the Zhou family—perhaps even their primary combat force.
"No need for such pleasantries. Between us, there are merely some ancient ties between our ancestors," Ao Ze replied calmly, continuing, "It was only because of these ties, and because you claimed you needed my help, that I came."
In mythological lore, Xuanyuan the Yellow Emperor had ascended to heaven riding a Yinglong, and the Zhou family was a branch of the Ji clan's bloodline. It was precisely for this reason that it had said this.
Ao Ze was also well aware that the other party was merely a single offshoot of the Ji clan.
"Yes, yes. That you were willing to come—we are truly grateful for this friendship," the head of the Zhou family said, his smile undiminished.
"Speak. What do you need me to do?" the Yinglong asked. With the ancestral connection between them, helping with minor matters was no problem. After all, Xuanyuan the Yellow Emperor had shown kindness to the Dragon Clan back then, and as a descendant, it should remember that debt.
"Before long, we will besiege and kill someone. We hope you will take action when the time comes."
At this moment, the tenth sequence of the Celestial Clan beside him spoke up. His name was Lei Xuan.
Lei Xuan naturally knew about the decision Lei You had made outside the domain back then. So now, preparations to execute it were underway.
As the tenth sequence, his personal strength was formidable, surpassing Ao Ze's. After all, Ao Ze had only recently emerged and was not very old. Still, if it joined, it would serve as an extra layer of insurance.
"We? There are others?" Ao Ze's eyes shifted slightly. "Are they extraterrestrials as well?"
Its tone was quite chilly now, showing a lack of fondness for the Celestial Clan. Even in front of the Zhou family, it showed this openly. The relationship between the Celestial Clan and the Ji clan lineage was, in its eyes, hardly a secret.
"Indeed. There are also two sequence prodigies from the Origin Demon Clan and the Three-Headed Ghost Clan."
Lei Xuan did not mind the slight and continued, "Before long, a mysterious realm will open, drawing the eyes of the entire world. Our three great clans will seize this opportunity to launch a joint strike and surround and kill that person. This is an order issued by our clan's Saint. That person might interfere with our future plans; he must die."
"Sequence prodigies of three great clans joining forces... The person you want to deal with is someone from this world?" Ao Ze deduced this immediately, disdain showing in its eyes.
In its eyes, even if there were grudges, one should resolve them on one's own. Why band together? Moreover, based on the other party's words, that person had to be exceedingly strong, or else there would be no need for an alliance of three clans.
"That's right. His name is Lu Yuan. I hear he recently went to the East Sea—you should have met him," Lei Xuan said, a gleam flashing in his eyes.
What?
Hearing this name, the Yinglong was momentarily shaken. Yet it quickly regained its composure and looked directly at the tenth sequence of the Celestial Clan.
No wonder so many people needed to join forces. Lu Yuan's strength was indeed formidable.
However...
Ao Ze shook its head outright. "If you intend to deal with this person, you'd better first think carefully about whether you can actually succeed. Furthermore, whatever you ultimately decide, I will not participate this time. Look for someone else. And for the sake of our ancestors' ties, I will act as though I never heard about this."
Though it had only met Lu Yuan once, his strength had earned its respect. Therefore, it would refuse under any circumstances. If it were anyone else proposing this, Ao Ze, upon learning this news, would certainly have found a way to warn Lu Yuan. Yet the Yinglong clan did share a connection with the Ji clan lineage after all. In the end, it could only choose to pretend it knew nothing, treating it as a way to conclude their debt.
It had its own principles and would not compromise them merely for the sake of sentiment or ties. Of course, as for what to do in the future, Ao Ze had its own plans.
Having said its piece, it paid no further attention to the head of the Zhou family and the tenth sequence of the Celestial Clan, soaring directly into the sky and vanishing past the horizon.
It had thought this was some major affair, only to find out it was just this. Naturally, the Yinglong had no desire to linger.
"This..."
Seeing this unfold, the head of the Zhou family was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected that given the relationship between their ancestors, the other party would refuse so decisively. Things shouldn't have turned out like this.
Could it be that Lu Yuan had done something in the East Sea? What could possibly make the consistently proud Yinglong act this way?
"Just like back then, the Dragon Clan is truly unreliable," Lei Xuan murmured, narrowing his eyes in dissatisfaction. "No matter. We have been laying our plans for a long time, and every preparation is complete. So long as no one interferes, this time, that Lu Yuan is dead!"
Chapter 142