That place was very peculiar.
An ordinary person would never have detected anything amiss.
Only after opening his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye had Lu Yuan noticed something was wrong. A distinct, unusual aura lingered there.
However, he had not discovered it earlier. Guided by his cautious nature, he would never approach it heedlessly; he wanted to get a clear picture first.
"I-if I tell you, will you spare me?"
Beneath his feet, the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon's voice was exceedingly faint.
Its blood-red eyes held none of their former arrogance, only sheer terror.
The human before it was simply too powerful, far beyond anything it had imagined.
It possessed a sliver of true dragon blood and was on the verge of entering the Golden Body Realm. In both combat strength and vitality, it far outstripped mutated beasts of the same realm. Yet now, it was effortlessly crushed by this man, without even the slightest room to fight back.
"You have no choice. You either speak or you don't," Lu Yuan replied, the Blood-Qi Pagoda vibrating behind him.
The Eleven-Tier Blood Pagoda was a divine relic. Once fused into the five viscera and six bowels, it endowed the human body with immense, ponderous weight, turning the internal organs as resilient as divine gold.
Now that he activated it, his entire being was like a primordial mountain of vast antiquity, capable of suppressing everything. No matter how this king of mutated beasts struggled, it was utterly futile.
"Th-that place is an altar left behind by Shennong, one of the three ancient Human Sovereigns. Inside is a very peculiar array formation. If anyone approaches carelessly, they will be suppressed and find it nearly impossible to break free. It's a kind of forbidden zone." Knowing it had no alternative, the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon finally confessed.
This was the primary reason it had fled in that direction upon encountering mortal danger.
It had hoped the altar's peculiar array could help it survive the crisis.
Yet who could have foreseen that Lu Yuan was so terrifyingly powerful?
"An altar left behind by Shennong?"
Lu Yuan paused for a moment upon hearing this, but soon understood.
Shennongjia—how could a place named after Shennong have nothing left behind by him?
Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns, had performed monumental deeds for the human race of Huaxia; he was the Earthly Sovereign among the Human Sovereigns.
*He is a true Human Sovereign,* Lu Yuan mused. *Since I have come all this way, as a descendant of Huaxia, it is only natural that I go take a look.*
However, in his previous life, he seemed never to have heard of such a place existing in Shennongjia.
That meant if there was any fortune there, it had never been discovered by anyone.
"Master," the Golden-Winged Great Peng spoke up from the side, looking at the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon with a hint of pleading in its eyes.
Clearly, it was genuinely afraid Lu Yuan might let the beast go, which would cost it the chance to purify its bloodline.
Lu Yuan smiled.
He did not speak, only nodding.
Having gone through the trouble of finding the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon, he naturally had no intention of sparing it.
Catching his meaning at once, the Golden-Winged Great Peng opened its beak and exhaled.
Beams of golden light enveloped the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon.
This was a secret art of its race, capable of refining and extracting the dragon blood from mutated beasts.
After all, while the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon looked massive, the dragon blood it contained was minimal. To purify its bloodline, the Golden-Winged Great Peng only needed the essence. Right now, it had to fully drive the secret art to thoroughly refine it.
The Dragon Blood Flood Dragon was already hovering on the brink of death. It had no power to resist, and within moments, its breath faded entirely.
Beneath the rays of golden radiance, its colossal body began to shrink and wither.
Still, extracting the dragon blood would take some time.
"Let's go. Accompany me to the altar left behind by the Human Sovereign Shennong."
Seeing that things were well underway, Lu Yuan spoke up, curious about what kind of place it truly was and what the so-called altar looked like.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng naturally would not refuse.
Opening its beak, it first swallowed the shrunken Dragon Blood Flood Dragon into its belly, then carried Lu Yuan on its back and took flight.
Before long, Lu Yuan arrived at the area where the soaring crimson pillar of light had shot into the sky.
Here, there were no towering ancient trees. Instead, a towering circular dais stood erect, surrounded by stone pillars.
The pillars were about thirty to forty feet high and pure white throughout. There were twelve in total, each carved with an exotic beast. Yet these were not auspicious beasts like the qilin or pixiu, but the familiar Twelve Zodiac animals.
However, every one of these twelve beasts was carved with formidable grandeur and lifelike detail, each depicted in both human and beast forms.
Yet likely due to the vast expanse of time, many parts of the dais had cracked, showing signs of collapse.
Aside from this, there was nothing unusual in sight.
"Master."
"I sense that stepping directly onto the dais might be dangerous."
The Golden-Winged Great Peng circled above, its tone filled with deep wariness.
What it sensed was likely the peculiar array the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon had mentioned.
Lu Yuan certainly would not charge in recklessly. He had the Golden-Winged Great Peng land, then stood outside the circular dais.
Nearby lay many structures constructed from piled boulders, but most had completely shattered, leaving it impossible to tell what they had originally looked like.
Seeing this, he frowned slightly.
It felt far too ordinary.
Immediately, Lu Yuan opened his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye.
In an instant, he saw a crimson pillar of light surge out from within the dais, diffusing a magnificent, overwhelming aura that dazzled the senses—identical to the scene from before. When he closed his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye, the scenery before him returned to its mundane state.
Yet he could clearly discern that the crimson pillar of light erupted from the very center of the dais.
Evidently, there was something extraordinary inside.
Lu Yuan pondered the matter.
Taking a deep breath, he took a step forward.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz!*
The very next moment, the twelve surrounding stone pillars abruptly began to tremble.
Beams of brilliant light shot forth from them, radiating an overpowering, peerless majesty.
Even with Lu Yuan's current strength, feeling that aura weighed heavily upon him.
The carvings of the Twelve Zodiac animals seemed on the verge of coming alive, struggling to break free from the stone.
Clearly, they stood guard over this place.
If an outsider forced their way in, these entities would truly materialize.
"Master!" the Golden-Winged Great Peng called out, having sensed it as well, its eyes filled with vigilance.
This majestic force was terrifying, far more than it could bear.
Moreover, the array within had not even been fully activated yet; otherwise, it would only be infinitely more terrifying.
"Master, it's too dangerous here. We should leave," the Golden-Winged Great Peng advised, believing they should not venture further. It also found it bizarre that a place appearing so ordinary could harbor such power.
Not far away, Lu Yuan pulled his foot back.
He knew full well that once he fully stepped inside, it would be difficult to walk back out alive.
Yet precisely because of this, he was all the more certain that beneath the dais lay a monumental fortune.
"I must find a way inside."
Lu Yuan understood that the more mysterious a place was, the greater its dangers, but also the greater its rewards.
It was just like the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum, which contained the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Method. The question now was how to enter.
*Could it be that I'm missing some sort of key?*
He stood before the dais, lost in thought.
He circled the perimeter once.
Yet he found nothing out of the ordinary, even with his Martial Dao Heavenly Eye open. He simply sat down.
Seeing that nothing was happening, the Golden-Winged Great Peng walked a short distance away and closed its eyes, focusing intently on refining the dragon blood within the Dragon Blood Flood Dragon to purify its own bloodline.
Time slipped by bit by bit.
A night passed.
Fortunately, this location was regarded as a forbidden, enigmatic zone within Shennongjia, so no mutated beasts dared approach during that time.
As for the Golden-Winged Great Peng, because it had extracted the dragon blood and merged it into its body, its plumage flowed with radiant light as its bloodline underwent purification.
Further away, Lu Yuan remained seated cross-legged before the dais. His expression was calm, his mind turning rapidly.
However, he still had not found a solution.
If this continued, he could not afford to waste endless time here; perhaps he would have to return another time.
Forcing his way in was definitely out of the question—unless his cultivation advanced further...
"An altar left by the Human Sovereign Shennong... must I really walk away?" Lu Yuan felt reluctant. He did not want to give up, yet sitting here idly was no answer either. To have a place of grand fortune right before his eyes, yet be unable to enter, was exasperating.
*Wait. An altar?*
Suddenly, an idea struck him.
If it was an altar, then this had to be a place of sacrificial offerings.
And for a sacrificial offering, one needed a cauldron...
And he happened to possess a cauldron.
It was one of the keys to the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum.
Could it work here?
Lu Yuan did not know, but with the mindset of trying anything as a last resort, he brought out the small green copper cauldron, set it before him, and looked at it with anticipation.
He had no other options anyway.
If it failed, he would simply leave and return later.
Without another word, Lu Yuan used the Daluo sword core to slice open his palm. Just as he had done in the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum, he let his fresh blood drip onto the small green copper cauldron.
*Hum, hum, hum!*
The small cauldron radiated light, growing brighter and brighter as the fresh blood poured into it.
*Thud!*
At that exact instant, the entire dais seemed to tremble.
The stone pillars representing the Twelve Zodiac animals instantly surged with brilliant crimson beams of light, all converging toward the center of the dais.
"It works!" Seeing this, Lu Yuan felt a surge of joy, his eyes lighting up. He had not expected the small green copper cauldron to truly be effective.
What was the true origin of this small green copper cauldron? Not only was it one of the keys to the Mount Li Imperial Mausoleum, but here in Shennongjia, it could actually produce an effect as well.
This was something he had completely failed to anticipate.
However, now was not the time to ponder its origins; he had to concentrate on continuing the rite.
Lu Yuan completely calmed his mind and continued channeling his blood into the small cauldron.
As time passed, the crimson radiance grew increasingly dazzling.
More importantly, the dais began to crack open.
*Crack!*
In an instant, a drastic change unfolded across the dais.
A stone stele rose from its center. Behind the stele, countless crimson beams of light converged, coalescing into a pool of blood. The blood pool was held aloft by an altar—an altar composed of nine distinct colors, looking exceptionally wondrous.
As these emerged, a formidable aura surged forth in an instant.
Layers of crimson light enveloped the entire area.
A pool of blood.
A Nine-Color Altar.
The two appearing together carried an aura of profound mystery.
Yet Lu Yuan did not know what they signified, as this was the first time he had ever seen them.
He glanced over at the Golden-Winged Great Peng, which was still refining the dragon blood. Knowing it had reached a critical juncture, he said nothing to disturb it.
Turning back, he looked toward this altar left behind by the Human Sovereign Shennong. He knew that through his blood offering just now, this place had fully opened, and the mysterious array formation had temporarily ceased to function.
He stowed away the small green copper cauldron and took a step forward.
Sure enough, after the sacrificial offering, the great array offered no further resistance.
He stepped directly into the area and arrived before the stone stele and the pool of blood.
The stele looked entirely ordinary, with nothing visually remarkable about it. However, the inscriptions carved upon it seized Lu Yuan's attention.
He had never seen this script before. It was neither large nor small seal script, nor was it oracle bone script. Yet strangely, even though he did not recognize the characters, he could miraculously comprehend their meaning:
*"I, Shennong, tasted the hundred herbs and established the agrarian arts, yet ultimately failed to pierce the heavenly principles before the great calamity. Thus, I have dissolved a single drop of essence blood into this pool. When a fated descendant of my human race arrives, let them merge this blood into their body and inherit my conviction. Though I perish, it shall suffice."*
It was brief, merely a single statement containing sparse details.
Yet it had truly been left behind by Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns.
Having finished reading, Lu Yuan could not help but look at the blood pool beside it.
It was filled with blood, completely placid, yet carrying an extraordinary aura.
At this moment, he could feel this blood resonating with the blood inside his own veins.
"So this is a single drop of essence blood left behind by Shennong, meant for a fated descendant?" Lu Yuan murmured to himself. No wonder he had felt such an unusual connection to this place and considered it a great fortune.
Shennong was an ancestor of Huaxia, one of the ancient Three Sovereigns.
To him, every person of Huaxia was a descendant of his bloodline.
After all, the people of Huaxia called themselves the descendants of Yan and Huang, and "Yan" referred to Shennong.
Lu Yuan understood completely. This was a fortune bestowed by that Human Sovereign ancestor upon posterity.
What would happen if he integrated it into his body?
He did not know.
Yet one thing was certain: it would definitely stimulate his evolution once more.
After all, this was an existence out of myths and legends.
Lu Yuan had always known that ancient times were extraordinary, a time when humanity was exceedingly powerful. The Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, in particular, had led the human race of Huaxia in accomplishing monumental feats, standing on equal footing even with legendary gods; it was only later that humanity had declined into mediocrity.
Now, the essence blood of Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns, lay right before him.
"Then let me see what kind of transformation this brings."
Lu Yuan was never one to hesitate.
Besides, as an ancestor of Huaxia and a Human Sovereign, Shennong would never deliberately harm his own descendants.
Taking a deep breath, he first dipped his palm into the sovereign blood within the pool.
In an instant, an overwhelmingly majestic power surged throughout his entire body.
This power was incomparably pure.
Infused with sublime, titanic force, it caused every single pore on Lu Yuan's body to open, as though he were receiving a sacred baptism.
A grand fortune!
This was an absolute, peerless fortune.
Without delay, he submerged his entire body into the pool and sat cross-legged.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz!*
At that very moment, the stone stele crumbled into fine powder, and the blood pool blazed with tens of thousands of crimson rays.
Yet these rays posed no harm whatsoever. Instead, like the boundless energy of heaven and earth, they poured directly into Lu Yuan's physique.
The blood throughout his body began to boil. His heart pounded fiercely, and his five viscera and six bowels shone with brilliant light.
This was a metamorphosis, a sublimation originating from the deepest depths of his bloodline.
It was not an awakening.
Rather, using himself as the foundation, it was a complete apotheosis!
At this moment, Lu Yuan's mind was entirely immersed in the process as the Human Sovereign's essence blood began to fuse seamlessly with him.
"I've finally refined the dragon blood. Next is purifying the bloodline. Once that's complete, my Great Peng bloodline will be further unleashed, allowing me to evolve again and shatter several shackles in a row!"
On the other side, the Golden-Winged Great Peng opened its eyes, golden light radiating from them.
Its bloodline had always been its greatest pride, the defining trait that set it apart from other mutated beasts.
"Huh? Where is Master?"
Noticing that Lu Yuan was nowhere in sight, the Golden-Winged Great Peng looked up and spotted him on the distant dais, seated cross-legged within the blood pool.
A powerful aura continuously surged from his body, rippling outward in all directions.
This aura was immense, magnificent, and originated from the deepest recesses of bloodline.
Even the Golden-Winged Great Peng felt immense pressure bearing down upon it.
It was astounded. After all, it was a Golden-Winged Great Peng, on par with true dragons.
Yet now, it was actually being suppressed by the bloodline of a human. This was unbelievable.
"Master... is using the essence blood of some supreme entity to cleanse himself and undergo a bloodline metamorphosis?"
The Golden-Winged Great Peng finally realized what was happening, its eyes wide with shock. It could not fathom how Lu Yuan had discovered this, nor whose blood filled that pool.
Yet one thing was certain: once this metamorphosis was complete, its master would surely advance to a higher realm and reap lifelong benefits!
"I thought that by purifying my bloodline this time, I might be able to close the gap a bit. Looks like I was overthinking things."
The Golden-Winged Great Peng felt slightly dejected, but soon came around. Since its master was undergoing a transformation, it stood to lose nothing as well. It promptly closed its eyes and began the formal refining of the dragon blood.
As for whether they might be disturbed, it had no worries. With the aura permeating this place, no mutated beast would dare approach; it was a completely secure haven.
And so, master and beast, Lu Yuan and the Golden-Winged Great Peng, embarked upon their respective transformations at the very same moment.
Chapter 74