Chapter 1760: The Ten Great Ancestor-Dragons
The Great Desolation Divine Hall was enormous. Vaults on the same scale as the previous one could be found everywhere.
Most of them, however, contained nothing more than large quantities of elemental crystals, medicinal pills, and weapons. Aside from those were long-dried medicinal herbs and various forging materials such as metal ores.
Finding martial art manuals or martial skills was exceedingly rare. Even so, the gains were already more than worthwhile. Yet to everyone present, the greatest opportunity remained the Great Desolation Sword Saint's inheritance.
Of course, Xiao Juanyun still could not stop thinking about the sword that the ancestor of the Xiao Clan had lost in this place.
Every time they entered a new area, he searched every corner with unwavering focus. It was obvious that the sword held extraordinary importance to the Xiao Clan.
As they continued deeper into the Great Desolation Divine Hall, the number of martial artists they encountered dwindled to almost nothing. Since those who had made it this far were already allied with Ling Feng, everyone got along peacefully, and no conflicts over treasure broke out.
After traveling for some time, Ling Feng's group finally arrived before a gigantic bronze gate.
Standing before it was a tall, broad-shouldered figure with his arms folded across his chest.
It was none other than Luo Hanzhou from the Beihan Region.
Martial artists from the Beihan Region specialized in tempering their physical bodies, but they lagged behind in many other fields.
Array formations and inscription arts, for example, were almost nonexistent there. Although Luo Hanzhou possessed strength comparable to an ordinary mid-tier Great Emperor, his storage spirit ring had very limited space.
That was precisely why he had reached this place ahead of everyone else.
After emptying a single treasure vault, his storage spirit ring had practically reached its limit.
With no choice but to move on, his pace naturally ended up much faster than everyone else's.
Ling Feng and the others quickly approached and called out, "Brother Luo!"
Luo Hanzhou glanced at them, gave a slight nod, then turned his attention back to the massive gate without another word.
"Is there something strange about this gate?"
Ling Feng studied it carefully.
The enormous bronze gate appeared to have been forged from a single colossal block of ore. It was seamless, with two divine dragons carved upon its surface.
Between them, at the very center, was an enormous vertical eye.
Just one glance at it made his scalp tingle.
It was unsettling beyond words.
"Uh... this doesn't look like an ordinary divine beast bloodline..."
The Despicable Donkey's voice echoed inside his mind, carrying an excitement that was rare even for him.
If something could shock the Despicable Donkey this much, then whatever lay beyond this gate had to be an unimaginable opportunity.
"What is it? Did you discover something?" Ling Feng replied through his spiritual consciousness.
The Despicable Donkey's expression turned unusually solemn. "The carvings on this gate remind this divine beast of a primordial divine beast that should have vanished back in the Primordial Era."
"What is it?"
"The Great Desolation Domain Dragon. One of the legendary Ten Great Ancestor-Dragons. Even this divine beast has only heard stories about it. The Ten Great Ancestor-Dragons became extinct before the rise of humanity. Otherwise, the rulers of the Immortal Domain today wouldn't be Immortal Emperors. It would still be our divine beast race."
Ling Feng's eyelids twitched.
Whether it was the Heavenly Dao Clan, the Heaven-Patrolling Clan, or the various immortal and divine races, they were fundamentally all descendants of humanity.
Before humanity ever rose to power, however, there had once been an age when the dragon clan ruled the world.
What kind of era must that have been?
After the initial shock faded, Ling Feng calmed himself and asked, "If the Ancestor-Dragon disappeared during the Primordial Era, could you have mistaken it?"
"Mistaken? Impossible." The Despicable Donkey snorted. "The Great Desolation Domain Dragon's defining trait is that it possesses only a single eye, and it always appears as a vertical eye. Haven't you noticed? The relief on this gate depicts two five-clawed golden dragons beside it. Even among the dragon clan, they rank among the noblest of dragons, yet they're still bowing in worship before that eye. That alone proves the eye belongs to one of the Ancestor-Dragons."
"The Great Desolation Sword Saint... and the Great Desolation Domain Dragon..."
Ling Feng rubbed the bridge of his nose and muttered to himself.
Judging by the names alone, the Great Desolation Sword Saint might truly have been connected to one of the Primordial Ten Great Ancestor-Dragons.
"Ancestor-Dragons existed beyond even the level of immortal and divine beings. If the Great Desolation Sword Saint really inherited the Great Desolation Domain Dragon's bloodline, there's no way he would've stopped at the Sacred Tier. Still, anything connected to an Ancestor-Dragon is undoubtedly an incomparable treasure."
The Despicable Donkey suddenly put on a shamelessly flattering grin.
"Kid, with the friendship between us, if we really get the Ancestor-Dragon bloodline, we split it fifty-fifty, right?"
"Heh..."
Ling Feng rolled his eyes.
This fellow was already discussing how to divide the spoils before they had even found the treasure.
Not long afterward, another figure cautiously approached.
He hesitated for a moment before finally walking over.
It was Yi Ming of the Tianchuan Sword Manor, the last remaining survivor inside the Great Desolation Divine Hall besides those already gathered here.
The disciples of Dragon Sword Heavenly Manor and Fluttering Willow Sword Sect had all long since gone down the road to the Yellow Spring.
Unlike the forces from Solitary Moon Heavenly Palace, Yi Ming now stood completely alone. It was only natural that he remained wary.
Clang!
A deafening sound suddenly rang out.
The gigantic vertical eye at the center of the bronze gate slowly opened, releasing a blood-red glow.
Rumble!
The massive gate gradually rose, revealing what seemed to be the beginning of an ancient world hidden beyond.
"Interesting."
A sharp gleam flashed through Luo Hanzhou's eyes.
Without the slightest hesitation, he strode inside first.
Xiao Juanyun exchanged a glance with Ling Feng, and the group immediately followed.
Yi Ming brought up the rear. Unwilling to fall behind, he gritted his teeth, unleashed his movement art, and rushed through the gateway as well.
While everyone was busy examining the strange stone monuments scattered throughout the hall, a thunderous boom echoed behind them.
The bronze gate slammed shut once again.
Just like that, everyone found themselves trapped inside the great hall.
As for how they were supposed to leave, no one had the slightest idea.