Chapter 237: Familiar Sinister Aura

Chapter 237: Familiar Sinister Aura

October 20, 2024

Grand Sacred Weapon!

Gu Qingfeng's gaze fell upon the Divine Phoenix Tower. He could sense the terrifying aura emanating from it.

To be honest, Gu Qingfeng couldn't help but be tempted by such a supreme treasure.

Like the Shangguan Clan, merely summoning a Sacred Weapon could grant them power on par with a Sage. If the Grand Sacred Weapon's full power were unleashed, its divine might would be even more formidable.

However, as Gu Qingfeng looked at the Divine Phoenix Tower, he could faintly sense its resistance.

Clearly, such a supreme treasure wasn't something just anyone could wield.

"You can wield the Divine Phoenix Tower, which means it recognizes you. Remember, divine weapons have their own spirits. With this treasure to protect you, you will surely go far in the future."

"So, you should keep this treasure for yourself. There's no need to give it to me."

Gu Qingfeng shook his head in refusal.

The Divine Phoenix Tower's resistance indicated that it didn't recognize him.

Besides, a father shouldn't take his son's things.

Seeing Gu Qingfeng's refusal, Gu Yang took out a black ring.

"This is something I obtained from the Grand Sacred Realm. If my guess is correct, it should be a storage ring. Unfortunately, it has powerful restrictions that ordinary cultivators cannot break."

"I'll consider this as my way of showing respect to my father!"

"Storage ring—"

Gu Qingfeng looked at the black ring, his brows slightly raised, and then he smiled and accepted it.

He could see that Gu Yang genuinely wanted to do something for him, so Gu Qingfeng didn't reject his goodwill.

Sure enough, a smile appeared on Gu Yang's face when Gu Qingfeng accepted the black ring.

"The imperial court lacks a strong foundation. I plan to establish an institution to recruit and cultivate talented cultivators from various martial academies, thereby strengthening the court's foundation."

Gu Qingfeng said, "You can handle these matters as you see fit. The Divine Martial Dynasty is ultimately your legacy."

"Yes, Father."

—

After Gu Yang left, Gu Qingfeng focused his attention back on the black ring. As Gu Yang had mentioned, it was indeed protected by powerful restrictions.

These restrictions, even after enduring the passage of time, remained exceptionally strong.

Gu Qingfeng held the black ring, his Dao Palace spirit vibrating, and a vast wave of divine will surged from his body, striking the black ring forcefully.

The ring trembled.

Numerous restrictions appeared, manifesting boundless Dao patterns before shattering inch by inch.

At the moment the ring broke, Gu Qingfeng's divine will perceived the internal scene.

Inside, there was a space roughly a hundred feet wide, comparable to a palace, but only three items were placed within.

An ancient tripod!

A bloodstained stone!

And a jade talisman!

Gu Qingfeng imprinted his divine will directly onto the black ring, and a message immediately surfaced.

"Heavenly Cloud Ring!"

This was the name of the storage ring.

Then, Gu Qingfeng removed the three items from the Heavenly Cloud Ring.

First, the ancient tripod.

It was cast from bronze, with intricate cloud patterns carved into its surface, and at times, it seemed as though lightning was evolving within. Dense Dao patterns filled it, radiating a powerful aura.

The moment Gu Qingfeng saw this ancient tripod, he understood that it was a Sacred Weapon.

The aura it emitted was even stronger than the Shangguan Clan's Sun Yang Mirror.

"A Sacred Weapon!"

"Could the one who left the Heavenly Cloud Ring be a Sage?"

Gu Qingfeng's eyes flickered.

Those who could wield a Sacred Weapon were most likely Sages. Moreover, from the restrictions on the Heavenly Cloud Ring, it was evident that even after so many years, they were still extremely powerful.

Only Gu Qingfeng's current soul power was strong enough to easily break the restrictions on the Heavenly Cloud Ring.

For other Dao Palace Realm cultivators, breaking the restrictions would be nearly impossible.

This made Gu Qingfeng once again marvel at Gu Yang's good fortune.

Indeed, Gu Yang's luck was substantial.

His journey into the Grand Sacred Realm not only yielded a Grand Sacred Weapon but also a legacy left by a Sage.

Gu Qingfeng even suspected that if Gu Xuan hadn't entered the realm as well, the legacy of the Grand Phoenix Sage might have fallen into Gu Yang's hands.

Of course, this didn't mean that Gu Xuan's luck was necessarily weaker than Gu Yang's.

When both parties had substantial luck, it came down to a matter of opportunity.

But it couldn't be denied that both of their fortunes were strong.

Otherwise.

They would never have been able to secure the two greatest opportunities in the Great Sage Secret Realm under the watchful eyes of so many powerful figures.

It’s important to note that before entering the secret realm, one of them was merely at the Bone Cleansing stage, and the other was just a Grandmaster.

Even after emerging from the secret realm, they were still only two Grandmasters.

Then.

Gu Qingfeng turned his gaze to the remaining jade talisman.

The jade talisman was stained with blood. As Gu Qingfeng’s divine consciousness entered it, a voice immediately echoed in his ears.

“My name is Tianyun. By the time you hear this, I am already dead. The Nine Provinces are filled with ominous portents... opportunities... great opportunities. Enter the Nine Provinces... and seek immortality...”

The voice started out relatively normal but became increasingly panicked as it went on, before finally returning to its usual calm.

However.

In this calm tone, Gu Qingfeng sensed something unusual.

Ominous!

Great Opportunity!

Gu Qingfeng stared at the blood-stained jade talisman as if something living had come to life on it. A strange and cold aura erupted, and he felt as if he had fallen into endless darkness.

In the next moment.

Gu Qingfeng unleashed his blood qi, and the terrifying power of his blood qi, like a blazing sun, dispelled all the strange and cold aura.

Then.

A bizarre, howling sound echoed, and when the darkness dissipated, Gu Qingfeng saw that the blood on the jade talisman had vanished.

“Evil entity—”

“An evil entity that can corrupt even a Sage!!”

Gu Qingfeng crushed the jade talisman, his expression more serious than ever.

Since he had perfected his physical cultivation and transformed his life essence, Gu Qingfeng no longer feared such evil entities.

Especially after Gu Yang established the Divine Martial Dynasty and cast the Nine Tripods to suppress the Nine Provinces, all evil entities had vanished.

But now.

Gu Qingfeng realized things were not that simple.

The blood on the jade talisman was not ordinary blood; it contained the power of an evil entity.

Indeed.

It was an evil entity!

Gu Qingfeng was not unfamiliar with this kind of power.

He had thought that evil entities were merely insignificant beings, but now he saw that they were far more complex.

The Sage Tianyun, who left the Tianyun Ring, might have fallen to an evil entity.

Furthermore.

Gu Qingfeng suspected that the person who left the jade talisman might not have been Sage Tianyun at all.

“An evil entity that can cause the fall of a Sage must mean there is a great secret in the Nine Provinces!”

Gu Qingfeng took a deep breath and then looked at the blood-stained ore.

He tried to use his blood qi to touch the ore, but it did not trigger the same cold and bizarre power as before. Instead, a majestic and holy aura erupted.

Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng concluded that the blood on the ore did not come from an evil entity but from a Sage.

A stone stained with the blood of a Sage!

Gu Qingfeng believed that this stone was far more complex than he had imagined.

Otherwise.

Why would Sage Tianyun have kept it in the Tianyun Ring?

Then.

There was the ancient tripod.

When Gu Qingfeng’s divine consciousness touched the holy weapon, it triggered a strong resistance, and waves of pressure drowned him.

“Resistance!”

“I fear not even a living Sage, let alone a mere holy weapon!”

Gu Qingfeng sneered and then sent a terrifying divine consciousness, far surpassing the Dao Palace stage, to suppress the ancient tripod. Under such absolute power, even a holy weapon could not cause much trouble.

In an instant.

The ancient tripod trembled and wailed, as if a living being unwilling to submit.

But under the absolute power, the tripod’s resistance was almost useless.

Under the suppression of his divine consciousness, Gu Qingfeng clenched his right fist and unleashed a force capable of shattering mountains and crushing valleys, striking the ancient tripod, causing it to tremble violently.

Bang!

Bang! Bang!

Each punch contained terrifying blood qi, enough to shatter any Dao Palace stage expert. Under such fierce attacks, the ancient tripod trembled even more.

The initial resistance weakened significantly.

Seizing this opportunity, Gu Qingfeng imprinted his divine soul on the ancient tripod, and the previous resistance instantly disappeared.

In the next moment.

Information about the ancient tripod appeared in Gu Qingfeng’s mind.

“Cloud Thunder Tripod!”

This was the name of the holy weapon.

All holy weapons have different ranks, but the true determinant of a holy weapon’s strength is the cultivator who wields it.

Even if a Saint is just entering the Sage Realm or is at the peak of the Sage Realm, the Holy Armaments they leave behind are fundamentally the same.

Of course.

The Sage power hidden within Holy Armaments naturally varies.

At this moment.

Gu Qingfeng controlled the Cloud Thunder Cauldron, and he truly felt the immense power it contained. He tried to activate it with his life force, and immediately, a formidable Sage might erupted.

This Sage might.

It was far more powerful than the Sage might the Cloud Thunder Cauldron had emitted on its own.

"If I had this Cloud Thunder Cauldron, I wouldn't have wasted so much time in my battle with the Sun Sage!"

A smile curved at the corners of Gu Qingfeng's lips.

The power of a Holy Armament was indeed impressive, enhancing his overall strength by at least thirty percent.

One must understand.

Thirty percent of strength is not a small number.

With this Holy Armament in hand, even if other Holy Lands brought Great Holy Armaments, Gu Qingfeng was confident he could face them.

After all—

Sages are not currently active.

The strongest individuals other factions can mobilize are only Half-Sages.

Since his battle with the Sun Sage, Gu Qingfeng realized that although he is in the Dao Palace Realm, his strength is sufficient to rival a true Sage.

A Sage carrying a Holy Armament and a Half-Sage carrying a Great Holy Armament cannot truly compare in terms of the power they can unleash.

Moreover.

Not everyone can activate a Great Holy Armament.

After mastering the Cloud Thunder Cauldron, Gu Qingfeng discovered that if one's cultivation is insufficient, forcing the power of a Holy Armament requires a blood sacrifice from the cultivator.

In simpler terms.

To activate even a small portion of a Holy Armament's power, one must at least be in the Dao Palace Realm. If one is below the Dao Palace Realm and attempts to activate a Holy Armament, they must offer a blood sacrifice.

Similarly.

The threshold for using a Great Holy Armament is at least the Sage Realm. Only Sages can truly unleash the immense power of a Great Holy Armament.

While Great Holy Armaments are immensely powerful and can easily subdue many cultivators, without truly activating their inner power, subduing a Sage is not so simple.

Therefore.

Without a Sage wielding a Great Holy Armament, a Dao Palace Realm cultivator must offer a blood sacrifice.

Thus.

With strength comparable to a Sage and the Cloud Thunder Cauldron in hand, Gu Qingfeng is, in a sense, invincible.

The premise is.

No true Sage has emerged.

If a Sage with a Great Holy Armament were to appear, that would be a different story.

Of course.

There is another method to use Holy Armaments and Great Holy Armaments, similar to the Sun Mirror, by directly activating the Sage's divine consciousness left within.

However.

The divine consciousness left by any strong being is limited, forming the foundation of major factions.

Still.

As long as it's not a Sage with a Great Holy Armament, Gu Qingfeng is not afraid of Half-Sages with Great Holy Armaments.

"Unfortunately, the Sun Mirror was destroyed. Otherwise, if I had seized the Holy Armament from the Shangguan family, I would have two Holy Armaments in my possession!"

"Thus, my strength would be even greater..."

Gu Qingfeng felt a bit regretful thinking about the destroyed Sun Mirror.

But in that situation, he couldn't hold back.

If he didn't use his full strength, he might have been the one to fall.

So.

Destroying the Sun Mirror was a necessary action.

If he were at the peak of the Dao Palace Realm and could easily suppress the Sun Sage's divine consciousness, Gu Qingfeng would have definitely seized the Sun Mirror for himself.

Even if he didn't use it himself, leaving it for his descendants would be beneficial, as no one would ever complain about having too many Holy Armaments.

Subsequently.

With a thought, the Cloud Thunder Cauldron disappeared and reappeared in his Dantian Dao Palace.

He had a premonition that he could summon the Cloud Thunder Cauldron with a mere thought.

This mystical ability.

It made Gu Qingfeng increasingly astonished.

In comparison.

His Zuxie Sword, which he had nurtured and refined for many years, could not be stored in his Dantian like the Cloud Thunder Cauldron.

Clearly.

To have such an ability, one must possess a Holy Armament.

As for the Zuxie Sword, in Gu Qingfeng's view, after years of cultivation, it should be considered an Ancient Armament. However, this depends on who wields it.

In the hands of others, the Zuxie Sword would be merely an Ancient Armament.

But if he wields it, Gu Qingfeng can use the Zuxie Sword to shatter the Sun Mirror.

"If I have the opportunity, I could refine the Zuxie Sword again. If this divine weapon can be elevated to a Holy Armament, its true potential would far surpass the Cloud Thunder Cauldron!"

Gu Qingfeng mused.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end