Chapter 468: The Stone Jar and Bamboo Slips, Xu on a Dragon-Taming Quest

Chapter 468: The Stone Jar and Bamboo Slips, Xu on a Dragon-Taming Quest

If the Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe had hidden the truth and tried to shift the trouble elsewhere, Xu Yan's favorable impression of the tribe would have vanished. However, since the Elder had frankly laid out the risks, Xu Yan didn't mind taking on this hot potato.

For the Sea Spirit Tribe, these two garments would bring crisis, but for Xu Yan, they were nothing to worry about.

No matter who coveted them or how powerful they were, Xu Yan didn't care.

Since he liked them, it was a perfect opportunity to gift them to someone. How could he refuse?

"It's no trouble for me, so I'll take them," Xu Yan said as he kept the jade box.

"A good reminder, young friend. The person coveting this item is likely already at the Divine Lord Realm," the Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe said solemnly.

"Divine Lord Realm? No problem!" Xu Yan smiled, unconcerned.

"Since you have such confidence, I'm relieved, young friend," the Elder said, heaving a sigh of relief.

Xu Yan continued browsing through the treasury, searching for treasures that caught his eye.

After selecting a few items, he thought that he had chosen gifts for everyone he wanted to give presents to, and there wasn't anything particularly captivating left. Just as he was about to leave, the Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe spoke up, "Young friend, why not take a look at those ancient artifacts? They are said to be from a very distant age."

"What's so special about these ancient artifacts?" Xu Yan asked curiously.

"I can't really say," the Elder replied with a shake of his head. He led Xu Yan to a corner of the treasury and rhythmically tapped the wall a few times. Immediately, an entrance appeared on the floor of the treasury's corner.

"Follow me, young friend," the Elder said as he entered the underground passage.

Xu Yan's eyebrows furrowed slightly. This hidden underground treasury was quite secretive; ordinary powerful beings probably wouldn't be able to find it.

Following the Elder, Xu Yan entered the passage and arrived in a small treasury room that was only a few meters wide.

As soon as he stepped into the room, he sensed an ancient and rustic aura.

He even felt a sense of the passage of time.

There weren't many ancient artifacts in the room—only about a dozen or so. The most eye-catching among them was a deep blue pearl that emanated a soft glow.

Apart from the pearl, the other objects looked very old but carried a sense of age and profundity.

Undoubtedly, the most striking item in the entire secret treasury was this deep blue pearl. However, Xu Yan's gaze wasn't drawn to the pearl; instead, he looked at another object—a stone jar.

It wasn't an ordinary stone jar; its mottled and aged body exuded not only the passage of time but also a subtle charm.

Xu Yan perceived a faint rhythm emanating from the stone jar, sealing its contents and preventing them from decaying over time.

The Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe was taken aback. He had expected Xu Yan to immediately examine the deep blue pearl, as it seemed the most extraordinary among the artifacts.

But he never anticipated that Xu Yan's attention would be captured by a stone jar instead.

"This stone jar is somewhat special. I've also wanted to open it and investigate its contents, but I've never been able to, and with my strength, I can't even damage it..." the Elder said.

"What's the origin of this stone jar?" Xu Yan asked curiously.

"According to legends, it was treasured by our tribe's ancient emperor," the Elder recalled. "Although we don't know the specifics, some of our ancient books briefly mention that this stone jar was bestowed upon our ancient emperor by a significant figure..."

The Elder added, "Considering that our tribe used to be true spirits of the True Dragon lineage, it's possible that it has something to do with true dragons."

Xu Yan picked up the stone jar and said, "In that case, I'll take this."

"Take it if you like it, young friend!" The Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe said happily.

He was just afraid that Xu Yan wouldn't like it. As long as Xu Yan appreciated it, accepting the tribe's treasure would create some connection and affinity between them.

If the Sea Spirit Tribe ever faced a great calamity in the future, Xu Yan might lend a hand because of this connection.

Xu Yan kept the stone jar, curious about its contents. Although he couldn't see what was inside, he had a few guesses and thought it would make a perfect gift for his master.

Then, Xu Yan turned his attention to the deep blue pearl.

The Elder introduced it, "This item is called the Canghai Pearl. It is said to have been left behind by our tribe's ancient emperor as well. I don't know its specific use, but it must hold some mystical properties."

Hearing this, Xu Yan's heart stirred. Canghai Pearl? Wasn't the giant turtle called the Canghai Turtle? Could this pearl have come from the same place as the turtle? Canghai?

Is there a place called Canghai in this world? But the Canghai Turtle is an otherworldly being, not a powerful creature from this realm.

"Could Canghai be beyond the boundaries of this world?"

The Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe shook his head. "I've never heard of it. The sea in this realm has always been known as the Azure Sea. The Azure Sea Province in the Divine Realm and the Azure Sea in the Spirit Realm are all part of the vast Azure Sea that spans this world. Due to changes in the heavens and earth, it has been separated into its current state. In ancient times, the Azure Sea was said to be far more vast than what we see in the Azure Sea Province today."

Xu Yan nodded and, with a wave of his hand, summoned the Canghai Pearl into his palm. Since it was related to the ancient emperor of the Sea Spirit Tribe, he decided to keep it and gift it to his master.

After putting away the pearl, Xu Yan continued to examine the other ancient artifacts.

The rest of the artifacts were rather ordinary, and despite their intriguing qualities, they didn't spark much interest in Xu Yan.

Ever since obtaining the Yuan Turtle's Shell, his standards had risen, and ordinary treasures no longer caught his eye.

Moreover, with his current level of strength, ordinary treasures had little effect on him.

"Hmm, what's this?"

Suddenly, Xu Yan noticed that one of the artifacts was a bamboo slip. However, the bamboo used for this slip was extraordinary and seemed similar to the jade bamboo in his possession.

It appeared to be of the same type, with the only difference being that the jade slip was made from a piece of jade bamboo of a much higher grade.

The Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe racked his brains and said, "According to the fragments of information left behind by powerful tribe members of the past, this bamboo slip contains records of strange tales or certain secrets, but it doesn't seem to include any cultivation techniques or secret arts."

Xu Yan picked up the bamboo slip and, using the Little Heavenly Dao Eye, he noticed a faint glow obscuring the content. Nonetheless, he could vaguely make out some of the writing.

"The person who wrote this bamboo slip must have been incredibly powerful. Even with my current strength and the Little Heavenly Dao Eye, I can't fully decipher its contents."

Xu Yan was astonished.

"This bamboo slip seems to be protected by a force that prevents anyone from reading its contents. After the death of our tribe's strongest member, no one has been able to see what's inside," the Elder explained.

"Moreover, this bamboo slip is a treasure in itself. It is said to be made from an extraordinary stalk of jade bamboo, one that is said to be as vast as the heavens and earth," the Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe continued.

Xu Yan nodded, almost certain that the bamboo slip and the jade bamboo in his possession belonged to the same category.

"This will make a perfect gift for my master. The strange tales within will surely keep him entertained," Xu Yan thought to himself as he kept the jade slip.

"Alright, I'll take these three items then," Xu Yan said with a smile after putting away the bamboo slip.

"Young friend, aren't you going to take a look at the rest?" The Elder asked, taken aback.

He had expected Xu Yan to claim all the ancient artifacts, and now he seemed to be leaving empty-handed.

"No need!" Xu Yan turned and started walking out.

"Today, I'm taking away three ancient artifacts from the Sea Spirit Tribe. In the future, within the scope of my abilities, I can lend a hand to your tribe three times!" Xu Yan said in a deep voice.

"Thank you, Lord Xu!" The Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe expressed his gratitude with a bow.

"Alright, your Sea Spirit Tribe now has some backing," Xu Yan smiled.

Cailinger was from the Sea Spirit Tribe and possessed the bloodline of the Sea Spirit Emperor. Currently, she was serving his master, so if the Sea Spirit Tribe ever faced a crisis, she wouldn't stand idly by.

As his master's attendant, anyone who dared to target the tribe would have to consider whether they could withstand a slap from his master.

"Yes, yes!" The Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe was overjoyed, thinking that Xu Yan himself was the backing he was referring to.

After leaving the Sea Spirit Palace, the Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe personally escorted Xu Yan back to Cloud Sky Island.

At that moment, news of the True Dragon's calamity had already reached Cloud Sky Island.

Xie Lingfeng looked at his father in shock. "Father, a true dragon? There's actually a true dragon?"

"A legendary true dragon has appeared in the Divine Realm, and it's not a good sign for the Azure Sea Province!" Xie Tianheng sighed.

In the vast sea of the Divine Realm, only the Azure Sea Province was destined to be the domain of a true dragon one day.

According to rumors, the true dragon that had appeared seemed to have lost its sanity and became extremely agitated, slaughtering Immortal Sovereigns and above.

Even those below the Refinement Realm were not spared, and many had perished due to the true dragon's rampage.

With the true dragon's strength, it would undoubtedly sweep through the Divine Realm.

"Brother Xu is about to leave the Azure Sea Province!" Xie Lingfeng exclaimed.

"Why?" Xie Tianheng asked, puzzled, then realized, "Oh right, with Brother Xu's talent, how could he miss the opportunity to witness a true dragon? After all, it's a legendary creature."

He then sighed regretfully, "If only I had the strength, I would also go and see it for myself. It's a true dragon, after all!"

However, Xie Lingfeng bitterly smiled, "Brother Xu isn't going to watch the spectacle.

News of the true dragon spread, causing a stir on Cloud Sky Island. Many revealed worried expressions, for they knew that one day, the true dragon would descend upon the Azure Sea Province.

The strong members of the Sea Spirit Tribe wore grave expressions.

Once, they were true spirits of the True Dragon lineage, tasked with patrolling the vast seas. But times had changed, and now, the Sea Spirit Tribe had weakened and lost its past glory.

Moreover, as the current rulers of the Azure Sea, they didn't want to suddenly find themselves serving a new master.

After all, this true dragon had lost its sanity and become erratic.

"This is beyond our ability to resolve. We can only hope that the Grand Unity Realm has a plan to deal with this situation," the Cloud Sky Island Master said solemnly.

"The only plan, I'm afraid, is to open the Heavenly Ladder," the Second Elder of the Sea Spirit Tribe said worriedly.

Once the Heavenly Ladder was opened, what if those who had coveted the tribe's treasures took the opportunity to descend upon the Divine Realm?

The Cloud Sky Island Master fell silent. For influential powers in the Grand Unity Realm, the opening of the Heavenly Ladder in the Divine Realm was undoubtedly a good thing. But for those without connections, it might not be beneficial.

In fact, they might not even get the chance to climb the ladder and break through their cultivation restrictions.

There were many limitations and secrets involved.

After Xu Yan and the Sea Spirit Tribe's Great Elder returned to Cloud Sky Island, the Great Elder's face turned solemn upon hearing about the true dragon. He hurried to the main hall of Cloud Sky Island.

"Brother Xie, I've come to bid farewell," Xu Yan said with a smile as he returned to Xie Lingfeng's residence.

"I expected as much," Xie Lingfeng replied with a smile.

"When we meet again, I will have surely broken through to the Void Breaking Realm!" Xie Lingfeng added confidently.

"With your talent, Brother Xie, breaking through the Void won't take long," Xu Yan nodded.

Xie Lingfeng's talent was decent, and with Xu Yan's guidance, he had already grasped the key to breaking through the Void. With the additional help of the pills Xu Yan had left him, Xie Lingfeng's cultivation speed would surely increase. Moreover, his connection to Xu Yan would ensure he received more cultivation resources on Cloud Sky Island.

"Brother Xu, are you confident?" Xie Lingfeng asked solemnly.

Taming a dragon! It had never been done before, as far as anyone knew. Xu Yan would probably be the first.

Of course, in the distant past, such records might have been lost. But as far as current history went, no one had ever tamed a dragon.

"From the information we have, it's a young dragon, not too strong. Although it can crush Immortal Sovereigns with ease, my Dragon-Taming Palm is meant for taming dragons, so I should have some confidence," Xu Yan said thoughtfully.

Xie Tianheng and Fu Yun, who were present, froze in shock.

Xu Yan was going to tame the dragon?

"Then I shall await news of your dragon-taming feat here on Cloud Sky Island!" Xie Lingfeng said solemnly.

"Good!" Xu Yan smiled and nodded.

Then, Xu Yan went to bid farewell to the Sea Spirit Tribe's Great Elder and the Cloud Sky Island Master.

"Are you leaving the Azure Sea Province already, Xu Yan?" the Cloud Sky Island Master and the others asked, their faces filled with reluctance.

With Xu Yan around, the entire Azure Sea Province seemed to have a backbone, and now that he was leaving, they suddenly felt uneasy.

"I have urgent matters to attend to, so I must take my leave," Xu Yan nodded.

"If there's anything we can help with, please don't hesitate to ask. Cloud Sky Island is forever grateful for your assistance," the Cloud Sky Island Master said sincerely.

"You can't help me with this matter," Xu Yan replied.

"We know our strength is meager, but in the Divine Realm, we are still considered powerful. We can still be of some assistance to you. Please, don't hesitate to ask!" the Cloud Sky Island Master continued.

"Thank you for your kind intentions, but you really can't help with this," Xu Yan said.

"Immortal Sovereigns may be weak in your eyes, but in the Divine Realm, they are still a force to be reckoned with. Even major powers wouldn't dare to underestimate so many Immortal Sovereigns. In the entire Divine Realm, there are only a handful of people as strong as you, Brother Xu. We can definitely be of some help, even if it's just to cheer you on and boost your morale!" the Cloud Sky Island Master said solemnly.

The other Azure Sea powerhouses nodded in agreement, stating that even if they could only cheer him on, their large number of Immortal Sovereigns could still boost Xu Yan's morale!

Xu Yan cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your kind intentions, but I'm going to tame a dragon this time!"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end