Chronicles of the Ancient Gods

On the second day, Yan returned to the cave abode once more and entered meditation.

The fragment of memory played in his mind as vividly as a personal experience. It felt unbelievable, yet it kindled a deep longing for the next Ancient God's legacy. The shattered chain coalesced anew within his sea of consciousness, forming a page of technique: Ancient God – Sun-Ferrying·Golden Crow Descent.

"Hah! Impatient little whelp, aren't you?" a powerful, rough voice boomed. "Lad, I sense the aura of the Blood Tribe upon you. You must have practiced their arts. Since fate connects us, I shall impart one of my forms to you!"

"May I ask, senior..." Overwhelmed by the unexpected favor, Yan tried to inquire the being's name, but was cut off.

"No need for you to know. This one is simply weary!"

With that, a crimson chain disintegrated and flowed into Yan's sea of consciousness.

There were no drawn-out memories. The essence was this: a youthful God of War, his clan's annihilation, following his leader into distant exile, taking a wrong path, getting separated, and returning later only to find the clan leader slain. He brandished shield and axe to charge the Nine Heavens, fell into an ambush, was beheaded, his resentment lingering. Using his nipples as eyes and his navel as a mouth, he later attempted to save his clan leader but failed. Ultimately, he self-destructed, his form transforming into an Ancient God Lock.

It then condensed into yet another page.

Then, another pitch-black chain shattered. The great being within did not utter a single word, nor were there any memories. It seemed to merge with the previous page.

Several subsequent Ancient Gods now refused to impart their arts, citing Yan's tender age and lack of worldly experience. There was one exception, however. Sensing the residual aura of the Yunshui Clan within Yan's body, this being generously poured forth its lifetime's knowledge. Sadly, Yan lacked a water spirit root, so he could only grasp the theory. This knowledge also became a page in that thin booklet – a pale blue page, profound and mesmerizing.

Later, Yan exchanged the technique 'Water-Wind and Fire-Brilliance' with an Ancient God named Zhu Rong. In return, he received a technique akin to Chi's, one that could transform the body into magma. He lacked a fire spirit root, however. Furthermore, Zhu Rong warned that until one masters this technique completely, a great power must stand guard during its use. Otherwise, once the flames ignite upon oneself, being unable to extinguish them would reduce one to ashes.

Afterwards, Yan's divine soul returned to his physical body. He then focused inward to examine his own internal and external state. While it wasn't true internal cultivation as practiced by will cultivators, it was sufficient for his needs.

He tried again and finally succeeded. Yan immediately expanded his divine soul to the edges of this universe, then activated 'Heaven-Earth Mimicry'. He swiftly compressed his physical body. He managed to keep his external size unchanged while increasing his density and strength exponentially. Post-compression, his entire body flushed red, wreathed in billowing white mist. Clenching his fist, he gathered strength and punched forward. The void shattered, erupting with a powerful suction force. He threw another punch, forcibly sealing the rift.

Yan was initially overjoyed and planned to go show off his feat. But he hadn't taken two steps when he suddenly vomited a mouthful of blood. Immediately after, his entire body went limp, devoid of strength, and he collapsed to sit on the ground.

"I knew you were up to some foolishness." Lan Jinxi suddenly appeared before Yan. Her demeanor was icy cold, completely different from before. However, as they were fellow disciples and he had helped her once, a trace of gentleness lingered in her eyes.

"This kid's luck is terrible, to end up like this!" A man abruptly emerged behind Lan Jinxi, a dagger in hand poised to strike down.

"Wait! He has shown me kindness. You cannot kill him!" Lan Jinxi stepped directly in front of Yan, shielding him.

"What? You showed no mercy retrieving the token from the Western Region. Or is it..." The man tactlessly strode up to Lan Jinxi, his words dripping with provocation.

Lan Jinxi let out a breath. Instantly, countless wisps of white mist materialized on the man's body. In mere moments, all the moisture within him evaporated completely.

"You have seen what you shouldn't have. Given that you once did me a kindness, I will not kill you. However, you cannot keep your memories." Lan Jinxi turned back to look at Yan, her gaze softening a little. She placed a hand against his temple. A powerful surge of energy assaulted his mind, sweeping through his sea of consciousness. In moments, all memories concerning her were erased.

"Wh...why?" Yan regained a sliver of consciousness, his lips barely moving as he subconsciously asked. Then, he fell unconscious again.

"He would give up everything for me. How could I do any less for him?" Lan Jinxi stood up. After creating some disturbance here, she left without looking back, failing to notice that Yan's eyes had remained fixed on her even before he lost consciousness, holding a trace of lucidity within.

Perhaps there were a thousand words to make her stay, but none could be spoken.

"What foolishness have you gotten yourself into now?!" A man was the first to arrive at Yan's location. Seeing his state, he immediately recognized it as overexertion from cultivation. Without hesitation, he decided to send him to the infirmary. A Lian Fulan, who had been preparing to rest quietly, shattered into pieces.

Afterwards, the old dean summoned all the Masters and several senior disciples.

"Master Lan, has the identity of that evil entity in the far south been confirmed?"

(Lan) "(Hesitating for a moment) The Heart of Donghuang Taiyi. Perhaps it was formed from the resentment after his death..."

"That heart, in the end..."

(Lan) "After Fellow Daoist Ji dealt it a heavy blow, Young Master Ying Su pursued the creature. The final outcome is unknown, but a millennial demonic entity would surely leave behind a crystal core. He may very well possess it."

"Hmm~"

(Jiguang) "As for them gathering tokens from the Western Region, could it be linked to the Five Elements? I remember consulting ancient texts with Second Senior Brother once. We saw a method to reconstruct a physical body using items saturated with the ultimate power of the Five Elements, along with certain special catalysts..."

(E Ye) "But... wait! When Junior Brother Sha died, wasn't all the moisture in his body completely drained?"

Jiguang nodded.

"(Agitated) Then that means they've already collected at least two items containing ultimate elemental power! The Western Region token, and the crystal core holding that mysterious person's entire bloodline essence!"

(Cisheng) "Wait, E Ye! We can't be sure they intend to revive someone yet!"

(Master Xian) "It's highly likely! First, they secretly captured Young Master Ying Su upon his return. Given what Master Lan just said, the Heart of Donghuang Taiyi is the probable reason. Furthermore, as a member of the Ying Clan, his bloodline could be directly used to facilitate its restoration. Then, acquiring the ultimate Five Element tokens serves as insurance..."

(Shuo) "Even if they obtain the physical body, where would the soul come from? The soul-summoning technique has been lost for ages. With a millennium passed and the location of Donghuang Taiyi's death unknown, how could they possibly manage it?"

(Su) "About the bloodline... Donghuang Taiyi has no descendants, so they'd have to replicate it from residual blood. The Xi-Hua Dragon Tribe, but of its only two living members..."

Yan Kui arrived belatedly.

"Dean, honored Masters, Senior Brothers, do you recall that puppet secret art from Danfeng? The one that could unleash the full power the puppet possessed in life. What we seized was only a fragmented manual. I later sought out many experienced puppet masters to complete it, but none succeeded. Until a few days ago, I met an old man. He said once the fragmented manual is restored, it would definitely include a step to gather the soul! So..."

(Fifth Senior Brother Shu Li) "That still doesn't make sense! What motive would they have for reviving Donghuang Taiyi?"

Master Mu walked in from outside, muttering mysteriously—a rare occurrence for him.

"Everyone! Pardon the interruption. The divination hexagram indicates a sign of imminent change. Furthermore, this humble one has divined:

Not born for war, but to take a life.

Not driven by power, perhaps compelled by vengeance.

Living not in stealth, hoping to deceive the ancestors!

No place for me in the ancestral hall, no kin for me in the five directions."

After rattling off that cryptic string, he departed just as mysteriously as he came.

The group began to speculate based on this riddle, consulting ancient texts and old records. From noon till dawn, they compiled thousands of documents. Combined with clues secretly sent back by Xiao, they finally concluded: forces from other universes, aiming to weaken the Chaos Universe's combat strength for their own covert control, planned to resurrect Donghuang Taiyi. However, with numerous powers coveting this place, the situation remained shrouded in mist.

After much more pondering, morning arrived.

The door was pushed open again; this time, it was the Wind Clan's Eldest Princess—Feng Jiu—who entered.

"Esteemed fellow practitioners, this humble one brings information my grandfather obtained from the Heavenly Dao's Zun. It states that the force behind the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion and Danfeng are one and the same, or rather, the Pavilion has long since become a subsidiary of Danfeng!"

The truth dawned upon them.