Shocking the Nine Heavens With My Sword
Chapter 326 - 314 Three Yang Ancient Land (3/3)

Chapter 326: Chapter 314 Three Yang Ancient Land (3/3)

Descendants of great households are mostly very calculating.

The deeper one’s thinking, the more they consider the consequences, assessing the gains and losses, deciding whether it’s worth it. They usually maximize benefits or minimize losses.

However, such individuals often lack boldness.

This was exactly the case with Yang Zhan!

Even after being insulted to his face, he chose to hold back, no different from a coward, right?

Yang Zhan had his own plans. Although Zhou Heng’s Purple Flame Heavenly Dragon was indeed powerful enough to disrupt his Deities, he had more than one attack method at his disposal, and he also possessed secret weapons.

But since they were secret weapons, naturally, they should be used only at the most critical moments. The Green-Eyed Water Buffalo horn, though valuable and greatly beneficial, had not reached the level that required him to immediately use his reserves.

After all, his visit this time was for the Secret Treasure in the Three Yang Ancient Land, and he would inevitably face a fierce struggle later. It was not worth revealing his trump cards now.

As a cunning leader, if one can endure momentarily, when he later becomes a king among men, won’t he be able to reclaim his loss many times over?

Zhou Heng cut off the horn of the Green-Eyed Water Buffalo and glanced at Yang Zhan, whose lips twitched involuntarily, clearly not as composed inside as he appeared on the outside.

Sang Qingshan and Ice Phoenix Lady unapologetically took the Demon Core of the Green-Eyed Water Buffalo, and how they divided it privately was none of Zhou Heng’s business.

Though the Green-Eyed Water Buffalo was treasured all over, for someone at Sang Qingshan’s level, only the Demon Core and the horn were worthy of their attention; anything else was at most good for exchanging for some Spirit Stones.

The last thing they lacked was Spirit Stones!

Yang Zhan naturally didn’t value Spirit Stones either, and he wouldn’t stoop to pick up other "parts" from the Green-Eyed Water Buffalo, or else he would really lose all his dignity.

Zhou Heng didn’t waste either. Since he was the one who had killed the Demon Beast, he collected the remaining body, which was greatly nourishing, particularly at the Spirit Sea Realm level—something not just anyone could enjoy.

He also had family, friends, a lovely wife, and beautiful subordinates; good things were indeed never too many.

The four, accompanied by a donkey, continued forward. With the Green-Eyed Water Buffalo, this "local bully," eliminated, no other Demon Beast dared to attack them. About half an hour later, they finally reached the bottom of the lake.

At the lake’s bottom was a town in ruins. Although not a single building was intact, one could still discern the grandeur of the architectural complex from bygone years, sprawling and comparable to a small city.

"In the past, the Three Yang Sect was also a super major sect, but sadly, it couldn’t withstand the ravages of time and met its decline," said the Ice Phoenix Lady with a sigh, noting that compared to family heritage, a sect’s cohesion could be weaker.

She came from the Point Star Sect and couldn’t help but be moved seeing the dilapidated state of the Three Yang Sect.

"It is said that a long time ago, the Three Yang Sect was just an unnoticed little sect until by a stroke of luck they received a powerful inheritance and rose to prominence, becoming a major sect. Sadly, high times led to decay, not only did their talents wither away, but they didn’t even have Spirit Stones to activate the Mountain Protection Array, and an earthquake destroyed all their foundations!" Sang Qingshan also lamented.

"Speaking of earthquakes, it seems that recently there have been many massive earthquakes occurring in many places!" Ice Phoenix Lady frowned, her Divine Light forming into a phoenix flapping its wings above her head, displaying tremendous might.

"Indeed, it does feel like the end of days is coming!" Sang Qingshan interjected.

"Humph, shouldn’t we hurry into the ruins instead of voicing more sighs?" Yang Zhan, in a bad mood, snarled, and then suddenly changed his tone, "Besides, don’t you know the saying, ’In chaos, heroes emerge’?"

"It’s right there!" Sang Qingshan pointed toward a Stone Palace in front of them, a hundred feet tall and extraordinarily majestic, and importantly, very well preserved with hardly any damage.

The four, along with the donkey, arrived at the grand entrance of the palace. The door was ten feet tall, but the stone doors had long since vanished, leaving only the dark entryway to hint at its past magnificence.

Walking through the wave, the Stone Palace was supported by twelve huge columns, each so thick it took a dozen people to circle them, and despite so many years submerged under water, the stone material still shone white as jade, clearly of superior quality.

At the end of the Stone Palace stood a statue of an elderly man, carved so lifelike and with a presence so commanding that even as a mere statue, its sheer authority was intimidating, making it difficult for one to look directly at it.

"Three Yang Heavenly Venerate was also among the top figures in the world in his day, alas, since his death in battle, the Three Yang Sect began its decline!" Sang Qingshan sighed, brought his hands together in a reverence, and bowed to the statue, saying, "Three Yang Heavenly Venerate, we apologize for the intrusion!"

With a push of his hands, a vigorous force swept by, and the statue clicked into motion, revealing a passageway.

"Let’s go!"

The four and the donkey entered the passageway, feeling instantly lighter, as the passageway was completely dry, utterly devoid of water.

Clomp, clomp, clomp—they made no effort to quiet their footsteps, which echoed endlessly through the vacant corridor, its pitch-black surroundings enough to terrify any ordinary person.

The corridor wasn’t long, and the group of four, along with the donkey, took only about five minutes at a normal pace to reach the end, where the path suddenly opened up into a lush forest.

"This is the true Three Yang Ancient Land!"

This forest had been hidden by a Deity from the Divinity Transformation Realm using profound methods, and it was accessible only through the stone palace corridor. To leave, however, one only needed to walk straight out of the forest.

Zhou Heng was deeply impressed by such miraculous techniques.

Without stopping, they entered the forest and walked at least a thousand miles before reaching a pond.

"Is it here?" Zhou Heng asked, seeing that the other three and even the Black Donkey had stopped, showing a hint of surprise as he could see nothing special about the pond.

"Brother Zhou, don’t underestimate this water!" Sang Qingshan spoke solemnly. "This is Heavy Water, more dangerous than drowning. Each drop is as heavy as a mountain, and even someone in the Nascent Soul Realm could be instantly crushed to a pulp if they enter!"

"The passage is down below, but to go down we must first drain the Heavy Water. I have observed and found a mechanism in the pool; once activated, the water will be directed to another location!"

Zhou Heng furrowed his brows and said, "Brother Sang, how do you know there are treasures in this passage?"

"Three Yang Sect received an ancient inheritance, and for countless years, there has been no news of anyone retrieving it. Therefore, I dare say that beneath this Heavy Water lies the true foundation of the Three Yang Sect!" Sang Qingshan said earnestly.

"To find out whether it’s true or not, we just need to open the mechanism!" Yang Zhan seemed somewhat impatient.

"Everyone, let’s join hands!" Ice Phoenix Lady suggested, being the first to deploy her Domain and enter the Heavy Water. She along with Sang Qingshan and Yang Zhan had been here before and knew exactly where the mechanism was located.

Sang Qingshan and Yang Zhan also expanded their Domains, and without hesitation, Zhou Heng extended his Divine Sense into the Heavy Water.

Divine Sense is formless and should have been able to spread easily, but the Heavy Water felt like a mire, significantly hampering his Divine Sense. What should have been a straight path forward now required awkward and stumbling movements, much like a drunken man.

At the bottom of the pond, there was a millstone as large as a house, gently trembling. Above it were an ice phoenix, a column of water, and a black python, all pushing the millstone.

These were the Deities of Sang Qingshan and the others. Although they were not fully formed yet, one could still discern their rough shapes. As Sang Qingshan said, the combined effort of three could only barely make the mechanism tremble but could not truly shake it.

With a thought from Zhou Heng, a pair of golden fists appeared, striking the millstone counterclockwise.

He had not formed any Deities; this was just his Domain, which he could manipulate at will. Using his fists seemed reasonable because if he summoned the Purple Flame Heavenly Dragon, the Deities of Sang Qingshan and the others would probably shatter instantly. How would they continue then?

Bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!

Zhou Heng’s fists flew faster and faster, and with the effort of the four, the tremor of the stone mill intensified until it finally began to turn slowly.

Creak, creak, creak!

In another place, any of them could have easily sent the stone mill flying hundreds of yards with a casual flick of the wrist; but under the pressure of the Heavy Water, the millstone was absolutely heavier than a mountain, and even the combined strength of the four was incredibly strained.

Utilizing their Domains was a drain on their Divine Sense. Normally, a genius like Zhou Heng could fight for days and nights, but the stone mill was so incredibly heavy that it wore them out in a short time, turning all their faces pale.

But since the millstone had started to turn, indicating that the mechanism was being activated, how could they give up halfway?

They clenched their teeth and persisted!

Creak, creak, boom, boom, boom!

As the millstone turned, it triggered the opening of the mechanism, emitting a tremendous rumbling noise; the ground shook continuously as if during an earthquake.

All four possessed terrifying strength, any one of them could trigger a minor quake with their full force; now that they were working together, the fact that they could barely get the mechanism to open illustrates just how heavy the millstone was.

Only the Black Donkey looked completely relaxed, lying on the ground and yawning out of boredom. If it didn’t want to reveal its secret, it would definitely lean on a nearby rock, cross its front hooves, raise a hind hoof, and start making sarcastic remarks.

Boom, boom, boom—the loud sounds were endless. When it reached a certain point, a whirlpool appeared in the middle of the pond and then grew larger and spun faster; soon after, the water level began to drop.

After a full half-hour, the pond finally drained completely, revealing a dark, foreboding opening near the bottom, leading to an unknown destination (To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation vote or monthly ticket, and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read on m.qidian.com).