Chapter 581 - 577: Venerable Golden Bone

Chapter 581: Chapter 577: Venerable Golden Bone

The canopy of the entire Ancient Phoenix Tree was as large as five or six football fields.

Disordered branches were everywhere, and it looked as though it had been ravaged by some immense force.

This was clearly the aftermath of the Fire Cloud Divine Sect’s Venerable Powerhouse and the Phoenix crashing down after being slapped to death by Demon Venerable Xingyun, destroying most of the Phoenix Ancient Nest in the process.

But Hong Yu was still utterly shaken.

One had to understand that at its peak, the Ancient Phoenix Tree stood ten thousand zhang tall, piercing the clouds. Standing atop it felt as though one could grasp the stars.

Yet such a tree, an existence capable of resisting the scorching Phoenix True Flame, had been destroyed to this extent by the fall of a Venerable Powerhouse. One could only imagine how formidable Demon Venerable Xingyun must have been.

He was truly, as Demon Venerable Xingyun himself had claimed, unrivaled in the world!

The roar of burning flames echoed.

Hong Yu’s gaze was fixed several thousand meters ahead, on a ball of golden, burning flame situated near the center of the Phoenix Ancient Nest.

The flame had a peculiar shape, like a phoenix spreading its wings.

Even after countless years, it still radiated a terrifying heat.

Even a powerhouse like Mang Kun couldn’t get close to it.

This showed that the Phoenix True Flame, in its prime, could indeed incinerate the earth and evaporate the seas.

"After waiting for millions of years, has someone finally entered?" A faint, hoarse voice echoed out of thin air.

Hong Yu froze, staring intently at the burning golden flames.

He knew the voice had come from within that ball of fire.

He immediately clasped his hands in a fist, his expression solemn and respectful. This was the remnant will of a Venerable-level powerhouse; it could not be profaned. "This junior, Hong Yu, has entered this place by chance. If I have disturbed you, Senior, I beg for your forgiveness!"

"It matters not!"

The golden flame slowly churned, and a figure wreathed in fiery clouds walked out from within.

Majestic, domineering, and even carrying a hint of roguish charm!

This person was identical to the Venerable Powerhouse riding the Phoenix in the illusion from before, but now he lacked a trace of arrogance and possessed an air of helplessness and worldly weariness.

"Greetings, Venerable!"

Hong Yu said.

"Venerable? Heh, I have been dead for many years. How can I still be called a Venerable?"

The Fire Cloud Venerable’s voice was filled with age and powerlessness. He stood with his hands behind his back but did not approach, as if he could not leave the sphere of Phoenix True Flame. He spoke faintly, "The once-mighty Fire Cloud Divine Sect has now sunk into the long river of history, ceasing to exist. As for me, the Fire Cloud Venerable, I have been reduced to a single, unyielding wisp of a remnant soul. It seems my time has now come!"

"Hm?"

Hong Yu was taken aback.

The Fire Cloud Venerable said, "Little fellow, I noticed you the moment you began absorbing the Essence River. A very interesting little fellow. You have several things about you that even I cannot see through. Truly mysterious and strange."

Hong Yu was suddenly alarmed. ’Venerable Powerhouses are truly incredible,’ he thought.

A single glance seemed to see right through him, leaving nothing hidden.

He understood that the things the Fire Cloud Venerable couldn’t see through must be the Profound Celestial Tower and Rashomon.

These were Supreme Treasures of utmost importance hidden within his body.

For a moment, Hong Yu couldn’t help but worry.

These were two of his greatest trump cards, especially the Profound Celestial Tower, which was the foundation of everything he had. If the Fire Cloud Venerable tried to seize them...

As if seeing through Hong Yu’s worries, the Fire Cloud Venerable chuckled. "Don’t worry, little fellow. If I were at my peak, I wouldn’t mind erasing you to take your treasures. However, I have been dead for many years, clinging to this last remnant of my soul with the help of the Phoenix True Flame. I have seen through the ways of the world and will not harm you!"

"This junior judged a gentleman by his own petty standards. I ask the Venerable not to take offense!" Hong Yu breathed a sigh of relief, but his tone remained respectful.

"Mm, you are quite courteous."

The Fire Cloud Venerable nodded, then sighed. "Little fellow, do you know the purpose of the Essence River? Do you know why I have appeared to meet you?"

"This junior does not know."

Hong Yu shook his head.

He had a faint guess. From the opening of the Fire Cloud Divine Sect’s Array, to the fields of Spirit Medicine, to the Essence River, and now the Phoenix Ancient Nest...

The entire process was very much like a supreme powerhouse setting up a series of trials to test a junior.

But Hong Yu didn’t dare to speculate recklessly.

The Fire Cloud Venerable said faintly, "Back then, when my Guardian Sacred Beast, the Phoenix, and I were both advancing into the Venerable Realm, we met with a great disaster and were slain by that Demon Venerable Xingyun." As he spoke of this, a trace of hatred flickered in the Fire Cloud Venerable’s eyes, but it was overshadowed by helplessness. "I once thought, since we were both Venerables, what did it matter how strong Demon Venerable Xingyun was? How could he possibly withstand the two of us, the Phoenix and I, united? But..."

A look of terror actually appeared in the Fire Cloud Venerable’s eyes.

This was an incredibly unbelievable sight.

A dignified Venerable, a being who could pluck the stars from the sky and throw the world into chaos with a stomp of their foot.

He could actually feel terror?

The Fire Cloud Venerable took a deep breath to calm himself. "Demon Venerable Xingyun was too strong. His strength was already unrivaled in the world. I couldn’t even withstand a single palm strike from him. Fortunately, the Phoenix used its life-source True Flame to give my soul a thread of Shelter, allowing me to fall here, sealed for thousands upon thousands of years. The Fire Cloud Divine Sect also fell apart because of this. My ten great Elders were unwilling to see the sect’s lineage severed, so they established this Fire Cloud Altar to wait for a fated person."

"And you are the one I have been waiting for so bitterly!"

The Fire Cloud Venerable stared intently at Hong Yu and said seriously, "Discovering the Fire Cloud Altar requires sufficient fortune. Opening it requires wisdom and kindness. If you had used the blood of living people as a sacrifice to open the altar, what would have awaited you was the merciless incineration of the Phoenix True Flame. But you broke the altar’s Array, which is enough to prove your heart is kind..."

"The Spirit Medicine at the entrance was meant to mislead you. If you lacked sufficient ability and rashly tried to take it, you would have triggered an array and died without a doubt. Yet you had that miraculous Little Beast to sweep through it all. Not only do you possess a keen and vigilant mind, but you are also followed by great fortune. As for the Essence River, that was the key. Only someone who could absorb the power of more than five Essence Fetal Discs by themself could climb up to this place."

A fiery glint appeared in the Fire Cloud Venerable’s eyes. "Fortune, a pure heart, vigilance, strength, and talent. To possess even one of these would make one a prodigy, yet you have them all. It is for this reason that I finally decided to accept you as the inheritor of my, the Fire Cloud Venerable’s, legacy."

"So that’s how it is."

The realization dawned on Hong Yu.

He couldn’t help but feel a sense of relief. If he had taken a single wrong step, what would have awaited him was not opportunity, but destruction.

Thankfully, his luck was good!

A gentle and melodious smile appeared on the Fire Cloud Venerable’s face, as warm as the true sun. "Little fellow, if I were still alive, I would do everything in my power to help you achieve the Supreme Martial Dao. Unfortunately, my time is short, and I cannot give you much. Although my Fire Cloud Divine Sect had countless inheritances, they have been submerged in the river of time, and even many of my own memories have been eroded away."

"Right now, I can only give you four things."

HUMMM!

The golden flame behind the Fire Cloud Venerable pulsed, like joyful sprites.

Three items slowly floated before Hong Yu.

The first item was a feather, radiating a dazzling golden light.

This was a true Phoenix Feather. Wearing it could increase one’s affinity with the Fire Attribute a hundredfold, enough to instantly turn an ordinary person who knew nothing of cultivation into a prodigy of Fire Attribute cultivation.

If it were refined into a weapon, such as a Phoenix Treasure Fan, one could unleash the Phoenix True Flame to destroy enemies, making it comparable to a Seventh-Grade Primordial Weapon.

The second item was a suit of Battle Armor.

It was cyan all over with a faint red glow, like a flame encircling its chest. It was warm to the touch and had a faint metallic luster.

The Fire Cloud Venerable explained, "This Phoenix Feather was shed by my Guardian Sacred Beast, the Phoenix, when it advanced to the Venerable Realm. I gift it to you. You can either refine it into a Primordial Weapon or wear it to enhance your fire affinity. It’s not exceptionally precious, but it is still quite good. As for this Battle Armor, it is called the Fire Cloud Divine Armor. I forged it in the past from a section of the Ancient Phoenix Tree’s heartwood. Although my battle with Demon Venerable Xingyun damaged it, so it is no longer at its peak, it is still comparable to an ordinary Seventh Grade Battle Armor."

"In the future, if you can find a living Phoenix Phoenixwood, you can use it to upgrade the armor to its Peak, a Ninth-Grade Divine Armor."

The Fire Cloud Venerable pointed, and a ray of red light shot into the space between Hong Yu’s eyebrows. He said faintly, "The third treasure I bestow upon you is the supreme Secret Scripture of my Fire Cloud Divine Sect, the ’Wind and Thunder Beast Technique.’ It allows you to absorb the Wind and Thunder Power of heaven and earth and condense beasts of Wind and Thunder Elements to attack. The more Wind and Thunder Power you absorb, the stronger it becomes. If you absorb the power of nine types of Celestial Thunder and nine types of Wind Fiend, this ’Wind and Thunder Beast Technique’ can increase your combat power tenfold."

HISS!

A bright, fervent light flared in Hong Yu’s eyes.

A tenfold increase in combat power!

This was an incredibly terrifying level of enhancement. One must know that even so-called Divine-Level Martial Skills that surpassed the Celestial Level only offered about a fivefold increase.

This "Wind and Thunder Beast Technique" could actually provide a tenfold boost?

It would be an unbelievably powerful aid.

Hong Yu had already decided that he would search for Celestial Thunder and Wind Fiend Power to cultivate this Martial Skill as soon as he returned.

"And the last item!"

A trace of sorrow appeared in the Fire Cloud Venerable’s eyes. "This is a section of my Venerable Golden Bone. After being tempered by the Phoenix True Flame for ten thousand years, it has become supremely strong and fierce. Today, I will pass it on to you and have it merge with your right arm. From now on, you can activate the Venerable Golden Bone to unleash an attack with, at minimum, ten percent of my power. However, activating the Venerable Golden Bone requires a vast amount of energy. If your strength has not reached the Primordial Spirit Realm, you must not use it, or the backlash is not something you can withstand!"

’A Venerable Golden Bone? Ten percent of a Venerable’s power?’

Hong Yu’s eyes widened as he stared at the golden arm bone floating toward him.

This was a Venerable Golden Bone!

Even just one-tenth of a Venerable’s Power was enough to instantly kill a Primordial Spirit Powerhouse!

With a HUM, the Venerable Golden Bone entered Hong Yu’s right arm.

The Fire Cloud Venerable sighed softly. "Now that I have found a successor, my final wish has been fulfilled. Little fellow, let me use the last of my life’s brilliance to help you refine the Venerable Golden Bone!"

Wreathed in golden flames, the Fire Cloud Venerable rushed toward Hong Yu.

He enveloped Hong Yu’s right arm.

Under the heat of the golden flames, Hong Yu’s entire right arm instantly turned to ash, leaving only a section of golden bone connected to his shoulder.

Hong Yu gritted his teeth against the searing pain of his flesh and blood being incinerated and stared at his right arm.

He was shocked to discover something.

Under the blaze of the golden flames, he and the Venerable Golden Bone were gradually fusing. Miraculously, wisps of flesh and blood began to grow on the bone, enveloping the Venerable Golden Bone at a speed visible to the naked eye.

However, a complete fusion would likely still take some time.

But what he didn’t know was...

At the very moment he was meeting the Fire Cloud Venerable, a great battle had just concluded outside the Blazing Flame Pure Gold Vein.

Ten figures clad in black had appeared out of nowhere and, with exceptionally vicious methods, destroyed the camps of the four major powers. The dead were dead, the injured were injured, and over ninety percent of the powerhouses were captured.

"Is this the strength of the new generation of True Dragons? Not a single one of them is impressive. How boring!"

"They get worse every year!"

Several of the black-clad figures looked at the miserable state of the powerhouses from the four factions and sneered indifferently.

Suddenly,

the gaze of one of the black-clad figures flickered. He looked up toward the depths of the mine, his expression changing slightly. "The Jade Order the City Lord gave me is reacting. A great Treasure has emerged. Ignore these ants and head into the mine. Seize the Treasure!"

"Heh heh, I wonder what kind of Treasure it is!"

"With us on the job, it’s as good as ours!"

"Anyone who dares to touch the City Lord’s Treasure will be killed without mercy..."