236: Hidden secrets

In the corner of the quiet room, the "small mountain" of treasures harvested from the Dragon Palace shimmered with various precious lights under the faint glow of the spiritual spring.

Rainbow was happily frolicking amidst the pile of treasures.

Its two heads would sometimes dive into the gaps between crystals together and sometimes pull out something shiny, looking very much like a young Dragon discovering a Treasure Trove.

Gao De shifted his gaze from the map to Rainbow, a soft look flashing in his eyes.

Although this little fellow's intelligence wasn't high, it was naturally sensitive to Spiritual Qi, especially fond of collecting crystal-clear objects or items that emitted a special light.

Back at the Dragon Palace Water Mansion, it had once stumbled upon several buried high-grade spiritual materials by chance.

“I'll let you play for a while.” Gao De shook his head, just about to turn his attention back to the war deployment—

“Hiss, hiss!” Rainbow suddenly cried out in excitement.

Its front head laboriously dragged something out from under a pile of broken jade plates.

It was a palm-sized bronze box with an ancient design.

The box was covered in mottled verdigris, its surface carved with cloud patterns and some kind of ancient script, with slight cracks along the edges.

Most peculiar of all, a thumbnail-sized transparent crystal was embedded in the center of the box; inside the crystal, dense mist slowly swirled, emitting an extremely faint milky-white halo in the dim quiet room.

Rainbow's back head also leaned in, and the two heads carried the bronze box together, swimming to Gao De's feet as if presenting a treasure, looking up and making “hissing” sounds to claim credit.

“This is...” Gao De's heart stirred as he reached out to take the bronze box.

It felt ice-cold and heavy, its texture neither metal nor jade.

He tried to investigate with his Divine Sense, only to find that the moment his Divine Sense touched the surface of the bronze box, it was bounced back by a gentle yet resilient force.

“A Restriction? And it's of no low grade.” Gao De's expression became serious.

This bronze box had been mixed in with a pile of debris from the Dragon Palace ruins; because its spiritual energy fluctuations were too weak and it was covered in thick verdigris, he had actually overlooked it during the previous inventory.

If not for Rainbow's obsession with “shiny objects,” this pearl might have truly remained hidden in the dust.

He carefully scrutinized the patterns on the surface of the bronze box.

Those cloud patterns were ancient and elegant, faintly forming the pathways of some kind of Formation.

And that ancient script... Gao De concentrated on identifying it, and the knowledge from the Dragon Clan Bloodline Legacy in his mind was mobilized.

“This is... 'Cloud Seal Script'?” He was somewhat uncertain.

Cloud Seal Script was one of the ancient immortal path scripts; legend had it that it was formed from the condensation of Innate cloud qi, with every character and talisman containing the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth.

Something that could have a Restriction engraved with this kind of script was definitely no ordinary object.

Gao De tried to inject Dragon Yuan.

The bronze box did not react at all.

He then tried to drip a drop of Essence Blood onto it.

The blood droplet rolled on the surface of the box but could not seep in.

“It seems that forcing it open won't work.” Gao De pondered, suddenly recalling a piece of information he had obtained from the Heavenly Secret Realm—certain ancient Restrictions required spiritual energy of a specific attribute or a special technique to open.

With a slight thought, he summoned the yimu azure dragon pearl before him.

Azure light spilled down, enveloping the bronze box.

This time, the cloud patterns on the surface of the bronze box actually lit up slightly; although still faint, it was no longer unresponsive!

“The yimu life force is effective?” Gao De's spirits rose as he continued to drive the Azure Dragon pearl.

At the same time, he circulated the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art, transforming his own Dragon Yuan into the purest thunder-fire power and slowly injecting it into the bronze box.

Thunder-fire was supremely Yang and firm, while yimu life force was long-lasting and resilient.

As the two powers intertwined on the surface of the bronze box, those cloud patterns seemed to come to life, beginning to flow slowly.

“Crack.”

A very slight crisp sound.

The transparent crystal in the center of the bronze box suddenly flared with light, the mist inside churned violently, and finally condensed into a small talisman phantom that vanished in a flash.

The lid of the box automatically opened a crack.

An indescribably profound aura diffused from the crack.

Gao De held his breath and gently lifted the lid.

The box was lined with long-faded brocade, and resting on the brocade was a silver book that was neither silk nor leather, thin as a cicada's wing.

On the cover of the book, three ancient characters were written in Cloud Seal Script.

Gao De identified them carefully and slowly read them out:

“Cloud... Restriction... Art?”

He cautiously took out the book and unfolded it.

The first page was not text, but a flowing pattern of clouds and mist.

Within the mist, countless silver threads as thin as hair intertwined into a web, appearing and disappearing, incomparably mysterious.

Gao De's Divine Sense sank into the pattern, and a massive amount of information immediately surged into his mind—

“The Dao of Cloud Restriction takes the cloud qi of heaven and earth as its foundation, transforming the formless into the tangible, and condensing the void into a cage...”

“At Minor Achievement, one can deploy the Cloud-Locking Mist Formation to trap enemies in a small space; at Major Achievement, one can refine the Cloud Realm Heaven Prison to Seal off an entire region...”

“Upon reaching Perfection, a single thought can form a cloud Restriction, turning the void into a prison...”

This was an extremely rare Legacy that specialized in the Dao of 'imprisonment' and 'sealing'!

The more Gao De read, the more shocked he became.

The Dao of Cloud Restriction did not rely on external objects like Formation Flags or Formation Plates, but instead used one's own spiritual energy as a guide to communicate with the clouds and mist of heaven and earth, directly constructing a restricted space.

Its most terrifying aspect was that it was formless and invisible, making it impossible to guard against!

Imagine if, during a battle, the water vapor and mist around an enemy suddenly turned into invisible shackles, locking down their movements and even directly cutting off their connection with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi... What kind of terrifying battlefield control would that be?

“Moreover, this Dao actually has many points of synergy with my existing Divine Abilities and Magic Treasures.” Gao De's eyes flashed with sharp light.

He had the Water Vein Affinity Divine Ability, making him keenly sensitive to water vapor and mist; he had the prison dragon talisman, which already contained the Dao of suppression and sealing; and his reforged Purple Heaven Blood Dragon Restriction Sword also possessed the 'Restriction' attribute.

If he could comprehend the Cloud Restriction Art and combine the three, their power would surely undergo a qualitative change!

“Rainbow, you've really rendered a great service this time.” Gao De smiled and patted Rainbow's two heads.

Rainbow made a joyful “hissing” sound, swam around Gao De twice, and then dove back into the treasure pile to continue searching.

Gao De carefully put away the Cloud Restriction Art.

This art was profound and could not be fully understood in a short time; with the war imminent, he could only wait until after the battle to study it in detail.

However, the matter of the bronze box made him feel a bit more wary—just how many undiscovered secrets were still hidden within the Dragon Palace ruins?

He once again sank his Divine Sense into the Tianji Ring, this time no longer browsing generally, but specifically searching for information related to “Cloud Restriction,” “Ancient Restrictions,” and “Dragon Palace Secret Treasures.”

The Heavenly Secret Realm was as vast as an ocean, and the related information was scattered.

Gao De patiently sorted through it and gradually pieced together some clues:

[According to the Incomplete Manual of the 'Cloud Dream Ancient Records', during ancient times, there was a 'Cloud Dream Immortal Sect' that excelled in the art of cloud Restriction, its disciples all using Cloud Seal Script as talismans... Later, the Sect was annihilated in a great tribulation, and its Legacy was scattered...]

[Three hundred years ago, a Cultivator discovered half a broken stone tablet engraved with Cloud Seal Script in the ancient riverbed of the upper reaches of the Qian River, suspected to be an ancient ruin...]

[In recent years, within the sphere of influence of the Dragon Palace, fluctuations of ancient Restrictions have been detected multiple times, suspected to be related to a certain 'Ancient Chidao Ruins' excavated by the Dragon Palace...]

Ancient Chidao Ruins!

Gao De's heart jolted.

He remembered the two visitors from the Central Continent during the Dragon Palace birthday banquet—Mysterious Mechanism Master of the Tianyan Sect and Shopkeeper Chen of the Myriad Treasures Pavilion.

They had come to the Qian River precisely to search for the “Ancient Chidao Ruins” and the “void node.”

And the core energy hub of the Dragon Transformation Pool, where the Black-Robed Person Shadow Erosion was nurturing the evil dragon primordial fetus, also seemed to be connected to some ancient leyline... “Could it be that beneath the Dragon Palace, there really is an ancient ruin that hasn't been fully excavated? And a Legacy like the Cloud Restriction Art is just the tip of the iceberg?” The more Gao De thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

The Dragon Palace had been able to dominate the Qianjiang River Basin for thousands of years with an incredibly deep foundation, perhaps not only because the Dragon King was powerful, but also because they held certain ancient secrets.

Now that the Dragon Palace had collapsed, would these secrets also be exposed? Would those forces hiding in the shadows—the Heavenly Demon Cult, Central Continent powers, or even older Sects—move upon hearing the news?

“This war might be even more complex than I imagined.” Gao De felt a heavy pressure.

He exited the Heavenly Secret Realm and paced in the quiet room.

Outside the window, the spiritual light of the Formations throughout the Water Mansion was fully lit, illuminating the dark waters with a brilliant glow.

The sound of patrolling guards' footsteps and orders being relayed could be faintly heard, and the air was thick with the chilling aura of an impending battle.

Turtle Three Thousand's communication Jade Slip vibrated slightly at this moment.

Gao De swept his Divine Sense over it; it was the latest intelligence sent by Green Edge from Lesser Qingqiu:

“Master, the Red Scale Cave army has set out, about two thousand three hundred Demon Soldiers, led by the 'Fire Scale Python'. They are expected to arrive at the outskirts of Lesser Qingqiu in five days. Additionally, the scout bee swarm detected weak fourth-rank fluctuations three hundred miles behind the enemy army, suspected to be Lord Chilian following in hiding. Shall we proceed with the plan to lure the enemy?”

Gao De pondered for a moment and replied: “Proceed as planned. Be careful, Lord Chilian might be hiding in the shadows, waiting to strike when you engage the Fire Scale Python. Once a fourth-rank presence is discovered, retreat immediately and lure them into the core area of the Flower Burial Plain. The purple heaven thunder talisman I gave you can be used at a critical moment to force Lord Chilian back and buy time.”

“Green Edge understands.”

Ending the communication, Gao De then contacted Iron Pincer.

“What are the movements of the Black Water Pool army?”

“Reporting to the Great King, the enemy army has entered the thirty-thousand-mile range, and their speed has slowed down, as if they are waiting for something. In addition, the Shadow Snake Guard report that thirty miles from the enemy's flank, they discovered a small number of unidentified figures with a cold aura, not like the aquatic tribes, suspected to be land-based Yao Race or... Human Cultivators.”

A third-party force!

Gao De's gaze sharpened.

As expected, this war had attracted more than just the Black Water Pool and Red Scale Cave; if he were the Heavenly Sword Ancestor, he would certainly not remain indifferent and miss such an opportunity.

“Continue monitoring, and do not alert them. Find out their purpose—are they observing the battle? Or do they want to reap the benefits of the aftermath?”

“Yes!”

Gao De ended the communication and slowly exhaled a breath of turbid Qi.

The mountain rain is about to come, and the wind fills the tower.

With the Black Water Pool, Red Scale Cave, the mysterious third party, and potentially more covetous observers... Qianjiao Cliff was already like a lonely island in the eye of a storm.

But, this was also an opportunity.

“Since everyone wants a piece of the pie, then let's see who is qualified to sit at the table, and who... can only become the meal on the plate.”

Gao De walked back to the spiritual spring and sat down cross-legged.

He did not continue his regular Cultivate, but instead sank his mind into his Sea of Consciousness and began to comprehend the first cloud pattern of the Cloud Restriction Art.

Time was pressing; even if he only grasped a shred of it, it might give him an extra chance of victory in the upcoming battle.

In the quiet room, the spiritual spring gurgled, and the light and shadows flickered.

Rainbow was still happily rummaging through the treasure pile, occasionally pulling out a shiny fragment and playing with it contentedly.

And outside the Water Mansion, in the depths of the dark waters, countless undercurrents were quietly surging.

Thirty thousand miles to the east, the Red Scale Cave army was like a long snake of fire, winding its way beneath the surface of the marshes and waters.

Thirty thousand miles to the west, the three thousand water demons of the Black Water Pool formed a battle array, treading on the waves, a dark mass like a black cloud pressing down on the border.

In the darkness further away, eyes were quietly watching, and whispers were being exchanged in secret.

A great war that would determine the future of the Qianjiang River Basin was about to begin.