72: The Secret of a Hundred Beasts

Time passed like water, quietly slipping away during Gao De's dedicated cultivation.

He consumed the remaining two dragon nurturing pills one after another. The pure medicinal power complemented the Purple Heaven Dragon Transformation Art, not only thoroughly consolidating his Third Rank Early Stage Realm but also refining his Purple Lightning Flood Dragon Bloodline to be even purer. The flood dragon pearl became increasingly smooth and translucent, and the inner Power of Thunder was as easy to command as his own limbs.

His strength stood firmly at the Third Rank Early Stage.

At the same time, he also began to consciously collect his naturally shed scales, worn claw tips, and other such items.

Although these Materials were few, every scale shimmered with a greenish-black metallic luster, its edges faintly traced with purple lightning patterns, and every claw tip was incredibly sharp, containing pure Demonic Power.

He carefully stored these Materials in a specially made jade box, viewing them as the foundation for refining the "purple scale earth-shaking armor" and "thunder fang formation-breaking halberd" in the future.

He had also thoroughly comprehended the Jade Slip recording the Water Origin Breath Concealment Technique.

Under the operation of this method, his aura could perfectly blend with the surrounding water elements. Unless one's cultivation far exceeded his or they possessed special ocular techniques, it was extremely difficult to detect his presence.

Combined with his innate Breath Concealment talent, his concealment abilities reached a new level, which was crucial for his upcoming adventures.

Just as he was diligently preparing, Turtle Three Thousand came hurriedly to report, holding an ancient, grayish-white token.

"Master, lately while this old servant was tending to the Water Mansion's treasury and taking stock of previously stored sundries, I discovered this object was emitting a faint glow," Turtle Three Thousand respectfully presented the token. "Its material is ancient and does not seem to be from recent times. It even records some strange information. This old servant is dull-witted and finds it difficult to fully understand, so I did not dare act on my own and have come specifically to present it to Master for a decision."

Gao De's heart stirred slightly as he took the token; it looked somewhat familiar.

The token felt warm to the touch, carrying a sense of vicissitudes settled by time, with blurred beast-shaped patterns carved on its surface.

His Divine Sense sank into it, and a moment later, a startling brilliance suddenly burst from his dragon eyes!

What was recorded in the token was not a Cultivation Technique or secret art, but a fragmented map and related scattered information!

The area depicted on the map seemed to be a complex region of waters and mountains deep within the Yunmeng Great Marsh, marking several blurred nodes where the terrain was treacherous, corresponding to some kind of Formation or natural danger.

And the text annotations on the side, though incomplete, strikingly mentioned a name that once shook the Chu region—

Hundred Beasts Sect!

Piecing together the fragmented information within the token, this Hundred Beasts Sect was the number one Sect within the borders of the State of Chu a thousand years ago. It was immensely powerful, and its Disciples were famous for driving, breeding, and contracting various types of Yao Beasts and spirit insects. Their beast-taming arts were unparalleled in the world.

Even more shocking was that its origin could even be traced back to a behemoth in distant Yangzhou—the Myriad Beasts Sect! It was an important branch of the Myriad Beasts Sect in the State of Chu and the surrounding regions.

However, a thousand years ago, for some unknown catastrophic reason, the once-mighty Hundred Beasts Sect collapsed overnight. Its mountain gate fell into ruin, its Legacy was severed, and its accumulated countless resources, beast-taming secret methods, and even the treasures that suppressed its Luck all vanished into the long river of history, becoming a famous cold case in the State of Chu's cultivation world.

And this token, along with the fragmented map inside, seemed to point toward some unknown secret Treasure Trove or branch altar ruins of the Hundred Beasts Sect!

The marked location was precisely beneath a dangerous stretch of water called the "Thousand Reef Vortex," at the junction of the current Eight Hundred Li Dongting Lake and the Yunmeng Great Marsh!

"Hundred Beasts Sect... a branch of the Myriad Beasts Sect... Thousand Reef Vortex..." Gao De murmured to himself, his heart surging with waves of emotion.

This was heavyweight news! The residual treasure of the number one Sect in the State of Chu from a thousand years ago—its value was immeasurable!

Perhaps it contained treasures that could accelerate his collection of Materials for his natal demon artifact, or special beast-taming methods to enhance the strength of the Demon Soldiers under his command, or even medicinal Spirit Pills that could help Yao Beasts break through Bottlenecks!

More importantly, the Hundred Beasts Sect was famous for beast-taming, and its core Legacy must have extremely deep research into Yao Beasts and Spirit Beasts.

For Gao De, who was a flood dragon, this held irreplaceable value, whether for understanding the mysteries of his own Bloodline or for subduing and nurturing more powerful subordinates in the future!

"Turtle Three Thousand, where did this item come from?" Gao De suppressed his excitement and asked in a deep voice.

After thinking carefully, Turtle Three Thousand replied, "Reporting to Master, this item seems to have been mixed in with a batch of sundries separated out years ago when Master cleared out his Storage Pouches. At that time, because its Spiritual Qi was not apparent, it was not noticed. Recently, this old servant was ordered to meticulously organize the treasury and discovered the changes in this item. By repeatedly probing with Divine Sense, I accidentally triggered the hidden information within."

Gao De thought for a moment and remembered.

That was back before his Dragon Transformation, when he had picked it up in the waters near the Lin family's home. He had been anxious and fearful for a long time because of it. After a cursory inspection at the time, he treated it as ordinary junk and handed it over to Turtle Three Thousand to be put into storage.

He hadn't expected it to hide such a startling secret!

"This matter is of great importance and must not be leaked in the slightest," Gao De instructed solemnly. "Turtle Three Thousand, immediately increase manpower. Under the guise of patrolling, focus on investigating the Dongting Lake waters, especially toward the 'Thousand Reef Vortex' in the Yunmeng Great Marsh. Has there been any unusual activity recently? Are there other Human Cultivators or Yao Race forces active in that area or looking for similar things?"

"This old servant obeys! I will certainly investigate carefully!" Turtle Three Thousand knew the urgency of the matter and immediately went to make arrangements after receiving the order.

Gao De then cast his Divine Sense into the token once more, carefully studying the fragmented map.

He had long heard of the fearsome reputation of the "Thousand Reef Vortex." It was filled with hidden reefs like a labyrinth, with underwater whirlpools and terrifying suction. It was also perpetually shrouded in a cold, poisonous miasma that could corrode Demonic Power and mana, making the environment extremely harsh.

It was said that deep within, there were even fierce water beasts of the Third Rank or higher entrenched. It was a literal forbidden zone for life.

"Opportunity and risk coexist..." Gao De's eyes flickered.

He had just undergone his Dragon Transformation and his strength had increased greatly. He needed this kind of Opportunity to quickly accumulate foundation and pave the way for refining his natal demon artifact and subsequent cultivation.

The treasure of the Hundred Beasts Sect was undoubtedly a highly tempting target.

With his current Third Rank Early Stage strength, combined with the extreme speed of Lightning Evasion, the protection of the Purple Lightning Thunder Aura, and the newly practiced Water Origin Breath Concealment Technique, he might be able to risk an exploration.

But the dangers of the "Thousand Reef Vortex" were by no means empty words; he had to be fully prepared.

"I need to Cultivate the Water Origin Breath Concealment Technique to Perfection to ensure my concealment is foolproof. I also need to find ways to collect some treasures or Medicinal Pills that can counter poisonous miasma, stabilize the mind, or temporarily boost Water Escape speed," Gao De decided in his heart. "At the same time, I'll have Turtle Three Thousand and the others collect as many ancient rumors about the Thousand Reef Vortex and the Hundred Beasts Sect as possible. Even a few words might play a key role at a critical moment."

He carefully put away the Hundred Beasts Sect token, placing it alongside the "prison" character dragon talisman near the flood dragon pearl in his Dantian to be nurtured. In his heart, he had already listed exploring the Thousand Reef Vortex and searching for the ruins of the Hundred Beasts Sect as the next major goal after consolidating his Realm and accumulating Materials for his natal artifact.