74: DAP

The moment he rushed into the cave, Gao De felt an even denser pressure carrying a primordial aura rushing toward him.

This pressure did not come from a living thing, but from the cave itself!

He focused his gaze and couldn't help but be shocked—this was no ordinary cave; its winding passages, supporting framework, and even the dome-like curvature were actually built within the complete fossilized skeleton of a giant Xianfu Fish!

The size of this Xianfu Fish when it was alive far exceeded that of its living kin outside. Its skeleton had remained undecayed through the ages, turning into this natural fortress that the Hundred Beasts Sect had cleverly utilized to build a secret treasure vault.

The space inside the skeleton was extremely vast, with passages leading in all directions like a labyrinth. On the fossilized bone walls, one could faintly see some ancient runes that had long since dimmed, maintaining the basic stability of this place.

Gao De did not dare to linger. Following the faint guidance from the token in his hand and his own keen perception of Spiritual Qi fluctuations, he moved rapidly through the massive fish-bone labyrinth.

Along the way, he encountered many Restrictions set up by the Hundred Beasts Sect.

There was Gengjin Sword Qi shooting suddenly from the bone walls, sharp enough to pierce metal and stone; there was Soul-Bewildering Miasma that could trigger Heart Demon illusions and erode the Divine Soul; there were Shapeshifting Water Fiends formed from the primordial water essence remaining in the skeleton that lunged to kill; and there was the Phantom Maze Formation that could warp space and trap one in a looping bone passage.

If these Restrictions were at their peak, they would be enough to give even a Late Stage Golden Core Cultivator a massive headache or even cause them to perish within.

But just as Gao De expected, the erosion of a thousand years had reduced the power of these Restrictions to less than ten percent, and their operation showed obvious sluggishness and flaws.

And Gao De's law-breaking unicorn horn, derived from the Dragon Fish Bloodline and tempered by the Heavenly Tribulation and Dragon Transformation, now became a Sharp Weapon to break through these weakened Restrictions!

Facing the incoming Gengjin Sword Qi, his unicorn horn flickered with Purple Lightning as he struck out precisely, the Power of Thunder instantly disrupting its spiritual energy structure and causing it to dissipate. When caught in the Soul-Bewildering Miasma, the unicorn horn glowed with a clear light, protecting his spiritual terrace and forcibly tearing through the illusion. Encountering a Shapeshifting Water Fiend, he condensed the Thunder Smite Spear at the tip of the unicorn horn, destroying its lingering obsession and core runes in a single strike. As for the Phantom Maze Formation, he relied on the unicorn horn's keen perception of energy pathways to directly find the nodes of the Formation's operation, breaking through the surface from a single point and forcibly boring through!

"Chila!" "Boom!" "Buzz—"

Accompanied by the sounds of Restrictions being forcibly broken one after another, Gao De advanced through the massive fish-bone ruins like an invincible lightning halberd.

His movements were swift and precise, avoiding large-scale chain reactions as much as possible to not alert the true Primordial Remnant outside.

Finally, after breaking through the last layer of the Water Curtain Heavenly Splendor Restriction—which rippled like water yet was incredibly tough—he reached his destination: the secret treasure chamber located at the core of the giant Xianfu Fish's skull.

The secret chamber was not large, and the furnishings were simple.

In the center was a stone platform, upon which three items were placed:

On the left was a purple-gold Spirit Beast Bag, its surface embroidered with profound Hundred Beasts cloud patterns. It emitted faint spatial fluctuations and a trace of life aura, as if it contained its own internal space and might have something sealed inside.

On the right was a green jade pill bottle. The bottle was crystal clear, and inside, three longan-sized, seven-colored Medicinal Pills could be seen floating quietly, emitting a surging vitality and a strange medicinal fragrance that made one's Bloodline throb.

And in the very center was a dark gold Jade Slip, simple and unadorned, yet giving off a Dao rhyme that seemed to encompass all things and command all spirits.

Gao De's gaze swept over them, his heart filled with excitement.

Without hesitation, he first reached out for the dark gold Jade Slip.

This item likely recorded the core Legacy of the Hundred Beasts Sect!

The moment his fingers touched the Jade Slip, it trembled slightly, and a flood of information poured into his Sea of Consciousness:

"Myriad Beast Supremacy True Spirit Method" — Incomplete Manual (Beast Taming Chapter, Beast Rearing Chapter)

It was indeed the core Legacy of the Hundred Beasts Sect!

Although it was only an Incomplete Manual, the methods recorded within for soul contracts, nurturing Spirit Beasts, stimulating Bloodlines, and even communicating with all spirits were profound and exceptionally mysterious.

Some of these methods even provided significant reference for Gao De's own understanding of his flood dragon bloodline and the purification of his Demonic Power! The value of this item was immeasurable!

He quickly put away the Jade Slip and picked up the green jade pill bottle.

His Divine Sense probed inside; information about the pills had just been introduced in the Jade Slip.

The "hundred beasts blood tempering pill"! Refined with the Essence Blood of a hundred kinds of powerful Yao Beasts as the main ingredient and supplemented by countless rare Spiritual Plants, it contained surging blood Qi and the essence of myriad beasts. For a Yao Beast, it was a holy medicine for tempering the Bloodline, strengthening the Physical Body, and even having a certain chance of Awakening an ancient Bloodline! The quality of these three pills was extremely high, likely masterpieces refined during the peak of the Hundred Beasts Sect. Coupled with this specially made bottle, even after all these years, their medicinal power remained at least ninety percent intact!

Gao De suppressed the urge to consume them immediately and carefully put away the pill bottle.

This pill would be of great benefit to him for consolidating his Purple Lightning Flood Dragon Bloodline and accelerating the accumulation of Materials for his natal demon artifact.

Finally, his gaze fell upon the purple-gold Spirit Beast Bag.

This item felt the most peculiar to him. He separated a wisp of Divine Sense and cautiously probed into it.

The Spirit Beast Bag within was enormous, like an independent small world with mountains and rivers, but the Spiritual Qi was somewhat scarce.

And in the center of that space, a giant egg the size of a millstone, covered in complex purple-gold patterns and emitting a thick life aura and True Dragon pressure, was floating quietly, rising and falling slightly as if in a deep sleep.

"This is... the egg of some powerful Spirit Beast?!" Gao De was startled.

Judging from the life level and dragon pressure emitted by this egg, its parents' Bloodline was definitely extraordinary, at least comparable to the flood dragon level, and might even contain a trace of Divine Beast Bloodline!

To think the Hundred Beasts Sect had left such a precious egg here!

There was no time for a detailed investigation. Gao De felt that the Xianfu Fish outside seemed to be becoming even more agitated because the Restrictions here were being broken one after another. Muffled thumping sounds began to faintly echo from the direction of the cave entrance.

He no longer hesitated and put away the purple-gold Spirit Beast Bag as well.

With this, the three most core treasures of the Hundred Beasts Sect's secret vault were all in his possession!

Gao De did not linger out of greed and turned to leave.

He returned rapidly along the original path, relying on his memory and the law-breaking unicorn horn to pass through those Restrictions that had already been broken or weakened at an even faster speed.

When he rushed out of the cave entrance again, he saw the massive Xianfu Fish frantically slamming its body against the invisible Restriction at the cave entrance. The entire Thousand Reef Vortex waters were vibrating violently under its fury, and the whirlpools became even more frenzied!

Gao De's appearance immediately attracted the Xianfu Fish's attention.

Its chaotic whirlpool eyes instantly locked onto Gao De, letting out an even more enraged hiss. Its giant mouth opened again, and a terrifying suction swept toward him!

But this time, Gao De was prepared!

He let out a long cry, Purple Lightning flashing all over his body as he pushed the Lightning Evasion Technique to the limit. No longer engaging with it, he turned into a streak of purple electric light that pierced through the waters. Relying on his exquisite control of the water currents and his premonition of danger, he wove through the gaps between countless reefs and whirlpools, narrowly avoiding the Xianfu Fish's devouring range, and sped toward the outskirts of the Thousand Reef Vortex without looking back!

Behind him, only the Primordial Remnant, restricted by rules and unable to leave its guarded land, remained, letting out roars of powerless rage that vibrated through these ancient waters.

Gao De's heart, however, was filled with delight.

This adventure, though perilous, had yielded rewards far exceeding his expectations!

Not only had he obtained the crucial beast-taming Legacy and the blood-tempering precious pill, but he had also acquired a Spirit Beast egg with infinite potential!

His path to dragon transformation had gained another layer of profound foundation. It was time to return to the Water Mansion and properly digest his gains.