117: Chapter 117 The Emergence of Relics Causes Stirring in All Directions

"Good stuff! Truly good stuff!"

Old Turtle rubbed his hands together, his eyes flashing with brilliant light. "If I offer this to His Honor, perhaps if His Honor is pleased, he might reward me with an Opportunity to become a Saint..."

Thinking of this, he could no longer hold back and walked toward the stone platform once more.

This time, he had learned his lesson.

The demon power within his body surged frantically, condensing into a thick layer of cyan light armor around him, wrapping him up tightly.

His right hand's five fingers formed claws, and faint, eerie green light flickered at his fingertips; this was the Black Tortoise Claw he had spent thousands of years Cultivating, enough to tear through the defenses of a Cultivator of the same Realm!

"Hand it over!"

Old Turtle let out a low shout, his figure exploding into motion, and his right hand lunged out violently, aiming straight for that token!

However—

Just as his fingers were about to touch the token!

"Hum!"

The token suddenly erupted with blinding golden light!

That golden light was as intense as the sun, illuminating the entire cavern and stinging Old Turtle's eyes until he couldn't keep them open!

A pressure even more terrifying than before swept out from the token, like the sky collapsing and the earth sinking, crushing down toward Old Turtle!

"Not good!"

Old Turtle's expression changed drastically, and his figure retreated violently, wanting to flee.

But it was already too late.

"Boom!"

The golden light exploded, transforming into a massive pillar of light that shot up from the cavern, straight into the clouds!

Old Turtle was sent flying backward by that terrifying force, slamming heavily into the cave wall, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Pfft—"

The blood sprayed into the air, a shocking sight.

He collapsed at the base of the cave wall, his chest sunken in a large patch, ribs broken who knows how many, his face pale as paper, and his eyes filled with shock.

"This... what level of Formation is this?!"

His voice was trembling.

He was a Great Demon King at the sixth level of the Asking Dao Realm, already a top-tier expert in the Southern Region.

Yet the Formation power emitted by this token had actually severely injured him in a single strike!

This was definitely not an ordinary Saint-Grade Formation!

It was at least at the level of a Great Saint, or perhaps even a Saint King!

Old Turtle struggled to stand up, only to find his body firmly suppressed by an invisible force, unable to move even a single finger.

"Damn it!"

His face turned livid as he desperately urged the demon power within his body, wanting to break free from that binding.

However, that force was like a mountain of ten thousand jun, immovable.

Furthermore, as he struggled, that force became increasingly strong, pressing down until he couldn't breathe, his internal organs being squeezed and sending waves of intense pain.

"This old man... is this old man going to die here?"

A trace of despair flashed in Old Turtle's eyes.

He had been Cultivating for three thousand years; what storms and waves had he not seen?

But at this moment, he truly felt the threat of death.

That Formation power was devouring his vitality bit by bit!

"No... this old man hasn't become a Saint yet... how can I die here?!"

Old Turtle gritted his teeth, the demon power in his body burning frantically as he tried his best to break free.

"Rumble—"

The entire cavern was shaking violently, the runes on the cave walls flickering wildly and emitting blinding light.

The force suppressing him was actually shaken by a sliver!

"There is hope!"

Old Turtle's eyes lit up, a ray of hope for survival flashing within them.

Above the desolate mountain, golden light shot into the sky.

That golden pillar of light, bursting forth from the depths of the earth, was as intense as the sun, shooting straight into the clouds and dyeing the night sky for a hundred miles golden.

Within the pillar of light, runes faintly flowed, and an ancient, vicissitudinous aura spread out, covering the entire heaven and earth.

Cultivators within a radius of several hundred miles sensed this fluctuation at almost the same moment.

"What is that?!"

"A heavenly phenomenon! A major treasure must be emerging!"

"Quick! Go and take a look!"

Countless Cultivators swarmed in from all directions; some flew on swords, some rode Spirit Beasts, and some ran wildly on foot, their eyes filled with greed and fanaticism.

Beneath the desolate mountain, over a hundred Cultivators gathered in the blink of an eye.

Their cultivation levels were uneven, ranging from Loose Cultivators at the Meridian Opening Realm to Sect Disciples at the Huahong Realm, and even a few experts at the Dharma Image Realm mixed in, hoping to fish in troubled waters.

"This golden light is coming from underground; there must be a ruin below!"

"Whoever goes down first, the treasure is theirs!"

"Get lost! Don't block my path!"

Everyone rushed toward the golden light, scrambling over one another. Some found the cave entrance and jumped straight in; others, unable to find an entrance, used brute force to blast open the ground, trying to force their way in.

However—

"Ah—!"

A shrill, miserable scream came from the cave, followed by the sound of bones shattering.

The few Cultivators who rushed to the front had just jumped into the cave entrance when they were sent flying backward by an invisible force, slamming heavily onto the ground, spitting blood, and losing all signs of life.

"There is a Restriction!"

"This ruin is guarded by a Restriction!"

Everyone was shocked and terrified, stopping their steps one after another, not daring to rush forward rashly.

An elderly man at the Dharma Image Realm walked forward, narrowed his eyes, and carefully examined the deep, dark cave entrance before saying in a deep voice, "This Restriction is not simple; it was set by at least an expert at the Asking Dao Realm. Forcing one's way in is a path to death."

Everyone looked at each other, and then their faces filled with wild joy.

A Restriction set by an Asking Dao Realm expert?

Then what level of treasure must be inside this ruin?

Things left behind by an Asking Dao Realm expert, even an ordinary Magic Treasure, would be a rare treasure to them!

"Then what should we do? We can't just watch the treasure inside and not be able to get it, right?" someone asked, unwilling to give up.

The Dharma Image Realm elder pondered for a moment and said slowly, "Although the Restriction is strong, it is not unbreakable. It just takes time, and it requires a Cultivator proficient in Formation to act."

He paused and scanned the crowd, "If any of you are proficient in Formation, you might as well come out and give it a try."

Everyone looked at each other, but not a single person stepped forward.

The Dao of Formation was inherently obscure and difficult to understand, and those proficient in it were few and far between.

Most of the Cultivators present were Loose Cultivators with low cultivation, let alone being proficient in Formation.

"If that's the case, then we can only wait," the Dharma Image Realm elder said indifferently. "With this golden light shooting into the sky and the phenomenon so obvious, it won't be long before people from those major forces arrive. By then, naturally, someone will be able to break the Restriction."

Upon hearing this, although the crowd was unwilling, they had no other choice.

Thus, over a hundred Cultivators gathered around the desolate mountain, staring longingly at the golden pillar of light shooting into the sky, waiting for an Opportunity.

News spread quickly.

In less than half a day, the news of the desolate mountain ruin emerging spread throughout all of Guangnan City, and even reached other cities in the Southern Region.

In teahouses and taverns, discussions about the ruin could be heard everywhere.

"Have you heard? A major ruin has appeared in that desolate mountain outside the city! Golden light shot into the sky, visible for a hundred miles around!"

"I heard it long ago! It is said that the ruin is guarded by a Restriction set by an Asking Dao Realm expert; there must be good stuff inside!"

"Asking Dao Realm? Doesn't that mean the ruin might have been left behind by someone at the level of a Sect Old Ancestor?"

"Who knows... anyway, major families like the Shen Family, Zhao Family, and Chen Family have all sent people!"

"Tsk tsk, now there's going to be a good show to watch."

The Shen Family, main hall.

Patriarch Shen Tianze sat upright in the main seat, holding a cup of tea in his hand, his expression calm, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Shen Yuanshan, Shen Yuanhe, and Seventh Elder Shen Yuanlin sat on both sides, all with indifferent expressions.

"You all know about the matter of that desolate mountain outside the city, right?" Patriarch Shen Tianze put down his teacup and spoke slowly.

Shen Yuanshan nodded, "I've heard. Golden light shot into the sky, an astonishing phenomenon; it is said to be guarded by a Restriction set by an Asking Dao Realm expert. Now there are even rumors in the city that the ruin might have been left by a Saint."

"A Saint's ruin?" Shen Yuanhe sneered, "How many years has it been since the Southern Region produced a Saint? Even if it really is a Saint's ruin, the treasures inside are not something we can lay our hands on; those few Holy Lands won't miss out."

Seventh Elder Shen Yuanlin shook his head, "Not necessarily. A Saint's ruin is often guarded by a Formation; unless by some coincidence, it is very difficult to discover. This desolate mountain has existed outside Guangnan City for who knows how many years, yet no one has ever discovered anything unusual. Now suddenly... the Holy Lands couldn't possibly send people over so quickly; we still have a chance."

Patriarch Shen Tianze nodded slightly, "Seventh Uncle is right. Regardless of the origin of that ruin, since it has appeared within the territory of our Guangnan City, our Shen Family cannot miss out."

He paused and scanned the three of them, "Third Uncle, you take a few people to go and check it out."

Shen Yuanshan grinned, "Rest assured, Tianze, I know what I'm doing."

He stood up, stretched his muscles and bones, and strode toward the outside of the hall.

The Shen Family, East Courtyard.

Shen Quan pushed open the courtyard gate excitedly and strode in.

"Shen Chong! Shen Chong! Come out quickly! There's great news!"

Shen Chong was sitting cross-legged on the bed, Cultivating. Hearing Shen Quan's voice, he slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air.

"Brother Quan, what is it?"

Shen Quan grabbed his arm, his face full of excitement, "A major ruin has appeared outside the city! Golden light shot into the sky, visible for a hundred miles around! Everyone is rushing over there now; let's go join in the fun too!"

Shen Chong frowned slightly, "A ruin? What ruin?"

"I don't know! Anyway, there must be good stuff!" Shen Quan was impatient, "Think about it, something that can cause such a big commotion must not be a small ruin; perhaps inside there are things left behind by an Asking Dao Realm expert, or even a Saint!"

Shen Chong was silent for a moment and shook his head, "Brother Quan, I just had a Breakthrough, and my cultivation is not yet stable; it is not suitable for me to go and explore a ruin."

"That's not right. Ninth Uncle also said that the best way to stabilize a Realm is to go into actual combat and fight with others." Shen Quan brought up Shen Qingyuan's words, "Think about it, there must be many Cultivators in the ruin fighting for treasures, and there will be no shortage of opportunities to fight. If there are any Heaven And Earth Treasures in the ruin, and we manage to snatch them, we can use them as resources for our Cultivation—killing two birds with one stone!"

Shen Chong looked at Shen Quan's eager appearance and felt somewhat hesitant.

Just then, Liu Xuzi's voice rang out in his mind, "Young Master, go and take a look. This old man senses an extremely ancient aura in that ruin; perhaps there really is something good."

Shen Chong took a deep breath and nodded, "Alright, then let's go and take a look."

Shen Quan was overjoyed and dragged Shen Chong as he ran outside.

The two traveled swiftly, passing through the streets and alleys of Guangnan City, exited the city gate, and headed straight for the desolate mountain outside the city.

By the time they arrived, hundreds of Cultivators had already gathered around the desolate mountain, heads bobbing, noisy and bustling.

That golden pillar of light was still shooting into the sky, its radiance more intense than before, as if it wanted to tear the entire sky apart.

"So many people." Shen Chong's gaze swept across the surroundings, his brows slightly furrowed.

He saw quite a few familiar figures—Disciples of the Tiangang Sect, Disciples of the Wanjian Sect, Disciples of the Xuanyu Palace, and even a few Cultivators from the Burning Flame Ancient Land.

These people from major Sects were young, and their cultivation was not considered very strong.

Most were at the Soul Fire Realm or Huahong Realm.

"What are you afraid of? It's only lively with many people!" Shen Quan grinned and pulled Shen Chong into the crowd.

The two wove through the crowd and soon found a position with a decent view.