C9 Celestial Dragon Guidance

The corridor was brief. Within about fifty paces, Laojiu found himself in a stone chamber housing a statue so lifelike it seemed to breathe. The figure's face was both resolute and serene, gazing into the distance as if awaiting something momentous.

Majestic!

That was Laojiu's initial impression of the statue. Yet, as he continued to gaze upon it, he was captivated by a mesmerizing sensation that rapidly drained his energy, leaving him with an overwhelming desire to lie down and sleep.

"Master, at long last, I see you again. Five thousand years have passed since our separation!" Patriarch Lieshan exclaimed with emotion, revealing that the statue was none other than the Xuanyuan Dragon Monarch.

"Young man, are you courting death? Close your eyes this instant. Even though this is merely a statue of the Master, it's not for your eyes to linger upon."

Noticing Laojiu's troubled state, Patriarch Lieshan promptly cautioned him. The statue, an imitation of Xuanyuan Dragon Monarch's demeanor, still bore a sliver of the Origin Energy's formidable pressure. For someone not even at the level of a Cultivator, the harm could be significant.

"I'm exhausted. Where's the legacy you mentioned?"

Shaking off his fatigue, Laojiu scanned the area, hoping to find clues or artifacts. His search was in vain; the chamber remained starkly bare.

"Kneel! Perform the ritual of three prostrations and nine bows to the Master as a sign of respect!"

Patriarch Lieshan's voice, once gentle, now commanded with an unquestionable solemnity and gravity.

Obediently, Laojiu knelt and paid homage to the statue. Regardless of formal discipleship, as a descendant of Yan and Huang, it was only right to offer such reverence to the Xuanyuan Huang Monarch, who was wholly worthy of his veneration.

Following the ritual, the once-still statue stirred, and a black stone the size of a fingertip materialized in its palm. The stone was jet-black with a smooth, lustrous sheen, and it appeared semi-transparent.

"Take the Ink Crystal Stone; that is your inheritance."

"Ink Crystal? This black stone?" Laojiu was puzzled. Could this object actually store information? Was technology thousands of years old truly this sophisticated?

"Enough with the chatter! The Ink Crystal Stone is an exceptionally rare inheritance crystal, far superior to ordinary crystals that merely record information. It can preserve text and even store items." Patriarch Lieshan was somewhat exasperated; the fellow before him knew nothing.

"Is it truly that remarkable?"

Laojiu picked up the Ink Crystal Stone, examining it closely, yet he couldn't discern its secrets. It was hard to believe that such a tiny stone could possess such significant capabilities.

"Bind it with a drop of your blood. Once you've cultivated your Primordial Spirit, you'll be able to control it freely."

Laojiu pressed a drop of blood from his fingertip onto the dark stone, and in a flash, the blood was absorbed.

Suddenly, Laojiu sensed the extraordinary nature of the object in his grasp. The Ink Crystal Stone was no mere rock, but a vast space, its size indeterminable, as if shrouded in a thick fog, completely obscuring any clarity.

Then, streams of textual information began to flood his mind. The transmission was rapid and relentless, like a deluge of knowledge!

"Ah!"

Laojiu cried out as a severe pain throbbed in his head, and he quickly lost consciousness.

"The kid's too fragile," Patriarch Lieshan murmured to himself, lamenting the lack of alternatives.

Two hours later, Laojiu groggily came to. His headache had subsided somewhat, but discomfort lingered.

His mind was suddenly crammed with information. Though he barely grasped the content, the details were etched in his memory with crystal clarity, as if an entire encyclopedia had been implanted in his brain.

"Mr. Luo, take it easy. I'll assist you in understanding this legacy."

Patriarch Lieshan's voice echoed within Laojiu's mind. Due to their symbiotic connection, he could access Laojiu's newly acquired memories. Beyond his curiosity about the legacy, he needed to help Laojiu assimilate the ancient tome; otherwise, given Laojiu's grasp of archaic language, it could take decades to comprehend.

Without a word, Laojiu sat silently on the ground, resting. The forceful infusion of knowledge was brutal, akin to having one's brain forcibly cracked open and filled with foreign matter.

About an hour later, Patriarch Lieshan's voice resonated once more.

"Young man, you've stumbled upon an incredible stroke of luck! This legacy you've received is none other than the fabled Celestial Dragon Guidance! I've only reviewed the general outline and the initial minor realms, but I can tell this legacy is truly exceptional!"

"Celestial Dragon Guidance? Is it a highly esteemed legacy?"

Laojiu was genuinely curious. His knowledge in this area was virtually nonexistent; he hadn't heard of any cultivation scriptures, nor did he have any techniques to compare. How could he discern their quality?

"It's more than just esteemed—it's legendary! Tales of this legacy have circulated for millions of years. Legend has it that over ten million years ago, a supremely powerful master emerged, vanquishing all the formidable experts of his time! He sought out cultivation prodigies, promising them his powerful legacies if they could pass his tests. The Celestial Dragon Guidance was said to be the most coveted of these legacies. Regrettably, it seems no genius ever managed to acquire it."

"Many believed this legacy was merely a myth, never having truly existed. It's a mystery how our Master came to possess it!"

"Now that you've come into possession of this legacy, you're effectively the last disciple of our Master. In accepting you, I'm fulfilling a duty on behalf of our Master, completing his long-held wish."

Patriarch Lieshan's words seemed to be directed as much to himself as to Laojiu. Regardless, Laojiu had inexplicably become Patriarch Lieshan's junior brother upon accepting the legacy.

The span of several millennia was indeed astonishing, and Laojiu himself found it surreal.

"Weren't you always by Master's side? How did this legacy come about?" Laojiu inquired, puzzled.

"Master once set out for a place of great peril, warning that he might not return alive. He instructed me to wait for him, but never disclosed his destination. Decades later, he returned in haste, as if he had encountered something dreadful or was being pursued by a formidable adversary."

"So, you both fled to Yanhuang Star?" Laojiu empathized with the Xuanyuan Dragon Monarch's predicament. Securing such an Important Treasure, only to have others become aware, would leave anyone feeling uneasy.

"That's pretty much the situation. At the time, the Master's plan was to take refuge on a desolate planet on the outskirts, waiting for the turmoil to subside before considering a return. The space-time passage on this planet was limited to those at the Saint Becoming Level; more powerful experts couldn't come through, making it an ideal hiding spot. Little did we know, it would turn out like this, with others eventually tracking us down."

"Let's leave the past in the past; it happened thousands of years ago. We should focus on discovering why the Origin Energy of Yanhuang Star has vanished." Laojiu was more preoccupied with this current issue than with ancient history.

"This place is merely for storing the inheritance. To find the information we need, we'll have to check the stone chamber where the Master usually practiced. You go on ahead."

After paying his respects to the statue of the Xuanyuan Dragon Monarch once more, Laojiu exited. Finding the Master's cultivation chamber was straightforward, with no traps to speak of. Inside, Laojiu quickly came across some pale blue crystals.

These crystals were designed for recording information and didn't require blood to establish ownership. Laojiu grasped them, and with a bit of guidance from Patriarch Lieshan, he managed to extract the information.

According to the Xuanyuan Huang Monarch's recorded speculations, they had assembled six Saint Becoming Stage Experts to seal the Space-time Gate. During the sealing process, Soong Nanding, a Saint Becoming Stage Expert from the Heben family, made an unexpected appearance, stating his wish to depart from Yanhuang Star.

Soong Nanding likely arrived with Chiyuv, but he hadn't vied for the inheritance or attacked the Yan Monarch and Huang Monarch, bearing no significant grudge against them. His request to leave was granted without issue by the Yan Monarch and Huang Monarch, as not everyone is keen on staying on a barren planet.

Less than six months after the seal was complete, the Yan Monarch and Huang Monarch sensed that something was amiss—the Origin Energy of the planet was depleting at an alarming rate!

They immediately deduced that the Star Core had been stolen. The most plausible culprit was Soong Nanding, who must have acted while the Yan Monarch and Huang Monarch were preoccupied with their battle against Chiyuv. Otherwise, the theft of the Star Core, a significant event, would have been detected by them.

At the time, the seal had already been set, and with the significant depletion of natural Origin Energy, neither the Yan Monarch nor the Huang Monarch could reopen the Space-time Gate's seal. To find a way out, they had no choice but to venture into deep space, hoping to locate an ecological planet relatively close by. The great Saints under the Yan Monarch and Huang Monarch had all departed from Yanhuang Star one after another, and where they went remains unrecorded.

"Who exactly is Soong Nanding? Is he that powerful? Could he really steal a planet's Star Core all by himself?"

Laojiu inquired, realizing that the Star Core of Yanhuang Star was likely pilfered by this individual. This person might well be an enemy he would have to face in the future.

"He's incredibly powerful! I was no match for him back in the day, but he's still far less formidable than my Master. Retrieving a Star Core requires a complex magical instrument; it's not a simple task. I suspect Soong Nanding's primary reason for coming to this planet was to acquire the Star Core."

Patriarch Lieshan's hypothesis aligned with that of the Yan Monarch and Huang Monarch, even though they hadn't witnessed it firsthand.

"Can the Star Core be reused after it's been taken?"

Laojiu asked, deeply concerned about the fate of Yanhuang Star. He didn't want his home planet to turn into a lifeless rock.

"Unfortunately, no. The Star Core that was removed has lost its original stability, and returning it would not reverse the damage. The only solution is to secure a new Life Star Core and place it back; that's the only way Yanhuang Star can be revived."

"That sounds incredibly difficult!"

Laojiu was at a loss for words; the burden felt overwhelming.

"Don't dwell on it too much right now. Focus on mastering the Celestial Dragon Guidance. Once you've advanced in your cultivation, the Star Core might not pose such a great challenge," Patriarch Lieshan reassured him. What Laojiu needed most at the moment was determination.

"Rest assured, Patriarch, I'll give it my all! But there's no food here. Surely I can't keep cultivating on an empty stomach, right?"

For Laojiu, the issue of sustenance was a pressing concern.

"Kid, from now on you'll address me as Senior Brother! As for something as trivial as eating, that's an easy fix. Head to our Master's study in the inner room; you'll find plenty of Valley Avoidance Pills there."