Holy Bone

Chapter 2016 The Golden Crow Shines Brightly, Its Radiance Endures Forever: Auspicious Omens for Emperor Kangzhao
With this in mind, Jin An began to search the place carefully.

Because of the "Dragon-Locking Well" layout here, Jin'an pays special attention to this place and usually checks it out every now and then.

Let's see if we can find any clues as to who set up such a sophisticated and complex Dragon Lock Well layout using the ruins of the previous dynasty.

However, after observing for half a year, he still couldn't find any clues.

Furthermore, under his divine sense scan, this place had always been in a state of destruction, without any trace of repair. Unlike now, however, it had been mostly repaired, clearly indicating that it couldn't be repaired in the short term, and that the other party had been repairing this place for quite some time.

Every so often, he would scan the area with his divine sense, and the only way to deceive his divine sense would be to use some other magical artifact.

The further you go into Jin'an, the more foul the stench becomes, as if there is a large burial pit deep in the ruins of a previous dynasty, constantly emitting a putrid stench.

Soon, he arrived at a huge, low-lying space, where he encountered a giant cannibalistic cooking cauldron that was ten times larger than the cannibalistic cauldron he had seen before.

The enormous cannibalistic cooking cauldron was filled with a ghostly aura and a putrid stench, which emanated from it.

This enormous cannibalistic cooking cauldron was destroyed by Jin'an in the past; what appears here today is a restored version.

Jin An, his face slightly grim, approached the enormous cannibalistic cooking cauldron. As he climbed onto the cauldron, he saw a Taoist priest sitting cross-legged inside, refining lead and mercury pills within it.

That Taoist was none other than the one he had killed in the past, but back then the Taoist was a pure embryo of lead and mercury, not a perfect person.

Therefore, what he killed was only a lead-mercury holy embryo.

Unexpectedly, the lead-mercury sacred embryo has returned, appearing once again in the giant cannibalistic cooking cauldron, just like last time.

Jin An noticed that the Taoist was refining a magical artifact in his hand. The artifact was a scroll painting, on which was depicted a divine beast that resembled both a dragon and a serpent. Upon closer inspection, it was clearly the dragon that was described as "riding a blue dragon and being accompanied by a white dragon."

The dragon has a drooping beard, wings on its shoulders, and limbs that allow it to walk like a beast. Its body is covered with green fish scales, giving it a majestic and robust appearance, as well as the virtues of an emperor and the aura of ascending to heaven and suppressing evil.

Upon seeing the dragon painting, Jin An immediately sensed a familiar aura emanating from it, an aura almost identical to that of the Locked Dragon Well.

He has found the magical artifact he was looking for.

This magical artifact possesses the power to deceive even the heavens and the seas, and its divine might is immense. It can even deceive his divine sense, preventing him from discovering the abnormal situation here.

Just as Jin'an discovered the Taoist's lead-mercury sacred embryo and the dragon scroll, the Taoist, who was sitting cross-legged in the huge man-eating cooking cauldron refining magical treasures, also sensed someone approaching. He then closed his eyes and looked up at the outside of the cauldron.

"Fellow Daoist, you've ruined my plans today..."

The Taoist was not afraid of being discovered. He smiled and disappeared from the spot in the next moment. When he reappeared, he was standing on the huge cannibalistic cauldron, looking directly at Jin An.

The Taoist priest smiled easily and happily, seemingly not only unafraid of Jin An, but also intending to keep Jin An here.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

“I killed you here last time, so you should be afraid that I will kill you again.”

"Is it because you are a holy embryo of lead and mercury and are not afraid of death?"

"Or is it because you have something to rely on this time?"

Jin An asked expressionlessly.

Hahaha.

The Taoist priest laughed and said, "Perhaps, both are true."

"Fellow Daoist, with your cultivation level, it's a waste of your talent to condescend to the position of a mortal criminal investigation officer. Why don't we join forces and use the Dragon Locking Well to control the world, govern all the millions of people, and then order them to find rare and precious materials to help us cultivate?"

"You should know that the Four Symbols Formation of Heaven and Earth has been broken, and the laws of heaven and earth are slowly recovering. It's only a matter of time before it returns to the state it was a thousand years ago."

"And time, for people of our cultivation level, is merely a fleeting moment, nothing more."

The Taoist priest held the scroll, which he kept unrolled, facing Jin An directly. He did not roll it up and continued to talk and laugh.

However, despite the many tempting conditions offered by the Taoist priest, Jin An remained expressionless and said, "Tell me, who is the owner of this Dragon Locking Well?"

“This Dragon Locking Well layout is definitely not yours. You have lifeless eyes with three whites, a small protruding mouth, and are greedy and insatiable. You are not born with the face of an emperor who can rule the world and command the army.”

Hahaha.

The Taoist priest laughed again.

After laughing, he turned his smile into a cold and murderous expression, and said, "It seems that you, fellow Daoist, are destined to be apart from me."

"In that case, I have no choice but to keep you here."

"Let me see today whether you are more powerful or this scroll of dragons emerging from the abyss and struggling to reach the sky is more powerful."

As soon as he finished speaking, the dragon on the scroll in the Taoist's hand suddenly spun around and flew into the sky. It soared into the sky and circled in the vast underground space, its four limbs treading on the void as it moved back and forth. White clouds rose from beneath its feet, displaying its divine power and majesty.

Even Jin An, upon witnessing the magnificent power and prestige displayed by the dragon, couldn't help but admire it in his heart, remarking that this dragon truly displayed extraordinary qualities and possessed unique abilities.

However, he was not afraid of this dragon.

He practiced the Six Extremes Xingyi Fist, and had seen countless dragon spirits. He himself had cultivated various dragon spirits, but this one dragon was not enough to terrify him or render him unable to resist.

The dragon, with its four limbs treading on the void, circled and soared in the sky for a while before its enormous starry eyes fixed on Jin An's primordial spirit. The dragon's starry eyes possessed an auspicious and majestic aura, and with just one glance, it could make people unable to resist and generate a surge of emotions that made them want to submit to the dragon.

Jin An had this feeling the moment he first met the dragon's gaze. Fortunately, he had cultivated many dragon essences and was resistant to dragon heads. Apart from being somewhat affected at first glance, he remained calm and unaffected afterward.

Seeing that Jin An was unaffected and could stand still, the dragon let out an extremely majestic roar, and then flew towards Jin An with its four limbs treading on the void.

Jin An stood still, neither dodging nor flinching, letting the dragon attack him. Boom!

A deafening roar, louder than spring thunder, shook the entire underground space, demonstrating the immense force of the impact—a force capable of shaking heaven and earth.

But when the smoke and dust cleared, Jin An's primordial spirit was found standing unharmed in the same spot, without even taking a step back.

"Pity."

"This is the mortal realm. No matter how powerful this magic weapon is, it can only unleash the power of the fourth realm."

"But killing me in the fourth realm would be quite difficult and arduous."

Jin An said calmly, without any expression.

On the other hand, the Taoist priest was no longer calm and exclaimed in surprise, "How is this possible!"

"Why were you able to block the dragon emerging from the abyss and struggle against the heavens!"

"Could it be... that your cultivation has improved since last time, and you've already reached the fourth realm! But even if you've reached the fourth realm, you couldn't possibly have done it so easily against the Dragon Emerging from the Abyss Sky-Piercing Diagram!" "Even if my Dragon Emerging from the Abyss Sky-Piercing Diagram can't kill a fourth-realm expert, it can still injure one!"

"How is all this possible!"

The Taoist's expression changed drastically. When he looked at Jin An again, he could no longer maintain his previous composure and calmness; a hint of panic began to appear on his face.

Jin An said expressionlessly, "Want to know?"

"Then you can watch carefully from here on out."

"Six Extremes Xingyi Quan! Dragon Fist Intent!"

Jin An raised his hand and waved it, which also unleashed a huge and majestic dragon.

That dragon was a dragon spirit, a real dragon that existed in ancient times, so its dragon intent was no less than that of the dragon emerging from the abyss to fight for the sky. When the two dragons met, they immediately began the most intense battle.

Jin An is no longer in a physical body, so the Dragon Essence Fist he unleashes lacks some of the vigorous and masculine energy of a martial immortal's physical body. However, the Dragon Essence Fist he unleashes in the late stage of the fourth realm is still enough to fight against heaven and earth, making him seem like a god or demon who can dominate the world.

Jin An's primordial spirit and Dao Qi were profound, so his Dragon Essence Fist Intent was naturally also extremely profound. He fought endlessly with the dragon emerging from the abyss in the sky, engaging in back-and-forth battles.

Jin An merely glanced at the battle in the sky before ignoring the two dragons vying for supremacy. With a single step, he traversed the void barrier and appeared half a zhang in front of the Taoist.

Looking at the Taoist priest in front of him, he raised his hand and cast the ancient Nine-Character Mantra, easily sealing the Taoist priest in front of him.

His opponent's cultivation level was still at the third realm, and he was no match for him at all.

He sealed the other party in order to interrogate them for some information. Even though the other party was just a lead-mercury holy embryo and not a perfect person, he wanted to try to find out some clues about who was using the ruins of the previous dynasty to set up the Dragon Locking Well.

However, just as Jin An was sealing the Taoist's lead and mercury sacred embryo, the sealing spirit pearl suddenly disintegrated and disappeared on its own.

The Taoist priest who possessed the sacred fetus of lead and mercury also vanished without a trace.

"It really didn't work..."

"The primordial spirit left by the other party on the lead-mercury holy embryo dissipated and retreated on its own as soon as it could no longer sense the lead-mercury holy embryo."

Jin An's brows furrowed slightly.

At the same time, as the Daoist of the Lead and Mercury Sacred Embryo disappeared, the dragon also vanished. The Dragon Emerging from the Abyss and Struggling for Heaven Diagram returned to its ordinary state and fell to the ground.

Jin An grabbed the painting "Dragon Emerging from the Abyss and Struggling for Heaven" from a distance, admired it for a few moments, nodded, and then put the painting into his stomach.

The dragon on this magic weapon is quite good. It will be very useful in the future, whether used as a magic weapon or for refining the dragon fist intent.

Next, Jin An carefully searched the underground space again. When he found no more useful clues, he raised his palm, and five-colored Dao Qi continuously condensed on his palm.

The five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth gathered more and more in his hand, and at the same time, the spirit pearl also condensed to its limit. Finally, the spirit pearl exploded.

Boom!

A burst of five-colored light erupted, alternating between red, blue, yellow, and green, instantly covering the entire underground space and enveloping the area.

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

When the radiance faded, the enormous cannibalistic cooking cauldron, the smaller cannibalistic cooking cauldron, the statues, the bronze coffin, the chains, and other items in the underground space all disappeared, leaving only an empty, round, hollow space behind.

The layout of Suolongjing was completely destroyed by Jin'an, leaving no trace.

Just as the layout of Suolongjing was being destroyed by Jin'an, a loud boom!
A tremendous explosion occurred over the capital city, shocking everyone. The explosion disturbed all places of cultivation in the capital, including the Jade Capital Golden Palace, Zhenguo Temple, and the Celestial Master's Mansion. One after another, people's primordial spirits left their bodies and flew into the void to investigate the cause.

Then they witnessed an incredibly magical scene.

Auspicious signs appeared in the sky: "Golden crows shine upon the world, a hundred blessings gather, their brilliance shines forever; Heavenly horses ride the clouds, bringing good omens, and ten thousand kinds of good fortune accompany you." Moreover, colorful auspicious clouds gathered, a truly beautiful sight, with rosy clouds spreading across the sky.

"Is this an auspicious omen?"

Is it an auspicious sign?

These Nascent Soul experts were all shocked, their faces filled with disbelief, admiration and respect.

After a while, the auspicious signs in the sky gradually dissipated, and people could then see that the so-called golden crow shining brightly and illuminating the world was actually the unusual weather phenomenon brought about by the rising sun shining brightly and illuminating the four directions of heaven and earth.

However, these Nascent Soul experts did not lower their expectations; instead, they all showed even more solemn expressions.

"Such a magnificent weather phenomenon is something I have rarely seen in my life."

"This is the capital, the most important city in the land, and the ancestral worship ceremony is just a few days away... Could this auspicious omen be a result of Emperor Kangzhao's birth?"

Hiss!

These words immediately caused quite a stir.

These experts in the Primordial Spirit realm began to discuss Emperor Kang Zhao and the ancestral worship ceremony, believing that these events were somewhat related.

"Daoist Jin'an, you're here too." Among the group of primordial spirits, the Crimson Origin True Man and the Mysterious Thunder True Man of Jade Capital Golden Palace saw Jin'an and came over to greet him with joy on their faces.

"True Man Chiyuan".

"Master Xuanlei".

Jin An smiled and nodded.

“Master Jin’an, it’s so good to have you here. Do you know what this auspicious omen is all about? I’ve heard from others that it’s related to Emperor Kangzhao’s subjugation of demons and his decisive victory over the steppe Khanate. What do you think?” Master Xuan Lei asked.

Jin An looked up at the auspicious signs in the sky that were gradually fading away. Then, he led the two of their spirits to the underground ruins of the former dynasty.

"The auspicious signs from heaven must be related to my subduing demons and monsters here, clearing away the Dragon Lock Well's curse, and releasing many souls from the previous dynasty to be reincarnated," Jin An said, offering his conjecture.

"what?"

"Ok?"

True Man Chi Yuan and True Man Xuan Lei were also surprised by the appearance of such a large hollow space underground in the capital. Their primordial spirits flew around it and quickly returned to Jin An's side.

"The stench of corpses here is unbearable; there is indeed a considerable accumulation of dead bodies," True Man Chiyuan mused.

"Master Jin'an, have you found the layout of this Dragon-Locking Well? Which sorcerer set it up? Such a sorcerer deserves to be killed by everyone. Take us with you to exterminate him." The straightforward Master Xuan Lei was already shouting loudly that he wanted to act on behalf of Heaven.

Jin An shook his head and said, "Not yet. Unfortunately, the other party has been appearing as the Lead and Mercury Holy Embryo, so I can't find any clues for the time being."

Master Xuanlei said indignantly, "These cult members are indeed cunning and unpredictable, making them difficult to eradicate in one fell swoop!"