Desolate Devouring Art

Chapter 472 - Retrieving the Treasures

Gu Yu’s grandfather had often mentioned the Dragon Clan Scepter to him when he was very young. His grandfather said whoever could obtain the scepter would be able to command the Dragon Clan to do his bidding.

However, the Dragon Clan had long since vanished from the True Martial Continent, rendering the scepter—once a symbol of their highest authority—little more than a relic. Yet, legends persisted that the scepter held secrets of the Dragon Clan, and whoever could unlock its mysteries would gain access to their supreme cultivation technique.

This prospect was especially alluring to Gu Yu, as his own cultivation technique was derived from the Dragon Clan's teachings, though it remained incomplete. Acquiring the scepter could represent a significant breakthrough, offering him the missing pieces to elevate his cultivation.

With his natural aptitude, Gu Yu had no doubt that he could reach the Nascent Transformation Realm, but the True Profound Realm still seemed daunting. The scepter, however, might hold the key to overcoming that barrier.

On the other hand, the ancient seal attracted Liu Wuxie’s attention. If he wasn’t mistaken, this seal was the Heavenly Dragon Seal, one of the six supreme treasures of the dragon clan.

The dragon clan had six supreme treasures: the Dragon Clan Scepter, the Heavenly Dragon Seal, the Eight Treasure Pagoda, the Heavenly Bell, the Eight Divine Drums, and the Myriad Dragon Hand.

Among the six, the Myriad Dragon Hand wasn’t a treasure but a supreme technique of the dragon clan. It could unleash ten thousand dragons to attack the opponent, so it was listed among the six supreme treasures.

Then again, the Dragon Clan Scepter and Heavenly Dragon Seal were replicas because the actual ones were in the hands of the Dragon Emperor in the Dragon Realm.

Even if the Heavenly Dragon Seal was a replica, it was still countless times more powerful than ordinary weapons. After all, each weapon forged by the dragon clan was potent.

Unlike humans, who wielded a wide array of weapons, the Dragon Clan possessed only six, regardless of their specific type. Among these, the Myriad Dragon Hand was entrusted to the core elders of the Dragon Realm, symbolizing immense power and authority. Meanwhile, the Eight Treasure Pagoda, a singular and unparalleled artifact, was held exclusively by the Dragon Emperor.

The Eight Treasure Pagoda had a world within, mainly used to imprison sinful dragons.

The Dragon Clan Scepter symbolized the unparalleled authority of the dragon clan, a symbol not easily crafted or granted. Most dragons, regardless of their power, could only refine replicas of three legendary treasures: the Heavenly Dragon Seal, the Heavenly Bell, and the Eight Divine Drums.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal was the most powerful of the three treasures. The Heavenly Bell, on the other hand, was a colossal bell that could envelop an area with a radius of tens of thousands of meters, while the Eight Divine Drums were primarily for sonic attacks capable of shattering a person’s primordial spirit.

Liu Wuxie had seen all five supreme treasures aside from the Eight Treasure Pagoda.

The two got closer to the table and were only ten-odd meters away. They were both nervous because Liu Wuxie had never come in contact with the dragon clan’s supreme treasures, even if he had seen them before.

He had personally witnessed the Heavenly Dragon Seal destroying an entire sect. Even if immortal artifacts were powerful, they were no match for the dragon clan’s supreme treasure.

If he could retrieve and refine the Heavenly Dragon Seal, it would become his greatest trump card that might even surpass the Earth Binding Chains.

After all, the Earth Binding Chains belonged to the Spirit Clan, and he would eventually have to return them. Moreover, the Earth Binding Chains had significant flaws; each use consumed immense soul energy, and while they could restrain an opponent, they couldn't deliver a killing blow.

The Heavenly Dragon Seal was more oppressive than the Earth Binding Chains, and he could use it to smash his enemies.

Ten minutes later, the two finally stood before the table under immense pressure. The light curtain produced by the Heavenly Dao Book had already pressed down onto Liu Wuxie’s shoulders, reaching its limit.

Even so, there were beads of sweat on Liu Wuxie’s forehead. As for Gu Yu, his legs were trembling even after most of the pressure was absorbed by Liu Wuxie.

The skeleton’s head was positioned above the table, which gave off a terrifying dragon aura.

“This is the dragon clan?” Gu Yu wanted to touch the skeleton, but Liu Wuxie stopped him.

“Don’t touch it for now, and retrieve the items on the table first.” The skeleton was their lifeline, and they would die if anything went wrong.

The Dragon Clan Scepter and the Heavenly Dragon Seal were covered in a thick layer of dust, a sign that no one had entered this place for thousands of years.

“There are two treasures here, one for each of us. What do you think?” Liu Wuxie asked Gu Yu, acknowledging that they couldn’t have reached this point without the Divine Dragon Sword. It was only fair to let Gu Yu choose first. The Dragon Clan Scepter and the Heavenly Dragon Seal were both invaluable, so Liu Wuxie didn’t mind which one he took.

“Thank you, Big Brother Liu!” Gu Yu was excited and couldn’t contain himself. He said, “To be honest, this scepter is extremely important to my Gu Clan. Can I pick it?”

Gu Yu sought Liu Wuxie’s approval, explaining how crucial the scepter was to his clan. He wouldn’t be upset if Liu Wuxie wanted the scepter instead; after all, without Liu Wuxie, he wouldn’t have survived, much less stood before such a treasure.

“It’s yours!” Liu Wuxie smiled. He valued the Heavenly Dragon Seal more than the Dragon Clan Scepter. The scepter only represented the dragon clan’s authority, while the Heavenly Dragon Seal was an offensive treasure.

Since the Gu Clan were descendants of the Dragon Clan, the Dragon Clan Scepter was the best choice for them to receive the Dragon Clan’s recognition.

Gu Yu didn’t reach for the scepter immediately. Instead, he knelt before the skeleton and offered three solemn kowtows, honoring the ancestors of his Dragon Clan lineage. After paying his respects, he rose to his feet and only then gently took hold of the Dragon Clan Scepter.

Liu Wuxie nodded in approval, impressed by Gu Yu's ability to maintain reverence even in the face of such a powerful treasure. It showed how much Gu Yu had matured, prioritizing respect for his heritage over personal gain. Many others in his position might have been too blinded by greed to remember their roots.

When Gu Yu gently held onto the Dragon Clan Scepter, Liu Wuxie could see his hands trembling. Those in the surroundings watched enviously. They were just three hundred meters away, yet no closer to the treasures, leaving them to watch helplessly as two cultivators in the lower levels of the Heavenly Phase Realm claimed what they couldn't reach.

“Damn it! Such treasures are about to fall into the hands of others!” An expert in the pinnacle of the Heavenly Phase Realm hammered his chest in frustration. He wished he could charge over and snatch the scepter.

The dragon palace shook when Gu Yu picked up the Dragon Clan Scepter, which felt like an earthquake. This made Liu Wuxie frown and wonder if the dragon palace had caused the previous earthquakes. The scepter must’ve sensed the Divine Dragon Sword, thus triggering the earthquakes.

Countless rocks began to fall, and the tremor shook for half a minute before stopping. The dragon palace had returned to calm, but no one could maintain their composure.

Gu Yu carefully wiped the dust off the Dragon Clan Scepter; his expression filled with reverence. As he did so, a faint dragon aura emanated from the scepter, causing it to nearly slip from his grasp.

“The laws in the Dragon Clan Scepter must be damaged, likely due to an external force. The power is no longer comparable to how it once was,” Liu Wuxie said after observing with his divine sense.

Gu Yu nodded, agreeing with Liu Wuxie's assessment. "There must have been a fierce battle that led to the downfall of the Dragon Clan. The surviving dragons likely migrated to another realm." He understood that if the scepter were still in its prime, it would be on par with a heavenly artifact corresponding to the True Profound Realm. In that case, neither of them would have been able to claim it.

After all, the power of a heavenly artifact could easily kill anyone who touched it recklessly, and some powerful ones had even developed artifact spirits with independent thoughts, making them even more powerful.

Gu Yu carefully stored the Dragon Clan Scepter in his interspatial ring, finally allowing himself a moment of relief.

With that done, it was Liu Wuxie’s turn. He stepped toward the Heavenly Dragon Seal, his eyes fixed on its pale yellow surface, which was etched with countless dragon runes. The seal was square-shaped, roughly the size of an adult's palm, but a noticeable chunk was missing from the left side, as if it had been sliced off by a sharp blade.

This damage made the laws within the Heavenly Dragon Seal even more compromised than those in the Dragon Clan Scepter. However, Liu Wuxie wasn’t discouraged. He was confident that, with his wisdom, he could repair the seal. If he could restore it to the level of a heavenly artifact, he would possess the power to dominate the entire True Martial Continent.

He was shocked when he touched the Heavenly Dragon Seal and tried lifting it because the seal didn’t budge. He muttered, “So heavy?!”

“Big Brother Liu, the seal rejects you because you don’t possess the dragon clan’s bloodline,” Gu Yu quickly reminded him. He knew about the origin of the Heavenly Dragon Seal and could only refer to it as a seal.

Liu Wuxie nodded and could sense the rejection from the Heavenly Dragon Seal. Gu Yu could pick up the Dragon Clan Scepter because he possessed the Sky Dragon’s bloodline.

Liu Wuxie increased his strength in the next attempt. With his true essence gushing out, he gripped the Heavenly Dragon Seal firmly. He could easily lift a mountain with his current strength.

Creaking sounds came from the table as the Heavenly Dragon Seal began to loosen. The dragon palace started to tremble, with the ground beneath Liu Wuxie cracking.

Those stationed in the surroundings stood up and looked at Liu Wuxie.

“What is he trying to do?” Everyone was nervous, seeing how the dragon palace shook violently when Liu Wuxie tried to retrieve the mysterious seal.

“Liu Wuxie, are you trying to get yourself killed? We will all die if this place collapses!” Wei An warned Liu Wuxie, urging him to stop what he was doing.

At this point, Liu Wuxie had no path of retreat. The situation was dire, and staying in the Dragon Palace meant certain death. His only option was to take the risk and hope that, if the palace began to collapse, he could seize the moment to escape.

Ignoring the murmurs around him, Liu Wuxie gripped the Heavenly Dragon Seal with both hands and exerted all his strength to lift it off the table. Slowly, the seal began to rise, but just as it left the surface, it unleashed a powerful heavenly dragon’s aura that slammed into Liu Wuxie. The impact was so intense that he coughed up a mouthful of blood, his face turning pale.

“You’re already an item without a master. If you follow me, I promise to restore you to your past glory!” Treasures were spiritual, and the Heavenly Dragon Seal still retained a faint spirituality despite being severely damaged.

Perhaps his words struck a chord, for the resistance from the Heavenly Dragon Seal lessened, and its aura began to weaken.

With the seal finally in his grasp, Liu Wuxie infused it with his true essence, gradually trying to assimilate it. His primary goal was to nourish the seal, fostering a bond and creating a sense of affinity between them.

With no time to refine the Heavenly Dragon Seal, Liu Wuxie resolved to use it as a trump card once he escaped. As soon as the seal was removed, the table collapsed, and rocks began to rain down from the ceiling, exploding on impact.

Everyone panicked because the ink-jade pillars had shattered, and the dragon palace began to sink. Seawater gushed from the ground and soon filled it up.

No one had anticipated this scene, and Liu Wuxie was already enveloped in seawater. When the dragon aura began to fade, Ding Ye and the Wolf Fang Regiment’s leader charged towards Liu Wuxie.