Chapter 371: Mountains and Rivers!

At the sudden change, Yang Tian's heart tightened. His vigilant eyes swept around, and when he sensed Yang Xiao nearby, he instantly breathed a sigh of relief.

Now, his gaze scanned the surroundings. This was a barren land, devoid of vegetation, with many great mountains cracked open as if dried up, bare and desolate everywhere, appearing extremely eerie.

"Uncle Xiao, what is this place?" Yang Tian scratched his head, looking ahead with some confusion.

"This is the space of the Mountain and River Cauldron. I never expected it to become like this... Alas," Yang Xiao sighed. He had just learned from conversing with the artifact spirit about the changes it had undergone.

The surrounding sea of blood had been eroding the artifact spirit's本体 day and night. Even divine materials could not withstand millennia of erosion, and moreover, it had to suppress the supreme existence below, leaving little strength to expel the surrounding evil aura.

After countless years, the space within the Mountain and River Cauldron had become like this, and the energy of this realm was severely depleted, worsening the condition of the cauldron.

"Good heavens, I never thought those offspring of the demon dragons were actually nourishment for the blood sea!" After Yang Xiao had spoken for a while, Yang Tian was deeply shocked. This clan was too ruthless, even capable of such deeds.

"Indeed, but this method is highly effective. If a few more millennia passed, the Mountain and River Cauldron would truly be unable to suppress it and would fly out of this space." Yang Xiao also clicked his tongue, secretly glad they had come early; otherwise, the cauldron would have suffered irreparable damage.

At that moment, Yang Xiao's hand flickered slightly, and their bodies appeared outside a cave dwelling. The bright cave emitted an ancient and terrifying aura, concealing a fearsome being within.

Yang Xiao tidied his clothes for a moment, extremely solemn, showing how highly the artifact spirit within was regarded in the Yang family.

"Let's go." Seeing Yang Tian's strange expression, Yang Xiao smiled slightly, and the two walked into the cave.

Inside the cave, an oppressive atmosphere pervaded everywhere. The scene inside resembled the outside; some places were also cracked, with terrifying fissures interwoven, and a lake ahead had dried up.

At the very front was a figure whose true visage was indiscernible, entirely submerged in hazy mist, like chaotic light beams. The faint aura it emitted made one's heart tremble; it seemed like a deity who had created the world.

Though the aura it emitted was extremely terrifying, within the hazy mist, faint threads of black could be seen shooting out, riddling the void with holes.

"Is this... demonic qi?" Yang Tian was startled. He sensed that those black threads contained extremely strong corrosive power, and even his precious body could not withstand it.

"Junior Yang Xiao pays respects to the artifact spirit lord." At this moment, Yang Xiao bowed deeply, bending his body, and spoke.

Seeing this, Yang Tian also imitated him, cupping his hands, not daring to show any sign of impatience.

"No need for formalities..." The fearsome figure ahead spoke indifferently, his voice aged and tinged with weakness, but not lacking in authority, like a thunderous bell exploding in Yang Tian's heart.

"Roar..." At that moment, two nightmare dragons emerged from Yang Tian's body, emitting joyful roars. They appeared extremely delighted, circling around the artifact spirit.

"Haha... I thought I was unlucky enough, placed here by the lord to suppress the demon dragons, but you are even worse off than me..." The artifact spirit laughed heartily, joy spreading.

"Roar..." The two nightmare dragons were extremely cheerful. Suddenly opening their mouths, a powerful suction force surged out, drawing out threads of black from the hazy mist, then spitting them out, their speed dozens of times faster than before.

"Don't rush; the demonic qi essence accumulated in my body is too much; it won't be resolved in a day or two." The artifact spirit said slowly, signaling it to stop.

At this moment, Yang Tian's body suddenly stiffened. He sensed a gaze that made his heart palpitate scanning his body; his five viscera and six bowels were vibrating, emitting the sound of the great Dao.

"Divine Dragon Soul-Calming Pendant..." The artifact spirit's eyes fell on the jade pendant, a hint of surprise showing. He said slowly, "What a pity; its artifact spirit has also suffered irreparable damage. It seems that during the last demon-sealing war, all divine objects in the world suffered terrible injuries!"

"Injured..." Hearing this, the corner of Yang Tian's mouth twitched involuntarily, but then he became resigned. As a divine object of the world, how could it have easily resided in his body initially?

"But that's fine; when the day of recognition comes, we won't have to worry about that stubborn old fellow." The artifact spirit of the Mountain and River Cauldron said with a slight smile, seeming to be quite familiar with the spirit of the Divine Dragon Soul-Calming Pendant.

"Eh?" At this moment, the artifact spirit suddenly let out a soft exclamation. His gaze fixed on Yang Tian's five viscera and six bowels, and he said with some incredulity, "You have actually cultivated the Dao Scripture!"

"Yes, senior." Sensing the artifact spirit's surprise, Yang Tian was also inwardly shocked. The fact that it could astonish an artifact spirit that had lived for who knew how many years elevated the Dao Scripture's status immensely.

"Haha... What a remarkable coincidence... Back then, the lord went to the Dao God Mountain to seek the Dao Scripture, but those stubborn Daoist priests' residual divine thoughts flatly refused. I never expected that the lord's descendant would learn it..."

The artifact spirit laughed heartily, as if venting some pent-up frustration. Yang Tian was puzzled and asked. With the ancestor's heaven-reaching abilities, why would he need to cultivate the Dao Scripture's techniques?

"You don't know. Even the lord admired the Dao Scripture's techniques. When I first gained sentience, this technique was already renowned within and beyond the realms in the ancient times, a peerless cultivation method."

"The Dao Scripture is divided into nine volumes. The one you cultivate is a technique for tempering the precious body. In the past, the lord wanted to create a divine skill but lacked a supreme method for the physical body, so he went to the Dao God Mountain for help. Unexpectedly, those Daoist priests rejected the lord—how infuriating."

"Later, the lord used the marvels of the Thunder God True Jade Art to create the Thunder God Body. Now you have acquired two unparalleled techniques. In your future cultivation, you must be extremely careful and not practice recklessly."

"Thank you for your guidance, senior." Hearing this, Yang Tian broke out in a cold sweat. He had once thought of using his Dao body to attract lightning tribulation to temper his physique. After the artifact spirit's words, he began to take it seriously; such techniques could not be practiced haphazardly.

"It depends on your fortune. Although the two divine skills are formidable, if you can integrate them thoroughly, you can avoid the danger of taking the wrong path in the future." After a moment of silence, the artifact spirit sighed.

"Integrate thoroughly..." Hearing the Mountain and River Cauldron's spirit say this casually, cold sweat broke out on Yang Tian's back. Merging two supreme divine skills into one was no simple matter; for Yang Tian, it was as difficult as reaching the heavens!

"The Dao Scripture is wondrous beyond compare; even the lord admired it. In the past, those Daoist priests and a group of monks left, and they left behind copies. Calculating the time, the Dao God Mountain is about to open. You must make a trip; perhaps you can obtain other volumes."

"Dao God Mountain..." Hearing this, Yang Tian nodded. If he could truly find such a fearsome technique, he would definitely make the journey.

Then, Yang Tian asked whether the ancestor still existed, but the artifact spirit was unwilling to say more and politely declined to answer.

Just as they were conversing, a fearsome figure suddenly appeared in the cave. His entire body shone with golden light, enveloped in layers of auspicious clouds. Within his body, the sound of Buddhist chanting rumbled, causing Yang Tian's eardrums to tremble.

"Old friend of the Mountain and River, you have a guest but didn't call me over for a chat." This was a large monk. His scalp seemed cast from gold, dazzlingly bright, as lustrous as silk.

Yang Tian was startled. The figure that suddenly appeared was extremely powerful, with astonishing divinity, but exuded a kind of亲和力 that made Yang Tian want to draw near.

"Haha, Great Monk, how do you have time to come?" At this moment, the artifact spirit stood up, laughing heartily, his voice like a great bronze bell, shaking the entire cave.

"I haven't seen a young man in so many years." The great monk nodded slightly, but his gaze fixed on Yang Tian, scrutinizing him up and down, like an old virgin starved for countless years, making Yang Tian's hair stand on end.