Chapter 160: Another Land of the Ancient Gods

The shard was greenish-grey all over, with jagged edges, as if it were a fragment left behind after some artifact had shattered.

Its surface bore a few ancient, primitive markings, extremely shallow and faint; if one did not look closely, one would almost think they were merely the natural texture of the artifact itself.

Chu Yuan held the shard in his palm, probed it with his Divine Sense, and after perceiving it carefully for a moment, his brows relaxed slightly.

He raised his eyes to look at Tianyue, his tone indifferent: "This item… where did you obtain it?"

Tianyue was slightly stunned, his gaze falling upon the shard, and he pondered for a moment.

This shard was something he had accidentally obtained years ago on a desolate ancient star. When he first acquired it, there had been nothing unusual about it. He had repeatedly studied it for many years but was never able to uncover its mysteries, so he had eventually tossed it into his Storage Pouch and gradually forgotten about it.

He had not expected that this Senior would actually take an interest in it.

"This was something I accidentally obtained while exploring an ancient star,"

Tianyue answered truthfully.

"Oh?"

Chu Yuan's gaze flickered slightly.

"Where is that ancient star located?"

Tianyue felt puzzled in his heart. Could it be that this shard held some secret?

He had studied it for many years without discovering the slightest clue, yet this Senior before him had shown a change in expression the moment he touched it; clearly, this shard was no ordinary object.

However, since the other party had asked, he naturally dared not conceal anything.

He raised his hand to take out a Jade Slip, tapped his fingertip upon it, used his Divine Sense to mark the location of the ancient star within, and then handed it to Chu Yuan with both hands.

"Senior, I have already marked the location of the ancient star within."

Chu Yuan took the Jade Slip, probed it with his Divine Sense, and glanced at it; the coordinate within the star map was clearly visible.

He nodded, casually stowed the Jade Slip into his sleeve, and then flicked his hand. One thousand silvery-white Thunder Sources flew out from his sleeve and hovered before Tianyue.

"One thousand Thunder Sources."

Chu Yuan said indifferently.

"Consider this the payment for your shard and that coordinate."

Tianyue's pupils contracted violently; for a moment, he was unable to speak.

One thousand Thunder Sources—what a generous gesture!

He wanted to express his gratitude, but Chu Yuan did not linger any longer. His figure flashed, turning into a long rainbow that disappeared into the depths of the Void Realm.

Tianyue looked down at the dense mass of silvery-white Thunder Sources before him.

"This Senior…"

Tianyue muttered to himself, unable to help but sigh.

"He is truly generous."

One thousand Thunder Sources were enough for the entire Qingyue Sect to use for hundreds of years, and if he were to absorb all these Thunder Sources himself, it would be enough to raise his cultivation from the Middle Stage of Yang Solid to the Late Stage of Yang Solid.

As for the shard and the ancient star coordinate, they were merely things he had obtained casually; being able to exchange them for this Opportunity was already an unexpected joy.

He raised his hand, stowed those Thunder Sources into his Storage Pouch, turned around, and left with the members of the Qingyue Sect.

On the other side, Chu Yuan tore through the air and departed. He raised his hand, placed the greenish-grey shard before him, and it hovered above his palm, slowly rotating.

Chu Yuan probed it with his Divine Sense, carefully perceiving that faint aura.

This shard actually contained the aura of an Ancient God.

Judging by its form, it seemed to have been left behind by an Ancient God's artifact; it was highly likely to be a fragment of an Ancient God's natal battle weapon.

After a Royal Ancient God reached adulthood, they would naturally inherit a natal battle weapon. That was an artifact connected to their Bloodline, containing the Origin power of the Ancient God.

Although the shard before him was broken, it still retained a trace of that faint natal aura, sufficient to prove that it had once belonged to a Royal Ancient God.

Chu Yuan could not be entirely certain if this was truly a fragment of an Ancient God's natal artifact; it was merely a guess.

But regardless, he could be certain that in this Zhaohe Star System, a Royal Ancient God had likely fallen here once.

Spending a moment's time, Chu Yuan arrived at the location of the ancient star marked on the star map.

A faint ripple of the Void Realm spread out, and his figure stepped out from within. Across the vast void, he gazed at that planet hanging alone in the darkness.

It was a crimson, abandoned cultivation planet, its surface covered with dried-up cracks, devoid of any vegetation, its Spiritual Qi so thin it was nearly non-existent.

"Is this the place?"

Chu Yuan muttered to himself, his gaze lingering on that planet for a moment.

His Divine Sense spread out like a tide, silently enveloping the entire planet, exploring every inch of land and every crack, inch by inch.

He did not directly perceive the aura of an Ancient God; that planet was too dead, without even a trace of weak spiritual power fluctuation.

But just as his Divine Sense swept over the extreme north of the planet, he suddenly detected an abnormality. Deep underground, there was an area that even his Divine Sense could not penetrate.

Chu Yuan withdrew his Divine Sense, his gaze falling in the direction of the planet's extreme north, a flash of brilliance crossing his eyes.

If even his Divine Sense could not penetrate it, it was either a naturally formed, strange location, or a Restriction set up by someone with great magical power.

Regardless of which it was, it showed that this ancient star was not as desolate as it appeared on the surface.

"It seems this star really does have secrets."

His figure moved, and he sped toward that crimson planet.

Starlight flowed around him, the void retreated beneath his feet, and in just a moment, he passed through the thin layer of gale winds and landed on the surface of that abandoned ancient star.

Chu Yuan did not stop; his figure disappeared once again, and he swept toward the direction of the extreme north.

His speed was astonishingly fast; in just a few breaths, he had arrived above that abnormal area.

The ground below was no different from elsewhere; it was still cracked, crimson soil. But standing here, he could clearly perceive that faint, elusive power of obstruction deep underground.

He raised his foot and lightly stomped.

The ground beneath his feet shook slightly but did not shatter.

That layer of obstruction was even more solid than he had imagined, like an iron wall buried deep underground, isolating all prying eyes.

Chu Yuan withdrew his foot, his gaze profound.

He did not rush to break open the ground but instead walked around the area once, taking in all the surrounding terrain, spiritual power fluctuations, and subtle changes in aura into his perception.

A moment later, he stopped, the corners of his mouth curling up slightly.

The entrance was not on the ground, but on that stone wall over there.

Chu Yuan's figure flickered, turning into a streak of light, and he plunged straight into that stone wall.

The surface of the stone wall rippled like water, and his figure disappeared within it.

The moment he passed through the stone wall, an invisible pressure surged from all directions, like the water pressure one feels when diving deep into the ocean.

Chu Yuan's figure paused slightly, then immediately returned to normal, and he continued to sweep forward.

All around was a dark Void Realm, but his Divine Sense clearly perceived that this void was filled with dense, countless Restrictions, layered like a spiderweb, sealing this space tightly.

Ancient God Restriction.

Chu Yuan's gaze narrowed slightly, carefully perceiving the structure of those Restrictions.

It was at least a Restriction set up by a Six-Star Ancient God.

Chu Yuan's brows raised slightly, and he already had a plan in mind.

Although these Restrictions were exquisite, they were not unsolvable.

If others were to intrude here, they would either have to use brute force far exceeding the limit of what the Restriction could withstand to break it open, or they would be forced to turn back.

But he was different; he himself was an Ancient God, and the Ancient God Power within his body was the best pass.

He raised his hand, and the forbidden banner flew out from his sleeve, hovering before him.

The banner unfurled, and countless Restrictions drifted out from it, surrounding him like a swarm of fireflies, interacting with the Ancient God Restrictions in this void space.

Those Ancient God Restrictions collided, probed, and experienced Fusion, like two streams of water probing each other at the confluence.

A moment later, Chu Yuan retracted the forbidden banner, his brows relaxing slightly.

He sensed that within these Ancient God Restrictions, there was a hidden door left behind, and the Ancient God Power was the key to opening that door.