"Senior, are you?"
Although Ji Hao had already guessed, he still had to ask and keep up appearances.
"Divine King Jiang Taixu."
"You... come here..." The aged voice was exceedingly weak, as though every word drained much of his mental strength.
Following the source of the voice, Ji Hao walked through winding passages from one abandoned cavern to another. The tunnels twisted and turned, and chunks of White Bone lay scattered throughout, each forehead pierced by a large hole. They belonged to those who had previously entered Purple Mountain and perished.
Soon, he arrived before a smooth purple rock wall.
Upon the purple wall of the ancient mine stood a tall, savage figure. A ferocious horn grew from its brow, and fine scales covered its body.
Ji Hao examined it carefully and said, "So this is a Primordial Creature. It's really ugly. Terrible review!"
"Divine King, are you trapped inside this purple jade wall?" Ji Hao asked hesitantly.
By seniority, he was vastly older than Jiang Taixu. The Jiang Family no longer had an Emperor's Son, after all. By bloodline, Jiang Taixu ought to call Ji Hao Little Ancestor.
"Not... wrong..." Jiang Taixu's voice emerged. Soon, the purple jade wall glowed, revealing a gaunt figure as thin as firewood, all bones and resembling a skeleton.
"Your... realm... is?" Divine King Jiang Taixu asked.
"I've just entered the Four Extremes!"
"The Four Extremes. Your talent is decent, but what a pity."
"Young descendant, come closer. I'll teach you a move and see how well you comprehend it..."
From within the rough rock wall came Jiang Taixu's intermittent, exceedingly weak voice.
At that moment, the emaciated Jiang Taixu on the stone wall assumed a strange posture, then tilted his head back and fell over.
Jiang Taixu had been trapped for over four thousand years. He was nearly out of fuel, and even the Origin of his Divine Body was close to drying up.
Next, an extremely brief incantation entered Ji Hao's mind, seemingly obscure and difficult to understand.
"One of the Nine Secrets: Nine Secrets: Dou!"
It was not limited to fists and feet. Every part of the body could attack, every inch of skin could unleash terrifying force, and it could even imitate countless lethal Secret Techniques with power far surpassing the originals. This was the Battle Saint Method, Nine Secrets: Dou!
It was one of the finest offensive Secret Techniques under heaven, with only a handful capable of standing alongside it.
Taihuang's Imperial Dragon Aura, and Ruthless's Flying Immortal Force.
A Bodhi Tree sapling took root atop his Life Spring, emitting a faint glow that greatly sharpened Ji Hao's mind. He silently experienced this Opening Move before earnestly comprehending and cultivating it.
Ji Hao retreated several steps and assumed the same posture. At the same time, the number of the Nine Secrets resonated with it.
His body moved with his heart, and a wondrous method arose on its own. As he unleashed the Opening Move, an immense Battle Intent involuntarily rose within him, making him want to punch through the Firmament.
His bloodline roared as well, and his Essence, Qi, and Spirit reached their peak. Fragments of Imperial Dao Laws resonated with Jiang Taixu within the rock wall.
It was all because of this Opening Move. His Essence, Qi, and Spirit had been stirred by Battle Intent. As if a God of War had possessed him, an immense fighting power surged forth in an instant.
"This is... Emperor Blood... You are an Emperor's Son of my Jiang Family!" Jiang Taixu was instantly startled awake, sensing that peerlessly powerful bloodline aura sharing the same origin as his own.
"Uh, in a sense, I am indeed Hengyu's descendant. Do you need me to rescue you?" Ji Hao continued.
Jiang Taixu pondered for a while, seemingly regretful, before saying, "Little Ancestor, you... are still too weak..."
"I remember that my Jiang Family no longer had any Emperor's Sons. They should all have gone to quell the darkness."
Ji Hao thought for a moment, as though considering how to explain it clearly.
"Have you heard of Emperor Corpse Spirit Awakening?"
"Emperor Corpse Spirit Awakening... so that's how it is." Jiang Taixu sighed. Ye Fan would not arrive for several more years, and Jiang Taixu still retained a trace of Origin, so conversing did not require waiting half a day between each sentence.
"Jiang Family descendant Jiang Taixu pays respects to Little Ancestor."
"No need for ceremony. I'll first see whether I can rescue you."
Jiang Taixu said nothing more and quietly waited for Ji Hao to act.
"Whoosh!"
Ji Hao held the Lihuo Divine Furnace in one hand, continuously pouring Divine Power into it. Crimson radiance rose, the Dao Principles belonging to the Great Emperor Hengyu within his bloodline awakened, and the Lihuo Divine Furnace responded as well, releasing strands of Extreme Dao aura.
As the Divine Weapon that Great Emperor Hengyu had used to wage war with his imperial furnace, the Lihuo Divine Furnace would have long since become an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon if not for the limitations of its materials. Even so, it was a Divine Weapon at the Quasi-Emperor Ninth Heavenly Layer, only a step away from becoming an Extreme Dao Emperor Weapon.
"The Lihuo Divine Furnace!" Jiang Taixu said in surprise. He had entered Purple Mountain in search of the Lihuo Divine Furnace all those years ago, only to become trapped there for four thousand years. Seeing this Divine Weapon again now filled him with unbearable mixed emotions.
How many four thousand years could a life possibly have?
The Lihuo Divine Furnace blazed brightly, and glass-colored Divine Fire poured forth, instantly burning away more than half the purple stone wall.
Unfortunately, it quickly healed.
Ji Hao frowned and was about to fully awaken the Lihuo Divine Furnace.
"Little Ancestor, do not take the risk. Many Primordial Creatures are sealed within Purple Mountain. Fully awakening the Lihuo Divine Furnace will certainly awaken them."
"At that time, with Little Ancestor's current cultivation, it would be far too dangerous!"
Ji Hao frowned and thought for a while. Could two Quasi-Emperor Weapons rescue him?
"If the Lihuo Divine Furnace isn't enough, then what about adding this?"
Ji Hao took out the Xuanyuan Sword and said.
"Little Ancestor, it is not a matter of having enough Quasi-Emperor Weapons. It is that Little Ancestor's cultivation is too weak to withstand the expenditure of a Quasi-Emperor Weapon."
"Moreover, this is Great Emperor Wu Shi's dojo. Fully awakening them could easily invite an attack from the Beginningless Bell." Jiang Taixu said, panting heavily.
Ji Hao said, "In that case, I can only wait until I become stronger and return another day."
With that, he took some Sacred Spring Water, a Jade Box containing Sacred Fruit, and a pile of Source from his Sea of Bitterness.
The Lihuo Divine Furnace exerted its power again, this time concentrating its force at a single point and opening a passage the size of a human head.
He sent the three items through the passage.
In the blink of an eye, a Sacred Fruit exploded. Its pure medicinal power entered Jiang Taixu's body, allowing his parched Origin to recover by a trace.
Drop after drop of Sacred Spring Water replenished Jiang Taixu's Vitality.
Chunks of Source exploded and were absorbed into Jiang Taixu's body, giving his dried-up Sea of Bitterness a trace of Divine Power.
His Physical Body shimmered with a faint radiance. After the Sacred Fruit and Sacred Spring Water entered him, his body was like land long parched by drought receiving sweet rain, nourishing every inch of his flesh and allowing him to regain Vitality!
The Sacred Fruit replenished his Origin, the Sacred Spring Water restored his Vitality, and the Source restored his Divine Power. After this full treatment, Jiang Taixu's condition improved greatly.
Jiang Taixu's figure appeared once more upon the rough rock wall. His dried-up body gradually became moisturized, his flesh rapidly regained vitality, and he no longer looked so emaciated.
There were still several years before Ye Fan arrived. Do not underestimate those few years—Jiang Taixu's Origin had not yet been exhausted.