The two humans and two beasts followed the tunnel downward, finally reaching its end after an extraordinarily long trek.
An immeasurably vast underground space lay before them.
Ravines crisscrossed the ground, and skeletal remains littered the landscape. It looked like an enormous mass grave.
Some skeletons had already rotted away, leaving only the hardest parts of their bodies intact.
Others, however, looked crystalline as jade. Even after hundreds or thousands of years, they still radiated a terrifying might.
Unevenly scattered among these skeletal remains were embedded pieces of red amber.
Some of this red amber looked incredibly murky, while other pieces were pure and flawless.
But they all shared one trait: they contained pure, concentrated energy.
Xiao Yan casually picked up a piece. After toying with it for a while, he asked inwardly, "Teacher, what is this stuff? There's quite a lot of energy inside it."
"It should be a crystal formed from condensed Magical Beast essence blood. The murkier it is, the weaker the beast was in life. Conversely, the clearer it is, the stronger the beast was, and the more energy it contains.
"If used in pill refinement, it would make a decent ingredient. You should be able to refine a substitute for the Energy-Gathering Pill with it.
"However, these Essence-Blood Crystals are truly potent nourishment for Magical Beasts, especially the high-quality ones. They might even stimulate an ancestral awakening in a beast's bloodline."
After hearing this, Xiao Yan considered it for a moment before telling the Amethyst Winged Lion King.
At his words, wild delight immediately filled the lion king's enormous eyes.
"These crystals can do that?"
"But Xiao Yan, if these crystals are treasures, don't you want them yourself?"
Xiao Yan smiled calmly. "Most of the energy in these Essence-Blood Crystals has long since dissipated with time, so they won't do much for me.
"For you, on the other hand, they can stimulate an ancestral awakening in your bloodline. They're clearly far more useful to you.
"Since that's the case, why should I take what you cherish?"
After hearing Xiao Yan's words, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's eyes stirred with emotion, and his voice thundered.
"Good lad! Xiao Yan, you have earned this king's approval!"
"As long as this king lives, I will keep you safe."
Within the underground space, Yao Lao spread his vast, boundless spiritual power. In mere moments, he pinpointed the area where the oppressive aura was most terrifying.
One crystalline, jade-like skeleton after another stood there. Their shapes and sizes alone revealed what colossal creatures they had been in life.
Three sets of remains in particular radiated an oppressive aura that startled even Yao Lao.
It was hard to imagine that, after such an immense span of time, these three skeletons could still retain such might, stirring an involuntary urge to prostrate oneself.
With such might, their strength in life surely lay far beyond anything a Dou Zong or Dou Zun could match.
Yao Lao could not help marveling. "It's truly hard to imagine what kind of great battle once erupted here, one that claimed even Dou Sheng."
Xiao Yan froze briefly. A Dou Sheng really had fallen here!
But then delight spread across his face.
The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame was born among the bones of countless Magical Beasts, condensed from their souls and bloodlines.
Thus, the remains of Dou Sheng-level Magical Beasts were the most likely place for the Myriad Beast Spirit Flame to be born.
Sure enough, Xiao Yan immediately heard Yao Lao's excited voice.
"Quick, Little Yanzi!"
"Head where I guide you. The heavenly flame is right there."
Overjoyed, Xiao Yan immediately raced in the direction Yao Lao indicated.
The Amethyst Winged Lion King followed close behind. Xiao Yi Xian, the slowest of them, rode on the young Amethyst Winged Lion King's back.
Soon, enormous skeletons appeared one after another before Xiao Yan and his companions.
Above the largest skeleton, a blood-red flame hovered in midair, continuously drawing pale-red energy from the remains below.
Shocked by the sight of skeletal remains strewn everywhere, Xiao Yi Xian parted her lips and murmured, "How magnificent!"
The three skeletons in particular were so immense that their bones alone hinted at what colossal creatures they had been in life. Even the Amethyst Winged Lion King looked tiny before them.
At this magnificent sight, the Amethyst Winged Lion King's voice also grew grave.
"This truly is the accursed land of legend. I fear not a single one of these creatures was weaker than a Dou Zong in life."
Yao Lao was also examining the three Dou Sheng-level skeletons. Earlier, from so far away, even his soul perception had yielded little useful information.
Now, after observing them up close for a while, realization suddenly dawned on him.
"I understand now! So that's what happened!"
Yao Lao's excited voice rang out in Xiao Yan's mind.
Xiao Yan asked inwardly, "Teacher, did you discover something?"
Yao Lao said gravely, "I know why the great battle happened here. It wasn't anything like the legend claimed. They weren't fighting over natural treasures in some blessed grotto-heaven.
"On the contrary, it was this great battle that created the treasure land we see today."
Xiao Yan was momentarily taken aback.
What did that mean?
Then he heard Yao Lao continue explaining. "Little Yanzi, do you still remember the Pill Beasts I told you about?"
"Of course. You said that high-quality pills could change form and even possess intelligence. Pills of the ninth grade and above, in particular, are born with considerable strength and can even cultivate on their own. Could it be... that one of these three Dou Sheng-level skeletons belonged to a Pill Beast?"
By the end, even Xiao Yan was shocked by his own words.
"Exactly. If my guess is correct, the truth behind the legend should be something like this.
"A Pill Beast formed from a Ninth-Grade Treasure Pill, or even a ninth-grade profound pill, traveled to the Magical Beast Mountain Range. The Dou Sheng-level Magical Beasts there recognized it, so two of them joined forces to surround and kill it.
"As the fighting grew fiercer, it eventually engulfed the entire Magical Beast Mountain Range. Every high-level Magical Beast wanted to come claim a share of the spoils.
"In the end, however, the Dou Sheng formed from the Ninth-grade Pill proved stronger and killed every enemy that came for it, only to perish from its grievous wounds.
"Before dying, it must have left behind a spatial restriction, sealing off this region and entombing itself in this underground world. It didn't want anyone else profiting from its death.
"But it was, after all, the manifestation of a Ninth-grade Pill. Its body contained an immense amount of natural energy. Even with the space sealed off, wisps of that energy still broke through the barrier and seeped into the outside world, influencing the surrounding land and creating the so-called blessed grotto-heaven.
"Unfortunately, as time passed, the energy within that blessed grotto-heaven grew increasingly thin, until only the small central region of the Little Mountain Valley remained.
"That is why the Little Mountain Valley is rich in natural energy and filled with medicinal herbs."
After hearing this, Xiao Yan drew in a sharp breath.
What a winding tale. Still, it clearly came closer to the truth.
Of course, none of that was what Xiao Yan needed to concern himself with. What mattered more to him was the heavenly flame.
As he gazed at the blood-red flame hovering above the skeleton, excitement filled Xiao Yan's expression.
"The flame is blood-red, with the shapes of myriad beasts faintly appearing within it. It really is the flame ranked twenty-second on the Heavenly Flame Ranking..."
"The Myriad Beast Spirit Flame!"
Before you continue