"What's that?" Chu Yang looked at the cave, startled.
The cave was hidden in an exceptionally secluded spot, blocked perfectly by the waterfall cascading from above. The entrance was covered in vines and other wild grass.
Chu Yang had cultivated here for several days, yet he had never discovered it.
He decided to take a look. Standing at the very bottom of the waterfall, ever since he had opened his first Meridian Gate and advanced to the Spirit Vein Realm,
the impact of these waterfalls no longer affected him as much.
He leaped up. The spiritual energy around him briefly forced the waterfall apart, and then he jumped into the cave halfway up the cliff.
A faint floral fragrance lingered inside the cave. There was none of the stale, murky air that came from being sealed off for too long without ventilation.
The cave was somewhat dark. Chu Yang proceeded cautiously, not knowing what dangers might lie within.
He did not even know how deep the cave went.
After walking for a long time, Chu Yang suddenly noticed a ray of light ahead, and the view before him widened.
At the very end of the cave was a moon-shaped round groove, and the light was emanating from it.
Embedded in the groove was a dark yellow Round Bead. If Xu Zimo had been present, he would have recognized it as identical to the Round Bead he had previously taken from Cui Yuan, as well as the one from the Chang Family.
The light shone down from the round groove, landing precisely in a corner of the cave.
A pile of dry grass was spread in that corner, and resting atop it was a silver-white sword.
The scabbard gave off a silver-white glow, with a dragon carved upon it.
"This... this is..." Chu Yang's gaze was completely drawn to the sword.
Old Mo's attention, however, remained fixed on the Round Bead.
"This is a Mortal Artifact, but it was forged from Heaven and Earth Profound Iron. Remarkable," Old Mo praised.
"A Mortal Artifact..." Chu Yang was somewhat disappointed.
"Little Yang, it is precisely because it is a Mortal Artifact that I praise it. If it were an Earth Tier weapon, I would think less of it," Old Mo said. "Any weapon must evolve from its most basic form.
Those weapons born as Earth Tier or Heavenly Tier weapons instead have limited potential."
Only then did Chu Yang feel a little delighted. He held the longsword in his hand and slowly drew it from its sheath.
The instant the sword was unsheathed, it seemed as though a silver dragon roared, and a flash of sword light swept past.
The sword was three feet long, its entire blade exquisitely forged. Its edge gleamed with a chilling light, and three characters were engraved on its surface.
"Dragon Sword," Chu Yang read aloud with slight delight.
"Little Yang, take the bead out of that round groove and let me have a look," Old Mo said very seriously.
Chu Yang nodded and removed the dark yellow Round Bead. Its interior was somewhat cloudy, while its surface was covered in patterns.
"What is this bead used for?" Chu Yang asked curiously.
Old Mo pondered for a long while before slowly asking, "Have you ever heard the legend of the Hundred Great Bodies?"
"What Hundred Great Bodies?" Chu Yang looked utterly confused.
"The era we now live in has gone through three ages: the current Era of Emperors, the earlier Barbaric Era, and the even more ancient Mythological Era," Old Mo explained unhurriedly. "Legend has it that in the Mythological Era, at the beginning of this epoch, the Hundred Great Bodies descended upon the world.
Anyone capable of fusing with one of the Hundred Great Bodies would undergo an elevation in the essence of life itself, possess extraordinary talent, and become immensely powerful."
"They're that incredible? Then how can one obtain a Battle Body?" Chu Yang asked in astonishment.
"They are scattered throughout heaven and earth. No one knows where these Battle Bodies are," Old Mo said. "Even the Battle Body ranked last, at one hundredth place, is something many Great Emperor experts can only seek in vain.
From ancient times until now, more than seventy of the Battle Bodies scattered throughout heaven and earth have been discovered.
Yet more than twenty remain in the world, making countless people rush toward them like ducks.
But what is strange is that news of all the other Battle Bodies has emerged to some extent, while the three Battle Bodies ranked in the top three have remained completely unheard of to this day.
Many people even suspect that the top three Battle Bodies do not exist at all. Yet wise men once prophesied that these three Battle Bodies would not easily emerge into the world, but once they did, they would surely appear together and forge an incomparably glorious, dazzling era."
"Old Mo, do you know where any Battle Bodies are?" Chu Yang asked.
"I don't know, but I once read an ancient text from the Mythological Era. It recorded that the top three Battle Bodies differ from the others," Old Mo said slowly. "The other Battle Bodies are each a complete whole.
But each of the top three Battle Bodies was divided into three parts and scattered throughout heaven and earth.
Only by gathering all three parts could one fuse the Battle Body."
"Old Mo, do you mean that this bead is one of the three parts of one of the top three Battle Bodies?" Chu Yang asked.
"The Battle Body ranked first is called the Prison Suppressing Divine Body, the second is called the Emperor's Axe Body, and the third is called the Crimson Flame Imperial Body," Old Mo nodded. "But what I cannot determine is which of the top three Battle Bodies this bead in your hand is one-third of."
"Let's keep it for now. When we get the chance in the future, perhaps we'll be able to gather them all," Chu Yang said excitedly.
Just then, a series of footsteps sounded from outside.
"Who is it?" Chu Yang was greatly alarmed and hastily drew his sword, staring toward the cave entrance.
A Man in Black slowly walked in. Looking at Chu Yang, he said flatly, "Hand over the item."
"What item?" Chu Yang took a step back and asked in confusion.
He could sense the powerful aura emanating from the other party. It was absolutely not something a Spirit Vein Realm cultivator like him could defeat.
"Ant," the Man in Black snorted coldly. Sword light flickered in his hand, and before Chu Yang could even react, he felt the flesh on his chest split open.
Blood instantly flowed down, staining his chest red.
"Who exactly are you?" Chu Yang endured the pain. He had not expected that the moment he obtained this opportunity, someone would set their sights on him.
The Man in Black did not answer, merely walking toward Chu Yang step by step.
Had it not been for Xu Zimo's instructions, Hei Shisan could have directly killed Chu Yang with that last strike.
Several days earlier, after receiving Xu Zimo's order, he had rushed to Qingyang Village without stopping.
He had not alerted the enemy. Instead, he had remained hidden around Qingyang Village, following Chu Yang.
It was not until today, when the other party accidentally discovered the cave within the waterfall, that Hei Shisan knew his task was about to be completed.
The three Prison Suppressing Pearls Xu Zimo wanted to collect were precisely the three parts needed to assemble the First Battle Body, the Prison Suppressing Divine Body.
In his Previous Life, Chu Yang had gathered the Prison Suppressing Divine Body. It had also been one of his greatest trump cards.
Based on the experience of his Previous Life, Xu Zimo only knew the locations of two of these three Prison Suppressing Pearls. He had no idea where one of them was.
One was in the Chang Family, while another was obtained by Chu Yang in Qingyang Village.
As for exactly where in Qingyang Village it could be found, Xu Zimo did not know either.
He had not expected to inadvertently obtain from Cui Yuan the Prison Suppressing Pearl whose location he had not known, and then acquire the Chang Family's Prison Suppressing Pearl as well.
Because Xu Zimo did not know the location of the Prison Suppressing Pearl in Qingyang Village,
he had Hei Shisan follow Chu Yang the entire time. After all, the protagonist would definitely rely on the halo of fortuitous encounters to obtain that Prison Suppressing Pearl, and then Xu Zimo could simply reap the rewards without lifting a finger.