Divine Furnace Valley, Chen Mu navigated through numerous chaotic energy currents, dodging random energy attacks while using his AI to analyze the Ancient Runes scattered throughout the valley, gradually gaining some insights.
The rune array here was probably destroyed by brute force, which caused the power of these runes to become chaotic and form energy turbulence.
Although the runes Chen Mu inherited from the Rune Ancestor were somewhat different from the Ancient Runes here, after careful observation, he found that they were essentially the same, with many basic rules being almost identical.
With a clear understanding of the principles behind the Ancient Runes, he gradually grasped some of them. With these runes as a foundation, the energy turbulence here would no longer have a significant impact on him.
"There must have been some buildings here before?"
After walking for a short while, Chen Mu discovered some broken walls and ruins. He could make out the general framework of the buildings, but there were no living creatures there.
The environment here was harsh, and he felt somewhat tired, so he sat down cross-legged in a corner, adjusting his internal energy while optimizing the AI program to continue deciphering the principles of the Ancient Runes here.
"These Ancient Runes do not seem to rely on the Heavenly Dao rules of the current plane; they can draw energy from the void of the universe, making them far more advanced than the runes of the Pan Emperor Continent."
Chen Mu gradually discovered the peculiarities of these Ancient Runes, which greatly excited him. He quickly entered a state of enlightenment, even completely forgetting his mission to find Śarīra Fan Jing.
More than ten hours later, Chen Mu finally managed to decipher most of the Ancient Runes he had collected along the way.
He stood up and pointed.
"Thunder and Fire!"
A violent bolt of lightning shot out from his fingertips, instantly turning the ground into a scorched black.
"I see! Haha, it's not that difficult after all."
With the aid of AI computing power, Chen Mu's speed in mastering runes was already hundreds or thousands of times easier than other rune masters. In addition, he had the foundation of the Rune Ancestor, which enabled him to master these Ancient Runes so quickly.
After understanding the Ancient Runes, Chen Mu discovered that some of the runes passed down from the Rune Ancestor were actually Ancient Runes, which were runes that could draw energy from the void of the universe.
He hadn't noticed the difference in these runes before, assuming they were just niche runes, so he hadn't bothered to learn them.
Only now has he begun to take them seriously and start studying them diligently.
Within the plane, Ancient Runes do not have a direct advantage over other runes. Although they are more effective, they are not very flexible and are not suitable for combining into advanced runes.
However, Ancient Runes can absorb cosmic energy, which means that their effects will not change no matter which plane they are in. This is obviously very useful for high-level rune cultivators who frequently cross realms.
"Alright, it's time to continue."
Chen Mu stood up and raised one hand.
Puff puff puff!
Dozens of reconnaissance puppets were released from his spatial wrist and scattered in all directions.
However, the reconnaissance puppets were far less capable of dodging energy turbulence than Chen Mu's main body. After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, all of these dozens of reconnaissance puppets had perished, destroyed by the energy turbulence.
However, in this short period of time, Chen Mu had already explored most of the surrounding dozens of kilometers.
"According to Fan Jing, the Śarīra should be inside a stone cave filled with runes. There don't seem to be any stone walls around here, so it seems we can only continue deeper into the cave."
Due to the influence of the rune power, the spatial orientation within Divine Furnace Valley is extremely chaotic. Even a cultivator of Fan Jing's level cannot accurately determine the direction; otherwise, he wouldn't have gone to the trouble of asking Chen Mu for help.
Chen Mu continued deeper into the valley. He found it much easier to move forward than at the beginning. Although dangerous forces such as gales, lightning, and spatial blades raged around him, he was always able to easily neutralize them thanks to his mastery of some Ancient Runes.
About half an hour later, he saw a relatively well-preserved group of buildings in the distance.
Let's scout out the surroundings!
With a wave of his hand, he tossed out dozens more reconnaissance puppets, which flew out in all directions, transmitting images of the surrounding terrain into his mind.
This is clearly the central area of Divine Furnace Valley. Occasionally, some fragmented animal skeletons can be seen around, some of which are human, but most of them are creatures Chen Mu has never seen before.
"This is... a complete skeleton?"
After exploring for a while, he discovered a complete skeleton, which was golden in color and shaped like a human.
"Hehe, this is a huge profit! I'll take it home."
Chen Mu immediately ran towards the location of the golden skeleton.
This place is filled with violent energy; the corpses of ordinary cultivators would be torn to shreds within a few days. Those who can leave behind only skeletal remains are generally powerful body cultivators.
The golden skeleton that has been preserved until now must be incredibly powerful, so Chen Mu naturally wouldn't let it go.
He passed through numerous energy barriers and quickly arrived beside the golden skeleton.
Judging from the degree of decay in the surrounding area, the owner of the skeleton should have died no more than a hundred years ago, and their identity is unknown.
Fan Jing and Chen Mu had said that the Tomb of the Gods connects to countless spaces, and it's not only people from the Pan Emperor Continent who can enter here; people from other planes can also come here.
Therefore, this skeleton may not necessarily be from the Pan Emperor Continent; it could also be from a human from another dimension.
"Senior, there's no use for your body anyway, so use it to benefit us, the younger generation! Thank you."
Chen Mu clasped his hands in a salute to the skeleton, then unceremoniously rolled it up and stored it in his spatial wrist.
Beside the skeleton were several strangely shaped pieces of mineral, but Chen Mu didn't have time to study them now, so he put them into his wrist to examine them later.
"The grotto has been found! Haha, that's great!"
Although the energy turbulence in the center of the valley was more powerful, it was not densely distributed, so his reconnaissance Talisman Puppet had not been completely destroyed and were still exploring the surrounding area.
He discovered a grotto similar to the one described by Fan Jing and hurried there.
Boom! Whoosh...!
The cave is surrounded by stone walls covered with runes, which have a strong suction force. If you accidentally pass by here, it is indeed easy to get trapped inside and unable to leave.
"Heaven and earth are reversed, all laws retreat! Disperse!"
Chen Mu formed a hand seal, located the weak point of the rune's power, and leaped into the cave.
Upon entering the grotto, he saw many miscellaneous objects flying around, and a colorful ray of light caught his attention.
"Haha, what I've been searching for has come to me without any effort!"
He immediately reached out and grabbed at the colorful glow.
He grasped a hard object in his hand; it was warm to the touch. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was Śarīra.
"Mission accomplished!"
He stored the Śarīra in his spatial wrist, feeling quite pleased, and then turned his attention to the other scattered objects.
"These things have lost their luster; they seem to be of no use anymore."
Chen Mu muttered a few words, but finding nothing of value, he cast a spell and left the cave.
"Although Fan Jing's request has been completed, we've come all this way, so let's explore the interior one more time."
Chen Mu recalled the legend Fan Jing had told him. He didn't actually covet the ancient divine elixir; he was simply curious about this place.
The Supreme Bagua of the Supreme Being are a legendary terrain feature. Imagine the wonders of transforming such terrain into an alchemy furnace!
He continued walking deeper into the valley, and after a short while, he came across a dilapidated palace. In the center of the palace hung a plaque with two ancient characters: "Pill Hall ".