Qin Yu slowly withdrew his gaze. The scene just now still made him somewhat uncomfortable. These members of the Duckweed Clan Clan were far too reserved, as if every word and every movement was a sign of worry about offending someone. He remained silent for a moment, and finally spoke calmly, "Take me to retrieve the Source Liquid." His voice was not loud, but it made the bodies of the surrounding elders tremble simultaneously.
The patriarch of the Duckweed Clan bowed hurriedly, a look of surprise and flattery on his face. "Yes, yes, yes." "Please follow me, my lord." "Please—" He then personally led the way, and Qin Yu followed him slowly into the palace. After crossing the palace gate, the scene before Qin Yu was somewhat unexpected.
From the outside, the palace appeared unremarkable, even somewhat shabby, but the interior was a completely different world. The entire hall was devoid of any luxurious decorations. The floor was paved with a grayish-white ancient stone, with Xiaoqing growing between the stones. The walls on both sides were adorned with many wooden carvings, depicting neither battles nor cultivation, but rather a giant ancient tree.
The ancient tree was rooted in the endless void, its branches and leaves covering the heavens and earth. Countless clansmen surrounded it in worship, some planting, some watering, and some kneeling in contemplation. The whole scene was filled with a sense of tranquility and peace. Further in, Qin Yu discovered that there were almost no divine weapons or magical treasures inside the palace.
There was no scripture pavilion, no hall of supernatural powers, and no secret cultivation chamber. Instead, there were wooden shelves filled with ancient books and a large number of bamboo slips recording the growth and changes of the ancient tree. The entire clan seemed to have put all their energy into worshipping the ancient tree.
Besides this, there was nothing else. Qin Yu's eyes flickered slightly. This no longer resembled a cultivation force, but rather a guardian tribe. Before long, the clan leader led Qin Yu to the deepest part of the main hall, where an ancient stone platform was placed. In the center of the platform was a leaf-shaped jade artifact, the surface of which shimmered with a faint blue light.
"Please wait a moment, my lord." "Wansheng will go and fetch it himself." After saying this, the clan leader respectfully withdrew. Qin Yu stood quietly in place, his mind focused on his sea of consciousness. Xiao Yue, on the other hand, was full of curiosity. "These people are so mysterious." "I'd like to see what kind of treasure this Source Liquid is." Qin Yu did not speak and waited quietly as well. Time slowly passed, and before long...
Footsteps sounded again, and the clan leader reappeared. This time, he was holding an extremely exquisite vessel in his hands. The vessel was no bigger than the palm of his hand. It was light blue in color and its shape was no different from an ordinary jade bowl. But the moment the vessel appeared, the Fate Soul essence within Qin Yu's body began to vibrate slightly.
An indescribable sense of comfort spread from the depths of his Fate Soul, as if parched earth had suddenly received sweet rain. In his sea of consciousness, the Silent Beginning Ring Master Soul Diagram spun slightly. Even the Eternal Silence Dao Fruit showed a slight fluctuation. Qin Yu's gaze suddenly focused, while Fu Wansheng carefully walked over, holding a jade bowl in both hands.
He then respectfully presented it to Qin Yu. "My lord." "This is the Source Liquid that was just collected this season." Qin Yu slowly lowered his head and looked into the vessel. The next moment, his pupils suddenly contracted, and he froze on the spot. The contents of the jade bowl were not liquid, at least not in the way of ordinary liquid; it was a flowing light.
Or rather, it is a torrent of constantly evolving origins of all things, in which there is surging chaos, the beginning of primordial chaos, the convergence of yin and yang, the rotation of the five elements, the flowing river of destiny, the ebb and flow of reincarnation, the alternation of life and death, the unfolding of time and space, the evolution of the Great Dao, and the circulation of the origin.
Within it remain countless indescribable traces of the Dao, including logic, laws, runes, language, time, civilization, and divine consciousness. All the fundamental principles of the world are condensed within this bowl of Source Liquid. The most mysterious aspect is that all kinds of forces do not clash or conflict with each other, but instead continuously flow towards the same source—an indescribable, ancient tree phantom that floats and sinks silently.
Rooted in nothingness, its branches support all laws; countless great paths arise from it, countless laws grow from it. At this moment, Qin Yu even had a strange feeling that what he was seeing was not the Source Liquid, but a condensed wisp of the world's origin. In his sea of consciousness, Xiao Yue jumped off the swing, her eyes wide open.
"My God!" "What the hell is this?!" "This thing can actually contain so much essence all at once?" Qin Yu was also shaken for a long time before slowly exhaling, his voice low. "This is the Source Liquid?"
The clan chief paused, seemingly surprised by Qin Yu's question, a hint of doubt appearing on his face, yet he still respectfully replied, "Reporting to you, sir, this is indeed the Source Liquid dripping from the leaves of the Myriad Dao Source Root Divine Tree." "Every so often," "a small amount of Source Liquid condenses at the tips of the divine tree's leaves." "Our clan has been responsible for collecting and preserving it for generations." "Sir, could it be—"
Before he could finish speaking, suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Bang! The palace door was flung open, and a young cultivator stumbled in, pale-faced and flustered. "Clan Chief!" "Clan Chief!!" "Outside... outside..." The clan chief's expression changed slightly. "What's the matter that you're so panicked?"
The young man gasped for breath, and after a long while, he finally managed to utter a complete sentence, "Another esteemed member of the Blazing Erosion Clan has arrived outside!" Boom—the moment these words were spoken, the entire hall fell silent. The clan leader's body stiffened abruptly, and the two elders simultaneously widened their eyes.
Shock was written all over his face. "What?!" The clan leader subconsciously looked at Qin Yu, his eyes clearly showing some panic. "My lord..." "You... you didn't come alone?" Qin Yu's expression remained unchanged, but his heart was already in turmoil. A second Blazing Erosion Clan? Or... the real Blazing Erosion Clan has arrived?
He slowly shifted his gaze from the Source Liquid, his expression calm and unwavering. "Put the Source Liquid away first." "Go out and take a look." Fu Wansheng nodded hurriedly upon hearing this. As if granted a pardon, he quickly put the vessel away again. "You're right, sir." "Please, sir." Qin Yu stood with his hands behind his back and slowly walked out of the hall.
The clan chief and elders followed respectfully. The young man who had brought the news walked nervously ahead, and soon, the group returned to the palace. However, this time, the atmosphere in the square was completely different from before.
The crowd that had been kneeling now shrank to both sides, their expressions filled with fear, while in the center of the square, a stranger stood quietly, seemingly having been waiting for some time.
Qin Yu slowly walked out of the palace, with Fu Wansheng and the two elders following closely behind, their expressions full of trepidation. On the square, the Duckweed Clan Clan members who had been kneeling on the ground did not even dare to raise their heads. The air seemed to freeze, and everyone deliberately suppressed their breathing.
In the center of the square, the figure stood quietly. Only at this moment did Qin Yu truly see the other person's appearance. This person was extremely burly. His shoulders were so broad as to be exaggerated, his back was slightly hunched and drooping, and his legs were like two stone pillars rooted in the earth. Even just standing there, he gave people the feeling of a ferocious beast that might pounce at any moment.
His skin was a mixture of dark red and ochre, like clay that had been repeatedly fired in the flames of time. His body was covered with fine cracks, and deep within the cracks, dark red blood-red light could be seen, as if molten lava was slowly churning beneath his flesh. His face was filled with a violent aura that instinctively made people feel repulsed.
High, prominent brow bones stretched across his brow, casting deep shadows that obscured most of his eyes. His eyes were deeply sunken, their cloudy pupils dull and lifeless, like ancient, rusted iron, utterly devoid of vitality.
His jawbone was sharply defined, his masseter muscles were bulging, and his face was covered with old wounds, some of which still bore traces of blood that had not fully healed. His hair was extremely short, standing up like steel needles, and crisscrossing scars were clearly visible on his scalp. The most striking features were his neck and shoulders.
Large, crimson burn marks covered it, marks not from external wounds, but rather like brands left by years of burning rage within. Even from dozens of feet away, Qin Yu could feel the scorching heat emanating from it. In his sea of consciousness, Xiao Yue narrowed her eyes slightly. "The Blazing Erosion Clan?" "This guy's emotional fluctuations are stronger than all those Duckweed Clan combined."