Chapter 415: Chapter 180: Exiting the Yongshan Ruins, Beware of the Black Talisman...

"The tribe is in danger, return quickly."

Behind the Fivefold Beast Mark lies a Grotto Heaven.

Because it’s underwater, nourished by a continuous flow of Water Source Power, it is filled with vegetation, covering several great halls and barracks.

On the table in the largest hall, there lies a Jade Scroll. 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Even after thousands of years, the voice within the Jade Scroll still remains.

Besides this Jade Scroll, there is also the Dark River Route Map, maps of the Dai Land, and detailed records about the various divisions in the Dai Land, Earth Ants, and Spirit Monsters.

Unfortunately, all this information is now outdated and useless.

After wandering around the structures, Shen Can didn’t find much left behind.

The entire Grotto Heaven resembles more of a transit station.

Clearly, the Marquis had already prepared to enter the Dai Land back then, and like he thought, sought the Dark River to open a pathway into the Dai Land.

Sadly, in the end, they halted south of the Giant Mountain Range.

Inside the Grotto Heaven, Shen Can saw hundreds of Lingyu skeletons, two of which still glimmered with a jade luster, evidently of Tier Four.

These Lingyu were trapped to death in here.

Apart from the Lingyu, there were also scattered few Witch Medicines growing.

Observing the clearly stunted herbs sprouting from clusters of withered roots and stems, it’s obvious this place isn’t suitable for cultivating Witch Medicine.

In the training ground of the camp, there were three black, oddly-shaped Treasure Ships, one large and two small.

Their exteriors resembled elongated turtle shells, crisscrossed with tendril-like Witch Patterns running across the hulls.

The large one was thirty zhang long, while the smaller ones were over ten zhang.

Each of the three turtle-shell-shaped Treasure Ships had some damaged areas.

On the other side of the three Treasure Ships, there were signs of other ships being scrapped.

It seems that back then, there were more than these three ships parked here, likely taken away in an emergency.

Inside the Treasure Ships, Shen Can also found maps of the Dark River.

With a wave of his hand, he stored the three Treasure Ships into his Witch Pouch, intending to repair them later.

Upon inspection, these were all Tier Four Treasure Ships, and their structure and Witch Patterns would surely be a great asset to the Blazing Flame Tribe currently building larger warships.

After exiting the Grotto Heaven, Shen Can sensed the mark at the entrance once more.

He felt this Grotto Heaven wasn’t naturally formed here, but rather relocated by the Yongshan Bo Division.

After checking, indeed the Grotto Heaven had been moved, though Shen Can couldn’t move it at the moment.

"Master."

The Old Turtle approached Shen Can upon his exit.

"I can only repair the mark at the entrance of the Grotto Heaven, not open it. According to the information passed from the previous guardian, there should still be Lingyu inside.

Some Lingyu left behind back then stayed within the Grotto Heaven, and some stayed outside."

"They’ve all sat in meditation and passed away."

Shen Can replied, sensing that the Old Turtle’s enthusiasm had returned.

It seems that opening the Five Elements Beast Mark, gained the Old Turtle’s approval.

The reason for the Lingyu remnants inside the Grotto Heaven should be because the Yongshan people, who left back then, didn’t expect to never return.

After all, the Marquis of Yongshan was immensely powerful, and the Bo Division was one of the three main divisions ruling over Yongyi.

Fortunately, when the group left, they didn’t just abandon the place, leaving behind the Old Turtle and Lingyu to guard it.

The Old Turtle indeed outlived the Human Race, finding a successor before sitting in meditation, continuing to guard this place.

"I’ve inherited the Marquis’ legacy; would you follow me?"

Although the Old Turtle’s attitude had improved, Shen Can still posed the question.

A Tier Four Middle Stage Old Turtle is an incredible asset to the tribe.

Not to mention, he had subdued four Tier Three Peak Wild Beasts, all of whom had strong bloodlines and a high chance of advancing to Tier Four.

Shen Can didn’t understand the breakthrough of Wild Beasts, but the Old Turtle, being a Wild Beast who had broken through, should have experience.

"Willing to follow, my lord."

The Old Turtle agreed without hesitation.

Learning that the Yongshan Bo Division had long been destroyed left its heart feeling empty, having lost its purpose after waiting for thousands of years.

"Come back to Yongyi with me."

Recalling the Dark River Map, Shen Can planned to traverse it and see, given that the map was eight thousand years old.

The underground Dark River isn’t fixed.

With the Old Turtle, this Water Beast, and two Tier Four Middle Stage powers, it would be much safer to traverse.

"As you command, my lord."

"Tell me about the previous guardian."

Deciding to travel the path, Shen Can sat on the Old Turtle’s back and headed deeper into the Dark River.

On the way, the man and turtle communicated with Divine Sense.

The Old Turtle seemed quite naive; despite living a long life, it had spent most time guarding here.

It wasn’t that it hadn’t ventured into the Great Marsh, but it diligently remembered its duty to guard the Dark River.

While traveling, Shen Can also saw two descendants of the Lingyu in the water, vastly different from purebred Lingyu.

Their entire bodies clung to the underwater rock walls, their eyes were small, bodies elongated, limbs shrunk, and intelligence nearly primal like Wild Beasts.

...

Half a month later.

South of the Giant Mountain Range, Great Wild Marsh.

Underwater, after the Golden Crow passed, the exposed Yongshan Ruins were submerged once more.

The vast underwater ruins regrew densely with water plants.

Within the ruins, a half-buried Stone Hall obscured by water plants and silt behind the main hall suddenly burst with Black Water Profound Light.

Ripples of water shimmered with countless runes, forming a bubble-like Black Water Profound Light Barrier.