Chapter 416: Chapter 180: Exit from the Yongshan Ruins, Beware the Black Talisman..._2

The Stone Hall is vast, spanning an area of a hundred yards, with a massive stone mill in the center.

A series of black Profound Light Runes lit up, transforming into a vortex from which Shen Can emerged.

On his shoulder, a palm-sized Profound Turtle was observing the surroundings.

"Yongshan Ruins."

As soon as Shen Can stepped out, his Divine Sense scanned the area and quickly reacted.

The entire Yongshan Ruins were surprisingly divided into three layers, upper and lower.

Back when the Great Wild Marsh dried up, what appeared before everyone’s eyes was merely the First Layer; there were two more layers beneath, extending into the depths of the Dark River, forming a small city.

However, all of it was shrouded by the Black Water Profound Light Spirit Ban, isolating it from internal and external surveillance.

Opening the door and stepping out of the Stone Hall, Shen Can headed straight for the main hall of the ruins.

Back then, many tribal people, including himself, came here to obtain fortuitous encounters.

However, he did not go to the main hall back then but instead entered the Side Hall with a Little Dragon Fish and received a bit of the Rain Master Yinglong’s inheritance.

Walking towards the main hall ahead, Shen Can saw several Lingyu skeletons along the way, but they were all small, with no Tier Four Ridge Fish in sight.

"Boom!"

As the main hall door was pushed open, a vast aura descended towards Shen Can.

It was a blue and black interwoven palm print, with a blue rune hanging in its center, seemingly containing a vast ocean.

Boom!

Shen Can, already prepared, struck out with his own palm.

The palm evolved into a scene of mountains and rivers, instantly swallowing the vast ocean.

The reverberating roar caused the entire ruins to tremble.

Above the water, within a hundred-mile radius, there was an abrupt tremor, with ripples spreading for hundreds of miles.

After the collision of the palms, runes lit up inside the main hall, and the surging water that had poured in swiftly receded.

The sound of dripping water resonated as Shen Can walked into the main hall.

Similar to a regular military tent, the main hall had a very simple layout, with stone tables, chairs, and a stone counter.

There was also a battle flag, with only the flagpole remaining now.

On the main seat inside the hall, there was a withered skeleton sitting cross-legged.

The entire skeleton was like black jade, exuding a majestic aura even if it was just a skeleton.

The entire skeleton was covered with fine cracks, with burn marks on the bones, and the ribs above the empty Dantian area were left in fragments.

Beside the table, there was a pile of seals of varying ranks, numbering over five hundred.

In the hollow eyes of the skeleton, black flames flickered.

In one hand bone, it clutched a copper-cast Kui Ox Talisman.

Shen Can used his Divine Sense to touch the skeleton.

Immediately, a sharp pain was felt in his Divine Sense.

The Divine Sense, upon touching the pitch-black skeleton, was immediately bitten by a black shadow.

That’s not all; the eerie black flames clung to it like maggots on a bone.

He hurriedly severed his Divine Sense, and the black flames gradually extinguished in front of him.

After attempting communication several times, Shen Can confirmed that this skeleton had no consciousness and couldn’t communicate with him.

The eerie black flames that could burn Divine Sense and the black shadow threatening his Divine Soul led Shen Can to suspect that this predecessor might have perished due to these black flames and shadows.

The palm strike that just collided with his own had power reaching the Late-stage Divine Treasure level; such a powerful strike from just a skeleton.

What kind of realm would it have been before its death eight thousand years ago, a Tier Four Peak, or Tier Five?

Items capable of killing such a powerful being indeed warrant caution.

Shen Can took a flagpole and attempted to touch the skeleton’s hand, trying to knock down the Kui Ox Talisman it held.

He sensed the runes contained within the Kui Ox Talisman, likely being the Array Talisman operating the entire ruins’ Array.

Crunch!

The moment the Kui Ox Talisman was removed, the black flames in the eyes of the sitting black skeleton flickered brightly.

"Beware the Black Talisman..."

Suddenly, an oscillation in Shen Can’s Divine Sense was heard, as the entire skeleton began to crumble inch by inch.

Within the cracking bones, black flames flowed out, exuding a repulsive and disdainful aura that Shen Can instinctively rejected.

The sound of ’zizi’ arose, clearly black flames, yet countless strange runes erupted from within.

Each one as tiny as dust, gathered together they formed a black stream of light, heading towards Shen Can.

Raising his arm, Shen Can instinctively threw the Old Turtle away, then lifted his hand, transforming into streams of golden water sword energy.

Clang clang clang!

The sword energy cut down, black flames exploded, each tiny witch talisman shattered, emitting cries like the wails of beasts.

The exploded black flames didn’t completely dissipate, transforming into droplet-like forms, charging at Shen Can once again.

With a wave of his hand, Shen Can summoned a Flaming Qilin, but the environment here diminished its power significantly.

Under the burning flames, a small portion of the black flames burnt away, yet many remained, continuing towards Shen Can.

Half an hour later, when the last bit of black flame was completely extinguished, Shen Can looked towards the Old Turtle beside him.

"Did you hear the warning just now with your divine sense?"

"Beware of the black talisman..."

The Old Turtle spoke, as it had clearly observed Shen Can’s fight with the black flames just now, a heavy look in its eyes.

"I haven’t seen this thing before."

"Does the black talisman refer to this flame, or to a race?"

Shen Can looked pensive, not overthinking, but recalling reflections on the destruction of the Yongshan Bo Division spurred by Elder Halberd Mark’s broadened horizons.

Devouring the divine sense, hard to erase, yet this black flame had been submerged underwater for several thousand years.

It still holds such power now.

Though it appears as flames, it is composed of countless runes, and when extinguished, emits screams like living creatures.

The bones from earlier are now crushed into powder, mixed with the muddy water.

Shen Can retrieved a bronze vessel from his witch pouch, gathering the muddy water into it.

Calming himself, he gazed at the Kui Ox Talisman in his hand.

With his divine sense penetrating inside, he instantly felt dense witch patterns forming layered arrays.

This Kui Ox Talisman is the control core of the entire Yongshan Ruins.

Shen Can went to the Side Hall, where the once magnificent Yinglong Shadow was now merely a broken golden dragon claw.

The claw was just a small segment, a foot long, covered in ferocious cracks, riddled with holes, its shriveled surface resembling aged skin, dull and lackluster.

...

By the time Shen Can emerged from the water, more than half a day had passed, and he gathered all the remaining skeletons in the ruins.

Aside from the black skeletal corpse, he collected over a hundred skeletons within the two lower levels, including more than thirty Lingyu skeletons.

The skeletons were all Tier Three, persisting due to the environment here.

As for the Gate Guard General at the ruins’ entrance, it was actually an ’Array Spirit’ spawned by the array, stationed there as guided by the array’s operation.

After leaving the water, Shen Can headed towards the clan land.

Along the way, he repeatedly glanced towards the west.

Rumor had it that there existed an old Lingyu within the Lingyu Bo Division, and he wondered if this old Lingyu was aware of the Dark River beneath the ruins.

Considering the rise of the Lingyu, the Lingyu within the Lingyu Bo Division should be the descendants of the Lingyu’s lineage, most likely unaware of the Dark River’s existence.

Returning to the clan land.

Having been absent for several years, the entire clan land had drastically changed, teeming with life, vibrant and full of vigor.

Before the Blazing Flame Mountain Range, the Ancestral Temple stood high atop.

At the center of the clan land, a giant tower a hundred zhang tall was erected.

If Huo Chang stood at the highest hall, he could take in the entire view of the clan land.

At the mountain’s base, on a tall platform cast from Tier Three refined iron, figures were locked in combat, with crashing sounds echoing, drawing loud cheers from many.

On either side, within the large camps, the evil qi soared into the sky, causing the battle banners to flap furiously in the wind.

On one side, the loud sound of formations clashing, shouting, and killing resonated.[/p]

On the other, a figure bared, wielding a wolf fang iron rod, roared like thunder.

Listening to the incessant sounds from within the clan, Huo Chang within the grand hall wasn’t bothered; in fact, he was unaccustomed to the absence of such noise.

When Shen Can entered the Stone Tower, Huo Chang was immersed in handling clan affairs.

After quite a while, Huo Chang looked up twice in succession before he realized.

"Acan, you’ve returned."