Tuoshe Ancient Emperor was the last Dou Di on the Dou Qi Continent. After him, even to this day, no one has ever reached the Dou Di realm again, a realm that only exists in legends.
This is common knowledge, but looking at Jiang Liu, that legendary realm may no longer be just a legend.
Yan Jin finally snapped out of his reverie, looking at Jiang Liu with utmost reverence. He interjected, "That Dou Di ruins hold the secret to breaking through to Dou Di. Many years ago, the ancient races and some super powers of the Central Continent waged a great war over these ruins, which remain undiscovered to this day. In the end, they only obtained the key to the ruins, the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade. This jade was originally divided into three pieces, but after a series of fierce battles, it split into eight pieces, which were then acquired by the ancient races. This piece is one of those eight. I, Yan Clan, will now entrust this fragment to the Abbot. As for the remaining strange fire of my Yan Clan, I will retrieve it upon my return to the clan..."
Now that the Flame Clan and the Thunder Clan have brought out the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade, the Medicine Clan and the Ancient Clan naturally have no need to hide it anymore. As for the Spirit Clan and the Stone Clan, which have not yet arrived and have already declined, Jiang Liu will naturally not need to take action himself; someone will go and retrieve it.
As for the strange fire, ancient jade, and even the fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame in Xiao Yan's possession, Jiang Liu still planned to personally meet this transmigrator, the former protagonist of the "Battle Through the Heavens" world.
Emperor Yan, whose glory had waned slightly since his arrival, naturally wanted to meet Xiao Yan in person.
In the southern region of Zhongzhou, there lies the Tianxing Mountain Range.
In the vast forest, Xiao Yan, Yao Chen, Venerable Feng, and others had been waiting for a long time.
The Wind Venerable still looked the same, wearing a green robe and with his long hair draped over his shoulders, giving him a carefree air. His appearance was not ordinary; even now that he was older, one could still vaguely see a hint of handsomeness.
As for Xiao Yan, he had flowing black hair and a dashing appearance, but there was a hint of loneliness in his expression.
"If Zhou Yu exists, why does Zhuge Liang exist?" This has been his state of mind for the past three years!
Since I was given a second chance at life in this world, why bring him here again, especially since he possesses magical treasures from "Shushan" and has unparalleled supernatural powers?
More importantly, when he returned three years later, he had already reached a level of unparalleled strength.
Jiang Liu was sizing up Xiao Yan, and Xiao Yan was also looking at Jiang Liu with complicated thoughts.
In the end, it was all just a joke. An ancient jade appeared in Xiao Yan's hand and then floated out. A strange starlight emanated from it, and the light expanded. The space in front of him gradually distorted, forming a spatial gate.
The Starfall Pavilion is hidden within the great formation.
"Abbot, please!"
Xiao Yan had already become the Pavilion Master of the Starfall Pavilion and possessed the strength of a peak Dou Zun, but Jiang Liu's first transmigration had completely changed his destiny, making it difficult for him to become the Flame Emperor again.
Perhaps he will reach the strength of a Dou Di in the future, but he will no longer be able to become the creator of the "Endless Fire Domain".
The wind rustles through the bamboo tips, creating a soft, whispering sound. The bamboo forest surges like ocean waves. Looking down from the sky, its lush green color resembles jade, and even the air is filled with a faint fragrance of bamboo.
Deep in the bamboo forest, there is a simple bamboo house.
Inside the bamboo house, Jiang Liu and Xiao Yan sat facing each other.
"Did you go back?" Xiao Yan had a million things to say, but in the end he revealed the secret he had kept hidden in his heart for more than twenty years, asking if he could go back to that distant planet.
"I can't go back. I went to Mount Shu, to Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio, to Dragon and Snake, to Yang Shen, to Shrouding the Heavens, but I still can't find my way home!"
"I know about Shushan and Liaozhai, but what kind of world are Dragon and Snake, Yangshen, and Shrouding the Sky?"
"Perhaps we've come from a different world, and it's normal that you don't know." Jiang Liu didn't want to explain; he couldn't very well say that this world was from a novel.
“Parallel universes, I understand… It’s been over twenty years, and I’ve almost forgotten what my parents look like. If I can’t go back, then so be it! Thank you. The Soul Clan has been wiped out, the great threat has been eliminated. Take all these strange flames! And the map to the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, and the Tuoshe Ancient Emperor Jade! Soon I will marry Xun’er. I hope the Abbot can stay and have a drink at our wedding. If one day the Abbot can return to the Earth where I exist, take me to see my parents…”
Looking at the map on the table, Gu Yu and Jiang Liu laughed, "So you have no motivation to move forward? You should know that I just enhanced Gu Xun'er's bloodline power. Soon she will surpass you. Once the Origin Qi returns, she will inevitably become a Dou Di. Your strength as a Dou Zun, or even a Dou Sheng, is not commensurate with her. Moreover, what will you do when she becomes a Dou Di and ascends to the Great Thousand World?"
Xiao Yan was slightly startled and exclaimed in surprise, "Ascension? The Great Thousand World?"
"The road ahead is still long. Cultivate diligently. I've left some cultivation techniques at Qianlong Temple. Go and see which ones suit you! Consider it an exchange for these!"
Jiang Liu took Xiao Yan's Cold Spirit Bone Flame and Heavenly Thunder Fury Flame, patted him on the shoulder, and offered a few words of encouragement. As for what achievements he could attain, Jiang Liu believed that as the protagonist of this life, he would definitely look down upon all living beings after his departure.
Chapter 407 Jiang the Skinflint Begins the Final Looting
Jiang Liu held three extremely ancient maps in his fingers. These three ancient and broken maps were naturally the mysterious maps that Xiao Yan had been searching for for several years. On them were recorded information about the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, which ranked third on the Strange Flame Ranking.
The complete map should have four parts, but one part is missing, so we can't get information about the Pure Lotus Demon Flame.
But this didn't stump Jiang Liu. In his memory, the Pure Lotus Demon Flame should be related to the Pure Lotus Demon Saint. Moreover, given Jiang Liu's current status, if he wanted a fragmented map of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, someone would search the world and respectfully present it to him.
As expected, once Qianlong Temple spread the news, it quickly spread throughout Zhongzhou, sparking a map craze.
"Master, the Spirit Clan has presented a fragment of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame Diagram..."
A few days later, Yun Yun appeared in front of Jiang Liu, holding a tattered ancient map in her hand.
The four fragments of the map looked extremely ancient. Following the traces of the patterns, Jiang Liu quickly pieced them together.
When the last ancient map was placed in its position, a landscape pattern appeared on the map. However, this so-called pattern was quite ordinary, without any specific target or route. It looked like a landscape painting drawn casually.
"this……"
Yun Yun stared in astonishment at the patterns on the ancient map, her heart sinking slightly. Could it be that the ancient map of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame was something completely devoid of information?
Or are all of these fake?
She's checked this map several times; it shouldn't be wrong!
In her perception, there was absolutely nothing unusual about the ancient map after it was pieced together.
"The absence of any abnormality is the greatest abnormality." As soon as he finished speaking, a ball of flame suddenly rose from Jiang Liu's palm, directly engulfing the ancient map.
Jiang Liu's sudden action startled Yun Yun, whose pupils constricted sharply as she exclaimed in surprise, "How come this ancient map can't be burned?"
No matter how much the flames in Jiang Liu's palm burned, the ancient map, which seemed to be easily torn apart, remained completely still and showed no sign of turning to ashes.
"Whoosh..."
The flames burned fiercely, the intense heat distorting the space around them. However, the ancient map showed no signs of turning to ashes. But as the flames grew more intense, the patterns on the map slowly began to glow, as if they were about to burst forth from the map.
Carefully controlling the flames, although the material of this ancient diagram seemed very special, if I really used all my strength, it would burn to ashes!
As the flames burned more and more fiercely, the patterns on the ancient map became brighter and brighter. At a certain moment, the ancient map suddenly trembled, and the patterns flew up from the map and transformed into ancient characters, which floated in mid-air in front of Jiang Liu.
Two moons appear simultaneously.
Nine stars in one.
The tides of heaven and earth.
Demonic fire descends upon the world.
With a sweep of his hand, all the information contained in the map turned into a beam of light and was absorbed by Jiang Liu.
"How's the investigation of the Pure Lotus Demon Saint going?"
Yun Yun let out a soft breath and said gently, "The Pure Lotus Demon Saint was a very famous figure ten thousand years ago. We obtained some information about him from some ancient books. It is said that in that era, he was known as the strongest person closest to becoming a Dou Di. As for the celestial phenomenon of two moons appearing simultaneously, nine stars forming a single constellation, and the tides of heaven and earth, it is said to occur only once every ten thousand years, and there are still five years until the next occurrence..."
"Five years? That's too long. I've found the location where the Pure Lotus Demon Saint sealed the Pure Lotus Demon Flame. I'll forcibly break it..."
Although Jiang Liu can ascend to the Great Thousand World now, there are still a few treasures he hasn't obtained. He plans to acquire them all before breaking through the void and ascending to the Great Thousand World.
One is the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, ranked third on the Strange Flame List, and the other is the Bodhi Ancient Tree.
As for the remaining strange flames, they have all fallen into Jiang Liu's hands. As long as he obtains the Pure Lotus Demon Flame, he can merge them into one and transform them into the Emperor Flame.
And the Nine-Headed Golden Thunder Dragon of Dragon Island was also added to their possession.
At this point, most of the world's treasures have fallen into Jiang Liu's hands, and there are no more strange flames left in the world. Perhaps after ten thousand years, the world will give birth to powerful strange flames again, but for now, the Doupo world has been completely plundered.
"Master, the location of the Pure Lotus Demon Flame will take some time to be determined, but we have obtained specific information about the Bodhi Ancient Tree. It will soon be born in the Desolate Ancient Domain..." Yun Yun took out a brocade box from her storage ring, opened the lid, and inside was a bright green bead, full of vitality.
"These are Bodhi seeds from the ancient Bodhi tree! Like the Bodhi heart, Bodhi seeds are also from the ancient Bodhi tree, but these rare items are as uncommon as the Bodhi heart. Generally speaking, once they fall from the ancient Bodhi tree, they will turn into powder in an instant, making them extremely difficult for outsiders to obtain."
The emerald green beads are not smooth to the touch; rather, they feel somewhat rough. However, when you hold them in your hand, you can feel a vibrant vitality.
"Bodhi seed?" Jiang Liu stared in astonishment at the emerald green bead in his hand, and after a moment, his eyes suddenly narrowed.
This small Bodhi seed has a profound effect; it can purify the mind and lead one to enlightenment. This effect is no longer useful to Jiang Liu, but it is a treasure for a student who has just entered the path of Qi Refining.
If we were to rank the rare and precious treasures of the Dou Qi Continent, the Bodhi Ancient Tree would undoubtedly be among the top three! It is said that the Bodhi Ancient Tree appears once every thousand years, and each appearance brings an enormous sensation to the continent. Throughout history, there have even been instances of powerful Dou Sheng level experts perishing in the struggle for the Bodhi Ancient Tree!
In the ancient book that Jiang Liu had just read, the Bodhi Tree was also known as the Tree of Wisdom and Reincarnation. This tree grows one cycle every thousand years and only matures when it has a hundred cycles. Such a long period of time is enough for time to erode anything, but the Bodhi Tree is outside of time. It can almost be considered one of the most ancient species on the continent.
According to some ancient records, there seems to be only one Bodhi tree growing in this world. It possesses its own wisdom, and each time it appears, it hides deep within the earth, making it impossible for anyone to find. However, it will only reappear in the world when the next time comes.
The ancient Bodhi tree, instantly becoming sacred!
This is not an empty claim. Within the ancient Bodhi tree lies the Bodhi Heart; whoever obtains it will have their heart transformed into Bodhi. Achieving sainthood is merely a matter of lifting a finger. This is not a rumor, because there was once a truly powerful individual with a great opportunity who consumed the Bodhi Heart. In the end, this individual, whose talent was originally not outstanding and whose strength was only at the two-star Dou Zun level, broke through all the obstacles to advancement at an astonishing speed in less than five years, ultimately reaching the Dou Sheng level directly, shocking the continent!
This almost godlike effect is enough to drive everyone crazy. Whoever can obtain this Bodhi Heart will have a direct pass to advance to the Dou Sheng level and reach the pinnacle of this world!
Moreover, even excluding Bodhi Heart, a slightly inferior Bodhi Seed can greatly increase the success rate of advancing to Dou Sheng. Although it is not as terrifying as Bodhi Heart, it still has an irresistible allure for some peak Dou Zun. After all, breaking through to Half-Saint is extremely difficult and dangerous. Some peak Dou Zun experts may not be able to achieve it even if they try their whole lives. At such times, a Bodhi Seed is enough to drive them crazy.
All these factors combined make the Bodhi Tree's allure to top-tier experts almost insane.
For cultivators, it is even more possible to bring it back to its ultimate form.
This effect made Jiang Liu very interested in seeing the ancient Bodhi tree and whether it could also have an effect on him.
The ancient tea tree of martial arts that "covers the sky" and the ancient Bodhi tree of "Battle Through the Heavens" are both treasures for condensing one's Dao heart. Jiang Liu played with the Bodhi seed in his hand, feeling that these two treasures were essential for establishing the Hidden Dragon Temple and were things he absolutely had to have.
"The Desolate Ancient Domain... Let's pack up and head there immediately. We must obtain that Bodhi Tree!"
Chapter 408 Journey to the Desolate Ancient Domain
The Desolate Ancient Domain is the oldest place on the Dou Qi Continent.
It is not only because it is ancient and mysterious, making it a forbidden place for humans, but also because the weather there is harsh, poisonous miasma permeates the air, and it is teeming with ferocious beasts.
The ferocious beasts there are mostly creatures that have been passed down directly from ancient times, and some of them are in no way inferior to the three major races of the current monster world.
They are bloodthirsty and ferocious. Although they are not very intelligent, their strength is extremely terrifying. Even a peak Dou Zun expert who goes in cannot be sure that he can come out alive. This is a fact provided by countless bloody lessons over the years. Many experts have tried to enter them to search for treasures, but in the end, they all disappeared without a trace. Among them were some top experts who were famous in Zhongzhou.
As more and more powerful individuals disappeared in the desolate ancient domain, the place became increasingly infamous. Eventually, almost no one dared to set foot there anymore. In addition, due to its remote location, this once dangerous place has faded from the memories of many people.
However, when Jiang Liu led Yun Yun, Medusa, Green Robe, and Gu He into the desolate ancient domain, it was like strolling in a garden in spring. They did not feel at all that they had entered a dangerous place.
As soon as they stepped into the outer area of the Desolate Ancient Domain, they saw many powerful figures heading inward.
The news of the Bodhi Tree's emergence wasn't just known to Jiang Liu and his group; it had spread throughout the entire Central Continent, naturally arousing the greed of some who wanted to possess it. Even obtaining the Bodhi Seed and the Bodhi Heart was enough to tempt their hearts.
Even though Jiang Liu was invincible and his fame resounded among the powerful figures of all races, he could not stop the greed of the people.
Jiang Liu wasn't worried at all; he had no concern that someone else would get their hands on the Bodhi Tree first. Even if someone else did obtain it, Jiang Liu could simply seize it by force.
The outer edge of the desolate ancient domain is a primeval forest filled with an ancient aura. Giant trees stand there like giants, their shade blocking out the sun. Even the sunlight can hardly penetrate. Looking into the depths of the forest, there is a chilling darkness, from which occasionally come fierce roars of beasts, sending shivers down one's spine.
"These guys have really been lured by the Bodhi Tree and lost their minds!"
Yun Yun sighed. The Desolate Ancient Domain was known as a forbidden land for humans. Even a Dou Zun expert would face dire consequences if he entered. But here now, many people were only at the Dou Zong or even Dou Huang level. If such people entered the Ancient Domain, they would likely perish here at the slightest trouble, becoming fertilizer to nourish those towering trees.