Chapter 74: Great Fortune, the Shennong Altar, and the Blood of the Human Emperor!

That place was truly unique. An ordinary person would never have noticed anything strange. It was only after Lu Yuan opened his Martial Eye that he sensed something was amiss. There was a special aura there.

However, it was also true he hadn’t discovered it earlier. Cautious by nature, he would never have approached so carelessly; he wanted to understand the situation first.

“If I tell you, will you let me go?” The Dragonblood Flood Serpent at his feet spoke in a weak voice. Its crimson eyes no longer held the arrogance from before, only dread. The human before it was simply too powerful, beyond its imagination.

It must be known that a trace of dragon blood flowed within its veins, and it was on the verge of stepping into the Golden Body Realm. In both strength and vitality, it far surpassed other beasts of the same rank. Yet now, it was being crushed effortlessly, without even a chance to resist.

“You have no choice—speak, or don’t.” Lu Yuan’s voice was calm, the aura of blood and the Tower of Suffering trembling behind him.

The eleventh-level Blood Tower was a divine object. Once fused into the five viscera and six bowels, it made the body incomparably sturdy, the organs as resilient as divine metal. Now, as he activated it, Lu Yuan seemed like a gigantic mountain from primordial times, able to suppress all beneath him. No matter how this king of exotic beasts struggled, it was useless.

“That place… that is the altar left by Shennong, one of the three great human sovereigns of antiquity. There is a very special formation within. If you approach recklessly, you’ll be suppressed and find it very difficult to escape—it’s a sort of forbidden ground.” The Dragonblood Flood Serpent, knowing it had no options left, finally spoke.

This was precisely why, when it had encountered danger, it had tried to flee there. It hoped the formation inside the altar might help it survive the crisis. Who could have known that Lu Yuan’s power would far exceed its expectations?

“An altar left by Shennong?” Lu Yuan was stunned at first, but quickly understood. Shennongjia was named for Shennong, after all—how could there not be relics left behind by him?

Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns, had rendered immense service to the Chinese people—a sovereign among sovereigns. Lu Yuan realized that this was a true Human Sovereign, and since he had come as a descendant, he should naturally pay his respects.

Yet, in his previous life, he had never heard of such a place in Shennongjia. That meant, if there was some great fortune there, it had never been discovered by anyone before.

“Master,” the Golden-Winged Roc beside him spoke, its eyes fixed on the Dragonblood Flood Serpent with a hint of pleading. Clearly, it feared Lu Yuan might actually let the beast go, and it would lose the chance to purify its own bloodline.

Lu Yuan only smiled, saying nothing but nodding his head. Having finally found the Dragonblood Flood Serpent, he would not let it escape.

The Golden-Winged Roc understood at once. Opening its beak, it spat out golden rays of light, enveloping the Dragonblood Flood Serpent. This was a secret art of its clan, capable of refining the dragon blood within exotic beasts.

Though the Dragonblood Flood Serpent looked formidable, it possessed only a trace of dragon blood. To purify its bloodline, the Golden-Winged Roc needed only the essence. Now, it activated its secret art fully, determined to refine it completely.

Already on the brink of death, the Dragonblood Flood Serpent could not resist. In a short while, its life force faded away. Under the golden light, its massive body shrank and withered.

However, extracting and refining the dragon blood would still take time.

“Come, let’s visit the altar left by the Human Sovereign Shennong.” Seeing that things were settled, Lu Yuan spoke with curiosity, eager to see what lay there and what this so-called altar looked like.

The Golden-Winged Roc did not hesitate. After swallowing the Dragonblood Flood Serpent, it carried Lu Yuan on its back toward the altar.

Before long, Lu Yuan arrived at the region where the blood-red pillar of light soared into the sky. There were no towering trees here, only a circular platform rising high above the ground, surrounded by stone columns.

Each column was about ten meters tall, pure white, twelve in total. Each was carved with a different beast—not the auspicious beasts like the qilin or pixiu, but the familiar twelve zodiac animals. Yet these twelve zodiac beasts were depicted in forms both fierce and lifelike, each with both human and beast aspects. Because of the passage of countless years, much of the platform had cracked, with signs of collapse, but aside from this, there was nothing particularly unusual.

“Master,” the Golden-Winged Roc circled overhead, its tone filled with deep apprehension. “I sense that entering the platform directly could be dangerous.”

What it sensed was likely the special formation the Dragonblood Flood Serpent had spoken of.

Lu Yuan, likewise, would not charge in recklessly. He had the Golden-Winged Roc land, and stood outside the platform.

Nearby, there were many stone buildings, mostly collapsed and shattered, making it impossible to tell their original shape. Lu Yuan frowned slightly—everything seemed so ordinary.

He activated his Martial Eye. In an instant, he saw a pillar of blood-red light erupt from the center of the platform, its vast aura filling the air—just as he’d seen before. When he closed the Martial Eye, all returned to normal.

Yet he could clearly tell that the pillar of light originated from the center of the platform. There must be something extraordinary hidden within.

Lu Yuan pondered, inhaled deeply, and stepped forward.

Immediately, the twelve stone columns began to vibrate. Beams of light shot from their surfaces, exuding overwhelming power. Even with Lu Yuan’s current strength, he felt immense pressure from that aura.

The twelve zodiac animals seemed on the verge of coming to life, as if they would break free at any moment. Clearly, they were guardians of this place. If an outsider entered, they would manifest for real.

“Master!” The Golden-Winged Roc’s eyes were full of wariness. The power was terrifying, more than it could bear. The formation hidden within had not even been fully activated—if it had, things would be far worse.

“Master, this is too dangerous. We’d best leave now.” The Golden-Winged Roc advised against going further; it was puzzled that such an ordinary place could hide such dread.

Not far away, Lu Yuan withdrew his step. He knew clearly that if he entered, it would be almost impossible to escape. Yet this only confirmed for him that a great fortune lay beneath the platform.

“I must go in and see for myself.” Lu Yuan knew well that the more mysterious a place, the greater the rewards—though the dangers were likewise great. Just like the Emperor’s Tomb on Mount Li, which contained the Ancestral Dragon Breathing Technique. The problem now was how to get in.

Was he missing some kind of key?

He circled the platform, searching for anything special, but found nothing, even with the Martial Eye. So he sat down to ponder.

Nearby, the Golden-Winged Roc, seeing nothing happening, went off a short distance, closed its eyes, and began to focus on refining the dragon blood, purifying its bloodline.

Time slipped by. A night passed.

Fortunately, this place was a mysterious region within Shennongjia, so no other exotic beasts approached during this time. The Golden-Winged Roc, having refined the dragon blood into its own veins, now shimmered with light as its bloodline was purified.

In the distance, Lu Yuan still sat cross-legged before the platform, eyes unchanged, his mind working rapidly. Yet he still hadn’t found a solution. He couldn’t waste time here forever, and perhaps would have to leave and return another day. Forcing his way in was out of the question—unless his strength advanced another step.

“Am I really going to walk away from the altar left by the Human Sovereign Shennong?” Lu Yuan was reluctant to give up, but sitting here endlessly was pointless. The place of fortune was right before him, yet he could not enter.

Wait—a sacrificial altar?

Suddenly, he realized something. Since it was an altar, it must be a place of worship. And sacrifice required a cauldron.

He happened to have a cauldron—the green-bronze cauldron, one of the keys to the Emperor’s Tomb on Mount Li.

Would it work?

Lu Yuan didn’t know, but with nothing to lose, he decided to try. He took out the small green-bronze cauldron and placed it before him, his eyes full of hope. If it didn’t work, he could always leave and return later.

Without hesitation, Lu Yuan used the Da Luo Sword Embryo to cut his palm, just as he’d done in the Emperor’s Tomb, letting his blood drip onto the cauldron.

The cauldron glowed, the light intensifying as the blood was absorbed.

Boom!

At that moment, the entire platform began to tremble. The twelve stone columns representing the zodiac burst forth with crimson light, all converging on the center of the platform.

“It works!” Lu Yuan’s heart leapt with joy. He hadn’t expected the green-bronze cauldron to have any effect, let alone here in Shennongjia—what exactly was its origin, that it could serve as a key not only to the Emperor’s Tomb, but also here?

Now was not the time to ponder such things. He focused his mind, continuing the sacrifice, letting more blood flow into the cauldron.

As time passed, the crimson light grew ever brighter. More importantly, the platform itself began to crack.

With a sharp crack, the platform underwent a dramatic transformation. A stone stele rose from its surface. Behind it, countless rays of bloodlight gathered into a pool of blood, which was lifted by the altar. Even more striking, the altar shone in nine colors, appearing utterly extraordinary.

With the appearance of the stone stele and the blood pool, a powerful aura erupted, and layer upon layer of bloodlight enveloped the region.

A blood pool. A nine-colored altar.

Placed together, these two things exuded an air of mystery. Yet Lu Yuan had no idea what they signified, for this was his first time seeing such things.

Glancing at the Golden-Winged Roc still refining the dragon blood, Lu Yuan knew the beast was at a critical moment and did not disturb it. He turned back to the altar left by the Human Sovereign Shennong. After his sacrifice, the formation had been disabled, at least temporarily.

He put away the green-bronze cauldron and stepped onto the platform.

As expected, after the sacrificial rite, the formation did not obstruct him further. He walked directly to the stone stele before the blood pool.

The stele itself was unremarkable, but the writing on it caught Lu Yuan’s attention. The characters were unfamiliar—not seal script, nor oracle bone script—yet strangely, he could understand their meaning.

“I, Shennong, who tasted all herbs and established agriculture, was still unable to fathom the heavenly principles before the great calamity. Therefore, I condensed a single drop of my essence blood and left it in this blood pool, awaiting a fated descendant of the human race to merge it into themselves and inherit my will. Though I die, it is enough.”

It was a short message, but it spoke volumes. These were the words left by Shennong, one of the Three Sovereigns.

After reading, Lu Yuan gazed at the blood pool. The blood within was calm, yet emanated a peculiar aura. At this moment, he could feel a resonance between this blood and his own.

“So, this is a drop of Shennong’s essence blood, left for a destined descendant?” he murmured. No wonder he’d felt such a special connection here, sensing a great opportunity.

Shennong, ancestor of the Chinese people, one of the Three Sovereigns—by rights, all Chinese were his descendants by blood. After all, the Chinese called themselves the descendants of Yan and Huang, and “Yan” referred to Shennong.

Lu Yuan understood at last. This was the fortune left by the ancestral Human Sovereign for his descendants. If he could merge it into himself, what might happen?

He did not know, but one thing was certain: it would propel him to a new level.

After all, this was a figure from myth and legend.

Lu Yuan had always understood that the ancient era was extraordinary—humanity was strong, and the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors led the people to greatness, even being the equals of the gods. Only later did things decline.

Now, the essence blood of Shennong, the Human Sovereign, lay before him.

“Let me see what changes this brings,” Lu Yuan said to himself. He was not one for indecision. Moreover, Shennong, as the ancestral sovereign, would never harm his descendants.

He took a deep breath and dipped his hand into the blood pool.

In that instant, a vast and pure power surged into his body. This power was immense, filled with the might of a titan, causing every pore in Lu Yuan’s body to open and receive a sacred baptism.

A blessing—undoubtedly a great blessing.

He submerged himself in the pool, sitting cross-legged.

The stone stele disintegrated into dust, the blood pool burst forth with countless beams of red light, which surged into Lu Yuan’s body like the very power of heaven and earth.

His blood boiled, his heart thundered, his organs shone with light.

This was transformation—an ascension from the deepest level of the bloodline. Not an awakening, but a complete deification based on his own foundation.

At this moment, Lu Yuan’s spirit was fully immersed in the process as the Human Sovereign’s essence blood fused with his own.

“At last, I have refined the dragon blood. Next is the true purification—once complete, my Roc bloodline will be fully unleashed, breaking through several shackles at once!” The Golden-Winged Roc opened its eyes, golden light flashing within.

Its bloodline had always been its pride, the root of its difference from other beasts.

“Huh? Where is Master?” Only now did it realize Lu Yuan was missing. Looking up, it saw him sitting cross-legged in the blood pool atop the platform, a powerful aura erupting from him and spreading in all directions—majestic and vast, stemming from the very core of his bloodline.

Even the Golden-Winged Roc felt tremendous pressure. It was, after all, a Roc, the peer of true dragons. Yet now it was being suppressed by a human’s bloodline—an astonishing thing.

“Master… is using some kind of essence blood to cleanse himself and transform his bloodline?” The Roc was shocked, though it could not guess whose blood this was, or how Lu Yuan had learned of it.

But one thing was certain: once this transformation was complete, its master would break new ground and benefit for life.

“I thought by purifying my blood, I might catch up a little. Clearly, I was overthinking it.” The Golden-Winged Roc was a bit disheartened, but soon came to terms—if its master was transformed, it would only benefit as well. Closing its eyes, it began the final stage of refining the dragon blood.

As for being disturbed, it had no concerns. No beast would dare approach this place; it was perfectly safe.

And so, Lu Yuan and the Golden-Winged Roc, master and beast, began their transformations together.

(End of chapter)