The palaces were all built of black stone. Although Ye Chu did not know what this black stone was, he could feel its toughness. The fact that it could withstand countless years without collapsing, apart from the protection of the Wu clan’s power, also had a great deal to do with the material itself.
The palaces were truly marvellous. The details of the carvings were lifelike, and the items placed within were all rare treasures of the world. This left Xiang Chunan and the others completely mesmerised. They could not help but rush towards any item they saw, hugging and stroking it tightly. At this moment, every single one of them transformed into something like a golden baby, a state of mind that Ye Chu had only ever seen in actual golden babies.
“Truly worthy of being the holy land of the Wu clan, it is indeed absolutely unparalleled!” Ye Jingyun sat on a chair carved with a golden dragon, her hand resting on the dragon’s head. A cool sensation spread throughout her body. This seat was actually a Sun and Moon artifact.
Ye Chu smiled. Although his gaze was also attracted by the various treasures, his horizons had broadened considerably over the years, so he would not lose his composure over this.
Wandering through the Wu clan’s palace, they saw many fine things. In the end, Xiang Chunan and the rest finally grew numb to it all. Only then did they regain some semblance of normalcy, no longer looking like a bunch of misers.
“Young Master Ye Chu, ahead is the Wu Hall of our clan, which is our clan’s altar!” Xiang Fu pointed to the palace at the very centre of the city, taking the lead and guiding Ye Chu and the others inside.
Stepping into the Wu Hall, a primordial aura rushed to their faces. The ancient years instantly made one feel the weight of time. In just that brief instant, Ye Chu felt as though he had experienced countless years.
Wherever his gaze fell, Ye Chu saw ancient colours and mottled buildings with a dark, archaic hue, carved with patterns that no one could understand. In the very centre of this palace was a dark altar, a circular structure piled high with dark jade.
Upon seeing this altar, Xiang Fu and the others knelt on the ground once more. After performing kowtowing rites to the altar, they slowly stood up and stepped onto it one step at a time.
“Young Master Ye Chu, please follow us!” Xiang Fu saw Ye Chu standing there and invited him. “You have helped our clan too much. Although outsiders are not allowed to step onto the altar, you are not outsiders.”
“Then I must thank the Clan Head!” Ye Chu and the others did not stand on ceremony and walked up onto the altar. Aside from the primordial aura it brought, the altar was not particularly strange. It merely enshrined some magical patterns. Ye Chu could not understand these patterns, but seeing the pious expressions of Xiang Fu and the others, these patterns must represent the faith or ancestors of the Wu clan.
Ye Chu looked around aimlessly, but his eyes were instantly drawn to a specific pattern. Looking at that pattern, Ye Chu took two steps at a time and quickly walked over to it, staring at it intently.
“What is wrong?” Seeing this strange reaction from Ye Chu, Ye Jingyun looked over in confusion. At this moment, Ye Chu was staring blankly at a perfectly square pattern. The pattern had some lines on it, and these lines intersected in a very complicated manner, faintly emitting a strange energy. Ye Jingyun only stared at it for a moment before feeling her primordial spirit become active, and even grow somewhat stronger.
“Such a magical pattern. Just looking at it for a moment can enhance my primordial spirit.” Ye Jingyun was astonished. “Do you know what this pattern is?”
How could Ye Chu not know? He was far too familiar with it. It was the Black Iron. Although the lines on it were not nearly as complicated as those on the Black Iron, the lines engraved upon it were exactly the same as a part of the Black Iron. This was a simplified version of the Black Iron pattern.
Ye Chu was once again astonished as to what the Black Iron actually was. Even the Wu clan had the pattern of the Black Iron, and they even treated it as their faith. What kind of era did the Wu clan belong to? An era so ancient that it could not be measured by time. Neither the Red Dust Female Saint, nor the Love Saint, nor the Fox Mountain Supreme had ever experienced the era of the Wu clan.
The era of the Wu clan was before the Ancient era. It was the history of the Desolate Ancient era. The Desolate Ancient era was the most prosperous era on the continent, an era rumoured to be when gods manifested. That era was known as the one closest to the gods.
The subsequent Ancient, Middle Ancient, Far Ancient, and Recent Ancient eras could not compare to that era. Although those eras were also incredibly prosperous, they fell far short of the Desolate Ancient era.
Back then, emperors could be described as mere pigs and dogs. The Desolate Ancient era was just that prosperous, an era that would make the world gape in astonishment.
And it was within such an era that one of the greatest races in the world actually took the Black Iron as their faith. What a shocking result that was. Most importantly, the Black Iron actually already existed in the Desolate Ancient era.
“What exactly is it?” Ye Chu had been able to reach his current state because the Black Iron had helped him immensely. The cultivation of his primordial spirit had gone smoothly, with almost no bottlenecks. The lines of the Black Iron were imprinted on his primordial spirit, making it far superior to others. Most importantly, it was because of the Black Iron that he possessed the Green Lotus Method.
The Black Iron now acted as a spring, nourishing the Green Lotus. Under its nourishment, the Green Lotus grew every day at an astonishing speed. In particular, the lines of the Black Iron were continuously imprinted onto the Green Lotus, making it gradually seem alive. Combined with the chaotic green qi, it was truly about to breed something.
Within the spring, ancient characters would occasionally flash. These ancient characters seemed to contain the ultimate truths of heaven and earth. Ye Chu tried his best to remember these ancient characters, but a few days after remembering them, he would completely forget them. However, his primordial spirit would suddenly grow stronger from the very act of remembering them.
The reason Ye Chu could easily annihilate the six emperors who had surrounded him was because his method was simply too strong. His raw power might not have been much stronger than the outstanding figures of the same realm, but his primordial spirit was several times stronger. This was the reason he had been able to fight against Luo Chizi and his group. All of this was the benefit brought by the Black Iron.
Ye Chu had always wanted to know what kind of divine object the Black Iron was, but he had not a single clue. He had never expected to see its pattern here in the Desolate Ancient Wu clan.
“Young Master Ye Chu, are you all right?” Xiang Fu had never seen Ye Chu act like this. Seeing him staring blankly at the pattern, he could not help but gently push Ye Chu.
“Oh! I am fine! By the way, Village Head, do you know what this pattern is?”
Xiang Fu smiled bitterly. “Our clan has been outside for too long, and most of the matters concerning the Wu clan have been lost to time. I actually do not know what meaning these patterns represent. I only know that these are the things our clan has worshipped and revered for generations.”
“Oh!” Ye Chu was somewhat disappointed. He squatted down and touched the pattern, his fingers tracing along the lines. At the same time, the Green Lotus within Ye Chu trembled continuously, outlining the exact same lines.
These lines mirrored the lines of the pattern perfectly. Ye Jingyun and Tan Miaotong looked at each other, not understanding how Ye Chu could outline the exact same lines. This was the pattern of the Wu clan’s faith. Did Ye Chu have some kind of relationship with the Wu clan?
When Xiang Fu and the others saw that Ye Chu had actually drawn a pattern exactly identical to the one on the altar, their eyes widened enormously as they stared intently at Ye Chu.