"My dear disciple, there's no need to be afraid." The red-dressed boy beckoned gently, causing Feng Yunyang to float in midair. He was no longer in control of his own body.
"You probably do not know that this Ascending Dragon Cauldron is a divine artifact that was born at the beginning of the universe. By feeding it your blood and bones, I'll awaken this slumbering divine artifact. That is an honor reserved for you and you alone."
As the red-dressed boy spoke, he flicked his finger gently.
"Clang!"
With a metallic resonance, the Ascending Dragon Cauldron replica above the Ascending Dragon Cauldron had its lid opened by the heat of the Earth fire.
The replica had been refined by the Myriad God Patriarch for five hundred thousand years and was named the Concealed Dragon Cauldron. The Myriad God Patriarch would have liked to use the Ascending Dragon Cauldron for alchemy, as it would lead to excellent results. However, since the Myriad God Patriarch had no control over the Ascending Dragon Cauldron, it was little more than a dream for him to use it for the refinement of relics.
"My dear disciple, you will be entering the cauldron in a while. You might suffer some physical pain but that cannot be helped. The refinement of the Dragon Emperor Relic requires your soul to be conscious for long periods of time. Only then can it ensure the vibrancy of your bloodline. I will control the fire's heat, preventing it from exceeding what your body can bear. Also, rest assured, for I have been tempering your body all these years, feeding you all sorts of heavenly treasures. Many of them have allowed your body to undergo a complete renewal and metamorphosis. As such, you should be capable of enduring the burning flames for long periods of time. It shouldn't be a problem for you to last three days and three nights."
Three days and three nights!?
What sort of torture would it be to feel all-consuming flames scorching your body for three days and three nights? The flames were astral fire!
"No! No!" Feng Yunyang's face turned ashen from fright. He never imagined that his master's true nature would be that of a grotesque and terrifying old devil.
All this time, the devil had fed him numerous natural treasures, tempering his body all day and night, increasing his physique severalfold. And it was all for one goal—to ensure that he could last longer within the flames!
"Don't you force me to act desperately! If you really are going to treat me like this, I'll end my own life. And if I die, you can forget about your alchemical refinement!"
Feng Yunyang's voice was trembling as his eyes turned red. Having been forced into a dire situation, this was the only way he could put up a form of resistance.
However, his resistance failed to bear fruit in front of the Myriad God Patriarch. "End your own life? No, you won't. You are my disciple. How can you do something that's unfavorable to me, your master? I have planted dozens of Soul Seeds in your body. You accepted these Soul Seeds through your own free will. I don’t want to waste these Soul Seeds but, if I use them, I will be able to influence your soul sea to a certain extent. With that, you will absolutely not be able to end your life."
The Myriad God Patriarch smiled. In Feng Yunyang's eyes, the smile appeared sinister and extremely horrifying! He was on the verge of a mental breakdown.
Soul Seeds!
Under the excuse of cultivating his soul, his master convinced him to accept the Soul Seeds planted in him. In truth, he had completely sealed off the possibility of him resisting!
He knew that he was at the end of his rope and there was no chance for him to get out alive.
"My dear disciple, I have prepared so much for you. So experience it obediently. Tell me if you have any last wishes. I will grant them for you," said Myriad God Patriarch amiably. His voice sent shudders through the hearts of Feng Yunyang, as well as the rest of the Myriad God Ridge disciples.
They had been lied to. Other than the Myriad God Sect Master and the old woman, no one knew why he had taken Feng Yunyang in as a disciple!
At that moment, a clear voice resounded throughout the pocket world—
"Can't you see? This old bastard has never placed any importance on the Myriad God Ridge! All of you pride yourselves on being Myriad God Ridge disciples and have been working hard to establish the Myriad God Ridge as a mighty sect, but in that old bastard's eyes, it is all a joke!"
"He doesn't mind exposing his gruesome side to all of you. In order to make Feng Yunyang into the catalyst herb he needs, he has fooled all of you. He doesn't care about losing the faith of his disciples because to him, the Myriad God Ridge is nothing but a tool!"
"Do you think any one of you will be able to escape after coming to this sealed world? All of you might be used as blood sacrifices or even be silenced. What are you standing there in a daze for? Let’s work together and kill that old bastard!"
When these words were suddenly shouted, everyone was stunned. They turned to look at the person who had spoken. It was none other than Yi Yun!
Yi Yun stood tall, sword in hand and Yuan Qi bursting from his body.
"This… This…"
Many people were taken aback. Never in their dreams would they think that the Elder and personal disciple meet would develop into this present situation.
The Myriad God Patriarch looked at Yi Yun as well. His gaze revealed a few hints of surprise as well as mockery.
"Pa! Pa! Pa!"
The Myriad God Patriarch suddenly applauded. "Very well. Is this your last ditch effort to survive? By stirring up the masses, making everyone here attack me? I never imagined that you would think of such means. It's somewhat interesting."
"Blood sacrifice? Silencing? You sure have a vivid imagination. These people do not even have a modicum of dragon race bloodlines. What would be the point of a blood sacrifice? As for silencing them…the Myriad God Ridge is indeed a tool to me. I’ll admit that. But I have honed this tool for millions of years, so why would I so casually throw it away?"
When the red-dressed boy said those words, the thoughts of an uprising among the various Elders and personal disciples lessened slightly. Yi Yun's words had indeed stirred their fears but even now, they did not dare to take up arms against the Myriad God Patriarch. The old fellow was just too terrifying.
The red-dressed walked slowly towards Yi Yun. "There's no need for you to resist. You will definitely be dying today. But you sure can see through things. It seems that you had managed to guess my plans half a year ago. You guessed the general goal behind me taking in a disciple. You are a lot smarter than that dumb disciple of mine."
As the red-dressed boy spoke, he unleashed his aura and proceeded forward, locking onto Yi Yun!
Since there was no way to evade doom, Yi Yun went for broke. He said with a chuckle, "Are you really going to just let them walk away? The Ascending Dragon Cauldron is a divine artifact formed from Dragon Emperor that ranks fourth out of the twelve Dao Ancestors. Sealed within it is the Dragon Emperor's soul! For such an important secret, not silencing others doesn't seem like your style!"
When Yi Yun said those words, everyone present was confounded.
Twelve Dao Ancestors!?
All of them knew of the twelve Dao Ancestors for they were ancient legends. This Ascending Dragon Cauldron was related to the twelve Dao Ancestors!?
If Yi Yun had not said so, they wouldn't have known of the matter!
Instantly, the mood heightened. All the disciples and Elders of the Myriad God Ridge began to panic. They knew that Yi Yun had deliberately announced the secret to force the red-dressed boy to silence them.
Now that they knew the patriarch’s secret, they had no choice but to fight or die.
This punk was fucking cunning!
Although they hated Yi Yun to the death, they were more afraid of the Myriad God Patriarch. At that moment, survival was of the utmost importance.
The red-dressed boy knitted his brows as killing intent shimmered in his eyes.
He never expected Yi Yun to know of those secrets.
"Good! Well done! As a mere Dao Palace realm warrior, it's not easy for you to cause me trouble, especially in your dire situation. Unfortunately for you, I have absolute power over this world. I have spent ten thousand years setting up an array formation in this place. Here, I'm the absolute overlord. No one can resist me!"
As the red-dressed boy spoke, his clothes fluttered despite the lack of wind. Countless Dao patterns gathered from every direction, surging into the red-dressed boy's body. At that instant, his body seemed to be hidden within the void as though he had fused with the world.
He was like a god, with his body being the laws of nature. The powerful aura within him radiated outwards, leaving people overcome with a sense of fear and awe. It was impossible for them to muster the courage to resist him!
At that moment, someone in the crowd knelt down straight away.
The person who knelt down was none other than Cang Wu!
"Patriarch, your celestial might is invincible. You will share the same age as the Heavens and Earth, and be as lustrous as the sun and moon! Regardless if the Myriad God Ridge exists or not, I, Cang Wu, am willing to loyally follow the Patriarch to the death!"
As the sect master's eldest disciple, he was good at judging the situation. Back when he saw Yi Yun lose favor, his attitude towards Yi Yun made an obvious shift.
Although Cang Wu knew that following the Patriarch was no different from following a carnivorous beast, why would he listen to Yi Yun instead of the Patriarch?
It was impossible for him to resist the Myriad God Patriarch. On the contrary, by wholeheartedly being the Myriad God Patriarch's loyal dog, there was a chance of him surviving and maybe even be bestowed benefits by the patriarch. If all else failed, he was even willing to sign a soul contract.
People are like sheep that can be easily influenced. The surrender of a huge army in war simply needs one person to put their weapons down first. With Cang Wu being that person, many others began to pledge their allegiance towards the Myriad God Patriarch.
"Patriarch, your celestial might is invincible. You will share the same age as the Heavens and Earth, and be as lustrous as the sun and moon!"
More and more people submitted. The Myriad God Patriarch had been running the Myriad God Ridge for years so his authority was not easily questioned. No one dared to challenge him.
Upon seeing this scene, the red-dressed boy nodded in satisfaction. "Cang Wu, well done! After the alchemical process is finished, I will reward you!"
"Thank you, Patriarch for your kind generosity!" Cang Wu said humbly.
The red-dressed boy smiled and looked back at Yi Yun again. His eyes suffused a teasing look.
"You are only a mere catalyst herb but you actually schemed to incite my subordinates to rebel. I have really underestimated you. In fact, I once debated whether or not to kill you half a year ago. In the end, I placed too much emphasis on your bloodline and let you live. I kept having the feeling that your bloodline is far from normal! Since I have already brought you here, there is no escape for you at all. Just submit and be a good principal herb!"
When the red-dressed boy said that, he licked his lips in a rapacious manner. He looked at Yi Yun and then at Snake Girl.
Snake Girl's face drained of its color. She knew that she was one of the catalyst herbs. It was the reason why she had been brought here as well.
"Take them all out," said the red-dressed boy. Following that, the Myriad God Sect Master waved his hand and a spatial abode flew out of it. From the spatial abode, he grabbed a few people out!
These people were dressed in Myriad God Ridge disciple attires but all of them had their eyes tightly closed. They were pale and their vibrancy had been sealed completely.
"They… They are…"
An Elder recognized those people. They were disciples that the Myriad God Ridge had taken in after they met the standard of a 'wisdom root!'