Chapter 1827: Mysterious Ruins

The Great Toad sighed helplessly and shook its head, a desperate expression on its face, as it faced Xu Yang's final decree.

"To be honest, I don't have the Violet Jade Crystal. I did swallow it, but about a thousand years ago, I unintentionally ingested a creature with a unique life form. After it entered my body, it wasn't dissolved by my life-devouring ability. Instead, it thrashed around in my stomach for quite some time. When I realized I couldn't absorb its life force, I had to spit it out. After that, I couldn't sense the aura of the Violet Jade Crystal within me anymore.

Shortly after that, I discovered this mysterious ruin nearby. However, with my current power, I couldn't locate the true entrance to this mysterious ruin. Yet, I could vaguely feel the Violet Jade Crystal, along with a portion of my life essence, attached to the vicinity of this ruin. That's why for centuries, I've moved my habitat and guarded this ruin, fearing that the Master's exclusive forces would find me and blame me for losing the Violet Jade Crystal. I never expected to wait a thousand years without seeing an envoy from the Master, only to encounter you, a formidable intruder. Now, I truly have no choice but to surrender to your immense power. I hope you will spare me this time."

Hearing the Great Toad's heartfelt confession, Xu Yang couldn't completely believe his words. Still, he was willing to give the large creature a chance, at least temporarily, until he could find the entrance to the so-called ruins.

After a moment's consideration, Xu Yang finally decided to dispel the immense power of the Kunlun-series energy laser core he had manifested. He then used his mental power to command the Great Toad to open its enormous mouth. Swiftly, Xu Yang transformed into a streak of light, reappearing in the void above the desert, having escaped from the creature's belly.

Seeing Xu Yang's towering, god-like figure once again, the Great Toad no longer harbored any desire to resist him. It decisively prostrated its massive body, bowing in worship towards Xu Yang's imposing figure in the void.

"Your power is boundless, far beyond what a beast like me can contend with. From this moment on, I willingly acknowledge you as my Master. I hope that in this endless desert, I can use my abilities to help you fulfill your mission."

Regardless of whether the Great Toad's sincerity was genuine, Xu Yang was pleased that it had spoken such words. He nodded with a slight smile and cast a glance at the prostrate Great Toad below.

"In any case, your sincere attitude is commendable. From now on, our hostile relationship is temporarily suspended. As long as you maintain this obedient demeanor, I will not deprive you of your right to live."

Under Xu Yang's command, the Great Toad shrunk its massive body by more than ten times. It now appeared to be the size of a camel, no longer posing a significant threat to the surrounding life forms. Only then did Xu Yang feel at ease, allowing Long Kun and Qing Ya to escort the hundreds of female captives to catch up quickly toward the ruins. Soon, everyone reunited near the site.

Shortly after, Xiaopo, whom Xu Yang had dispatched to investigate the ruined site, completed his task and returned to Xu Yang's side.

"How was your inspection?"

Xu Yang's gaze fell on Xiaopo, who still wore a serious expression and gently shook his head.

"As the Great Toad said, this place appears very calm, but it conceals deep mysteries. I used my power at the Half-Dao Mid-Stage realm to release my martial arts aura and investigate, yet I couldn't evoke even the slightest resonance from the hidden martial forces within."

Xu Yang fell into thought, pondering for a moment before speaking. "If that's the case, there are only two possibilities. Either the legacy left here has nothing to do with the ancient Martial God path and is not a martial power inheritance at all, which is why your aura couldn't resonate with it. Or, a more remote possibility is that the martial arts legacy sealed beneath is far more powerful than your cultivation level, potentially even a Martial God-level power inheritance. However, even I cannot draw a definitive conclusion right now. If that special life form the Great Toad mentioned—the one who stole the Violet Jade Crystal from his body—were to reappear, perhaps all the mysteries could be unraveled."

After formulating a clear exploration plan, Xu Yang returned to the ruins, which had only revealed the tip of the iceberg. He then began to employ his incredibly powerful Earth Law, influencing the ground structure within the surrounding sea of sand. Soon, endless swirling sand began to spread outwards under the influence of Xu Yang's formidable cultivation. Xu Yang used his Earth Law to alter the geological structure around the ruins, quickly causing the buried site, previously hidden beneath countless sands, to gradually emerge and reveal its larger, more extensive portions.

To everyone's astonishment, after Xu Yang completed a full cycle of activating his Earth Law, the vast ruins revealed themselves as a complete, ancient city-state, far larger than anyone had initially imagined. Even the Great Toad, though significantly shrunken, the strongest beast race in the endless desert forbidden zone, was left wide-eyed with shock at this sight.

"My heavens! To be able to influence the entire desert's terrain structure by oneself—what terrifying cultivation level must one possess to achieve this? Has this seemingly young human already reached the Martial God level of power? It's incredible."

Such thoughts arose deep within the Great Toad. Of course, it dared not secretly speculate on Xu Yang's true power level, but its eyes now gleamed with boundless admiration for him. If the Great Toad were given another chance, even with ten times its courage, it would likely not dare to confront Xu Yang directly.

"Oh my goodness, Boss, this ruin looks incredibly vast! Could it be that the Violet Jade Crystal is truly sealed inside?"

Long Kun quickly approached and offered his speculation, but Xu Yang gently shook his head.