Chapter 450: 惊云谷大秘

"I don't care what attitude you have towards me. You need to understand one thing: you are my vanquished foe."As Yun Shu spoke, she drew her longsword and pressed it against the neck of Aisha, Queen of the Blood Barbarian Tribe."I just need an answer," she declared. "Either take us to the Gloomy Forest, or your woman will pay with her life."Yun Shu displayed the decisive demeanor unique to a superior, giving Teda no further time to deliberate.

In fact, everyone had already guessed Teda's choice. He had lost everything; Aisha was his only remaining hope."I choose to yield," he finally conceded.Thus, the great battle between the Xuanmen Sect and the Blood Barbarian Tribe, almost single-handedly controlled by Xu Yang, finally reached the desired conclusion without major incident. The only remaining variable, however, was the existence of a descendant of the Night Dynasty within the Gloomy Forest.

Under the personal escort of the Five Element Elders, Teda and Aisha, as prisoners, led the group towards the Gloomy Forest. Along the way, they saw countless corpses of Blood Barbarian warriors strewn around, their spirits sinking to the lowest point. As the group drew closer to the Gloomy Forest, a chilling aura seemed to constantly permeate the air, bringing an immense sense of oppression to everyone passing through.

Naturally, Xu Yang was unaffected by this aura. He flew at the forefront through the void, clearing any other potential risks for the group. It was only when he encountered a peculiar dark energy barrier in the void that he immediately signaled to those behind him to halt their advance.

"There's something unusual ahead," Xu Yang stated. "I'll go in first to check. Wait here, and if there's any danger, notify me immediately."Long Kun acknowledged him, and Xu Yang vanished beyond the dark energy barrier. With the Sword Soul of the King's Blade, he quickly entered the core of the energy barrier.

It was here that Xu Yang saw a castle, exquisite and magnificent, yet exuding a chilling, hellish sensation."You've finally arrived," a voice suddenly echoed. A pale-faced man quickly appeared before him, clad in a long robe and enveloped in a deep purple aura.Undoubtedly, this man was the master of the Gloomy Forest, arguably the true power behind the Northern Frontier – the Night Monarch! He was also one of the Twin Stars of the Eternal Night Dynasty.

"I've heard about the events of the Eternal Night Dynasty," the Night Monarch began, "but soon after, I entered seclusion and didn't know exactly what you experienced."The Night Monarch clearly understood that Xu Yang was a figure on par with himself, perhaps even stronger. His purpose in coming to the Northern Frontier was, naturally, to seek out the Valley of Startled Clouds.

"I can only tell you that all the answers you seek are hidden beneath the Valley of Startled Clouds."Xu Yang chuckled. "In fact, I thought the same. But if I were to leave now and break the restrictions beneath the Valley of Startled Clouds, I imagine you wouldn't maintain this composure."

The Night Monarch burst into unrestrained laughter. "Haha, Xu Yang, you truly are a clever person. I won't beat around the bush any longer. What's sealed beneath the Valley of Startled Clouds is precisely the previous patriarch of the Phoenix Tribe."

"What did you say?" Xu Yang was astonished.He truly couldn't believe his ears. The patriarch of the Phoenix Tribe, who had mysteriously disappeared years ago—the very continent leader intimately linked with the secret of the Nine Dragon Heavenly Tribulation—was actually slumbering in the Northern Frontier!

The Golden Light Clay Bodhisattva that Bai Lianxue had previously obtained was originally sent to the temple abbot of that time by a wisp of soul-thought from this Phoenix Tribe patriarch. In other words, this Phoenix Tribe patriarch must know the supreme secret of the continent! If the news that the Valley of Startled Clouds sealed the Phoenix Tribe's supreme bloodline were to spread, then the Northern Frontier would, overnight, become a gathering place for countless sects from across the entire continent.

Evidently, the reason this secret has remained undisturbed for so many years is closely related to the Night Monarch before him and the previous patriarch of the Xuanmen Sect—Yun Shu's ancestor."Let me guess," Xu Yang mused. "The reason you haven't revealed this secret is because an unbreakable bond exists between you and the Phoenix Tribe patriarch. If I'm not mistaken, the mysterious downfall of the Night Dynasty back then was also greatly related to the Phoenix Tribe!"

The Night Monarch offered no further concealment, perhaps because Xu Yang had indeed hit upon the crucial point. The Night Monarch then produced an incredibly exquisite purple orb of light."This is... Dragon Origin!" Xu Yang was astonished once more.

"Exactly. Our Night Dynasty, having acquired the secret of the Nine Dragon Heavenly Tribulation, was targeted by one of the nine dragon calamities, the Abyssal Demonic Dragon. My brother and I received the demon dragon's legacy, thereby becoming enemies of the Phoenix Tribe. Soon after, someone—I don't know who—leaked the news of our demonic dragon legacy to the Phoenix Tribe. Within a month of our inheritance of this dragon power, the three grand elders of the Phoenix Tribe, led by their patriarch, arrived at our dynasty. What followed unfolded exactly as you surmised: the Phoenix Tribe destroyed our tens of thousands of years of heritage, killed my brother, and I became the sole survivor under his desperate protection."

Xu Yang's expression grew increasingly solemn. "What happened then?" he pressed. "Why did a powerful tribe like the Phoenix suddenly vanish? As far as I know, fifty thousand years ago, the Phoenix Tribe was at its peak; even true dragons wouldn't dare provoke them easily."

The Night Monarch sneered. "Have you forgotten? Is there not still the most formidable ruling power on the continent?"Xu Yang almost instinctively thought of the Qilin Tribe. "Are you referring to the Qilin Mountain lineage?""Precisely!" the Night Monarch affirmed. "It was the Qilin Tribe that became the turning point in the continent's destiny. Their sudden appearance and their alliance with the Dragon Tribe ultimately suppressed the Phoenix Tribe, completely rewriting the continent's fate. As for why they appeared, there is still no definitive conclusion; perhaps the secret lies within Qilin Mountain itself. Not long after that, the Qilin Mountain lineage advanced by leaps and bounds, reaching the pinnacle of continental power in the shortest time, simultaneously replacing the Dragon Tribe as the direct rulers of the entire continent. Of course, the Dragon Tribe was another beneficiary of that war, but they vanished from the continent thereafter, their whereabouts unknown. Some legends say the entire Dragon Tribe ascended to the Divine Realm. The Phoenix Tribe, undoubtedly, became the greatest sacrifice of these two lineages' alliance."

"The Phoenix Tribe patriarch is immortal and indestructible," the Night Monarch concluded. "Even the combined forces of the Dragon and Qilin Tribes could not completely obliterate him. Therefore, they chose a suitable method to seal him in the Northern Frontier."