Chapter 1383: Legend

The giant turtle split open, revealing rows of enormous bones inside. The spine bone alone was dozens of meters long, with a large section buried in the earth.

“This is…” Everyone was startled. It turned out this wasn’t a stone turtle statue but the petrified remains of a colossal beast that had died here.

The Demon Emperor glanced at it and said, “This is no giant turtle. If I’m not mistaken, it looks more like the remains of a sea tribe’s giant whale, though it does seem to differ slightly from their typical whales.”

As the Demon Emperor, having lived for countless years, his knowledge was naturally extraordinary.

Wu Liang, standing nearby, flattered him effusively before commenting, “A creature with such massive bones must have been incredibly powerful in life. I wonder why it ended up here.”

The Demon Emperor’s gaze fell upon the bones, observing their crystalline glow. He was secretly astonished, realizing this creature’s power seemed even greater than that of the current Sea Tribe’s Whale Clan Chief. Truly, it was worthy of being a creature from the Unknowable Land.

This thought filled him with renewed excitement and anticipation for the journey ahead.

Just then, a strange sound drifted from a distant mountaintop. Faint dark shapes could be seen flapping, but the great distance and a hazy obstruction made it difficult to discern what they were.

However, the sound itself was quite distinct. Yu Yanluo exclaimed in surprise, “Are those bird calls?”

Zu An nodded. “Indeed, but the calls are odd, a little eerie.”

He also pondered, the area had been quiet moments ago, but as soon as the Demon Emperor shattered the stone turtle, activity began over there. Could there be a connection between the two?

The Demon Emperor glanced in that direction. “Let’s keep going. Continue scouting ahead.”

Zu An shrugged and resumed his role as the pathfinder.

Yan Xuehen furrowed her delicate brows, saying with a hint of displeasure, “With the Demon Emperor’s power, he could send his primordial spirit out and traverse thousands of miles in an instant. Why does he need Zu An to scout ahead?”

The Demon Emperor calmly replied, “My actions do not require anyone else’s commentary.”

In truth, he had just tried it in this world and found that his primordial spirit’s speed and range were drastically reduced compared to a normal world. Moreover, he had faintly sensed danger from several directions, which made him even more hesitant to use his spirit to scout. Of course, there was no need to tell them these reasons, lest they harbor any ulterior motives.

Yan Xuehen was speechless.

Zu An stopped her from arguing further. “It’s fine, I’m quite resilient. I can handle danger even if it arises.”

Only then did Yan Xuehen drop the matter. Yun Jianyue, seizing an opportunity, came up beside her and discreetly nudged her shoulder. “You’re usually so aloof, I didn’t expect you to be so concerned for his safety.”

Yan Xuehen gave her a faint glare. “At a time like this, do you still have the energy to argue with me?”

With that, she sped up, not wanting to stand next to her.

Yun Jianyue wasn’t truly suspicious of their relationship; she was simply feeling restless and instinctively wanted to tease her a bit.

Soon, the group arrived before a towering peak that pierced the clouds. The mountain was covered in lush vegetation, yet it was incredibly perilous, with many sheer ninety-degree cliffs. Even ordinary cultivators, let alone common folk, would likely find it impossible to climb. Fortunately, everyone in their group possessed extraordinary abilities.

As Zu An walked ahead, the Jinwu Prince suddenly gasped, his voice tinged with terror.

“What’s wrong?” The Demon Emperor frowned, looking at him. Even the sycophantic Wu Liang secretly scorned him now. He had once thought the Jinwu Prince was someone important, but now he seemed nothing more than a coward.

The Jinwu Prince, his face pale with fear, pointed at the mountain before them. Despite his efforts to suppress it, his voice still trembled slightly. “I don’t know why, but seeing this mountain makes me uneasy. I feel a… a sense of dread throughout my body.”

The others exchanged strange glances. They felt nothing unusual; the mountain was merely steep and perilous. Surely, the esteemed Jinwu Prince wasn’t so useless?

Everyone else was secretly gloating, expecting the Demon Emperor to scold him. To their surprise, the Demon Emperor, contrary to his usual behavior, remained silent, staring intently at the distant mountain in a trance.

Because he, too, had felt a palpitation upon approaching the area. He had initially attributed it to the danger sensed when his primordial spirit ventured out earlier, but hearing his son’s words, he realized it was connected to this mountain.

What on earth was going on?

Since reaching the Earth Immortal realm, almost nothing in the world could threaten him. This was the first time he had felt such a sensation.

Crucially, he noticed the reactions of the others; they clearly didn’t share the same feeling.

Unwilling to let his abnormality be noticed by the group, he calmly stated, “Keep moving forward.”

To cultivate to the Earth Immortal realm, besides his unique bloodline and exceptional talent, his resolute temperament was indispensable.

He was never one to cower. This strange feeling only spurred him to investigate further. For years, only Human Emperor Zhao Hao had been a worthy opponent in the entire world, and he had developed an invincible domineering aura. Naturally, he didn’t believe anything here could truly harm him.

The Jinwu Prince, about to say something, suddenly felt a warm current flow into his body. He immediately understood that his father was helping him regulate his chaotic internal energy, and his heart filled with immense gratitude.

The group continued up the mountain and suddenly discovered a stone tablet hidden among the weeds. It also bore two characters.

This time, even Wu Liang recognized them. “Yu Shan! This mountain is called Yu Shan.”

“Yu Shan?” The Demon Emperor’s brows furrowed as he searched his memories for any mention of this mountain. The others also looked bewildered. While there were indeed a few places named Yu Shan in the world, they were clearly not the same as the one before them.

Only Zu An’s heart stirred. He had always felt that ‘Yu Yuan’ sounded familiar, and now seeing ‘Yu Shan,’ he finally recalled where he had heard of it.

Back on Earth before his transmigration, ancient civilizations across the globe had records of great floods. In the West, there was Noah’s Ark; in the East, it was Yu the Great controlling the floods.

Before Yu the Great, it was actually his father, Gun, who had attempted to control the floods for many futile years. Emperor Yao then dispatched Zhurong to execute him, and his son, Yu the Great, took over his father’s work, leading to the later story of Yu the Great controlling the floods.

The place where Gun was executed was precisely Yu Shan, and after his death, his body was cast into the nearby Yu Yuan.

Could this be where Gun met his end all those years ago?

Zu An’s heart quickened. Involving such an ancient figure, could this secret realm be connected to the Xia Dynasty?

At the same time, a very peculiar thought crossed his mind, because besides Gun’s execution, Yu Shan was also associated with another, more famous legend.

In ancient Chinese mythology, there is the legend of Hou Yi shooting down the suns. It is said that the suns in the sky were Jinwu, the sons of the Heavenly Emperor, ten brothers in total. They enjoyed playing together, resulting in ten suns simultaneously in the sky, causing severe drought and immense suffering for the people.

Then, there was a great human hero named Yi, who had once been granted a red bow and white arrows by the Heavenly Emperor. He drew his bow and shot down nine of the Jinwu in the sky, leaving only one sun.

The feathers of the slain Jinwu fell and eventually piled up like a mountain, thus forming Yu Shan.

Zu An wasn’t sure what connection, if any, existed between the Jinwu Clan in this world and the Jinwu from the legends of his previous life. However, considering they were at Yu Shan and carried the divine artifact ‘Sun-Shooting Bow,’ he couldn’t help but connect the two.

“By the way, how did you acquire that divine Sun-Shooting Bow?” Zu An took the opportunity to inquire.

The Jinwu Prince felt an inexplicable irritation at this moment and coldly snorted, “What business is it of yours?”

The Demon Emperor, however, answered, “The Sun-Shooting Bow is a divine artifact passed down through our Jinwu Clan’s lineage. It has belonged to the Jinwu Imperial Family since records began. However, instead of concerning yourself with such matters, you’d better focus on scouting ahead. I seem to sense some creatures on this mountain. Be careful not to be ambushed and killed. It wouldn’t be easy for me to find another pathfinder.”