Chapter 242: The Golden Ancient Tree
Yang Potian examined the fire dragon's corpse and shook his head in mild disappointment. The dragon's power was indeed impressive, equivalent to that of a level 98 Titled Douluo, especially with its mastery over ultimate fire. However, it still fell short when compared to him.
After taking a moment to adjust, Yang Potian began absorbing the dragon's spirit ring, which would serve as the sixth ring for his body spirit. Despite the dragon's three-hundred-thousand-year age, the process no longer posed a significant challenge to him. In just one day, he completed the absorption.
With the addition of this new spirit ring, Yang Potian's power formally reached level 99.
As he opened his eyes, everything around him seemed different. His sensitivity to spirit power had reached a new depth, allowing him to perceive its very essence. This was likely one of the distinctions between an Ultimate Douluo and an ordinary Titled Douluo.
Furthermore, his twin spirit cores seemed to be spinning faster, drawing in spirit power at an astonishing rate, like a whale gulping water. Both his physical and mental strength had vastly increased, giving him a power that now surpassed his previous level 98 status many times over.
Indeed, Yang Potian could sense the truth behind the belief that each level after becoming a Titled Douluo represented a monumental leap. Reaching the level of a Super Douluo, each advancement seemed like a vast chasm to cross. He now estimated that, even against Qian Daoliu, he would easily emerge victorious.
Examining his body further, Yang Potian noticed that this newly absorbed fire ring had refined his physical form and enhanced his body spirit. However, he felt a lingering sense of incompletion in his spirit core.
By his own calculations, Yang Potian recognized that he had now absorbed six rings with distinct attributes: space, darkness, metal, wood, earth, and fire. Though some rings possessed elements of strength and wind, he was still missing water, a crucial attribute. This omission now felt more pronounced than ever.
As he had suspected, the elemental balance of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth was vital. Only by gathering all five elements could he achieve a true cycle and thereby unlock a tremendous boost in power. This final water attribute spirit ring would play a critical role in perfecting his form.
Yang Potian sensed that collecting all five hundred-thousand-year rings might lead to unimaginable transformations, perhaps even an unexpected leap in strength.
He sighed, acknowledging that he had reached the threshold of level 99 and now stood at the last step before reaching level 100 and godhood. He would need to secure his divine path soon, or all of his efforts would amount to nothing.
Inspecting the fire dragon's corpse, Yang Potian found a vibrant red torso spirit bone infused with intense dragon energy. The bone's quality and attributes were unmatched—likely one of the finest spirit bones in all of Douluo Continent. After some thought, he decided to keep it aside for now. With his current strength, he had no immediate need for it and believed better options might await him in the future.
Through this spirit ring, Yang Potian gained two powerful abilities:
Sixth Spirit Skill 1: Flaming Dragon Claw – Summons a massive dragon claw with immense strength and ultimate fire energy to strike enemies. This skill also melds perfectly with his body spirit, allowing his arm to transform into a dragon claw.Sixth Spirit Skill 2: Inferno Prison – Similar to the flame domain used by the fire dragon, it allows him to control all nearby flames. Anyone caught within the Inferno Prison would face devastating fire attacks, as though trapped in a fiery hell.
Inferno Prison seemed closer to a control-type skill than a domain, and Yang Potian quickly realized its immense value. With this ability, he could easily dominate all fire-element spirit beasts and spirit masters, securing a significant advantage over them in any confrontation.
These new skills also brought an intriguing benefit: his flames' suppressive effect on water-based spirit masters. This aligned well with his future plans.
With his spirit ring harmonized, Yang Potian turned his attention to exploring the underground space.
To his surprise, despite his intense battle with the fire dragon and even the activation of his ninth spirit skill, the underground chamber showed no sign of collapse. Though his and the dragon's attacks had left various pits and cracks in the walls, the structural integrity of the space remained intact, an extraordinary discovery.
Examining the walls and floors more closely, Yang Potian was stunned to find that they were constructed from black crystal stone. This material granted the space its exceptional durability, shielding it even from the searing magma.
At the center of this chamber was a simple yet elegant courtyard, with a plaque above the main entrance bearing four words in an ancient style: "Soul-Pacifying Courtyard." The words emanated an ageless aura, as though they had witnessed the passage of countless eras.
This subterranean sanctuary perplexed Yang Potian even more. How could such a chamber exist beneath layers of lava, undamaged by the intense heat, and guarded by a three-hundred-thousand-year-old beast?
He pushed open the door, discovering that it was unlocked but surprisingly thick, made of neither wood nor iron. As he continued into the courtyard, Yang Potian marveled at its simplicity. Though modest, the courtyard's surrounding walls, bricks, tiles, doors, and even the plaque were all made of soul-pacifying stone. Known for its extreme hardness and mental-stabilizing qualities, soul-pacifying stone was a rare and valuable treasure that could even restrain dark-element spirit masters.
Soul-pacifying stone was incredibly scarce and, due to its stability and spiritual properties, was as valuable as precious gems. Constructing an entire courtyard from this material would be an astronomical feat, likely costing as much as building a large city.
It was becoming clear that this place held secrets beyond his understanding. How could something like this exist so deep underground?
Upon entering the courtyard, Yang Potian was further astounded. The lighting in this underground world was limited, so he hadn't fully seen the enormous tree within the cavern. Now, it stood before him in all its majesty.
The tree was entirely golden, from its trunk to each individual leaf, exuding an overwhelming aura of life that surpassed even the core of the Star Dou Forest.
Swallowing in disbelief, Yang Potian whispered, "Could this be the legendary Golden Ancient Tree?"
But something felt off. The Golden Ancient Tree was supposed to reside deep within the Star Dou Forest and, centuries later, was even known as the foundational source for Shrek Academy. How could it be here, in this hidden underground cavern? Yang Potian had searched the Star Dou Forest's core region multiple times but never found any trace of this tree. He had assumed it was in the possession of the Star Dou beasts all along.
The courtyard and the Golden Ancient Tree seemed to have merged into a single entity, making it almost impossible even for Yang Potian to relocate it. Strangely, everything within the courtyard, including the floor, walls, pavilion, tables, and benches, was crafted entirely from Soul-Pacifying Stone.
Who could have undertaken such an extraordinary feat? And if they sought solitude, why use Soul-Pacifying Stone?
Yang Potian wandered through the small courtyard, astonished by what he saw. At the center of the courtyard was a small spring exuding a powerful life force—clearly, this was no ordinary water source.
Dipping a ladle into the spring, he observed the water closely. Its life force was even greater than that of the Lake of Life within the Star Dou Forest. Situated right beside the Golden Ancient Tree, this spring had to be the fabled Water of Life.
Yang Potian cautiously took a sip, feeling an instant surge of vitality that rejuvenated every inch of his body. This truly was Water of Life.
As he pondered this discovery, the mystery of this courtyard grew. It seemed unlikely that an ordinary spirit master could construct a place like this; only a god could have the power. But why would a god choose to build a sanctuary here, of all places? And why plant a Golden Ancient Tree so deep underground?
This courtyard was buried thousands of meters below the surface. If it hadn't been for the fire dragon's aura, he might never have found it. Even as a level 98 Titled Douluo, Yang Potian had only barely detected it. Moreover, it was clear that the fire dragon held this place in high regard.
What puzzled him even further was that this courtyard seemed to possess a unique effect: it masked the presence of the Golden Ancient Tree entirely.
Suddenly, a thought struck Yang Potian, and his expression darkened.
In the Douluo world, the Abyssal Plane was a terrifying entity. It didn't make an appearance in Douluo One, but in Douluo Two, the Abyssal Plane surfaced following a clash of continents. Given the circumstances here, it was possible that the Abyssal Plane lay beneath this Soul-Pacifying Courtyard. The Soul-Pacifying Stone and the Golden Ancient Tree might have been placed here to suppress it.
If that were true, the entire cave and rock chamber below likely contained a massive formation, with the Golden Ancient Tree as its core.
This might also explain why the Flowing Fire Mountain Range was prone to frequent volcanic eruptions—such a formidable presence lay buried beneath it.
Yang Potian stayed within the Soul-Pacifying Courtyard for half a month but found no other major discoveries, aside from taking all of the Water of Life. As for the Golden Ancient Tree and the Soul-Pacifying Stone courtyard, even with his power, he couldn't move them and dared not try.
Training beneath the Golden Ancient Tree was indeed extraordinary, increasing his cultivation speed by fifty percent compared to normal—a place of unmatched spiritual advantage. Unfortunately, the sole entrance was hidden beneath magma, making it inaccessible to most.
To reach this spot, one would either need to undergo an extreme heat and cold refinement in the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, attain mastery of ultimate fire or ice, or reach the level of an Ultimate Douluo. Any other approach seemed unlikely.
In the end, Yang Potian decided to leave the place. There were other tasks to address, and he could return here to cultivate later. After all, not even the Golden Ancient Tree could make him a god.
For now, he kept the existence of this sanctuary a secret, intending to use it as his private retreat. If he couldn't find his godly path, this hidden place might serve as his last resort.
Note: This background for the Golden Ancient Tree has been slightly adapted, as the original series didn't clearly explain its origin. Consider it a setup for future developments.
(Chapter End)
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