Yang Chan was well aware that the Profound Yin Hanging Bead had an extraordinary origin, as it was connected to an existence beyond the realm of Divine Acupoints.
Both the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch and the Black Dragon were beings with exceptionally high Martial Arts Cultivation. The fact that such powerful entities had created a mere Treasure Weapon was, in itself, something that baffled Yang Chan.
Furthermore, this Treasure Weapon was incredibly peculiar. It contained an immense internal space capable of holding many items. Yang Chan had stored all of his various belongings inside the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, yet he hadn’t even come close to filling it.
Even the towering pagoda he had acquired was now stored within the Profound Yin Hanging Bead, and the space within still seemed endless.
But now, hearing the Black Dragon’s words, he suddenly understood.
The Profound Yin Hanging Bead had originally been of a very high grade, but an accident had occurred. It was likely that an existence like the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch had left the Taiyu Divine Continent after its Divine Veins were destroyed, which in turn led to a mishap involving the Black Dragon.
Over the course of tens of thousands of years, this, combined with the Black Dragon’s own choices, caused the Profound Yin Hanging Bead to degrade, ultimately leaving it as a mere Treasure Weapon.
However, according to the Black Dragon, the root of the problem was itself, the Artifact Spirit. If the Black Dragon’s Soul Body Cultivation were to increase, the Profound Yin Hanging Bead could once again become a Divine Weapon—an artifact of a class Yang Chan had never even heard of before, making it all the more extraordinary.
"Did the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch never return to Taiyin Heaven after that?"
Yang Chan naturally thought of the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch, that unknown master.
The Black Dragon had previously suffered a great defeat at the hands of the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch, which was what had reduced it to its current state.
It was once an existence that had broken through the boundaries of godhood, but now it was forced to be an Artifact Spirit. The difference between its past and present self was like that of heaven and earth.
"I never saw the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch inside the pagoda. As for other places, I do not know. I was previously confined to the pagoda and could not sense the situation outside."
"Therefore, I do not know if the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch ever returned to Taiyin Heaven."
The Black Dragon only stated what it knew, making no guarantees beyond that.
Yang Chan had seen the Black Dragon’s previous predicament, so he had some understanding of its limitations.
Back when he was inside the pagoda, he had discovered it was located in a sealed-off area, enveloped by the power of an unknown Array. He couldn’t have left even if he had wanted to.
He later learned from others that to enter the other pagodas, one had to pass through numerous trials.
He, however, had skipped all those steps, using the Taiyin Order to enter directly. While this saved him time, his only method of departure was also the Taiyin Order; he could not simply retrace his steps like the others.
It was as if others had picked a lock to push open a door from the outside and could naturally leave the same way. He, on the other hand, had descended from the sky. When he tried to leave by pushing the door open, he found it locked from the outside. He couldn’t exit through the door and could only leave the same way he had arrived.
There was a significant difference between the two methods.
"Speaking of Secret Realms, Taiyin Heaven isn’t a Little World; it’s much more stable than a standard Secret Realm. Are there no Cross-Realm Teleportation Arrays or Great Shift Orders inside?"
As the conversation turned to Taiyin Heaven, Yang Chan voiced the question that was on his mind.
In his view, Taiyin Heaven should be far more extraordinary than it seemed. After all, it contained so many pagodas, each holding a remarkable legacy.
The pagoda he had visited, for instance, housed an entity like the Black Dragon, not to mention various powerful Exotic Beasts and countless Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Materials—all of them exceedingly rare and valuable.
"There might be. After all, so many factions enter Taiyin Heaven; perhaps they are hoping to find those very things!"
"However, I have never left the pagoda, so I am not sure if such Treasures exist in other regions."
The Black Dragon sighed. It naturally wanted to know these things as well, but given its state at the time, it couldn’t possibly have known what was happening in the outside world.
It had been locked within the pagoda, its Soul Body barely able to leave its confines. Only after seeing the Taiyin Order in Yang Chan’s hand did it try to escape, but that triggered a mechanism left by the Profound Celestial Divine Monarch, instantly turning it into the Artifact Spirit it was today.
One could say its future path had been completely severed.
Although it had heard of an Artifact Spirit breaking its bonds to ascend to True God, such occurrences were exceedingly rare and undoubtedly fraught with restrictions. For now, it was merely a hope—and perhaps a faint one at that.
"So it seems there really are quite a few good things in Taiyin Heaven. But it only opens once every thousand years. That’s a bit of a long wait!"
A glint flashed in Yang Chan’s eyes. The interval between Taiyin Heaven’s openings was very long. For an ordinary Martial Arts Cultivator, it would be impossible to wait for a second opening; after all, even a Blood Exchange Martial Saint’s Lifespan was finite.
But he was different. At the rate his Lifespan was currently increasing, a thousand years was nothing to him. By then, his Lifespan would be even more immense. If he weren’t affected by the Longevity Lock, it could become even longer, perhaps even making him an immortal being in a certain sense.
Therefore, for Yang Chan, Taiyin Heaven represented another possible path. If he couldn’t find a way to leave the Taiyu Divine Continent elsewhere, he could turn his attention to Taiyin Heaven. It was a solid backup plan.
There were many Secret Realms in the Taiyu Divine Continent. Every so often, a new one would appear. Some of these realms formed naturally between heaven and earth, while others were created by ancient Great Divine Power Users. The powers involved were never simple, which naturally meant they held greater opportunities.
Perhaps the Cross-Realm Teleportation Arrays and Great Shift Orders he sought could be found within one of these Secret Realms.
"Master, rather than thinking about Taiyin Heaven, you would be better off entering this large Secret Realm. Because it is related to the Purple Void Imperial Dynasty, the probability of finding a Cross-Realm Teleportation Array or a Great Shift Order is much higher!"
"Of course, Master could also wait a little longer and see what other news comes out of the Secret Realm!"
The Black Dragon seemed to have a moment of realization. It could read Yang Chan’s attitude and stopped acting so eagerly.
The more desperate it appeared, the more suspicious Yang Chan would become. Therefore, it couldn’t afford to be hasty now.
Besides, if Yang Chan truly had no intention of going, he wouldn’t be asking so many questions. Rather than trying to persuade him, it was better to wait for him to make his own decision.
It could also tell from Yang Chan’s expression that he would likely wait for more news to emerge from the Secret Realm before deciding whether to enter. There was nothing it could do about that.
After all, Yang Chan was the one in control of their relationship. It had no other choice.
This was what it meant to be under someone else’s control: to have no freedom, to be unable to act on one’s own desires, and to be forced to act according to another’s whims.
"Yes, that’s what I was thinking as well."
"Sect Leader Gu should have reached the vicinity of the Secret Realm by now. Within the next few days, news should arrive, and then we will have a clear picture of the situation inside!"
Yang Chan was skeptical of news obtained through other channels, as its reliability was unconfirmed. Only information coming through the Cyan Yuan Sect’s official channels could be trusted, or at least its credibility would be much higher. For Yang Chan, this was the best option.
Therefore, Yang Chan decided to wait for intelligence from the Cyan Yuan Sect.