Lord Black Tiger was indeed dead.
Luo Yu inclined to think that someone had foreseen the events of the future and made preparations in advance.
Although this ability seemed far-fetched, Luo Yu felt it wasn't entirely impossible.
After all, the Bagua Bronze Mirror possessed the ability to foresee; thus, its creator must have an even more abnormal predictive ability.
As Luo Yu pondered in his heart, he felt he was getting closer and closer to the truth.
No matter who this foreseer was, he was surely one of Our Great Xia's Divine Spirits; otherwise, they definitely wouldn't give me such a fortuitous opportunity on a silver platter.
And this foreseer must be acquainted with gods like the Three Purities; otherwise, The Venerable Sovereign wouldn't have appeared to teach me.
Realizing that it was the arrangement of the Da Xia Guardian God, Luo Yu felt somewhat relieved and not so nervous anymore.
After all, if it were gods from outside our lands, he would have to consider whether they had ulterior motives.
But he trusted the gods of Da Xia, especially personages of unyielding righteousness like Emperor Qin Shi Huang and the Great Saint, who would absolutely not harm him.
Then what was their purpose in doing this?
Luo Yu looked at the space where the Black Python had disappeared, and his eyes flashed.
If the divine powers I used were helpless against that ink-like force, then it's likely the powers of the gods would be restrained as well.
My Secret Technique of Myriad Transformations, however, is not on that list.
The Venerable Sovereign and the others want to cultivate a successor who can truly fight against this ink-like force.
This "Holy God," as mentioned by this horde, might also be a major trouble for the gods.
And this polluting power is too terrifying.
Luo Yu felt that the disappearance of the Da Xia Divine Spirits and the latent presence of foreign gods only now resurging were absolutely related to this ink-like force.
He began to vaguely understand his mission.
Today in Da Xia, and indeed the entire world, no one can handle this peculiar ink-like force; if it were to erupt in the world, it would be an extinction-level catastrophe, and no matter what, I would have no choice but to step forward.
Merely scraping by is not an option because if I let this ink-like force be, more living beings it corrupts, the more disadvantaged my position becomes.
"I understand!"
Luo Yu felt he had worked out many things and now could logically piece together the many clues.
The only thing that puzzled him was what exactly was sealed behind this gateway or where it led to.
And as for the owners of the other four handprints, where were they? Were they dead or alive in the present?
And what level of power did they possess.
Luo Yu, feeling irritated, ruffled his hair. The issue of Da Xia facing annihilation in just over sixty days hadn't been resolved yet.
And here was a new enemy to deal with.
"Hum!"
Just then, the throne vibrated, and a series of golden characters suddenly appeared.
"What's this?"
Luo Yu instantly became focused and looked over attentively.
"Yu, you must have encountered the power of 'Ink.' It is our enemy, the enemy of this world."
"You've encountered those four who have been corrupted by the most inferior 'Ink.'
Luo Yu's body shook—the most inferior 'Ink'-corrupted beings?
What kind of strength would the other side have?
And the more superior 'Ink'—what kind of power would that be?
The news was shockingly sudden, but on second thought, if this was the power that forced the disappearance of the gods, it made sense for it to be so potent.
He continued reading the resplendent golden characters.
"No one will command you to do anything, just follow your heart, you are free, and all of Our Great Xia are free."
"But if you truly intend to take on some responsibility, we must warn you."
"Be careful of the people around you, be careful of the ancient gods resuscitating in the world, some have 'Ink.'
"Swish, swish!"
All the golden characters vanished in an instant, dissipating into countless specks of light that disappeared in the Underground Space.
"???"
Luo Yu stared, unable to recover for a long time.
"Be careful... of the people close to me?"
"Damn it!"
"I don't have that many people around me."
He was completely dumbfounded, wishing they would give more hints since they're already giving them.
Free?
Luo Yu shook his head and bitterly smiled, wondering if anyone could truly be free when disaster strikes all.
Furthermore, he is Da Xia Godson, the grandson of Da Xia Guardian God Luo Tiance. If he were to abandon Da Xia and flee alone, not to mention his own discomfort, his grandfather would be the first to cut him down.
"Among the ancient gods that have revived, are there any corrupted by 'Ink'?"
"Could the crisis faced by Da Xia this time be related to such gods?"
Luo Yu felt he could no longer dally here. What followed was an accelerated cultivation of the Secret Technique of Myriad Transformations, seizing the essence of "Dao" from the techniques of myriad families through battle while striving to find the owners of the other four handprints.
He memorized every pattern of the four handprints in his heart.
Wait a minute!
Luo Yu suddenly thought of something.
In that Han Dynasty's great tomb, there seemed to be four coffins lying there. Plus him, wouldn't that make exactly five?
Impossible!
He had to go and verify Zhen Fu'er's palm print. If it matched, then the owners of the four handprints would be clear.
However, before leaving, Luo Yu planned to take all these terracotta soldiers with him. These were all treasures indeed.
Equivalent to countless avatars of his own.
"Eh?"
Luo Yu flew out of the deep pit and tried to collect the terracotta soldiers, but they would not budge, utterly impossible to remove.
Firmly nailed around the deep pit, they maintained their formation and refused to move.
Even Luo Yu's use of the Tiger Talisman was useless.
Luo Yu also attempted to collect the throne but to no avail. The throne too was immovable.
He held the Tiger Talisman and sat on the throne.
"Boom!"
Golden light burst forth, the throne revived, and the terracotta soldiers showed signs of coming back to life.
Once more, Luo Yu tried to collect the throne and found it was still impossible.
Only when he sat on the throne could he activate the terracotta soldiers. Merely taking the soldiers away would be of no use.
Luo Yu was speechless.
It seemed these terracotta soldiers were fated not to become his personal army. Could their purpose be to guard this bronze gate?
"Swoosh!"
He utilized "Earth Travel Immortal" to glide through the soil unseen, leaving Mount Li.
"It seems that the people above have not noticed the changes in the underground space."
"Otherwise, they wouldn't be calmly sitting around here."
On his way back to Da Chuan Province, Luo Yu intended to confirm if Zhen Fu'er's palm print matched the one on the door.
If there was a match, it would be rather thought-provoking.
He pondered for a moment, then dialed Luo Tiance's phone: "Hello, what's up, Xiao Yu? Grandpa is about to enter a meeting."
"A meeting?"
Luo Yu's mind raced, "Is it regarding the World Youth Martial Artist Competition being held in Da Jing?"
"Yes."
Luo Tiance, knowing that Luo Yu would not call him without good reason, displayed great patience.
"I've finished investigating the Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor."
"How did it go?" Even with Luo Tiance's composure, curiosity was stirred in his heart.
"Don't ask now, Grandpa, I have a suggestion for you. If it's possible to avoid holding the world competition in Da Xia, that would be best. If not, then arrange for it to be held at Da'an Base City, at the foot of Mount Li."
"You sneaky brat, keeping things from Grandpa," Luo Tiance chuckled and scolded, yet he didn't press further, a glint of sharpness flashing in his eyes.
He understood his grandson's character. If something could be shared without concern, he would have told him.
This meant his grandson was in trouble, facing a problem that even telling him, the grandfather, wouldn't help to solve effectively.
Was this to prevent him from worrying as well?
Luo Tiance said, "You rascal, go about your business, don't carry everything on your own shoulders. Grandpa is also very capable."
"Hang up."
Luo Yu ended the call, stepped on a white cloud, and in a somersault, he couldn't travel ten thousand eight thousand miles, but dozens of miles were still a breeze. In a quarter of an hour, he flew back to Sichuan Province Martial University and quickly found Bai Xiao'e's residence.
He knew that Zhen Fu'er always lived with her.
Anxious at heart, he didn't knock on the door but directly used Earth Travel Immortal to burrow into the villa.
Emerging from the marble floor of the living room, he saw a classical beauty reading ancient texts on the couch, an ethereal figure with jade-like bones, possessing beauty to the extreme, a goddess with unparalleled elegance.
Upon seeing Luo Yu suddenly appear, a hint of shock flickered in the beauty's eyes, which quickly dissipated.
"Luo Gongzi, I'm not sure why you've suddenly come…"
Just as Luo Yu was about to speak, the bathroom door suddenly opened, and a figure with a strikingly beautiful silhouette ran out, wailing.
"Sister Zhen, look how fat I've gotten!!!"