"He went inside the temple!" some of the youths exclaimed as they watched from a distance as John climbed the steps and entered the temple. They couldn't tell what exactly the steps and temples were for, but realized that it was most likely a place of great rewards.
"I wonder if we can enter it as well?" some other youths asked, eager to follow in John's footsteps.
"Who knows, the only way we can find out is by trying ourselves!"
With the war finally over and the danger settled, the youths once again regained their explorative enthusiasm they had when they first entered the realm. On top of that, Johns displays and words had raised their fighting spirits even further, and many of the youths couldn't help it as they sped forward towards the massive steps, hoping to follow in John's path.
Hundreds of them arrived before the steps, and gazed up with wondrous awe at the ancient dragon corpse ahead. After a short pause, they hopped onto the first step.
"Ahh!"
"What the hell?"
Several cries of surprise boomed out as the youths felt themselves nearly knocked off the steps. John had surmounted the steps so easily and swiftly that many didn't think there would be a restrictive energy, but were quickly shocked as they found out there was.
After recovering from their surprise, the youths began to press forward with their full strength as they climbed the steps, but became shocked to discover that they were not even able to get close to the halfway point where John was.
The difference between John and them became apparent once more, but instead of despair, the youths pushed themselves to their limits as they climbed as high as possible, and then sat down on the stairs to cultivate, as they could tell cultivating under the strange yet powerful energy would be greatly beneficial to them.
Miko watched the youths climb the steps futilely, and eventually glanced towards the three motionless Bobs nearby. He could tell the steps would be a boon for them as well, and would not stop them from attempting them as well. His eyes flashed, and the Bobs sprung to life once more.
"Ruahhhhh! Fight me! Wait, where did he go?" the one Bob roared as they realized John was no longer around.
"He's at that leftmost temple," Miko replied as he pointed towards the temple John had entered.
"Raaaah! Finally I can fight him!" one of the Bob's roared, while the others roared with battle lust as well.
The Bobs instantly sped towards the steps without hesitation and started to climb them, but much to Miko's expectation, their progress was much slower than John's, and none of them made it to the step where John was at. Like the others, they eventually sat down to cultivate, hoping to push past their limits and ascend further along the cultivation pathway.
…
Boom!
Boom!
Boom!
Apocalyptic explosions blasted over a barren wasteland, destroying each and every inch of the land hundreds of miles in each direction. The explosions were not caused by any battle art, but the physical power of the collisions between battle axe and sabers as the Jade Dragon Emperor battled against the Asuraic creature.
Their battle had raged on for weeks already, destroying land, ocean, and everything in between. They had quickly left the confines of the Divine Martial Continent as their battle raged on, battling over the oceans, deep within them, and atop barren continents long abandoned and forgotten.
Their battles had long ago attracted the eyes of the other powerful cultivators of the world, but those cultivators could only watch from afar, too afraid to get caught up in the apocalyptic might they were witnessing. Their speeds were too slow to keep up with the moving battle, and only the destroyed remnants of the battle remained behind as proof of the apocalyptic battle that was taking place.
Boom!
Saber and battle axe collided once more, destroying everything while the Jade Dragon Emperor and Asuraic creature shot backwards from each other, both of them slamming into the ocean beneath them and causing tidal waves of horrifying power to blast out in all directions.
The Asuraic creature shot out from the depth of the ocean, followed by the Jade Dragon Emperor soon after. Both fighters were ruined beyond recognition, as flesh was torn, bones were broken, and blood coated both their bodies. It was a miracle that either of them was alive, although the Asura seemed to be faring a bit better off than the Jade Dragon Emperor, who looked as if he would perish from wounds and exhaustion at any moment.
"This has gone on long enough!" the Jade Dragon Emperor managed to growl out through ragged breaths, each word causing him immense pain as his body was truly on the edge of collapse.
The Asuraic creature stared at the Jade Dragon Emperor, his eyes narrowing slightly as he felt his most fearsome opponent begin to rise with a surprising amount of power once more.
"Burning your blood essence to ensure both of our deaths?" the Asura replied, realizing what the Jade Dragon Emperor was doing. The Asura had the advantage in their battle since it started, but the Jade Dragon Emperors might was not something that could be looked down on, and he had managed to keep himself alive despite their prolonged and harrowing battle.
However, due to his previous injuries from the ancient war that had yet to be fully healed, he was still not able to finish off the Jade Dragon Emperor once and for all, not without paying too great a cost. That cost was something the Jade Dragon Emperor was apparently willing to pay; the destruction of his enemy at the cost of his own life as well.
Roar!
The Jade Dragon Emperor roared with fiery passion as he prepared to unleash the final attack of his life, while the Asura's face trembled for a moment at that exact time as if he had felt something, and he watched the Jade Dragon Emperor approach one last time.
Boom!
…
John stepped into the dark temple before him and felt an incredibly ancient yet profound aura wash over him. His presence activated formations on the walls and ceiling high above as torches lit by the Dao of Fire lit up, illuminating the dark temple within.
A warm glow filled the massive temple, illuminating the interior of the temple which was completely hollow. The temple was completely empty except for two things, which immediately caught John's attention.
At the very center of the massive, hollow temple was a dragon statue, nearly thirty yards tall and so intricately carved that it appeared completely real. The dragon statue stood with a regal posture, while its head gazed down at the ground before it.
John's gaze followed the dragon statues gaze, and his eyes widened slightly as a massive pool of blood came into view. The blood was bright red, and despite the passage of eons, had yet to congeal at all, while a profound and powerful aura emulated from the pool of blood.
"Ancient Dragons Blood!"
