Chapter 7

As the sun rose, the warm morning light shone upon the city of Dazhou, casting a brilliant glow.

The Dazhou Imperial Palace.

After a sleepless night, Zhou Yuan arrived at the palace gate, where the area was already filled with solemnly standing soldiers. Thousands of heavily armored guards, holding spears that gleamed with a cold light, exuded a formidable military presence.

Zhou Qing sat atop a fiery red steed, smiling as he watched Zhou Yuan rush over. "Are you ready?" he asked.

Today was the day of the Dazhou Ancestral Sacrifice.

Zhou Yuan nodded vigorously, his eyes brimming with intense hope. He knew that whether the eight meridians in his body could reappear and whether he could begin to cultivate them would all depend on today.

A guard led over a fiery red steed, its tail tip burning with flames, and its head, a slightly fierce lion's head.

This was a Fire Lion Horse, a first-grade Origin Beast, known for its endurance, capable of galloping a thousand miles without rest.

The originally temperamental Fire Lion Horse had long been tamed, so when Zhou Yuan mounted it, the horse merely flicked its fiery tail and then calmed down.

"Father, let's go," Zhou Yuan said, pulling the reins, his dark eyes burning with determination.

Zhou Qing smiled and nodded, then waved his hand.

A horn sounded, and immediately, over a thousand heavily armored warriors formed a torrent, surrounding Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan. With a rumbling sound, they poured out of the palace, heading along the city streets toward the outskirts.

...

The Dazhou Imperial Ancestral Sacrifice site was located at the Dazhou Imperial Mausoleum, which was several hundred miles from the city. However, with their pace, they arrived after two hours.

At the foot of a towering green mountain, Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan dismounted. The guards spread out, securing all the passages, ready to shoot down any birds that approached.

"This is the location of the Dazhou Imperial Mausoleum," Zhou Qing said, pointing to the towering green mountain. After a moment of silence, he continued, "Our Zhou family started from here and eventually established the Dazhou Dynasty. However, I never expected that the efforts of our ancestors would be undone in my hands."

Seeing the somewhat dim expression on Zhou Qing's face, Zhou Yuan said softly, "Father, there's no need to blame yourself. The Wu family planned for centuries, and no one could have predicted it. It's not your fault."

Zhou Qing smiled bitterly and said no more, only stepping onto the stone steps paved with green stones. "Follow me."

Zhou Yuan nodded and followed closely.

The stone steps led to the summit of the green mountain, with 9,999 steps reaching up to the clouds.

The two walked slowly, their expressions solemn. After about an incense stick's time, they reached the summit, where a black ancestral hall stood, ancient and weathered, as if it had endured the passage of time.

Standing before the ancestral hall, Zhou Yuan turned his head and, from this height, the view before him brightened. He saw three mountain ranges standing longitudinally, forming a natural '川' (river) character. The three mountain ranges, like coiled dragons, encircled the green mountain at their feet, resembling three dragons supporting a pearl, exuding a majestic aura.

"Such a powerful aura," Zhou Yuan marveled. The feng shui of their Zhou family's ancestral land was indeed excellent, no wonder they could establish a dynasty.

"The world has its own destiny, and the feng shui of the land is part of it. Our Zhou family's rise is also thanks to the feng shui of this ancestral land," Zhou Qing said with a smile.

Zhou Yuan pursed his lips and said, "Feng shui is one part, but more importantly, it's the efforts of our ancestors. Heaven moves, and the noble person strives for self-improvement. As long as one works hard and strives, even the worst hand can be turned around."

"However, if one relies on past achievements, even the best hand can be lost."

Although the young voice sounded somewhat immature, the underlying resilience made Zhou Qing look at him with renewed respect, his smile more comforting.

"It seems that the experiences of these years haven't been entirely bad."

Zhou Qing patted Zhou Yuan's head and then entered the ancestral hall. Zhou Yuan followed, seeing the spirit tablets of the Dazhou Imperial ancestors enshrined in the main hall, with incense smoke swirling around them. Under Zhou Qing's lead, Zhou Yuan paid respects to each spirit tablet.

Finally, Zhou Qing stopped before the deepest spirit tablet, which belonged to the first emperor of the Dazhou Dynasty. After a respectful bow, he reached out and gently turned the spirit tablet.

A low rumble echoed as the spirit tablet turned, and Zhou Yuan was surprised to see a heavy and secret stone door slowly open in the stone wall behind the spirit tablet.

The interior of the stone door was dark and deep, mysterious.

Zhou Qing looked at the stone door with a complex expression and said, "Whether you can open your meridians and cultivate depends on this place."

Hearing this, Zhou Yuan's expression became tense, his hands clenched, and his eyes filled with anxiety. Despite his maturity, he was still a young boy, and in the face of such a significant matter, he could not remain completely calm.

Zhou Qing glanced at Zhou Yuan and then walked into the stone door. Behind the stone door was a long stone corridor, dimly lit by long-burning lamps.

Neither of them spoke, and the only sound in the corridor was the faint sound of their footsteps.

After about ten minutes, Zhou Qing and Zhou Yuan stopped, as the corridor had reached its end, revealing a spacious ancient cave.

At the end of the cave stood a stone platform.

Zhou Qing walked directly to the stone platform, and only then did Zhou Yuan notice that the ground on the platform was inscribed with many ancient origin patterns, forming an unfathomable design.

With Zhou Yuan's current understanding of origin patterns, he could not discern their grade. Just a vague mental image caused a significant drain on his soul, making him slightly dizzy. He quickly withdrew his gaze.

"Father..." Zhou Yuan looked at Zhou Qing, wondering if this place could solve his problem of the eight meridians not manifesting.

Zhou Qing, looking at the ancient origin patterns on the stone platform, said with a serious expression, "In our Zhou family, there has always been a secret saying passed down. This secret says that in this chamber, there is a great opportunity that can help our Zhou family truly flourish for generations."

"However, the key to unlocking this great opportunity is the bloodline of our Zhou family's successors. Although every emperor of our Zhou family has come here to try to unlock it with their bloodline, they have all failed."

At this point, he looked at Zhou Yuan and said, "So I brought you here to see if you can unlock this great opportunity. If you succeed, I believe solving the problem of your eight meridians not manifesting should not be difficult."

"Really?"

Zhou Yuan looked at the ancient stone platform, amazed. He had not expected that such a secret saying existed in their Zhou family.

"Go ahead," Zhou Qing patted Zhou Yuan's shoulder and said.

Zhou Yuan took a deep breath, his heart pounding, but he mustered his courage and walked onto the stone platform, sitting cross-legged amidst the ancient and mysterious origin patterns.

He took out a sharp knife, gritted his teeth, and cut his wrist, causing blood to flow profusely. The blood then spread along the grooves of the origin patterns.

In just a few moments, the origin patterns on the stone platform turned a vivid red.

Outside the stone platform, Zhou Qing watched, his hands clenched tightly, his eyes filled with tension.

Feeling the blood flow, Zhou Yuan's already pale face became even paler. He stared intently at the complex origin patterns, his heart pounding like thunder.

"Is this my last chance..."

Zhou Yuan clenched his teeth, enduring the dizziness in his mind. At this moment, the image of his mother, Qin Yu, spitting blood reappeared before his eyes, causing him great pain.

"Mother has been gravely injured and her lifespan greatly reduced!"

"Father lost an arm to the Wu Emperor for me!"

"My own destiny has been stolen, my Sacred Dragon Root broken, and my life threatened by poison!"

"Our Dazhou faces internal and external threats, always on the brink of collapse!"

"So, I must change all this. I must restore my mother's lifespan, my father's ambition, and ensure that the people of Dazhou no longer live in fear. I must reclaim everything I have lost!"

"I, Zhou Yuan, will seize this great opportunity!"

A roar echoed in his mind, and at that moment, Zhou Yuan's body seemed to tremble violently. A faint, angry, and indignant dragon's cry seemed to rise from the depths of his body.

Buzz!

At that moment, the ancient origin patterns on the stone platform, covered in blood, burst into a brilliant light. The light converged, like mercury, quickly enveloping Zhou Yuan.

The sudden change startled Zhou Qing, who hurriedly looked at Zhou Yuan. Then, he was shocked to see that as the light converged, Zhou Yuan, who was sitting in the middle, suddenly disappeared...

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