Chapter 994 994 - Anchors



Aiden's sight gradually turned blurry.

However, all those scenes flashed through his mind clear as day.

"Haih."

A tragic sigh sounded from above the Dragon Burial Valley.

"20 years ago, Those bastards massacred countless cities of the north just to vent their frustrations. The blow of that was way too great for the mortal world."

"For the past 20 years, although he has been in the capital, His mind has always been worrying about the citizens of northern countries. That man… he's truly a great ruler."

His worries had turned into illness.

Even martial artists would suffer a reduced lifespan and enter energy deviation if they spent dozens of years worrying, let alone ordinary mortals.

"Great monk, I don't know if you're listening."

Sylvie Deva's voice sounded once more.

"For the past few years, my sister and I have searched for many spirit herbs in the martial art world but none of them worked. Your captain's… your friend's health continued declining."

"For the past few months, He would always talk in his sleep and call out for you and the other captains. When I hear them, I truly, truly feel…"

Sylvie Deva choked and could not continue.

Aiden covered his head with his arms and curled up. He could no longer control himself and broke out into a miserable cry.

Unknowingly, Morwyn Blackstone and the little fox had arrived by his side.

The little fox felt her heart wrench at the sight of Aiden and closed in, rubbing her head gently against his ankle and whimpering to console him.

Morwyn Blackstone lowered his head in silence as well, reciting Buddhist proclamations in his heart.

Backyard of the old temple.

The old monk and red-headed ghost gazed into the distance, as though their gazes could pass through the voids and look at the young monk who was bawling his heart out.

The both of them exchanged glances.

"Hais."

The old monk sighed.

The red-headed ghost remarked sorrowfully, "This was a day that he was going to have to face sooner or later. It's for the best."

"Who is the judge as to whether or not it's for the best," The old monk shook his head.

"Old monk, what do you mean?" The red-headed ghost could tell that the old monk was implying something.

The old monk replied, "This lad is sentimental and for him, those past memories were an anchor. This was the anchor that caused him to shave to become a monk, to clear his mind, and to stay here quietly at the bottom of the Dragon Burial Valley for so many years."

The red-headed ghost nodded.

The old monk was not wrong. Given Aiden's character, there was no way he was going to endure things even if he had offended Crystal Palace Sect and the factions of the entire North Region.

Did he really not have any other method of leaving the North Region?

If Aiden wasn't waiting for an opportunity to leave the North Region with his family, his captains, given his character, he would have killed his way out more than 10 years ago the moment his Inner Core had recovered!

The old monk sighed. "Now that the anchor is gone, there's a chance that the nightmare of the paragons of the immortal, Buddhist and fiend sects, that strongest monster incarnate of history that struck endless fear in the hearts of countless martial artists is about to return!"

The red-headed ghost squinted and asked, "Have you noticed something?"

"I don't know."

The old monk shook his head.

The red-headed ghost asked again, "So many years have passed and there's still no feedback from his Martial Master core. Is there any chance of recovery at all?"

"I don't know."

The old monk shook his head still.

After pausing briefly, he said slowly, "Perhaps he's already found a method of recovering his Martial Master, perhaps not. I don't know. I can no longer read him."

The red-headed ghost's expression changed.

Even the old monk could not read Aiden any longer!

After so many years of studying Buddhism and Zen, Aiden had indeed gained an additional unique aura.

He was almost like a divine entity!

The red-headed ghost's expression changed as he suddenly said, "He's back. I guess he's here to bid you farewell."

"Also, you're his master at the end of the day. Give him a few items that can help him protect himself. Don't keep everything to yourself! Do you want to take them with you into the grave?!"

The red-headed ghost mumbled but the old monk had already turned to leave.

He disappeared from the cemetery in the blink of an eye and had already returned to the grand hall.

Not long after.

Aiden pushed the doors open and walked in.

He seemed composed on the surface but he could not conceal the sorrow deep in his eyes.

Aiden walked straight into the grand hall and knelt down in the direction of the old monk. He kowtowed three times before saying softly, "Master, I'm going to leave."

"Go on,"

The old monk did not ask him to stay.

He knew that it would be a futile attempt.

Reaching out, the old monk handed over two battered talismans in his palms. "These are two Transference Talismans. One of them is the Minor Transference Talisman and the other, the Major Transference Talisman."

"I won't elaborate more on the Minor Transference Talisman, it's a random teleportation."

"As for the Major Transference Talisman, it was a treasure that was crafted on the behest of the Emperor of the Great Forbidden Empire in the past! It can even cross a major region at its furthest and the teleportation can be targeted!"

Targeted teleportation!

Those words carried way too much weight.

The Minor Transference Talisman was already precious enough.

And yet, the Major Transference Talisman even had targeted teleportation?!

It was equivalent to an additional life for Aiden!

Aiden received it with both hands and placed it into his storage bag. Right as he was about to turn and leave, the old monk called him back.

The old monk gazed at Aiden's empty core and his eyes flashed with worry and curiosity. After a moment of hesitation, he still decided on asking, "Your Martial Master realm…"

Aiden remained silent.

A moment later, he said softly, "Actually, the secret to recovering the Martial Master realm lies in the Saraca Flower."

"Saraca Flower?"

The old monk was briefly stunned.

Although the Saraca Flower was an item of the old temple, it was snatched over by the red-robed woman many years ago and was now in Aiden's core.

Aiden said, "In an ancient prayer in the Prayer Hall, there's a legend saying that the Ashoka tree is one of the three sacred trees of the gods. The Gods that are the basis of our belief were also born right under the Ashoka tree according to legends!"

"I've heard of that legend before…"

Suddenly, the old monk's voice paused…

A thought flashed through his mind.

He finally understood the correlation between the Saraca Flower and the recovery of Aiden's Martial Master.

According to the legend, the Saraca Flower possessed another sort of energy apart from fire.

The energy of life!

It was the birth of life!

The creation of something from emptiness.

The Saraca Flower had witnessed the scene of the Gods' birth.

Aiden's core was shattered and his Martial Master was destroyed.

However, the power of his Martial Master realm power did not vanish – it was merely absorbed by the Saraca Flower in the depths of his core.

For the past 20 years…

Aiden spent his days studying the religion and comprehending the teachings so that he could accumulate and consolidate the power to trigger that 'life' within the Saraca Flower consistently!

Aiden was already walking out of the old temple.

In a flash…

Black hair grew from Aiden's bald head, turning longer by the moment.

Within his body, in that originally dark and hollow core, a flower bloomed.

On the flower…

There was a fruit that grew at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It was golden, round and shone with a bedazzling aura!

That fruit was Aiden's brand new Martial Master!

Spirit energy reverberated through his core, turning richer and fiercer by the moment.

It was as though a cyclone was forming in his body!

Aiden's aura was turning stronger by the moment!

With every step he took, the spirit energy in his core would increase by a fraction.

It was turning increasingly stronger!

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, the spirit energy in his core had already broken through the limits of early-stage Martial Master realm power and arrived at mid-stage Martial Master realm power.

Not long after.

Boom!

There was another bang.

Late-stage Martial Master realm power!

The energy that Aiden once gained from consuming the 10,000 Year Vermilion Fruit had not gone to waste – everything was absorbed by the Saraca Flower and was being produced right now!

With every step that he took, Aiden's aura would change by a fraction!

The only things that did not change were his eyes.