Inside the city, it seemed to be a military camp full of assembled troops.


    Chu Yuan surprisingly saw more than a million stone statues.


    These statues, all donned in ancient armor, seemed to be carved out of stones with a design so ancient that it was hard to recognize the style.


    Although completely silent, Chu Yuan still sensed a trying and killing aura from them, a dignity originating from an ancient imperial dynasty.


    He also noticed that these statues, though appearing to be just stones, actually contained various metals and were crafted with an extremely sophisticated technique.


    "So many statues!"


    Dawu had thought that the ancient city must be hiding some fabulous treasures and therefore had offered it to Chu Yuan. But as they proceeded, they found no treasures, only many stone statues which left them somewhat disappointed.


    Nevertheless, looking at these millions of statues, he still felt a deep astonishment originating from his soul.


    Staring at these statues, he even had an impression that they could come to life any moment and tear him to shreds.


    "Kill! Kill! Kill!"


    In the invisible realm, it seemed as if a memory from ancient times filled with shouts of killing echoed in the ears of Chu Yuan and others.


    That''s what the others witnessed too.


    In a place resembling the twilight of the apocalypse, a blood-red sun hung halfway in the sky.


    The sound of a large army slaughtering.


    Countless soldiers, wearing the same armor as these statues, pulverizing everything on a battlefield into ashes. Even Celestial Gods were torn apart by them.


    This was a memory from ancient times, a scene from the ancient battlefield.


    That ancient power left their traces by creating these stone statues.


    In the ancient era, the five emperors were supreme.


    Who was held in high esteem in an era even more distant?


    At the genesis of the universe, which powerful beings were active in the eternal world?


    Everybody desired immortality, but the ancient imperial dynasty established by the five emperors in the nearest times had already disappeared into the river of history. Who then could have immortal eternity?


    Ancient powers like this ancient city finally ended up buried at the bottom of the sea.


    "These stone statues can only be brought back as ornaments," Dawu said disappointedly.


    "Can you figure it out?" Chu Yuan said.


    "These statues are dormant. Originally, if anyone dared to set foot in this ancient city, they would be attacked by them. However, due to the long passage of time, it''s now difficult for them to operate autonomously. Allow me to see if I can trigger the formation within these statues," Ouyang Ming hurriedly went over for inspection.


    "Good. I''ll give you this time."


    He wasn''t in a hurry at the moment and secretly mobilized his power, prepared for sudden moves from these statues.


    Ouyang Ming examined with gravity. He first fixed his gaze on a True God''s statue for a moment, shook his head, and then went over to the relatively ordinary containing God statues. He researched intensively, casting mysterious Formation lights from his hands.


    To become a good Refining Master, one must master various Formations.


    Ouyang Ming, formerly the young master of Artifact Refining, had seen many ancient refining truths, including the method of refining war soldiers.


    Rumble!


    About a day later, an ancient aura awakened. A pair of eyes on a statue suddenly bloomed with a profound light and emitted a cold killing intent.


    The ground moved slightly, and a statue seemed to come alive, subsequently raising its arm.


    The statue slowly walked, each step not fast but carrying a terrible power. A stone blade was strapped around its waist.


    "The statue has revived!"


    The crowd exclaimed.


    "I''m relieved that my task is complete. These statues have been dormant for too long, and the Formation within them has encountered some operation problems. It''s indeed horrifying that objects from the ancient imperial dynasty could still operate after such a long period, even after being repaired."


    Though only one Containing God war soldier was repaired, Ouyang Ming was drenched in sweat, clearly exhausted.


    "Can they all be fixed?" Chu Yuan asked.


    "Those at the Containing God level might be doable. After getting familiar with the process, I can probably repair dozens a day at my speed. However, I doubt I can fix the Virtual Gods, let alone the most powerful True Gods. It''s not a feat that can be achieved by one person. It requires experienced Refining Masters, and a lot of them working together," Ouyang Ming shook his head.


    "Even the people in the Foundry Department can refine the materials, but they can''t repair the statues. It requires experienced Refining Masters to accomplish this, and they need to work together."


    He was also tasked with refining the celestial battle soldiers for Chu Yuan and cultivating himself.


    Even if he had three heads and six arms, it still wouldn''t be possible.


    "Ding! The current side task has been released: Repair all stone statues. Form a stone soldier battalion."


    The sound of the system announcement rang in Chu Yuan''s ears.


    "I understand. Only in Artifact Refining are there numerous Refining Masters. That means, no matter what, I have to make Artifact Refining pledge loyalty to Dawu, so that all the statues can be revived and used by me." Chu Yuan said.