"Behold, the Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir!"

The gazes of Róng Huá, Daoist Xiao Zhang, Daoist Zheng Yi, and the others were green as a wolf's eyes, their drool hanging like that of a hungry dog.

Gu Xiechen, thoroughly lacking in proper demeanor, sat casually with one leg crossed over the other on a futon, the small golden gourd hooked by his left pinky finger, a single, perfectly round, golden pill spinning dazzlingly in his right palm. The entire cavern was saturated with the exquisite fragrance emanating from this elixir.

Its surface was the color of deep gold; this small pill, weighing more than Mount Tai, emitted great swathes of bright rosy light and cinnabar hues from its core. Occasionally, tiny, seemingly naturally formed, fleeting talismans would flicker into existence within the pill before vanishing again. This was no mere medicinal pill; it had clearly been refined into a Dharma Treasure, and one of the Innate-level at that.

"This is the Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir!"

Daoist Xiao Zhang sighed toward the heavens. Why didn't the Grand Supreme Elder, the master of the lineage ancestor of the Zhongnan Mountain sect, pass down the formula? No one paid heed to Daoist Xiao Zhang's lament. Pass down the formula? Even if you had the formula, could you gather all the primary materials for this single batch? Even if the raw materials were assembled, would you possess a furnace of sufficient quality and the True Fire needed for refinement? Without substantial merit, one could not ascend this mountain.

Picking up a single Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir, Gu Xiechen extended it to Seraph.

Seraph rejoiced, grasping the pill without hesitation and stuffing it into her mouth. She immediately turned and sat cross-legged, beginning to circulate her internal energy for meditation and recovery.

Next came Daoist Xiao Zhang and Daoist Zheng Yi; they too each received one Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir. Given their current status, they were deserving of one. Only when they possessed the power of a Golden Immortal could the secret divine arts passed down by the Kunlun and Zhongnan lineages truly exhibit their intended might.

Following them were Prajñā and Mahā. Prajñā silently bowed to Gu Xiechen with palms joined. Mahā, however, laughed heartily three times, splitting his massive jaws wide, and swallowed the pill in one gulp just like Seraph, quickly proceeding to circulate his energy.

The Gourd Worm's Nine-Revolving Golden Elixirs still numbered six.

Gu Xiechen pondered for a moment: one for Seraph, one for Ashadya, and then one for Fūyǎ. One for Ming.

Summoning Yang Jian, Gu Wuchen requested that he expend his divine ability to send these elixirs to Earth, secretly delivering them to Poison Wolf. After consuming the Nine-Revolving Golden Elixir, a mortal would instantly achieve the realm of Golden Immortal. With this divine power, Poison Wolf would be safely positioned to guard the rear.

As for the remaining two elixirs, Gu Wuchen could find no suitable recipients, nor did he wish to expend further mental energy on the matter. He swallowed them both in one go. Upon entering his abdomen, the elixir immediately transformed into two streams of pure energy that coursed through his body, stabilizing his cultivation base while causing it to soar rapidly upward. The medicinal potency contained within the two Nine-Revolving Golden Elixirs was exceedingly potent. Relying on this power, Gu Wuchen solidified his own strength at the Third Rank of the Golden Immortal realm.

Besides stabilizing his realm, Gu Wuchen also took the opportunity to thoroughly cleanse his physical body, refining it until it was as transparent and unblemished as crystal and glazed jade, as if he had returned to the state achieved upon completing the Grand Unification of Primordial Essence Scripture. He glanced at the others currently circulating their energy; their foundation was weak, and they would require nine days and nine nights to absorb the elixir's potency. Without disturbing them, Gu Xiechen exited the cavern. He found a spirit nexus nearby rich in spiritual energy, summoned the Fire Crow, the Giant Spirit God, and Mao E to stand guard for him, and then cautiously retrieved the Pangu Banner.

The Pangu Banner was indistinct, seemingly substantial yet perhaps not truly existing in this world—a faint, ephemeral rosy light flowed within its fabric, and several immense golden runes faintly manifested upon its surface. If one concentrated their gaze, these runes would appear to grow larger until, finally, there was an illusion of them filling the entire universe.

This was a supreme treasure capable of both offense and defense, able to tear open the void and stabilize the elements of earth, water, fire, and wind. Its might was passed down through word of mouth among generations of cultivators, renowned throughout the Three Realms. Any cultivator who knew of the Three Pure Ones ancestors must have heard of the Pangu Banner's prestige.

Unlike the Five Elements Banners or other Innate objects, Gu Wuchen intended to refine this ultimate treasure, the Pangu Banner, himself.

The Chaos Bell might eventually become more powerful than the Pangu Banner, but in its current state—like an unripened infant—it could not compare to the Banner. By refining the Pangu Banner, Gu Wuchen gained another trump card.

Gazing at this supreme treasure in his hands, Gu Wuchen fell into deep contemplation for a long time before biting the tip of his tongue and spitting out a mouthful of vital blood onto it. His Innate Primordial Spirit concentrated all its power, transforming into a vast, swirling vapor that cautiously wrapped around the Pangu Banner. This was the personal supreme treasure of the Three Pure Saints. Gu Wuchen had no idea what the consequences of rashly attempting to refine it might be, so he could only proceed with extreme caution.

What happened next terrified Gu Wuchen so much he nearly leaped up. The moment his vital blood touched the Pangu Banner, the instant his Innate Divine Sense entwined with the fabric, a colossal Divine Sense rushed into his Sea of Consciousness. An old Daoist, handsome with an immortal bearing yet radiating an air of supreme aloofness, smiled genially and performed a salute toward Gu Wuchen's Innate Primordial Spirit, saying cheerfully, "A meeting implies fate. This item, truly, belongs to the young friend!"

The Haotian Tower shuddered, and a stream of Profound Yellow Qi descended to shield Gu Wuchen's Innate Primordial Spirit.

However, the old Daoist’s body suddenly burst apart, transforming into countless mysterious and profound streaks of spiritual light that bypassed the Profound Yellow Qi and merged into Gu Wuchen's Innate Primordial Spirit. Gu Wuchen felt a sudden heat at his brow; his Innate Primordial Spirit began to swell rapidly, as if injected with a stimulant. Every time it expanded to a height of one zhang and three chi, a ring of spiritual light would circle around it, compressing it back down to three cun, only for it to expand again.

This cycle repeated seventy-seven times (forty-nine times). After forty-nine expansions and compressions, Gu Wuchen's Innate Primordial Spirit solidified as if carved from crystal. A figure of his real-life size now floated silently in his Sea of Consciousness, constantly emitting immense psychic pressure.

At this moment, the otherwise fragile Innate Primordial Spirit possessed a strength comparable to Gu Wuchen's physical body.

A cultivation technique named "The Secret Method of Achieving Sanctity by Slaying Three Corpses through One Qi and Three Purities" was deeply imprinted into the core of Gu Wuchen's soul. This was a supreme method for cultivating one's own primordial spirit, utilizing an Innate Supreme Treasure to slay the Three Corpses, entrust the divine soul, and ultimately achieve sanctity through the slaying of the corpses! The Three Pure Saints of old followed this very path; this was their method of attaining the Great Dao! Along with this secret method, the complete set of incantations and hand seals for refining the Pangu Banner were forcefully inscribed upon Gu Wuchen’s soul. Golden light flashed repeatedly across the Pangu Banner, which had been sealed by countless layers of restrictions; all these restrictions were instantly wiped clean. Gu Wuchen's divine sense had merged with the Banner's primordial spirit; he was now in complete command of this ultimate treasure! Gu Wuchen sat in the spirit nexus, his face contorted in shock. The feeling of being schemed against and trapped left a bitter taste in his mouth. The arrangements within the Pangu Banner were truly overwhelming. The supreme method of achieving sanctity through slaying the Three Corpses left by the Three Pure Saints, complete with a top-tier Innate Supreme Treasure as a bonus—how favored Gu Wuchen was by the Primordial Celestial Venerable!

Well then, with the Haotian Indestructible Body technique and the supreme cultivation method of the Three Pure Saints branded onto his soul, Gu Wuchen felt as if he were the legendary Son of Destiny, predetermined to become the master of these three realms.

However, nothing this significant came easily. After a cold laugh, Gu Wuchen gently stroked the Pangu Banner, slowly drawing it into his body, placing it alongside the Chaos Bell, and nourishing both with his vital essence. There was no such thing as a free lunch. The Haotian Indestructible Body technique might be considered a legacy left behind because the Haotian God encountered trouble, but the contents of the Pangu Banner...

"A small token of kindness will never buy off Gu Xiechen! I am a merchant; a merchant's duty is to sell to the highest bidder! Whoever pays more gets the goods!"

Almost shamelessly, he shouted toward the heavens, pushing the matter of the Pangu Banner from his mind. He turned and summoned the Grand Yin Profound Pearl, spinning around and plunging himself into the Grand Yin space within it. In the boundless grayish-white space, a massive green tree, tens of thousands of zhang tall with a canopy covering a million li radius, greedily inhaled the Grand Yin Qi. Traces of white light were already faintly visible on its green trunk.

This was Aier Loli's true form, the Reincarnation Divine Wood, the most wondrous Innate Seed from the ancient Primordial Chaos. In the memories of the Grand Yin True Monarch, there was a time when powerful divine beings of comparable status engaged in fierce conflict merely for a few branches and leaves of the Reincarnation Divine Wood, eventually triggering a catastrophe across the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths. Setting aside other matters, eighteen ancient Grand Unity Golden Immortals were scattered into dust in that conflict as collateral damage! The Reincarnation Divine Wood, the Reincarnation Divine Wood—this was a legendary divine object possessing the unique ability to oppose the Heavenly Dao and find a sliver of life within it.

It gathered the essence of heaven and earth to evolve the rules of reincarnation. Once a living being entered reincarnation, all karma was forcibly cleared. Even a sinner whose crimes were heinous enough to warrant heavenly punishment would have all karmic ties severed once swept into the reincarnation cycle by the Reincarnation Divine Wood, making it impossible for the Heavenly Dao to punish him.

Conversely, this wood could concentrate all the eliminated karmic force and transform it into a crimson lotus flame, transferring all worldly karma onto a single person. If one person bore the concentrated weight of such karma and sin, true annihilation would be preferable to their fate; even the scattering of their soul would be a luxury.

It could save lives or end them, forcefully carving out a tiny crack in the Heavenly Dao—like a small boat upon the boundless sea of suffering, capable of carrying souls across the misery, or of casting them into it.

This was the Reincarnation Divine Wood, and this was the wondrous power it possessed! The only suspicious thing was that Aier Loli and Sagessen seemed to have encountered some trouble; they were so muddled they didn't even know what their true forms were, failing to utilize the Reincarnation Divine Wood's proper divine abilities. In the Grand Yin True Monarch’s memories, not only the Reincarnation Divine Wood, but even several other Primordial Spiritual Roots inferior to its innate foundation had already taken human form and made quite a name for themselves in the ancient Great Desolation.

Yet, this unique Reincarnation Divine Wood had fallen to such a state. It was truly baffling what trouble they had run into.

With a cold laugh, Gu Xiechen floated up to the Reincarnation Divine Wood and settled himself squarely on a small branch in the center of the canopy, sitting cross-legged.

His vast soul power permeated the Reincarnation Divine Wood, instantly vaporizing the last trace of Aier Loli’s spiritual imprint within. Gu Xiechen had achieved complete control over this colossal Divine Wood.

Visions, which the true form of the Reincarnation Divine Wood remembered but Aier Loli’s intrinsic spirit either ignored or could not access, flashed across Gu Xiechen’s mind like lightning.

"So that's how it is!" Gu Xiechen suddenly clapped his hands and laughed heartily, gloating over the terrible luck of the poor pair, Aier Loli and Sagessen. They were indeed terribly unlucky, but ultimately, it benefited him.

The story was simple enough: Aier Loli and Sagessen were not the true form of the Reincarnation Divine Wood, but rather a type of Innate Spiritual Root called the 'Soul Yin Luo Flower.' The real Reincarnation Divine Wood, before it could fully manifest a form in ancient times, was smashed to pieces by a group of powerful divine beings fighting over it. Two points of its primordial essence drifted away and were absorbed by Aier Loli and Sagessen.

The two points of primordial essence from the Reincarnation Divine Wood were immensely powerful. They forcibly transformed the Soul Yin Luo Flower into a facsimile of the Reincarnation Divine Wood. Though it lacked the full power of the original body, it could exert a fraction of its profound utility—equivalent to transforming a lump of clay into a silver bean, vastly changing status and wealth.

The misfortune was that Aier Loli and Sagessen were in the midst of transforming their origins, yet before they could break out of their 'mother body,' the progenitor of the Angel race happened to be passing through their star domain. This lazy great moth, upon sensing the two, immediately jabbed with interest into their mother body, forcibly injecting its origin power and a sliver of its origin consciousness into their forms.

They hadn't yet taken shape, but they already possessed self-awareness, and Aier Loli and Sagessen fought back desperately, haphazardly dragging some of the karma the true Reincarnation Divine Wood had accrued in the Primordial Chaos over eons onto the great moth.

It must be said that the Reincarnation Divine Wood's ability to manipulate karma and deceive the Heavenly Dao was heaven-defying. The progenitor of the Angel race was enthusiastically modifying the two, fully expecting to gain two powerful additions to his lineage, when, due to the karmic entanglement, a fissure was inexplicably torn in the void. Some great divine being, from who knows where, tossed in a Dharma Treasure, severely wounding the unlucky fellow.

The great moth fled in panic, but Aier Loli and Sagessen had already been invaded by its origin power and consciousness and were on the verge of transforming into angels.

Just then, the Demon Patriarch Mohe, along with his natural companion, traveled to this star domain. For reasons unknown, they intervened, forcibly helping the two devour the great moth’s origin power and using their own formidable genetic modification to help them break out of their shells, turning them into the mother goddesses of the Roman lineage.

The Mohe couple likely harbored their own ill intentions; they too didn't know their exact purpose in helping the pair. The memories held by this great tree trunk were also somewhat hazy. It seemed Aier Loli had intentionally erased some memories, which Gu Xiechen was unable to recover.

In any case, the outcome was that the Romans and the descendants of Mohe turned against each other, resulting in heavy mutual losses. Mohe's wife was killed by Aier Loli and Sagessen, and Mohe himself was sealed in an ancient battlefield by the two.

"What sort of people are these?" Gu Xiechen was utterly speechless regarding these congenital beings—Aier Loli, Mohe, and the others—who seemed mentally deranged. Conflicts, tangled relationships, jealousy, and petty grievances—they managed to orchestrate such a massive game!

The Ancient Roman Empire, the Star Alliance! The hatred between four congenital beings spun out decades of life-and-death sorrow for two major races. And this was just four congenital beings who lacked the power to fully manifest in the Primordial Chaos! If their methods were like this, what would the truly ancient Golden Immortals, the great divine beings, or even beings like the Three Pure Saints—or perhaps the utterly supreme Ancestor Hongjun—do if they wished to play a game?

His body slightly trembled. A stream of five-colored airflow erupted from Gu Xiechen, upon which the Haotian Tower, the Haotian Mirror, and the Pangu Banner floated, undulating with the current. Gu Wuchen, his expression shifting uncertainly, stared at these three supreme treasures, his body shaking slightly.

The ancient Heavenly Court, those lofty divinities—they left this universe, their concerns spanning vast epochs. Would they truly remain indifferent to the source of their origin?

The anomalies on Pluto and Raccoon Star aside, why did the Haotian Tower happen to be left on Pluto? Even Earth, the Human Origin Star mentioned by Empress Nüwa, where she left a wisp of her divine sense to guard it. Was her sole purpose truly just to guard Earth? With a hardened heart, Gu Xiechen snatched up the three treasures, intending to cast them away—the farther, the better.

But in an instant, his heart sank, and he pulled the treasures back into his body. Was it still enough time to throw them away now? Were they even useful anymore? He had cultivated the Haotian Indestructible Body technique, and the Three Pure Saints' method for achieving the Dao was already imprinted on his soul's core. Even if he discarded these three treasures, he would still owe an immense debt! Not to mention the Thirty-Three Heavens Immortal Registry Treasure Chest within him—so many Immortals, so many Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, fragments of ancient divinities resided within it. Just the current force of 108,000 Heavenly Soldiers and Generals, the Mo Li Brothers, the Four Generals of Wind, Rain, Thunder, and Lightning, as well as Ears That Hear the Wind and Eyes That See a Thousand Miles, even the Giant Spirit God, Mao E, not to mention Yang Jian and Sun Monkey—could he discard them? Could he abandon them?

Cold sweat poured down. Sitting on the canopy of the Reincarnation Divine Wood, Gu Xiechen's self-awareness had never been so sharp. It was like a treasured mirror of glazed jade, clearly reflecting the smallest specks of dust, allowing him to see clearly things he had missed before! Karma intertwined, binding him completely; he could neither break free nor escape. Faint purple light flickered in Gu Xiechen’s eyes. Utilizing the power of the Divine Eye and the potent effects of the Reincarnation Divine Wood, Gu Xiechen saw countless faint red lines and purple qi upon himself. Every red line and purple qi was a thread of karma, some belonging to the Haotian God, some to the Three Pure Saints, and others to all the Immortals registered in the Thirty-Three Heavens Immortal Registry.

These red lines and purple qi, originating from some unknown source, were deeply embedded in Gu Xiechen's body, impossible to shake off or flee from.

His body shook for a moment, and Gu Xiechen let out a bitter laugh.

If he couldn't break free, then he wouldn't struggle. If he couldn't escape, then he wouldn't flee. If they wanted to benefit from me, then they had better pay in true gold and silver! I, Xie Long Gu Wuchen, am a merchant by nature, seeking profit is my innate duty. Without benefit, no matter how much karma binds me, I will ignore it all! Haotian God, Three Pure Saints—you have left this place, and if you wish to do something else, you must show me how much preparation you have left!

After a few cold laughs, Gu Xiechen pointed one finger to the heavens and the other to the earth, roaring wildly, "Above the heavens and below the earth... in the Grand Yin space, I alone am sovereign!"

Endless Grand Yin Mysterious Flames surged up from all directions, rapidly enveloping the Reincarnation Divine Wood. In the space of a short quarter-hour, the massive trunk was completely refined, leaving behind two massive droplets of liquid, each a hundred li in circumference, shimmering with brilliant green light like dewdrops. A profound and inscrutable aura surged forth from these two liquid pearls. Under the shroud of this aura, the red lines and purple qi on Gu Xiechen suddenly dimmed.

Laughing three times, purple and gold light shot out from Gu Xiechen’s eyes, swiftly drawing the two liquid pearls into his own eyes.

Using the primordial spiritual energy of the Divine Eye, which was sacrificed by Jin, as the foundation; relying on the divine eye abilities of Buddhism as a pretext; and using the two points of vital spiritual energy from the Reincarnation Divine Wood as materials, Gu Xiechen's Innate Primordial Spirit operated at full capacity, pushing his Dao Heart, and borrowing the long years of cultivation experience and insight of the Grand Yin True Monarch, he synthesized a divine ability named the Reincarnation Dharma Eye. A faint light flickered in his eyes, and a sharp gleam shot out from the center of his brow. Gu Xiechen became completely immersed in the grand undertaking of perfecting this divine ability.

The boundless Grand Yin Profound Qi within the Grand Yin Profound Pearl surged into Gu Xiechen’s body, continuously pouring into his eyes and the bright spot on his brow.

He remained in quiet seclusion like this, and soon twelve months flashed by.

On this day, a faint, unremarkable ray of spiritual light suddenly shot out from the spirit nexus where Gu Xiechen was cultivating secretly. The gray, dim light was only three cun thick, yet it pierced straight up from the earth into the high heavens, instantly shooting an unknowable distance.

Wherever the spiritual light passed, be it meteorites, falling stars, planets, or stars, it pierced a three-cun-thick hole, within which faint purple qi flickered. In the span of less than a thousandth of a finger snap, the traveling spiritual light had shot nearly a thousand light-seconds away. It then swept across the surrounding void: within a thousand light-second radius, the myriad worlds, every grain of sand and speck of dust, every person and every object, and countless karmic entanglements, were all brought into the Dharma Eye.

In the spirit nexus, the Grand Yin Profound Pearl hung high above Gu Xiechen's head. A tiny figure, no bigger than a fist, vaguely emitting a faint purple aura, sat cross-legged beneath the pearl, its hands gently supporting it. A tiny vertical sun on its brow glowed brilliantly.

Between Gu Wuchen's brows, there was also a three-cun-long vertical sun, within which a hazy chaotic pupil spun rapidly, faintly spreading six colors of light.

An ancient, desolate aura continuously spread out from Gu Xiechen’s body. He quietly gazed at the sky, without the slightest expression, like a stone that had remained unmoved since the beginning of time.

That tiny figure was one of the Three Corpses of Gu Xiechen. Harnessing the immense power of the primordial essence from two drops of the Reincarnation Divine Wood, Gu Wuchen, with only the cultivation of a mere third-grade Golden Immortal, managed to sever one Corpse by relying on the Grand Yin Profound Pearl. Gu Wuchen was the lowest-cultivated individual to ever sever a Corpse since the forging of heaven and earth! Once the Corpse was severed, his own being seemed to merge more intimately with the cosmos, countless subtle profound principles flooding his mind. Tears suddenly streamed down Gu Xiechen’s face. This sky, this earth, this void of the universe—this was the true scene.

Under the Eye of Reincarnation, nothing remained hidden.

The cultivation scripture of the Three Pure Ones Severing the Corpse Secret Art flowed slowly through his mind. Gu Wuchen’s magical power was still at the level of a third-grade Golden Immortal, but his Dao attainment had surged into the peak of the eighteenth-grade Golden Immortal, reaching the absolute limit of the Golden Immortal realm! “Reincarnation blooms and withers; the opening and closing of flowers are all the Dao!”

A luminous, white Epiphyllum suddenly sprouted from the earth before Gu Wuchen. The flower unfolded lightly, releasing a delicate fragrance that failed to stir his steadfast heart.

Instantaneous enlightenment—this was the realization of the Dao. In ancient times, Zen practitioners could achieve Buddhahood the moment they laid down their butcher’s knife; Gu Wuchen was only slightly inferior to them, yet virtually comparable.

Suddenly, a furious string of curses echoed through the void from Qiu Hua, the curses being utterly vile and grating to the ear.

Dull thudding sounds rang out continuously, suggesting Qiu Hua had suffered a covert loss.

Gu Xiechen’s expression darkened, and his body vanished into thin air. This time, he didn't even emit the faint golden luminescence expected when a Golden Immortal executed the Grand Stellar Movement divine ability. It was as if he had simply stepped from one room to another; one stride spanned the horizon.

In the distant sky, Qiu Hua was being soundly beaten back by a stunningly beautiful woman, a conspicuous handprint marking his pale face.

Further still, Fu Ya • Ming was skillfully wielding two immortal swords for defense, unleashing a shimmering gold rope to engage a burly man in a spirited fight.

Gu Xiechen’s face grew grim, and he took another step forward.