Chapter 23 - The Might of the Innate Supreme Treasure — The Five Elemental Spirit Beads Assembled
Chapter 23 : The Might of the Innate Supreme Treasure — The Five Elemental Spirit Beads Assembled
The Hunyuan Fan, an Innate Supreme Treasure, had been in Zhong Yue’s possession for some time, yet he had scarcely ever used it voluntarily. This was the first time he had taken it out.
The reason for his prior restraint was twofold: one, he feared it might attract covetous eyes; and two, he had not deemed it necessary.
After all, under ordinary circumstances, with the Innate Five Elemental Spirit Beads in hand, along with the Void Mirror and the Seven-Star Longyuan Sword, he was more than adequately equipped—there was no real need to resort to the Hunyuan Fan.
But this time, facing Huodou, a Da Luo-level ferocious beast—especially considering its formidable physical body and the troublesome combination of Nanming Fire and pervasive baleful aura—he had no choice but to aim for a swift resolution. Hence, he brought out the Hunyuan Fan.
At that moment, Zhong Yue held the fan in hand, his body surging with boundless mana that surged into the treasure.
The Hunyuan Fan shimmered with innate divine light, resplendent and sacred. The vast and ancient aura it exuded made it seem like an object not of this world.
“Perish—for me!”
Zhong Yue shouted with intensity, brandishing the Hunyuan Fan fiercely in the direction of the charging Huodou.
In an instant, void-breaking winds roared, Heaven’s thunder and divine fire raged, Netherworld Weak Water surged forth, and the Primordial Yellow Calamity Earth swept in mightily.
Earth, wind, water, and fire scoured the void; even chaotic turbulence exploded throughout. In a flash, an expanse of a million miles was utterly consumed.
With just a single wave, the eternally flaming volcanoes were extinguished, and mountain peaks were shaved into plains.
As for Huodou—its flesh peeled away, bones dissolved, blood gushed as it lay pitifully in a massive crater, its entire body convulsing uncontrollably.
This terrifying scene utterly stunned the nearby Zhuque. She stared blankly at the grievously wounded and dying Huodou, her eyes filled with disbelief.
“This… what kind of treasure is that?”
Zhuque wore a look of great difficulty as she turned to Zhong Yue, her gaze filled with awe and fear.
It wasn’t as if she had never seen Innate Spirit Treasures before—though the Phoenix Clan had fallen into decline, their heritage still preserved a few top-grade treasures she had encountered.
Yet even the finest Innate Spirit Treasures she had seen could not compare to the overwhelming might she had just witnessed.
In truth, even Zhong Yue himself gasped at the sight.
“Hiss—”
He had anticipated the Hunyuan Fan to be extraordinary, but he hadn’t expected that a single wave of it could turn a million-mile radius to dust—and that a Da Luo-level ferocious beast’s body would crumble without enduring even one strike.
“What a treasure! Truly a supreme one… worthy of the title Innate Supreme Treasure.”
“No wonder Donghuang Taiyi was so confident. If I possessed his cultivation and wielded such a treasure, I would be even more confident than him.”
Zhong Yue’s gaze returned to the fan in his hand, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes.
In truth, he had not yet fully refined the Hunyuan Fan—he had only refined twenty-eight layers of its innate restrictions.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to refine it fully, but the later restrictions had cultivation thresholds. His current Dao attainment wasn’t high enough. Even achieving twenty-eight layers of refinement had been possible only because of his heaven-defying comprehension.
If it were any other Taiyi Golden Immortal, refining twenty-four layers would already be considered impressive—those with poorer talent might fare even worse.
Yet despite not having been fully refined, the treasure had unleashed such fearsome power. The result left Zhong Yue both astonished and delighted.
However, that delight soon turned into a wry smile.
Because he suddenly realised the cost of that single strike was tremendous.
At that moment, he felt that thirty percent of his mana had been depleted. His physical body felt drained, and even his primordial spirit was tinged with weakness.
“Looks like I’ll need to break through to Da Luo as soon as possible. Otherwise, a few more strikes like that and I might just kill myself.”
With a bitter smile on his face, Zhong Yue could only put the Hunyuan Fan away.
In a flash, he appeared in front of the felled Huodou.
Above his head, the Void Mirror emitted a radiant beam of light that struck Huodou’s body and instantly absorbed it.
After completing this, Zhong Yue turned to Zhuque and offered a respectful Daoist bow.
“This humble Daoist Zhong Yue greets Fellow Daoist.”
Zhuque had by now recovered from her daze and returned the courtesy immediately.
“Zhuque, greets Fellow Daoist.”
Although she was deeply curious about the treasured fan, since Zhong Yue had not spoken of it, she did not probe—doing so would have been seen as prying into another’s secrets.
After a brief exchange, Zhong Yue got straight to the point.
“Fellow Daoist Zhuque, to speak plainly, my purpose in coming here is for the Fire Spirit Bead.”
As soon as he said this, Zhuque’s expression shifted slightly, but she quickly returned to composure.
Though Zhong Yue’s act of pressing his claim so directly unsettled her, she could do nothing about it—for she realised that, at this moment, she was no match for him at all.
Moreover, in the grand scheme of the Great Desolation, everything revolved around karmic cause and effect. Zhong Yue had saved her life—this was a tremendous karmic debt that she had to repay.
In truth, exchanging a top-grade Innate Spirit Treasure for her life… she had come out ahead.
After a moment’s thought, Zhuque sighed softly and opened her mouth—spitting out the Fire Spirit Bead.
“Since Fellow Daoist has come for this, then let this item be gifted to you.”
“Only… with this, we now…”
“We are even.” Zhong Yue nodded slightly.
He naturally discerned Zhuque’s thoughts, but he did not elaborate.
Firstly, he was determined to obtain the Fire Spirit Pearl; secondly, he had little desire to entangle himself further with Zhuque.
One Ao Qianqian had already dragged him into the murky waters of the dragon clan; if Zhuque were added, and it implicated the phoenix clan, his troubles would multiply.
This was why, despite better options, he chose the direct approach.
He simply wished to avoid such meaningless complications.
“My thanks, fellow Daoist. In that case, let us part ways here.”
Though Zhuque was somewhat surprised by Zhong Yue’s decisiveness, she did not dwell on it.
After tossing the Fire Spirit Pearl to Zhong Yue, she flapped her wings and soared away, departing the scene without ever revealing her innate Daoist form.
Watching Zhuque leave, Zhong Yue paid it little mind.
He turned his gaze to the innate Fire Spirit Pearl before him, his eyes growing ever more fervent.
Now, with the Five Elements Spirit Pearls complete, it was time for his transformation.
Brandishing the Primordial Fan to conceal his aura, Zhong Yue turned into a streak of light, vanishing from the spot.
After departing, he headed straight for the depths of the Undying Volcano.
For his upcoming transformation, he needed a secluded place, and the depths of the Undying Volcano were an ideal choice.
The deeper he ventured into the volcano, the fewer living beings Zhong Yue encountered.
Curiously, however, the southern Primordial Wilderness teemed with ferocious beasts.
Along the way, he encountered over a dozen ferocious beasts, more than he had seen in all his years traversing the entire Primordial Wilderness.
A century later, Zhong Yue paused at an unremarkable volcanic crater.
He took out the heavenly materials and earthly treasures he had collected over the years, promptly arranging them to form the Innate Five Elements Grand Formation around him.
Once the formation was complete, boundless divine light erupted, causing the entire mountain range to vanish from this realm.
For added security, Zhong Yue then channelled the surrounding earth veins, thoroughly sealing the area.
After inspecting once more to ensure no oversights, Zhong Yue finally felt at ease.
“Next, it is time to transform my true form into Chaos Immortal Soil.”
“Once the transformation succeeds, I shall ascend to the ranks of top-tier innate divine beings, my foundation [gēn jiǎo]^ unrivalled among any innate great powers.”
At this thought, a fiery glint flashed in Zhong Yue’s eyes.
He sat cross-legged on a rock at the volcanic crater, then took out the innate Five Elements Spirit Pearls.