Volume One: The Lich's Calamity Chapter 209: The Strange Mountain Peak, Ao Qing's Fortune

After leaving the Five Elements Peak, Ao Qing had not traveled far beyond the boundary of the Five Elements Realm when his heart stirred. He immediately changed direction and moved away with great speed.

As for the Five Elements Peak, it was now veiled by the worldly power of the Five Elements Realm, entirely under the control of Kong Xuan. Previously, countless mighty beings had sensed nothing amiss; after all, these were the methods deployed by an entity at the Hunyuan Daluo level. If not for his own unique nature, Tongtian would never have discovered a single trace. This was precisely why he had been the first to depart, as he was well aware of how few in the Primordial World were capable of such feats.

Following his intuition after departing the Five Elements Peak, Ao Qing arrived at a seemingly ordinary mountain. The mountain appeared to have two sides—yin and yang—and one might mistake it for a single peak if not for a closer look, but in reality, it consisted of two distinct mountains joined together.

"What a peculiar mountain! What could it be that has drawn me here?"

Upon arrival, Ao Qing began to search, yet he found the place appeared entirely unremarkable. However, just as he was about to leave, he discovered something unique about the location.

"So there is a secret hidden here after all? No wonder this mountain possesses these yin and yang sides!"

In an inconspicuous spot where the two mountains converged, there was a highly concealed barrier. Once Ao Qing broke the restriction, a dense wave of yin and yang energy rushed toward him.

"This is! Indeed, there is something strange here. What rich and pure yin and yang energy!" Ao Qing exclaimed.

Stepping past the barrier, a giant egg suffused with swirling black and white energies caught his eye.

"What is this? Such a familiar aura!" Ao Qing carefully sensed it and exclaimed, "Right, that lad, Kong Xuan!"

Ao Qing realized that this aura was extremely close to that of Kong Xuan. "It seems this one was born from the same womb as him! It is a pity; this little fellow has great talent but does not know how to utilize it. Instead, he sought to refine his own origin energy into an innate companion spiritual treasure. How utterly foolish!"

"I wonder if it can still be saved. Never mind, I shall take it back and let Master have a look."

Regarding a remedy, the only one Ao Qing could think of was his Master, who cultivated the Great Dao of Creation. Ao Qing immediately inscribed several seals and incantations onto the black and white egg to prevent it from further utilizing its yin and yang origin to forge a magical treasure. Once the seals were set, he noticed the giant egg beginning to shake violently, as if protesting against the loss of its opportunity.

"Be quiet!" Seeing this, Ao Qing lightly slapped the giant egg. "You possess an incredibly powerful talent, yet you refuse to utilize it and instead seek to cut off your own path to life with such methods! How foolish. If you lack true strength, what use is even the most powerful treasure?"

"You must understand that one's own strength is paramount. Once you are powerful, will you ever fear the lack of treasures to use?"

Having said this, Ao Qing stopped wasting his breath, waved his hand, and tucked the egg away. He then began to survey the area again. Given that this place could nurture the little fellow, combined with the immense and pure yin and yang energy he had felt earlier, there had to be other rare treasures here.

As he explored, Ao Qing finally discovered a perfectly hidden barrier quite some distance from the spot where the black and white egg had been.

"Indeed, there are other treasures!" Finding this barrier filled Ao Qing with joy, and he quickly set about breaking it. Once done, he discovered a fine magical treasure inside.

"The Yin-Yang Infinite Bracelet, a top-grade innate spiritual treasure. It contains a unique space—truly a fine treasure. Combining both entrapment and offensive capabilities, it is a rare and highly functional artifact!"

Ao Qing placed it on his left wrist and prepared to depart. However, just as he stepped out of the restricted space, he felt the Yin-Yang Infinite Bracelet on his wrist tremble.

"What is this?" Sensing something wrong, Ao Qing took the bracelet off to examine it. To his surprise, he found it was pulling him back toward the restricted space. "What is happening? Could there be another opportunity inside, or is it something else?"

After some thought, Ao Qing chose to follow the bracelet’s guidance and returned to the restricted space. Once inside, he found the bracelet had become still again, only to react once more as he stepped back out. After testing this several times, he realized the bracelet was consistently pointing in a specific direction.

Ao Qing followed this path and was not disappointed; he discovered yet another, even more hidden barrier. "It is hidden so well! If not for the good fortune of obtaining this bracelet, I would never have discovered this place."

Finally, after breaking the seal, his eyes brightened. "Wait, is this not similar to the yin and yang origin energy that appeared when I first broke the barrier?"

Ao Qing suddenly realized the truth. Before him stood a massive spiritual root, laden with many fruits of yin and yang origin.

"A top-grade innate spiritual root—the Yin-Yang Origin Fruit Tree. It blossoms every thirty thousand years, fruits every thirty thousand years, and ripens every thirty thousand years. It takes an entire epoch to produce a single spiritual fruit containing the power of the yin and yang origin."

"I never expected such a spiritual root to exist in this world. No wonder it has never been discovered by others!" Ao Qing lamented after learning the nature of the tree. He found himself in a dilemma. "How am I to transplant this? It would surely be a wonderful idea to present it to Master!"

He wanted to bring it back, but he was at a loss as to how to transport it. The next moment, the bracelet on his wrist made its presence felt.

"Right! There is still this thing. Look at my memory!"

Finally, Ao Qing quickly stored it within the bracelet and set off, returning to Mount Buzhou.

***

At Kunlun Mountain, Taiqing Peak.

"Third brother has returned. Well, did you have any gains?" Yuan Shi asked with a smirk as soon as Tongtian returned.

"You knew all along, didn't you!" Tongtian replied, his tone laced with resentment.

"Heh, it seems the third brother finally discovered it!"

"Don't speak to me, Eldest Brother! You saw it long ago, yet you didn't warn me!"

In the end, Tongtian simply closed his eyes and drifted off to contemplate the Great Dao.

Meanwhile, at the Lingxiao Palace in the Heavenly Court.

"Mount Buzhou, where is that place again! It repeatedly ruins my plans. This is truly intolerable!"

After Ghost Car returned and delivered the news—with some embellishments—to Di Jun, the Emperor was thrown into a towering rage. His hatred for Mount Buzhou grew even more intense. His eyes were filled with such deep-seated malice that it seemed as if he could incinerate everything into ashes in an instant. The mighty demons below were terrified by the Emperor’s emotional state, yet none dared to utter a word of counsel.