Chapter 599 355: An Empire's Treasure

If he could obtain these treasures from the Middle Ages, he could quickly cultivate numerous powerhouses.

Lu Mingyuan found five brocade boxes inside the Human Emperor Tripod. He took them out and opened them all, unleashing a dazzling array of divine lights. A boundless Five Elements Primordial Qi billowed out, so dense it was almost tangible. Had this happened in the outside world, it would have surely created a spectacular phenomenon.

Lu Mingyuan's eyes lit up at the sight of the five Divine Objects inside the boxes. If Emperor Yu hadn't reminded him, he truly would never have discovered there was anything else inside the Human Emperor Tripod. He doubted he could have acquired even a single one of these five top-tier Divine Objects by himself.

Every one of these top-tier Divine Objects was incomparably precious. Even Divine Beings would consider them priceless treasures, not something to be casually given away. These were all treasures that had long since vanished from the world.

Lu Mingyuan had consumed many treasures before, but they were on a completely different level from the five top-tier, five-element Divine Objects before him. In comparison, the treasures he had previously consumed seemed utterly ordinary.

To advance from the Martial Saint Realm to the Great Saint Realm, the most critical step is forging the Great Saint Immortal Body. The materials used directly determine the body's strength, which in turn dictates the future heights of one's Cultivation.

Everyone wishes to use the best materials, but they are incredibly difficult to obtain. Forget about using top-tier Divine Objects to forge an Immortal Saint Body; few could even manage to use common Divine Objects. Most could only find decent Sacred Objects.

'The Water of the Beginning, the Merit and Virtue Primordial Stone... These are all rare Divine Objects. I hope they bring me a pleasant surprise.' A look of deep anticipation filled Lu Mingyuan's eyes.

Lu Mingyuan had read descriptions of the Merit and Virtue Primordial Stone in ancient texts. It was a Divine Stone from the Ancient Era and the Middle Ages, bestowed by the Celestial Dao upon those who had accumulated great merit. It contained a vast amount of the Celestial Dao's merit.

In the current era, only when a Saint brought enlightenment to a region of the world would a few manifest. They were essentially treasures that no longer existed.

'I'll start with the Water of the Beginning,' Lu Mingyuan murmured.

This Water of the Beginning was no ordinary substance. It was a kind of stellar heavy water from the outer cosmos, its internal composition extremely complex and far denser than regular water.

A single drop could blanket an entire ocean.

He reached out, and a fist-sized glob of the Water of the Beginning flew from the box. It resembled quicksilver; despite its small volume, it was extraordinarily heavy, weighing over fifty thousand tons.

Even for someone with Lu Mingyuan's current Martial Saint Body, it felt incredibly heavy to hold.

Relatively speaking, the Water of the Beginning had a gentler nature. It nourished flesh and blood, making it the least dangerous of the five. Once he completed its Refinement, his Flesh Body's adaptability would be greatly enhanced, making it much easier to refine the other Divine Objects.

Activating the Blood Glutton Celestial Fall Scripture, Lu Mingyuan cleared his mind of all distracting thoughts and focused completely on the Refinement process.

However, the seemingly gentle Water of the Beginning was actually quite tyrannical, exceeding Lu Mingyuan's expectations. Even with the current strength of his Flesh Body, the process was a struggle. The moment he absorbed a small amount into his system, his flesh, blood, muscles, and bones began to sustain damage.

Lu Mingyuan had no choice but to slow the pace of the Refinement. This was something that truly could not be rushed.

'It's difficult, but at least I can barely manage the Refinement,' Lu Mingyuan mused. 'I don't have to refine all five Divine Objects this time. Even refining just a small portion is enough to grant my Martial Saint Body a massive boost.'

Refining enough Divine Objects to forge a Great Saint Immortal Body all at once was simply impossible. The process had to be gradual, an accumulation over time.

「On the other side.」

A tide of Spiritual Qi erupted from Yun Qinghe's body, swirling in a dense mist above her head.

She had finally broken through to the Twelfth Realm.

After observing for a moment and confirming that Lu Mingyuan was stable for the time being, she too settled her mind and began to study how to trap the Evil God Army with an Array.

Before her lay thirty-six Array Banners, each one intricately engraved with countless complex and profound Array Patterns.

These Array Banners were the culmination of the life's work of generations of Celestial Masters from the Celestial Master's Mansion. They could be used to deploy the complex and esoteric First-grade Heavenly Thunder Array. Once activated, the Array could slaughter Nascent Soul True Monarchs and Qi Cultivators as easily as chickens. It could even hold its own against an expert at the Saint level.

This was the trump card the Celestial Master's Mansion had left for her.

However, it was clearly not powerful enough to deal with the Four Great Demon Generals. Its might would have to be significantly enhanced.

'Each Array Banner is already engraved with a million Array Patterns. To trap the Four Great Demon Generals and their army of tens of thousands, I'll need to at least double that number. This is a massive undertaking. Without an incredibly powerful Treasure to serve as the array's core, the Grand Array simply won't hold.' Yun Qinghe felt daunted by the scale of the work ahead.

A true Super First Grade Array was typically powered by vast quantities of Spirit Stones and supported by numerous Treasures. It also required an Array Spirit to be refined into its core. After all, Super First Grade Arrays were designed specifically to deal with experts of the Upper Three Grades.

"What's wrong?" Lu Mingyuan asked, noticing that Yun Qinghe had been quiet for some time.

Yun Qinghe had no choice but to explain her predicament.

"That's simple. If you need a Treasure to anchor the Grand Array, I have one right here."

Lu Mingyuan retrieved an iron rod from one of his Acupoints.

"What is this?" Yun Qinghe asked, puzzled.

"The Stabilizing Needle," Lu Mingyuan said with a smile.

"Just an iron rod? Won't it be instantly melted by the intense heat of the Celestial Thunder?" Yun Qinghe questioned.

Lu Mingyuan said with a knowing smile, "Why don't you give it a try?"

"Fine."

Yun Qinghe took the iron rod and wiped away the rust, revealing its true form. A Golden Light swirled around it, and its cracks looked like the fiery traces left on a celestial meteorite.

'Is this a Merit Immortal Artifact, nurtured by Merit Power?'

...

While Lu Mingyuan and Yun Qinghe were in seclusion, a storm was brewing in the Returning Ruins Silent Sea. An increasing number of Cultivators, awakened on Golem Island, poured out from the spatial rift.

The entire Returning Ruins Silent Sea was almost completely blockaded by the Evil God Army, making it incredibly difficult for anyone to enter or leave.

In a hidden stretch of sea near Golem Island, five massive warships lay anchored, quietly observing the situation on True Dragon Island.

Strangely, despite the surrounding waters being heavily patrolled by numerous Evil God Generals, none could detect the five warships. Their concealment was superb.

"So, the Night Shadow Emperor's forces have arrived. What a terrifying aura of darkness, completely different from that of ordinary Cultivators who have fallen to darkness."

The Female Imperial Tutor activated her pair of Divine Eyes, gazing from afar at a warship near Golem Island. A grave expression surfaced in her eyes.

There were seven massive warships from Golem Island in total, anchored in the waters of Dragon Fall Island. Each ship was commanded by a peerless expert, and some even had more than one.

The one she observed was the largest of them all, shrouded by an immense Power of Darkness. Even her Celestial Eye Divine Gaze could not penetrate it.

The Giant Spirit Human King frowned. "These Golems, relics from the Middle Ages, are the Evil God's backup plan. Celestial Demons from the Old Celestial Court have already been teleported here."

"Let's go. We must return and prepare for battle."

In the Changming Imperial Palace, the Female Imperial Tutor, Yao Yang Human King, Giant Spirit Human King, Beidou Human King, Hundred Flowers Celestial Maiden, and over a dozen other powerful figures gathered. Princess Zichuan of the Tri-Eyed Race was, to everyone's surprise, also among them.

The dozen or so figures who sat as equals with the Female Imperial Tutor and the others each possessed an aura like a dragon or a phoenix. They had calm and steady dispositions, vigorous Blood Qi, and an ancient air about them, as if they had stepped directly out of the pages of ancient history.

Among them, Princess Zichuan was seated only at the lowest-ranking position.

"Why hasn't the Emperor of Great Yan emerged from seclusion? The transition from day to night is almost upon us! If we don't hurry to Ascension Island, we'll lose our chance to save our fellow members of the Human Race, and we won't be able to stop the Evil God Army from seizing the World Origin!" An anxious look was plain on Princess Zichuan's face.

Yao Yang Human King said, "This matter cannot be delayed. We'll go on ahead."

The Female Imperial Tutor, standing at the center of the group, said, "Do not be anxious. He is already here!"

Before her voice had even faded, the figures of Lu Mingyuan and Yun Qinghe appeared before them all.

"Sorry to have kept you all waiting," Lu Mingyuan said. "I am ready. We can depart at any time."

Yao Yang Human King gave Lu Mingyuan a deep look, a strange light flashing faintly in his eyes. In just three short days, he could sense that Lu Mingyuan had undergone a tremendous change.

...