Chapter 285 - 270: Seeking Gold Skill
Having successfully dodged the wave-like probe of the Great Masters’ Divine Sense.
Deep within Qi Yun’s Purple Mansion, in the vast void of Daluo Heaven, the pinpoint of dark golden Spiritual Light heaved a sigh of relief. It was no longer as tightly constricted and hidden as before.
The Spiritual Light rippled gently and unfurled, quickly sketching the spectral silhouette of the Golden Tree.
Although it was countless times smaller than its physical body in the outside world, standing merely a foot tall.
But the dark golden Dao Patterns flowing over its body, the faint "Kaiyuan Tongbao" inscriptions visible between its leaves and branches, and the ancient, noble aura originating from its very source were all identical.
The moment this specter took form, it stretched like a person and immediately sent out a wanton fluctuation of Spiritual Sense:
"Hahaha! A few old geezers thought they could catch me?"
"Pah!"
"They’ve cultivated until their brains have gone stiff! All brute force and no finesse!"
It seemed to have completely forgotten how it had just fled in such a sorry state, narrowly escaping death, and also its current situation of being dependent on another.
The God of Wealth’s tone was filled with the smugness of a survivor and disdain for the seven Great Masters.
"Kid, you’re not bad at all!"
The God of Wealth’s Spiritual Sense fluctuation carried a condescending praise, like a senior commending a junior.
"You’ve got guts, you’ve got courage, and you dare to make a decision at the critical moment."
"To achieve this Venerable Dao Foundation at such a young age... back when my Great Tang was at its peak, you would have undoubtedly been a dazzling prodigy, worthy of a place in the Lingyan Pavilion!"
"I will remember this favor today, and you will be handsomely rewarded in the future!"
Its tone was quite generous, making an extraordinary promise.
"In the future?"
Qi Yun’s projected will became a little clearer. He raised an eyebrow, staring at the spectral tree that was chattering away in his Dao Foundation.
"That’s not what you said when you sent that message asking for help just now."
"You said that if I helped you out, you would gift me an immense fortuitous encounter."
"That’s right." The God of Wealth’s branches seemed to curl slightly before it spoke as if it were perfectly justified:
"When have I ever gone back on my word? I said I would gift you an immense fortuitous encounter, and isn’t that encounter right before your very eyes?"
As it spoke, it extended a slender, gleaming dark golden twig and pointed at... itself.
"I am the God of Wealth, number seven of the twenty-four National Guardian Imperial Soldiers of the Golden Tang Dynasty."
"Born from the concept of ’Kaiyuan Tongbao, eternal prosperity for all ages.’"
"Though I have temporarily lost my physical body, my spiritual nature is undamaged, and my Dao Rhyme remains!"
"By a twist of fate, I have come to be by your side today."
"Tell me, in all the world, is there any greater fortuitous encounter than this?"
"To form such a karmic bond with an Emperor’s Weapon Spirit, to be favored with my temporary residence... this will be of unimaginable benefit to your future cultivation and Dao comprehension!"
It spoke with great conviction, as if it were bestowing a tremendous honor upon Qi Yun.
Qi Yun’s eyes narrowed slightly, a barely perceptible glint of cold light flashing within them.
"So you’re... trying to renege on our deal, is that it?"
"Wait..." Realization dawned, and Qi Yun’s gaze shifted. "What do you mean, ’by my side’?"
"Hehehe..." The God of Wealth sent out a dry, laugh-like fluctuation of Spiritual Sense, its leaves rustling without a wind.
"It’s exactly what it sounds like."
"You see, young friend, my physical body is now trapped by those old geezers. This last shred of my spiritual nature has become a rootless duckweed with nowhere to go."
It paused, its tone becoming sincere and helpless:
"Since you’ve already acted so righteously and helped me at such a crucial time, why not... just see it through to the end?"
"Let me lie low here for a while to recover my spiritual nature."
"This Daluo Heaven Dao Foundation of yours is extraordinarily profound, its Status Supreme. It’s the perfect place to hide and nurture my spirit."
"Once the heat is off, we can plan for the long term. What do you say?"
’What a freeloader!’
Qi Yun sneered inwardly, completely understanding the intentions of this God of Wealth’s spiritual nature.
This wasn’t a "temporary residence" at all. It had clearly seen how profound his Dao Foundation was—how it could perfectly conceal its aura and seemed to hold infinite potential—and wanted to use it as a long-term nest!
The so-called "handsome reward in the future" was nothing but an empty promise.
It was planning to stick around and never leave!
’I can’t let it stay...’
Qi Yun’s Heart Thought flashed, and killing intent began to rise.
This Emperor’s Weapon Spirit was entangled with the legacy of the Golden Tang Dynasty, the schemes of True Monarchs, and the contention of Great Masters.
The weight of the karma involved was enough to crush a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator like him to dust.
The moment its location was exposed, he would be the first to be obliterated!
Secondly, if a True Monarch Level being were to personally inspect the Imperial Soldier’s body, now devoid of its spiritual nature, would their heaven-spanning abilities allow them to see through this "Golden Cicada Shell" trick?
Could they follow the faint connection through the unseen world and trace it back to him?
The God of Wealth could deceive Great Masters, but could it deceive a True Monarch?
Finally, this spiritual nature was cunning and slippery. It seemed amicable, but it was full of empty talk and had no integrity whatsoever.
Who knew if it would try to turn the tables and seize control once it recovered some of its strength?
’The risks are too great!’
’Too many uncontrollable factors!’
At this thought, the cold glint in Qi Yun’s eyes suddenly became clear and sharp, like an unsheathed blade of ice, locking coldly onto the spectral tree in the void of Daluo Heaven.
Almost simultaneously, the entire Daluo Heaven seemed to sense Qi Yun’s mood and decision, and began to transform!
RUMBLE...
The chaotic airflow, which had been flowing calmly in a ceaseless cycle of creation and destruction, suddenly accelerated and grew violent!
The phantoms that evolved the Ten Thousand Laws—Sword Qi, Talisman light, Star Dust, mountains and rivers, the Black Coffin... all let out a low hum in unison. They radiated a chilling hostility and suppressive force, pressing in on the spectral tree from all directions!
The void trembled, and Daoist Intent seethed!
A majestic will originating from the source of the Venerable Dao Foundation, one that transcended the Ten Thousand Laws, began to awaken, as if the entire world had "come alive" under Qi Yun’s killing intent.
It sought to utterly crush this ill-intentioned "foreign object"!
"Young friend! Wait! Don’t be rash!"
Sensing Qi Yun’s killing intent, the God of Wealth grew frantic.
’This guy... he actually dares to kill me!’
’And he really has the ability to completely obliterate my spiritual nature within this Dao Foundation!’
"Young friend! We can talk about this! Don’t attack!"
The God of Wealth’s spiritual nature hastily shed all its slipperiness and wishful thinking. Its Spiritual Sense fluctuations were filled with urgency and pleading.
"I won’t freeload off you for nothing!"
"You’ve achieved a Venerable Dao Foundation. Your path ahead is broad, but the obstacles are also immense! Especially..."
It stopped abruptly, as if it had made up its mind, and threw out the bargaining chip it believed would move Qi Yun the most, the one with the most weight:
"I know the method for a Venerable Dao Foundation to Seek Gold and Prove the Dao!"
These words landed like a clap of thunder!
The seething, violent, and murderous Daluo Heaven, with its surging chaotic airflow and visions of the Ten Thousand Laws, came to a sudden halt!
Qi Yun’s cold gaze, which had been locked on the spectral tree, abruptly froze. It then erupted with an unprecedented, brilliant light and intensity.
"The method... to Seek Gold and Prove the Dao?!"
"That’s right!" Seeing Qi Yun’s reaction, the God of Wealth felt a little more at ease and quickly struck while the iron was hot. Its Spiritual Sense fluctuation became incredibly solemn and mysterious.
"For an ordinary Dao Foundation to Seek Gold is as difficult as ascending to heaven."
"But for a Venerable Dao Foundation to seek the Golden Core is even more difficult."
"It requires a unique ’method of Proving the Dao’ to perfectly fuse the Venerable Status with the Great Dao Golden Core and establish a supreme Dao Foundation!"
"Otherwise, no matter how strong the Dao Foundation, you may be trapped in the Foundation Establishment realm forever, with no hope of reaching the Golden Core!"
"This method, even in my Great Tang, was known by very few!"
Its words were like a heavy hammer, striking fiercely upon Qi Yun’s Dao Heart!
’The method for a Venerable Dao Foundation to Seek Gold and Prove the Dao!’
This was undoubtedly the most central, most concerning, and yet most unknown part of his future cultivation path.
Although he knew his Dao Foundation was extraordinary and his future path was vast, he also had a faint feeling that Seeking Gold in the future would be, just like his Foundation Establishment, a thousand, even ten thousand times harder than for an ordinary cultivator.
He never expected that this Emperor’s Weapon Spirit, which seemed to be nothing more than a cunning freeloader, would actually know such an earth-shattering secret!
The upheaval throughout Daluo Heaven slowly subsided, but the heavy pressure and cold scrutiny still enveloped the God of Wealth’s spiritual nature.
"Tell me the Seeking Gold Skill," The coldness on his face melted away, replaced by a gentle smile.
"And you can stay here as long as you like."
In the void of Daluo Heaven, the branches and leaves of the dark golden spectral tree seemed to unfurl an imperceptible fraction.
The God of Wealth’s Spiritual Sense fluctuation also became less tense.
"Don’t be hasty, young friend."
The God of Wealth’s tone had noticeably relaxed:
"This Seeking Gold method points directly to the Great Dao. It is profound and abstruse, not something that can be fully conveyed with words."
"Although your foundation is extraordinary and you’ve forged a Venerable Dao Foundation, you have yet to even touch the threshold of a Great Master."
"Your tempering of the Divine Soul and comprehension of the Dao Realm are still lacking."
"If I were to pour that entire True Technique, as vast as the Star Sea, into your Heart and Spirit right now, it would be of no benefit. On the contrary, it would be like forcefully stuffing the blueprint of a colossal mountain into a toddler’s arms."
"Not only would you be unable to remember a single bit, but your Divine Soul would surely be shaken, and your Dao Foundation might even crack as a result."
"Furthermore, an information torrent of this magnitude, involving the Fundamental Dao, is extremely difficult to conceal completely."
"The subtle fluctuations it would trigger would be like a beacon fire in the dead of night, nearly impossible to hide."
"At that point, if our auras were linked and exposed, we would be truly doomed for eternity. The loss would far outweigh the gain."
"The time is not yet right. Forcing it will only lead to disaster. This is an immutable truth throughout the ages."
Faced with this reasonable, and even seemingly considerate explanation, Qi Yun did not immediately refute it.
He lowered his eyelids, the light in his eyes flickering uncertainly.
The silence lasted for about three to five breaths. The lines of his lips, which had been slightly sharp with coldness, relaxed an imperceptible degree.
"Additionally," seeing they had reached a preliminary consensus, the God of Wealth’s Spiritual Sense fluctuation seemed to become more lively.
"To show my sincerity, and to give this... hmm, fated connection between us a more stable beginning, I will gift you one more piece of information."
"This information concerns the very root of your Dao path, and even... your life and safety."
Its thoughts slowed, branding themselves word by word, incomparably clear, deep within Qi Yun’s Heart and Spirit. Each word seemed to carry the echo of ancient bells and chimes:
"The Venerable Dao Foundation grants you the supreme potential to be revered among your peers and fight across realms. However, the Celestial Dao is balanced; for every gain, there must be a price."
"Such a heaven-defying foundation carries a great karma from the moment of its birth."
"What great karma?" Qi Yun’s expression suddenly hardened.
The God of Wealth’s leaves rustled without a wind in the void, swaying gently. Then, it slowly spat out four words, each as heavy as a mountain, as if they could collapse the cosmos:
"The Venerable... is unique."
...