Tian Fan was overcome with excitement—he had finally found it. His body trembled slightly, for this was no ordinary sacred mountain. To him, it held Zi Ying’s life, everything that mattered to him now.
Gradually, he calmed himself and began carefully observing the towering divine mountain within the Enchanted Forest. Standing before it, Tian Fan felt profoundly insignificant, like an ant gazing at the vast sky. In the face of such an ancient, imposing peak, any living being seemed utterly too insignificant.
“A strange feeling… It’s just a mountain, yet why does it seem larger than heaven and earth itself?” Tian Fan murmured in puzzlement, voicing his genuine impression.
“You feel it too?!”
The Lich, equally surprised, had grown increasingly uneasy since arriving. Thick black mist seeped from its body, shrouding its form.
Tian Fan followed closely behind as they slowly ascended toward the mountain’s summit.
“What’s that?”
Suddenly, Tian Fan exclaimed. Ahead, a small black hole spewed forth a pure, milky-white substance. Though no larger than a fist, it shimmered with radiant light and boundless spiritual energy.
“Pure earth spiritual energy—so concentrated it’s liquefied!”
The Lich seemed to recall something, its excitement surging as it lunged forward, greedily absorbing the substance.
“Incredible… but too little!”
After devouring every last drop, the Lich’s aura subtly shifted.
Tian Fan frowned, sensing that its sinister energy had diminished slightly.
Without lingering, they pressed onward. As they climbed higher, the silver glow above grew more intense, its sacred aura thickening. Tian Fan felt an overwhelming comfort, his body’s Five Elements Method circulating twice as fast under its influence.
Rumble…
Abruptly, the earth quaked violently, as if struck by a quake. Clusters of golden light slowly emerged from the depths below.
“This—!”
The Lich’s pupils dilated in disbelief.
Countless golden orbs continued rising from the ground. Tian Fan channeled divine power into his eyes and saw that each orb contained a figure clad in golden armor, gripping crimson spears. Their faces were blank, lifeless—yet several overwhelming auras locked onto Tian Fan and the Lich.
Both froze. Advancing even a step further would invite annihilation. Though the golden-armored warriors remained motionless, their oppressive presence was suffocating.
“What are these?”
Tian Fan stared at the golden orbs. Despite his vast knowledge, he couldn’t identify them. They resembled puppets, yet bore human forms.
“This… seems like a legendary divine art from ancient times—‘Scattering Beans to Form an Army.’ But…”
The Lich couldn’t finish.
Tian Fan understood.
The sheer number of golden warriors was staggering, their collective power terrifying. Even a supreme being from the Return to Immortality realm would be obliterated.
“What do we do?”
Anxiety gripped Tian Fan. Retreat wasn’t an option, yet recklessness meant death. Zi Ying’s life depended on him—he couldn’t afford to fall.
He raised his hands, tracing mysterious runes in the air, attempting to summon the avatars of the Shangguan family’s elders.
“Hum…”
But then, his movements halted. The ancient divine script hidden within him trembled, emerging on its own. Waves of archaic, weathered energy rippled outward, golden light spreading around him.
The moment the divine script appeared, the golden warriors shuddered—as if recognizing a sovereign. Without hesitation, they faded, sinking back into the earth.
“Divine aura… Just who are you?!”
The Lich recoiled, its voice shaking as it stared at the script above Tian Fan’s head.
Golden radiance shimmered softly, yet carried incomparable power.
The Lich, terrified, scrambled away.
Had Tian Fan not restrained the script’s energy, it would have been reduced to ashes.
As the golden light pulsed, the earth trembled gently. The divine script drew forth the essence of the earth’s spiritual vein, saturating the area in pure white brilliance.
The Lich’s eyes bulged as it swallowed hard. This was madness—someone was siphoning energy from the earth’s vein itself! It knew the horror of this place; the spiritual vein was nearly sentient, a force surpassing even gods.
Bathed in boundless earth energy, Tian Fan felt every pore in his body open. The pure essence cleansed him repeatedly, drawing an involuntary sigh of pleasure.
“Hum…”
A violet-gold light emerged, devouring vast amounts of earth energy—nearly 70% of what surrounded Tian Fan.
“That… I sense dragon might?!”
The Lich was stunned, gaping at the violet-gold radiance before Tian Fan.
“Unbelievable…”
Tian Fan rolled his eyes.
This little troublemaker always appeared without fail whenever treasures were involved.
As golden light surged, the divine script absorbed energy even faster. Though Tian Fan and the violet-gold dragon egg only received residual energy, their gains were immense—enough to make the distant Lich burn with envy.
It was a rare spectacle. To those with heavenly vision, it would appear as if the earth’s spiritual vein was rising, its essence converging toward the divine script while the two beneficiaries basked in the overflow.
Time seemed to stand still.
Tian Fan entered a trance, merging with the white energy, every pore drinking it in.
The violet-gold dragon egg was even more dramatic. Its patterns glowed brighter, and a miniature violet-gold dragon phantom materialized in the air—tiny, playful, circling above like an eager child.
Tian Fan couldn’t help but adore it.
The process lasted an indeterminable length before the divine script finally ceased its absorption, hovering quietly above Tian Fan.
The little dragon phantom gradually faded, and the egg, wrapped in light, floated to Tian Fan, nuzzling his cheek affectionately.
“Alright, little one, go back now. I’ll make sure you’re born soon.”
Tian Fan smiled, guilt tugging at him. Though he’d never forgotten about the egg, he hadn’t done enough to help it.
The violet-gold light pulsed happily before vanishing into his body.
“Hum…”
The divine script trembled slightly.
Miles away, a silver beam shot into the sky.
Tian Fan’s body shook with excitement—within that light, a crystalline orb floated, radiating immense wind spiritual power…