The Golden Crow Prince

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, you truly amaze me."

Di Yi stepped forward slowly, a slight smile on his lips. "When I first entered the Sun Palace, I observed everyone from the Intercepting Sect. Aside from you, none of the others were worth worrying about."

"I never expected you to defeat nine of my brothers in a row, sweeping through Grand Unity Golden Immortals while at the peak Golden Immortal realm. Such talent is truly peerless."

"Your glory ends here."

Brilliant golden light bloomed in Di Yi's palm, and a long spear, entwined with primordial energy, suddenly appeared. It was clearly a high-grade innate spiritual treasure.

"Innate supreme treasure!"

Tai Cang's pupils contracted. The joy of defeating the nine Golden Crow Princes instantly vanished. He knew clearly that his previous victories were entirely due to the advantage of magic treasures—except for him, none of the Golden Crow Princes had used their natal spiritual treasures.

The path of a cultivator emphasizes four essentials: technique, method, spirit, and power.

Technique: the myriad wondrous laws.

Method: the might of spiritual treasures.

Spirit: penetrating heaven and earth.

Power: foundation and depth.

Aside from Lu Ya, the other eight Golden Crow Princes had not unleashed their full strength.

"Please enlighten me!"

Tai Cang suppressed his emotions. As his wooden sword trembled, it erupted with astonishing sword intent.

"Battle!"

Di Yi's spear shot out like a dragon, its ten-thousand-foot-long aura tearing through the void. His cultivation at the mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, combined with the innate spiritual treasure, made this strike possess the power of completion.

"Break!"

Tai Cang channeled thirty percent of his mana, and the Shangqing Five Elements Slash emerged. The two world-shattering blades collided in mid-air, and amidst crisp shattering sounds, the green sword energy crumbled piece by piece.

The spear's momentum unabated, it arrived in an instant.

"Yin Yang Rotation!"

In a flash of lightning, Tai Cang expended another fifty percent of his mana and unleashed a second sword strike. Taking advantage of the dissipating spear aura, he stepped on his wooden sword and soared into the sky, his hands forming a spell to summon thunderclouds from the nine heavens.

Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder had now become the deciding factor.

"Imperial Brother, be careful!"

Di Jiu cried out in alarm. Only those who had experienced it could know the terror of this lightning.

"Annihilate!"

Di Yi flicked his spear at the residual rainbow, his gaze fixed solemnly on the sky. He knew well that the Solar True Fire was no match for the Three Pure Ones Thunder Method, so he immediately transformed into a golden rainbow, aiming directly for Tai Cang's body.

His only chance of victory lay in close combat, using the might of his innate spiritual treasure to end the battle quickly.

"Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder - Decree!"

How could Tai Cang surrender so easily? With a low shout, the Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder responded, striking directly at Di Yi.

Rumble--

Black lightning surged, striking repeatedly, bombarding Di Yi's location densely.

However, as fast as the lightning was, Di Yi possessed the Golden Crow bloodline and had mastered the Primordial World's foremost escape technique—the Golden Crow Transformation Rainbow Technique. With a flash of golden light, he turned into a stream of light, dodging and weaving through the sky filled with lightning, while continuously closing in on Tai Cang.

"Eldest Brother will win!"

"Eldest Brother will win!"

The Golden Crow Princes on the ground shouted loudly. The battle had reached a critical juncture, with victory or defeat hanging by a thread—either Di Yi would be defeated by the Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder, or Tai Cang would fall in close combat.

"Junior Brother Tai Cang will win!"

"Junior Brother Tai Cang will win!"

Suddenly, cheers of support from the Intercepting Sect disciples came from behind. At some point, they had gathered in the backyard, cheering for Tai Cang.

Inside the Sun Palace, Tongtian, Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Tai Yi, and others held their breath, their eyes fixed on this decisive battle.

Boom! Boom!

The Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder bombarded relentlessly. Even the ground, reinforced by the Fusang Tree, was shattered into pieces. Tai Cang's gaze was like lightning; as soon as he locked onto Di Yi's figure, he immediately unleashed the thunder.

Di Yi, however, showed no fear. Each time the lightning struck him, he skillfully evaded it using the Golden Crow Transformation Rainbow Technique. As the distance steadily closed, the atmosphere in the arena grew increasingly tense, and Tai Cang felt a surge of urgency.

Whoosh--

In a flash of lightning, Di Yi suddenly appeared behind Tai Cang, raising his spear high. "Fellow Daoist Tai Cang, I concede!"

Before his words even fell, the spear tip pierced directly towards Tai Cang's vital point. In a life-or-death struggle, only by heavily wounding the opponent could victory be secured.

"This is bad!"

Tai Cang's face changed drastically. This spear strike was ferocious and unavoidable. If he were hit, he would undoubtedly lose.

"I'll risk it!"

He gritted his teeth, fully channeling the Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder towards Di Yi, while simultaneously turning to block with his wooden sword.

Clang--

With a crisp sound, the wooden sword shattered, unable to withstand the might of the innate spiritual treasure spear. The spear's momentum did not diminish, instantly piercing Tai Cang's shoulder.

"Ugh!"

Tai Cang grunted, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

At the same moment, a pillar of lightning descended from the sky, striking Di Yi's body.

"Ah--"

With a scream, Di Yi was struck to the ground, the lightning storm raging and sweeping in all directions.

"Eldest Brother!"

"Eldest Brother!"

The nine Golden Crow Princes cried out in alarm and flew towards the surging lightning.

They had thought Di Yi had victory in hand, but at the last moment, he was struck by the Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder.

That solid blow made everyone's heart pound for Di Yi's safety.

Junior Brother Tai Cang!

Junior Brother Tai Cang!

Zhao Gongming and the others rushed into the backyard anxiously, soaring on clouds towards Tai Cang's location. They had personally witnessed Di Yi being struck by the Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder and the thrilling scene of Tai Cang being pierced through the body by a spear of innate spiritual treasure grade.

A soft shout rang out, and Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Tai Yi, and others appeared silently. With a wave of Di Jun's hand, the rampaging lightning storm instantly dissipated, revealing Di Yi lying on the ground, twitching. Although his life was not in danger, he was severely injured.

Di Jun breathed a sigh of relief, flashed to Di Yi's side, and channeled his energy to heal him, his gaze involuntarily drifting towards Tai Cang in the distance.

There is no need for my Senior Brothers and Sisters to worry.

Tai Cang's voice carried, and Zhao Gongming and the others stopped. They saw Tai Cang holding the spear shaft with one hand and exerting force.

Pfft--

The spear was pulled out, and a trace of blood flowed from Tai Cang's lips, but his injuries were far less severe than Di Yi's. Although he was covered in blood, his vital points were unharmed.

Tai Cang looked at Di Yi on the ground and said calmly, "Fellow Daoist Di Yi, you have lost."

Ding! You have defeated a Top Ten Golden Crow. Mission complete. Congratulations to the host for obtaining a One-Click Max Level Privilege.

A system notification sounded. Tai Cang was relieved and was about to heal himself when Sect Master Tongtian appeared before him.

With a wave of Tongtian's hand, a ball of life energy enveloped the wound on Tai Cang's left shoulder, and the injury healed at a visible speed.

"Well done," Tongtian said with satisfaction.

"Thank you, Master!" Tai Cang bowed. "I ask for your punishment for fighting the Golden Crow Prince without permission."

"It's nothing," Tongtian waved his hand. "A mere minor injury, not worth mentioning."

After speaking, Tongtian walked towards Di Yi's location. He understood that he had to treat Di Yi, not only to clean up after Tai Cang but also because the two parties still had an unfinished transaction. If Di Jun were angered by this, obtaining the Sun Moon Essence would be extremely difficult.

"Please, Sage, lend your aid," Di Jun said, cupping his fists in request.

Tongtian nodded. "Fellow Daoist Di Jun, rest assured."

Tongtian smiled faintly, formed a spell with his left hand, and another surge of vigorous life force emerged.

He flicked his sleeve, and the life force entered Di Yi's body. Instantly, a verdant glow flowed, and Di Yi's body, severely wounded by the Primordial Clarity Divine Thunder, healed at a visible speed. In the blink of an eye, he opened his eyes.

"Ugh..."

Di Yi grunted and pushed himself up. After looking around, his expression became dejected. "I have lost." Suddenly, his body trembled as if sensing something, and he immediately sat cross-legged and began to circulate his energy. With the enhancement of the Sage Tongtian's power, his aura surged continuously, and in a short while, he broke through to the late stage of Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

"The methods of a Sage are indeed marvelous."

Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Tai Yi exchanged glances, seeing the astonishment in each other's eyes. Although the Demon Race also had secret healing methods, they were ultimately inferior to Tongtian's transformative abilities. What was even more remarkable was that Di Yi had seized this opportunity to break through his bottleneck.

"Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for your assistance."

Di Jun clasped his fists solemnly, gratitude overflowing in his expression.

"You are too kind, Fellow Daoist."

Tongtian's gaze swept over Di Yi, who was adjusting his breathing, and he said with a smile, "This child has profound fortune; it is his destiny to have such an opportunity." Changing the subject, he continued, "I wonder about the Sun Moon Essence we agreed upon earlier..."

"Someone!"

Di Jun understood and immediately summoned his attendants. A demon general arrived with hurried steps, holding a jade box. The sun and moon energies within the box shone brilliantly.

"Please, Fellow Daoist, examine it."

Tongtian, who had taken the jade box, nodded slightly. Di Jun then said, "The banquet has not yet concluded. How about..."

Tongtian pondered for a moment and then agreed. The group then moved to the Sun Palace, where the fragrance of fine wine and delicacies once again filled the hall.

By this time, Tai Cang had finished recuperating. He cupped his fists towards Zhao Gongming and the others who had gathered around him. "Thank you all for your concern." His gaze swept over Senior Brothers and Sisters like Wudang and Jinling, whom he did not know well, and a hint of warmth flashed in his eyes.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang!"

Di Yi, leading the nine Golden Crows, arrived on clouds, his expression filled with the confidence of a breakthrough. He smiled and performed a bow, saying, "Do you still remember our previous agreement?"

The eyes of Di Jiu and the others immediately lit up with fervent light upon hearing this, and they all looked towards Tai Cang in unison.

Although acquired spiritual treasures were not as precious as innate spiritual treasures, they were more practical for the ten brothers. Besides Di Yi, who could barely wield an innate spiritual treasure, the rest all needed acquired spiritual treasures for protection. Seeing that Tai Cang was about to depart, all the Golden Crow Princes hoped he could refine one or two acquired spiritual treasures for each of them to enhance their strength.

"Of course."

Tai Cang's lips curved slightly, and he said with a faint smile, "Just as I said before, as long as you can gather the materials, I will gladly help."

"What difficulty is there in that!"

Di Yi laughed heartily and replied, "What our brothers lack the least are heavenly materials and earthly treasures." As he spoke, he turned to Lu Ya and instructed, "Tenth Brother, go retrieve the rare materials from the treasury, and by the way, give all the accumulated Sun Moon Essence to fellow Daoist Tai Cang. Since we've made a pact, how can we brothers be people of our word?"

"As you command!"

Lu Ya received the order and left, his figure quickly disappearing into the distance.

"Artifact refining?"

"Junior Brother actually understands the art of artifact refining?"

Zhao Gongming and the others looked at Tai Cang with astonishment and disbelief. Logically speaking, they had joined Tongtian's sect around the same time and were personal disciples. There was no reason for their master to teach only Tai Cang the method of artifact refining.

"I only know a little bit."

Tai Cang said with a calm smile, "If Senior Brother and Senior Sister need acquired spiritual treasures refined, just prepare the materials. However..." A sharp glint flashed in his eyes, "I will need to charge a small fee."

Now that I've obtained the Sun Moon Essence, the next step is to gather the Five Elements Qi. The Primordial World is vast, and collecting the Five Elements Qi alone would be too inefficient. If I can enlist the help of my fellow disciples from the Intercepting Sect, using artifact refining as payment wouldn't be a bad idea. After all, condensing the Supreme Five Qi requires immense resources. To quickly reach the Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage, borrowing power is imperative.

"Acquired spiritual treasures?"

"Are you serious, Junior Brother?"

Zhao Gongming and the others became instantly excited. Although they were Sages, they currently did not possess any powerful spiritual treasures. Tongtian had not bestowed any innate spiritual treasures upon them either, leaving them quite impoverished. The magical artifacts they held were mostly self-refined before their entry into the sect, and at most could be considered magical treasures. Hearing that Tai Cang could refine acquired spiritual treasures, how could they not be tempted?

The fish are biting.

Tai Cang was secretly satisfied, but outwardly showed no emotion. "Indeed. However, it requires heavenly materials and earthly treasures containing the Power of the Five Elements as payment."

"It's a deal!"

Zhao Gongming and the others eagerly agreed, wishing they could immediately return to their caves to search their collections. Exchanging materials that would otherwise lie idle for acquired spiritual treasures was clearly a much better deal.

"Eldest Brother, I'm back!"

Lu Ya returned, holding several Qiankun bags. He approached Tai Cang and tilted the openings of the bags. Instantly, rare materials piled up like mountains, their treasure light radiating in all directions.

"Hiss—"

This scene caused the Intercepting Sect cultivators present to gasp in admiration, exclaiming repeatedly as they gazed at the mountains of heavenly materials and earthly treasures: "Pure Yang Tin Gold!"

"Purple Firmament Thunder Spirit Stone!"

"Heavenly Stem Ancient Jade!"