Chapter 45

Di Jun turned his gaze to Tai Cang and smiled. "Have you taken a liking to any treasures, little friend? I'll have Bai Shang fetch them at once."

Tai Cang hesitated slightly.

He had his eyes on that Fire Law Fruit. If he consumed it, he could grasp the Law of Fire. Combined with his system, he might even raise it directly to the perfected realm. Yet he also understood that there was no chance such an item would fall into his hands—the Golden Crow clan was renowned for controlling fire, and aside from the eldest prince, Di Yi, the other nine Golden Crow Princes had yet to comprehend a law.

As for that seed of unknown origin, it appeared utterly useless. In that case, it seemed there was only...

Ding! Task triggered: Obtain the World Tree Seed. Reward: One-Click Max Level Privilege x1.

World Tree Seed!

Tai Cang's pupils contracted sharply. His gaze, which had rested on the top-grade innate Lingbao, suddenly shifted to the seed. Shock surged through his heart. It's actually the legendary World Tree Seed?

According to ancient records, a World Tree had existed during the Chaos Era before the primordial world. Its roots had burrowed into Chaos, producing fruits of three thousand laws and drawing countless Chaos Demon Gods into battle over them. In the end, Pangu seized the fruits and severed the World Tree, cutting off everyone else's opportunities.

If he could obtain this seed and successfully cultivate it...

"Demon Emperor!"

Without hesitation, Tai Cang pointed at the third wooden box. "I am willing to take this item."

"The top-grade innate Lingbao means little to me, while the Law Fruit is excellent but better suited to Your Highnesses. After considering it carefully, I find this seed more pleasing to the eye. I hope Your Majesty will grant my request."

Di Jun and the others' expressions shifted slightly at his words. They did not know the seed's origins and merely assumed that Tai Cang was considerate and magnanimous. They could not help but develop a more favorable impression of him.

Di Jun nodded and gestured. "Bai Shang, give the seed to little friend Tai Cang." He then addressed the others. "Now that matters here have concluded, it is time to purge the remaining natives. Bai Shang, lead a team to escort little friend Tai Cang away."

"Understood."

Bai Shang respectfully presented the wooden box. As Tai Cang accepted it, the System Notification sounded at just the right moment. Ding! Task complete. Reward: One-Click Max Level Privilege x1!

Suppressing his joy, Tai Cang calmly stored the wooden box away. He cupped his hands to bid farewell to Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Tai Yi, and the others before following Bai Shang through the air under the protection of the demons.

"Brother..." Eastern Emperor Tai Yi seemed to want to say something, but stopped.

Watching Tai Cang depart, Eastern Emperor Tai Yi said joyfully inside the divine temple, "We finally captured this place. We can begin establishing the demon realm now."

Fuxi and the others nodded in agreement. Fuxi spoke first. "Given the current situation in the primordial world, a decisive battle between the Witch Clan and Demon Race is unavoidable. If we had not taken this world, our Demon Race truly would have had no other choice."

"But things are different now. If we use this world as the foundation for the demon realm, then even if the worst happens, our race will be able to withdraw unscathed."

"Precisely." Delight flashed through Di Jun's eyes as he waved his hand and drew the two wooden boxes into his grasp.

After pondering briefly, Di Jun put away the box containing the Law Fruit and tossed the other box, containing the top-grade innate Lingbao, to Kunpeng. "Demon Advisor, you made the greatest contribution in discovering this world. This Lingbao is granted to you for refinement."

"Thank you for Your Majesty's reward!" Kunpeng caught the wooden box in surprise. He had not expected Di Jun to bestow such a precious treasure upon him. As the Demon Race's strategist, he truly lacked a suitable magic treasure. With this item, his cultivation would surely rise to another level.

"No need for courtesy, Demon Advisor. This is the reward you deserve." Di Jun waved his hand indifferently, then said solemnly, "Next, we must use the Star Array of the Heavens to transform this world. When the work is complete, it will be time for our race to wage its decisive battle against the Witch Clan. The longer we delay, the stronger the force of the calamity will grow, and the more variables there will be."

On the Sun Star, Tai Cang and Bai Shang returned atop the clouds.

After landing, Bai Shang did not enter. He stopped and bowed. "Now that I have safely escorted you back, fellow Daoist, I shall take my leave. My father entrusted me with an urgent matter earlier, and I must attend to it immediately."

Hearing of the matter Bai Ze had entrusted to him, Tai Cang understood at once—the Demon Race was preparing to establish the demon realm. He returned the bow. "In that case, I dare not delay you, fellow Daoist. I am deeply grateful to all of you for escorting me this time."

They had encountered several attacks from remnants of the natives on the return journey. Without Bai Shang and the others' protection, he would not have escaped safely.

"You are too polite, fellow Daoist." Bai Shang smiled brightly. "Helping our race seize this world is a favor akin to remaking us. We should be the ones thanking you. Once these affairs are settled, we shall drink and talk again."

With that, he hurried away with his group.

"Fellow Daoist Tai Cang!"

Calls rang out behind him. Di Yi and the other Golden Crow Princes had rushed over after hearing the news, each wearing a delighted expression. Their gazes toward Tai Cang were filled with gratitude. They had already learned that Tai Cang had helped the Demon Race seize another world.

"Fellow Daoists." Tai Cang returned their greeting, then asked Di Yi, "Has the Essence of Heaven been prepared?"

Having been delayed for a thousand years, Tai Cang was eager. Especially after witnessing Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Tai Yi, and the other great powers effortlessly wield such overwhelming methods in the other world, his desire to break through had only grown stronger.

"It has long been prepared."

Di Yi laughed heartily, instantly understanding Tai Cang's meaning. He withdrew a Qiankun Bag from his sleeve and handed it over. "A few days ago, when I learned that Father and the others had breached the other world, I recalled the troops gathering the Essence of Heaven."

"For over a thousand years, a thousand Grand Unity Golden Immortals have gathered it day and night. It should be enough, I believe. Take a look, fellow Daoist. If it is insufficient, I will send people to gather more."

Joy appeared on Tai Cang's face.

The labor of a thousand Grand Unity Golden Immortals over a thousand years should indeed be enough. He accepted the Qiankun Bag and sent his divine sense inside.

Within the bag lay a boundless expanse of flawless, pure Essence of Heaven. The instant he came into contact with it, his Heavenly Flower trembled as though it were about to break through its restraints.

"It is enough!"

Tai Cang opened his eyes and cupped his hands toward them. "Thank you all for your full support. If I had relied on my own strength, I fear it would have taken ten thousand years."

This was no exaggeration. Gathering such an amount of Essence of Heaven by himself would truly have taken a very long time. Though the Demon Race's affairs had delayed him for a thousand years, they had saved him ten thousand years of labor. Tai Cang could not help but marvel at the importance of connections.

Had he not befriended Di Yi and the others, even with the Law of Space, he would have struggled to meet the Demon Sovereign, much less mobilize a thousand Grand Unity Golden Immortals to aid him.

"You are too polite, fellow Daoist."

Di Yi and the others were greatly relieved. If it had truly been insufficient, they would not have known how to explain themselves. Now that it was enough, the Ten Golden Crow Princes immediately relaxed and stepped forward. "In that case, we should hold a banquet to celebrate."

As they spoke, they prepared to lead Tai Cang into the Sun Palace.

Tai Cang hesitated slightly, but ultimately did not refuse. Though he was eager to enter seclusion, there was no need to rush over this short while. Thus, he followed them inside.

This banquet was even grander than before. Di Yi brought out the fine wine and spiritual fruits treasured by the Demon Sovereign, showing just how highly they regarded him.

The feast lasted seven days before finally ending.

Tai Cang bid everyone farewell and left the Nine Heavens Star Domain. He now needed to find a place for secluded cultivation, first using the Essence of Heaven to advance his Heavenly Flower before sorting through the gains from this expedition.

After returning to the primordial world, he chose a secluded valley and set up a spatial barrier. Sitting cross-legged within the valley, he took out the Qiankun Bag and murmured, "I wonder what realm this Essence of Heaven can push the Supreme Heavenly Flower to."

Without further hesitation, he stirred his mana and guided the vast essence into his sea of consciousness.

In an instant, the Heavenly Flower trembled and began to transform under the nourishment of the essence.

Seeing this, Tai Cang did not hesitate. He immediately activated the secret art of the Supreme Heavenly Flower and began refining it.

Time passed as enormous amounts of Essence of Heaven continuously poured in, and the Heavenly Flower's grade rose layer by layer: ten petals, eleven petals, twelve petals!

When the final wisp of Essence of Heaven was completely absorbed, the Heavenly Flower above Tai Cang's head had reached the perfected twelve-petal realm.

At that instant, Tai Cang's mana suddenly boiled. Although his cultivation had not broken through, its power had increased by more than a hundredfold.

Even more astonishingly, as the twelve-petal Heavenly Flower took shape, Tai Cang's understanding of the true meaning of the Great Dao suddenly leaped to an entirely new level. Though he remained a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, he was now completely confident that he could easily crush his former self.

"What a Supreme Heavenly Flower!"

"It truly is extraordinarily profound!"

Shock flashed through Tai Cang's eyes. Just as he was about to rise, a sudden change occurred.

The twelve-petal Heavenly Flower suddenly bloomed with dazzling radiance. Deep within it, a strange Dao Fruit had formed, drawing in and exhaling the spiritual energy of heaven and earth with astonishing might.

"What is this?"

Tai Cang stared at the Dao Fruit in uncertainty. When he attempted to probe it with his divine sense, he was blocked by the mysterious power contained within it and could not approach at all.

This unexpected change beyond his control made Tai Cang frown deeply. Only after waiting for a while and confirming that it was harmless did he withdraw the twelve-petal Heavenly Flower back into his body.

"The Supreme Heavenly Flower is complete."

"Next, I should head to Buzhou Mountain to seek the Essence of Earth."

Tai Cang's gaze sharpened, but he did not act immediately after rising. Through this experience, he had realized that working alone was far too inefficient. He had to seek help.

The Essence of Earth at Buzhou Mountain was connected to the Witch Clan's innate turbid energy. If he could gain an Ancestral Witch's assistance, he would achieve twice the result with half the effort. Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Houtu was the most proficient in the Law of Earth.

But after witnessing the schemes of the Three Pure Ones and the Demon Race's methods, Tai Cang no longer dared to rashly judge the Witch Clan's true strength. Many plans born of foreknowledge might no longer work.

"Forget it!"

"I'll meet the Ancestral Witches first!"

"If they refuse, I'll think of another way."

Having made up his mind, Tai Cang said in a deep voice, "System, raise the Law of Time to max level."

Ding! Max-level privilege consumed. The Law of Time has reached perfection.

In an instant, the vast profound mysteries of the Law of Time surged through Tai Cang's sea of consciousness. The Law of Time, which he had only just begun to grasp, was now completely integrated into his understanding.

"Success!"

After a long while, Tai Cang opened his eyes and felt the intertwined fluctuations of the Laws of Time and Space within his body. A smile appeared on his lips. Once the laws of time and space were mastered, it would mark the beginning of the path to invincibility. Even Saints who could peer into the River of Destiny would struggle to cross the barriers between countless worlds.

If he could comprehend the laws of time and space, everything would be entirely different.

He would only need to connect to the River of Destiny and lock onto the coordinates of the heavens to traverse endless time and space, seize whatever he needed, and even glimpse the legendary five realms of Grand Unity.

Rumble—

Rumble—

A sudden series of deafening booms shook heaven and earth.

The barrier Tai Cang had set up suffered a fierce impact, and the entire valley began to shake violently.

"Who dares act so recklessly!"

Tai Cang frowned slightly, concealed his aura, and teleported to the valley entrance. He had always kept to himself in the primordial world and truly could not understand who would come to provoke him.

When he clearly saw the scene outside, he found a man and a beast engaged in fierce battle.

The savage beast was as massive as a mountain, its body covered in ghastly white bone spikes. Wherever it passed, the earth turned into a highly poisonous swamp, and fertile land for thousands of miles became sunken marshes.

Fighting it was an unfamiliar Great Witch. Though he ranked among the strongest, his aura was far inferior to Xing Tian and the other Ancestral Witches. He was clearly someone the Witch Clan had artificially cultivated using Bloodline Pills.

The aftermath of their battle raged wildly. Under the corrosion of the poisonous mist, even the spatial barrier had begun to dissolve.

"What a vicious savage beast!"

Tai Cang's pupils narrowed. This ferocious creature possessed power comparable to a Quasi-Saint. The battlefield spanning millions of miles had already become a poisonous marsh, while the Great Witch was gradually falling into a disadvantage under the poison's erosion.

Roar—

The savage beast suddenly let out a furious roar, and a sphere of condensed poison slammed into the Great Witch's chest.

With a deafening crash, the Great Witch's body rapidly shrank and smashed heavily toward Tai Cang's location. The spatial barrier shattered on impact. Purple-black poison churned around him, and he was already at death's door.

"It can actually defeat a top-tier Great Witch?"

Tai Cang swiftly sealed the Great Witch's vital channels and stared uncertainly at the savage beast. Before he could think further, he saw the poisonous fog rolling toward him like an overwhelming tide.

"Beast!"

He grabbed the dying Great Witch and instantly activated the Golden Crow Transformation Rainbow Technique. In the wake of his afterimage, the valley collapsed beneath the tide of poison and became a new death swamp.

"Golden Crow Transformation Rainbow Technique?"

At the same time, a black figure emerged atop the savage beast's shoulder. The black-robed cultivator stared in the direction Tai Cang had fled and said darkly, "A cultivator actually interfered."

"This matter can no longer be concealed. We must leave at once."

"You brat who ruined my plans, I have remembered your aura. One day, I will make you pay for what you did today."

As he spoke, the cultivator changed his hand seals, and the enormous beast rapidly shrank.

With a low shout, he swept his sleeve and took the savage beast inside. Then his figure turned into a streak of light and vanished beyond the horizon.