Willow Deity's manifestation slowly faded, and she returned to the seemingly ordinary willow tree at the village entrance.
"Considering how hard you've worked to cultivate, and how you never slaughtered humans on a large scale—in fact, you once protected the peace of the Great Wilderness..."
Willow Deity's voice rang in the minds of the two beasts.
"I'll spare you the death penalty, but you won't escape punishment."
"From today onward, your cultivation will be sealed. You'll stay here and guard the place until your sentence is served."
As her voice fell,
two willow twigs flew out and lightly touched the foreheads of Zhu Yan and the Vermilion Bird.
"Buzz!"
Two complex runes were branded onto them.
The two Venerables felt the vast divine power within them instantly locked away, and their enormous bodies began to shrink rapidly.
A moment later,
the golden giant ape that had towered over heaven and earth had become a tiny golden monkey no bigger than a fist.
The divine Vermilion Bird, which had burned everything in its path, had become a red-feathered little bird the size of a palm.
In an instant, they had gone from lofty Venerables to harmless, adorable pets.
"Eek, eek, eek!" (I won't do it again!)
"Chirp, chirp, chirp!" (Please don't kill me!)
The two little beasts lay on the ground, banging their heads against it in frantic kowtows.
Watching this, Ye Xuan's lips curved into a faint smile. He sauntered over.
First, he reached out, grabbed the little golden monkey by the scruff of its neck, and lifted it up.
"So this is Zhu Yan?"
Ye Xuan examined the fluffy little thing.
Though it had shrunk, its golden fur was still soft and glossy. Its big eyes darted about, giving it a clever look.
"From now on, your name is Furball."
Ye Xuan flicked the little monkey on the forehead with his finger.
"You're our village's number one pet."
Furball sulkily covered its forehead, daring to be angry but not daring to speak.
It was a Venerable, for heaven's sake! And now someone was flicking it on the forehead? And giving it such a tacky name as Furball?
But it glanced at the willow tree swaying in the breeze by the village entrance and immediately behaved. It nuzzled Ye Xuan's finger obediently, offering him a flattering smile.
The wise knew when to yield.
Then Ye Xuan looked at the little red bird on the ground.
"As for you..."
"You're all red, so I'll call you Little Red."
"You're pet number two."
The Vermilion Bird stiffened, wishing it could die.
Little Red?
That was way too casual!
But all it could do was nod through its tears and chirp sweetly to show its gratitude.
"Big brother, can we eat this monkey?"
Just then, Little Shi Hao ran over, staring at Furball as drool dripped from the corner of his mouth.
"Eek!"
Furball's fur stood on end in terror. With a whoosh, it leaped onto Ye Xuan's shoulder and clung tightly to his clothes.
"You can't eat this one. This one's on guard duty."
Ye Xuan smiled and patted Little Shi Hao on the head.
"We'll eat those two."
He pointed at the corpses of the two Venerables. Though they had shrunk to the size of small hills, they still radiated terrifying blood energy.
"Tonight, we're having Vermilion Bird hot pot and braised tiger ribs!"
Little Shi Hao cheered and led a group of children toward their prey.
After dealing with the "pets" and "ingredients," Ye Xuan turned his gaze to the ground nearby.
A bone piece as white as jade lay there quietly.
It was the source of this earth-shattering battle—the Mountain Treasure!
Earlier, the Four Venerables had fought so fiercely that heaven and earth trembled, yet failed to obtain it. Now it had been casually tossed on the ground, where no one paid it any mind.
Ye Xuan walked over and picked up the bone piece.
It felt warm and smooth in his hand, like a piece of warm jade.
The bone piece was a cube, its six sides densely covered in runes. But they were sealed by a mysterious power, making them impossible to see clearly.
"Master."
Holding the Mountain Treasure, Ye Xuan went to the willow tree.
"Is this the inheritance of the so-called Supreme Hall?"
A branch of Willow Deity drooped down and gently brushed the bone piece.
"Crack."
The seal, which even the Venerables had been unable to break, shattered instantly before Willow Deity, as easily as a sheet of paper.
"Buzz!"
The moment the box opened,
a beam of radiant light shot into the sky, accompanied by thousands of streaks of auspicious qi and countless rays of colorful light.
Countless Great Dao runes intertwined in the air, transforming into all kinds of incredible visions.
Six ancient worlds revolved, as if about to draw the Myriad Worlds into reincarnation.
A Nine-Leaf Sword Grass took root in the void. As its leaves turned, they sliced through the sun, moon, and stars, while sword energy stretched for millions of miles.
The phantoms of countless ancient Fierce Beasts roared, displaying their innate divine abilities.
"Good stuff!"
Ye Xuan's Double Pupils opened at once, fixing on the visions.
He saw them.
Within the bone piece were recorded several astonishing Supreme Methods.
The first was called the Six Paths Samsara Heavenly Art.
It was a divine ability specifically for wielding multiple precious arts.
It could combine different precious arts and unleash power that surpassed their limits.
The second was a sword art.
A blade of metal bore the image of a grass with nine leaves.
Each leaf was like an unparalleled Immortal Sword.
The Grass Character Sword Art!
The inherited precious art of the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, one of the ancient Ten Fiends!
It was said that a single blade of grass could cut down the sun, moon, and stars. Its offensive might was unmatched in the world.
"The Grass Character Sword Art..."
Ye Xuan's breathing quickened.
Though he was the Human Emperor in the Primordial Wilderness, the human race had always lacked top-tier offensive techniques.
The Grass Character Sword Art required no special bloodline. As long as one had enough comprehension, even an ordinary blade of grass could unleash peerless sword energy.
It was practically made for the human race!
Just imagine.
In the future, every member of the human race in the Primordial Wilderness could cultivate the Grass Character Sword Art, forming a mighty army of sword immortals. Faced with an army of demons, they could swing their swords and slay ten thousand demons.
What a glorious sight that would be!
Besides these two ultimate techniques, the Mountain Treasure also contained the Primordial True Explanation - Transcendence Chapter.
It was a general outline of cultivation, expounding the most fundamental truths of the Great Dao.
It also held the precious arts of dozens of ancient Fierce Beasts, including the True Hou, the Golden Crow, and the Golden-Winged Great Peng.
A huge haul!
This was an unprecedented haul!
Ye Xuan gripped the scorching bone piece, his joy beyond words.
With these things,
his foundations in Perfect World would be thoroughly secured.
"Master, this is a precious treasure."
Though Ye Xuan was excited, he hadn't lost his reason.
He knew that some of what it contained would move even Willow Deity.
"Keep it."
Willow Deity's voice was calm.
"These arts are excellent, but I already have my own path. You, on the other hand, have learned from several schools and need that heavenly art to bring them together."
"As for the sword art..."
Willow Deity paused, then continued.
"It is too focused on slaughter, but it truly suits you at this stage."
"Study it well."
With that, Willow Deity said no more.
Ye Xuan solemnly tucked the Mountain Treasure into his robes.
He turned and looked at the villagers, busy lighting fires and preparing dinner, and at Furball and Little Red, who wore utterly despairing expressions.
Ye Xuan's heart swelled with ambition.
With these inheritances, his foundations had grown even stronger.
Time in the Great Wilderness was the cheapest thing of all.
Before long, three months had quietly passed.
Life in Stone Village returned to normal.
Yet beneath that calm, Ye Xuan and Little Shi Hao were both undergoing astonishing transformations.
Before you continue