Treasure Dropping Golden Coin

Dao Xuan quickly came to feel immensely fortunate that he had decided to bring the Six-Eared Macaque along.

Perhaps the Six-Eared Macaque had experienced too much of life's warmth and coldness and seen through the fickleness of the world, or perhaps it possessed an innate clarity of mind—though Dao Xuan leaned toward the former, since monkeys were naturally restless.

Along the way, it got along remarkably well with Gourd Baby.

Gourd Baby was bursting with energy and curiosity. Everything seemed new to him, and his questions poured forth like the Milky Way turned upside down.

In the past, Dao Xuan had borne all that "firepower" alone.

Now, he had the Six-Eared Macaque.

Things were vastly different!

"Young master, look at that cloud. It resembles a galloping horse. This is a sign of heavenly horse soaring through the sky, indicating that this journey will proceed smoothly and without hindrance." The Six-Eared Macaque pointed at a drifting cloud on the horizon and solemnly educated Gourd Baby.

Gourd Baby's large eyes lit up. "Wow! Little monkey, you know so much! Will that heavenly horse fly down here?"

"Uh... that is merely a celestial phenomenon, not a real heavenly horse..." the Six-Eared Macaque patiently explained.

"Young master, that crimson ancient tree ahead is called a Vermilion Fruit Tree. It flowers once every hundred years and bears fruit once every hundred years. Its fruit contains a trace of Essence of Departing Fire, and eating it can warm the body and strengthen one's constitution." As they passed through a forest, the Six-Eared Macaque pointed it out again.

Gourd Baby was practically drooling. "Is it tasty? Can we pick some?"

"The fruit has not ripened yet, and this place may have an owner..." The Six-Eared Macaque hurriedly dissuaded him while vigilantly examining their surroundings.

Whenever Gourd Baby started another round of "Teacher, teacher!" questions—

The Six-Eared Macaque could always interject at just the right time, either changing the subject or answering some simple questions on Dao Xuan's behalf.

"Teacher, teacher! What kind of bird is that? Its tail is so long!"

"Young master, that is a golden pheasant, not a spirit bird. Its tail feathers are brilliantly colored, and mortal emperors often use them to adorn their crowns..."

"Teacher, teacher! Why is that mountain so bare?"

"Young master, the earth and rocks of this mountain contain metal and iron essence, making it difficult for vegetation to grow. That is why it appears so desolate..."

When it answered, its tone was gentle and its explanations clear, carrying a steadiness and maturity wholly at odds with its Earth Immortal cultivation.

Occasionally, Gourd Baby's playful nature would take over, and he would want to chase immortal birds or pick exotic flowers.

The Six-Eared Macaque would dissuade him at the proper time, explaining the risks and citing old sayings—though most were things it had overheard or figured out itself—and it somehow managed to coax Gourd Baby into obedient compliance.

Even more rarely—

When Gourd Baby quieted down—

The Six-Eared Macaque would silently follow behind and to the side of the Five Spirit Qilin, standing respectfully with its hands lowered while its eyes vigilantly swept the surroundings.

Its six ears quivered faintly, constantly catching every movement within several hundred miles.

If a powerful aura approached, it would immediately warn in a low voice, "Immortal, Demonic Aura seems to be rising three hundred miles to the northeast. The auras are mixed and chaotic; it may not be a friendly place. Should we take a detour?"

With a mere sweep of his divine sense, Dao Xuan knew that its words were true.

This vigilance and diligence far surpassed that of an ordinary servant.

Watching Gourd Baby cling to Six-Eared and ask him question after question instead of bombarding him all day—

Dao Xuan felt his ears finally grow quiet, his mind refreshed and clear.

He could not help but feel a measure of approval toward this monkey, weathered by hardship yet still possessed of a heart set upon the Dao and a trace of innocence. It truly was teachable.

How was this a servant?

It was clearly an expert at looking after children! A thoughtful little padded jacket that eased the burden on his dignity as a teacher—though it happened to be monkey-shaped!

Dao Xuan felt greatly comforted.

Taking in this Six-Eared Macaque had been well worth it!

And so—

The qilin trod upon clouds, the gourd streaked through the air, and a monkey followed along.

Their three-person(?) group traveled leisurely onward, enjoying themselves quite happily.

One day—

They reached the southwestern region of the prehistoric world.

Ahead lay towering mountains, rising and falling in endless succession like enormous dragons coiled upon the land.

One of the main peaks was particularly unusual.

It rose steeply like a sword pointing toward the heavens, its entire surface covered in dark golden stone. Under the sunlight, a faint metallic sheen flowed across it.

Clouds and rosy mists swirled around its summit, while auspicious vapors rose into the sky.

Suddenly!

Rumble—!

A deep, thunderous roar emerged from the depths of the mountain!

Immediately afterward—

A boundless pillar of golden light burst from the summit of that main peak without warning!

The dazzling golden light shot straight into the heavens, dyeing the clouds across the sky gold!

A vast and pure innate spiritual aura, carrying a strange rhythm, swept through the four directions like a tidal wave!

A spiritual treasure was being born!

And it was an Innate Spiritual Treasure of an exceptionally high grade!

Such a heaven-shaking phenomenon instantly alarmed all living beings within a million miles!

"A spiritual treasure is being born!"

"What powerful treasure light! It is at least a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!"

"Quick! It is at Falling Gold Peak!"

Countless divine senses, demon winds, and escaping lights came rushing in from every direction, like sharks catching the scent of blood, madly surging toward that dark golden peak—Falling Gold Peak!

Riding upon the qilin's back, Dao Xuan's gaze was drawn to the golden light soaring into the sky.

His heart stirred, and he secretly employed a profound sect divination art, counting upon his fingers.

The heavenly secrets were murky and involved far too many threads.

Yet within the unseen currents of fate, a faint and indistinct pull actually settled upon him!

This treasure was fated to be his!

"Oh?" A trace of surprise flashed through Dao Xuan's eyes.

With his current Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation and his status as an orthodox cultivator of the profound sect, his attainments in divination were extraordinary.

For ordinary spiritual treasures, he could determine their origin and foundation with a single calculation.

Yet this treasure about to be born—its precise appearance, name, and function—seemed veiled in mist, impossible to deduce clearly!

He could only vaguely sense that its grade was extremely high and that it had some karmic connection with him.

This greatly surprised him.

In the prehistoric world, there were not many Innate Spiritual Treasures that could evade his calculations.

"Let us go take a look."

Dao Xuan lightly patted the qilin's neck.

The Five Spirit Qilin understood. It let out a long cry, its four hooves stepping upon auspicious clouds as it carried Dao Xuan toward the place atop Falling Gold Mountain where the golden light shone brightest.

The Seven-Colored Gourd, carrying Gourd Baby, hurried after them, while the Six-Eared Macaque ran along on the ground.

The closer they came to the summit, the fiercer the golden light became.

The pure innate spiritual aura also grew denser, and merely taking a breath made one feel refreshed and clear-minded.

At the summit lay a vast, relatively level platform made entirely of dark golden stone.

At that moment, golden light rose from its center like a pillar, piercing directly into the heavens.

Within the pillar of light, a treasure could vaguely be seen taking shape, exuding a pressure that made hearts tremble.

Dao Xuan did not approach the pillar directly. Instead, he brought the cloud down upon a massive rock at the platform's edge, where the view was broad and unobstructed.

The Five Spirit Qilin restrained its divine radiance and stood quietly at attention.

Gourd Baby sat upon the Seven-Colored Gourd, hovering beside Dao Xuan as his large eyes curiously stared at the golden pillar.

"Teacher, what treasure is that inside? It is all shiny and golden—so pretty!"

The Six-Eared Macaque stood respectfully some distance behind Dao Xuan, its hands lowered, though its lively monkey eyes vigilantly scanned the surrounding area.

In just that brief moment—

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Figures arrived one after another. Some rode demon winds, some controlled escaping lights, and some relied on sheer physical strength to leap directly onto the platform.

There were Demon Clan great sages with sinister demonic auras and exposed fangs.

There were War Witches of the witch clan, their blood energy soaring skyward and their muscles knotted like dragons.

There were independent cultivators in flowing Daoist robes, with the bearing of immortal sages.

There were also bizarrely shaped strange beasts and vicious spirits with inscrutable auras.

In a short time, several dozen cultivators had gathered atop Falling Gold Mountain, each possessing at least Heavenly Immortal or True Immortal cultivation.

Among them were several concealed yet powerful auras that had clearly reached the Golden Immortal level!

These latecomers all kept wary distances from one another.

Their gazes were greedy and burning as they stared at the indistinct treasure within the golden pillar, all while guarding against each other.

The atmosphere instantly became tense and oppressive.

Swords were drawn, and battle could erupt at any moment.

Dao Xuan's group naturally attracted attention as well.

The Five Spirit Qilin's divine majesty, Dao Xuan's unfathomable presence, Gourd Baby's strange attire, and the treasure gourd beneath him all marked them as extraordinary.

Dao Xuan's serene, detached aura as an orthodox cultivator of the profound sect especially made certain knowledgeable figures inwardly wary.

For a time, no one dared step forward to provoke them.

Yet the divine senses secretly spying on them increased considerably.

Dao Xuan paid this no mind. Standing with his hands behind his back, he calmly watched the pillar of light.

He was waiting for the moment when the spiritual treasure would finish taking shape.

As he waited—

Dao Xuan's gaze inadvertently swept over the Six-Eared Macaque standing respectfully behind him.

Seeing its six ears quivering faintly, seemingly even sharper than usual—

An idea suddenly occurred to Dao Xuan.

This monkey possessed an innate divine ability: it could listen to sounds, discern principles, know what came before and after, and understand all things.

Perhaps...

"Six-Eared." Dao Xuan spoke calmly.

"This lowly one is here!" The Six-Eared Macaque jolted and hurriedly bowed, its heart anxious as it wondered what the immortal wanted.

"Investigate the treasure being nurtured within that pillar of light. What kind of spiritual treasure is it, and what is its foundation?" Dao Xuan's tone was gentle.

At those words, the Six-Eared Macaque's entire body suddenly trembled!

The color instantly drained from its face, and immense terror filled its eyes!

With a thud, it dropped to its knees, its voice trembling with fear and a sobbing tone.

"Immortal! Please see clearly! This lowly one... this lowly one will never dare flaunt its divine ability again! This lowly one knows its mistake! Please spare this lowly one!"

It thought Dao Xuan was testing it, warning it not to repeat the calamity it had suffered outside the Purple Sky Palace!

Overwhelming fear made it prostrate itself on the ground, trembling all over.

Gourd Baby was startled by its abrupt reaction. He looked at Six-Eared, then at Dao Xuan, his little face full of confusion.

Dao Xuan was initially taken aback, but he quickly understood.

Seeing the Six-Eared Macaque's startled, birdlike state, he could not help but sigh inwardly.

The words "the Dharma shall not be passed to six ears" had wounded this monkey far too deeply.

He gave a helpless chuckle and said warmly:

"Rise. I am not testing you, much less blaming you."

"This treasure is fated to be mine, yet its foundation is strange and the heavenly secrets around it are muddled. Even I cannot calculate it clearly."

"That is why I wish to borrow your innate divine ability and see whether you can uncover anything."

"Use it without concern."

Dao Xuan's voice was calm and carried a power that soothed the heart.

Only then did the Six-Eared Macaque dare raise its head slightly and sneak a glance at Dao Xuan.

Dao Xuan's gaze was clear, and his expression open and composed, without the slightest anger or probing intent.

The monkey's heart settled somewhat, though it still hesitated in fear.

"Immortal... truly... truly, you will not blame this lowly one for overstepping?"

"Of course not." Dao Xuan nodded. "I am the one making this request. How could it be considered overstepping? Go ahead and act freely."

With Dao Xuan's confirmation once more, the huge stone weighing on the Six-Eared Macaque's heart finally fell away.

Then a tremendous surge of excitement and purpose welled up within it!

The immortal actually needed to borrow its divine ability!

This was trust! It was also an opportunity!

"Yes! This lowly one obeys!"

The Six-Eared Macaque took a deep breath and climbed up from the ground.

It tried its best to calm its excited heart, then stepped to a position slightly ahead and beside Dao Xuan, facing the golden pillar.

It slowly closed its eyes.

The six unusual ears atop its head began to tremble at an exceedingly rapid yet subtle frequency, following an unfathomable rhythm!

Buzz...

An invisible, intangible, yet extraordinarily sharp ripple spread soundlessly outward from the Six-Eared Macaque.

Like ripples across water, it gently passed through space, evaded the divine-sense detection of every cultivator present, and precisely probed toward the core of the golden pillar!

Dao Xuan observed it all clearly from the side.

This divine ability truly was marvelous!

It was silent and traceless. Had his realm not been profound and his attention deliberately focused, he would have found it almost impossible to detect the probing ripple.

Gourd Baby also widened his eyes curiously, watching Six-Eared Macaque's constantly twitching ears, finding it incredibly fascinating.

Time passed bit by bit.

Six-Eared Macaque's brows alternately furrowed and relaxed.

The frequency of his six ears' trembling kept changing as well.

Fine beads of sweat even seeped from his forehead.

Clearly, probing the core wrapped layer upon layer in golden light and innate spiritual energy was no easy task for him either.

A full cup of tea's time passed.

Six-Eared Macaque's six ears suddenly stopped trembling!

He abruptly opened his eyes!

They were filled with shock and a trace of disbelief!

"Immortal!" His voice carried excitement and uncertainty as he quickly reported in a low voice:

"I... I found it!"

"What is being conceived within the core of that pillar of light is a Supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!"

"Its form... its form is quite peculiar! It resembles a...?!"

"...?" Dao Xuan slightly raised his brow.

"Exactly!" Six-Eared Macaque nodded vigorously. As he spoke, he extended a claw and rapidly traced shapes in the air with demonic power.

"Look, its outer rim is round and its central hole square. The outer circle symbolizes Heaven, while the inner square symbolizes Earth, corresponding to the principle of round Heaven and square Earth!"

"Its material resembles bronze, yet it is neither metal nor jade. Chaos Qi faintly flows within it!"

"Most strangely, a pair of tiny... wings has grown on each of its sides?!"

"Those wings are as thin as cicada wings, naturally inscribed with countless intricate and profound Dao patterns. They contain the true meaning of space and treasure-dropping!"

"Though I do not know its name, judging from its Dao aura, this treasure seems... seems capable of countering all treasures beneath Heaven! It has the power to bring down Myriad Treasures!"

Following Six-Eared Macaque's description and sketching,

a phantom of an ancient and peculiar bronze coin, round on the outside and square within, with translucent wings growing from both sides, clearly appeared before Dao Xuan!

Dao Xuan's pupils suddenly constricted as he looked at the phantom!

Stormy waves surged in his heart!

Treasure Dropping Golden Coin!

It was actually this legendary Supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure—the Treasure Dropping Golden Coin!

During the future Investiture of the Gods Calamity, the independent cultivators Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao had used this treasure to repeatedly bring down Zhao Gongming of the Jie Sect's Sea Calming Pearls and Dragon Binding Rope, earning immense renown!

This treasure could bring down all treasures beneath Primordial Supreme Treasures. Its marvels were endless!

No wonder it was fated to be his!

No wonder the heavenly secrets were muddled!

Such a heaven-defying object carried far too much karma, so naturally it obscured the heavenly secrets!

An unprecedented gleam burst from Dao Xuan's eyes!

He had to obtain this treasure!

His gaze swept over the various cultivators gathering in ever greater numbers on the platform, their auras growing increasingly restless.

The Demon Clan, the Witch Clan, independent cultivators... among them were quite a few Golden Immortal experts, and even one or two early-stage Great Luo auras faintly watched from afar!

Every one of these cultivators had greedy gazes and killing intent blazing in their eyes. Clearly, they had all prepared themselves to fight for it.

A cold curve lifted at the corner of Dao Xuan's lips.

A chill flashed through his eyes.

You want to steal this Daoist's opportunity?

Then let's see whether you have the ability to bear the wrath of the First Disciple of Xuanmen!

This Daoist is determined to claim the Treasure Dropping Golden Coin!

He stood with his hands behind his back, his Blue Gauze Headband fluttering lightly in the wind.

The aura around him remained tranquil and detached.

Yet an invisible pressure, enough to make Heaven and Earth change color, had already quietly spread through the air.

As if sensing his master's intent, the Five Spirit Qilin let out a low, majestic roar, while Five-Colored Divine Light faintly flowed around its body.

Gourd Baby also sensed the change in atmosphere. His little face tightened, and he instinctively gripped the Seven-Colored Gourd beneath him.

Six-Eared Macaque held his breath even more nervously, all six ears standing perfectly upright as he remained fully on guard.

At the summit of Falling Gold Peak.

Golden light soared ten thousand zhang high, and treasure aura pierced the heavens.

A storm of conflict over the Supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Treasure Dropping Golden Coin, was about to erupt!

And at the heart of that storm, the Xuanmen master standing with his hands behind his back atop a qilin had already become the most insurmountable mountain in the eyes of all those greedy onlookers!