Mount Sumeru, Spirit Platform Hall.
Three streaks of light landed before the mountain gate. Taiyuan strode lightly into the main hall, humming a little tune he'd picked up somewhere.
Jieyin and Zhunti followed behind him, their expressions worlds apart.
Jieyin wore a pained expression as he chanted the Buddha's name, seemingly "performing rites" for Ming He and Kunpeng after their misfortune.
Zhunti, meanwhile, was beaming with excitement, as if he'd just won big at a gambling house. He still clutched the few Natal True Feathers he'd plucked from Kunpeng, turning them over and over in his hands.
"Elder Brother, these feathers contain an extremely high concentration of the Law of Space. They'd be an excellent choice for refining a Magic Treasure!"
Zhunti held the feathers up to his nose and sniffed. "They do smell a bit strong, though. Way too much bird stink."
"Put them aside for now. We'll deal with them later."
Taiyuan waved a hand and sat cross-legged on a cushion. Then he took the Twelve-Grade Red Lotus of Karma Fire, sealed inside a jade box, from his sleeve.
The moment the jade box opened, a scorching, violent aura surged toward them.
The Red Lotus floated inside the box, its twelve petals layered one over another. Dark Karma Fire burned on each petal, giving off a blood-red glow that made the heart tremble.
It was a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, formed from the baleful energy and karmic sin Ancestor Minghe had accumulated over countless eons. It was both offensive and defensive, and was said to be unbreakable by anyone below Quasi-Saint.
Zhunti swallowed hard, staring at it in a daze.
"Elder Brother, shouldn't we find somewhere to refine this first? With the Red Lotus protecting you, your strength could rise by at least another level!"
Jieyin also showed