As Donghua entered the heart of Tang Valley,
he saw that the Lesser Yang Qi here was so dense it seemed almost solid, naturally swirling into a thin golden mist.
Amid the haze, ancient trees towered with branches spread wide. Spirit Grass grew in profusion, and as the flowers opened and closed, they scattered specks of golden light. A sweet vitality floated in the air; every breath felt like a sip of immortal nectar.
At the center of Tang Valley, divine radiance blazed in all directions.
A Divine Tree stood proudly, born from two enormous trees sharing the same roots. They leaned against each other, together supporting a golden-red sky.
Its trunk looked as though it had been cast from molten gold, its Dao patterns faintly visible. Countless branches spread outward, bearing layers of magnificent canopies.
Its leaves were no ordinary things. They were formed from pure light and fire, shaped like mulberry leaves yet as large as canopies.
Donghua lightly touched the rough trunk of the ancient Fusang Tree with his fingertips, feeling the gentle Origin flowing within. Understanding and delight appeared on his face.
He was not happy merely because he had obtained a top-grade Innate Spirit Root. Rather, he had clearly sensed the Origin contained within the Fusang Tree: Lesser Yang Origin.
In the past, he might not have cared so much.
But by a twist of fate, he had just obtained a Jade Disk of Creation Fragment containing the Lesser Yang Law on Penglai Immortal Island, and now he had encountered the Fusang Tree Origin, which shared the same source.
Though it contained only one-third Lesser Yang Origin, with the Lesser Yang Origin as the foundation of the Law and the Jade Disk of Creation as its principles, they could verify and illuminate each other. Naturally, comprehending the Way of Lesser Yang would be much easier than obtaining only one of them.
At the Purple Firmament, I entered without a seat; Without the Three Corpses, I would not become a Sage.
Through the Fusang, I see the truth of the Dao; On the Chaotic Path, I find my True Heart.
Though his thoughts stirred, Donghua knew that this was no time to seclude himself and comprehend the Dao.
The Innate Great Array here had been broken, and the secrets of Heaven exposed. If he did not act quickly, this top-grade Innate Spirit Root, the Fusang Wood, and all of Tang Valley would surely attract the covetous attention of the mighty beings of the Primordial Wilderness.
There was no time to lose. He acted at once.
As a Great Luo Golden Immortal, he naturally would not drain the pond to catch the fish and simply dig up the Fusang Wood, leaving it alone.
If he was going to take it, he had to move the entire Tang Valley, the very place that had nurtured it, so its innate spiritual essence would remain intact.
"Dharma Appearance Heaven and Earth!"
At a thought, Donghua spoke with the authority of Heaven. A Dao Sound echoed through the void as surging Dao resonance poured from his body.
The next moment, a towering Dharma Appearance of unimaginable size manifested between Heaven and Earth.
Its head touched the firmament, its feet stood on the seabed, and the vast clouds could only swirl around its waist like a pale jade sash, coiling gently with each breath.
He bent slightly and looked over the whole of Tang Valley. Then he reached out a hand that seemed capable of covering all the heavens. Dao resonance curled around his five fingers, and with a gentle motion, he lifted Tang Valley and the Earth Vein Dragon Qi beneath it into his palm.
"Rise!"
Tang Valley lifted from the ground, yet under the protection of his supreme Supernatural Ability, not a trace of its Spiritual Mechanism was harmed. The Fusang Wood within shimmered with flowing light.
His Supernatural Ability took effect, and the towering Dharma Appearance that had touched Heaven and Earth vanished in an instant, leaving not the slightest trace.
With a single step, he crossed boundless space, carrying Tang Valley in his palm like a miniature sun as he raced toward Zifu Continent.
Just as Donghua was returning, a Golden Crow's cry suddenly tore across the sky.
He looked up and saw the Dharma Appearance of a Three-legged Golden Crow stretching across the firmament, its wings spread wide enough to blot out the sky. Solar True Fire blazed around it, evaporating the sea of clouds.
Its searing radiance was even brighter than the illusory sun in Tang Valley, as if the Sun Star itself had arrived.
Amid surging flames, the Dharma Appearance abruptly drew in and became a streak of golden light that descended before Donghua.
As the golden light faded, a middle-aged Daoist in a golden robe appeared. He was none other than Di Jun, an Innate Divine Being born from the Sun Star Origin and the master of Solar True Fire.
"Fellow Daoist, Please Stay!"
Di Jun's arrival startled Donghua. But when he thought it over, he realized that although it was unexpected, it made perfect sense.
In this world, when the Fusang Tree appeared, perhaps only three beings would feel its significance most keenly: Di Jun, Taiyi, and East King Duke.
In the hands of others, the Fusang Tree was merely a top-grade Innate Spirit Root.
But in the hands of those three, it could help them comprehend the Way of Lesser Yang and verify their own Dao, advancing their Law Comprehension another step.
Faced with Di Jun's unequivocal demand, Donghua remained calm. Purple Qi swirled around him, quietly dispelling the pressure of the Solar True Fire rushing toward him.
"Fellow Daoist," he said evenly, yet with unshakable resolve, "this treasure already has an owner. Please leave."
The Golden Flames in Di Jun's eyes flickered faintly. Clearly, he had not expected Donghua to refuse so directly.
After a moment of silence, the True Fire around him drew in further, but his tone remained authoritative. "If you are willing to part with it, I will offer another treasure in exchange and settle the karma between us."
Hearing this, the faintest smile crossed Donghua's lips. His gaze seemed to pass casually over the vast sea of Solar True Fire surrounding Di Jun.
"This treasure concerns my Dao. It would take something extraordinary to make me part with it." Donghua paused briefly, then his tone turned grave. "If you insist on obtaining it, why not trade your Sun Star Origin for it?"
Golden light blazed in Di Jun's eyes. The pressure that erupted around him instantly set the surrounding seas roiling. He laughed in fury.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Each of the three cries of "Good" was louder than the last, shattering space inch by inch and roiling the seas for tens of thousands of miles. Countless aquatic creatures fled in terror to the ocean depths.
"I thought you were an Innate Divine Being like me, and treated you with courtesy. I never expected you to be so arrogant!"
Di Jun stepped forward, and the Dharma Appearance of a Three-legged Golden Crow appeared behind him, its wings blotting out the sky as they churned the winds and clouds of the heavens. "Since you refuse to heed the will of Heaven, I will take your life today and settle this karma!"
As he spoke, Golden Flames surged in Di Jun's eyes, while the Solar True Fire around him abruptly contracted to its utmost.
"Golden Crow Replaces Heaven!"
The next moment, the Sun Star high above the Nine Heavens dimmed in response, as though an invisible hand had blocked its light.
All things fell silent. Only the Dharma Appearance of the Three-legged Golden Crow behind Di Jun grew ever more radiant. Its blazing Solar True Fire became a new source of light, illuminating the entire sea as though it were a molten-gold inferno.
Amid this interplay of absolute darkness and blazing light, Di Jun's might continued to rise.
He stood suspended in the air, his Mystic Golden Crow Robe snapping in the True Fire, as though he had truly taken the place of the sun.
Donghua showed no change in expression before Di Jun's Supernatural Ability. He stood with his hands behind his back.
Pure Yang Qi flowed naturally around him, becoming a single ray of light amid the boundless darkness.
"First Sun Dawns."
Donghua lightly tapped the air with his fingertip, and a wisp of purple-gold dawn blossomed at its tip.
The light seemed gentle, yet it contained the Heavenly Dao's profound principle of the Day and Night Cycle. Wherever it passed, the eternal night receded like a tide, and the veiled Sun Star regained its radiance.
Di Jun's gaze suddenly sharpened. The true mystery of this Supernatural Ability was not simply to blot out the light of Heaven. Instead, it used his own Golden Crow Origin as a guide to forcibly draw the Sun Star's power into himself.
He had not expected Donghua to see through it and interrupt the Supernatural Ability in an instant.
Di Jun stood with his hands behind his back. Though the Solar True Fire around him had subsided, his imposing presence remained undiminished.
"Your Supernatural Ability is formidable. I must admit that I am inferior. Yet however wondrous a Supernatural Ability may be, it must eventually reach its limits." Di Jun paused, and starlight seemed to swirl faintly within his sleeve. "Would you care to test yourself against my Spirit Treasure?"
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