Kunpeng watched as the black flag drifted lightly into Guiyuan's hand. A trace of unwillingness flashed in his eyes, but it was soon replaced by resignation.
He was outmatched. There was no point complaining.
Suppressing the roiling blood and the pain in his mind from the damage to his life-bound treasure, he cupped his hands to Guiyuan and spoke bluntly:
"Fellow Daoist Guiyuan, your powers are vast. I am no match for you.
This treasure was meant to be yours.
Let us part for today. Once my injuries have healed, I'll come discuss the Dao with you and explore the path to Daluo."
Guiyuan held the cool Xuanyuan Controlling Water Flag and returned the salute, his expression calm.
"You were gracious, Fellow Daoist. When we discuss the Dao another day, Guiyuan will welcome you with open arms."
Kunpeng said no more. His figure became a streak of shadowy light and vanished in an instant into the depths of the Northern Abyss.
He truly needed to return as soon as possible to repair Kunpeng Nest and tend to his injuries.
Watching in the direction Kunpeng had gone, a trace of regret flickered in Guiyuan's eyes.
"What a pity..."
They were both Innate Sacred beings of the Northern Abyss, protected by fate.
What was more, Kunpeng had slain Ferocious Beasts in his early years and carried a fair amount of Heavenly Dao Merit.
If Guiyuan forcibly killed him, the backlash of karmic retribution would outweigh any gain.
If Guiyuan had still been in the Eternal Life World, fighting alongside Fang Han across the myriad heavens, he would have acted with the same ruthless resolve as before.
An opponent who had fallen to him would have had their soul extracted and refined, or been turned into a great pill to nourish his cultivation.
He would never have let one go so easily.
And that was without even considering his current Heavenly Mandate. To reverse the fate of having his limbs severed, he had to handle his cultivation, fortune, and merit with the utmost care.
"The Primordial World really is different from the Eternal Life World. It has too many rules." He shook his head to himself and set the thought aside.
With the formidable foe gone, the surrounding waters fell silent once more.
Guiyuan sat cross-legged in midair, his gaze settling on the Xuanyuan Controlling Water Flag in his hand.
The flag was pitch-black and warm to the touch, as though it held the utmost yin and softness of the waters of the Northern Abyss. When he sent his divine sense into it, he immediately sensed layers upon layers of complex Innate Restrictions.
Primordial World treasures were born innately, with complete laws of the Great Dao contained within them. Their grade depended, first, on the strength of their origin and, second, on the number of Innate Restrictions they contained.
Ordinary Acquired Treasures had restrictions inscribed through human craftsmanship, and so they had their limits.
But the restrictions in Innate Treasures arose naturally from the Great Dao, and their mysteries were boundless.
They could be roughly categorized by the number of restrictions:
Low-grade Innate Treasures contained 1 to 12 Innate Restrictions;
Mid-grade Innate Treasures contained 13 to 24 Innate Restrictions;
High-grade Innate Treasures contained 25 to 36 Innate Restrictions;
Top-grade Innate Treasures contained 37 to 48 Innate Restrictions;
As for the legendary Innate Supreme Treasures, they contained 49 Innate Restrictions, the ultimate number of the Great Dao.
The Xuanyuan Controlling Water Flag in Guiyuan's hand contained a full 48 Innate Restrictions!
It was only one restriction short of becoming a Supreme Treasure, making it one of the Primordial World's finest Top-grade Innate Treasures!
"As expected of one of the Five Innate Banners." Understanding dawned on him. Without further hesitation, he circulated his magic power and began refining it.
His divine sense slipped into the flag like fine strands of silk, winding around the first Innate Restriction.
Water vapor swirled, and the Dao's resonance flowed. It was as if he stood in an endless ocean, feeling water's utmost softness and strength, its power to nourish and destroy...
Time slipped by as he refined the treasure.
One restriction, two, three...
Guiyuan's comprehension of the Great Dao of Water soared alongside his progress.
The North Sea Black Tortoise's Origin Foundation was naturally attuned to water. With this treasure now confirming his understanding of the Great Dao, he became even more formidable.
Countless mysteries of water surfaced naturally in his mind. Points that had once seemed obscure suddenly became clear.
He immersed himself in the ocean of the Dao.
But when he had refined the twenty-fourth Innate Restriction, powerful resistance suddenly arose.
No matter how he urged his magic power and divine sense, the twenty-fifth restriction remained like something sealed behind an impossibly tough membrane, beyond his reach.
Guiyuan understood and stopped.
"I see. Treasures have spirits and choose their own masters. If one's strength is insufficient, they won't grant their full recognition."
With his current Taiyi Golden Immortal cultivation, refining twenty-four restrictions was just enough to control the flag and wield most of its power.
Fully refining all forty-eight restrictions would require the realm of a Daluo Golden Immortal, or perhaps something higher.
With a thought, the Xuanyuan Controlling Water Flag turned into a streak of dark light and entered his body, settling within his true spirit. The treasure protected its master of its own accord, without Guiyuan needing to activate it himself.
If he were attacked, it would unleash some of its power on its own and block a blow for him.
Guiyuan sat cross-legged above the water. His first tribulation—his Fate of Transformation—had now come to pass.
But the "Fate of Transformation" added by the Great Destiny Technique was only a temporary measure. If he still had no solution by the time the great tribulation arrived,
he would likely perish and have to cultivate anew.
After all, this concerned the safety of the entire Primordial World. By then, he would likely have to withstand pressure from many Saints.
"What a headache."
The joy of obtaining the treasure had vanished. Guiyuan began pondering what to do.
In the Primordial World, there were only four ways to stay alive: backing, cultivation, merit, and fortune.
If you were a Saint's disciple, anyone who wanted to kill you would have to contend with your background. Simply invoking it would be enough to keep you safe.
Cultivation needed no explanation. In the Primordial World, strength was ultimately paramount.
As for merit and fortune...
If you were protected by merit, killing you would bring karmic retribution, making it a losing proposition—just as it had been for Kunpeng moments ago.
And fortune...
Take Yun Zhongzi, for example, in later ages. He was blessed with fortune, so ordinary people were reluctant to kill him. If someone killed a being favored by fortune, their own fortune would diminish.
What was the difference between the two?
Karmic retribution took effect immediately. Your mind might grow clouded, your understanding of the Great Dao might falter, or calamities might even befall you.
Fortune, by contrast, worked like water wearing down stone, making things difficult for you little by little.
"So, to reverse the Heavenly Mandate, I can't rely on backing. I'll have to work on cultivation, merit, and fortune all at once."
"Cultivation needs no special planning, so I need to focus on merit and fortune."
Guiyuan considered the matter. Merit came from making contributions to Heaven and Earth, while fortune increased when you gathered people blessed with fortune around you.
"Purging baleful energy and restoring peace to the North is one way to earn merit. The two in the West even used that as their claim to represent the West."
"If I cleanse the North, the northern creatures will benefit from me. The fortune of the North will naturally gravitate toward me.
"And since baleful energy harms Heaven and Earth, clearing it away could earn me merit as well."
Guiyuan rose to his feet. "It'd be even better if there are Ferocious Beasts around. I can refine them into pills and replenish myself!"
"The baleful-energy-ridden Northern Continent isn't some forbidden wasteland. It's a treasure trove!"
Guiyuan thought of all the baleful energy and Ferocious Beast corpses scattered across the Northern Continent. Others had no way to deal with them; even Taiyi Golden Immortals had to tread carefully.
But he was different.
The Eternal Life Great World was perfectly suited to making use of such resources. For the sake of "eating," it had methods for everything, from souls and flesh to baleful energy.
Whether it was for improving his cultivation or tempering his supernatural abilities,
nothing would go to waste.
Before you continue