The Origin of Spirit Treasures, Spirit of the Artifact: Eternal Years Daoist

Bei Ming pondered for a moment, then slowly replied, "I chanced upon an opportunity. I know not why, but I ended up here."

The old man fixed his gaze on Bei Ming and asked again in a slow voice, "Daoist friend, what kind of opportunity was that?"

Bei Ming's mind turned, and suddenly a realization struck him. He raised his hand to point at the vast river, a trace of shock in his eyes:

"Daoist friend, could this place be... the River of Time? But..."

During the Chaos Era, that was out of the question.

But within Hong Huang Zhi Zhong, when cultivators reached the Golden Immortal realm, they became immortal and no longer worried about lifespan.

If one attained the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, one of its characteristics was leaping out of the River of Time, where past, present, and future merged into one.

Even a mighty cultivator who comprehended the Time Law could not reverse the years to strike down an opponent's developing form from the past.

What puzzled Bei Ming was that the River of Time was not a physically existing river, but an abstract concept, profound and mysterious.

When a cultivator broke through to Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal and the Three Flowers gathered atop their head, although they could leap out of the River of Time, they would not actually see the river's concrete form.

Only those who comprehended the Time Law had a chance to glimpse its true appearance.

At this moment, clarity dawned on Bei Ming. He looked at the old man and said:

"Daoist friend, are you the Spirit of the artifact from the palace earlier?"

It was extremely difficult for Innate Spiritual Roots to develop intelligence, and even harder for them to take human form.

Among the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Roots, only Zhunti had managed it.

It was also rare for Innate Spiritual Treasures to develop intelligence, but not impossible.

The old man nodded slightly. His voice was aged yet weighty, carrying the echo of time's passage as it drifted above the River of Time:

"Indeed. I am the Spirit of this Eternal Age Hourglass. I never expected that karma would bring you here. It seems that between you and me, there is a destined bond."

Bei Ming's heart trembled. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked:

"A destined bond? Does that also mean... there will be a time when the bond ends?"

Hearing this, the old man suddenly threw his head back and laughed, a sound full of depth and desolation.

He reached out to stroke his graying beard, gazed at the surging river, and said leisurely:

"Haha... Where fate arises, fate must also fade.

Even the Shichen Daoist of the past—didn't his bond with me end long ago?

In the Chaos of old, the Time Demon God's Personal Spirit Treasure, the Time Wheel, was utterly shattered during the Heaven-Opening Tribulation.

Part of its origin merged into the Axe Handle of Pangu's Axe, ultimately contributing to the birth of the Chaos Bell.

The other part of its origin, nurtured by the newborn heaven and earth of Hong Huang, re-evolved into an Innate Spiritual Treasure...

And thus, I came to be."

As he spoke, the old man lowered his head slightly, a trace of reminiscence in his eyes.

Bei Ming's expression turned solemn. He stared at the old man and said slowly:

"As far as I know, during the Heaven-Opening Tribulation, whether it was Pangu or the other Chaos Gods, the Spirit Treasures they wielded were almost all destroyed, were they not?"

The old man's eyes flickered at the corners. He shook his head slowly:

"The vast majority of Chaos Supreme Treasures and Chaos Spirit Treasures were indeed damaged in that tribulation, but the degree of destruction varied.

Under the influence of the newborn Hong Huang heaven and earth, many of those Spirit Treasures' origins underwent new changes, and some even merged with one another.

Take Pangu's Heaven-Opening Axe, for example—that was the Number One Chaos Offensive Treasure.

After the axe shattered, it split into three parts: the Axe Blade, the Axe Handle, and the Axe Back.

During their evolution into Spirit Treasures, they forcibly absorbed part of the origins of the Chaos Gods' Personal Spirit Treasures, thus each gained different Laws.

The Axe Blade inherited the Heaven-Opening Axe's own offensive power and became the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Banner.

The Axe Back merged with part of the Yin Yang Demon God's Personal Spirit Treasure's origin and evolved into the Taiji Diagram.

The Axe Handle absorbed the remnants of the Personal Spirit Treasures of Shichen and Yang Mei, ultimately becoming the Chaos Bell.

As for the damaged Chaos Green Lotus, its transformations were even more numerous.

Most of the Spirit Treasures it split off also absorbed the origins of other Chaos Gods' Spirit Treasures.

For instance, the Lotus Pod merged with part of the Qiankun Demon God's Personal Spirit Treasure's origin and became the Qiankun Cauldron.

The five Lotus Leaves became the Five Directional Flags, corresponding to the Five Elements...

Many Spirit Treasures share such origins."

Bei Ming listened quietly, his thoughts churning. It all seemed to make some sense.

During the previous kalpa, the Chaos God Remnants who had come as outsiders were still active.

The Taiji Diagram was in the hands of Yin Yang Lao Zu, and the Qiankun Cauldron was in the hands of Qiankun Lao Zu.

After Innate Spiritual Treasures emerged into the world, they could be fought over by skill. But before they emerged, they were protected by Primordial Formations, and one could only obtain them by fate.

Strictly speaking, these treasures should have been Pangu's relics—how could they have fallen into the hands of these former enemies?

Unless the origins of these treasures were already connected to them.

Hongjun and Luo Hou need not be considered; the two of them chose to compete for the position of Heavenly Dao's Spokesperson and have already been co-opted by the Primordial Wilderness;

having switched sides midway, they are no longer complete outsiders.

According to what the Destruction Demon God said before, Yang Mei wants to break away from the Primordial Wilderness, so he dares not incur too much karma;

thus, even if the Chaos Bell were placed before him, he would most likely not take it.

Although the Chaos Bell, containing the Laws of Time and Space, might hold some temptation for Yang Mei;

its main body, as part of the Heaven-Opening Axe, is too deeply entangled in karma with the Primordial Wilderness and Pangu.

Bei Ming clasped his hands in a bow and asked solemnly, "May I ask how this fellow Daoist is called?"

The old man's beard and hair drifted with the wind, as if merged with the River of Time:

"Poor Daoist is Eternal Years. The Eternal Age Hourglass possesses forty-eight layers of restrictions and contains the Time Law.

Time is of great consequence; fellow Daoist must be cautious.

If a critical moment arrives, I will also appear to lend you a hand."

As his words fell, radiance blazed around the old man, and a blinding Divine Light once again shrouded the surroundings.

Bei Ming instinctively raised his hand to shield his eyes. When the intense light subsided and he opened his eyes again, he had already returned to the palace from before.

He lowered his head to gaze at the Small Hourglass in his hand:

"In truth, my position never changed—rather, you caused the River of Time to manifest here, correct?"

The Eternal Years Daoist replied, "What fellow Daoist says is correct.

I have dwelt here for countless Yuanhui, and the palace has long been saturated with the Dao resonance of the Time Law.

Now is a good opportunity to refine the treasure. With my assistance, it will not take many days."

Bei Ming hesitated slightly before saying, "I do not travel alone; there are two fellow Daoists accompanying me."

Earlier, when facing the trial, he had been trapped and unable to extricate himself;

now that the opportunity had come and he could leave, leaving Nüwa and Fuxi waiting outside would be somewhat lacking in loyalty.

The Eternal Years Daoist paused briefly, then revealed a hint of surprised approval, nodding in praise:

"I did not expect fellow Daoist to be so magnanimous."

Shifting his tone, he inquired, "Let me ask you—how do you view the talent, foundation, and fortune of those two fellow Daoists?"

Bei Ming pondered for a moment, then succinctly uttered four words: "Transcendent Talent."

A glimmer of satisfaction flashed in the Eternal Years Daoist's eyes: "That is enough.

Most Innate Gods who ascend to the summit do not return empty-handed.

Perhaps they, too, are within the Secret Realm at this very moment.

Rather than hesitating, it is better to seize the time and refine it.

Even if the time of the Primordial Wilderness is vast and endless, it must not be wasted.

Those who betray time will ultimately be betrayed by time."