Distributing Treasures

The thousand-pound palace doors of Zixiao Palace creaked open, and chaotic air currents mixed with gale-force winds poured in, making everyone's robes flutter. But who had the energy to care about that right now?

Hundreds of powerful beings listening to the sermon had their eyes glued to the scene outside—

Outside the palace gates, in the originally gray and hazy chaos, a mountain cliff had inexplicably appeared out of nowhere. The cliff wasn't high, maybe a hundred zhang or so. Its entire body was made of gray-blue rock from the time before chaos had separated, looking so ancient and even a bit shabby. But at the summit, treasure light shot into the sky!

Crimson clouds, golden rays, emerald waves, violet mist… treasure lights of all colors intertwined and surged, illuminating the surrounding dead and silent chaos with flowing colors. Furthermore, streams of spiritual energy, some strong and some weak, emanated from the cliff's summit, seeping into people's hearts and stirring up their hidden greed.

"Treasure Distribution Cliff!"

Someone, who knows who, shouted first, their voice trembling with excitement.

Suddenly, the orderly crowd exploded like a pot of boiling water. Escape lights, clouds, demonic winds, Buddhist radiance… lights of all colors flashed wildly, like a floodgate opening, surging towards the cliff in a massive wave. The first few to charge had eyes red with desire, as if they wanted to swallow the entire cliff whole.

Di Jun stood beside Taiyi, his breathing slightly quickened. It wasn't greed he felt, but urgency. The Demon Race had spread itself thin, with a weak foundation, and Xiantian Spirit Treasures were even rarer than hens' teeth. If they could obtain a few treasures on this Treasure Distribution Cliff to anchor their power, they would have more confidence when establishing the Heavenly Court and unifying the myriad demons in the future.

The True Sun Fire around him ignited with a whoosh, transforming into a golden rainbow as he prepared to charge forward.

"Brother, wait a moment."

Taiyi's voice came steadily, and a hand gently rested on Di Jun's arm.

Di Jun's body stiffened, and he turned back, his eyes filled with impatience. "Second Brother? If we're any slower, the soup will get cold!"

Taiyi shook his head, his gaze falling on the mountain cliff radiating treasure light in the distance, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Brother, look closely—although the treasure light on the cliff is brilliant, the flow of spiritual energy has a hidden order. It's not a haphazard pile of ownerless items. Since Dao Ancestor Hongjun said, 'Those with fate shall take it,' there must be a profound mystery involved. If we rashly approach and accidentally trigger something, it might not be good."

His words were half true and half false. The truth was that he indeed felt something strange about this matter—Hongjun was no ordinary person; could the treasures he offered be taken like one was grabbing vegetables at a market? The falsehood was that he had already quietly activated his "Causality Vision."

With this, the scene before him changed dramatically.

That Treasure Distribution Cliff, what kind of rocky mountain was it? It was clearly a "causality aggregate" of a size that was heart-stoppingly vast! Countless karma threads of varying colors and thicknesses extended from the interior of the cliff, like the roots and branches of a giant tree, densely intertwined, almost enveloping the entire chaos.

Each thread connected to a spiritual treasure.

And those spiritual treasures, currently floating and sinking in the treasure light at the cliff's summit, seemed alive, waiting, searching.

What made Taiyi's heart grow solemn was that these karma threads were not inanimate; they were slowly wriggling, probing, and connecting… as if searching for their destined "masters."

"As expected..." Taiyi understood.

What "those with fate shall take it"? It was clearly "those destined shall take it"! The ownership of these spiritual treasures was likely determined long ago within the workings of the Heavenly Dao! This so-called treasure distribution was merely a formality, allowing the treasures and their owners to "recognize each other."

Since that was the case, what was the point of fighting to be at the front?

His thoughts raced, but his expression remained calm. He said to Di Jun, "Brother, look, some fellow Daoists have already gone up."

As he spoke, the first group to charge had reached the base of the cliff. Leading them was an old man wearing a dark black cloak, with a sinister face. He was the notorious "Xuan Yin Old Ancestor" from the North Sea, with a cultivation base at the middle stage of Grand Unity. This demonic elder was known for his impatient and greedy nature. Seeing the treasure light just above his head, he let out a strange laugh and transformed into a black smoke, soaring towards the cliff's summit.

But as the black smoke reached halfway up the mountain—

"Buzz!"

On the surface of the cliff, those gray-blue rocks suddenly rippled with faint, water-like undulations. The ripples spread out and, without missing, struck the black smoke.

"Pfft!"

Xuan Yin Old Ancestor didn't even have time to scream. The black smoke exploded like it had suffered a heavy blow, scattering with a bang, revealing his disheveled true form. Blood spurted from his mouth, and he was sent flying back over a hundred zhang, crashing into the chaos and remaining motionless for a long time.

This incident sent a jolt through those with red eyes behind him, who immediately halted their escape lights and exchanged glances.

"A restriction! There's a restriction on the cliff!"

"What a powerful restriction!"

The scene froze for a moment, only the treasure light at the cliff's summit continued to flow, as if mocking everyone's greed and embarrassment.

Just then, the Three Pure Ones arrived leisurely, riding on a misty, ethereal cloud. Laozi's eyelids were half-closed, as if he saw nothing; Yuanshi's expression was indifferent, his gaze straight ahead; Tongtian, however, glanced at the direction where Xuan Yin Old Ancestor had fallen, a faint, mocking smile appearing at the corner of his lips. The three of them went directly to the front of the cliff. Without any visible divine abilities, the faint ripples parted like melting ice, creating a passage.

The three, with their robes fluttering, stepped gracefully into the passage, their figures disappearing into the cliff.

"This..." Everyone watched, dumbfounded.

Following them, Nuwa and Fuxi arrived together. Nuwa did not take out the Mountain and River Diagram—she had already refined it and was nurturing it within her Primordial Spirit. She merely extended her fair hand and gently pointed a slender finger at the ripples. The Creative Vitality at her fingertip flowed, and the ripples obediently parted. The two exchanged a smile and entered side by side.

Next were Zhunti and Jieyin. Zhunti clasped his hands together, chanting Buddhist names, and dark golden Buddhist light surged around them, enveloping them. As the Buddhist light touched the ripples, the ripples receded like hot oil meeting water. The two also entered successfully.

At this point, even the dullest person understood—it wasn't that entry was forbidden, but that one had to be "fated" to enter!

But who could explain this "fate"? Who had it? Who didn't?

The crowd began to stir. Some, refusing to believe it, tried to barge in like the Three Pure Ones, only to be repelled by the ripples even farther than Xuan Yin Old Ancestor. Others, confident in their powerful magic, used their divine abilities to force their way through, meeting an even more tragic end.

Taiyi watched coldly, his Causality Vision still active.

He saw clearly—when the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Zhunti, and Jieyin entered, they already had several thick, solid karma threads connecting them to certain spiritual treasures within the cliff. The ripple restriction wasn't meant to block people at all; it was like a "verification" checkpoint, only allowing those who carried the "credentials" (i.e., had a causal connection to the spiritual treasures) to pass.

Those who were repelled either had no such "thread" on them, or the thread was too thin and weak, not qualified.

"This is not distributing treasures, it's returning them to their rightful owners..." Taiyi understood.

Hongjun's method was truly brilliant. The treasures that belonged to someone were already written in the Heavenly Dao's script. Today was merely a formality, delivering the items to their true owners. As for those not on the "roster," they couldn't even enter the gate.

While he was contemplating, Di Jun beside him suddenly uttered a soft "Hmm," his tone carrying a hint of surprise. "Strange... The River Diagram and Luo Script in my Primordial Spirit seem to have sensed something within the cliff."

Taiyi's head snapped around, his Causality Vision focusing on his brother.

He saw that deep within Di Jun's Primordial Spirit, the phantom image of the River Diagram and Luo Script, which had accompanied him since birth, was faintly glowing. The Star Origin and imperial aura it emitted were subtly resonating and harmonizing with the aura of a spiritual treasure deep within the cliff. Although it wasn't a direct acquisition of a new treasure, this resonance seemed to trigger some mysterious change, deepening Di Jun's control and understanding of the River Diagram and Luo Script.

"Brother, this is an opportunity, you should go," Taiyi said in a deep voice.

Di Jun nodded, steadied himself, and strode toward the cliff face.

As expected, the ripple encountered the imperial aura of stars naturally emanating from Di Jun's body, parting like ice and snow meeting the sun, silently opening a gap. Di Jun's figure flickered, and he vanished into it.

It's done.

Taiyi's heart relaxed, and he immediately focused on sensing himself.

Upon sensing, he indeed managed to capture a few subtle pulls.

Not one, but three.

Three extremely faint, almost transparent karma threads extended from his blurred and chaotic karma mist, trembling as they reached toward the cliff face. These three threads were too thin, so thin they seemed as if they could break at any moment. Without Causality Vision, he wouldn't have noticed them at all. Moreover, the other ends of the threads seemed to be connected not to the "protagonists" with the strongest treasure light at the cliff's peak, but to objects hidden in the corners, their spiritual light dim.

Is it because my own karma has been disturbed and become blurred, thus weakening the connections? Taiyi frowned and pondered. Or perhaps... with my current 'anomaly' status, I shouldn't be touching too many 'destined' supreme treasures?

He didn't have time to think further, as others nearby had already discovered the secret and were beginning to use their divine abilities—some closed their eyes in meditation, sensing fate; some took out Xiantian trigram disks, forcefully deducing paths; and others gathered in groups of three or five, discussing how to break the restrictions together.

Taiyi no longer hesitated and stepped forward.

The ripples parted, offering no resistance.

He took a step in.

Light and shadow flowed, and space shifted before his eyes. When his vision cleared, he found himself in a strange place.

It seemed to be inside the cliff face, yet also a separate grotto-heaven. There were no sun or moon overhead, only a hazy, clear radiance falling; the ground beneath was not solid, but flowing chaotic cloud energy. Around them in the void, hundreds of light clusters of varying sizes and brightness floated, each containing a Spiritual Treasure, Dao Rhyme flowing, and treasure light shimmering.

The people who had entered earlier had already dispersed.

The Three Pure Ones were gathered together, a light cluster floating before them exuding a vast and awe-inspiring aura, precisely the nascent origins of the Taiji Diagram, Pangu Banner, and Four Swords of Zhu Xian that would later shake the Great Wilderness. The supreme treasures were not yet complete, but their might was already evident, causing the surrounding chaotic energy currents to stagnate.

Nuwa and Fuxi stood a short distance away, not collecting new treasures, but simply observing and sensing. The Mountain and River Diagram within Nuwa's Primordial Spirit resonated with the dense Creation Dao Rhyme around them, showing signs of improvement; before Fuxi, several profound Xiantian trigram patterns appeared, aiding him in deducing Heavenly Secrets.

Over by Zhunti and Jieyin, Zhunti had a withered sapling before him. Nourished by Buddhist light, the sapling sprouted tender shoots, regaining vitality—precisely the nascent form of the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. Before Jieyin was the phantom image of a string of twelve dark prayer beads, each bead seeming to contain an endless sea of suffering, the intent of annihilation and reincarnation beginning to manifest.

Di Jun was also nearby. He had not collected any physical objects but closed his eyes in concentration. The phantom image of the River Diagram and Luo Script within his Primordial Spirit resonated with a certain Star Origin deep within the space. The star chart on the scrolls seemed to become more agile and profound, integrating more tightly with his own imperial destiny.

Everyone was aligning with their own "fate."

Taiyi withdrew his gaze and, following the guidance of the three faint karma threads, began to search for his own belongings.

The first thread pointed to a very secluded corner in front and to the left. The light cluster there was small, its radiance dim, almost drowned out amidst the myriad of treasure lights. Within the light cluster was not a physical object, but a wisp of gray mist constantly changing its form—sometimes like smoke, sometimes like fog, sometimes condensing into obscure runes, sometimes dispersing into formless waves.

Taiyi reached out and touched the light cluster.

"Buzz—"

A cold and obscure thought entered his sea of consciousness: Qi of Tribulation. The breath of Calamity's birth, formless and intangible, it could attach itself to karma, subtly influencing the direction of tribulations. However, the backlash of tribulation was extremely severe; if used improperly, one would be the first to suffer.

Qi of Tribulation? Taiyi's heart stirred. Calamity was the greatest variable in the Great Wilderness, and also the most crucial "plot point" in the Heavenly Dao's script. Although this wisp of Qi of Tribulation could not directly resist Calamity, it could act like a catalyst or fuse, subtly influencing the direction of tribulations at critical moments... This was practically a tailor-made tool for him, the "anomaly"!

He carefully wrapped it with his divine sense and brought this wisp of gray energy into the depths of his Primordial Spirit to nurture. This thing was formless, perfectly matching his current blurred karma state.

The second thread pointed to a recess in a stone wall on the right. The light cluster there was slightly larger. Inside was a small, crimson banner. The banner fluttered without wind, its flame light flowing. However, upon closer inspection, the runes on the edge of the banner were somewhat blurry, and the flame light lacked the domineering true intent of burning through all directions. Instead, it had a "seemingly right yet wrong" illusory feel.

Touching the light cluster, information came: Li Di Yan Guang Qi (Imitation). A Houtian Spirit Treasure refined from the Southern Li Di Yan Guang Qi, one of the five Xiantian banners, possessing about thirty percent of the original banner's power. It could emit Southern Bright Li Fire, protect oneself, and disrupt the five elements' qi. However, the imitation's foundation was unstable, and its restrictions were incomplete. Prolonged activation or encountering a strong blow might lead to damage.

Imitation? Taiyi raised an eyebrow. The true Li Di Yan Guang Qi was a top-tier Xiantian Spirit Treasure; how could it be easily given to others? Although this imitation banner only had thirty percent of the power and was a Houtian item, its effect of "disrupting the five elements' qi" was precisely suitable for him, who needed to conceal Heavenly Secrets and confuse others. Moreover, imitations also had their uses... In certain situations, an imitation that was "famous but not real" might be more deceiving to opponents than the genuine article.

With a thought, he put the crimson banner into his sleeve.

The third thread pointed to the deepest part of the space, the bottom where the light was most dim. The chaotic energy there was dense, almost forming a gray, dim misty area. In the center of the misty area, a faint blue light flickered intermittently. Within the light cluster was a bead the size of a pigeon's egg, deep blue all over. Within the bead, it seemed as if waves were surging, yet they were forcefully sealed by some power, only emitting a faint but pure water element spiritual essence.

Taiyi gazed intently at the bead. In his Causality Vision, twenty-four extremely fine karma threads extended from this bead—twenty-three of them pointed into the depths of the void, faintly connecting to other Sea-Calming Pearls yet to appear. Only one thread, weak but firm, connected to himself.

He reached out and touched the light cluster.

"Buzz—"

Information flooded into his sea of consciousness: Sea-Calming Pearl (Single). One of the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls, a Xiantian Spirit Treasure. It contained the nascent form of a water world, capable of suppressing magic power, evolving space, and possessing infinite wondrous uses. However, the power of a single pearl was limited; multiple pearls must be gathered to reveal the true might of Sea-Calming to stabilize the world. This pearl carried heavy karma, implicitly linked to the other pearls, and holding it could easily lead to trouble.

Taiyi's heart grew stern. Twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls... In his past life's memories, this treasure was the weapon Zhao Gongming used to rampage during the Investiture of the Gods. A single pearl was already a Xiantian spiritual item, and a complete set possessed infinite power. More importantly, these twenty-four pearls naturally had a close karmic connection.

He held the deep blue bead in his palm. Its surface was cool and smooth, and it seemed as if tides were surging within. Through Causality Vision, he could clearly "see" the twenty-three karma threads extending into the depths of the void—this meant that as long as he held this bead, he could vaguely sense the location, state, and even... the potential future ownership of the other twenty-three Sea-Calming Pearls.

A potential karmic network was thus quietly grasped in his hand.

With three items obtained—a formless wisp of Qi of Tribulation, a Houtian imitation banner, and a single incomplete Xiantian pearl. Compared to the primordial supreme treasures that the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa had touched, they were practically meager scraps. Yet, Taiyi felt no sense of loss, but rather a sense of stability and relief—these were the "fated" items that truly matched his current "blurred anomaly" status. Forcing himself to claim those treasures with deep karma, destined for others, would not only be difficult but could also expose his abnormality prematurely and bring disaster upon himself.

His fingertip touched the cool, smooth surface of the Sea-Calming Pearl. A trace of water element spiritual essence spread up his arm, faintly echoing the pulse of the three fragments of karma reversal in the depths of his Primordial Spirit.