Unparalleled Water Treasure

Boundless Desert, one of the core regions of the Baiduan Mountain Secret Realm.

The golden sand was scorching hot. Great sandstorms rose without warning, sweeping across travelers' faces in wave after wave, stretching endlessly into the distance.

"Ptooey, ptooey! What are we doing in this godforsaken desert? It's nothing but sand."

The Nine-Headed Golden Lion spat out the sand in its mouth with disgust, trudging along with its head lowered.

"Obviously, we're here for the Supreme One True Water. The intelligence says that a whole pool of it is hidden in the deepest part of the Boundless Desert."

Shi Hao lay across the Golden Lion's back, utterly at ease.

"Supreme One True Water? A whole pool of it?! Haha, we've struck it rich!"

All nine heads of the Golden Lion grinned at once and burst into laughter.

The Supreme One True Water was a divine liquid of the water element, rich in the laws and mysteries of water. It could serve as an ingredient for holy medicines and improve the quality of treasures. Even the gods used it when offering treasures in sacrifice.

For cultivators of the water element, it was an unparalleled Dao treasure that could help them comprehend the Dao.

Each drop was worth a fortune. Even in the outside world, it was enough to drive countless old monsters mad, willing to pay any price to obtain it.

"What's that got to do with you? I'm the one who found the Supreme One True Water."

Shi Hao glanced at the laughing Golden Lion in confusion, then kicked the head in the middle to hurry it along. "Quit wasting time, little Lion. Pick up the pace. We need to reach the divine pool as soon as possible. We're not the only ones after the Supreme One True Water."

"Uh..."

The Golden Lion's laughter came to an abrupt halt. It was furious, but didn't dare say so. After a long pause, it managed to force out, "My name isn't little Lion. It's Jin Hong."

"If not little Lion, then how about Golden Fur?"

Shi Hao rubbed his chin, giving it some serious thought.

The Golden Lion: "..."

"How does the title Nine-Spirit Primal Saint sound? Once you attain the Dao, you can use that title. As my, Shi Hao's, mount, you'll be revered as a Great Saint by everyone in the world one day."

"Brilliant! Nine-Spirit Primal Saint sounds much more imposing than my grandfather's title, Nine Spirits King."

"Oh? Then tell me, what exactly makes it brilliant?"

"It's brilliant because..."

The wind rose. The figures of man and beast gradually vanished into the billowing sand.

The desert stretched without end. Deep within it, a divine pool shimmered with vast energy, glowing brilliantly as mist billowed above it and auspicious rays poured forth, weaving a sacred tapestry of color.

"A treasure of water! This is indeed the aura of an unparalleled water treasure. The ancient records of my clan were right. I can feel the blood in my veins resonating with it."

"A whole pool of Supreme One True Water! Heaven truly favors the Rain Clan. After all the hardship we've endured, we've been given another chance to rise again. With it, our clan can surely nurture an unparalleled Human Emperor and regain all our former glory."

"Hmph, our clan's existence predates even the Stone Kingdom. Divine blood flows through our veins, and we are glorious beyond compare. Yet the Human Emperor dared strip our king of his title over a mere ruined village, bringing such immense humiliation upon our Rain Clan."

"If that's the case, then we might as well break away from the Stone Kingdom and establish an Ancient Emperor Kingdom of our own in the Desolate Region, ruling over the land."

Several miles away, a group of powerful figures from a great clan gazed into the distance, their eyes shining.

Two years ago, over an old dispute in the Western Frontier, the Human Emperor had issued an edict stripping the Rain Clan of its royal title. The Rain King Mansion had suffered a severe blow and had only recently begun to recover.

Unwilling to accept their decline, the Rain King Mansion seized the opportunity presented by the opening of the Hundred Broken Mountains and dispatched powerful cultivators once more, hoping to capture the legendary unparalleled water treasure.

"Rumble! Rumble! Rumble!"

Perhaps sensing their hostility, the golden sand suddenly split open in countless places. Snow-white skeletons—some human-shaped, others bestial—crawled out of the earth, surrounding the Rain Clan's forces from every direction.

They were the young prodigies of various clans who, over the past several hundred years, had discovered the Supreme One True Water and tried to claim it. They had all met their end here, becoming skeletal guards that protected the divine pool.

"Oh, has that pool of Supreme One True Water already gained sentience?"

"Excellent. Once it has gained sentience, it can be transformed directly into our clan's Sacrificial Spirit. Given a thousand years, it may even become powerful enough to ascend to godhood, creating another Rain God for our clan."

The Rain Clan's powerful cultivators did not panic. To ensure the mission went smoothly, their clan had sent four powerful sealed experts along with them.

"Don't panic. Hold back these guardians and buy us some time. Half a quarter-hour will be enough."

Yu Kun, a white-haired elder, issued his orders with composure.

"Yes, Elder!"

The Rain Clan's cultivators answered in unison and rushed forward with their treasures.

The four sealed experts who had stayed behind exchanged glances and swiftly set up a small altar. A sheet of dark yellow paper rested upon it: the Rain God Decree.

Yu Kun and the other three prostrated themselves and silently recited a long string of sacrificial incantations, rousing the power their ancestor, the Rain God, had left within the decree.

Using the Rain God Decree as a medium, they informed the sentient Supreme One True Water in the pool that their ancestor, the Rain God, had also attained the Dao as a spirit of the water element. They were of the same kind, and the Rain Clan would never harm it. The clan could take it out of this small world and help it ascend to godhood.

A moment later, the guardians fighting the Rain Clan's cultivators suddenly froze. They became lifeless skeletons once more and sank back into the earth.

A large mass of crystalline divine liquid tentatively darted out of the pool. It wobbled toward the altar, sending hazy thoughts toward Yu Kun and the others.

For a spirit creature, the temptation of attaining divine form was impossible to resist.

"The method handed down by the clan really works!"

Yu Kun and the other three struggled to contain their excitement. They immediately poured more power into the Rain God Decree, striving to convey their goodwill to the Supreme One True Water.

The crystalline divine liquid hovering in the air paused for a moment, then finally made up its mind and plunged into the jade Ancient Tripod placed on the altar.

"Hahaha, it worked! Our clan's chance to rise has finally come!"

Rain Clan elder Yu Wen, who had been waiting impatiently, immediately dashed forward and clamped the tripod lid tightly shut, his face flushed with excitement.

"Thanks for the treasure, Rain Clan! Qiankun Bag, seize it!"

At the same moment, an irresistible suction force swept over. The jade tripod in Yu Wen's hands suddenly shot into the air and vanished amid ten thousand feet of radiant light.

"Our clan's Supreme One True Water!"

"Who's there? Show yourself!!"

The Rain Clan's cultivators went completely berserk. This was an unparalleled Dao treasure that could bring their clan a Human Emperor. Did anyone really want to start an all-out war with the Rain Clan?!

"Before heaven, there was the Human Emperor; before the Human Emperor, there was the Shi Clan. Shi Hao of the Shi Clan greets you all."

Amid the swirling sand, a tall, slender figure sat atop the Nine-Headed Golden Lion. A brilliant divine halo shone behind his head, making him look like a god descended into the mortal world.

The Golden Lion looked as though it had been cast entirely from gold. Its nine heads towered above the sand, and every movement radiated grandeur as it carried the godlike figure toward them at an unhurried pace.

An overwhelmingly powerful aura surged toward them like an ocean. Wave after wave of bone-chilling pressure swept over the Rain Clan's cultivators, each more urgent than the last.