Little Tower, Broken Sword

"My Lord, should we head to the Treasure Dividing Cliff first?"

Seeing a glimmer of hope, the Golden Lion immediately perked up.

"No need."

Shi Hao shook his head, then looked up toward a patch of empty space: "Brother, I must trouble you to make a trip to the Treasure Dividing Cliff."

"It is only right."

With a thunderous boom, a god-like figure clad in golden battle armor stepped through the air.

He was a human youth with a face as handsome as jade and a heroic spirit, shrouded in a soft divine glow. He possessed an immense majesty, much like a young heavenly god.

His features were identical to Shi Hao's, as if they were twin brothers.

The only difference was the pair of golden dragon horns atop his head—sturdy and long, with Great Dao runes flowing across them. His entire body radiated a dense True Dragon aura; the more one looked, the more he resembled a true dragon.

"True Dragon aura... you, you, you... you are..."

The Golden Lion's eyes went wide, its nine heads all gaping in shock.

"Yo, Golden Fur, long time no see~"

The god-like figure in golden armor waved at the Nine-Headed Lion with practiced familiarity, then transformed into a true dragon and soared away using the True Dragon Escape.

"My Lord, you wouldn't happen to be the legendary descendant of the Ten Evils, the biological child of a True Dragon, would you?"

Watching the True Dragon depart, the Golden Lion gulped. It suddenly had a bold thought, though it wasn't sure if it should voice it.

"Take a guess~"

Shi Hao replied with nonchalant indifference, then muttered thoughtfully: "I still can't fully retract the True Dragon horns. It seems the True Dragon body created by combining the Cave Heaven spirit-nurturing method with a spirit avatar has significant flaws."

"If I have the chance to meet the Kunpeng Son in the future, I must ask him about the method of primary and secondary bodies to perfect my own technique."

In a valley in the distance, rays of light soared to the heavens, as if a treasure were being born.

Between the mountains and forests, flames surged into the sky, and molten lava seemed to churn endlessly. The Earth Phoenix Fire burned a deep crimson, and amidst the roaring flames, one could hear the clear, resonant cry of a phoenix.

"My Lord, within a thousand miles of ruins, this is the only place where Earth Phoenix Fire appears. Could that Little Tower be here?"

The majestic Golden Lion carried Little Shi as they traversed the mountains and ridges.

Earth Phoenix Fire is a top-tier divine flame birthed by heaven and earth, used for refining treasures.

"You don't understand, Lion. That Little Tower suffered severe Dao wounds. It is likely hiding in this small world to slowly accumulate strength. Although the Little Tower has gained sentience, the Earth Phoenix Fire is excellent for tempering treasures, so it must be here."

"Let's go in and take a look."

Shi Hao snapped his fingers, and a Primordial Golden Crow rose from his Cave Heaven, flapping its wings and spewing Sun Divine Fire to shield the man and beast.

The power of the Earth Phoenix Fire was extraordinary; one careless move could ignite a cultivator's soul.

The deeper they went, the higher the temperature of the Earth Phoenix Fire became, scorching the mountain peaks and melting the crust until rivers of lava flowed.

Amidst the brilliant divine fire leaping like a phoenix, a crystal-clear bone tower no larger than a thumb floated silently, continuously drawing terrifying divine energy from the earth fire.

"Look, isn't the treasure right there? Come to me!"

Shi Hao, overjoyed at finding the Little Tower, reached out and grabbed it. The white bone tower offered no resistance, transforming into a streak of white light that landed in his palm.

"Roar!"

At the same time, a dragon roared at the heavens. A golden dragon clan member, its body radiating a dense, holy aura, ignored the scorching flames and streaked through the air at the speed of light.

The True Dragon slammed into Shi Hao's chest, dropping a broken black sword.

The broken sword was incredibly dilapidated, covered in rust and pitted with holes. It was broken until only the larger half remained, and the hilt had long since rotted away, leaving only a fragment of sword bone that could barely be gripped.

"Pfft, is this the supreme artifact my Lord spoke of? The one with the greatest divine energy among the many treasures left by the ancient sages at the Treasure Dividing Cliff?"

The Golden Lion poked its head over, struggling to suppress its laughter.

"It is merely a treasure covered in dust. Watch my technique."

Shi Hao naturally didn't bother explaining to this silly dog. He unleashed the Grass Sword Art, condensing the peerless technique at his fingertip into a streak of the most brilliant silver, and tapped it lightly.

"Boom!"

In an instant, the pitted, broken sword seemed to awaken from a deep slumber. It transformed into a great sun illuminating the heavens, and a monstrous, sharp Sword Qi swept out. The Earth Phoenix Fire covering the entire valley was instantly sliced to pieces, rising into the air as wisps of white smoke.

Stimulated by the Ten Evils treasure technique, this top-tier Heavenly God artifact was restored to its peak!

The brilliant sun that filled the entire field of vision slowly dissipated, transforming into a silver holy sword resting in Shi Hao's hand. Before them lay the ruined valley, crisscrossed with deep ravines.

"A Heavenly God artifact... this must be a top-tier Heavenly God artifact..."

The unprepared Golden Lion was clearly terrified, its entire body trembling.

"Golden Fur, why are your legs shaking? Don't tell me you're scared?"

Shi Hao looked down, teasing the cowardly Primordial Remnant.

"Heh, I wouldn't say scared, just... deeply terrified."

The Golden Lion braced its beastly frame, struggling to stand tall.

"Tch, this Earth Phoenix Fire is good stuff. I'll bring it back to the village; the elders in charge of refining artifacts will surely love it."

Shi Hao scanned the mountains, opened his mouth, and a terrifying suction force erupted.

Within a few breaths, the Earth Phoenix Fire covering the mountains and plains transformed into a brilliant flame, darting over to be swallowed whole.

"Golden Fur, turn around. We're heading to the Hundred Herb Garden."

The Golden Lion let out a low growl, stepped onto a string of prayer beads, and streaked across the sky at high speed.

The Hundred Herb Garden, a field of spiritual herbs planted by the ancient saints themselves.

Not only did holy herbs like the Spirit-Connecting Flower and the Silver Peach Tree grow within, but it also held the legendary Ageless Divine Spring, a single drop of which could save a life.

The Ageless Divine Spring was the ancient spring capable of nourishing the immortal medicine, the White Turtle Carrying Immortal.

Several days later, Shi Hao and the Golden Lion arrived in a hurry.

The moment they stepped into this ancient pure land, both felt their bodies sink, their bones creaking as if the entire world were trying to repel them.

The Hundred Herb Garden contained a mysterious field that suppressed precious techniques, allowing only the use of pure physical strength; thus, alien creatures held a relative advantage here.

"Golden Fur, how do you feel? Can you still hold on?"

Sitting cross-legged on the back of the Nine-Headed Lion, Shi Hao adapted to the mysterious field within a few breaths, his Flawless True Body automatically resisting the domain's energy.

"A man... can never say he can't!"

With a flushed face, the Golden Lion gritted its teeth, its nine brilliant heads roaring in unison as it carried Shi Hao step by step into the holy garden.

On both sides of the quiet path, old trees that spoke, ancient vines that opened their mouths, and weeds that shrieked appeared from time to time, all possessing extraordinary spirituality and the ability to speak human language.

Shi Hao knew they had all been dusted with the pollen of the Spirit-Connecting Flower, granting them initial sentience. They were known as "spirit-connected" and might one day cultivate Bone Text and embark on the path of the Dao.

However, these were not the ordinary spiritual objects he was looking for.

"Have you ever seen a stone that can talk in this garden?"

After searching everywhere to no avail, Shi Hao stopped before an ancient tree capable of human speech and summoned a strand of Sun God Essence, injecting it into the tree's body.

"Mm, delicious, delicious! A talking stone, you say? The one you're stepping on right now is it. Take it away quickly, it's so noisy."

Having received the benefit, the ancient tree laughed heartily, shaking its branches in delight.

"Under our feet?"

Hearing this, Shi Hao and the Golden Lion instinctively lowered their heads.