"My lord, should we head to Treasure Dividing Cliff first?"
Seeing that things seemed to be taking a turn, the Golden Lion immediately perked up.
"No."
Shi Hao shook his head, then raised his eyes toward a certain point in the Void. "Brother Dao, I'll have to trouble you to make a trip to Treasure Dividing Cliff."
"Of course."
With a thunderous boom, a deity clad in Golden Battle Armor stepped through the air toward them.
He was a handsome young human, with a face as fine as jade and a heroic bearing. A gentle divine radiance enveloped him, and his imposing presence made him seem like a young Heavenly Deity.
His face was identical to Shi Hao's, as though they were twin brothers.
Only he had a pair of golden dragon horns atop his head, long and powerful, with Great Dao Runes flowing across them. A rich True Dragon aura spread around him, and the longer one looked, the more he resembled a True Dragon.
"True Dragon aura! Y-you... you're..."
The Golden Lion stared, all nine heads gaping in unison.
"Well, Golden Fur, long time no see~"
The deity in Golden Battle Armor waved familiarly at the Nine-Headed Lion, then transformed into a True Dragon and soared away.
"My lord, you wouldn't happen to be the legendary descendant of one of the Ten Fiends—the True Dragon's own son, would you?"
The Golden Lion watched the True Dragon Body depart and swallowed. A bold idea had suddenly come to him, though he wasn't sure whether he should say it aloud.
"Take a guess~"
Shi Hao brushed him off carelessly, then murmured pensively, "I still can't completely hide my True Dragon horns. It seems the True Dragon Body created by combining Cave Heaven Spirit Nurturing with the spirit body has some serious flaws."
"If I get the chance to meet Kunpeng Son one day, I'll have to ask him about the flawless Primary-Secondary Body Technique and improve my own method."
In a valley in the distance, countless rays of light shone as though some treasure were about to appear.
Flames soared through the forest. It was as if endless lava churned beneath the earth, while red earthfire blazed fiercely, accompanied by the clear, ringing cry of a phoenix.
"My lord, this is the only place within a thousand li of ruins where Earth Phoenix Fire has appeared. Could the bone pagoda be here?"
The majestic Golden Lion carried Little Shi over mountains and ridges.
"Golden Lion, there's something you don't know. That Little Tower once suffered severe Dao injuries. It's probably hidden in this little world to slowly build up its strength. Though it's already gained sentience, Earth Phoenix Fire is tremendously effective for tempering treasures. It must be here."
"Come on, let's go take a look."
Shi Hao snapped his fingers. A Primordial Golden Crow spread its wings and rose from his Grotto-Heaven, breathing forth Solar God Fire to shield the man and beast.
Earth Phoenix Fire was no ordinary flame. One careless moment, and it could ignite a cultivator's soul.
The deeper they went, the hotter the Earth Phoenix Fire grew. It scorched the mountain peaks and melted the earth's crust, while roiling lava flowed all around them.
Amid the brilliant divine flames that leaped like a phoenix, a tiny, translucent bone pagoda, no bigger than a fingertip, floated quietly, continuously drawing terrifying divine energy from the earthfire.
"Look, isn't the treasure right here? Come to me!"
Delighted at finding Little Tower, Shi Hao reached out and grabbed it. The pure-white bone pagoda offered no resistance at all, turning into a streak of white light that flew into his palm.
"Roar!"
At the same time, a True Dragon roared toward the heavens. A golden dragon, its entire body radiating a rich, sacred aura, shot through the air at lightning speed, unfazed by the divine flames.
The True Dragon crashed into Shi Hao's chest, leaving behind a black Broken Sword.
The sword was in terrible shape, covered in rust and pitted all over. More than half of its blade was broken off, and its hilt had long since rotted away, leaving only a stub of a sword-bone that could barely be held.
"Pfft, this is the supreme weapon my lord mentioned—the one with the greatest divine energy among all the treasures left on Treasure Dividing Cliff by the ancient saints?"
The Golden Lion poked its head over and said, barely holding back its laughter.
"It's just a treasure hidden beneath the dust. Just watch what I can do."
Shi Hao naturally had no intention of explaining himself to this foolish dog. He brought forth the Grass Sword Art, condensed the peerless sword art at his fingertip into the most dazzling glimmer of silver, and lightly tapped the blade.
"Boom!"
In an instant, the pitted Broken Sword seemed to awaken from its slumber. It transformed into a great sun that illuminated the heavens, and a monstrous tide of razor-sharp sword qi swept out. The Earth Phoenix Fire filling the entire valley was instantly sliced to pieces, rising as wisps of white smoke.
Stirred by the Ten Fiends Precious Technique, this top-grade Heavenly Deity artifact had reached the height of its revival!
The blazing sun that had filled his entire field of vision slowly faded, transforming into a Silver Holy Sword resting in Shi Hao's hand. Before him lay the ruined valley, its earth carved through with deep furrows.
"A Heavenly Deity artifact! This has to be one of the very best Heavenly Deity weapons..."
Caught off guard, the Golden Lion was clearly terrified, trembling all over.
"Golden Fur, why are your legs shaking? Don't tell me you're scared?"
Shi Hao lowered his head and teased the Ancient Relic, who was scared out of his wits.
"Heh heh, I'm not exactly scared. I'm just a little frightened."
The Golden Lion braced his beastly body and tried hard to stand up straight.
"Tch, this Earth Phoenix Fire is good stuff. I'll bring it back to the village. The elder in charge of tempering treasures will definitely like it."
Shi Hao looked around at the mountains, opened his mouth, and unleashed a terrifying suction force.
In just a few breaths, the Earth Phoenix Fire blanketing the mountains turned into a brilliant ball of flame and flew toward him, swallowed in a single gulp.
"Golden Fur, turn around. We're going to the Hundred Herb Garden."
The Golden Lion let out a low growl, stepped on a string of prayer beads, and sped off through the air.
The Hundred Herb Garden was a field of spirit medicines planted by the ancient saints themselves.
Not only did holy medicines like the Spirit-Connecting Flower and Silver Peach Tree grow there, but it also held the legendary Ageless Divine Spring, said to possess the divine nature of immortality. A single drop could save a life.
The Ageless Divine Spring was an ancient spring capable of nourishing the White Turtle Carrying Immortal, a longevity medicine.
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 creaked, as though the entire world were trying to force them out.
A mysterious field within the Hundred Herb Garden suppressed precious techniques. Only the pure strength of their bodies could be used, which gave foreign creatures a relative advantage.
"Golden Fur, how are you feeling? Can you still hold on?"
Seated on the back of the Nine-Headed Lion, Shi Hao adapted to the mysterious field after just a few breaths. His Flawless True Body resisted the field's energy on its own.
"A man... can't say he can't take it!"
The Golden Lion's face flushed red. All nine of its gleaming heads roared in unison as it carried Shi Hao step by step toward the Sacred Garden.
Along the quiet path, talking old trees, speaking ancient vines, and weeds that hollered in a flurry appeared from time to time. They all possessed extraordinary spirit and could speak.
Shi Hao knew they had been touched by the powder of the holy medicine, the Spirit-Connecting Flower, and had begun to develop intelligence. They were said to be spirit-connected; in time, they might even cultivate Bone Texts and embark on the path of cultivation.
But these ordinary spirit creatures weren't what he was looking for.
"Have you ever seen a talking stone in the garden?"
After searching everywhere in vain, Shi Hao stopped in front of an ancient tree that could speak and sent a wisp of Sun God Essence into its body.
"Mmm, delicious, delicious. A talking stone? The one beneath your feet is it. Hurry up and take it away—it's terribly noisy."
The ancient tree laughed heartily, pleased with its reward, and swayed its branches.
"Beneath our feet?"
At that, Shi Hao and the Golden Lion instinctively lowered their heads.
Before you continue