When Tianlu saw the two treasures, a bewildered look flickered in his eyes.
He muttered to himself.
What kind of opportunities was the Heavenly Dao handing out?
If his memories from his previous life were correct, the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin should have remained hidden on Wuyi Mountain until the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, when it was found by two obscure rogue cultivators, Xiao Sheng and Cao Bao.
And the Five-Colored Stone was the supreme divine treasure Nuwa would one day use to Mend the Heavens. Surely it should have had its own birthplace.
How had these two completely unrelated treasures ended up together, bundled away inside a cliff on Mount Buzhou by such a profound Xiantian Array?
What Tianlu didn't know was that he himself was to blame.
Ever since he arrived at Mount Buzhou, he had relied on his status as the Pet of the Great Dao and his heaven-defying Law of Devouring to gobble up everything in his path. Wherever he went, he left nothing behind—not even a blade of grass.
To protect Mount Buzhou's spiritual veins and foundations, the Heavenly Dao had been forced to change the Primordial World's original course of opportunity.
To get this troublemaking fiend out of there as soon as possible, the Heavenly Dao's consciousness had secretly intervened, forcibly moving the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin from Wuyi Mountain and bundling it with the Five-Colored Stone to put before Tianlu, hoping he would take the spoils and leave.
As for this place, it was naturally the Five-Colored Stone's destined site of opportunity. The Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin was just an extra.
The reason it was the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin was that this Numinous Treasure held little importance in the Primordial World.
Tianlu, of course, knew nothing of the twists and turns behind it. But he had always been the sort to take things as they came. If there were treasures to be had, who cared whether it made sense?
The three of them withdrew their gazes from the treasures. Tianlu turned to Nuwa and Fuxi, breaking the silence.
"Fellow Daoists, we broke the array together and uncovered this Xiantian opportunity. How should we divide the Numinous Treasure and spiritual material?"
Fuxi smiled faintly. His refined, gentle face held nothing but candor.
"Brother Tianlu, you are mistaken. We found this hidden Xiantian blessed land entirely thanks to your unfathomable fortune and skill in divination."
"My sister and I merely lent a little brute force to breaking the array. How could we claim any credit?"
Nuwa nodded lightly, sincerity shining in her eyes.
"My brother is right. If you don't object, the Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure, the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin, should go to you. My brother and I will take only the Five-Colored Stone."
Hearing the siblings' words, Tianlu couldn't help admiring them.
As expected of the top mighty figures who would one day become renowned throughout the Primordial World. Their character and bearing were truly far beyond those of ordinary beings.
The Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin was a Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure, worth far more than the Five-Colored Stone. Yet Nuwa and Fuxi could hold fast to their principles and take only what benefited their Great Dao, without the slightest trace of greed.
"Since you're both so generous, I'll accept the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin, then."
"The Five-Colored Stone complements Fellow Daoist Nuwa's Great Dao of Creation. It will surely help you attain the Supreme Great Dao sooner."
Tianlu didn't stand on ceremony and readily agreed.
Then the three stepped forward.
Tianlu opened his great maw. An invisible force of devouring surged out, drawing the winged Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin into his mysterious Abdominal Space. He planned to slowly refine its Xiantian restrictions later with the Qi of Creation there.
Nuwa swept out her hand, sending forth a gentle stream of Qi of Creation to lift the enormous Five-Colored Stone and carefully store it in her Primordial Spirit space.
The instant Tianlu put away the Treasure-Dropping Golden Coin, a vast, boundless, supreme will suddenly descended into his mind.
"Your opportunity has been claimed. Get out of Mount Buzhou at once!"
The voice held no emotion, yet its threat of Heavenly Dao retribution shook Tianlu's Primordial Spirit.
Tianlu rolled his eyes and cursed inwardly.
What a stingy Heavenly Dao! I only ate a few mountain ranges and plucked a few Numinous Treasures. Was there really any need to drive me out? As if I wanted to stay!
He grumbled, but he knew when to quit. The Heavenly Dao had practically put the food in his mouth. If he kept making trouble, he might really get struck by Purple Heaven Divine Lightning.
He turned to Nuwa, who was happily contemplating the Dao's essence within the Five-Colored Stone, and asked with a beaming smile,
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, you suggested earlier that we travel to the East Sea. What do you two think now?"
Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged a glance, then both shook their heads, apology flickering in their eyes.
"Brother Tianlu, we're truly sorry."
"Traveling with you on Mount Buzhou has benefited my brother and me greatly. We've heard of the broader Primordial World's course, including the Three Clans' retreat, and now we've obtained the Five-Colored Stone, which complements our Great Dao."
Fuxi cupped his hands and explained gently.
"We feel our foundations have reached a critical point, so we intend to return to our Daoist abode on Phoenix Perch Mountain and enter seclusion, hoping to make further breakthroughs in our cultivation and Great Dao."
Tianlu didn't press them.
A melon forced from the vine wasn't sweet. They wanted to return to cultivate in seclusion; he couldn't exactly drag them out sightseeing.
"In that case, I'll escort you both back. I'm leaving Mount Buzhou as well."
Tianlu then rode his Cloud Treasure away with Nuwa and Fuxi.
He escorted them all the way to Phoenix Perch Mountain. Only after watching the siblings safely enter the mountain's protective array did he stop.
Floating in the sky outside Phoenix Perch Mountain, Tianlu rubbed his round chin and began to consider where to go next.
Ever since arriving in the Primordial World, he had wandered from place to place, eating wherever he went. He had never had a fixed Daoist abode of his own.
Now that his cultivation had reached the Middle Daluo Golden Immortal Stage, it was time to find a blessed spot and settle down.
As he pondered, a thought suddenly struck him.
"Didn't Fellow Daoist Nuwa say the East Sea is vast and boundless, with countless hidden immortal islands and blessed lands?"
"Especially those legendary Three Immortal Islands Overseas—Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang Island. They're among the Primordial World's finest Cave Heaven Blessed Lands!"
"Not only is the spiritual energy there abundant, but the islands also contain complete fragments of Chaos. They're absolutely the perfect place to settle down."
The more Tianlu thought about it, the more it seemed right.
With his heaven-defying fortune as the Pet of the Great Dao, finding one of the Three Immortal Islands should be easy—so long as that old scoundrel, the Heavenly Dao, didn't interfere behind his back.
With that, Tianlu wasted no time. With a thought, the Cloud Treasure beneath his feet turned into a streak of light and sped toward the boundless East Sea.
Meanwhile, as Tianlu embarked on his long journey to the East Sea, time flowed on across the Primordial World.
Time passed, and before anyone knew it, a full Yuanhui had slipped by.
Over the course of that Yuanhui, the Primordial World underwent earth-shaking changes. The true age of the Innate Divine Beings slowly began.
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