All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud, Lingxiao's Choice

Deep within the treasure-light-filled Violet Firmament Palace, the Dao Ancestor lightly waved his Whisk, and countless supreme treasures floating before him flowed with hazy Dao rhythms.

Lingxiao's gaze swept across them before finally settling on that cloud of Chaos-colored auspicious vapor. Understanding dawned in his heart. A Heavenly Dao Exotic Treasure truly lives up to its name.

So-called Heavenly Dao Exotic Treasures were not, in truth, all related to the Heavenly Dao. They bore that name only because the Creation Jade Slip, which was intimately connected to the Heavenly Dao, was the most famous among them.

Before the Creation Calamity, the complete Creation Jade Slip had been a Chaos Supreme Treasure on par with the Thirty-Six-Petaled Genesis Azure Lotus and the Heaven-Opening Axe.

After the Creation Calamity, however, the Creation Jade Slip shattered into myriad fragments. Hongjun gathered the largest three thousand fragments among them and reforged them, gaining the Heavenly Dao's recognition. Thus, it became a Heavenly Dao Exotic Treasure, its might even surpassing certain Innate Supreme Treasures.

The All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud was precisely a Heavenly Dao Exotic Treasure as renowned as the Creation Jade Slip.

It had been formed from a breath of Pangu's vast righteous qi. It belonged neither to the innate nor the acquired, standing in a class of its own.

The other Heavenly Dao Exotic Treasures, such as the Heaven-Earth Bow, Heaven-Shaking Arrow, Saint-Slaying Pill, Heaven-Burying Coffin, and Six-Soul Banner, each had their own particular strengths and shortcomings. Only the All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud combined offense and defense, suppressed fortune, and possessed the most upright and harmonious nature.

The whereabouts of those other treasures were still unknown.

But since the All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud had appeared before him, Lingxiao naturally could not let it slip away.

The reason was that the All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud was the most suitable treasure for Lingxiao to use at present—

Beyond the several great effects the Dao Ancestor had mentioned earlier, what Lingxiao valued most was another aspect: within the Primordial World, once this treasure was unleashed, all evil would retreat and all techniques would fail to touch it!

The Primordial World had been opened by Pangu, while the All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud had been formed from Pangu's breath of vast righteous qi. Moreover, it was not a spiritual treasure or supreme treasure that required refining Treasure Restrictions. In a sense, it shared the same wondrous principle as the Nine-Dragon Treasure Staff that Candle Dragon had previously gifted Lingxiao as a trump card.

Under certain environments and conditions, the defensive power unleashed by the All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud could even exceed Lingxiao's Chaos Bell and Laozi's Heaven-Earth Mystic Yellow Exquisite Pagoda!

Lingxiao did not even dare imagine what kind of power this treasure would invoke if he used it atop Mount Buzhou, formed from Pangu's spine, or the Kunlun Mountains, formed from Pangu's skull!

One had to know that the Primordial World was still relatively intact at this time. Remnant Chaos qi had yet to completely disperse from heaven and earth, while certain unique places still lingered with Pangu's residual might...

"Dao Ancestor, for my first treasure, I choose this auspicious cloud." Lingxiao cupped his hands in salute.

The All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud possessed unparalleled defense. Its most heaven-defying quality was that it could stack and augment with other spiritual treasures and supreme treasures!

In the original course of events, after Yuanshi Tianzun received this treasure from Dao Ancestor Hongjun, he often suspended the Pangu Banner and Three-Treasure Jade Ruyi above the auspicious cloud, forming a small Three Realms configuration that combined offense and defense.

During the Apotheosis Calamity, he had even relied on this auspicious cloud to directly withstand the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation!

Should danger arise, Lingxiao could completely layer the Innate Supreme Treasure Chaos Bell together with the All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud, joining strength to strength.

At that point, even an ancient great power like Moon-Malefic Star Lord would not be able to harm him in the slightest!

"Excellent." Dao Ancestor Hongjun closed his hand, and the thirty-thousand-zhang auspicious cloud shrank into a single mass. After erasing his divine sense imprint from it, he sent it floating toward Lingxiao. "During the Dao-Demon War, it was precisely with this treasure that I withstood Rahu's Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation. I used my Three Corpses in place of three fellow Daoists and thus turned the tide of Heaven-Earth."

A trace of reminiscence flashed through his eyes before he said gently, "May this treasure protect you, little friend, and help you attain the Great Dao."

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor, for your generous favor." Lingxiao's expression turned solemn as he raised a hand and received the auspicious cloud.

Whoosh!

Because he possessed Pangu's fortune, the auspicious cloud showed not the slightest rejection. It transformed into a streak of light and entered the Niwan Palace between his brows.

In an instant, a vast righteous qi rose from within Lingxiao, reflecting against the Merit Golden Wheel behind his head. The Dao rhythm around him grew ever more rich and profound.

"Choose two more." Dao Ancestor Hongjun waved his Whisk again, rearranging the treasures before him. "The Four Swords of Immortal Slaying and the formation diagram are one set, so they count as one treasure."

The four Immortal Swords, cold light gleaming from their blades, suddenly fused with the pitch-black formation diagram and became a miniature killing formation. Endless, razor-sharp killing intent spread outward, slicing even the surrounding space-time into fragments.

The implication and guidance could not have been more obvious.

This formation could be called the Primordial World's number one killing formation. Once established, it could fight four opponents alone. Even after one attained sainthood, it would still exert tremendous effect rather than becoming mere chicken ribs; its upper limit was extraordinarily high.

Yet Lingxiao merely glanced at it before shifting his gaze away and bowing once more to Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's brows rose slightly, and a flicker of surprise passed through his eyes.

He had thought Lingxiao would certainly choose the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, or perhaps the two Innate Supreme Treasures, the Taiji Diagram and Pangu Banner. He had not expected him to pass over them so directly.

Lingxiao's heart was clear. His Dao lay not in slaughter, but in illumination and protection.

The Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation was powerful indeed, but it ran contrary to his Dao path. Its killing intent was too heavy. Not only could it not suppress fortune, it would instead disrupt his own fortune and erode his Dao heart.

Devil Ancestor Rahu wielded it, and in the end, his body perished and his Dao vanished.

Tongtian Cult Master obtained it and, though he once overawed the Primordial World and drew ten thousand immortals to pay court, he ultimately suffered the destruction of the Interception Sect and was taken away by the Dao Ancestor to reflect behind closed doors.

—If he coveted momentary strength and strayed onto the wrong path, only to meet a wretched end like Devil Ancestor Rahu or Tongtian Cult Master, that was absolutely not what Lingxiao desired.

—If Lingxiao had followed Minghe's path of attaining the Dao through slaughter, then the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation truly would have been the most suitable treasure for achieving the Dao.

But unfortunately, he was not.

He walked the path of the Starry Sky Supreme, eternal and indestructible, forever unfettered!

In terms of treasures, he had the Innate Supreme Treasure Chaos Bell to suppress fortune.

In terms of attaining the Dao, he had the most compatible set of treasures: the Starry Sky Gourd, Eight Treasures Divine Whip, and Sun God Sword.

In terms of formations, he also had the Heavenly Cycle Star-Dipper Formation to safeguard the starry sky...

All things considered, it was not that the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation was bad. Rather, its functions overlapped too greatly with his own, and it would also affect the fluctuations of starry-sky fortune. Using it would bring harm without benefit.

Even if he took it, it would only gather dust.

Seeing this, Dao Ancestor Hongjun lightly raised his brows, but he did not interfere with Lingxiao's choice any further. He wished to see exactly what treasure this little friend of his had set his sights on.

"Creation Merit..."

Lingxiao's gaze focused upon that lotus platform.

The lotus platform was pure gold throughout. Its twelve petals layered one atop another, with mystic-yellow merit radiance flowing across them. Every petal was engraved with innate Great Dao runes. When a breeze passed, faint Buddhist chants and Zen hymns seemed to drift from the depths of the platform. Heavenly flowers fell in profusion, golden lotuses surged from the earth, and countless jeweled garlands and golden lamps hung from the petals like an unending rain.

It was the Twelve-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus, formed from the lotus seed of the Thirty-Six-Petaled Genesis Azure Lotus—a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Its compatibility with Lingxiao far surpassed that of any other treasure present!

Since his birth, he had devoted himself to planning for Merit: establishing the Twelve Time Markers, founding the Heavenly Marriage, guiding the Earth Veins, and enlightening Human Script.

Unlike other lotus platforms, this Twelve-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus held a point of Chaos-colored light at its center. It was a remnant of the Creation Green Lotus's origin, containing a wisp of Creation Merit. Its quality was exceptionally high, and it could fully serve as a vessel for Lingxiao to gather and nurture Merit.

—If he needed to study the path of attaining sainthood through Merit, this treasure's usefulness undoubtedly surpassed that of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.

Furthermore, the Eight Treasures Divine Whip had previously absorbed the Creation Source of the Twelve-Petaled Creation Azure Lotus. It was therefore exceptionally compatible with this treasure, as though they were nearly of the same origin.

As long as one sat upon the lotus platform, a layer of Merit Golden Light would protect the body. All evils would retreat, and all techniques would fail to touch it. The platform itself formed a world of its own, capable of accommodating hundreds of millions of Buddhist disciples as they lectured on scriptures and expounded the Dao.

—The lotus platform could be large or small: small, it was a lotus flower in one's palm; large, it could cover the entire Elysium World!

Because he was excessively cautious, and because he had previously suffered an undeserved calamity in Moon-Malefic Star Lord's attack, Lingxiao intended to stack his defenses to the fullest first!

With the Twelve-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus beneath his feet and the Chaos Bell and All-Heavens Auspicious Cloud above his head, that defensive power was simply unimaginable!

Though its grade was merely that of a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, after considering every aspect together, it truly was the most compatible treasure for Lingxiao.

"For my second treasure, I choose the Twelve-Petaled Merit Golden Lotus," Lingxiao said.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded slightly without saying much. He merely erased his imprint from the golden lotus as well and handed it to Lingxiao.

The golden lotus felt warm and smooth in his hand. A pure force of Merit flowed into his body and merged perfectly with his own Merit Golden Wheel, without the slightest obstruction.

Afterward, Lingxiao selected the Eight-Treasure Merit Pool from the remaining treasures.

"Little friend, you..." This time, Dao Ancestor Hongjun could no longer remain composed.

Leaving aside Innate Supreme Treasures and complete sets of Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, he was choosing these instead?

Was that not far too self-effacing?

Dao Ancestor Hongjun was utterly unable to make sense of it.

He had thought Lingxiao would choose the three finest treasures, yet he had unexpectedly selected things that others considered "not very useful."

Could it be that this little friend wished to leave those treasures behind for this Daoist to distribute among the other Violet Firmament Guests?