Calling it a small altar was only in comparison to the enormous Five-Colored Altar from before.
In truth, it was still immense, no smaller than the Five-Colored Altar on Mount Tai.
It could definitely carry someone directly across the starry sky.
After studying it carefully, he sighed helplessly.
He could not determine where the coordinates set upon it actually led.
So, taking great care not to damage the formation patterns, he brought out the replica of the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron.
He excavated the entire Five-Colored Altar, along with a thick layer of earth beneath it, and put it away.
He thought it might prove useful someday.
Soon, he confirmed that nothing else had been overlooked.
He stopped exploring and took out the replica of the Dragon-Patterned Black Gold Cauldron.
He chopped the giant crocodile into pieces, then brought out the flood dragon's corpse from earlier and cut off a portion.
He tossed everything into the pitch-black cauldron and poured in the treasure liquid from the Immortal Pool as broth.
After adding a generous amount of spirit medicines and seasonings, he began cooking.
Crackle, pop...
Waves of meaty fragrance spread through the air.
Amid the swirling steam, the aroma was intoxicating.
It was enough to make anyone's appetite surge and their mouth water.
Whoosh... Taiyi feasted with gusto.
He savored the unimaginably delicious flood dragon and crocodile meat, while the broth was even more exquisite.
Waves of astonishing vital essence wreathed him.
They gushed from his pores.
Once he had polished off the entire cauldron of medicinal soup and beast meat, he settled down.
He sat cross-legged and began refining the medicinal potency.
Several days later, he opened his eyes, divine radiance gleaming within them.
His aura had grown considerably stronger.
His gains were substantial.
"Perfect. It's time to break through!"
Taiyi laid down formation patterns.
He took out over a million jin of source, piling it into a mountain.
He placed it all inside the Immortal Pool within the enormous Five-Colored Altar.
Boom... Taiyi sat cross-legged in the mysterious Immortal Pool, his bearing solemn and majestic.
He noticed that the spiritual energy, so dense it could scarcely disperse, had once again become liquid and begun flowing toward him.
Circulating the Ancient Scripture and absorbing the endless streams of dragon qi, Taiyi exclaimed in wonder, "This place truly is extraordinary. Even though Emperor Zun destroyed the Immeasurable Heavenly Venerable's original arrangements, dragon qi from the Five Regions is still being drawn here without end, and a mysterious power of order continues to nourish this place..."
"If it hadn't been damaged, perhaps in another eight hundred thousand to a million years, or even longer, it might have nurtured some incredible immortal material that would shake the world."
"Perfect. I'll cultivate all the way to the perfection of the fifth Dao Palace heaven in one go!"
Within the Immortal Pool, where dragon qi swirled and spiritual energy was impossibly dense, over a million jin of source lay gathered. Vast torrents of source qi surged around him, engulfing him.
Vigorous life essence surged in dazzling colors, resplendent and blinding.
As the Sun True Scripture circulated, boundless vital essence poured endlessly into Taiyi's body like billowing clouds.
For a time, radiant light blazed in countless rays, and auspicious qi rose in clouds.
His sea of bitterness and dao palace shone together as he ceaselessly refined the energy.
Faintly, the five treasuries of his dao palace thundered, and the sublime tones of the Great Dao rang without end.
It was as though his departed self were chanting scripture there.
It was steeped in mystery.
Boom-
The innate five elements were metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.
The liver corresponded to wood, the heart to fire, the spleen to earth, the lungs to metal, and the kidneys to water...
From the very beginning, Taiyi had cultivated the five treasuries of his dao palace against the order of the innate five elements.
Fire subdued metal, metal subdued wood, wood subdued earth, and earth subdued water... Having already cultivated his heart divine treasury, Lung of Divine Treasures, and Liver Divine Treasures, he opened another gate.
A flourishing vitality flowed forth.
He refined over a hundred thousand jin of source, cultivated his Spleen Divine Treasures to perfection, and broke through to the dao palace fourth heaven.
But he had no intention of stopping. He planned to press onward in a single surge.
He would break straight through to the Five Dao Palace Heavens.
"This much still isn't enough..."
Time flew.
In less than a month, a tremendous storm erupted.
It swept across the Eastern Wasteland.
Every major holy land and Desolate Ancient Family in the Eastern Wasteland, and even powers such as the Immortal Dynasties of the Central Plains, were alerted.
The Yaoguang Holy Land hunted the Yin-Yang Sect's disciples in the Eastern Wasteland as though it had gone mad, sparing only the Northern Region's Divine City, that great city where powers large and small from across Beidou had established themselves and the currents of the world converged.
A prominent figure from the Yaoguang Holy Land even took action personally.
In the Southern Region, he killed a supreme elder who had just arrived in the Eastern Wasteland from the Central Plains to escort a group of gifted children back to the Yin-Yang Sect.
The Yaoguang Holy Land fully displayed the strength and reserves of the Southern Region's overlord, dispatching large numbers of experts to strike in every direction and uproot one Yin-Yang Sect stronghold after another.
In a short span of time, countless Yin-Yang Sect experts were killed or wounded.
Word spread that the Yin-Yang Sect had broken the rules, not only scouring the Eastern Wasteland for immortal seedlings, but even attempting to ambush and kill the gifted disciple of the Yaoguang Holy Land's Reclusive Supreme Elder.
The news sent every faction into an uproar, leaving them utterly astonished.
Though furious and alarmed, the Yin-Yang Sect knew it was in the wrong and naturally denied everything, insisting the accusations were baseless slander from the Yaoguang Holy Land.
They even turned around and accused the other side, claiming that a prodigy of the Yaoguang Holy Land had killed their disciples, which was why a Yin-Yang Sect elder had pursued him.
But the Yaoguang Holy Land had recorded evidence of their secret searches for young children throughout the Eastern Wasteland and circulated it.
"What?"
"Those bastards from the Yin-Yang Sect..."
"How dare they come here and steal the Eastern Wasteland's immortal seedlings!"
"So that's why the holy lands have been recruiting fewer and fewer immortal seedlings over the years!"
Upon learning the truth revealed by the Yaoguang Holy Land, the great sects of the Eastern Wasteland were all furious and alarmed.
With the Yaoguang Holy Land and the Yin-Yang Sect snapping at each other like dogs, they naturally had no desire to get involved. They were even happy to watch the fire from across the river, wishing the two sides would fight until both were crippled.
But the Yin-Yang Sect's search for immortal seedlings throughout the Eastern Wasteland violated their taboos and crossed their bottom line.
Vast though the Eastern Wasteland was, immortal seedlings with outstanding talent and exceptional innate foundations were exceedingly rare. There weren't even enough for their own holy lands and great sects to share.
Among the Five Regions, the Central Plains had always been a blessed land that bred outstanding people, with experts as numerous as clouds.
Its immortal seedlings far outnumbered those of the other four regions: the Eastern Wasteland, Southern Ridge, Western Desert, and Northern Plains.
Yet the Yin-Yang Sect still broke the rules, coming all the way from the richly blessed Central Plains to steal gifted young children from the Eastern Wasteland.
How were they supposed to pass on their teachings?
If they let this go unchecked, wouldn't every other major power outside the Eastern Wasteland be free to come here for a feast, gathering up and taking away gifted children with excellent innate foundations?
For a time, the great sects and holy lands of the Eastern Wasteland joined in as one to denounce the Yin-Yang Sect.
They attacked it from every side, demanding an explanation.
The Yin-Yang Sect had tried to steal a chicken only to lose its rice. All its disciples huddled inside the Divine City, not daring to show their faces.
Faced with such widespread outrage, even the sect's Vice Hierarch was left harried and overwhelmed.
He had no choice but to cross the void to the Divine City personally and request an audience with the Yaoguang Holy Lord, Li Daoqing.
He humbled himself and offered an apology to the Yaoguang Holy Land.
Chapter 37: Five-Colored Furnace? Chaos Body?
"What? Five million jin of source?"
The Divine City, Northern Region.
Inside a magnificent palace wreathed in auspicious radiance.
Although the Yin-Yang Sect's Vice Hierarch had made the journey expressly for this purpose, he did not meet the Yaoguang Holy Lord, Li Daoqing.
Only a supreme elder of the Yaoguang Holy Land came to negotiate.
And right from the outset, he opened his lion's maw, demanding five million jin of source in compensation.
Faced with the Yaoguang Holy Land's enormous demand, the Yin-Yang Sect's Vice Hierarch's voice turned shrill, his face livid. "Are you joking? Do you think we're talking about five million jin of ordinary rocks?"
If he actually agreed, the Old Hierarch would tear him apart when he returned.
Did these bastards take the Yin-Yang Sect for an easy mark?
"Those are the Yaoguang Holy Land's terms. Otherwise, there's nothing to discuss..."
Li Xuanji, the Yaoguang Holy Land's supreme elder, remained unyielding as he said coldly, "Don't forget, it was your Yin-Yang Sect that broke the rules. Our Holy Lord is benevolent and has no wish to wage war, but you must at least offer some respectable compensation!"
Before you continue