The earthshaking battle that had raged for ten days and ten nights finally drew to a complete close.
That clash at the pinnacle, which had shaken the heavens and earth of the Fourteenth Layer and torn through the ancient void, ended conclusively with the Golden Dragon Venerable graciously accepting a narrow defeat, offering a treasure, and laying down arms.
The skies grew peaceful, the resonance of the Dao settled, and the entire vast Ancient Plain finally escaped days of violent upheaval, returning to deathly stillness and timeless solitude.
Shiheng stood high in the sky, as straight and imposing as an ancient pine.
Above his palm, the Water Spirit Crystal Core, a heaven and earth wonder, floated quietly, its flawless, translucent azure luster flowing slowly.
Wisps of vast Dao resonance from the innate origin of water wound around him, gentle yet profound, embracing all methods and fully displaying the supreme divinity of a heaven and earth wonder.
As he gazed at this eternal treasure, Shiheng had already reached a clear decision.
This core defied the heavens. It could accommodate myriad Daos, fuse Laws, and erase the shackles of cultivation-the ultimate blessing countless Water Element deities dreamed of.
But for him as he was now, it was not essential.
He possessed the world's only mutated soul and wielded the four opposing supreme origins of Life, Destruction, Death, and Fate. He had long since forged a unique, heaven-defying Great Way of four elements. His path ahead lay open; he had no need to limit himself by relying on the origin of the Water Element.
But giving this Water Spirit Crystal Core to Kelin Xiaoman would hold an entirely different significance.
Kelin Xiaoman was pure of disposition, with an untainted foundation and a flawless Dao Heart, a naturally exceptional prospect for cultivation.
All she