Lake of Life: Creation Reaches Completion

Heading southwest from Heaven Dou City, past two large cities and three rivers, there is a large lake that isn't even marked with a name on the map.

The lake water was emerald green, the same color as jade. There was no sign of human habitation for dozens of miles around. There were quite a few Soul Beast around, all of them docile herbivores and low-level aquatic creatures, and even one over a thousand years old was rare.

Nan Feng used the Shrinking the Ground to an Inch to travel in three days. He took a hundred steps at a time. When he stood by the lake, it was early morning.

A thin mist floated on the lake. The fishy smell of water mixed with the fresh scent of grass and leaves filled the air.

The Old Huai stretched inside the tower. Branches of the sacred tree hung down from the dome, and the old man's face was pressed against the bark, his nose twitching twice.

"This is it. The Lake of Life, one of the most haunted places on the continent."

"A second Life Origin Stone lies buried at the bottom of the lake. It's on the same level as the Ice Marrow you got in the Far North last time."

"Much larger and purer than Ice Marrow."

Nan Feng squatted down by the lake and washed his hands.

He paused for a moment when the lake water touched his skin. Something in the water was seeping into his meridians, warm and moist, similar to the Three Lights Divine Water, but wilder and more primal.

The Creation patterns on the third level of the tower briefly lit up.

"The water in this lake itself carries the Life Origin." Nan Feng stood up and shook the water off his hands.

"That's why it's called the Lake of Life." The Old Huai's branches retracted, and its voice came from inside the tower.

"However, the water on the surface of the lake is just the scraps that have seeped out. The real treasure is at the bottom of the lake, hundreds of feet deep."

"Go down there and collect the source stones. That will allow you to push the third level of the tower's Creation to its peak."

"When you revive others, not only will you be able to condense their souls and reshape their bodies, but you'll also be able to restore every detail of their physical form to be exactly the same as before."

Nan Feng didn't rush down. He walked around the lake shore, Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light swept across the lakebed twice.

The lakebed is shaped like a large bowl. At the deepest part of the bowl, a ball of emerald green light is pulsating, surrounded by a dozen or so lake pythons as thick as water buckets.

Each lake python possesses over a thousand years of cultivation, and they line up in a circle to guard that ball of light.

Further out, the lakebed silt contains many scattered spiritual items. Minerals such as Cold Iron Core and water spirit stones are of good quality.

Compared to Originium, copper coins are like gold ingots.

"There are quite a few guards." Nan Feng withdrew his spiritual light.

"A dozen or so small snakes, if you open the Tower Suppression, they'll all be dead." Old Huai clicked his tongue.

"But don't kill them. The Soul Beast of the Lake of Life are all under Bi Ji's command. If you kill her cub, the alliance will fall through."

Nan Feng hadn't originally intended to kill anyone.

He took off his outer robe, folded it neatly, and placed it on a rock on the shore. He then tightened the red ribbon on his left wrist.

Nan Feng took a breath and plunged into the lake.

The lake water was much deeper and colder than it appeared. The deeper you went, the heavier the water pressure and the dimmer the light became.

The Power of Creation on the third level of the tower lit up on its own. The cyan-gold light illuminated the surrounding three zhang (approximately 6.6 meters) completely.

As they descended to fifty feet, the dozen or so lake pythons surrounded them.

Each one was as thick as a water bucket, its scales gleaming with a ghostly green light, its forked tongue flicking in the water.

The Nan Feng remained still, casting its light, a Power of Creation, upon them.

When the emerald green light touched the lake pythons, the snakes were startled. The fierce glint in their eyes faded, and their heads drooped.

They made way for him.

The Nan Feng continued to blow downwards.

Deep in the lake, a fist-sized, emerald-green stone is embedded in the silt. The surface of the stone is covered with ripples like water, and each line seems to exude the breath of life.

He reached out to take it. His fingertips had barely touched the surface of the stone—

"Human beings."

A gentle female voice rang out from the silt at the bottom of the lake. It wasn't fierce, but it carried an undeniable force.

Nan Feng's hand froze in mid-air. He looked up.

The silt at the bottom of the lake dispersed, and a woman in green rose from the mud. Her hair floated like water plants, her face was gentle, and her eyebrows were curved.

Those eyes held a tranquility accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years.

Bi Ji.

The Emerald Swan King transformed into human form, its body shrouded in moisture, making it even heavier than when they last met in the Star Dou Great Forest.

She looked Nan Feng up and down.

"You took a Cultivation Leaf from me last time, saying it would help me break through the 100,000-year limit in the future."

"You haven't paid back the debt to Ye Zi, and now you're trying to take my Originium?"

The Nan Feng didn't back down.

"Senior, I do need these Originium stones. But I won't take them for free."

What will you offer in exchange?

Two things.

Nan Feng placed his left hand on the Originium. The light of the third layer of the tower's Power of Creation seeped into the stone from his palm, and the patterns on the surface of the Originium lit up for a moment.

"First, after I absorb this source stone, my Power of Creation will be perfected, which can help you push your Martial Soul Origin to the Immortal Level."

"The root of your bottleneck of ten thousand years is not insufficient Soul Power, but insufficient quality of your origin. Once you achieve Immortal Level origin, the breakthrough will be a natural outcome."

Bi Ji's eyebrows twitched.

"Secondly," Nan Feng continued, "Beneath the Lake of Life lie branches of Abyssal Rift."

"I sealed off one channel in the Far North last time, and another at Jialing Pass. I'll seal this one off for you as well, so the lake won't be able to let the foul air seep in anymore."

Bi Ji remained silent for a few moments.

The lake water swirled around her. A dozen or so lake pythons poked their heads out from all directions, staring in her direction.

She smiled.

"You've got a knack for business. Okay."

"You can take the Originium. But you must absorb it from the bottom of the lake. Once the Originium leaves the lake, half of its Spiritual Power will dissipate."

Nan Feng nodded and sat down cross-legged on the silt at the bottom of the lake. He held the source stone in his palms and poured the Power of Creation into the stone.

The moment the source stone touched the Immortal Power, the entire lakebed trembled.

Emerald green light seeped out from the cracks in the rocks, following the palm of the Nan Feng into the veins. It was warm and soothing, like drinking a large bowl of rich meat soup.

The third level of the tower lit up. The patterns of Creation changed from cyan-gold to deep blue-green.

Nan Feng felt his Immortal Power absorbing the Life Origin within the source stone. With each breath, the patterns on the third layer brightened a little more.

Old Huai shouted from inside the tower, "Be careful! The Life Origin Stone is different from the Three Lights Divine Water. This stuff is wild and has a wild temper."

Don't swallow it all at once--

Before he could finish speaking, the source stone trembled violently. A torrent of emerald green life force surged through Nan Feng's meridians toward his heart.

Nan Feng groaned, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.

The Tower Suppression pressed down, cutting the flood in half and sending it into the Creation Layer in batches.

My meridians were throbbing painfully. Having experience with absorbing Soul Ring beyond my limits, this pain was nothing.

Just then, a muffled sound came from deep within the silt at the bottom of the lake.

A crack appeared in the mud beneath Nan Feng's feet. Dark purple turbid air rose from the crack, even denser than that from the cracks in the Far North.

Bi Ji's expression changed.

"Oh no. I forgot something."

"The seal at the bottom of the lake will weaken as you absorb Originium."

More than a dozen lake pythons bristled at the same time. They frantically pounded the mud with their tails, trying to plug the cracks.

The more foul air rises, the more dangerous it becomes.

Nan Feng pressed the source stone down with his left hand and continued to absorb it, while pressing the Tower Suppression with his right hand onto the crack.

The golden sealing ring snapped down, forcing the turbid air back three feet.

The Originium was still being absorbed into his palm. The sealing ring and the Originium were pulling at each other, and half of the power of the Tower Suppression was taken away.

Bi Ji moved.

She spread her arms, and the Jade Swan Martial Soul emerged from behind her. Emerald green wings unfurled, and pure life force poured into the crack from her palms.

The life force and the Tower Suppression of the Nan Feng sandwiched the turbid air from the left and right.

The two forces collided, and white smoke billowed from the turbid air. Bi Ji's essence was thicker than that of the Ice Empress Snow Empress combined, and she forcefully pushed the turbid air back another ten feet.

"Suck it in!" Bi Ji shouted through gritted teeth, "I can't hold on much longer!"

The Nan Feng steeled its resolve, unleashing the full Power of Creation.

The Life Origin within the Originium poured into the tower like a flood bursting its banks. The patterns on the third layer changed from deep turquoise to emerald green, and then from emerald green to golden green.

Finally, a soft "click" sounded.

The stage of Creation is complete.

The Originium crumbled into powder in his palm. Emerald green light merged into his meridians, and Nan Feng's entire body emitted green light, resembling a humanoid sapling.

He freed his hand and pressed the Nine-Layer Tower onto the crack.

"Seal up!"

The tower's shadow pressed down. The golden seal ring was three times thicker than before, the turbid air was crushed back into the ground, and the cracks were tightly closed.

Bi Ji withdrew her Martial Soul, her green clothes soaked and clinging to her body. She glanced at Nan Feng, panting.

"You... even absorbing Originium can bring you disaster."

Nan Feng stood up from the mud and patted the debris off his hands.

"It's sealed off now."

Bi Ji didn't reply, and turned to swim towards the lake. Nan Feng followed.

When the two surfaced, it was already dusk.

The rock on the shore was the same one where he had put his clothes that morning. The clothes were neatly folded, and the red hair ribbon was still on it.

Bi Ji went ashore. The moisture evaporated from her body, and her green dress returned to its dry, silky state.

She turned around and gave Nan Feng a serious look.

"You took the Originium, and you sealed the rift. I, Bi Ji, keep my word."

She reached out her hand.

"From this day forward, the Lake of Life will form an alliance with your Immortal Dao. Just let us know when you need any of the minerals, spiritual herbs, or Soul Beast from the lake."

Nan Feng shook hands with her. Bi Ji's hand was cool and soft, but her grip was firm.

After letting go, she added another sentence.

"There's one more thing. You promised to help me push my origin to the Immortal Level. I've got that on my mind."

"Within three years." Nan Feng put her clothes back on and tied the red ribbon back on her left wrist.

Bi Ji smiled and turned to walk into the lake.

She took two steps and then turned back.

"By the way, your tower's Creation layer is complete. When you help those two girls Ice Empress Snow Empress, push their origins too hard later."

"With their foundation spanning hundreds of thousands of years, too much Immortal Power would actually make them more prone to exploding."

Nan Feng was taken aback for a moment.

How did you know I was going to help them promote the source?

Bi Ji didn't turn her head; her voice drifted across the lake.

"The news about the Far North has already spread throughout the mainland. Do you think those two girls are anyone to be trifled with?"

"One's stubborn, the other's soft-hearted; she's held a grudge ever since you got her into trouble."

She waved her hand, then vanished into the lake, leaving only one sentence in the wind.

"Bring some wine next time you come. Far North need wine, and I want some too."

Nan Feng stood on the shore and looked down at his palm.

After the Creation layer was perfected, the patterns on the third layer of the tower changed from lapis lazuli to emerald gold, pulsating beneath its surface.

He chuckled, took out the piece of cold iron given to him by the Ice Empress from the Tower Spirit Space, and weighed it in his hand.

Old Huai's voice drifted out from inside the tower.

"How many days are left in the one-month deadline? You haven't even forged those two weapons yet."

Nan Feng retrieved the cold iron and headed towards Heaven Dou City.

"There's still time. He's a blacksmith; he can forge two daggers in a few days."

Old Huai chuckled.

"Then let me remind you. You forge daggers for Ice Empress and longswords for Snow Empress, one for each of you."

"But don't forget, what if those two girls ask you, 'Why did you only bring one gun?' when you go to the Far North a month later?"

"I brought two," Nan Feng interrupted him.

"I know you brought two." Old Huai's tone was full of anticipation.

"But if Ice Empress knew you forged the longsword for Snow Empress first, do you think she'd be furious?"

The Nan Feng paused.

The Old Huai inside the pagoda laughed so hard that the immortal wood trembled.

He stood there for three breaths, cursed, and quickened his pace toward Heaven Dou City.

"There's still time. Let's play three rounds."