Travels

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After leaving the Far North permafrost, Nan Feng traveled south, and the ice shell on the Tower Realm membrane gradually melted as the temperature rose. He traveled for seven days, his Shrinking the Ground to an Inch technique advancing alternately across permafrost, ice plains, coniferous forests, and withered wastelands. The dragon scale patterns on his right arm occasionally flashed with dark golden Primordial World light amidst the icy blue luster. His level 66 Soul Power remained stuck at a non-multiple of ten, but the liquid Primordial World Power in his dantian had become more solidified after being tempered by the Frost Giant Dragon Soul Ring and the Dragon Arm Soul Bone. The spatial laws of the Chaos Stone also continued to settle in his meridians, and he had already reached 70% of the third level of the Shrinking the Ground to an Inch technique.

On the evening of the seventh day, Nan Feng stood atop a hill, his Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light spreading out a Spiritual Power map of a radius of five hundred paces in his mind. Below the hill lay a vast basin, in the center of which lay a lake, its surface shimmering with a strange silvery-blue luster in the twilight. The lake water was crystal clear, and every pebble and every blade of grass on the lakebed displayed a different hue in the Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light —pale green grass, light yellow sand, and bluish minerals. But what caught Nan Feng's attention most was the depths of the lake—in the very center of the lakebed, a dense mass of life Spiritual Power had coalesced into a fist-sized point of light, its color a vibrant emerald green, interspersed with fine silver-white streaks.

"The Lake of Life." Old Huai's voice came from the Tower Spirit Space, carrying an unusual solemnity. "One of the most mysterious places on the Douluo Continent. The lake water contains a rich life force, and the surrounding Soul Beast are mostly gentle plant-type and healing-type. That emerald green light spot that your Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light captured is the Life Origin Stone."

Nan Feng descended the hill and headed towards the lake. Shrinking the Ground to an Inch a hundred steps in one, he quickly reached the lakeside. The lake was as still as a mirror in the twilight, reflecting the sunset's glow, a silvery-blue hue tinged with a faint emerald green. He crouched down and reached out to touch the water. The water was warm to the touch, like spring water warmed by the sun. The instant his palm touched the water, he felt a subtle warmth seep into his veins from his fingertips. The texture of that warmth was remarkably similar to Primordial World Power, but gentler, softer, carrying a primal quality that nurtured all things.

"The Primordial Origin also contains the Life Origin." The Old Huai poked its head out from the immortal tree, its semi-transparent remnant soul slowly floating in the Tower Spirit Space. "After you absorb it, the ' Creation ' power of the tower's third layer will be greatly enhanced. It will be much easier to resurrect others in the future—not just souls, but even the physical body can be reshaped."

Nan Feng stood up. His Treasure-Appraising Spirit Light extended into the depths of the lake, and the light from the Life Origin Stone grew brighter and brighter in his perception. But just as his perception touched the edge of the source stone, an even more powerful Soul Power fluctuation suddenly flared up from the depths of the lake. That fluctuation spread out from beside the source stone, its emerald green light interspersed with silver-white wing patterns. The concentration of Soul Power far exceeded that of the Frost Giant Dragon, and was even more stable and enduring than the Soul Power fluctuations of the Ice Empress and the Snow Empress.

Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast.

Nan Feng did not retreat. He stood by the lake, the Tower Realm forming three layers of shields on his body, and the Primordial World Power slowly circulated in his meridians. Ripples began to spread across the lake, growing faster and larger from the center outwards. Then, the lake water suddenly bulged from the very center, and a beam of emerald light shot into the sky from the bottom of the lake, turning the twilight sky a vibrant green.

A Emerald Swan emerged from the pillar of light.

The Swan wasn't large, with a wingspan of about five meters, but each of her feathers seemed to be carved from the purest jade, with silver-white Spiritual Power patterns flowing across its emerald green surface. Her eyes were silver-white, reflecting Nan Feng's figure and the azure-gold halo of the Tower Realm Shield in her pupils. She hovered above the lake, her wings slightly spread, emerald green Soul Power emanating from each feather, enveloping the entire lake in a gentle yet profound pressure.

The oppressive aura of Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast caused Nan Feng's Tower Realm barrier to tremble slightly, but none of the three layers shattered. He raised his hand, palm facing upward, and slowly conjured the tower from his palm. The nine-story bronze tower rotated in his palm, the star patterns and dark gold patterns on its body glowing faintly in the twilight. The Space-Time Power of the fifth floor overflowed from the tower's gate, forming a faint cyan-gold light membrane around him.

The Emerald Swan's silvery-white pupils suddenly contracted as the tower appeared. Her gaze moved from the tower to Nan Feng's face, and then from Nan Feng's face to his dantian—where a dark golden light was faintly pulsating, the core of Primordial World Power within his dantian.

"The Primordial World..." the Emerald Swan spoke, its voice clear and sharp like the clinking of jade stones, yet carrying a gentle echo, "The power within your soul... is more ancient than this world. Is it the Primordial Origin?"

Nan Feng nodded. "Senior, I've come to retrieve the Life Origin Stone."

The Emerald Swan did not answer immediately. She hovered above the lake, her emerald green Soul Power slowly flowing around her, and the scrutiny in her silvery-white pupils lasted for a long time. Nan Feng could feel her Soul Power tentatively touching the Tower Realm Shield, each touch very lightly, as if confirming something.

"Your tower carries an ancient aura," the Emerald Swan finally spoke again. "The one who sleeps within the tower... I know him. Many years ago, a human Soul Master wielding Nine-Layer Tower came here. He told me something—'When the Tower Master returns, the Lake of Life can trust him.'"

Nan Feng's heart skipped a beat. The Pagoda God. The Pagoda God had also visited the Lake of Life and interacted with the Emerald Swan.

"The Pagoda God," said Nan Feng.

A glint of light flashed in the Emerald Swan's silvery-white eyes. "Yes. He left a seed at the bottom of the lake, saying someone would come to retrieve it someday. That seed is the Life Origin Stone." She lowered her wings slightly, her oppressive aura diminishing considerably. "The Primordial Origin in your soul is identical to the aura left by the Pagoda God. You are his successor."

Nan Feng pulled the tower back into his palm. He did not deny it.

The Emerald Swan descended from the lake, its wings folded close to its sides. Though not large, its emerald feathers shimmered gently in the twilight, reflecting a vibrant green onto the lake's surface. "The Life Origin Stone can be yours," she said, "But you must promise me one thing."

"What?"

"If you cultivate the Primordial World Great Dao in the future, help me break through the 100,000-year limit." The Emerald Swan's voice suddenly softened, a faint longing flashing in her silvery-white pupils. "I've been stuck at the 100,000-year bottleneck for a long time. The Life Origin of the Lake of Life is diminishing, and my cultivation is diminishing along with it. If this continues, in a few decades, I will enter a period of decline."

Nan Feng remained silent for a moment. He recalled the Abyss erosion patterns on the Ice Empress's Scorpion Armor, and the slight trembling of the Snow Empress's fingertips. The Ferocious Beast of the Far North were dwindling, and so were the Ferocious Beast of the Lake of Life. It seemed that the top-tier Soul Beast of this world were all facing the same predicament.

"I promise you," Nan Feng said.

A glint flashed in the Emerald Swan's silvery-white eyes. She turned and swam toward the center of the lake, her emerald feathers leaving a long trail of light on the surface. Nan Feng followed behind, the Tower Realm Shield keeping the lake water at bay. He walked on the water, his Shrinking the Ground to an Inch steps leaving intermittent ripples on the surface.

Deep beneath the lake, the Life Origin Stone amidst a patch of emerald green water plants. The stone was entirely emerald green, its surface crisscrossed with fine, silvery-white veins, its radiance gentle and restrained, as if the life force of the entire lake had been concentrated into a fist-sized rock. Nan Feng reached out and took the stone. The instant it touched his hand, the Primordial World Power within his dantian surged violently. Dark golden and emerald green light intertwined in his palm, and a warm current flowed from his palm into his meridians, traveling along them to his dantian, bones, and the depths of his soul.

Nan Feng sat cross-legged at the bottom of the lake. The lake water formed a layer of emerald green light cocoon around him, and the life Spiritual Power within the cocoon continuously flowed into his body. Old Huai, in the Tower Spirit Space, directed. "Don't rush to absorb it—first let the life Spiritual Power temper your meridians and bones. The core of the Power of Creation is 'transformation,' you must first understand the structure of the Life Origin before you can transform it into your own power."

Nan Feng absorbed the energy. The Emerald Swan hovered above the lake, its emerald feathers gleaming gently in the twilight, its silvery pupils gazing serenely at the cocoon of light at the bottom of the lake. Its Soul Power slowly spread through the water, enveloping the entire lake surface for miles in a faint emerald halo, as if protecting Nan Feng.

Within the Tower Spirit Space, the flow of time was five to one. Nan Feng sat at the bottom of the lake for three days and inside the tower for fifteen. During those fifteen days, he gradually integrated the life Spiritual Power of the Life Origin Stone into his dantian and meridians. The liquid Primordial World Power in his dantian gained a layer of emerald green luster under the infusion of life Spiritual Power, and the walls of his meridians became more flexible under the tempering of life Spiritual Power. The door to the third layer of Power of Creation gradually lit up under the continuous infusion of life Spiritual Power, and a fine emerald green line appeared in the lapis lazuli and dark gold patterns on the surface of the tower.

On the evening of the third day, Nan Feng rose from the lakebed. He stood on the lake surface, his emerald green cocoon of light slowly dissipating in the twilight. The Emerald Swan descended from the sky, its scrutinizing gaze in its silvery eyes now softening into a gentle approval.

"You've absorbed seventy percent of the power of the Life Origin Stone," the Emerald Swan said. "The remaining thirty percent will gradually integrate into your meridians during the upcoming settling period."

Nan Feng nodded. He sensed the changes within his body— his Soul Power remained at level sixty-six, stuck at a level other than ten. However, the liquid Primordial World Power in his dantian had gained a layer of emerald green luster, the flexibility of his meridian walls had increased, and the circulation of the third layer of Power of Creation was much smoother than before. More importantly, the life Spiritual Power of the Life Origin Stone had left an imprint deep within his soul, an imprint that pulsated in sync with the lotus seed of the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus, like a second heart beating slowly.

"Where are you going next?" the Emerald Swan asked.

"The Lake of Life faces south," Nan Feng said, "To solidify our foundation and await the breakthrough of our Soul Power to level seventy."

A hint of a smile flickered in the Emerald Swan's silvery-white eyes, "After level seventy comes the Sixth Soul Ring. You need a Soul Beast over eighty thousand years old." She paused, her emerald feathers gleaming faintly in the twilight. "Three hundred miles south of the Lake of Life, there is a precipice. Perched on the precipice is a Golden-Eyed Peng King, eighty-seven thousand years old. It's a near-hundred-thousand-year-old Soul Beast, slightly weaker than me, but far stronger than the Frost Giant Dragon."

Nan Feng memorized the location of the Golden-Eyed Peng King.

The Emerald Swan nodded to him, its emerald green Soul Power flowing around it, its form beginning to blur. "Remember your promise," her voice came from within the emerald light, "If you ever cultivate the Primordial World Great Dao, come find me at the Lake of Life. My name is Bi Ji."

The light faded. The Emerald Swan disappeared into the sky above the lake, leaving only a lingering emerald green halo on the lake's surface that slowly dissipated into the twilight.

Nan Feng stood on the lake, watching the direction where the Emerald Swan had disappeared. The red ribbon on her left wrist fluttered gently in the evening breeze. In the Tower Spirit Space, the Old Huai poked its head out from the Immortal Tree: "Bi Ji. A 100,000-year-old Emerald Swan. Her cultivation is top-tier among Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beast, but the Life Origin of the Lake of Life is diminishing, and her bottleneck is becoming increasingly tight. Your promise to her can wait until you achieve immortality before fulfilling Immortal Dao."

Nan Feng turned and walked south. Shrinking the Ground to an Inch, his figure vanished from the lake's surface and reappeared on the hills of the southern bank. The Lake of Life gradually receded behind him, its silvery-blue luster fading in the twilight. The emerald light of the Life Origin Stone and the azure-gold light of the Soul-Suppressing Azure Lotus intertwined deep within his soul, while the Power of Creation from the third level of the tower slowly circulated through his meridians. His Soul Power was level sixty-six, stuck at a level not exceeding ten, but his foundation was more stable than before.

The red ribbon on his left wrist fluttered in the evening breeze. The Nan Feng moved southward, and the hills beneath his feet gradually turned into plains, where sparse trees and grasslands began to appear. The Golden-Eyed Peng King awaited him on a cliff three hundred miles to the south. The Ice Empress and Snow Empress of the Far North guarded the rift even further away. The Bi Ji of the Lake of Life slept peacefully at the bottom of the lake.

He continued walking forward.