As a Qi Cultivation Cultivator who had achieved Five Elements Perfection, he recognized the origin of this Earth Treasure at a glance.
Ancient texts recorded that this object was a single point of Essence, condensed from the accumulated Earth Qi of a mountain range over ten thousand years.
If the [Mountain-Suppressing Platinum] he had obtained before represented the hardness of metal and stone, then this [Profound Yellow Earth Essence] embodied the virtue of Thick Earth. The Earth Element Origin it contained was pure to the extreme.
Although he already had an Earth Element Treasure anchoring his system, this item’s effect of strengthening the Five Elements circulation was somewhat redundant. However, the power it contained was enough to drive any Cultivator mad.
"If you take it, the last wisp of this Underground Palace’s vital Qi will be severed, and this place will completely collapse."
The voice of the Clay Soil Land God came from behind, no longer teasing, but with an unprecedented seriousness. "But, Traveler, if you want to save his life, this thing is the only ’catalyst.’"
"Save his life?"
Chu Bai’s brow furrowed, his Divine Thought locked onto the Bright Pearl. "Since this catalyst has been here all along, why do you need me to save him? In all these countless years, has there not been a single Cultivator capable of setting foot in this place?"
"Not enough."
The little clay old man’s tone was low, as if steeped in endless fatigue. "The Earth Treasure is only the catalyst to awaken the Divine Soul. But to revive him from annihilation and reconstruct his Divine Body requires an immense amount of energy. In this depleted fragment of a Secret Realm, no one can afford it."
Chu Bai’s mind raced, and he instantly realized.
"You mean... the [Cyan Nether Pearl]?"
"Precisely." The Land God’s voice held a hint of inducement. "Traveler, this is your great fortune, and also his fated calamity."
"Calamity or fortune, it matters not. Now that it’s in front of me, I, Chu, have no reason to let it go."
Chu Bai’s eyes sharpened. He exploded off his feet, shooting toward the stone pillar like a cyan cannonball under five times the normal gravity.
He thrust out his right hand, Magical Power condensing in his palm to form a massive Formless Cloud Hand that viciously grabbed for the yellow Bright Pearl.
"Rise!"
The moment his fingertips touched the Bright Pearl, the color drained from Chu Bai’s face.
That wasn’t a pearl in his grasp; it was a veritable Mount Taiyue!
At that moment, every bone in Chu Bai’s body groaned under the unbearable weight, and the stone pillar beneath his feet shattered with a BOOM.
He fell to one knee, the muscles all over his body twitching violently like coiling dragons. Veins bulged on his forehead as he pushed the [Iron Bone Casting Body Technique] to its absolute limit. A dark gold light pulsed wildly, desperately resisting the immense weight that threatened to crush him into dust.
"Take!"
Chu Bai roared, and Spiritual Power surged into his palm like a tsunami, forcefully pulling the [Profound Yellow Earth Essence] into his embrace.
RUMBLE—!
As the Earth Treasure was moved from its place, the entire Underground Palace began to shake violently. Dark gold stone slabs fell from the ceiling like raindrops, and all around, the remnants of the ancient battlefield let out a collective, sorrowful cry.
A pressure so terrifying it made Chu Bai’s Divine Soul tremble swept out from the deepest part of the Underground Palace, from the cracks in the dried-up pond, as if a great being was awakening from a long dream.
Deep within those cracks, a pair of eyes that had been dormant for ten thousand years was slowly opening.
"He’s coming."
The Clay Soil Land God gripped Chu Bai’s collar, his trembling voice tinged with madness. "Quick! Get some pearls ready to offer! Otherwise, when he fully awakens and finds there’s not enough Spirituality, you’ll be the first one he devours!"
After passing through a long, collapsing corridor where rubble rained down, Chu Bai finally stepped into the very core of the Underground Palace.
The view before him suddenly opened up, revealing a circular altar so grand it was almost absurd.
The altar was hundreds of yards wide, paved with pure Mutton Fat Jade. It was surrounded by twelve Heaven-Reaching Pillars that pierced the dome, their surfaces covered in ancient reliefs of gods receiving praise and multitudes in worship.
However, this sacred structure was covered in a nauseating layer of black and purple.
In the very center of the altar, a massive White Jade Throne stood silently. Seated upon it was a majestic figure, ten feet tall and as imposing as a mountain.
He wore a set of tattered cyan Divine Armor and a coronet with dangling pearls. Though his face was covered in dust and his body was riddled with black-and-red patches of Evil Qi that writhed like centipedes, the aura of a superior being—one that could not be erased even after ten thousand years of death—still crashed down on Chu Bai like a tidal wave.
His hands were locked in a death grip around a colossal broken sword, its blade sunk a few inches into the Jade Tier.
The [Lingma Mountain God].
This Supreme True God, who had once reigned over a thousand-mile radius around Cyan Nether Mountain and held an extremely high rank, now sat with his eyes tightly shut. Yet, he mechanically opened his mouth to inhale and exhale the foul Evil Qi pouring from the cracks in the Underground Palace. With each breath, the black patches on his body grew darker.
His Spirituality was already extinguished. The only thing keeping his Divine Body from decaying was the parasitic Evil Thoughts dwelling within it.
"He was my superior... my Commanding Officer..."
The Clay Soil Land God scrambled and tumbled out of Chu Bai’s back basket, trembling.
The moment he landed, he transformed into the skinny little old man and prostrated himself before the altar. Gazing at the figure on the throne, tears streamed down his aged face as he slammed his forehead hard against the white jade slabs, creating a dull THUD.
"During the great battle back then, he used his Divine Soul as a conduit to shield this Earth Vein from being torn apart, personally withstanding the impact of the chaotic void currents. His Divine Soul was annihilated, leaving only this body behind. But to think... to think it would be used as a parasitic nest by the evil spirits in this Secret Realm, and fall to such a state!"
Chu Bai stood at the edge of the altar, his fingers pressing on the [Profound Yellow Earth Essence] turning slightly white.
A Divine Spirit undergoing Demonization—in the Cultivation Realm, this was far more terrifying than any Demon’s rampage.
What’s more, this place was the former fiefdom of the Lingma Mountain God. If he were to fully undergo Demonization and transform into an unparalleled Ba Spirit, the thousand-mile mountain range would instantly crumble and turn into a Death Realm.
’Save him, or not?’
Chu Bai rapidly weighed his options.
’With my current Cultivation and the [Fire Wheel], an Upper Grade Dharma Artifact, I can definitely escape before the Underground Palace collapses. This [Profound Yellow Earth Essence] is a prize I already have in hand.’
’But if I try to save him, it will take a lot of time, and I’ll have to face the full might of a True God on the verge of Demonization.’
RUMBLE—!
The earth shook violently again. Three of the twelve stone pillars around the altar collapsed with a deafening crash, and the entire structure of the Underground Palace was on the brink of ruin.
"Traveler, save my master! Save His Excellency’s remnant spirit!" The little old Land God, still kneeling, whipped his head around to stare at Chu Bai, his eyes filled with desperation.
Chu Bai’s expression was impassive as he looked at the old man. "Things have come to this, and you’re still not going to tell the truth, Land God?"
"From the moment I lit the incense in the Land God Temple, to you guiding me to find the Blood Spirit Grass, and then leading me into the depths of this Underground Palace... this was all a scheme you laid out long ago, wasn’t it?"
"You deliberately led me here just so I would see this Mountain God."
The little old Land God froze. A flicker of guilt and resolve flashed in his murky eyes before he lowered his head and whispered, "Yes... This old one was indeed selfish."
"The Blood Spirit Grass was real, and this Earth Treasure is real, but this old one hoped to borrow the Traveler’s hand to find a sliver of hope for my Commanding Officer."
"At first, it was just a coincidence. But after I consumed a few Cyan Nether Pearls and regained my senses, I could only hope that you would save my master."
Chu Bai snorted coldly, but he didn’t feel much anger in his heart.
In this lawless Secret Realm, every person and every spirit was fighting for its own survival.
Although the Land God’s scheme had used him, it had also delivered a truly magnificent gift.
’I am rather curious about the Divine Spirits of this place. If I can revive the Mountain God, I might learn more...’
’As for safety, I still have some [Merit]. It should be enough for Enlightenment, so I don’t need to worry about him turning on me.’
The Merit Chu Bai referred to was not something recorded on a seal, but an intrinsic part of his own Fate Chart.
He looked at the demonizing Divine Body on the throne. ’A revived Land God has the power to survey Earth Veins. A Mountain God, then...’
"Fine. For the sake of this Earth Treasure, I’ll give it a try."
"But let me be clear. If he truly undergoes complete Demonization, the first thing I’ll do is dismantle this altar, take the Divine Dao Seal and Ribbon, and leave. I have no intention of waiting here to die with him."

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