Chapter 17: The Treasure of Enlightenment
Looking at the golden seal before him—swirling with nine divine dragons and emanating a domineering and terrifying aura—Xuantian's heart couldn't help but beat violently.
This was the Kongtong Seal, a supreme innate spiritual treasure capable of dethroning the Human Emperor. Its importance to the human race far surpassed that of any single treasure!
Unexpectedly, the treasure he had sensed while performing the Great Treasure Hunting Technique was none other than this Kongtong Seal. No wonder the response had been so overwhelming.
However, if Xuantian remembered correctly, the Kongtong Seal was supposed to have been obtained by Taiqing Laozi, serving as his ultimate weapon to suppress the destiny of the Human Sect.
By this time in the timeline, after Nuwa, one of the Six Predestined Saints, achieved sainthood. The remaining five, including Taiqing Laozi, would have also attained that level.
However, because Xuantian had announced the Seclusion of the Human Race to Heavenly Dao and led humanity into seclusion ahead of time, it triggered a chain reaction that prevented Taiqing Laozi from preaching to humanity, thereby causing him to miss his opportunity for sainthood.
As a result, Taiqing Laozi never discovered this forbidden opportunity. Could it be that Xuantian had now intercepted it?
His expression shifted slightly at the thought, but he soon regained composure. After all, the Kongtong Seal was humanity's most sacred treasure. As the leader of the human race, it was only natural that he should possess it.
In the prehistoric world, treasures and opportunities belonged only to those with predestined fate.
Since he had discovered the large-blessed cave formation ahead of time, it could only mean that this opportunity was fated to be his—not a case of unjust usurpation.
"The Kongtong Seal can dethrone not only the Human Emperor, but also the Human Sect's leader. Without it, I can't fully suppress the Human Sect's destiny. Even if I establish the sect, my leadership will still lack legitimacy…"
Xuantian muttered under his breath.
Taiqing Laozi had once taught humanity the Golden Elixir Method, leveraging the race's destiny to establish the Human Sect and attain sainthood. But in truth, he had always regarded humanity with indifference, treating them as expendable.
During the Investiture of God Tribulation, Taiqing had imprisoned the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors within the Fire Cloud Cave, forcefully to preserve humanity's luck—but in reality, it was imprisonment. The root cause of it all was the Kongtong Seal, the weapon that dethroned the Human Emperor.
Now that Xuantian had preemptively taken it, he had resolved humanity's greatest hidden threat.
Even if Taiqing Laozi still became the leader of the Human Sect, his foundation would forever be unstable.
Having realized this, Xuantian stored the Kongtong Seal away like a precious treasure and turned his attention to the other two items.
The first was a fragment of the Jade Butterfly.
Upon sensing it, Xuantian discovered its astonishing origin—it was a remnant of the legendary Jade Butterfly of Creation, a treasure of enlightenment. In its complete form, this butterfly was a Chaos Supreme Treasure, containing all Three Thousand Great Daos.
Even its smallest fragment was worth as much as a supreme innate spiritual treasure.
The second item was an ancient treasure furnace, engraved with Dao talismans, named the Heaven-Stealing Furnace. A rare artifact from the prehistoric era.
Now, Xuantian possessed two rare treasures:
The Luck-Warming Jade, which could increase one's fortune tenfold, and the Origin of Creation Pool, which could generate endless innate creatures.
Whereas, the Heaven-Stealing Furnace, in comparison, had a brutal yet simple ability:
It increased the success rate of pill refining by 20%, regardless of grade!
"This…"
Xuantian was stunned. A 20% success increase, even for the highest-tier pills, was practically cheating.
Even for the near-impossible Nine-Transformation Golden Elixir, he might succeed in two out of ten attempts using this furnace.
Of course, the difficulty wasn't just in refining—it also lay in acquiring the ingredients. Only the spiritual fruit of the highest-grade innate spiritual roots would suffice.
Among the ten supreme innate spiritual roots of the prehistoric world, only the ginseng fruit tree, the bodhi tree, and the bitter bamboo had been seen in transformed forms. The rest were incredibly rare, even for the sages of the Heavenly Dao.
Still, this furnace was a terrifying treasure, immensely beneficial to Xuantian's cultivation and alchemy. Elixirs made from it could also strengthen the entire human race.
"No wonder Taiqing Laozi's pill-refining skills are so legendary in the prehistoric world… This Heaven-Stealing Furnace must be one of the reasons!"
Xuantian couldn't help but smile joyfully.
And yet, these weren't the only rewards. He also had the Shouyang Bronze Mountain and the Shouyang Bronze Mother about a square platform of ten feet.
"Let me first refine and comprehend the Dao laws in the fragments of the Jade Butterfly of Creation!"
Sitting upright on the Shouyang Bronze Mother platform, Xuantian began to meditate on the fragment of the Jade Butterfly.
Each fragment contained different Dao laws.
This particular fragment contained three: Dao of Charm, Dao of Alchemy, and Dao of Weapon Refining.
Among the Three Thousand Daos, even these lower-ranking laws held unimaginable potential.
Primarily, the Charm Dao could mesmerize not only sentient beings but also draw in luck and laws. Mastering it to perfection could theoretically elevate one directly to Perfected Daluo Golden Immortal.
Secondly, the Alchemy Dao allowed for complete absorption of a pill's medicinal effects—such as the Nine-Transformation Golden Elixir, which could directly elevate a cultivator to Daluo Golden Immortal.
Lastly, the Weapon Refining Dao empowered forging. The Heaven-Flipping Seal created by Yuanshi Tianzun after the Demon-Witch Tribulation was proof; its power rivaled any supreme innate spiritual treasure.
"First, I'll plunder this entire Shouyang Copper Mountain and the blessed land!"
With a wave of his sleeve, Xuantian transferred the Shouyang Bronze Platform and the three treasures into the Pot of Heaven World.
Then, he dug deep into the ground, gathering all spiritual herbs, spiritual materials, and vein ores within the blessed land.
"Oh? This spiritual herb alone is probably equivalent to a top-grade innate spiritual root!"
"A massive Gengjin vein mine?!"
"Plunder, Plunder everything!!!"
By the time he was done, not even a single acquired spiritual root remained. He even restored the formation's surface to its original appearance, leaving behind a three-foot-deep cave paradise that bore no trace of his plunder.
Once finished, Xuantian and Xiao Jin found a secluded cave and sat down to cultivate.
They immersed themselves in the Dao principles hidden within the Jade Butterfly of Creation fragments.
Meanwhile…
In Kunlun Mountain, Taiqing Laozi was meditating on the Hongmeng Purple Qi within his primordial spirit, preparing for enlightenment.
Suddenly, his eyes opened wide.
He looked toward Shouyang Mountain, his calm expression twisting in disbelief.
A powerful sense of loss surged through him.
"What?!"
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(End of Chapter 17)