Chapter 532: Great Cave Essence Jade

At this moment, dawn light was faint, the shapes of mountains and watercourses indistinct, as if veiled in a hazy gauze, blurred and shadowy.

Three days earlier, when the last two fire-bell copper fish appeared simultaneously, the transformation mist in the arena had entirely dispersed, leaving the heavens wide and the earth open, with no further obstruction.

And this also meant that the struggle for the Golden Core within the Emperor’s Ancestral Map had reached its final moment.

From this point on, all the Golden Core True Persons in the arena could fully unleash themselves, engaging in unrestrained combat!

Just as Chen Hang reached into his sleeve, gripping a tortoise shell, preparing to calculate, a darting light shot forth, revealing Yin Ruohua’s figure as it landed around him.

Yin Ruohua was about to speak, but saw Chen Hang’s magic power rippling and surging.

Within mere breaths, it surged like tidal waves, vast and turbulent, stirring smoke and clouds that rose and vanished in spirals.

Yin Ruohua fixed her gaze briefly, then halted her advance, standing still to guard him.

She had sensed the commotion when the copper fish emerged three days ago; she had assumed Chen Hang would exit his seclusion early to pursue his enemies.

Yet Chen Hang had chosen to endure, continuing to cultivate for another three days, waiting until his primordial energy was fully restored before breaking his seclusion.

Such caution was somewhat unexpected to Yin Ruohua.

But Chen Hang’s demeanor was clearly not meant to guard against ordinary foes—only to better confront those few.

And her elder brother, Yin Wujie, was unquestionably among them…

“I wonder how things stand with my brother? This Golden Core assembly has truly been unexpected.”

Yin Ruohua sighed inwardly, tracing the jade ring on her wrist, her thoughts strangely complex.

Her obtaining a copper fish and remaining within the Emperor’s Ancestral Map to this point was entirely due to Chen Hang’s aid.

Without his intervention, after defeating Le Di, she—still depleted of energy—would have been easily cast down by Ling Shouming’s arrival, and the hard-won copper fish would have fallen into another’s hands.

During Chen Hang’s seclusion, several Golden Core True Persons had indeed followed the copper fish’s resonance to this desolate wilderness.

But upon seeing that the one in seclusion was Chen Hang…

Those who came seeking him—Yin Jingxiangji, Dou Shu Changsun Kuang, or the pair arriving together, Xue He Cen Ti and Xuan Feng Zhou Ying—

Though aware he was not at his peak, they dared not strike lightly, merely watched from afar for a while, then withdrew with good sense.

As for Cen Ti and Zhou Ying, though they deliberately arrived, after using secret methods to peer within, Cen Ti was persuaded away by Zhou Ying, which eased Yin Ruohua’s hidden vigilance.

In truth, whether it was Chen Hang seeking her out, or aiding him with the Blood Atonement Needle to ruin Chen Bai’s fate…

None of these events had been within Yin Ruohua’s prior expectations.

She had originally thought that, with fortune on her side, she might secure a top-ten position under her brother Yin Wujie’s protection.

Yet within the Emperor’s Ancestral Map, it was not her own brother who protected her—but Chen Hang, a man she had never previously known.

This, when one considers it…

“Once word of all this reaches the clan, I wonder how Father and those uncles will react?”

“Still, apart from Chen Bai, my Master should be pleased? Back during the Six Sects’ Joint Destiny Contest, Chen Yu’s sword strike still lingers in his memory—he never forgets it. Perhaps I’ll gain some advantage from this.”

Yin Ruohua thought to herself.

As her thoughts churned, she suddenly saw Chen Hang halt his actions, shake his head, and gaze upward with a smile:

“To lay such bait so bluntly—our Sect Master and the presiding Elders have truly been too direct.”

Yin Ruohua was initially puzzled, but she asked no questions, merely closed her eyes slightly and focused her spiritual sense.

After a moment, understanding dawned on her face.

Neither spoke.

Only after a while did the entire heavens and earth slowly split open a seam.

Pure light poured in continuously from beyond, like a surging tide, vast and overwhelming!

As the pure light appeared, the entire corner of the Emperor’s Ancestral Map trembled violently, the sound rising, swelling, until it coalesced into a radiant pillar stretching from earth to heaven, illuminating the mortal realm!

No one knew what kind of divine art had been applied to this pillar.

Even across thousands of li, it seemed as if it stood right before one’s eyes; within the pillar, the three jade caskets were clearly visible to the naked eye.

“Great Cave Essence Jade?” Yin Ruohua’s heart stirred.

The jade caskets within the pillar were translucent and flawless, clearer than glass, allowing one to discern their contents with just a glance.

They were a kind of jade, round and lustrous like eastern pearls, untainted by dust.

Their radiant glow made it plain at once: these were no ordinary objects, but rare, supreme medicinal treasures!

At the moment this “Great Cave Essence Jade” appeared, not only did Yin Ruohua and other Golden Core True Persons gasp in surprise, but many guests who had come to observe also flickered with intent, their thoughts diverging.

In the cultivation of the Primordial Spirit within the Immortal Dao, “Great Cave Essence Jade” was the supreme class of external medicine—there was no other substance to rival it!

Its refining method originated from Yu Sheng Emperor, one of the ancient Twenty-Four Emperors.

It was said that to refine “Great Cave Essence Jade,” one needed three supreme medicines: True Yang Sand, Essence Mother Cloud Blossom, and White Flowing Pearl, placed within a golden cauldron, stirred to harmonize, then infused with mysterious alchemical spells, steamed for a hundred years, with constant vigilance day and night.

Once the form was initially complete, additional secret medicines were added in sequence, arranged in twelve positions, forming the Nine Palaces, mirroring the Eight Trigrams, harmonizing the Five Phases, and finally refined through water-fire interplay, culminating in the embodiment of natural qi.

This medicine was not only personally named “Great Cave Essence Jade” by Yu Sheng Emperor, but also bore other names such as “Immortal Mother Golden Jade” and “Primordial Spirit Great Treasury”; consuming it facilitated breaking the Primordial Spirit barrier and aided longevity cultivation.

To this day, even after the catastrophic collapse of the Dao Court,

the refining method for “Great Cave Essence Jade” remained preserved only within the Zheng Xu Heaven—no other sect could obtain it; it was one of Zheng Xu Dao Court’s foundational treasures!

Though later Immortals, with vast wisdom, had deciphered some secrets of “Great Cave Essence Jade”—such as knowing that one of its three main ingredients was “True Yang Sand,” a Golden Core medicinal treasure,

for various reasons, they had never fully succeeded in reconstructing the original formula.

The three jade caskets sealed within this pillar may have been acquired during the time when the Eight Sects and Six Clans were still on good terms with Zheng Xu Dao Court—ancient relics indeed.

As for the intent behind this object’s descent, it was straightforward: simply to incite competition among cultivators.

The transformations within the Emperor’s Ancestral Map—whether the Sands of Flowing River, Jin Yaotan, Three Marvels Hill, or Yanxiao River—all required breaking seals, destroying arrays, and generated immense commotion, inevitably drawing attention.

In such narrow encounters, a battle was unavoidable.

Now, the object sealed within the pillar was even “Great Cave Essence Jade.”

For Golden Core True Persons on the verge of Primordial Spirit, this was an irresistible boon!

Thus, despite knowing the pillar’s descent carried ulterior motives and would inevitably lead to bloody combat before it, few would refuse such a “sweet bait.”

Whether driven by the desire to seize fortune or to claim copper fish,

it was certain that in the coming days, some would be eliminated one by one, and this Golden Core contest would enter its most critical phase!

With this thought, Chen Hang’s gaze lingered briefly on the Great Cave Essence Jade, then he raised his sleeve, his eyes flashing like lightning:

“The Golden Core Assembly has finally arrived!”

He smiled faintly.

…

The arrival of the pillar was not felt only by Chen Hang and Yin Ruohua—all other Golden Core True Persons who had obtained copper fish stirred with intent.

In an underground river, Lu Rong sat upon a seven-petaled lotus seat.

Around him, countless blood spirits—large and small—danced and circled, like ravenous beasts devouring each other, a chilling scene that sent shivers down the spine.

A crimson smoke drifted gently from his crown, within which clear visions of sword mountains, knife forests, blood seas, and pools appeared; atop these scenes stood a pale human figure, its face indistinct.

Though the figure stood rigid, as if long dead, whether it was a divine art or illusion was unclear.

Yet the thick, unyielding aura of death and stillness made the Blood Spirit Child beside him, who guarded him, raise his vigilance, his eyes gleaming with unknown thoughts.

“Don’t think too much. Until you turn the tables and fully seize my body, this fortune will never be yours.”

Lu Rong’s voice suddenly sounded calm; he had opened his eyes, gazing at the Blood Spirit Child:

“Though many in our sect have been devoured by their own Blood Spirit Children, don’t compare me to them. As long as I live, you cannot overthrow me!”

The Blood Spirit Child chuckled:

“I was born from your lifeblood, and my true consciousness is the primordial spirit you severed. We are one and the same. Honestly, I have no intention of betraying you—why are you so wary of me?”

Lu Rong refused to answer, merely gazing ahead.

He now stood a thousand zhang beneath the earth, where darkness was absolute—but the towering pillar’s form was strangely clear, as if it had pierced through the earth’s barrier and rooted itself deep here.

“Great Cave Essence Jade… truly a masterstroke…”

Lu Rong mused inwardly.

Finding a superior yin vein beneath this place, convenient for later cultivation and harmonizing magic power, Lu Rong already considered his fortune decent.

Yet for this Golden Core contest to produce “Great Cave Essence Jade” was somewhat unexpected.

“Bai Shui, Qi Gong…”

Lu Rong shook his head suddenly, and laughed.

Then images of Chen Hang, Yin Wujie, and Yu Huangshang flashed before his eyes; his chest swelled with battle-lust, his robes stirring without wind, rustling loudly!

…

On a ten-thousand-zhang solitary peak, Zhou Fu gazed at the Great Cave Essence Jade sealed within the pillar, his eyes flickering.

After a brief thought, he launched his sword-light, flying straight toward the pillar.

Since entering the Emperor’s Ancestral Map, he had pursued Yu Huangshang, defeated Liao Huidu, Lu Tingyun, and He Lizhi, and finally driven away Cen Ti and Zhou Ying—his combat record was remarkably prominent.

Yet none of these battles had satisfied Zhou Fu.

Even He Lizhi’s “Changgeng Si Zhen,” a supreme divine technique surpassing even the greatest in lethality, seemed beneath Zhou Fu’s standards.

Had it not been to observe this sword technique, He Lizhi wouldn’t have had time to charge—he’d have been expelled in disgrace.

Later, he deliberately endured Cen Ti’s “Wuyang Li Xue Yinhuo,” fully aware of its power, yet refused to dodge—again, simply to witness Cen Ti’s hidden techniques.

Now he had memorized the subtle yin-fire transformations embedded in his sword, gaining insight and substantial benefit; through analogy, he now faintly understood how to begin cultivating his next sword technique.

Having achieved his goal, and after days of cultivation, his magic power was fully restored.

Now, it was time to resume testing his sword!

…

At the summit of the Great Snow Mountain, Yin Wujie slowly drew in his cultivation.

In his eyes, starlight flowed like water, swirling in circles, one after another, as if endless.

Compared to before entering the Emperor’s Imperial Altar Map, his aura had subtly grown even stronger.

As Yin Wujie slowly took a single step forward, the howling blizzard sweeping through the sky inexplicably paused for an instant, frozen in place.

The myriad mountains and deep valleys fell utterly silent, as if all vibrant color had been abruptly drained away, leaving only a painting hung upon a wall.

Yin Wujie closed his eyes and focused his senses; after a moment, he took another step.

Only then did the blizzard surge down again, like an ocean, each flake as large as goose feathers, obscuring all sight within a few feet.

The snow and wind here were bitterly cold, as if the heavens themselves had collapsed.

A few days ago, when he had driven back Liu Jianwu and Zheng Jia, Yin Wujie had distant flicked his finger and shattered a snow-capped mountain; now, the broken peak was entirely buried beneath frost and snow, frozen solid once more.

“So this is how the Great Cave Essence Jade lowers its bait?”

Gazing at the light pillar that seemed just before him, Yin Wujie shook his head with a faint smile.

“Now is the moment!”

He paused in thought, exhaled a long breath, swept his hand casually—and vanished without a sound, gone in the blink of an eye.

…

Amid dense dark clouds, Yu Huangshang stood upon a dragon’s head, idly playing with a small jade vase, his gaze fixed on the Great Cave Essence Jade, as if lost in thought.

The vase was a superior magic treasure belonging to Li Yuwei; unexpectedly, after clashing with Yu Huangshang over a fish, he not only lost the contest but also lost his treasure to Yu Huangshang.

And at this very moment.

Jia Xiu rode upon wind and thunder, Pei Zhi gazed into the distance.

In a valley half-destroyed and choked with dark fire and miasma, Wei Lingjiang rose slowly, his face slightly pale; his waist-slung sword emitted a soft hum.

She cast a glance at the spot where Gu Yi had last stood, recalling their recent battle; a flicker of solemnity passed through her eyes, then she summoned a fierce gale and ascended into the clouds, vanishing in an instant.

…

Chen Hang, Yin Ruohua, Lu Rong, Zhou Fu, Yin Wujie, Yu Huangshang, Jia Xiu, Pei Zhi, Wei Lingjiang, Gu Yi.

The fire-bell copper fish had already been claimed by their new owners; the contest for the top ten in the Dan Yuan ranking had already been settled.

Only the final champion remained to be decided, and then this grand gathering would draw to its close.

And elsewhere, amid distant blue clouds.

Yin Ruohua’s gaze settled on Chen Hang; after a moment’s thought, she formed a spell, her slender hand closing gently in the air to seize a streak of crimson light.

“Since we’ve reached this point, I shall not delay further. Please accept this, Chen True Person,” Yin Ruohua said, extending her hand.

“What is this, Yin True Person?” Chen Hang turned his gaze.