Chapter 730: Progenitor Star, Jade Capital Dynasty, Mount Dongxuan City, White Bone Mountain

"... It is said that when a spell is cultivated to its utmost, it possesses all manner of inconceivable might. Hundreds of years ago, a Dao Sovereign once, in order to aid his disciple in cultivating a spell,

"activated an ultimate Cang Xing Fa, shrouding the heavenly mechanisms of all domains..."

On the grey stone platform, Li Yuan was choosing his words, preparing to ask that 'noble one' for some benefits, when he suddenly heard a Listening Voice concerning a Dao Sovereign.

"The utmost of spells, shrouding the heavenly mechanisms?"

Li Yuan gave a start.

This was the first time he had ever heard a Listening Voice concerning a Dao Sovereign, but when he focused his spirit to sense it carefully, he found it exceedingly vague.

"What kind of spell requires shrouding the heavenly mechanisms of all domains?"

Curious at heart, but since it concerned a Dao Sovereign, Li Yuan did not dare dwell on it. He merely committed it to memory, then turned and walked toward the giant bronze coffin.

"Senior..."

Li Yuan cupped his fist in salute, but before he could finish speaking, his vision swam and he was drawn into the Zang Guan Mi Jing.

"Hum~"

It seemed as if endless, intricate streams of light and shadow wove and flowed before his eyes.

"What is this?"

Li Yuan looked around and saw that he was in a stretch of profound darkness, with only specks of light coming from the flowing shadows all about.

He focused his spirit and observed carefully. Even with the augmentation of the Soldier Register, he could faintly make out, within those flowing shadows, what seemed to be mountains, rivers, grass, trees, cities, and strongholds?

"Hum~"

At this moment, a tremor came from above his head. Li Yuan looked up and saw, within the darkness, a massive bronze coffin lid, upon which was carved a relief—a black cat.

In the darkness, the black cat's eyes glowed red, rather unsettling.

"Bronze Coffin Spirit!"

The moment this thought flashed through Li Yuan's mind, the black cat stepped out from the relief.

It paced through the darkness, its eyes emanating an eerie red light as it kept sizing up Li Yuan—shocked, doubtful, resentful, hesitant.

'This cat's emotions are so intense!'

The emotional fluctuations of a non-living being cannot generate incense-fire, but Li Yuan's senses were keen, and he could perceive that this cat's spirituality was extremely abundant.

"You fought very well this time..."

The black cat licked its paw: "Pity, in the end you were still beheaded by the God King's Execution Blade."

"... That's right."

Li Yuan narrowed his eyes slightly.

His thoughts raced, but he didn't believe this black cat had come to give him a post-battle debrief. It had been extremely cold to him before, so this sudden appearance...

"I won?"

"You!"

The black cat was in the middle of choosing its words when it heard this sentence that seemed like a question but was in fact an assertion, and immediately bristled:

"You died first—how does that count as winning?"

"I really did win!"

Seeing it bristle, Li Yuan's heart settled at once, and he was overjoyed. Ignoring the black cat's unfriendly gaze, he cupped his fist toward the darkness in salute:

"Many thanks, Senior."

"What are you doing!" the black cat rebuked.

A voice came from within the darkness—Gu Gu Shentong's voice. She was somewhat astonished: "Why are you thanking me?"

"If Senior had not compressed the trial down to the Ru San Jing level, then no matter how many extra lives this junior had, victory would have been absolutely impossible..."

Li Yuan offered his thanks quite sincerely.

"..."

The black cat nearly slapped him across the face. Does this little Wang Ba think I don't exist?

"... It is I who should thank you."

Gu Gu Shentong was first taken aback, then promptly scolded the coffin spirit: "Little Black, stop making trouble!"

"... Oh."

The black cat trembled all over with anger, but still answered sullenly.

It cast an annoyed glance at that Chaos Body kid and smacked its paw hard. With a 'bang', it was as if fireworks exploded in the darkness, scattering into a sky full of stars:

"For clearing one stage, you may choose one spiritual item..."

"Little Black!"

Hearing its master's voice, the black cat felt rather weary, and corrected itself:

"Three items!"

Aren't they all being given to me?

Li Yuan grumbled inwardly, but naturally showed nothing on his face, and once again cupped his fist toward the darkness in thanks.

"Choose quickly!"

The black cat was indignant. Can that even count as winning?

'This is the foundation of the Origin Divine Dynasty...'

Glancing at the divine light filling the sky, Li Yuan suppressed his impulse and continued: "The divine ability Senior bestowed last time, this junior has already grasped, it's just that the 'Origin Divine Pattern' has nowhere to be found..."

"You..."

The black cat was too late to stop it. With a 'hum', a streak of flowing light came from within the darkness, and in a flash, it had already landed before Li Yuan:

"Little Black must have forgotten to give this to you. This divine pattern is not counted among the three!"

"Many thanks, Senior!"

Ignoring the black cat's murderous gaze, Li Yuan reached out and caught that streak of light.

Focusing his mind slightly, he seemed to see within that ray of light the sun, moon, and stars, the origin of all laws and all things—far more complex than any divine pattern he had ever obtained.

It looked like a single one, yet seemed to contain countless divine patterns.

"…Choose!"

The black cat no longer felt like getting angry.

"Mm."

Li Yuan stored away the Origin divine pattern, then focused his mind to observe the scattered divine lights in the darkness. He tried using the Soldier Controlling Register to examine them, but perhaps there was a hidden-shape divine prohibition, or perhaps the distance was too great—he could see nothing at all.

'Completely up to luck?'

Li Yuan was speechless, then promptly switched his Soldier Controlling, tossing in a bunch of Soldier Controlling objects that could boost fortune all at once into the Soldier Controlling Register, then pointed by feel:

"Those three, then."

"So decisive?"

The black cat was stunned, then turned its head to look. When it saw clearly which few divine lights the boy was pointing at, it was immediately shocked.

"You…"

It turned to look at Li Yuan, red light rolling in its eyes—somewhat startled and doubtful, yet also somewhat enlightened.

'This boy must have great fortune upon him…'

The black cat suddenly wasn't angry anymore.

A Chaos Body, quick-witted and decisive in thought, fierce and utterly spiritual in battle, and blessed with great fortune.

It felt this boy was fully qualified to become its own master's Dao Protector!

Thinking this, it felt the boy was much more pleasing to the eye. It immediately slapped a paw, hiding the remaining divine objects, and those three streaks of light came forth:

"Your luck isn't bad. Among these three divine objects, there is one extremely good thing…"

Extremely good?

Li Yuan noticed the black cat's emphasized tone, then looked at the spiritual objects wrapped in those three divine lights.

A streak of light, a seed of a divine pattern, and an ancient scroll.

"This divine pattern is called 'Star Dipper,' a top-grade divine pattern that can be used in cultivating all manner of divine abilities. As for that seed of a divine pattern, it should contain a top-tier spell—or perhaps a divine ability!"

The black cat pointed at the streak of light and the seed of the divine pattern, its gaze falling on that ancient scroll, its expression shifting:

"As for this ancient scroll…"

Li Yuan could no longer hear what it was saying. The moment he saw that ancient scroll, his mind went 'Boom—'.

【???】

【???】

【Soldier Controlling Requirement:???】

【Soldier Controlling Effect:???】

Holy shit!

Li Yuan was shocked to the extreme; this was the first time he had ever seen such a Soldier Controlling object.

Grade, Soldier Controlling requirement, origin, effect…all invisible!

"This ancient scroll…"

Li Yuan looked at the black cat. The latter's eyes were full of awe; after hesitating for a long time, it seemed unable to speak.

It was still in the darkness that Gu Gu Shentong spoke up to introduce it:

"This ancient scroll is a record of insights handwritten by my grand-uncle in his day. It can't be considered rare, but this skin seems to come from the Ancestral Dragon…"

"You, observe it carefully…"

A handwritten record by a God King, on the skin of an Ancestral Dragon!

Li Yuan sucked in a cold breath, never expecting his luck to be this good.

'A handwritten record by a God King! If I could Soldier Control this…'

The mere thought flashing through his mind made Li Yuan feel his breathing grow somewhat labored.

"The Ancestral Dragon's skin cannot be touched by any divine sense or magic power, or a great calamity will surely arise. If you wish to study it, remember you may only observe it with the naked eye!"

The black cat hesitated for a moment, but still offered a word of warning to this 'Dao Protector.'

"Thank you, senior."

Li Yuan naturally knew the gravity of it. He restrained his five senses and magic power, then carefully received it.

Setting aside the God King's handwritten record, the Ancestral Dragon's skin alone was terrifying enough.

The Ancestral Dragon was a supreme-level hegemon of the primeval era, the bloodline source of all dragon races across the myriad heavens and realms. Regarding information about this Ancestral Dragon, even the Scripture Pavilion of Mount Mount Dongxuan seemed to have none.

Li Yuan knew of the Ancestral Dragon because it had a son named 'Prison-Suppressing Dragon King,' ranked among the Ten Primeval Evils…

"That's enough."

Seeing him bow and give thanks, the black cat's mood improved considerably. It then slapped a paw, and the flowing, interwoven lights in the darkness promptly transformed into six light gates.

The auras of these six light gates were restrained; only one was in an open state. Li Yuan focused his mind to observe, and could faintly see Mingquan Ancient City.

Clearly it corresponded to Gu Gu Shentong.

"You only luckily broke through the first trial; it doesn't mean your divine abilities are all that remarkable. However, my lord is still willing to give you a chance."

The black cat paced through the void, pointing at the first gate: "In the future, you may freely enter and exit this gate to challenge."

Li Yuan nodded, focusing and listening quietly.

"As for the other five gates, they also correspond to five Dao Transformation Shadows. You may choose any one of them; defeating it grants six spiritual objects and opens the next gate."

The black cat explained for him.

"What about the first gate?"

Li Yuan inquired.

"Win once, obtain one spiritual item. However, you'd best complete the four realms before entering."

The black cat glanced at him:

"Choose a door."

"May I ask, Senior, are these five doors differentiated by strength?"

Li Yuan continued his inquiry.

"Perhaps there is, perhaps there isn't."

The black cat was very vague, seeming not to know itself.

In the darkness, Five Dragon Immortal also spoke, not quite certain:

"These five doors should be about the same?"

"…In that case, this junior understands."

Li Yuan cupped his hands in a salute, his heart clear.

These two most likely had never gone through these five doors themselves…

"Choose!"

The black cat urged.

Li Yuan observed carefully, but could not discern any difference. After a moment's thought, he chose the door closest to Five Dragon Immortal:

"This one, then."

"Hum~"

Before his words had even faded, the black cat had already flown up with a kick, sending him tumbling into the second door.

"Boom!"

Li Yuan didn't even have time to curse before he fell in helplessly. He focused his senses and felt only the void churning, as if endless light and shadow flashed by in an instant.

"Whoosh~"

The next instant, his five senses returned.

Li Yuan steadied himself, only to be hit by a wave of foul stench. Frowning as he looked around, he found himself inside a shed, and looking up he saw two fine steeds.

"Pfft!"

One of the horses gave a loud snort.

"…"

Li Yuan was rather speechless. He shook the horse dung and straw from his body, walked out of the stable, and discovered it was an enormously vast horse ranch.

At a glance, he saw that there were over a thousand similar stables lined up on both sides, and inside each stable were two fine horses.

"My magic power has been suppressed."

Li Yuan focused his senses.