Chapter 76: Initial Refinement of the Sun-Moon Golden Wheel

Qin Qing and Ye Ruobing were also intrigued, their gazes fixed on Ye Ruoshui.

After a moment’s contemplation, Ye Ruoshui released a stream of water, enveloping the trio and spiriting them back to the Water God Palace. Only then did he address their curiosity.

The three figures to the east—aged, middle-aged, and youthful—were none other than the Three Pure Ones, Heaven’s Venerables: Tai Qing, the Moral Heavenly Venerable; Yu Qing, the Primordial Beginning Heavenly Venerable; and Shang Qing, the Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable.

Born as triplet sons from the same mother, their distinct appearances were a manifestation of the nature of the god souls they had awakened.

The Moral Heavenly Venerable had awakened the essence of Tai Chi and Supreme Purity, allowing him to manifest the innate spiritual treasure, the Tai Chi Diagram. The Primordial Beginning Heavenly Venerable had awoken the aura of Jade Purity and Chaos, giving birth to the innate spiritual treasure, the Chaos Banner. The Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable had roused the energy of the Supreme Clarity and Four Elephants, creating the innate spiritual treasure, the Exterminating Sword Formation.

These three, even among Heavenly Venerables, possessed combat prowess of unparalleled strength. They were the three Heavenly Venerables of the Dao Alliance Beyond Heaven.

To the west stood eight Heavenly Venerables: the four celestial beasts—Qinglong the Celestial Dragon, Baihu the White Tiger, Zhuque the Vermilion Bird, and Xuanwu the Black Tortoise—and four mythic beasts—Zhulong the Candle Dragon, Qilin the Qilin, Yuanfeng the Primordial Phoenix, and Kunpeng the Kunpeng. Together, they formed the Dao Association’s Eight Divine Beasts.

Among them, Kunpeng was the sole Heavenly Venerable who had achieved the state of Primordial Chaos through spiritual reformation. With perfection in his nine-colored mythical rank spiritual soul, he had attained transcendent awakening.

As for the four in the south, there was Nüwa, mistress of the power of fortune; Xihe, wielder of the force of time and space; Houtu, ruler of the power of the cycle of life and death; and Wangshu, master of the force of destiny.

The three deities from the north were Fuxi, the Eastern Ruler, also known as Taiyi the Exalted, and the Spirit of Taiyi.

Then there was Emperor Yan, the God of Agriculture, also known as the Earth Ruler.

Finally, there was Suiren, the first tribal leader of humankind, also called the Fire Starter.

These three were the earliest overlord gods of humankind on the God Soul Continent.

Their era had long since passed.

In those days, the God Soul Continent had yet to merge with the Abyss, and humankind was still locked in a struggle with the demon race.

Qin Shu continued, “Senior, how many Heavenly Venerables are left in the God Soul Continent?”

“I still retain quite a few,” Ye Ruoshui replied. “But as they have not yet manifested in the God Soul Continent, I cannot divulge their identities to you. When you’ve reached the stage of ‘Great Luo’ and can venture onto the Battlefields Beyond Heaven, you will learn more.”

“We understand,” Qin Shu and Qin Qing nodded.

Ye Ruobing, however, forced a smile. Her spiritual soul’s capacity allowed her to ascend only to the Taiyi realm; the stage of ‘Great Luo’ was unattainable unless her soul transformed into a five-colored mythical rank.

Observing Qin Shu, Ye Ruoshui said, “Little Shu, why don’t you and Qing’er stay behind at the Water God Palace to continue your cultivation?”

“I appreciate your kindness, Senior,” Qin Shu replied tactfully, “but I feel Qingping Island is quite suitable for my solitary practice. It’s peaceful and quiet there.”

“As you wish!” Ye Ruoshui acquiesced, shaking his head without insisting further.

With that, Ye Ruobing returned to Divine Water City to oversee the larger affairs, while Qin Shu made his way back to Qingping Island, eager to begin digesting his newfound knowledge and abilities.

This time, his haul was rather impressive. Just the Golden Wheel of Sun and Moon alone would take quite some time to refine.

A supreme native spirit treasure! Though he had reached the Golden Core stage, Wangshu hadn’t helped him refine it at all. Neither had his master Nüwa offered any assistance, leaving him no choice but to tackle it himself.

With native spirit treasures, the sooner they were refined, the better.

Qin Shu arranged the five directional flags into a Five Elements Formation, then brought out the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed. Enshrouded in the doctrines of karma and enlightenment, the Golden Wheel of Sun and Moon was now within reach.

He didn’t dare to dream of fully refining it; his goal was simply to store it in his sea of consciousness.

The Golden Wheel of Sun and Moon was a top-tier, ownerless native spirit treasure, its spiritual essence dormant, its nature blank.

Qin Shu’s task was to send a thread of divine will into its core, awaken its spiritual essence, and transform it into his very own standalone entity.

This process would be painstakingly slow.

For three long years, he toiled, aided by the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed, finally managing to send his divine will into the wheel. This marked the initial stages of refining the Golden Wheel of Sun and Moon.

Now, he could at last move it into his sea of consciousness.

As he refined the Golden Wheel of Sun and Moon, his divine sense grew more potent.

The chaos bell replica Xihe had given him, along with Houtu’s cycle of reincarnation technique, required no refining to use—a welcome respite from the laborious process.

With the Golden Wheel of Sun and Moon partially refined, Qin Shu found himself in a similar position to the old Qin Gui. He could now temporarily harness the power of this supreme native spirit treasure.

Growing increasingly impatient, Qin Shu heeded the call of his heart and ventured into the Abyss.

Time was of the essence; he needed to cultivate the seeds of spiritual souls and implant them in his parents and three elder sisters as soon as possible.

A premonition stirred within him - this time, he would successfully nurture the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed.

The Abyssal Plains, a miniature world.

Beside Qin Shu, several fourth-rank cultivators from the five immeasurable realms appeared in various corners of this world.

A mission notification materialized in Qin Shu’s mind, the most challenging yet straightforward slaughter mission:

Eliminate an abyssal monster one rank higher than yourself.

Previously, the requirement was merely to kill ten monsters of equal rank. The mission difficulty had escalated.

But for Qin Shu, this task was nothing. Hadn’t he always fought beyond his rank? Moreover, he now wielded the Golden Wheel of Sun and Moon.

Though only able to access a fraction of its true power, it rendered him invincible in this world.

Finding monsters seemed too bothersome, so he opted to plant the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed immediately. Then, he activated the Great Array of Five Elements, ensuring that the abyssal creatures would come to him in droves.

Meanwhile, in other parts of the miniature Abyssal realm, eight cultivators from different immeasurable realms began wearing strange expressions on their faces.

They had received two missions: one, a local quest, either to find a hidden treasure or to slay ten abyssal beasts of their own rank.

The second task issued by the Abyssal Realm was to follow the WORLD WILL and collectively eliminate a specific individual.

This astonished them; when had the will of the Miniature Abyss ever issued commands to them?

The so-called reward for this mission was that whoever successfully hunted down Qin Shu would become the ruler of this abyssal realm.

Of course, the prerequisite was their own fall from grace.

Could they accept such a mission?

Absolutely not!

Everyone began to search for their target.

Meanwhile, Qin Shu remained unfazed, observing the growth of his Cyan Lotus Dao Seed.

“Boom! Boom! Boom!”

Leaden bolts of lightning, bearing the force of destruction, struck down one after another, causing the Five Elements Great Array to tremble.

The Cyan Lotus Banner manifested, absorbing the lightning and continuously converting it into the power of the Five Elements, fueling the operation of the great array.

Following the recent transformation of the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed, the Five Flags had also undergone a metamorphosis, greatly increasing their potency.

Such mere lightning couldn’t hope to penetrate their defenses.

Qin Shu feared no attacks within the Five Elements unless they originated from transcendent beings of celestial caliber.

Perhaps because this world was only a rudimentary Miniature Abyss, the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed absorbed its source material at a rapid pace.

In no time, it had already sprouted.

The World Will trembled with fear; its power was ebbing away too quickly.

Qin Shu felt somewhat dissatisfied. If this is only a rudimentary Miniature Abyss, it might not provide enough for the Cyan Lotus Dao Seed’s transformation.

After approximately an hour, a streak of black light approached from afar. A black fox, focusing black energy within its mouth, charged towards the Great Array of Five Elements.

As the black light pierced through, the array remained unshaken.

This was the first Abyssal creature to arrive: a second-rank Profound Fox.

With its appearance, the Abyssal tide began.

Wave after wave of Abyssal monsters materialized outside the Five Elements Great Array, like moths drawn to flame, exerting relentless pressure.

Alas, not a single one could rattle the Five Elements Great Array, perishing before its barrier.

Qin Shu, indifferent to the events unfolding beyond the array, understood that the Abyssal creatures of this world were incapable of breaching the Five Elements Great Array’s defense.