The yellow stone cliffs were pockmarked with pits and hollows. Ahead, a small pool shimmered mysteriously, as if the sun had melted into golden liquid, radiant and warm, exuding an aura of tranquility.
What was this? It brimmed with boundless vitality!
Shi Hao rushed forward at once, examining it closely. After careful observation, he confirmed—this was the birthplace where the Celestial Gold of the Ecliptic had nurtured life. If his guess was correct, the Golden Ox had been born here.
The liquid was so rich in spiritual essence that it emitted an immortal aura. Standing before it, Shi Hao felt as if he might ascend to immortality on a rainbow. His soul and flesh trembled in response.
“The Origin Spring!” Shi Hao gasped, his breathing quickening. Typically, such sacred places dried up after birthing a creature. Why was this one still gushing with life energy?
This was the birthplace of a Celestial Gold lifeform. The vitality it contained was unimaginable—otherwise, how could it transform the hardest metal into a living being?
Some ancient texts even suggested that such places might be more valuable than the Celestial Gold itself!
Thus, Shi Hao’s heart surged with excitement. He felt as if he had stumbled upon a heavenly treasure. This small pool was akin to an immortal’s trove—mysterious and of infinite value to him.
He probed deeper, sensing something extraordinary. Upon closer inspection, he discovered intricate patterns within the pool, not naturally formed but seemingly carved by immortal hands.
“Did this Golden Ox emerge not through natural evolution, but because of ancient Daoist inscriptions left by an immortal?” Shi Hao wondered.
Perhaps a true immortal had once dwelled beneath this cavern, leaving behind something that turned this place into a cradle of creation.
With a series of cracks, Shi Hao shrank his body to enter the small pool. It was only a foot wide—just enough for the Golden Ox to lie within. His true form would have been too large.
Splash!
As he submerged himself, he was instantly enveloped by an overwhelming surge of life essence and a profound Dao aura.
“Were these patterns carved by ancients, or are they natural?” Shi Hao murmured, running his fingers over them repeatedly, unable to decide.
But now was not the time for idle thoughts. Having chanced upon such a divine place, it would be a waste not to use it to heal his wounds.
Sitting cross-legged within the pool, Shi Hao felt an indescribable comfort. His injuries ceased worsening.
The damage to his Dao foundation had been gnawing at his flesh and soul, a slow but relentless decay. Now, it was halted—not because the golden liquid could heal Dao wounds, but because its essence was so potent that it nourished his body and soul, counteracting the damage from his core.
The root of his injuries still needed to be resolved at the level of his Dao fruit!
“Ha!” Shi Hao exhaled, his breath infused with immortal energy. His astonishment grew—this pool was truly extraordinary. It wasn’t an illusion; its power was beyond imagination.
Had he been uninjured, cultivating here would have yielded twice the results with half the effort. This was a genuine source of creation!
“Hmm?”
After an indeterminate amount of time, Shi Hao felt refreshed. The erosion of his soul and body had been reversed, and his condition was now at its peak.
Of course, if he left, the damage from his core would resume.
At that moment, he noticed something unusual—tiny fissures at the bottom of the pool, from which golden liquid seeped upward.
“This…” Shi Hao’s heart trembled. He had assumed the pool itself was the source, but now he realized the true origin lay deeper underground.
An impulse seized him—to dig downward and uncover the true source. How much of this golden liquid existed?
To him, this substance was no less than immortal nectar, infused with immortal Dao energy and unimaginable vitality, capable of animating lifeless metal and stone.
But when he extended his divine sense through the fissures, a searing pain struck him, as if he had touched the fiercest flames.
Beneath the earth, everything was hazy at first, but as he approached, a blinding radiance erupted—too dazzling to bear!
Shi Hao’s heart pounded. What was down there? Why was it inaccessible, even repelling his divine sense?
He withdrew swiftly, realizing that the Dao aura he had sensed earlier originated from the depths.
A chill ran down his spine. He grew wary of that power, his expression guarded.
“Is there danger? What if another creature lurks below?” Shi Hao fretted.
Despite the Golden Ox’s absence, no other creature had claimed this place. Clearly, it held a deterrent force.
Yet, since entering, he had encountered no threats while absorbing the golden liquid’s essence.
“Never mind. This opportunity is too rare—I must recover first!” Shi Hao focused on absorbing the liquid’s power.
Hum!
Every inch of his flesh trembled as the vibrant energy surged through him. This golden liquid was the very essence that had birthed the Golden Ox.
To his surprise, the three strands of immortal energy within him stirred, manifesting on their own. Perhaps it was due to the pool’s dense immortal aura.
“How strange!”
Normally, his three immortal energies dispersed when unused, embedding themselves in his flesh to grow. But here, they cycled between coalescing and scattering, splitting into countless tiny threads of light that darted through his body.
“Is this golden liquid truly so miraculous?” Shi Hao wondered. He had tried countless methods to nurture his immortal energies, all in vain. Yet here, they thrived.
Boom!
Suddenly, a violent tremor shook his body. The three immortal energies shattered, their fragments scattering back into his flesh and bones.
A faint, nearly invisible wisp of white energy rose from his abdomen.
Shi Hao knew it was real, though so ethereal it was almost imperceptible.
Then, the golden liquid in the pool bubbled violently as its immortal essence was drawn into his abdomen.
This faint white energy—replacing his three immortal strands—absorbed the pool’s power, undergoing a subtle transformation.
At first, Shi Hao was baffled. What was this thing? It had displaced his three immortal energies, and he hadn’t even sensed its presence!
But as he observed, a sense of familiarity grew. This energy shared the same origin as his other immortal strands.
“Since when did I have a fourth immortal energy?” he muttered in confusion.
As the golden liquid’s power continued to flow into him, the white strand grew more tangible. It was unmistakably a fourth immortal energy.
Then, realization struck. He recalled a past event—his near-fatal attempt to cultivate his first immortal energy.
He remembered succeeding once, only for the energy to dissipate at the last moment, vanishing into his body.
Could this be that same strand?
Had it reappeared today?
But then, another chill gripped him. Remembering this, he recalled Grand Elder Meng Tianzheng’s grave warning.
Back then, Shi Hao had lamented losing his first immortal energy, wondering if he could have had four strands.
Grand Elder Meng had been shocked, revealing a truth: everyone loses their first immortal energy—the “Primordial Qi”—without ever perceiving it.
It was an invisible, intangible process, necessary for the subsequent cultivation of true immortal energies.
That Primordial Qi was the “One” from which all else sprang—the foundation for the three immortal energies.
Normally, no one could see or retain it. Yet Shi Hao had not only glimpsed it but nearly solidified it.
Had Grand Elder Meng been present now, he would have been stunned—and horrified.
“The Grand Elder warned me that losing it was for the best. Keeping it would be terrifying—it might eventually kill me,” Shi Hao murmured.
This was no blessing, but a curse. Some fortunes were not meant to be claimed; some karma was too heavy to bear.
“That Primordial Qi—if truly nurtured—could become a noose around my neck, strangling me to death,” the Grand Elder had solemnly declared.
And now, it had resurfaced.
Had it never truly vanished?
More pressingly—what lay beneath the earth, capable of producing this golden liquid and reviving the Primordial Qi?
“Already burdened with a severe Dao wound, and now this lethal Primordial Qi…” Shi Hao groaned, but his resolve hardened. Since it had appeared, he would seize it.
“What lies below, capable of nurturing the Primordial Qi?” His curiosity burned. He would investigate, uncover the truth, and see what secrets lay hidden.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage