This Taoist is certainly not human. Though he has a human form, he is far too diminutive—less than a foot tall—and most crucially, his body is golden in hue.
**Yellow Path Immortal Gold!**
He, too, is a creature born of immortal gold, only far more powerful. His cultivation is unfathomable, but it is certain he has long stood within the realm of the Immortal Dao.
Clad in tattered robes, his golden face bears sparse wisps of beard and hair, marking his great age. Though a being of immortal gold, he is nearly indistinguishable from a flesh-and-blood entity unless scrutinized closely.
Shi Hao’s heart trembled, his soul quaked, and his very flesh threatened to rupture. Even a mere glance was nearly unbearable under the weight of that oppressive aura.
Clearly, had anyone else entered, they would have long since collapsed in trembling reverence, utterly incapable of resistance.
This elder sat cross-legged upon a dilapidated war chariot no longer than a foot, yet despite its small size, it exuded boundless majesty. Chaos swirled around him, stars flickered, as though he sat at the very center of the cosmos. The slightest movement from him could reshape the heavens and earth!
This was utterly terrifying—such a being should not exist in this world, defying all reason!
Shi Hao truly could not bear to look at him directly. To do so would invite disaster—his body would explode into a mist of blood under that supreme pressure.
Instead, he turned his gaze to the surroundings, where tiny yet eerily real stars floated. The further he looked, the more his heart pounded. In a daze, those stars expanded, transforming into vast galaxies.
Then, Shi Hao felt an immense pressure. One by one, colossal stars rotated, their rumbling shaking the ancient cosmos itself.
And then—horror.
For he heard the sounds of battle.
Upon each of those stars, countless beings roared, endless armies clashed. Among them were Celestial Gods, Void Path cultivators, Dunyi experts, and even Supreme beings.
Every star was the same, and all of them revolved around that elder.
**BOOM!**
Shi Hao’s body stiffened, frozen in place. As he observed the stars, a fleeting glance revealed the elder had changed.
No longer small, the elder now loomed impossibly vast, towering beyond measure, seated at the heart of the ancient universe.
His form was terrifying—impossible to fully perceive, for every part of him stretched beyond the horizon. Countless star rivers and galaxies orbited him, yet they were dwarfed by the sheer scale of his being.
Shi Hao was stunned. This was unimaginable. That colossal, indistinct figure filled the cosmos, pressing against the heavens—utterly horrifying.
Any living being who saw him would kneel in worship!
After an unknowable length of time, Shi Hao’s eyes burned, his soul on the verge of shattering. Only then did he wrench his gaze away, and the cosmic vision vanished.
Even observing the stars had induced such sensations.
When he steadied himself, he saw only the broken chariot and the diminutive elder, shrouded in chaotic mist and tiny stars.
Yet now, Shi Hao no longer saw him as small. If this elder unleashed his true form, he could shatter the heavens, transforming into a body vast enough to fill the ancient cosmos.
This was an extraordinary figure—Shi Hao needed no further thought to reach that conclusion.
He suspected this being was at least a pinnacle existence among Immortal Dao creatures—perhaps even… an **Immortal King!**
Otherwise, how could this be?
Of course, it was all speculation.
This place was too strange.
A broken ox cart had once carried this elder here in flight, only for them to wither and perish.
The elder should be dead—there was no life in him—yet his aura remained, a testament to his terrifying power.
“Even a being this mighty perished?” Shi Hao murmured.
They had fought their way here, meaning they still lived upon arrival. Yet in the end, they fell—proof of how grievous their injuries must have been.
Otherwise, such beings could regenerate flesh with a mere thought.
Unless… they had been struck down by a supreme expert, their essence obliterated, their souls extinguished. Only then would revival be impossible.
Shi Hao glanced back at the shattered golden ox—a being who had stepped into the Immortal Dao, only to meet such a pitiful end.
As for the elder’s identity? From the fragments of ancient history Shi Hao knew, there were no clues. He even wondered if this being hailed from the Immortal Ancient Era at all.
“Did this involve conflicts on the level of An Lan and Yu Tuo?” Shi Hao whispered.
He retreated several steps. Standing here was unbearable. Even avoiding the elder’s gaze did little to ease the suffocating pressure. A single glance risked annihilation.
Silently, the immortal flame circled the elder, flickering cautiously—no longer its usual carefree self, as though wary of awakening a slumbering prehistoric beast.
Only with the flame shielding him did Shi Hao dare breathe easier. He sought the elder’s fatal wound.
Bloodstains and cracks marred the elder’s form, but the killing blow was at the back of his skull—a gaping hole still oozing golden blood, his soul long gone.
Shi Hao’s eyes widened. He turned to the dark cave behind the elder.
The war chariot blocked most of the black abyss, the elder’s back pressed against the stone wall, his skull aligned with the void.
A chill ran down Shi Hao’s spine. Though he saw nothing, his mind conjured grim possibilities, filling him with dread.
Even the immortal flame recoiled, refusing to enter the black cave—**retreating instantly.**
This terrified Shi Hao like never before. It was the first time he had seen the flame fear anything.
“Woo…”
A ghostly wind howled, and the black cave emitted an eerie wail—like mourning, or the whistle of wind through stone.
Though curiosity gnawed at him, Shi Hao knew his limits. Some places were not meant for him—not yet.
He withdrew silently, taking no risks.
Searching the area, he realized the golden liquid was condensed from golden mist rising from Yellow Path stones.
“Both the ox and the elder were born of Yellow Path Immortal Gold. Is this their birthplace?” Shi Hao wondered.
It was plausible. In their final moments, they had returned here—their souls drawn back to their origin.
And with so much Yellow Path stone, it made sense that multiple immortal gold beings—the ox, the chariot, the elder—had emerged.
Returning to the ox’s dulled remains, Shi Hao mused. Once a peerless creature of immortal gold, it had fallen, its essence long dissipated.
“Something’s off. Even as a fallen Immortal Dao being, its presence should be more intimidating. Its spiritual essence is too depleted.”
He recalled the other golden ox aboveground—not yet at the Immortal Dao level, but still terrifyingly strong, seemingly recent in origin.
“Two identical oxen… That can’t be coincidence.” Shi Hao’s expression darkened.
His thoughts raced, each more shocking than the last.
“Could the ox have revived, reborn through this place?” Shi Hao shuddered.
The golden pool above—its mysterious patterns—had they birthed a new golden creature?
“Was there outside interference?” Shi Hao glanced back at the fading elder.
If the ox could revive, why not the elder, with his world-shaking power?
“Unless… that black cave…”
His face paled. This place was no longer safe. He retreated swiftly, leaving the cavern.
His consciousness returned to his body, still seated in the golden pool.
“I can’t leave yet. I must cultivate here!”
This was a true immortal’s abode, and the golden liquid was a supreme treasure. To miss this would be a lifelong regret.
Perhaps this was the very essence used to nurture—or resurrect—Immortal Dao beings.
“No wonder my Primordial Breath resurfaced. This is an immortal’s handiwork!” Shi Hao traced the pool’s patterns, then resumed absorbing the liquid’s power.
Legends warned that the Primordial Breath heralded calamity—a force that could kill its bearer. But Shi Hao refused to yield. He would see what happened when it fully manifested.
The transformation was staggering. The Primordial Breath, normally invisible, now grew tangible—pure white, mysterious, and fearsome.
At last, Shi Hao channeled all his strength, solidifying the Primordial Breath within his dantian. No longer faint, it coiled like a living force.
**It was complete.**
**BOOM!**
Power unlike anything he had ever known erupted within him—a cataclysmic surge, like tidal waves and quaking mountains.
The Primordial Breath stirred, churning like a storm.
Such energy! No wonder it was the source of the Three Immortal Breaths.
And then—the Three Immortal Breaths emerged, cycling through him, embodying the Dao of “Three Begets All.” Vitality flooded his being.
The Three Breaths soared from his crown, blooming into three Dao Flowers.
One bore a tiny figure, seated motionless—as though existing in the past.
**CLANG!**
A sudden change. The central flower trembled, releasing a metallic resonance that shook his soul.
Shi Hao felt as though his spirit had left his body.
Then—**the second flower revealed its own figure.**
A hazy but awe-inspiring silhouette sat upon it.
Today, the second Dao Flower had birthed a living being.
A miracle had unfolded.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage