Chapter Twenty-Six: Innate Spiritual Treasures

With the magical power that Nan Luo possessed, which had yet to reach the consummate stage of Qi Refinement, attempting to compete with the formidable figures of each mountain would be nothing short of courting death. Thus, Nan Luo's sole option was to slip away unnoticed. During his time with Master Yangli, he had already grasped a method for concealing his breath and spirit. Now, with his daily recitations of the Yellow Court Sutra, this method had become increasingly natural to him.

His earth-burrowing technique was a native divine ability—born of the heart, the power followed thought. It did not require incantations to connect with the Dao, nor did it stir the heavens and earth with magical fluctuations as spells did. Therefore, when he employed the earth-burrowing technique, his magical energy barely rippled; combined with the art of hiding breath and spirit he had comprehended on his own, it became a remarkably sophisticated method of concealment.

Where the glow of clouds shimmered, he skirted around. Where spiritual energy converged, he avoided. Where baleful clouds gathered, he made a wide detour.

Nan Luo’s figure flickered in and out among the mountains, moving with cautious stealth, as if he had returned to the days of traversing and hiding in the mountains with Master Yangli. Though the feeling was familiar, everything else had changed—both land and people.

Now, as Nan Luo travelled, there was no yellow mist shrouding him. His azure Daoist robe flashed through the woods, and in the blink of an eye, he was already a hundred meters away. He moved with an air of leisure, almost like a stroll through a tranquil garden.

Suddenly, his figure flickered repeatedly, finally coming to rest behind a rocky outcrop. After a long moment, he slowly peeked out, only to see ethereal clouds and rolling baleful mist in the valley ahead, with spiritual energy swirling in a vortex toward that spot.

Where the glow of clouds enveloped, there would surely be a true cultivator of the Dao practicing within. Where the baleful mist gathered, a powerful beast would certainly be entrenched.

These two phenomena were merely the outward manifestations of different natures and cultivation methods. Yet here, cloud glow and baleful mist intertwined, leaving Nan Luo both startled and uncertain. He looked around and realized he was already within the bounds of this mountain's influence—it was too late to detour.

The place shrouded in mist and glow must be the location of the adversary’s cave residence. Nan Luo gently closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a tiny flame seemed to flicker in his pupils. He sought to see clearly what lay beneath the shroud of mist and glow.

Through Nan Luo’s Celestial Sight, he saw a beast as large as a hill lying in the valley, eyes half-closed as if dozing, or perhaps meditating.

Its body was like a small mountain, covered in gleaming black scales. Its head was bald, resembling that of a rat, but without ears. It had four legs—thick and short—its claws sharp as scythes.

Suddenly, the monster’s eyes snapped open, glaring at the sky. A fierce light shot from its gaze. Clouds and baleful mist were swiftly inhaled through its nostrils.

Nan Luo quickly withdrew his Celestial Sight, fearing the beast might sense his presence. He wondered what the creature had detected and looked in the same direction, seeing a distant white cloud drift rapidly across the horizon. With his Celestial Sight, he could see three women and one man standing atop the cloud, laughing and chatting.

The three women were dressed in apricot-yellow Daoist robes, pink magical robes, and green skirts, respectively. The man wore a white magical robe.

Among them, the woman in the green skirt had a strikingly enchanting beauty, tinged with a trace of petulant arrogance. She was the very one who, after being struck by the Golden Horn, had vanished in a wisp of smoke. The man in white was the same who had been hurled away by the fan that day, now appearing unharmed.

They seemed not to notice the mountain below, the cloud moving swiftly overhead. As the cloud passed above the beast’s head, its pointed mouth opened slightly, and a crimson shadow flashed forth from within—Nan Luo’s Celestial Sight could not discern what it was.

Where the crimson shadow passed, space seemed to shatter. Its speed was unmatched, yet it was utterly silent.

Suddenly, the woman in the apricot-yellow Daoist robe radiated a brilliant light. Above her head, a golden celestial vessel appeared from nowhere, enveloping all four within its dazzling glow. The spiritual energy of the entire space surged swiftly into the vessel.

“Innate spiritual treasure,” Nan Luo thought in astonishment. He had only recently witnessed the power of the Plantain Fan, and afterward had made it a point to consult Golden Horn and Silver Horn about the difference between innate spiritual treasures and acquired magical artifacts. Aside from one being forged by humans and the other born of heaven and earth, innate spiritual treasures possessed the ability to protect their master autonomously. Furthermore, their effects varied depending on the user and method, unlike acquired treasures whose attack methods became fixed after formation.

“Are there really so many innate spiritual treasures?” Nan Luo couldn’t help but touch the mirror gifted by the little green snake in his breast.

Just then, Nan Luo felt a chilling surge of baleful energy sweep toward him. In the past, he would have retreated dozens of meters by now. But after sitting in meditation for six years in the Palace of Supreme Polarity, his temperament had grown far more resolute. Moreover, since he had merged with the bloodline of the Ancestral Sorcerer Zhu Rong, he was nearly immune to such oppressive force.

The beast had not expected its near-sneak attack to be blocked by the opponent’s spiritual treasure. Its body swelled several times larger, now truly a mountain in its own right. Its seemingly clumsy limbs moved, and its vast bulk vanished within the valley.

Nan Luo’s eyes flickered with flames as he employed Celestial Sight, attempting to see where the gigantic beast had hidden itself.

The valley fell silent. A mountain breeze passed, and Nan Luo felt a chill.

In the sky, the three women and one man, suddenly assaulted, wore expressions of anger, though Nan Luo could not hear their voices. The golden celestial vessel above their heads radiated layers of light, enclosing the four. Their eyes darted about, as if searching for the great beast as well.

Nan Luo blinked, the flames in his pupils flickering. He tried to locate the beast and to see clearly the glowing vessel overhead, but ultimately gained nothing.

“Ah, it seems I must practice my Celestial Sight more diligently,” Nan Luo thought with a hint of helplessness.

At that moment, darkness swept over him. Looking up, he saw the giant beast perched atop the mountain, forelegs braced against the peak, hind legs planted against the cliff face. It raised its head and let out a thunderous roar.

The sound was like a flash flood, like muffled thunder erupting.

A tidal wave of aura surged forth, overwhelming as stormy seas. Behind the rocks, Nan Luo’s form dissolved into mist beneath the pressure.

He reappeared atop a distant mountain, a wild and deserted peak he had just passed, unclaimed by any powerful figure—making it the ideal retreat.

Upon appearing, Nan Luo looked back. The golden light that had shielded the three women and one man now enveloped the beast. The golden vessel had expanded several times, enough to cover the beast and the mountain.

Golden waves radiated downward, wrapping around the beast—waves like multicolored ripples, seemingly freezing even space in their wake.

The clouds above had gathered into a tornado pattern atop the golden vessel.

The beast again raised its head and roared, its voice like thunder cracking the void, like mountains collapsing and the earth splitting. In the wake of its roar, the ripples scattered and shattered as wind over a lake.

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