Chapter 1203 - Divine Chaos Lifeform
“Enough. You’re just a manifestation of the local Laws. No matter how realistically you imitate emotions, it’s ultimately just an act,” rebuked Su Yi.
The spirit sparrow was stunned, and it used its claws to point at itself. It sputtered, “I’m not a true spirit, but I have the intelligence of a spirit! You’re slandering me!”
Then, its gaze landed on the section of gray vine in the bronze box, and its eyes widened. It shuddered from head to toe and let out a strange shout, “The natal spirit root of the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine! How could... How could Venerate Flooding Heavens leave such a treasure here? That’s the third greatest Divine Chaos Lifeform of the Dark and Gold Star Realm!”
Su Yi was instantly enlightened. “So that’s what this is.”
The chaos sources of star realms typically gave rise to unbelievable Divine Chaos Lifeforms. All of them had incomparably wondrous abilities.
Furthermore, they were extremely rare.
These chaos lifeforms were far rarer than the Xiantian Divine Lifeforms born of the sources of individual worlds. They were far more unbelievable, too.
Take the Tiny Heart of the Cosmos. It was the fruit of a Xiantian Divine Lifeform born of the Wilds’ source.
But it was far inferior to a Divine Chaos Lifeform, as Divine Chaos Lifeforms were born of the source of an entire star realm!
There was no doubt about it. According to the sparrow, this foot-long section of gray vine was a true Divine Chaos Lifeform!
Furthermore, in the former Dark and Gold Star Realm, it had been ranked third!
Once the sparrow finally started to calm down, Su Yi asked with great interest. “What does this treasure do?”
“It’s a weapon!” The spirit sparrow took a deep breath, its gaze fervent. “It can transform into three divine weapons: a sword, a bow, and a shield!”
“It’s emblazoned with the densest of Dark and Gold chaos auras. In battle, it can easily wield the power of the Dark and Gold Star Realm’s Laws!”
Su Yi was instantly excited as he realized that this entirely unassuming section of vine really was a rare Divine Chaos Lifeform!
Out amongst the stars, this was a supreme treasure, the type that could only be happened upon by chance.
The sparrow then continued, “That aside, even if this treasure is destroyed, it can repair itself.
“What’s especially wondrous is that since it’s a natal spirit root born of Dark and Gold Chaos, they say that it can transform further if it absorbs enough chaos power, acquiring new wondrous applications.
Here, the sparrow’s gaze turned incomparably conflicted. “In the early days of the Dark and Gold Star Realm, Venerate Flooding Heavens fought a fierce battle against powerful foes, paying a heavy price before finally obtaining it.
“From that day forth, it became his greatest trump card. Who’d have thought that, not long after acquiring this treasure, that mysterious catastrophe would befall us...”
The spirit sparrow let out a long sigh, suddenly wistful and melancholy.
Su Yi could no longer suppress his curiosity. He took hold of the vine. It felt cold, smooth, and heavy in his grip.
The moment he made contact, Su Yi felt as if the vine had become an extension of his own body. He could control it as he could his fingers, and it seemed connected to him by blood.
Clang!
Su Yi exerted his will, and the natural contorted Dao Markings covering the vine’s surface seemed to come alive. A chaotic aura rose, and the vine instantly transformed into a sword.
It was three feet, four inches long, simple and old-fashioned, with a reserved, gray luster. The edge wasn’t particularly sharp, either.
But as soon as it appeared, it surged with a terrifying chaos aura, inscrutable and profound, with no describable shape.
Su Yi could tell at a glance that his current cultivation was far from sufficient to display the sword’s full power.
Even ordinary Heavenly Longevity Realm World Kings would have struggled to manipulate it freely!
But before long, something unbelievable happened. Much of the sword’s power silently receded, as if it had sealed off a portion of its own power.
When Su Yi sensed its aura once more, he felt as if it were custom-made for his current strength!
“This treasure can actually adapt to its user’s cultivation?” Su Yi couldn’t help but look impressed. A treasure like this really was rare.
“If the Third Officiant were here to see this, he’d likely be tempted to kill you and seize your treasures,” grumbled the spirit sparrow. “He was the strongest sword cultivator under Venerate Flooding Heavens’ command.”
Su Yi was stunned. “The Third Officiant?”
The sparrow replied vaguely, “Relax. None of the Officiants will go against Venerate Flooding Heavens’ rules. You were the first trial-taker in history to reach the peak, and you received the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine as your reward. Thus, this treasure... belongs to you.”
“Oh,” said Su Yi. “That’s good, then.”
His will shifted, and with a clang, his sword transformed into a gray longbow covered in contorted markings. The bow was similarly unsophisticated and unassuming, but it felt like a divine weapon in his grip. Su Yi even felt as if he could shoot down the moon and stars.
Then, he exerted his will once more, and the bow transformed into a vine shield. It was fully four feet long and covered in circle after circle of secret markings.
There was no need to hold the shield in his hands, either. It acted in accordance with his will, and it could appear at any point around him to protect him from attacks.
“It’s really not bad,” said Su Yi. He had to admit that despite all his years as sovereign of the Wilds, the only treasure he had that solidly surpassed this Divine Chaos Lifeform was the Sword of the Nine Hells.
His other treasures weren’t even remotely comparable.
Even judging it by the Temple Master’s standards, the Dark and Gold Fortune Vine was a rare and unparalleled treasure!
“It’s not just ‘not bad!’” said the sparrow. “In the early days of the Dark and Gold Star Realm, it was ranked third among Divine Chaos Lifeforms!”
“Which two treasures were ranked above it?” Su Yi couldn’t help but be curious.
The sparrow didn’t even pause to think. “The Great Void Tower and the Bell of Ten Thousand Tribulations. Alas, both treasures disappeared from the Dark and Gold Star Realm not long after they arose, leaving only fleeting rumors and legends behind. Venerate Flooding Heavens spent countless years searching for them, but in the end, it was to no avail.”
“In the end, Venerate Flooding Heavens reached the conclusion that both treasures had most likely long since gained awareness and left the Dark and Gold Star Realm.”
Su Yi was stunned, then a bit regretful. “It truly is a pity.”
The sparrow’s eyes bulged, and it said irritably, “Learn to be content with what you’ve got! This might not be what you want to hear, but even if those two treasures were here, you wouldn’t be able to obtain them.”
Su Yi laughed but didn’t argue. Instead, he exerted his will, and the vine shield transformed back into the one-foot Dark and Gold Fortune Vine.
Su Yi then used a secret spatial art to put the treasure away.
“I’m increasingly looking forward to what kind of bonus prize I’ll get after completing the third trial,” said Su Yi, stroking his jaw.
In the first trial, he received an immortal peach, an unparalleled divine medicine.
In the second trial, he obtained the strange and wondrous Dark and Gold Fortune Vine.
Both prizes were beyond Su Yi’s expectations. He was increasingly looking forward to the following trials.
But the spirit sparrow snorted derisively. “Throughout history, no one has ever completed the third trial!”
Su Yi said plainly, “Throughout history, no one has ever reached the peak of the Mountain of Perceiving the Profound, either.”
The spirit sparrow froze, instantly at a loss for words.
......
After leaving the Mountain of Perceiving the Profound and returning to the path of trials, a rain of light carried Su Yi into a boundless stretch of stars.
A thousand-foot ritual ground was floating up ahead.
One hundred and eight stars floated in the distance, decorating the sky as they orbited the ritual grounds.
However, all of them were dim and gray.
This was the third trial, illuminating stars!
It tested trial-takers’ control of the Grand Dao. During this trial, trial-takers had to use their power of the Grand Dao to strike the stars floating overhead.
When hit, the stars would release radiant divine flame, effectively illuminating them.
This was the source of the trial’s name.
According to the spirit sparrow, the stars were each manifestations of an expert’s combat awareness. Illuminating a star was equivalent to fighting the combat awareness of a legendary expert of the former Dark and Gold Star Realm!
The stars were merely wisps of these legendary experts’ consciousnesses, not true legendary experts.
But relying on one’s power of the Grand Dao to strike them was still incomparably difficult.
According to the rules, trial-takers only needed to illuminate nine stars to pass the third trial.
Furthermore, the allotted time was generous: three whole months!
Over the years, who knew how many unparalleled figures had made it here, only to advance no further and return in defeat?
When Su Yi arrived, he saw someone standing on the ritual grounds already.
He was a middle-aged man in brocade robes. He wore a purple-gold lotus crown, and he was currently using his power of the Grand Dao to attack the stars.
His gaze was solemn and focused. Beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead; he was obviously exerting himself.
But no matter what abilities of the Grand Dao he used, the stars were like unparalleled experts. They easily dodged his each and every attack.
Su Yi noticed that the center of the man’s lotus crown had an image of a cluster of stars. He could tell at a glance that this was the Palace Master of the Church of the River of Stars’ Celestial Palace, a late-stage Heavenly Longevity old-timer!
Su Yi was a bit surprised.
According to what the spirit sparrow had told him earlier, four trial-takers from outer space had entered the path of trials. Two were eliminated in the second trial, while two were taking the third trial.
But now, he only saw the Palace Master.
The other one must have been eliminated, thought Su Yi.
He’d only just parted ways with the sparrow. Had someone overcome the third trial, the flighty, easily startled little bird would surely have mentioned it.
As Su Yi pondered, he arrived at the ritual grounds.
“Who are you?” Practically simultaneously, the middle-aged man sensed his arrival. He whipped his head around to look at Su Yi, his eyes flashing with radiant divine light.
“Don’t mind me, I'm just watching. I won't get in your way.” Su Yi smiled.
He wanted to wait and see how the stars changed when resisting trial-takers’ power of the Grand Dao.
But how could the middle-aged man possibly focus?
He furrowed his brow and looked Su Yi up and down. A moment later, he seemed to realize something.
“Are you... the Temple Master!?”
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