Aspiring to the Immortal Path
chapter-575

Zuo Quanming, bound up in the Immortal-Binding Rope, had been hung from a tree next to the pool in the valley. When the wind blew, Zuo Quanming would swing around like a windchime, but he didn't dare to move for fear that Tang Jie might misunderstand and chop off his head.

Nearby, Tang Jie floated next to the stone slab, carefully examining it.

There were no words on the slab, but it still exuded that grand, mysterious, and profound energy.

But no matter how Tang Jie observed it or interacted with it using his Spirit Will, he received no feedback.

Seeing that the stone slab had no reaction, Tang Jie used his hands to touch it. To his surprise, there was no backlash.

When his hand touched the slab, Tang Jie discovered that it was wrapped in a barrier of invisible energy, which prevented him from truly touching the slab.

But this energy was so attached to the slab that it seemed like some sort of outer membrane. It didn't stop Tang Jie from grabbing the slab, but the membrane was so thick that there was an obvious gap between his hand and the slab, making it seem like he was pushing at the slab through the air.

Tang Jie "pushed" the stone slab downward.

When it was three feet from the ground, Tang Jie could push it down no farther no matter what he did, as if this was where it should be.

Tang Jie tried to activate its power, but he quickly found that his efforts were futile.

No matter what he did, the stone slab just floated there, neither moving nor exhibiting its divine might, leaving him at a loss.

Tang Jie had tried to insert spiritual energy into the stone slab, but it was like throwing dirt into the ocean, vanishing without a trace.

He tried to attack it with spell arts, but there was still no reaction. None of the spell arts he used did any damage or drew any response.

As for dripping blood, chopping with a sword, striking with lightning, burning with fire… he tried it all. After an entire day of experiments, Tang Jie couldn't move this slab.

What was it? What was it for? How did he use it? He didn't have an answer to any one of these three questions.

At the end of his experiments, Tang Jie even used the Nine Heavens Calamity Blade, but it still did nothing.

Tang Jie clicked his tongue in wonder. "This is bizarre. Is its greatest use as a shield?"

"If it's a shield, it lacks a handle," Yiyi replied, pursing her lips. Now that Zuo Quanming had been captured, she didn't need to stand guard outside.

Since this item was immune to spell arts, trying to control it from a distance was out of the question. He could only "hold" it in his hand, but as it had no handle, moving it around would require holding it with both hands.

He had finally found a good treasure, but he didn't know how to use it! Yiyi and Tang Jie were both deeply disappointed.

Tang Jie shook his head. "Forget it. Let's put it away for now."

He moved to put the slab into a Mustard Seed Bag, but to his surprise, when he brought the slab to the mouth of the bag, an invisible force prevented it from going inside.

Tang Jie was stunned. Like the Myriad Immortals Cauldron, this item couldn't even be put in a Mustard Seed Bag.

But this was so for the Myriad Immortals Cauldron because it was linked to the Great Daos, its power too strong and tyrannical such that it overfilled the Mustard Seed Bag and caused it to explode.

He couldn't put the slab in the Mustard Seed Bag, but he also couldn't just carry it out in the open.

The only solution was the Mountain River Diagram.

The Mountain River State Diagram had its own world. Let alone the stone slab, it could even fit in Dao armaments like the Myriad Immortals Cauldron or Yin Yang Division Sword.

As he was about to take out the diagram to put the stone slab away, a voice called out, "Daoist Friend Tang, this one knows about this item. So long as you are willing to let me go, I am willing to tell you everything!"

Tang Jie and Yiyi turned to see Zuo Quanming giving them a pathetic look.

After some thought, Tang Jie said, "Then go ahead and tell me what this is."

Zuo Quanming hastily said, "So long as Daoist Friend is willing to swear on your Heart Demon to let me go, this one will tell you everything. Even more, I am willing to give you all my treasures!"

Tang Jie chuckled and shook his head. "It's a good idea, but you want to trade a single piece of information for your life? It might not even be true, and even if it was, it's not worth your life. As for all your treasure…"

Tang Jie raised the silver sword. "Isn't it already mine?"

Zuo Quanming was speechless, thinking that this person's shamelessness matched his own. Helpless, he could only reply, "You only say that because you don't know this item's value. If my eyes don't lie, this item is a natural divine treasure, created by the world and not by man. Its value is far greater than you can imagine, even greater than some artificial Dao armaments!"

"'A natural divine treasure'?" Tang Jie was slightly tempted when he heard this.

"Natural divine treasure" referred to a divine treasure that was naturally formed, like all the treasures of the Lustrous Treasure River. The Yin Yang Division Sword, the Divine Genesis, and the Qian Kun Bag were all natural Dao armaments. The Myriad Immortals Cauldron and the Seven Inferno Heaven Treasures were artificial Dao armaments, created by the hands of man. In addition, the treasures created through the Divine Genesis were also considered artificial treasures.

Being natural or artificial didn't determine a treasure's grade. Upper grades would remain upper grades and lower grades would remain lower grades. But there was a big difference between natural upper grades and artificial upper grades, like comparing cultivators from major sects to wandering cultivators. At the Hundred Refinement Tier, Tang Jie was able to easily beat numerous wandering cultivators, but when he fought Beast Refining Gate cultivators, one versus four had been a tough battle for him.

Natural items, being born from nature, were perfected by nature and innately flawless. Regardless of their power, their quality was sublime, and they could allow one to unleash 100% of their power. An artificial divine treasure like the Annihilation Gale Sword was far inferior. In actual combat, Tang Jie could not use the entire power of the divine treasure at his current level of power, and it cost him greatly to use it. Besides that, natural treasures had greater potential for improvement.

Zuo Quanming really was right to say that a natural divine treasure might even be more valuable than an artificial Dao armament.

But Tang Jie still shook his head. "That's true, but I don't think it's worth your life."

Zuo Quanming grew even more frantic. "How could it possibly be worth my life? This lowly dog life of mine is basically worthless, but a natural divine treasure is rare, even in the Treasure Paradise. How could my life compare to that?"

But Tang Jie still casually shook his head. "Brother Zuo, that is too much. In my view, Brother Zuo is a great talent. Despite your status as a wandering cultivator, you were able to become a representative of the Celestial Flame Pagoda. It is clear that Brother Zuo is talented and virtuous, causing the Eastern Heavenly King to so favor you and entrust you with such a great mission. It would be a lifelong regret if I let you go."

Alas, Zuo Quanming was all tied up such that he couldn't stomp his feet or beat his chest. He could only vigorously shake his head. "What great talent? I was just a small-time thief who relied entirely on robbing tombs and plundering Immortal Realms to get this far. I've lived my whole time being chased by others, which is why I'm a little capable when it comes to running for my life. The Eastern Heavenly King only saw my ability to serve as a lookout and a scout when he invited me to be his representative. This lowly one cannot possibly compare to a natural divine treasure from High Antiquity!"

Tang Jie shook his head in admiration.

In this conversation, one person was trying to devalue himself as much as possible while the other was trying to praise him. Zuo Quanming wanted to make himself dogshit while Tang Jie wanted to praise Zuo Quanming into a flower.

Thus, Zuo Quanming's value constantly shifted between flower and dogshit.

The desire for life made Zuo Quanming particularly combative such that Tang Jie had no choice but to concede. He finally said, "This thing is mine, so I will find the answer with time."

Zuo Quanming urgently said, "It's useless. This thing isn't meant for battle, so you could put it by your side for a thousand years and still not get any use out of it."

Tang Jie's eyes glinted. "It's not for battle?"

Zuo Quanming paled, his heart turning cold.

Tang Jie began to mutter, "On the Immortal path, there are only swords and pills. If this isn't used for battle, then it's some kind of medicine-like resource. The Treasure Paradise has the Divine Genesis that can produce treasures. But the Divine Genesis is a Dao armament that has already merged with the Treasure Paradise, while this thing clearly has not. In addition, this mountain has a natural formation, while the tunnel had mutated spiders, plants capable of mobility, intelligent stone monsters, and also that monkey fiend that could use cudgel arts without a master and used them to protect the stone slab. Could it be…"

As Tang Jie muttered, he began to give that stone slab an enthusiastic gaze.

He mumbled, "So it's a genesis treasure. Although it can't match the amazing properties of Divine Genesis, it can grant intelligence to mundane objects. I wonder if there's any connection with Divine Genesis."

Zuo Quanming wailed, "You tricked me! You tricked me!"

He wanted to trade information on the treasure for freedom, but to his shock, in just a few sentences, Tang Jie had figured out the truth. Overcome with grief, he began to wail and weep.

Tang Jie had come across all kinds of cultivators: the brave, the heroic, the cowardly, the timid, the hypocritical, the arrogant, and even the wretched, silly, and dumb. But he had never met someone so shameless.

He helplessly said, "Alright, alright, don't cry. You seem to be someone of some experience. Since I've guessed at the treasure's use, you might as well give me a clear explanation. If you want me to let you go, there's no need to be so direct. As you know, when there's no benefits to be had, you can focus on the relationship instead."

"'If there's no benefits to be had, focus on the relationship'?" Zuo Quanming's eyes glowed as he said in glee, "Wise Brother Tang!"

"…" Tang Jie dryly coughed. "Let's focus on the stone slab first. We can start nurturing our relationship from here."

Zuo Quanming nodded. "This one will tell Brother Tang everything he knows. This item truly does have a significant relationship to Divine Genesis. This is most likely a divine object produced when Divine Genesis merged with the Treasure Paradise… To put it simply, it's the child of Divine Genesis."

"'Child'?" Tang Jie chuckled at the term. "Dao armaments have no sex or life, so how can they have children?"

Zuo Quanming firmly said, "Brother Tang is wrong on this point. Why can't Dao armaments have children? Dao armaments are divine objects, so while they don't have lives, they have intelligence, and while they don't have sex, they have wisdom. Since they have wisdom and intelligence, how could they accept disappearance? And if you can't survive, you reproduce to continue your lineage. But Dao armaments reproduce differently from humans. 'Child' is only used as a descriptor. But regardless, this item exists to carry the will of Divine Genesis and carries a part of its abilities and can generate creatures."

"That makes sense!" Tang Jie nodded.

This old man had plundered many cultivator tombs, which had also broadened his horizons, making him know much more than the average person. When he wasn't being such a wretch, his words made some sense.

According to the old man, this genesis stone slab had probably been touched by the energy of Divine Genesis when it was being formed, and when Divine Genesis disappeared, this sliver of energy began to grow in the stone slab, absorbing the genesis power of the Treasure Paradise to gradually grow stronger.

There was a possibility that the will of Divine Genesis was contained within it.

Worth noting was that Divine Genesis was a product of the Fate Dao, which was the most unfathomable of the 12 Great Daos. If the Dao of Fate was involved, then the disappearance of Divine Genesis could have influenced the growth of the stone slab's power, allowing everything to make sense.

And in this aspect, this genesis stone slab might truly be the child of Divine Genesis.

As for that layer of energy around the stone slab, this was actually the protection of Fate power. Through this Fate power, the genesis stone slab was able to grow and mature free from outside influence.

Zuo Quanming added, "Genesis uses the energy of the heavens and earth to create the mundane world and fate. For this reason, the creation of a genesis object is intricately linked to the world. Divine Genesis was able to become a supreme natural Dao armament because of the countless worlds and lives of the Great Stellar Chiliocosm. But this genesis stone slab, though it has spent countless years in this world, can only reach the ultimate grade of divine treasures at best because the Treasure Paradise is only a single world. It's not even able to reach the level of Dao armament, let alone advance toward the supreme Great Dao. By remaining here, it has delayed its development. I think Young Sir has some destiny with this item, so why not bring it out and seek out a good place for it, a wider world? This would be a blessing for it, and it can also generate a world, creating water and soil."

Tang Jie was dumbfounded by these words.

What was clearly plundering treasure had been turned by this man's words into this treasure's fortune! He was clearly a prisoner, but in persuading Tang Jie to take this treasure, he was lionizing Tang Jie into a saint.

If this guy hadn't been hanging from a tree, he really might have believed it.

Tang Jie couldn't help but chuckle. "While it's a good treasure, using it is rather problematic. If it's placed outside, it will undoubtedly be noticed by others and cause fights."

Zuo Quanming quickly said, "You naturally place it in a paradise or blessed land to nurture all within it."

Tang Jie immediately retorted, "But ordinary paradises or blessed lands can't compare to the grandeur of the Treasure Paradise. According to your words just now, wouldn't I be robbing this divine object of the space to grow?"

"This…" Zuo Quanming was unable to counter his own argument. His eyes darted back and forth for a while before he finally thought of something. "Young Sir, this is wrong! The treasures of the world all belong to the virtuous, and such a divine object can only be owned by a saint. Young Sir, you have a full forehead, a sign that you are rich in fortune and wealth, the visage of a sage! For this genesis stone slab to go with such a saintly figure is its greatest fortune, so why would it mind a smaller piece of land? There is no problem with Young Sir taking it!"

Tang Jie was amused by his argument.

In truth, he really did have a place where he could use this genesis stone slab.

Other people would worry over where to put it, but not him.

He had the Martial Lord's hidden realm, the Mountain River State Diagram, or even the Water Moon Paradise. All of them would be excellent places for this item, though the Mountain River State Diagram would still be the best.

A world's growth needed the support of all kinds of treasure so that the world would be full of life and spirit.

The number of treasures in the Mountain River State Diagram was limited, and the only one really worth naming was the Space Crystal. But while it could expand the space, it could not fill that space.

This genesis stone slab was truly very useful to Tang Jie.

Thus, he stopped messing around. He took out the Mountain River State Diagram in front of Zuo Quanming and put the genesis stone slab within it, at the same time informing He Chong of its use. At this time, He Chong was busy taking the place of the Heavenly Dao in creating the sun, moon, stars, and all under heaven, and the original body was helping him and would not come out unless it were needed. This genesis stone slab was bound to be a huge help in bringing life to the world in the diagram.

Zuo Quanming was stunned when he saw Tang Jie take the stone slab into a diagram.

He was well aware that an existence like the genesis stone slab couldn't be held in the space of a Mustard Seed Bag. Only an independent small world would do. In other words, there was an independent world within that diagram?

That was a treasure on par with that stone slab!

Zuo Quanming's heart began to rapidly thump.

But a moment later, he realized he was in trouble. Since Tang Jie had shown such a treasure in front of him, didn't it mean that he had no plans to let him go? If he started begging for mercy, he would probably end up receiving the reply of "You know too much."

He started to panic.

This guy wasn't one to give up lightly. Other people might have already been desperately pleading for mercy or refusing to yield even if it meant death, but he was trying to exploit everything he had to survive.

After seeing such an awful development, he knew that his hopes of surviving were small. His eyes darted around, and then he thought of a plan and shouted, "Such divinity!"

His shout startled Tang Jie.

Zuo Quanming excitedly shouted, "Young Sir, your head is aglow with a divine aura, hidden behind your saintly visage. You are bound for great things in the future, Violet Palace and Immortal Platform easily attained. To become a sage can be done as easily as turning over your hand, and even becoming an Immortal Emperor is not out of the question! This untalented old man is blessed to come across this dragon among men and is willing to be your servant and workhorse, to serve you through water and fire until my life meets its end! Young Sir, please accept this old man!"

Tang Jie gazed at him in shock. Finally, he replied, "You… you say you want to follow me and become my subordinate?"

"Correct!" Zuo Quanming firmly said, with absolute resolve.

"Truly?"

"Truly!"

Tang Jie stared at him for a while before he finally asked, "Why should I believe you?"

Zuo Quanming shouted, "If Young Sir is willing, this one will allow Young Sir to implant a seal in my body that will slay me if I betray you."

Tang Jie was amazed by his resolve.

But after some thought, he ultimately shook his head. "Although you seem a little useful, I don't lack people to use, so forget it."

For logistics, he had Xu Miaoran, Xian Tao, and Hong Yuan. For battle, he had the original body and Yiyi. For cultivation, he had the Basking Moon Sect and the Vermillion Bird. It was true that he didn't lack people to use.

But Zuo Quanming still didn't give up. After thinking things over, he gritted his teeth and asked,

"Then do you lack slaves?"