Chapter 205: Treasure Control Formula

"Kid, run faster. I can sense four Nascent Soul Late Stage auras close on your tail." Xuan Zhenzi's voice echoed from the storage pouch, carrying a hint of urgency. "Never mind, I'll give you another push."

As he spoke, a streak of golden light seeped silently from the storage pouch, wrapping around Jiuyou and cloaking him in a faint halo.

"I've temporarily erased your aura using the power of the Heaven and Earth Ring. Even a Deity Transformation Cultivator would be hard-pressed to track you without special means," the voice said flatly, devoid of emotion.

Jiuyou didn't reply, only pushing his flight speed a notch higher. The golden sword light tore through the wind and snow, covering over a hundred thousand li in just a few days.

Eventually, he found a hidden limestone cave in a remote mountain ravine. Landing at the entrance, he sat cross-legged without pausing. He pulled a few thousand-year-old spiritual herbs for restoring divine sense from his storage pouch, tossed them into his mouth, chewed, swallowed, and closed his eyes to regulate his breathing.

"Oho, you've got quite a few treasures on you, kid."

The Heaven and Earth Ring flew out of the storage pouch on its own, hovering in front of Jiuyou, still the size of a millstone. A little golden figure emerged from it and sat cross-legged on the rim, looking incredibly bored.

About half an hour later, Jiuyou felt his exhausted divine sense begin to slowly recover, and only then did he open his eyes. The first thing he saw was Xuan Zhenzi's aged face.

Seeing him like this, the little golden figure snorted. "What, still don't trust me?"

He coughed. "When you were fighting that Linghu kid, if I hadn't secretly intervened and cut off the qi supply, you would have long been crushed by the Yang Gathering Extreme Light of that Monster Annihilation Heavenly Dao Array. If I wanted to harm you, I would have struck then. Why bother accompanying you all the way out here?"

He paused.

"Rest assured, I don't have that much idle time on my hands."

Jiuyou didn't reply, his gaze still appraising.

Xuan Zhenzi shrugged. Those aged eyes darted around slightly, as if weighing how to lay things out in the open. "Why do you think Linghu Shou, Zhou Chengshan, and the others were unable to fully master this Five Origins Universal Hub for hundreds of years?"

He spread his little golden hands.

"Because I'm inside it. Ten thousand years ago, to merge with this treasure, I expended the vast majority of my energy and fell into a long slumber. If you hadn't caused such a commotion, I wouldn't have woken up early. Without my nod of approval, no one can even think about moving this thing."

"So what is it you want, Ancestor?" Jiuyou asked directly.

Xuan Zhenzi gave him a look, not bothering to beat around the bush. "No need to be so tense. How about this: I'll release the restrictions on the Heaven and Earth Ring, teach you how to subdue this Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure, and put my full effort into helping you reach Deity Transformation. This is a Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure; you absolutely won't lose out, and you won't have to worry about me turning on you in the future."

Jiuyou shot him a sidelong glance, his expression unchanged, his eyes clearly spelling out the words, "Do I look like a fool to you?"

"Hahaha—" Xuan Zhenzi wasn't angered; instead, he laughed.

"Cautious enough. You haven't let a heaven-defying opportunity go to your head. Good, very good."

He stopped laughing, his tone turning a bit more serious.

"Naturally, I have my own conditions. It's very simple. Once you reach Deity Transformation, if you find a Teleportation Array leading to the Upper Realm, take me with you. If you can't find one, then find me a Nascent Soul Late Stage body for body seizing. Of course, a Deity Transformation one would be even better."

Having laid all his cards on the table, he fell silent, waiting for Jiuyou's answer.

Water droplets fell within the cave, shattering against the stone surface with crisp, tiny sounds.

Jiuyou didn't answer immediately. His gaze lingered on Xuan Zhenzi's aged, golden face for a while, as if trying to discern just how much scheming was hidden behind those words. Only after a long moment did he speak. "Since this was your intention, Ancestor, why didn't you reveal your identity right away, or perhaps claim that Linghu Shou had successfully transformed into a spirit? If we joined forces, the Daoyang Sect would be a natural sanctuary where cultivation resources would be right at our fingertips. Why go through all the trouble of fleeing all the way here?"

Xuan Zhenzi seemed stumped by the question. He froze for a split second before letting out two fake coughs, clasping his hands behind his back, and putting on an "I'm only thinking of you" act. "This seat had only recently awakened, and my memories hadn't completely recovered. Nor had I fully digested all the memories of that Linghu kid. If I accidentally revealed a flaw, given your condition at the time, you probably wouldn't have survived half a day. You are the most promising candidate among the descendants of my Daoyang Sect to reach Deity Transformation; I couldn't just watch you throw your life away for nothing."

He paused for a half-second and added another sentence.

"Besides, staying in the Daoyang Sect means both of us would have to act according to Zhou Chengshan's whims. You might be willing, but I'm certainly not."

Jiuyou gave a slight nod, not pressing the matter any further.

He turned to glance at the Five Elements Heaven and Earth Ring suspended in midair, his eyes pausing on the spiritual light flowing across the ring's body before he made his decision. "Since that's the case, Ancestor, you must not forget your promise today. If this disciple is fortunate enough to reach Deity Transformation, I will definitely not let Ancestor's kindness today go unrewarded."

Xuan Zhenzi nodded. His figure transformed into a streak of golden light and vanished into the Heaven and Earth Ring. His voice echoed out from the ring, a good deal more solemn than before.

"A Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure is not like an ordinary magical treasure. You must brand the treasure's main body with your origin essence blood to briefly establish a divine sense connection, barely allowing it to be stored in a storage pouch. But the drawbacks are significant. It cannot be taken into the dantian to be nurtured, its divine abilities are incomplete, and if you run into a formidable foe, there is still the risk of it being forcefully snatched away.

"If you want to truly master this treasure, you need the Treasure Control Formula. Only by learning this treasure's Treasure Control Formula will you possess the equivalent of an all-access pass to command it at any time. You won't end up like Linghu Shou, who had to drip essence blood every single time just to control it a few times."

He paused briefly, giving Jiuyou time to digest the information.

"The Treasure Control Formula is divided into three layers. The first layer can be cultivated at the Middle Nascent Soul Stage. It establishes the initial sensory resonance between person and artifact, allowing the spirit treasure to be taken into the body and nurtured. The second layer, at the Nascent Soul Late Stage, allows one to wield most of its divine abilities. The third layer... only a Deity Transformation Cultivator can completely unlock its full might, achieving the state of perfect harmony between person and artifact.

"One treasure, one formula. They are not interchangeable. Ordinary magical treasures only require a drop of blood to acknowledge a master, but if a Heaven-grade Spiritual Treasure lacks its corresponding Treasure Control Formula, even tens of millions of drops of essence blood will be useless.

"Alright, I've explained clearly what the Treasure Control Formula is. If you have no questions, I will hand this Five Origins Universal Hub Treasure Control Formula over to you now. Do not disappoint me."

After he finished speaking, a string of golden characters surfaced on the ring. The characters were archaic in style and intricate in their strokes, clearly some sort of text long lost to time.

Those characters slowly circled in midair, weaving together until they finally condensed into a tiny, golden cluster of light that slowly flew toward the center of Jiuyou's brow.

Jiuyou didn't accept it immediately. He first probed it with his divine sense to confirm there were no restrictions concealed within the light. Only then did he carefully open the center of his brow. The ball of golden light sank in silently, like an old coat taking in a button.

An obscure incantation slowly unrolled within his sea of consciousness: "Chaos at the inception, the Five Origins divide. Metal condenses edge, Wood harbors life, Water gathers the myriad rivers, Fire incinerates the vile, Earth suppresses the cosmos. The universal ring acts as the pivot, bearing the primordial qi of heaven and earth..."

The phrasing was archaic, yet there was a heavy weight pressing down upon it, like a door that hadn't been pushed open in a very long time finally unsealing from the inside.