Chapter 277: Another Primordial Yin Treasure Physique

[You looked at the Armored Guardian not far away.]

[Since you were a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch, the divine soul pressure permeating this high mountain path posed no threat to you.]

[Even without using spatial teleportation, climbing up here had barely taken any time.]

[What was mere divine soul pressure at the Nascent Soul Stage limit to you?]

[You were in high spirits. This was how a trial ought to go—scraping out a hard-won victory after brushing with near-certain death held little appeal for you.]

[You much preferred crushing everything from start to finish like this.]

["The trial-taker has passed the ultimate trial."]

[Crimson light surged deep within the Armored Guardian's eyes. "Clearance time: two breaths."]

["Clearance evaluation: The fastest to clear the ultimate trial since the ancient era..."]

[At that, the Armored Guardian paused for a moment.]

[The Ghost Realm Trial Field dated all the way back to the late ancient era, during that earth-shattering war of invasion waged by the Demon Abyss Realm.]

[Back then, the providence of the Human Realm was at a boiling point, birthing countless children of destiny. The ultimate trial of the Ghost Realm Trial Field had witnessed no shortage of dazzling prodigies and monstrous freaks.]

[Yet someone like you was completely unprecedented.]

["The trial-taker automatically receives the fifth and sixth layers of the Divine Origin Void Crossing Great Art."]

["The trial-taker may select three items from the reward list below."]

[The Armored Guardian continued.]

['The fifth and sixth layers of the Divine Origin Void Crossing Great Art...' You felt a stir of emotion. This secret art had only six layers in total, meaning you had now obtained it in its entirety.]

[Only a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch had any hope of mastering these two layers, which could stabilize and elevate a Heavenly Monarch's Primordial Spirit.]

[They were imparted to trial-takers now so that if one was fortunate enough to step into the Deity Transformation Stage, they could begin cultivating them right away.]

[As the Armored Guardian finished speaking, a wave of divine soul fluctuations surged toward you. You extended your divine sense and received the information within—it was indeed the fifth and sixth layers of the secret art.]

['Given my current conditions, mastering these will take at least several hundred to a thousand years.']

[You gave them a brief scan, feeling no rush.]

[Now that you had basically "cleared" the Ghost Realm Trial Field, you could master the final two layers of the secret art whenever you pleased, without any pressure at all.]

[Swish.]

[The Armored Guardian waved his hand again.]

[Image after image condensed into view before you.]

[It was the list of treasures available for selection upon passing the ultimate trial.]

['Mostly dharma cultivation treasures that help with breaking through to the Deity Transformation Stage...']

[A quick glance told you everything you needed to know.]

[The ultimate goal behind establishing the Ghost Realm Trial Field was to nurture Heavenly Monarchs for the Human Realm.]

[Whether they were dharma cultivation Heavenly Monarchs, body cultivation Heavenly Monarchs, or Heavenly Monarchs of any other inheritance path.]

[And to become a Heavenly Monarch, one inevitably had to face the three hurdles of breaking through.]

['A Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill...']

[Your gaze settled on one of the projected images.]

[In the last simulation, a Primordial Spirit Pill had been one of the three treasures you chose after passing the third-stage trial.]

[The Primordial Spirit Pill was a Fifth Tier High Grade elixir whose main ingredients had long gone extinct in the Human Realm. Every Primordial Spirit Pill used in the Human Realm now was one fewer in existence.]

[A Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill was rarer still—something that could only be chanced upon, never sought on demand. Even in the ancient era, when Alchemy Celestial Masters joined forces to refine Primordial Spirit Pills, it took dozens or even a hundred pills to produce a single one of top-grade quality.]

[Naturally, the efficacy of a Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill far surpassed that of an ordinary one. When a Late Nascent Soul Stage Great Cultivator attempted to break through to Deity Transformation, so long as they weren't so lacking as to hold themselves back, taking a pill of this quality gave them over a sixty percent chance of clearing the stage of transforming the Nascent Soul into a Primordial Spirit.]

[You gave the Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill only a brief glance before looking away.]

[You were already a Deity Transformation Stage Heavenly Monarch. No matter how precious the Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill was, it was useless to you and not a mandatory pick.]

[You continued looking through the other treasures in the projections.]

['An inheritance origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle?']

[You fixed your eyes on one of the many images.]

[The Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle originated in the early ancient era from a Fifth Tier High Grade Divination Celestial Master.]

[That Divination Celestial Master's skill in Divination ranked among the strongest in the entire history of the Human Realm, and he had later ascended to the Upper Realm through the ascension passage.]

[Before ascending, he left behind several hundred origin stones of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle, each recording the inheritance of this Fifth Tier High Grade Divination Celestial Master.]

[The Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle was extraordinarily special. Rather than mere images or words, it was a kind of Dao rhyme that could only be sensed through an origin stone.]

[Moreover, once an origin stone was comprehended, it would crumble on its own—meaning the true inheritance of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle could only be comprehended as many times as there were origin stones.]

[In later generations, Divination Celestial Masters who comprehended an origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle tried to replicate that Dao rhyme, but none ever succeeded.]

[Over the long years of the ancient era, the origin stones of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle dwindled until they had supposedly vanished altogether by the mid-ancient era.]

[You hadn't expected the Ghost Realm Trial Field to still hold an origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle.]

['I didn't see this origin stone on the reward list after the earlier aptitude test. Is it because it doesn't fall under the category of treasure resources?']

[You thought to yourself.]

[At the same time, you decided to choose this origin stone.]

[Your Divination skill remained at Fourth Tier High Grade. Even after pouring several hundred years of lifespan into it at the end of the last simulation, you still hadn't touched the Rank 5 threshold.]

[Your experiences across multiple simulations had made you realize just how vital Divination was. In the sixth simulation, the Purgatory Demon Sovereign had invaded the Human Realm ahead of schedule precisely because a Divination Celestial Master on the Demon Abyss Realm's side divined that you had no intention of defecting to them.]

['Hopefully, this origin stone can help push my Divination skill a step further...']

[You thought, 'If my Divination skill can step into Rank 5, dealing with the Demon Abyss Realm's invasion in the future will be much easier. With Fourth Tier High Grade Divination, anything involving Rank 5 information becomes obscure and nearly impossible to decipher.']

[Having settled on the origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle, you continued looking through the remaining projections.]

[The treasures presented by the Armored Guardian were undeniably priceless—for a Nascent Soul Stage true lord, obtaining any one of them could alter their fate—but to you, who had already reached the Deity Transformation Stage, the vast majority were of little use.]

['This piece of black jade...']

[Once again, your gaze came to a halt on an image.]

[Shown in the image was a piece of black jade, dark and fathomless. You had seen this same black jade on the reward list after the aptitude test.]

[You simply hadn't paid it any mind at the time, since the reward list after the aptitude test had contained plenty of treasures that caught your interest—such as the Heavenly Sword Sheath, or the World-Crossing Immortal Ark.]

[You studied the black jade in the projection closely while reading the description beneath it.]

["This jade comes from the Upper Realm. Its function is unknown. Even a Heavenly Monarch cannot damage it in the slightest..."]

[A thoughtful look crossed your face. The longer you observed this black jade, the more familiar it felt, and two other items quickly surfaced in your mind.]

[The Purple Eye Jade Stone and the Reincarnation Stone.]

[In the sixth simulation, you had obtained the Purple Eye Jade Stone after slaying the Purple-Eyed True Monarch, and later claimed the Reincarnation Stone from Wujian Hall.]

[When the Purple Eye Jade Stone and the Reincarnation Stone were brought close together, they had faintly resonated with each other.]

[You had judged that the two items were far from simple, yet right up until the simulation ended, you never uncovered their secret, nor did you ever find a third item that resonated with them.]

['Could this piece of black jade be the third resonating item?']

[You wondered inwardly.]

[After brief consideration, you decided to make this black jade your second selection.]

[Even the creator of the Ghost Realm Trial Field didn't know the exact use of this black jade. You sensed a major secret hidden within it—one that involved at least the Deity Transformation level.]

[A moment later.]

[You finished looking through the entire treasure list.]

[In the end, your gaze returned to the Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill.]

[Among the treasures on the ultimate trial's reward list, very few were useful to you. Aside from the origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle and the mysterious black jade, nothing else caught your interest.]

[Compared to the rest, this Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill could at least help you indirectly.]

[If this Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill could help Li Yan smoothly step into the Deity Transformation Stage, the feedback from her Primordial Yin Physique would boost your own cultivation in the Deity Transformation Stage.]

[In this simulation, just to help Li Yan reach the Deity Transformation Stage, you had gone so far as to fabricate a "reincarnator" identity for her.]

[Even so, whether Li Yan could actually step into the Deity Transformation Stage remained unknown. Reaching Deity Transformation was harder than ascending to the heavens, and having this Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill to assist her would at least raise her odds.]

[Li Yan had reached Fourth Tier High Grade Great Grandmaster Rank in music, and her state of mind was solid. So long as she didn't encounter an Outer Domain Heavenly Demon, her chances of surviving the Annihilation Tribulation were high.]

[As for the Five Elements Thunder Tribulation? You had already prepared plenty of tribulation-warding treasures for Li Yan, meaning the most crucial hurdle for her was transforming her Nascent Soul into a Primordial Spirit.]

[Of course, you still couldn't guarantee whether Li Yan would ultimately step into the Deity Transformation Stage. Li Yan wasn't like you, whose mana, divine soul, and physical body had all broken past the limit of the Nascent Soul Stage.]

[Nor was she a Heavenly Monarch inheritor of Heavenly Sword Peak, who could rely on the Sword Seed to drastically increase the odds of stepping into the Deity Transformation Stage.]

[Even you couldn't replicate the former for someone else, as it relied primarily on your "Surpassing Oneself by Half a Move" talent; the latter required switching to the Sword Cultivator path and carried numerous hidden dangers, including but not limited to being reduced to a sword slave of the Sword Lord.]

[After going over the reward list a few more times to make sure you hadn't missed anything, you looked at the Armored Guardian and stated your choices.]

[Upon hearing your words, the Armored Guardian extended his right hand, palm facing up.]

[Spatial fluctuations rippled forth as three items materialized above his palm.]

[They were the Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill, the origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle, and the mysterious black jade.]

[You looked first at the mysterious black jade, gently stroking it with your right hand to feel its unusual texture.]

['It really does share similarities with the Purple Eye Jade Stone and the Reincarnation Stone.']

[Your conviction firmed. Having touched it yourself, you were almost certain this piece of black jade was connected to the other two items.]

['Right now, the Reincarnation Stone is in Wujian Hall, so I can take it whenever I want, but as for the Purple Eye Jade Stone...']

[You pinched your fingers to calculate. At this point in time, the Purple-Eyed True Monarch had only recently stepped into the Nascent Soul Stage, so you couldn't be sure whether he had obtained the Purple Eye Jade Stone yet.]

[As for divining the Purple Eye Jade Stone directly? Both the Purple Eye Jade Stone and that Reincarnation Stone carried karma tied to the Upper Realm, making them extremely difficult to divine.]

['No rush. At worst, I can wait until the Xuande Grotto-Heaven opens and make my move at the same time as in the last simulation...']

[You mused, 'The safest approach is naturally to kill the Purple-Eyed True Monarch at the exact same time I killed him in the last simulation.']

[Next, you looked at the origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle. It was a fist-sized white stone etched with stars, mountains, and rivers, faintly carrying a unique resonance.]

[You didn't comprehend this origin stone of the Book of Changes of the Heavenly Cycle right away. Now wasn't the time, since you were still inside the Ghost Realm Trial Field.]

[There was no telling how long you would remain in seclusion once you began comprehending it, so you naturally planned to settle all other minor matters first.]

['The Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill...']

[You opened the Jade Box and looked at the plump, round spirit pill resting inside.]

[An aura in harmony with heaven and earth wafted out; gazing at this spirit pill felt like gazing at the entire world.]

['Wonderful, truly wonderful!']

[Observing the Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill, you faintly sensed the exquisitely refined alchemical techniques behind it. You were a Rank 5 Alchemy Celestial Master yourself; other Heavenly Monarchs wouldn't be able to discern the profundities within this Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill, but you were different.]

'Next, if I spend more time comprehending this Top-Grade Primordial Spirit Pill, it might give my alchemy skills a boost.'

[You thought to yourself, 'In the last simulation, when I obtained the Primordial Spirit Pill, I was still only at Tier 4 Grandmaster Rank in alchemy. Even with a Rank 5 spirit pill right in front of me, I couldn't gain much from it.']

[Putting the three treasures away, you looked at the Armored Guardian, pondered for a moment, and asked, "Guardian, can I participate in the trials of other paths? Such as body cultivation?"]

["Each trial-taker may only choose one path for their trial."]

[The Armored Guardian replied in a flat tone.]

['Still no.']

[You weren't surprised. You had asked this exact question in past simulations and been refused every time.]

[The Ghost Realm Trial Field wanted trial-takers to stay focused and dedicate themselves to a single path, as that offered a much greater hope of reaching the Peak.]

[Yet in this simulation, you had already cleared the Ghost Realm Trial Field—you could hardly be accused of dividing your focus—and you were still turned down.]

[You said no more. Even with your current strength, you still couldn't fully see through the Ghost Realm Trial Field. While you could force your way out, you wouldn't be able to lock onto the layers of internal space within this trial ground or the locations where its many treasures and resources were stored.]

[Whoosh—]

[You left the Ghost Realm Trial Field and appeared inside Nether Mountain.]

['I'm out?']

[A smile surfaced on your face. This trip to Nether Mountain had been a tremendous help to you.]

['Next...']

[Your gaze suddenly turned south—or more precisely, toward the Southern Sea Territory.]

[In the sixth simulation, after taking control of Heavenly Sword Peak, you had used its influence to investigate spirit bodies and treasure bodies across every major territory of the Human Realm, placing particular emphasis on the Primordial Yin Treasure Physique.]

[If Li Yan alone could bring you such immense benefit, what if there were a few more with the Primordial Yin Treasure Physique?]

[There was no such thing as building up resistance to the Primordial Yin Qi of a Primordial Yin Treasure Physique, so as far as you were concerned, the more of them there were, the better.]

[And with Heavenly Sword Peak investigating at full force, you had indeed uncovered traces of a second Primordial Yin Treasure Physique, located right in the Southern Sea Territory.]

[However, according to the detailed intelligence gathered in the sixth simulation, at this point in time, that Primordial Yin Treasure Physique had not yet been born.]