Chapter 582: Let’s Do It

Chapter 582: Chapter 582: Let’s Do It

She spoke. "This is the birthplace of the Power of Taiyin in our Celestial Realm. After eons, it finally coalesced into a Taiyin Fruit Position Daoist Path. Now, with Heaven and Earth invaded by those from the Outer Realm, the path has manifested from the ethereal into the tangible. Unfortunately..."

The Celestial Empress did not finish her thought. Once this Dao Fruit was taken, the Power of Taiyin within this realm would be unable to ever flourish again.

Xu Yunfan also understood. Even in the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, once someone attained a Dao Fruit, they became the master of that Dharma Lineage. All cultivators who practiced that method and followed that path would fall under their purview.

But that was not his focus right now.

At the heart of the giant crystal wall, a Treasure Mirror, merely the size of a palm and shaped like a lunar disk, was slowly floating. It was made of an unidentifiable material, neither gold nor jade.

Moonlight flowed across its entire body like ripples on water. The mirror’s surface didn’t reflect its surroundings; instead, it contained a miniature, rotating cosmos, profound and mysterious.

It hovered there in silence, the focal point of all the essential Laws within this inverted, mirrored space. It was the anchor that granted the chaotic Celestial River a moment of tranquility, and more importantly, it was the physical condensation of the ultimate, core concept of this Celestial Realm’s Taiyin Dao.

The Taiyin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit.

Normally, a Dao Fruit was formless and intangible, the pure manifestation of an ultimate Law.

However, this realm was suffering a calamity unseen in eons. The Celestial Emperor had fallen, the Origin of Heaven and Earth was grievously wounded, and the Heavenly Dao Will was on the brink of collapse. As a stress response, and under the immense pressure and corrosive influence of the foreign Dao Principles brought by powerful enemies from the Outer Realm like True Monarch Pu Du, the Celestial Dao had instinctively accelerated the condensation of this core Law, solidifying it and granting it a proto-physical form.

It served as a final bastion to temporarily preserve its Origin and shield it from the prying Dao Principles of the Outer Realm.

This Treasure Mirror before Xu Yunfan’s eyes was precisely that: the materialized Taiyin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit.

’Fortune... this is a truly heaven-sent fortune!’

Even with a will as tough as iron, Xu Yunfan couldn’t stop his breath from quickening and his heart from hammering in his chest.

A Dao Fruit that had taken physical form was, by its very nature, an existence on par with an Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Even if this Celestial Realm was of a lower order than the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm, a Dao Fruit was the ultimate expression of a Dao. It was bound to be extraordinary.

He dared not delay, fearing that this naturally-formed, corporeal Dao Fruit might trigger some unforeseen change. ℯ

He immediately summoned a heavy cauldron. It was crimson red, its surface etched with countless complex Runes, and it radiated an astonishingly powerful sealing aura.

This was the Zhenyuan Refining Fire Cauldron, a vessel he had specially created over the years for the purpose of refining Superior Magical Treasures. It housed numerous Exotic Fires, and infused with the Eight Sceneries Cloud Qi, it could channel True Flames of various attributes for Artifact Refining.

It possessed the power to both suppress and capture, making it barely suitable for collecting this Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Xu Yunfan’s Magical Power surged into the cauldron. The lid flew open with a RUMBLE, spewing forth a crimson radiance that formed a massive vortex imbued with the Law of Spatial Sealing. It shot toward the Taiyin Profound Mirror Treasure Mirror at the heart of the inverted, mirrored space, intending to envelop it.

Yet, just as the cauldron’s radiance was about to touch the edge of the Treasure Mirror, Xu Yunfan felt an inexplicable stir in his heart. An extremely subtle sensation emanated from the All Heaven Star Spirit Banner—an instinctive tremor from the Celestial Empress Banner Spirit, carrying the faint residual aura of a shared origin with the Dao Fruit.

He stopped dead in his tracks, his thoughts racing.

’This object was formed from the last of this realm’s Origin, solidified by the impulse of the Heavenly Dao Will. If I take it, what kind of connection will that create?’

’Will I sever all ties with this realm, or...’

At this thought, a sharp glint flashed in Xu Yunfan’s eyes. He unhesitatingly extended his Divine Thought into the All Heaven Star Spirit Banner to communicate directly with the nascent Celestial Empress Star Soul.

"If I were to take this materialized Dao Fruit, what would be the consequences for this world?"

Within the Star Banner, the Celestial Empress Star Soul’s expression was calm, her gaze lowered.

Her voice transmitted through the Soul Banner.

"Your Eminence, this Taiyin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit is, in a sense, the Celestial Dao’s attempt to preserve a sliver of vitality. It is the final bastion, condensed from the core Origin Law."

"If Your Eminence were to take it, this bastion would crumble. The realm’s residual Heavenly Dao Will would lose its final protection and be instantly exposed to the Dao Realms of the True Monarchs from the Outer Realm, accelerating the process of its consumption."

She paused, glanced silently at Xu Yunfan, and continued without daring to conceal a thing.

"Furthermore, because this materialized Fruit Position is the last Dao Fruit seed within the realm, should Your Eminence gain its acknowledgment—even through a moment’s contact—you would be endowed with the last complete strand of this realm’s Celestial Mandate. You would become the final Child of Destiny, the focal point of attention before the realm’s destiny completely dissipates."

As she said this, the Celestial Empress’s expression grew slightly animated, her tone tinged with envy.

"To be favored by the realm’s destiny means your actions within it will be protected by the Power of Heaven and Earth. You will naturally seek fortune and avoid disaster, and your ability to perceive opportunities will become incomparably clear. The realm’s rejection of Outer Realm Dao Principles will also be weakened. However, you will also become the primary target of the Outer Realm Demons. Because Your Eminence will bear the last great destiny of this realm, you will be like a brilliant lamp in the dead of night to their Dao Realm senses."

Xu Yunfan sucked in a sharp breath, a numbing sensation spreading through his entire body.

If he touched and took this materialized Dao Fruit, he would instantly draw the attention of this realm’s Heavenly Dao Will—a will that was already being pushed to its absolute breaking point by the Golden Core True Monarchs of the Taihua Spirit Ruins Realm.

As an invader from the Outer Realm, his aura was entirely different from that of the native beings. The moment a connection was established, it would be like lighting the most blinding Everlasting Lamp in the pitch-black depths of the sea. He would instantly become the most conspicuous living target on the entire battlefield.

At that point, the three True Monarchs—Pu Du, Qingyuan, and Dongxu—who were currently high in the sky carving up the Celestial Emperor’s legacy, would sense that he had stolen the physical manifestation of this Hidden Dao Fruit. They would likely drop everything, join forces, and tear him to pieces, grinding his bones to ash.

Even the three life-saving Golden Core Sword Intents granted by Ancestral Master Chunyang, despite their immense power, could never withstand a furious, combined strike from three True Monarchs.

’So how can I take it?’

’The risk is enormous. One wrong move, and I can probably kiss this body goodbye.’

’I need to be prepared for a Divine Soul Exchange first.’

As his thoughts raced, a steady voice emerged from the depths of the All Heaven Star Spirit Banner. It belonged to the Taoist Sect Leader, Zhang Ziyang, who had voluntarily become a Divine General Banner Spirit and now resided deep within the banner.

"Yunfan, you cannot touch this fruit directly. However, the Celestial Empress’s Divine Soul Origin is a perfect, innate match for the Taiyin Profound Mirror Dao Fruit. She was originally its destined bearer, born into this Celestial Realm as the one closest to it.

Now, her physical body has dissipated, and her Divine Soul is entirely within the Star Spirit Banner, branded with its seal. Her True Spirit and consciousness have been thoroughly warped and imprisoned by the banner itself. She feels nothing but absolute awe and obedience toward you.

More importantly, in her current spiritual state, she has completely lost the final prerequisite needed to resonate with the Celestial Dao and attain the Fruit Position.

If her Divine Soul is used to retrieve the materialized Dao Fruit on your behalf, it should conceal your presence to the greatest possible extent. It would be a perfect deception, minimizing both the final gaze of this realm’s Celestial Dao and any disturbances from the Dao Fruit itself.

There should be no major issue in the short term. The crucial part is..."

Zhang Ziyang’s voice paused, his tone remaining even.

"As long as you maintain a firm grasp on her core True Spirit Seal, controlling the very foundation of her existence, she will neither dare nor be able to harbor any dissent. Then, this plan is feasible."

Xu Yunfan was utterly astonished. ’The Sect Leader actually came up with a method like this?’

’That’s ruthless, using someone like a permanent container.’

’And here I’ve only ever used people as disposable cups.’