Chapter 382
Bloodline Transformation, Flawless Great Sage
The Golden Crow withdrew its power of time, its eyes gleaming. Without further hesitation, it transformed into a golden rainbow and sped away.
Three thousand miles is but a fleeting moment for him, who walks with the light.
However, the three thousand miles within the Milky Way are completely different from the three thousand miles outside. The resistance of the starlight and river water, and the interference of the intertwined laws, greatly reduced his speed.
Even so, they arrived at their destination in just a short while.
He stopped.
Not far ahead, a precious fan landed deep within the Milky Way.
The fan was entirely white like jade, with its edges inlaid with red gold. The surface was covered with densely packed Buddhist mantras, each one emitting a faint glow and a gentle Buddhist light.
However, the Buddha's light flickered unpredictably, sometimes strong and sometimes weak, clearly indicating that its spiritual power was damaged and it was unable to maintain its own balance.
Around the precious fan, a faint five-colored glow appeared and disappeared. That was the Daoist aura left behind by Kong Lingxuan's five-colored divine light. It was this Daoist aura that blocked the Bodhisattva Dingguang's perception, causing the precious fan to drift here, unnoticed by anyone.
A hint of joy flashed in Jinwu's eyes.
He didn't rush forward, but first carefully observed his surroundings to make sure no other cultivators were watching before slowly approaching.
He reached out and gently touched the precious fan.
hum!
The Buddhist light on the precious fan suddenly burst forth, attempting to shake him off. However, the moment the Buddhist light touched the true solar fire surrounding the Golden Crow, it melted away as quickly as ice and snow meeting fire.
The precious fan trembled violently, emitting mournful cries, as if resisting or pleading for help.
The golden crow remained unmoved.
He activated the true fire of the sun, enveloping the entire precious fan within it. Under the scorching heat of the true fire, the Buddhist light on the precious fan gradually dimmed, and the Buddhist incantations extinguished one by one, transforming back into the pure laws of heaven and earth.
Gradually, the precious fan revealed its true form.
That was a banana leaf.
The entire leaf is emerald green, with distinct veins and subtle reddish-gold patterns flowing along the edges. The whole banana leaf is about a foot long, as thin as a cicada's wing, and as light as a feather.
It hovered quietly in front of the Golden Crow, emitting a faint spiritual light.
Just then, a system notification sounded in Jinwu's ears.
Ding!
System notification: A precious leaf of the Yin-Yang Banana Tree with spiritual roots has been discovered. Do you wish to refine it?
Jinwu's eyes flashed; it was indeed the Yin-Yang Banana Tree.
Legend has it that at the beginning of this world, there was a spiritual root between heaven and earth called the Yin-Yang Banana Tree. This tree grew from chaos and could transform chaos into Yin and Yang energies, with endless wonders.
There are many legends about this treasure in ancient mythology. It is said that the first fan can stabilize light, the second fan can stabilize yin and yang, and the third fan can stabilize chaos.
Later, this spiritual root disappeared for some unknown reason, and only a few precious leaves were lost to the world and obtained by those with a predestined connection.
The precious fan of Dingguang Bodhisattva was made from one of the precious leaves.
Without any hesitation, Jinwu said, "Refine it."
The moment his thought settled, the system panel shone brightly.
Wu Tian also unleashed his true solar fire, wrapping the banana leaf layer by layer.
Under the refinement of the true fire of the sun and the system panel, countless incantations within the banana leaf began to spread, each one ancient and vast, exuding the primordial aura of the beginning of chaos.
As the flames flickered, the banana leaves began to slowly melt.
Dingguang Bodhisattva had refined this treasure for ten thousand years, imprinting his own Dao and Dharma upon it. Now, under the system's refinement, those imprints were gradually peeled away, erased, and burned away.
The light on the banana leaves kept changing.
Sometimes it was as green as jade, sometimes as red as gold, and sometimes a mix of black and white. With each transformation, a mysterious Taoist aura permeated the air, causing the surrounding celestial river waters to surge.
The Golden Crow sat cross-legged in the Milky Way, its body engulfed in the blazing True Fire of the Sun, which enveloped the entire refining process.
He could clearly feel that the Buddhist imprint on the banana leaf was being peeled away little by little, while the Taoist essence of the banana leaf itself was being revived little by little.
Time passed slowly, and I don't know how much time had gone by.
hum!
The banana leaf suddenly trembled and burst forth with dazzling light.
The light was neither gold nor jade, neither red nor white, but a pure, clear light.
Amidst the light, a verdant banana leaf slowly rotated, its veins clearly visible and its texture distinct, each vein flowing with the Daoist rhythm of Yin and Yang energies.
Ding! System notification: You have successfully refined the Yin-Yang Banana Tree Treasure Leaf. Please select one of the following three options.
Option 1, with its two main characteristics of playing with time and walking with light, merges with the Yin-Yang banana leaf, awakens innate supernatural powers, and treads through time.
Option two involves fusing the Golden Crow bloodline with the Yin-Yang Banana leaf, using the Yin and Yang energies to nourish the bloodline, which can transform the bloodline into an unknown being.
Option three: By merging one's natal star with the Yin-Yang banana leaf, one can break through the Nine Heavens in one fell swoop and transform into the flawless Great Sage.
"Three main options: supernatural powers, bloodline, and realm!"
Jinwu was overjoyed. The Yin-Yang Banana Leaf had indeed lived up to his expectations. All his efforts, from seeking help from Kong Lingxuan to spending so much time and energy at the Azure River, had not been in vain.
Any one of these three options can dramatically increase your strength.
He carefully examined the system panel, especially the first option, "Time Travel Divine Power".
The ability to tread the time, born from the fusion of the Golden Crow bloodline's two major characteristics—playing with time and walking with light—and the Yin-Yang banana leaf, allows one to transcend the Three Realms and the Five Elements, overlooking all living beings from the long river of time.
Unaffected by any laws, untouched by the passage of time, one can freely travel through the past, glimpse the future, and look down upon the present.
"After the Heavenly Eye, I have finally obtained another powerful time-related divine power that can involve the past, present and future."
Without further hesitation, Wu Tian chose to step into the light.
With such innate abilities, one's foundation greatly increases, and one's cultivation level naturally rises accordingly.
Choosing the third option directly would be a waste of resources.
As for the second item, it is too unpredictable. The Golden Crow bloodline is already powerful enough, so there is no need to add anything unnecessary.
As soon as he made his thought, a pale silver aura rippled around him like waves on water.
hum!
The light was initially just a faint silver glow, but in an instant it transformed into an overwhelming blaze of light, illuminating the entire Milky Way with dazzling brilliance.
Within the flames, countless profound incantations could be faintly seen flowing and dying, each incantation seemingly bearing the imprint of a period of time, a fragment of a bygone era.
The golden crow's form gradually blurred amidst the flames.
slam-la-
Suddenly, the sound of rushing river water rang out.
The sound did not originate from the Azure Heaven River, but from a more mysterious and ancient place. Accompanied by the sound of water, the Golden Crow's true form vanished from its spot.
No, it hasn't completely disappeared.
A figure still sat cross-legged in the Milky Way, surrounded by the true fire of the sun, just as before.
But that figure was like a flower in a mirror or the moon in water—visible and tangible, yet giving people a sense of illusion and etherealness, as if it were not in this world.
That is the embodiment of time, a projection of the present.
As long as the true form remains in the river of time, this projection will be impervious to all magic and indestructible through countless eons. No matter how powerful your supernatural abilities or how extraordinary your methods, you will not be able to harm it in the slightest.
At this moment, the true form of the Golden Crow had already transcended the Three Realms and was no longer within the Five Elements.
In a daze, he found himself on a river.
It was a magnificent and boundless river.
The river surges and flows mightily, its source and end nowhere in sight.
The river is not a true flow of water, but rather a condensation of the imprints of countless years. Every wave is a testament to the rise and fall of an era; every ripple is a reflection of the joys and sorrows of millions of lives; every wisp of mist is an intertwining of endless cause and effect.
This is the long river of time.
Throughout the ages, countless living beings, and all traces of what has existed, exists, and will exist, have converged here.
It spans the past, present, and future; it is the oldest, most mysterious, and most elusive existence in the Three Realms.
The golden crow flaps its wings and hovers above the long river.
Compared to the vast river, his figure was as insignificant as a speck of dust. Yet at this moment, he truly stood upon time itself, overlooking the ceaseless flow of eternity.
It is a mysterious feeling that is difficult to describe.
He looked down and saw countless blurry images flashing by in the river. Although he couldn't see them clearly, the vast and boundless atmosphere was overwhelming.
In his hazy vision, he saw the magnificent scene of ancient gods and demons creating the world, the earth-shattering debates and battles between ancient great beings, the endless flames of war among heroes vying for supremacy, and the joys and sorrows of countless beings...
Each scene flashed by in an instant, yet his gaze took it all in.
He raised his head and looked towards the upper reaches of the long river.
That is the past.
He could vaguely see a familiar figure in the vast river; it was the time he cultivated in the Hundred Thousand Mountains of Southern Xinjiang, the time he comprehended the Dao in the Yinghuo Star Palace, and the past when he fought side by side with Bai Fengxian and Bai Qian.
He could even see into the more distant past; those years he had never personally experienced, those past events that were causally connected to him, all of which were faintly visible in the river.
At that moment, he seemed to merge into the entire river of time.
All beings in the Three Realms and the vast expanse of time are within his perception.
Every flower, every leaf, every grain of sand, every stone, every breath, every thought, every movement.
Everything is within sight.
This is the passage of time.
Transcending the Three Realms and beyond the Five Elements, one is unaffected by any laws or the passage of time. One can freely traverse the past, glimpse the future, and survey the present.
Jinwu was immersed in that mysterious realm, feeling an unprecedented clarity and freedom.
However, after only three breaths, he felt a wave of fatigue wash over him.
The exhaustion wasn't physical, but spiritual; it was a depletion of his cultivation. The magical power and mental energy consumed by using the Time-Treading Technique far exceeded his expectations.
He roughly estimated that with his current cultivation level, he could only maintain it for ten breaths at most.
Ten breaths later, one must return to the mortal world, otherwise there is a risk of damage to one's Dao foundation.
Jinwu sighed inwardly.
While the art of traversing time is mysterious, the energy expenditure is astonishing.
Ten breaths is neither a long nor a short time.
It can be used to escape for thousands of miles; it can also be used to kill enemies several times. But if you want to immerse yourself in it for a long time and comprehend the great Dao, it is far from enough.
"It seems I still need to improve my cultivation level as soon as possible."
He was thinking to himself, but his gaze was already fixed on the distance.
That place is... Heaven.
Since we only have ten breaths, we should use them to do the most important things.
With a thought, the Golden Crow's gaze pierced through layers of celestial palaces, landing directly within the Heavenly Court. From that wondrous perspective that transcended time, all the secrets of the Heavenly Court were laid bare.
He saw the Fire God's Mansion.
Kong Lingxuan sat in the main hall, toying with a jade slip in his hand, a smile of anticipation playing on his lips. Before him, a screen of light displayed the scene in the Azure Heavenly River, the projection left behind by the Golden Crow.
"That hairy beast is quite composed," Kong Lingxuan muttered to himself. "His actions must have alerted that old bald monk Dingguang. Now there's going to be a good show."
Jinwu smiled slightly and looked away.
He saw the Doubu.
The Seven Killings Star Lord was in seclusion, his body swirling with killing intent, and the strange phenomenon of the seven stars aligning faintly behind him. This top-ranked expert was clearly preparing for the upcoming battle for the Heavenly Emperor.
He saw Raibu.
General Lei and the Holy Mother of Golden Light were sitting facing each other, drinking tea. The atmosphere between them was subtle. In front of outsiders, these two were clearly at odds, but at this moment, the atmosphere was extremely harmonious. If this were to get out, it would probably make many people's hearts jump.
The Golden Crow stirred its thoughts again, its gaze sweeping across the Heavenly Court.
At the Eastern Heavenly Gate, the Heavenly Ranking hangs high, where countless immortals and gods are vying for and fighting.
At the Western Heavenly Gate, beneath the Earthly Ranking, ghosts and gods from the netherworld display their supernatural powers.
At the Southern Heavenly Gate, before the Ranking of Humans, immortals of the mortal realm are locked in a fierce battle of magic...
Everything was laid out before my eyes.
However, his most important goal on this trip was naturally to see the Bodhisattva Dingguang.
With a thought, Jinwu shifted his gaze from the Heavenly Court to the Fire Department.
There was a Bodhisattva named Dingguang sitting on a lotus platform, meditating with his eyes closed.
His body was surrounded by a radiant aura of Buddha, and a halo like the moon behind his head gave him a dignified and solemn appearance. Since his defeat in the last battle at Biluo Heaven, he had returned to the Fire Department, secluded himself, and waited for an opportunity.
He suddenly opened his eyes, feeling a jolt in his heart, and an indescribable tremor surged forth. Immediately afterward, a sharp pain erupted from the depths of his soul, causing him to groan involuntarily.
"My precious fan!"
His expression changed drastically.
That precious fan was the object that brought him to enlightenment, and it was connected to his mind and spirit. Now that the fan was being refined, the Buddhist markings imprinted on it were forcibly stripped away, and he naturally suffered a backlash.
Although the backlash wasn't severe, he knew all too well what it meant.
Someone has found his treasure fan and is refining it.
"Who is it?! How dare they steal my treasure!"
Dingguang Bodhisattva's face was ashen, and his eyes burned with rage.
That precious fan was of utmost importance to him, not only as a treasure for achieving enlightenment, but also as crucial to his future path in the Dao, and he could not afford to lose it.
Without any hesitation, the twelve-petaled lotus platform beneath his feet suddenly spun, transforming into a dazzling Buddhist light that shot straight out of the Fire Department and headed towards the Southern Heavenly Gate.
"You've come at the perfect time; I was just about to settle accounts with you."
A smile played on Jinwu's lips. He was about to return to the mortal world when he suddenly paused and gazed curiously into the distance into the future.
The river of time rushes forward, with countless possibilities and variables intertwined, like layers of fog, making it difficult to see through.
But he could vaguely see that deep within the mist, there were many extremely dazzling lights, like a divine mountain suppressing the turbulent river, unmoving and unshakable by the passage of time.
"Those must be powerful Golden Immortals!"
Jinwu took a deep breath, his heart filled with turbulent waves.
"This...how is this possible?!"
Because in his eyes, the radiant light that reached the heavens and the earth like a divine mountain was far more than six. He couldn't see it clearly from a great distance, but there were dozens of them within his sight.
"How could there be so many powerful beings? This doesn't make sense." (End of Chapter)