Long Kui’s expression changed drastically, and he exclaimed, "This, I fear, is the aura only a great being of heaven and earth would possess!"
Since he had stepped into the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm and cultivated for dozens of epochs, he had only barely reached the seventh heaven. The realm of great beings of heaven and earth was still a long, long way off for him.
After a moment of hesitation, he decided to summon the twelve elders of the Dragon clan. Each of the twelve elders was a great being of heaven and earth, possessing origins akin to congenital deities, or being among the top three sons of the Ancestral Dragon, or being formidable figures who once shook the ancient world.
In the dozens of epochs since he had become a great being, only a little over thirty beings in the Primordial World had succeeded in breaking through the Taiyi realm and stepping into the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. Yet, in these same dozens of epochs, only three had ascended to the realm of great beings of heaven and earth.
One was the Mo Yu Qilin of the Qilin clan, another was the patriarch of the Chi Wu Crow of the Phoenix clan, and the last one was the Green Dragon Auxiliary God, that same Green Snake who used to call him senior.
The thought made Long Kui's heart ache inexplicably.
But to his surprise, just as he was about to send the message, the dragon plate in his hand suddenly rotated, and a blue light emerged.
"Long Kui."
"Greetings, Ancestral Master." Although he was surprised by the manifestation of the Green Dragon Ancestral Master, he still bowed to the apparition.
"Are you currently in the Rizhao Sea?"
"Reporting to Ancestral Master, Long Kui is indeed in the Rizhao Sea."
"Hmm, then I shall trouble you to guard it for a while. Do not alarm the other clan members." The Green Dragon apparition said faintly.
"This..." Long Kui hesitated for a moment, then said, "Yes, I shall obey the Ancestral Master's command."
"Thank you. The Sacred Sacrifice is also approaching. You will be the one to tend to the Ancestral Cave Blood Pool before the Sacred Sacrifice."
Upon hearing this, Long Kui's expression lit up with joy. He quickly said, "Thank you, Ancestral Master, for your great kindness."
The apparition on the dragon plate vanished in the next instant, leaving Long Kui alone, filled with delight.
Immediately, he flung his hand, and the two remaining Taiyi cultivators of the Yangyu clan rushed over.
"This sea area is sealed from today onwards. Your clan is forbidden from disclosing any anomalies within the sea area. If the secrets of the Dragon Palace are leaked, your clan may very well disappear from existence."
The two Yangyu clan Taiyi cultivators inwardly lamented their misfortune, but they quickly obeyed the command.
Far away in the Green Dragon Divine Mountain, the Green Dragon gazed towards the Rizhao Sea and said softly, "With the Ten Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots as the price, you had better not disappoint me."
In Tanggu, Qing Ling held a three-foot-long short saber in his right hand. Its form was ancient and simple, with a long, sharp blade and no superfluous ornamentation, looking every bit like a cleaver.
All divine light was contained within, and due to the Soul Extinguishing Stone, it appeared somewhat peculiar. The blade was not made of iron, but was entirely black, unremarkable in appearance.
Qing Ling was extremely satisfied. Only unremarkable objects could reveal astonishing power when it mattered most.
He caressed the saber and said with a smile, "From this day forth, the God Slayer is no more, only the God Cutter. You are my treasure for slaying obstruction, cutting down all obstacles on the path."
The saber seemed to possess a spirit, letting out a light hum that resonated with its master's words.
However, the three thousand red threads around his waist seemed displeased. They unfurled, their long crimson strands coiling around the blade of the God Cutter, like jealous children.
Qing Ling couldn't help but chuckle, "Alright, you will both be my treasured artifacts. The God Cutter shall slay and obstruct, while you shall accompany me on the path, and the Jade Protector shall guard it. The three of you will journey with me on the Great Dao."
Hearing this, the Sky-Measuring Rope finally released its struggling grip on the God Cutter and hung by Qing Ling's waist.
A flash of light emanated from Qing Ling's brow, and he absorbed the God Cutter into his primordial spirit, nurturing it with his divine soul power. The reason the saber was called the God Cutter was that it focused on "God," not the body, but the divine essence!
Within Tanggu, the Fusang tree was eternally bathed in profound yellow energy, its leaves like fire or the sun, never fading.
Qing Ling caressed the tree and said with a smile, "Fusang, Fusang, since you helped me forge this treasure, I shall not break your branches or leaves anymore. Now, I need to borrow your power to attain the Dao, and in doing so, I will also aid you. Henceforth, you will remain the Fusang of Tanggu, not my Fusang Divine Wood. If you have a spirit, please respond to me; let your three thousand leaves stir."
He communicated with the Fusang tree using his authority over the wood path.
The Fusang tree, as if sensing him, indeed caused its three thousand leaves to stir, and they bowed towards Qing Ling.
Qing Ling smiled gently, "Thank you, Fusang."
As his voice faded, he unfurled his divine diagram, a map of the profound sky, expanding in all directions. Qing Ling stepped into it, intending to visit the clone of Mu Gong.
"How have you been these past ten thousand years?" Qing Ling asked with a smile, looking at the illusory image of the Golden Crow trapped beneath the northern extreme cold winds and snow.
The Golden Crow apparition sneered, "Forging treasures by breaking the Fusang moon laurel, what a skillful move. Now that the treasured saber is forged, are you planning to use me to sharpen it?"
"No, I have no such intentions," Qing Ling replied with a smile. "You are not yet qualified to sharpen my treasured saber."
"You!" The Golden Crow apparition was clearly enraged but managed to restrain itself amidst the howling winds and snow. "What exactly is your intention?"
Qing Ling examined it carefully before slowly speaking, "If my calculations are correct, this clone of yours was formed from the essence of sunlight accumulated by the Fusang since the beginning of heaven and earth, refined by a divided spirit. It belongs to the extreme yang of the wood element, correct?"
"So what if it is? What if it isn't?" The Golden Crow apparition, still fuming, thought that as a dignified clone of a great being of heaven and earth, it wasn't even worthy of sharpening a saber. This was a profound humiliation. However, it had also spared its life, and a sliver of smugness arose in its heart, making the Mu Gong clone feel both ashamed and conflicted.
"If that is the case, it is of great use to me. If not, you have also destroyed a potential Golden Crow origin that could have been gestated. Those on the Sun Star will not let you off."
The Mu Gong clone's expression faltered, showing indecision.
Qing Ling smiled and continued, "However, I believe I have guessed correctly. You are indeed of extreme yang wood. In this case, the origin of your physical body will be utilized by me. Your life may be in peril."
The Mu Gong clone's expression changed. "If you intend to take my life, then do so. Why all this talk?"
Qing Ling shook his head. "I intend to take the origin of your body, but I did not say I necessarily have to take your life."
"What do you mean by that?" His expression shifted slightly as he asked.
"As long as you voluntarily relinquish your physical body without damaging its origin, I can guarantee that I will not destroy your primordial spirit, nor will I suppress or seal it. After all, having integrated a trace of the Fusang Divine Wood's essence, it is already difficult to say whether you are a clone of Mu Gong or something called 'Hao'."
The Mu Gong clone's expression finally changed upon hearing this. It let out a bitter laugh and sighed, "It is indeed difficult to say whether I am Mu Gong or Hao."
Qing Ling's eyes fixed on him, and he said earnestly, "If that is your wish, then you shall be the Hao of Fusang, not merely a clone!"
"Can you help me?" It asked in surprise.
Qing Ling nodded. "I can use my authority over the wood path to assimilate the Mu Gong spiritual fragment within your primordial spirit. From then on, you will be free to go anywhere under heaven."
"How can I trust you?" The old Daoist, whose primordial spirit was now mixed, was finally persuaded by Qing Ling.
Qing Ling smiled and said, "Since everything originates from the Fusang, then let Fusang be the witness. If I break my oath, Fusang shall not aid me in attaining the Dao. If you harbor any malicious intent towards me again, you will return to the Fusang Divine Wood, your primordial spirit scattered and incomplete!"
"Very well, let Fusang be the witness!"
Beneath the profound yellow energy of the tree, the old Daoist and Qing Ling pointed to the Fusang, making a Dao oath.