Chapter 26: The Cliff of Treasure Distribution

Watching the Western duo depart, Bai Jing exhaled a long sigh of relief.

From the moment of his transformation to this very day, he had spent two entire multi-epoch cycles planning. Finally, he had secured his first spiritual treasure capable of mending his origin, along with six lotus seeds from the Merit Golden Lotus.

The Source-Sun Cauldron already possessed the power to nourish all things, and it still held half a pool of Three-Light Divine Water. Combined with the Wood Spirit Pearl he had just acquired, cultivating a few Nine-Rank Merit Golden Lotuses from these six seeds should be well within reach.

Thinking of the Wood Spirit Pearl, Bai Jing’s thoughts shifted to the three other spiritual treasures he had stored in the Source-Sun Cauldron alongside the Eastern Azure Lotus Flag. Two of these were low-grade innate spiritual treasures, and one was a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure.

The low-grade items were the Vajra Alms Bowl, a defensive treasure, and the Heaven-Shaking Hammer. Both possessed nine innate restrictions, which was quite impressive for low-grade treasures. The mid-grade treasure was a fan called the Geng-Metal Xuanhuang Fan. Its main body was composed of Geng-Metal essence, with a wisp of Xuanhuang essence attached to its ribs. It could be used for both offense and defense, and with twenty-four innate restrictions, its utility rivaled that of some high-grade spiritual treasures with fewer restrictions.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, now that the matter here is settled, I must return to the Wu Clan. My eldest brother and the others must have already begun maintaining the ley lines of the Primordial World, and I must go to assist them."

Houtu’s words interrupted his train of thought. Bai Jing glanced at Di Jun and Tai Yi in the distance before replying, "I shall accompany you, Fellow Daoist."

Houtu noticed his gaze and, after a moment's reflection, understood what he was worried about.

"Then I shall trouble you, Fellow Daoist Bai Jing."

"You are too kind, Fellow Daoist Houtu. Please, wait a moment; there is still something I wish to do."

Houtu nodded and said nothing more. Soon, the three thousand seekers from Zixiao Palace arrived at the Treasure-Dividing Cliff one after another. Since there were not many innate spiritual treasures in the Primordial World to begin with, it was impossible for everyone to have one. Those who arrived early managed to secure treasures, while those who arrived later were left with nothing.

Once all the seekers had passed through, Bai Jing took action. He gathered the surrounding spiritual energy into a massive hand that reached out toward the Treasure-Dividing Cliff. Yuan Shi Tianzun and Zhenyuanzi made similar moves.

It was clear that neither Yuan Shi Tianzun nor Zhenyuanzi had expected others to covet the cliff. Bai Jing had anticipated competition, but he was surprised to see Zhenyuanzi among them.

Bai Jing glanced at Zhenyuanzi and, with a flick of his mind, increased the infusion of his Law of Devouring. Yuan Shi Tianzun and Zhenyuanzi exchanged no words, both silently ramping up their efforts.

In the next moment, by Bai Jing’s deliberate design, his Great Dao of Devouring collided with the Quasi-Saint cultivation of Yuan Shi Tianzun. For a time, neither could gain the upper hand.

This clash allowed Zhenyuanzi to seize the advantage. With a wave of his "Sleeve-Universe" technique, he swept the Treasure-Dividing Cliff away.

A flash of joy crossed Zhenyuanzi’s face. He had noticed earlier that the various great beings had retrieved more top-grade innate spiritual treasures from the cliff than could be counted on two hands. A cliff capable of holding so many treasures had to be a remarkable artifact in its own right. However, it was not the grade of the cliff that interested him, but the space within it. Such a stable space, if integrated into his "Sleeve-Universe," would allow his divine ability to reach perfection. This was the true reason he had intervened.

Seeing the cliff taken by Zhenyuanzi, Yuan Shi Tianzun sighed in frustration and withdrew his energy. Bai Jing, on the other hand, wore a smile.

"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, the struggle between Fellow Daoist Bai Jing and myself has allowed you to reap the benefits," Yuan Shi Tianzun said with a touch of resignation.

In his view, he and Bai Jing had been faster. They had reached the cliff at the same time, leading to the collision of their powers, which had ultimately allowed Zhenyuanzi to benefit from their impasse.

Zhenyuanzi did not see it that way. From his perspective, Bai Jing had been a fraction of a second faster. By all rights, Bai Jing should have touched the cliff first, yet for some reason, Bai Jing had suddenly turned his power against Yuan Shi Tianzun. It was as if Bai Jing had intentionally blocked Yuan Shi Tianzun to create an opening for him.

Thinking of this, Zhenyuanzi secretly looked at Bai Jing. Seeing that Bai Jing was looking back at him, he knew his intuition was correct.

Zhenyuanzi’s eyes twinkled as he laughed heartily. "Many thanks to both of you for yielding. I have twenty Ginseng Fruits here; ten for each of you as a token of my gratitude."

Yuan Shi Tianzun accepted the fruits, his expression softening, and Bai Jing happily took his share as well.

"When you have time, please visit my Wuzhuang Temple," Zhenyuanzi said. After bowing to Yuan Shi Tianzun and Bai Jing, he took Hongyun and departed.

After watching them leave, Yuan Shi Tianzun turned to Bai Jing. "Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, would you be free to visit Kunlun? I would like to discuss the Dao of Artifact Refining with you."

"Fellow Daoist Yuan Shi, I have already promised Fellow Daoist Houtu that I would accompany her to the Wu Clan. Once that is settled, I will certainly visit Kunlun."

"Very well. My brothers and I shall await your arrival."

"I, too, look forward to sitting and discussing the Dao with the Three Pure Ones. Then, until we meet again, I shall take my leave."

Houtu nodded to the Three Pure Ones, and she and Bai Jing flew away together.

Once they were back on the Primordial land and certain that no one was following them, Houtu asked with interest, "Why did you yield the Treasure-Dividing Cliff to Zhenyuanzi? Weren't you waiting so long specifically for it?"

"The cliff is of no use to me. I only wanted it because I saw a treasure and felt a sudden desire. But for Zhenyuanzi, it is different. He possesses a divine ability called 'Sleeve-Universe,' and he likely needs the space within the cliff to perfect it."

"Sleeve-Universe? Does this 'universe' refer to Heaven and Earth?"

"Indeed."

"Can a narrow sleeve truly contain the Heaven, Earth, Yin, Yang, and all things? That is a formidable divine ability," Houtu said with a smile.

Bai Jing nodded. The ability was indeed legendary. He still remembered from his past life, while reading *Journey to the West*, how the master and disciples had stopped at Wuzhuang Temple. Sun Wukong had stolen and eaten the Ginseng Fruits, eventually causing the tree to be toppled. When Zhenyuanzi returned, he had used "Sleeve-Universe" to capture the entire group, including their white horse, in a single motion. That image had left a deep impression on him, long into his adulthood and professional life.