Chapter 051: Shimmering Gold

“It’s possible. If it is, Qingjin, you’re truly remarkable. To become the personal disciple of a deity—when He awakens, your name will surely echo among all the clans,” Ning Qi said, his eyes burning with fervor.

Qingjin laughed lightly. “Ning Xiaoqi, you’re overthinking it. I don’t even know what attitude that Dao Lord has toward me yet.”

Ning Qi was rendered speechless.

“That’s right. Big brother has to see the other party’s attitude before deciding how to act,” Qingting nodded in agreement.

Qinghu thought: What attitude could there be? Study well, strive for improvement, that’s all.

Anyway, she had agreed to Yingyu’s request to establish a Dao field merely to bring her brother back. Going to Meishan and being kept under watch wasn’t exactly safe.

That night, just as she fell asleep, Yingyu used sorcery to put Xiaobai into a daze and took Qinghu down to the Coiled Serpent Lake.

The peninsula where Qinghu and the others resided, along with the other islands in the vast lake, appeared underwater as towering pillars that reached the sky. Years of wind, frost, and dust had accumulated thick layers of soil atop these pillars, on which wild grass grew in dense patches.

These were the islands and forests, reduced to miniature forms.

The waters of Coiled Serpent Lake were deep and expansive. The current moved swiftly; on one side there was a huge outlet, and on the other a slightly smaller spillway, presumably leading to an underground river. Thus, the entire lake was alive with flowing water.

No wonder it never dried up.

Upon entering the water, Qinghu used her pale golden divine power to form a transparent shield. It allowed her to breathe, did not hinder her swimming, nor her sightseeing. Viewing with divine sense was different than seeing with the eyes.

“Dao Lord, are you satisfied with the scenery here?” Yingyu asked.

“Quite satisfied. There’s plenty of fresh lake produce,” Qinghu replied.

Yingyu was speechless.

In fact, it wanted to say it had cleaned the lakebed thoroughly, making it spotless and tidy.

But Qinghu’s mind was occupied only by the fish and the surprisingly abundant shrimp. Tomorrow, when ordering dishes, she’d have to insist on a greater variety.

“Dao Lord, we’ve arrived,” Yingyu announced.

The two swiftly approached a chaotic cluster of rocks on the lakebed. If one looked closely, traces of the old Coral Water Palace could still be discerned, though all the spiritual coral had long since died, leaving only ruins.

A small, broken Dao field was hidden within the bud of a stone lotus, lodged askew in the mud. A black orb, the size of a human head, formed the core of this Dao field, its surface riddled with cracks and pits.

“This is a shabby little thing. How long did you dig in the mud for this?” Qinghu walked over, and her divine shield enveloped the surrounding water, pushing all the lake water aside and drying the ground instantly.

Yingyu followed and was immediately uncomfortable—without water, a fish suffers.

It simply transformed into a little girl of seven or eight, awkwardly tottering behind Qinghu. “Anyway, it didn’t take long.”

Qinghu examined the stone lotus carefully, then said to Yingyu, “The foundation of this Dao field doesn’t suit me. If I remodel it, its original foundation will be destroyed. Are you sure? I can tell it fits your path more. If you find a Dao Lord whose path aligns with yours and ask them to reshape it, it could be your own Dao field.”

“But where am I supposed to find such a Dao Lord? And why would they help me reshape this Dao field? Better you do it—remodel it as you see fit. As long as it lets us enter and further our cultivation,” Yingyu replied self-deprecatingly.

“Since you’re giving up, I’ll begin now,” Qinghu confirmed, lest Yingyu regret it and interfere mid-restoration.

“Go ahead,” Yingyu said nervously, watching Qinghu. For wandering cultivators like them, a Dao field was invaluable. If she could enter it herself, she wouldn’t have urged Qinghu.

Qinghu sat down on a large stone beside the lotus. At that instant, the stone automatically transformed into a throne. As she cradled the stone lotus and settled into the seat, it grew from the rubble, forming a luxurious yet understated stone throne.

Even more astonishing, the stone itself seemed to flow with divine energy, shocking Yingyu.

Who exactly was this exalted one?

Qinghu violently snapped the lotus petals enveloping the black orb and tossed the fragments aside. She then drew her finger across a small space beside her head, pulling forth a thread of dazzling color, pure and radiant.

Yingyu immediately sensed the terrifying energy contained in that thread. If she obtained it, she might undergo a greater evolution—or die instantly.

Seeing Yingyu’s entranced gaze at the golden thread, Qinghu hurriedly sealed the spatial fissure beside her, then quickly placed one end of the thread onto the black orb. The orb jerked and produced tremendous suction, swallowing the foot-long golden thread in an instant.

“This Dao field still has a spirit—very well. Let’s work together to restore it,” Qinghu tapped the orb lightly, then began inscribing strange marks that Yingyu couldn’t comprehend.

Some marks worked, imprinting directly onto the black orb. Others didn’t, sliding off and merging back into Qinghu’s hands.

“Hmm, this one works. Oh, this doesn’t. And this one? Still no. Let me adjust… this one… this is good. Let’s continue…” The black orb gradually shed its darkness in Qinghu’s hands, transforming toward gold.

But as she neared completion, Qinghu paused more often, closing her eyes in deep thought. After more than two hours, she finally stamped the last mark onto the orb.

Upon receiving the final imprint, the orb instantly healed all its cracks, smoothing every flaw.

Brilliant golden light surged from the lakebed up to the sky.

Streams of shimmering gold shot into the night like fountains.