Chapter 80: The Ancient Alchemy Sect, Primordial Spirit Dao Sovereign?

The sudden address of "fellow cultivator" echoed in Golden Toad’s ears, startling him so much that he nearly jumped. With a look as if he’d seen a ghost, he gazed around the void in shock, almost convinced he was hallucinating.

The Golden Toad’s spiritual treasure possessed the power of tracing origins, capable of uncovering the nature and beginnings of any object. It was a legacy artifact left behind by the Ancestor of Celestial Evolution. He had used it to trace other objects before, and it had never failed. Yet now, simply by tracing a humble apricot kernel, the other party had followed the thread right to him—what manner of technique was this? Was the opponent also a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord?

He felt he might have provoked a being far beyond his reckoning.

His tone grew dry, and he conceded, “Senior, I am Golden Toad of the Pill Sect, and today, my disciple and I have inadvertently offended. Might I beseech you to be merciful and spare us this once?”

The voice opposite fell silent for a moment, then unexpectedly asked, “Pill Sect? Golden Toad, would you care to tell me about your sect?”

Golden Toad was uncertain, but in his heart, he was convinced—the aura of majesty that had just pressed upon him could only belong to a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord, and not an ordinary one at that. Perhaps this person had weathered the Three Calamities and Nine Tribulations, attaining true immortality. Otherwise, there would be no explaining how, in this era of the world’s declining spiritual laws, the Dao Lord could remain aloof and ageless.

Not daring to show the slightest disrespect, he replied reverently, “Reporting to Jade Morning Dao Lord! My Pill Sect was once among the five great sects of this realm. Our founder was Dao Lord Danchen, a Dao Lord of the First Tribulation…”

The Pill Sect traced its lineage from ancient times. Besides the founder, Dao Lord Danchen, it produced a restorer known as Dao Lord Celestial Evolution. This Dao Lord’s skills in the Greater Evolution arts were unparalleled, and he once divined that, millennia hence, this realm would suffer an unprecedented catastrophe. Thus, he left behind the Golden Toad as the sect’s legacy treasure and predicted that when the Golden Toad reappeared, the sect would rise again.

Originally, Golden Toad's Dao title was Xuancheng, but after being chosen as the sect’s guardian, he changed it to Golden Toad. Before passing into meditation, he voluntarily merged his cultivation and soul into the spiritual treasure, awaiting the day when the sect’s hidden treasury would be reopened by a destined one.

…

Having recounted everything, Golden Toad felt his soul reach its limit, on the verge of falling once more into slumber. Waves of weariness flowed through his spirit, yet he rallied himself and asked the mysterious Dao Lord, “May I request a favor of you, True Lord?”

The voice on the other side was silent for a moment, then replied with a hint of indifference, “Speak, fellow cultivator.”

Golden Toad’s eyes brightened. Pointing to Zhao Fan, he said, “This youth is the destined one of our Pill Sect. According to the prophecy of Ancestor Celestial Evolution, he is meant to revive the sect. Yet, in this age of weakened laws, he cannot even begin his cultivation! Therefore, I beseech you, True Lord, to grant him an opportunity to enter the Dao foundation.”

Only if Zhao Fan attained the Dao foundation could the hidden treasury be reopened and the Pill Sect’s heritage inherited.

After speaking, Golden Toad feared the True Lord would refuse. Hastily, he added, “I dare not ask you to help for nothing. When Zhao Fan achieves the Dao foundation, I vow to gift you half the sect’s legacy. Though it may mean little to you, among it is a manuscript gained by our ancestor from a Three Tribulation True Lord, which might be of use to you!”

He was risking everything with this promise. Yet he had no choice—spiritual vitality was nearly extinct, and for someone as impoverished as Zhao Fan to cultivate was nigh impossible. To reach the Dao foundation, or even the fifth stage of true energy before his fate ran out, would be miraculous—an extraordinary stroke of luck.

Now, he could only gamble that the manuscript from the Three Tribulation True Lord would move this elder.

The voice opposite paused, then asked, “Are you serious about this?”

Golden Toad was overjoyed—he must have swayed the mysterious Dao Lord.

He immediately swore an oath of Dao heart: “I, Golden Toad, pledge to Heaven and Earth—if you help Zhao Fan reach the Dao foundation, once he gains the legacy, half of it shall be yours. If I break this vow, let the Pill Sect’s inheritance be severed!”

To show sincerity, Golden Toad also presented a secret pill-nurturing technique from the sect, hoping to impress the Dao Lord.

As Golden Toad’s oath echoed, Heaven and Earth responded. For a Primordial Embryo True Lord like him, even casual words carried power, let alone a formal Dao heart oath.

Just as Golden Toad was about to succumb to exhaustion and fall into slumber, the mysterious Dao Lord finally responded, “Very well, I accept.”

With these words, Golden Toad felt an invisible shackle bind his spirit. Should he break his vow, he would surely suffer the backlash of the Heavenly Dao. Yet this shackle bound only the Pill Sect; he dared not, nor was he qualified, to demand an oath from the Dao Lord. But since the Dao Lord had spoken, it would be done.

If a Primordial Embryo cultivator’s word was iron, then a Primordial Spirit Dao Lord’s was the mandate of Heaven—every utterance was a true axiom of the Dao.

Exerting the last vestige of his soul’s strength, Golden Toad summoned Zhao Fan to his side and instructed him, “Zhao, today you have encountered such fortune, forging a connection with a Dao Lord—a rare destiny in a hundred lifetimes. Henceforth, you must regard the Dao Lord’s words as law and show not the slightest disrespect. Do you understand?”

Even Golden Toad, a powerful cultivator, had only met a Primordial Spirit True Lord once in his life, let alone established ties. He envied Zhao Fan’s fate deeply.

Zhao Fan knelt and kowtowed, saying, “Master, rest assured. I shall do my utmost to restore the Pill Sect!”

His eyes brimmed with reluctance, unwilling to see his mentor and friend fade into slumber. Yet Golden Toad smiled helplessly and drifted into sleep once more.

The jade-like apricot kernel flew from Golden Toad’s mouth back into Zhao Fan’s hand. Now, the kernel seemed transformed, suffused with an inexplicable aura, as if imbued with the breath of some mysterious being, rendering it quite extraordinary.

…

Red Pine Dao Palace.

Lin You opened his eyes and gazed at the distant sea of clouds. After a moment, he let out a slow breath and smiled faintly.

He hadn’t expected that his path of merit, not yet fully set in motion, would already bring such a delightful surprise. This was the legacy of an ancient great sect—spiritual treasures and scriptures would be countless, not to mention the many secrets of this world contained within.

Yet to claim the legacy, he must first elevate this disciple, Zhao Fan, to the Dao foundation. For a true Primordial Spirit Dao Lord, it would be a trivial matter, but for Lin You as he was now, it remained a challenge.