Zhang Yuanqing summoned the small comic and the ghost bride, instructing them: "You two stay here. If anyone attempts to enter and seize the key, alert me immediately." This was a necessary precaution—should someone indeed try to take the jade disk during their journey to Gao Tian Yuan, Zhang Yuanqing would be informed through his spiritual attendants in advance and could then use the transmission jade token to return and prevent the theft. Once the main gate of Gao Tian Yuan closes, the transmission jade token will become ineffective. After all, the transmission token is of sage-tier quality, while Gao Tian Yuan itself clearly surpasses even the sage realm. The ghost bride took the infant spirit in her arms and said softly, "My lord, be careful— I'll guard the entrance for you." Only the Stop-Death Palace Master doesn't understand the communication between spiritual beings; otherwise, you'd suffer greatly. Zhang Yuanqing turned to gaze at the graceful palace master. Still, he softened, not pressing the matter of the relics left behind by the Nüwa Emperor and his father. On the journey to Japan by private plane, Zhang Yuanqing had originally intended to maintain a cold, distant demeanor—yet the Princess was exceptionally skilled. With a cheerful, playful demeanor and a steady stream of sweet, intimate remarks, she gradually won over Zhang Yuanqing, whose heart had been as solid as stone. Zhang Yuanqing had never been particularly receptive to such tactics at first, and he replied coldly, “I’m well aware of the musicians’ talents—please, stop with this now. The Princess should save these for other men.” The Princess, resting her chin on her hand, gazed at him with a dreamy intensity, as if entranced. “Only for you,” she said softly. And so, Zhang Yuanqing yielded. Such sweet words were a unique passive strength of the musicians—through their gentle, soothing voices, they consistently softened men’s hearts and even their unyielding resolve. Xie Lingxi was also exceptionally skilled at this. She could effortlessly project an image of a delicate, vulnerable figure, often appearing as a little girl in need, and the musicians’ passive charm played a crucial role. Zhang Yuanqing began to suspect that the Princess might have quietly arranged matches between them—otherwise "He said. Without waiting for the Palace Master's nod, he stepped first into the light gate. The very next moment, he found himself back in the dark space—high Tian Yuan, devoid of stars and moonlight. "This is a dead immortal realm, with no spiritual energy, no vitality, even the oxygen is thin," came the Palace Master's voice from behind, as she observed the quiet darkness before her with keen interest. "I find it strange that Tian Yuan hasn't been absorbed by the Spiritual Realm," Zhang Yuanqing remarked. "There are two possibilities," the Palace Master replied. "First, for some reason, the Spiritual Realm has deliberately chosen to overlook this space. Second, there are items here of such exceptional grade that the Spiritual Realm simply cannot claim them. "I lean more toward the first possibility," she said, "because the power of the Spiritual Realm surpasses our expectations. Young sir, let's light a fire!" Zhang Yuanqing then produced his Yin-Yang robe, donned it, and raised his hands toward the sky. "Hooosh—" Flames surged upward, bursting through the darkness, forming a spherical flame ten meters in diameter floating above their heads. A hundred-meter radius was now bathed in a shimmering orange glow Threads of bright red, dense and fine like saffron roots, surged forth from behind the Master of the Killing Palace, clinging to the fireball and lifting it to a height of several tens of meters. Zhang Yuanqing stepped back one pace and glanced behind the Master, noticing that the slender, tightly woven threads extended from within her skirt. Indeed, this elegant and refined ancient gown was a magical artifact of no ordinary rank—now the reason for her consistent wear was finally clear. "Let's go!" The Master paid no attention to the subtle movements of the court official, and proceeded steadily up the stone steps. They moved with a swift, steady pace, ascending one worn and cracked stone step after another. Every few minutes, Zhang Yuanqing would lift his gaze to the brilliant fireball, wondering: How could it burn so long? The fire required spiritual energy to sustain itself. Once detached from the yin-yang robe, who was providing that energy? Though the Master held supreme authority, the musician had no skill in fire manipulation. "A seventh-level Shiming specializes in revival—she can bring the dead back to life, restore broken items, and even rekindle dispersed skills." Noticing his hesitation, the Master of Zhishā Palace explained: "This fundamental ability allows me to keep reviving him indefinitely, until his spiritual energy depletes." Indeed, a truly powerful capability—Leshi was undoubtedly the strongest support among all. Zhang Yuanqing asked, "Are there any limitations?" "Targets beyond the current level cannot be revived. Revival is temporary—each revival lasts only ten minutes," the Palace Master said openly, smiling warmly. "Look, how much I care for you! How devoted I am to you!" Women's words, though—how often they deceive! Zhang Yuanqing chuckled silently to himself. With no further words, they passed through the Qin Dynasty architectural complex nestled in the mountain's midsection and climbed for another half-hour, finally reaching the summit. A colossal bronze divine tree stood at the summit, towering like a giant pillar—comparing to it, the fire sphere, ten meters in diameter, appeared no larger than a small firefly. As the glow traveled through hundreds of meters of darkness and touched the bronze trunk, it faded to a mere dull yellow hue. The Master of the Zhishā Palace gazed steadily at the divine tree before her, her eyes beneath the mask shimmering with excitement and joy—much like a devout pilgrim who had encountered a deity on their sacred journey. She did not conceal these emotions, and Zhang Yuanqing observed them clearly. She understood the symbolic significance of the bronze tree, and had a deep familiarity with it—though she may not have known of Gāotiányuán when I first mentioned it. While she might not have known of Gāotiányuán or the bronze tree at that time, she was well-acquainted with the Yellow Emperor, and upon learning that this very tree was left behind by the Yellow Emperor, she immediately grasped its symbolic meaning. Zhang Yuanqing interpreted this in his mind. "Give me the Double-Drake Jade," the Master said, extending her delicate, slender hand. Zhang Yuanqing offered the Double-Drake Jade without hesitation. As she received it, she rose into the wind, her skirt fluttering gracefully, like a beautiful red butterfly drifting toward the Bronze Divine Tree. At the base of the tree, the Master of Zheng Sha stood firm, gently pressing her fingertips—there was a soft "pop," and the Double-Drake Jade shattered, the two lifelike five-clawed divine dragons dissolving into fine powder, leaving only the central ruby intact. She grasped the translucent ruby and extended it toward the intricately carved trunk. At the very moment the ruby touched the trunk, it melted. A deep crimson glow flowed along the patterns of the trunk, like a series of dominoes being pushed—spreading swiftly, illuminating the trunk, the branches, and ultimately lighting the entire Bronze Divine Tree. This process lasted exactly twenty minutes. It was so immense that even the tallest human-built structures in history did not reach one-third of its height. The Master of the Palace of Elimination dispersed the illuminating fire orbs, and the crimson glow radiating from the bronze divine tree bathed the entire Gao Tian Yuan in soft, warm light. The world was now draped in a gentle, radiant red hue. It had come to life—the divine blood of the Nüwa Emperor had awakened this towering celestial tree. "Truly magnificent!" Zhang Yuanqing murmured. As soon as he spoke, he heard a deep, resonant "thunderous" rumble emanating from within the bronze tree. Soon, the tree trunk—resembling a solid city wall—began to crack slowly, revealing its inner sanctum. The bronze tree was immense, yet its internal space was surprisingly small, like the secluded cave where high-minded sages meditate and cultivate. Inside, the walls and floor were a soft, fresh red, neither stone nor bronze, but rather living flesh that pulsed gently, with faintly visible veins. Somehow, this is quite astonishing… Zhang Yuanqing stood at the entrance, scanning the interior with cautious vigilance. His earlier assumptions proved correct—the bronze tree was not merely a sculpture, but truly alive. It was indeed a tree, yet in The cave was not large. Directly facing the entrance stood a bronze bed, three meters long and one meter wide. The bed had no pillows or quilts—only a bronze pitcher, covered with greenish patina. When the pitcher was tilted, its curved spout shimmered with golden light, and a single droplet hung like a dewdrop at the lip. The drop fell onto the ground, forming a shallow pool; the golden liquid within the pool had nearly dried up. In addition, scattered around the bed were several irregularly stacked bronze plates. Zhang Yuanqing suddenly remembered the pond outside the bronze tree—she was certain that the immortality spring within it had overflowed from the liquid in the pitcher. Yet for some reason, the liquid in the pitcher had been completely consumed, and as a result, the pond outside the tree had dried up. The Master of Zheng Sha Palace took a sharp breath, stepped briskly into the cave, passed around the shallow pool, and stopped at the bronze bed, picking up the delicate bronze pitcher. She bowed her head, gazing intently at it, her fingers gently tracing its surface, murmuring, "It is indeed here. This is where the Jade Emperor once practiced in ancient times." “Zhang Yuanqing asked curiously, ‘What is it?’ The Master of Zhishi Palace thought for a moment and said, ‘It has a name—Refined Spirit Pot. According to myth and legend, it possesses an incomparable power: it can create life and refine malevolent, ill-tempered energies. Yet its true essence is the most fundamental force of the musician’s profession—the ultimate treasure long sought after by half-divine musicians.’ The most fundamental force of the musician’s profession? Zhang Yuanqing suddenly recalled the Yin Source Fragments listed in his character card. Was this bronze pot, then, the power of a Human Immortal level? ‘A treasure of half-divine rank?’ he remarked, gazing at the pot with curiosity. It looked ordinary, unremarkable, with no signs of divine splendor. ‘No—higher than half-divine,’ the Master of Zhishi Palace said, her eyes shining brightly, a smile playing at her lips. ‘With it, a half-divine musician can advance to a higher stage. Unfortunately, it is currently asleep. I still haven’t fully acquired it, but at least you won’t run short of Life Source Liquid. Whenever you need it, simply come to me "Higher stages... there are still ranks beyond the semi-divine level." Zhang Yuanqing didn't pay much attention to the other functions of the life-source liquid and the Spirit-Beast Pot, and asked instead, "What are these higher stages, and how do you know about them?" He had a vague sense that there were ranks beyond the semi-divine stage, but the information about the Spirit-Beast Pot and the Nüwang Emperor—this might even be something unknown even to the official elders. How could the Palace Master, in her sovereign capacity, possibly know such secrets? "With that, the lingering sadness and sorrow in her eyes vanished, and her mood transformed completely—she burst into a joyful, childlike laugh. "So many divine essences! Let's distribute them, let's distribute them!" She loosened the lid of the bronze vessel and gently tapped the body of the pot, causing the life-source liquid in the pool below to surge upward and fill the vessel. "These don't seem to be the original life essence, do they?" Zhang Yuanqing remarked. He hadn't sensed any powerful vitality—instead, the liquid's energy was subtle and contained, with no outward surge. "Of course not," she replied. "The life essence they're showing is actually a diluted version. In truth, these liquids are the genuine life essence—the very source of life created by Nüwa. It's the essence of a half-divine musician, and only a few catties are refined each year. This essence can revive the dead, reawaken life in corpses—even in cases of yin corpses. I mean, the physical body comes back to life. With this essence, I'll be able to heal my damaged spiritual body." She beamed with excitement. "Then she won't be acting erratically anymore. Once She looked extremely happy, chattering on and on. Zhang Yuanqing felt a quiet tenderness well up inside him, thinking, Well then, let it all be yours. Then he turned his gaze to the puddle. Though the golden life essence had been removed, a thin layer of pale golden flesh-like substance remained in the water—this was the result of the fresh red flesh having been soaked over time, turning golden. The Master of the Zheng Sha Palace took out a small silver knife, knelt down, rolled up her sleeve, and with her delicate white hands, carefully scraped off the substance. "I've taken the pot for refining spirits," she said, "but these treasures are all yours. Don't underestimate them—they form only after years of accumulation of life essence. In myth, the Jade Emperor used exactly these essences to shape the first humans from clay." As she spoke, she dug out the soft, crumbling "golden mud" and skillfully molded it into a clumsy little figure. She lifted her eyes and smiled, "Doesn't it resemble you?" Both Nu Wa and I found ourselves silent... Zhang Yuanqing asked directly, "What use is it?" "When the day comes that you're killed, as long as you protect your spirit body, it will become your new physical form," said Lady Zhi Sha with a gentle smile. "Now, it's not yet yours. Just drop a drop of your blood into the bronze pot and let it be brewed for seventy-seven days—forty-nine days in total." As she spoke, she took initiative and lifted Zhang Yuanqing's hand, using the golden mud-stained edge of her knife to slice through the fleshy part of his fingertip, letting a single drop of blood fall onto it. Then she lifted the lid of the bronze pot, carefully placed the clay figure inside, and beamed with satisfaction, "Done!" Is that equivalent to gaining a second life? Indeed, that's better than obtaining the Life Source Liquid—since the liquid can only heal those who can't defend themselves, while this clay figure allows me to return to the city. Zhang Yuanqing felt quite pleased. Suddenly, he asked, "What if I die and come back to life—will my items and equipment still be there?" Zhang Yuanqing looked at her, and she looked back at him. Neither of them spoke. Well, you never know… Zhang Yuanqing said as he walked toward the bronze bed. "I met the president of the Merchant Guild yesterday. He told me that among the Twin Shadows, one is the Night Wandering Spirit, and the other remains unclear. "I plan to check with the official records—what do you think?" "That sounds good," she nodded gently. "Just remember to reach out to me if there's any danger or difficulty." As she spoke, Zhang Yuanqing drew out a bronze plaque and studied it closely. Carved upon it was a scene of ancient people paying homage to a gentle and benevolent woman. Though the woman's facial features were somewhat blurred, her essence was striking, and Zhang Yuanqing immediately recognized her as the Huangdi of the Earth Mother. "This is likely an ancient bronze plaque used for recording events—similar to our books. The fact that the Earth Mother kept it in a tree hollow suggests some ancient secret. I think we should organize and examine this plaque further," Zhang Yuanqing said. The two of them carefully arranged the scattered bronze plates into a neat layout and gazed intently. On the plates, scenes unfolded in vivid detail. One particular plate captured Suan Qing’s attention, causing his pupils to contract.