Volume One, Chapter One Hundred and Six: The Secrets of the Heavenly Spring

Chapter 106: The Secret of the Celestial Spring

As they approached, it became clear that it was Old Lü, the Fire Boar of the Chamber, leading his men in pursuit.

Tian Qiang and Xuan Ge finally breathed a sigh of relief. Such a brute was hardly worth their concern.

Old Lü rode a fiery red steed, striking and spirited as he advanced, flanked by eight elite guards.

Old Lü glanced at Tian Qiang and Xuan Ge, feigning ignorance, and called out directly, “Who are you on the other side? Come over here and speak at once.”

Tian Qiang and Xuan Ge both rode out to face Old Lü.

Tian Qiang boldly unfurled his banner and bluffed, “I am the guardian soldier of the Purple Star Enclosure, dispatched to annihilate the wild star bandits. Who are you, daring to make a racket here?”

Damn, anyone can pretend not to know someone. Isn’t this just a prelude to turning hostile? As if I’m afraid of you.

Old Lü was unimpressed by the act. “You say you’re here to wipe out bandits? How come the Black Tortoise Emperor hasn’t heard a word about this?”

“Are you suggesting you march and wreak havoc in the Black Tortoise Emperor’s territory without his consent?”

“Are you saying you don’t consider the Black Tortoise Emperor worthy of respect?”

Though Old Lü was rough around the edges, he was no fool. Just because you can wave banners around doesn’t mean I can’t see through it. You Purple Star Enclosure folks think you’re big shots? Strong dragons don’t always overpower the local snakes. Do you really think the Black Tortoise Emperor bows to the Purple Star Emperor?

Tian Qiang winced inwardly. What kind of nonsense is this?

Normally, with Tian Qiang’s temper, he wouldn’t tolerate this. If he truly had orders, he’d have beaten Old Lü senseless. But the problem was the shaky foundation of their authority. If he pressed the issue, Old Lü would want to know who sent him, and Tian Qiang wouldn’t dare speak the truth.

So Tian Qiang chose to endure.

Xuan Ge stepped forward cheerfully. “Master, we’re all for the peace and stability of the Three Enclosures, right? Our bandit suppression is official business. Could you perhaps show us some courtesy?”

Old Lü could tell Tian Qiang’s forces intended to establish a long-term presence. “You’re planning to camp here? Let me remind you — this is Su He and my sister’s territory. You barged in without a word and started causing trouble. What do you want?”

“In my opinion, you should leave. Don’t bring yourself misery. Do we need your Purple Star Enclosure to decide whether to quell bandits in our territory? This is our internal affair. Heard that? Line up and leave!”

Tian Qiang’s nose twisted with anger.

Who do you think you are? You want me to leave just because you say so? You’re just a bumpkin from the far north, glowing with a little sunlight and acting grand. Do you know what ignorance is? Do you know what it means to be battered and bruised? Or to flee in disgrace?

Truth be told, Tian Qiang was bluffing himself. If it came to a fight, Old Lü’s strength was somewhat superior. After all, causing trouble in someone’s home turf is tough when they outnumber you.

Tensions rose sharply between the two sides, faces hardening, on the brink of open battle.

Meanwhile, in Su He’s library, Old Hei the Kui Mu Wolf and a talented woman were discussing secrets.

Their conversation soon turned to Chu Tiange.

Su He said, “Actually, many of those bandits on the wild star fled there because they couldn’t bear the oppression of the Three Enclosures. Even if some are criminals, they are the minority, and they don’t rob and pillage everywhere. They’re relatively law-abiding, so in previous suppressions, I never went all out. It’s just a desolate star — let them stay. How could they possibly rebel against the Celestial Court?”

“Before, the Celestial Court’s suppression was led by us. This time, they came without so much as a greeting. A bit strange, huh?”

Old Hei smiled. “Sister, have you ever heard of the Celestial Spring?”

Su He paused, frowning. “You mean Tian Qiang and the others are after the Celestial Spring?”

Old Hei nodded solemnly. “I’ve been monitoring the stirrings inside the Fairy Shoes. Apparently, the gods of Andromeda have spread out searching everywhere, because someone has spotted the Celestial Spring manifesting.”

Su He’s eyes grew distant and filled with longing. She murmured, “The Celestial Spring… that’s something even the gods would go mad over…”

What is the Celestial Spring?

Why is it so mysterious that even the usually indifferent Su He gazes after it with such yearning?

Records about the Celestial Spring are scarce, scattered among various unofficial histories and anecdotal notes.

It is said to be a fountain of primordial matter formed at the dawn of the world’s creation, erupting vast quantities of matter and energy. Its radiance lights the infinite void.

The light is said to be pure white, containing boundless spiritual essence incomprehensible even to gods, almost convertible into all manner of energies the human body might require.

You may think of it as refined spiritual energy, but the power it holds surpasses spiritual energy by countless magnitudes.

When gathered into rivers, these flow through the vacuum as true celestial rivers; when it settles, it crystallizes into mountains larger than planets, composed purely of energy crystals.

When the Celestial Spring flows as a river, it is called Celestial Nectar. These rivers stretch infinitely in length, breadth, and depth.

When it crystallizes, it becomes Immortal Stone, with immeasurable volume, entirely pure Immortal Stone.

Legend says that refining a single drop of Celestial Nectar allows mortals to form a core. Cultivators at the core-formation stage can cross their tribulation and enter the Nascent Soul stage, becoming kings or saints.

Those at Nascent Soul stage refining it can leapfrog the Great Saint level and enter the Divine King realm directly.

Divine Kings who refine a thousand drops can ascend to Emperor.

Emperors refining ten thousand drops can ascend to Celestial Venerable.

Celestial Venerables refining a million drops can ascend further… but no records remain of what lies beyond. Perhaps because so few have reached beyond Celestial Venerable, no one knows how many drops are needed to advance.

As for Immortal Stones, they exist in every planet rich in spiritual energy, embedded in the ley lines for cultivators to mine and refine.

However, truly high-quality Immortal Stones or spiritual crystals are rare in small worlds. For instance, the imperial-grade spiritual crystals in the Tuo Zhe Xumi Ring can be found, but how many? A planet with a spiritual vein yielding a few is good; some have none.

Divine-grade Immortal Stones are even more elusive; one might search a lifetime without seeing a single one.

The king of divine-grade stones? Ha! Even with the combined might of the Three Enclosures of the Northern Pole, scouring the entire star domain might yield only a handful. Better light incense and pray.

But the mountains or planets crystallized from the Celestial Spring’s eruptions are almost entirely composed of Immortal Stones no lower than imperial grade. Deep within, countless divine-grade stones lie plentifully. As for the king-grade stones, luck is required, but generally each Immortal Stone planet harbors one or several.

Neither the Celestial Nectar rivers nor the Immortal Stone planets are bound by the laws of heaven and earth. They possess their own form of consciousness—not necessarily highly intelligent, but adept at hiding themselves. They are usually imperceptible to common senses.

Therefore, the search for Celestial Nectar rivers and Immortal Stone planets is a focal point for governments across realms, a pursuit for countless wandering cultivators willing to risk life and limb.

Imagine a wandering cultivator discovering a Celestial Nectar river or an Immortal Stone planet—how would their cultivation realm soar?

Now imagine a realm’s government acquiring such treasures—wealth and power beyond measure, countless heroes raised, dominating the starry sky. What could be more thrilling?

Moreover, if one found a Celestial Spring erupting and drifting through the universe, standing guard to absorb its boundless energy, wouldn’t that excite everyone to the point of heart attack?