Upon seeing the phantom before him, Luohou felt a surge of joy. This item was both righteous and sinister, renowned for its immense power—especially in the later Investiture of the Gods calamity, where its prestige reached its peak, making it an absolute pinnacle among Xiantian Spirit Treasures.
This spirit treasure was none of us other than the World-Splitting Golden Golden Dipper (Hunyuan Golden Dipper). Although it was a Top-Grade Xiantian Spirit Treasure, its reputation was in no way inferior to that of a Xiantian supreme treasure. It was essentially the premier chamber pot of the creation of heaven and earth, capable of stripping away a person's top three flowers and five qi in the chest.
During the later Investiture of the Gods calamity, Lady Yunxiao of the Jie Cult used this single item to defeat all twelve golden immortals of the Chan Cult, turning every single one of them into cripples. Her methods could be described as utterly ruthless, and for a time, this treasure was even rumored to be a supreme treasure of the Magic Dao.
"I am the Ancestor of Magic, so this item rightfully belongs to me. Heh..." As he spoke, Luohou chuckled. This item was no whit inferior to his own 12th-Grade World-Destruction Black Lotus.
Judging by the current situation, the World-Splitting Golden Dipper would likely take another ten thousand years to fully manifest. Yet even if it took a hundred thousand years, Luohou was prepared to wait right here. Encountering a Top-Grade Xiantian Spirit Treasure was no easy feat, and Luohou had no intention of giving it up.
Luohou had completely mastered the Heavenly Luo Fiend Array, allowing him to control this Xiantian grand array at will. Since Aozheng was still in the middle of his comprehension, Luohou did not dismantle the formation. With this grand array standing guard anyway, there was no fear of the spirit treasure's aura leaking outward; at most, people outside would only see flashes of golden light in this direction.
Several thousand years passed before Aozheng finally woke up, a look of disappointment in his eyes. This Xiantian grand array was simply too profound; having spent tens of thousands of years trying to comprehend it, he had only managed to grasp a few superficial scraps, while the core of the formation remained completely beyond his understanding.
"How was your comprehension?" Luohou asked, reading the expression on Aozheng's face and sensing inside that things probably hadn't gone well.
"Master, this humble dragon is dull-witted and has only managed to grasp a few superficial scraps."
"For someone with your cultivation at merely the Golden Immortal stage, being able to grasp even the surface already counts as exceptional talent. This is a Xiantian grand array, after all; without reaching the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, it is impossible to truly comprehend it." Luohou looked at Aozheng and nodded with satisfaction.
As a primordial exotic beast, he indeed possessed extraordinary traits. The crystalline dragon's origin was also quite remarkable. Though it could not compare to the origins of those great figures of Honghuang, it was not far behind—and if compared to the likes of Duobao or Yunzhongzi, it fell short by not even a hair.
Aozheng also harbored a deep sense of pride within his heart. He was a crystalline dragon, the only one in all of Honghuang, and born as the condensation of the karmic luck of heaven and earth, endowed by nature with immense karmic luck.
At this moment, Luohou could not help wondering: if he had not transmigrated into Honghuang, this crystalline dragon probably would have been killed off. Otherwise, how else could the Four Swords of Immortal-Slaying have been born?
Since Aozheng had already woken up, there was no further need to keep the grand array running. Luohou had conceived a brilliant idea: to use the World-Splitting Golden Dipper as bait to lure those great figures of Honghuang over.
Naturally, Luohou coveted the treasures in the hands of those mighty beings. With the Heavenly Dao not yet manifested and all karmic causes and effects yet unformed, nothing untoward would come of him killing people to seize their treasures.
If he could manage to lure Dao Ancestor Hongjun here, that would naturally be best of all, for the spiritual treasures in Dao Ancestor Hongjun's possession were countless.
What Luohou did not yet know was that Dao Ancestor Hongjun's cultivation had already reached the Peak Daluo Golden Immortal realm, making him considerably stronger than Luohou himself. If Dao Ancestor Hongjun were truly to show up, it would likely be Luohou who had to flee.
With a wave of his hand, the Heavenly Luo Fiend Array instantly dissolved, allowing the aura of the World-Splitting Golden Dipper to disperse outward. Within a radius of a million miles, any cultivator above the Taiyi Golden Immortal stage passing by would be able to sense the presence of the World-Splitting Golden Dipper.
"Master, what are you doing?" Aozheng asked, failing to understand Luohou's intentions.
After all, whenever anyone witnessed a spirit treasure manifesting, wouldn't they normally go to every length to keep it hidden? Yet Luohou had actually deliberately let the aura of the manifesting spirit treasure leak out. Wasn't this simply inviting unwanted prying eyes?
"The Sages never die, and the Great Dao never ceases; this Dao can also be called 'stealing', and stealing itself has many forms. Once your cultivation reaches a higher level, you will naturally understand," Luohou said with an air of profound mystery.
Aozheng wore a puzzled expression, utterly failing to make sense of Luohou's words. Still, perhaps as Luohou had said, once his cultivation level reached that point, he would naturally understand.
Having finished all this, Luohou casually laid down a restriction to prevent his own aura from leaking out. As for Aozheng, he didn't worry about him; after all, what was a mere Golden Immortal lingering right beside a manifesting spirit treasure if not courting death?
Luohou was using both the World-Splitting Golden Dipper and Aozheng as bait. If cultivators came, that would naturally be ideal; if none came, it was of no great consequence to Luohou anyway, since the World-Splitting Golden Dipper could already be considered safely in his grasp.
The aura of the manifesting spirit treasure spread across a million miles, and any mighty being passing through the area would sense the birth of the treasure. However, the vastness of Honghuang was beyond imagination, and moreover, this was the very beginning of the creation of heaven and earth—how many powerful figures had nothing better to do than wander about?
Only an omniscient prophet and mighty being like Luohou, who knew that this was the prime time to hunt for spirit treasures, would venture out on such travels.
A few days in the mountains, a thousand years in the mortal world—there was no better way to describe Honghuang.
In the blink of an eye, a millennium passed. Several hundred thousand miles away, a mighty being came to a halt, looking in the direction where the World-Splitting Golden Dipper was located. A trace of joy flashed across his eyes, followed immediately by a hint of murderous intent.
"I left my mountain to travel for ten thousand years, only to encounter the birth of a Xiantian Spirit Treasure. Heh, a mere Golden Immortal actually dares to harbor designs on a Xiantian Spirit Treasure—how utterly ignorant and unworthy of pity." The old man was dressed in a green Daoist robe and held a horsetail whisk in his hand.
This old Daoist was no ordinary mighty being; he was Old Ancestor Yuhua of Qingyun Mountain, whose cultivation had long since reached the Early Daluo Golden Immortal stage, and the whisk in his hand was none other than a Top-Grade Xiantian Spirit Treasure.
Old Ancestor Yuhua sensed the aura of the manifesting Xiantian Spirit Treasure, and moreover, this aura was even stronger than his own Clear Feather Whisk, clearly indicating a Top-Grade Xiantian Spirit Treasure. If he could obtain this item and refine it, his combat prowess would undoubtedly rise to a whole new level.
Immediately afterward, Old Ancestor Yuhua spotted Aozheng. He had initially thought him to be some mighty being, but he radiated only the aura of a Golden Immortal, which brought a smile to Old Ancestor Yuhua's face. Such an ant could be crushed out of existence with a flick of his finger.
"This Top-Grade Xiantian Spirit Treasure rightfully belongs to me." With those words, Old Ancestor Yuhua flew toward the sacred mountain.
Meanwhile, Luohou, who was currently deducing offensive divine powers, suddenly opened his eyes, looked toward the west, and revealed a faint smile. The fish had taken the bait.
"Hm? A Daluo Golden Immortal!" Sensing that his opponent was also a Daluo Golden Immortal, Luohou's expression instantly turned somewhat solemn. He had assumed there weren't that many powerful beings in Honghuang, and that even if he did lure a fish, it would merely be at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level. How could he have anticipated that it would turn out to be a Daluo Golden Immortal?
Yet even if it was a Daluo Golden Immortal, what of it? Luohou was one of the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods; even having come to Honghuang, he was the destined Ancestor of Magic according to the workings of fate. Furthermore, he possessed both the 12th-Grade World-Destruction Black Lotus and the World-Destruction Millstone in his hands.
"A Xiantian supreme treasure is manifesting. It is not something you are qualified to covet. Withdraw at once, and you may yet preserve your life."
Old Ancestor Yuhua's voice rang out before he even arrived, and the target of his words was undoubtedly Aozheng. This caused Aozheng to shiver as an immensely oppressive momentum bore down upon him, making it hard for him to catch his breath.