291: Chapter 289 Egg, Seedling, Fruit

The remaining golden lights contained several Magical Artifacts, spirit talismans, and Medicinal Pills of high grade, but nothing particularly rare. Yun Ming put them all away without looking closely.

His gaze moved past the purple and golden lights, looking toward the deepest part of the sea of stars.

There, three rays of light resided.

They were not gold, nor purple, but multicolored. Three rays of multicolored light slowly flew from the deepest part of the sea of stars, unhurried and leisurely. Their colors shifted constantly—sometimes blood-red, sometimes sea-blue, sometimes forest-green, and sometimes a blend of purple and gold. Everything in the sea of stars paled in comparison to these three multicolored lights.

Yun Ming no longer hesitated and reached into the three rays of multicolored light. His palm sank as three items fell into his hand simultaneously.

The first item was an egg. It was completely chaotic and hazy, showing no patterns, color, or signs of life, like a mass of mist from before the world was created. Divine Sense could not penetrate it, spiritual power could not perceive it, and even its temperature was impossible to discern. He turned it over several times but could see nothing.

The second item was a tree seedling. Its branches were slender and entirely golden, its leaves forged like thin gold with clear veins, emitting a piercing light within the sea of stars. When the golden light shone on his face, it actually felt warm to the touch, as if he were holding a miniature sun.

The third item was a Dao Fruit.

He didn't rush to deal with the Dao Fruit that had merged into his body, but first looked at the egg.

It was half a person tall. The hazy surface of the eggshell had no patterns, like a mass of Chaos from before the world was created.

The eggshell felt warm to the touch, not cold. He could feel a life sleeping inside; its heartbeat was slow but steady, each beat like a hammer striking a drum—thump, thump, thump—making his palm go slightly numb. A faint connection extended from the depths of the eggshell and tied to his Divine Soul, as if someone had tied an invisible thread between him and this egg. It wasn't a contract, but a natural, Innate bond.

A Kunpeng egg.

Yun Ming had seen records of the Kunpeng in ancient texts. In the Northern Dark Sea, there is a fish named Kun. The Kun is so large that its size is unknown for thousands of miles. It transforms into a bird named Peng. The Peng's back is so large its size is unknown for thousands of miles. When it flies in a rage, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky. It is an ancient Divine Beast that does not belong to the mortal realm. The Kunpeng is born in Chaos and grows in the void, feeding on Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi and drinking the essence of the sun and moon. An adult Kunpeng can swallow the heavens and eat the earth, traveling ninety thousand miles with a single flap of its wings. This kind of Divine Beast had long been extinct on the Xuanhuang Continent; he hadn't expected to actually draw a Kunpeng egg. Moreover, as soon as this egg appeared, it established a certain Innate contract with him. He could clearly perceive the egg's emotions—not in language, but a vague, direct, instinctive emotion like that of a baby.

Hungry.

The egg was saying it was hungry. Very hungry. Extremely hungry. So hungry it was going crazy.

Yun Ming took a Top-Grade Spirit Stone out of the map of mountains and rivers and placed it next to the egg. The Spirit Stone was crystal clear and full of Spiritual Qi. The egg's emotion changed. It wasn't joy, but disdain. Blatant disdain. After the disdain, it turned into a sense of grievance—'This is it? You're giving me this to eat?'

The corner of Yun Ming's mouth twitched. 'I only have this. Top-Grade Spirit Stones are something many people outside can't even get if they beg. You're still not satisfied?'

The egg's emotion became even more aggrieved, and within that grievance was a hint of testing, as if asking him: 'What about that fourth-grade Spiritual Vein in your map? Can I eat that?' Yun Ming refused without hesitation. 'No. The Spiritual Vein is the Foundation of the map of mountains and rivers. If you eat it, all the spiritual plants in this map will die.' The egg fell silent. Its feeling of grievance reached a peak and then slowly turned into gloom. It began to absorb the Spiritual Qi of the Top-Grade Spirit Stone very slowly, with an air of 'I'll reluctantly make do with this.'

Yun Ming thought for a moment and added, 'Just make do for now. I'll find you better things in the future. Fifth-grade Spiritual Veins, sixth-grade ones, or even those legendary natural treasures—I'll find a way to get them for you.' The egg's emotion brightened. It wasn't happiness, but more like—'Are you serious? Don't lie to me'—a brightness mixed with a hint of anticipation and a hint of doubt. Yun Ming said, 'I mean it.' The egg's emotion instantly turned into joy, a pure, unadulterated joy, like a child getting candy. Yun Ming could even feel the eggshell vibrate slightly, as if it were nuzzling his hand.

He withdrew his hand and ignored it for now. The egg would slowly absorb the Spirit Stone's qi on its own; there was no use in rushing.

The second item was that golden tree seedling.

The moment Yun Ming took the seedling out of the multicolored light, the sea of stars was reflected in gold. The seedling was only a palm high, its branches as slender as gold threads, its leaves as thin as cicada wings, and its veins clearly visible. It had no roots; its base was a ball of pale golden spiritual light that held it suspended in mid-air. The light was dazzling but not piercing, feeling warm on his face, like basking in the sun.

The fusang divine tree.

Yun Ming had also seen this name in ancient texts. Legend has it that in ancient times, there was a divine tree named Fusang, born beyond the East Sea, above Tang Valley. It was the place where ten suns bathed; nine suns resided on the lower branches, while one sun resided on the upper branch. It was the sacred wood where the sun perched, the ultimate manifestation of the most Yang essence in heaven and earth. It is said that after one Yuanhui, this tree can nurture a sun. Once the sun matures, it will leave the divine tree, fly up to the Nine Heavens, and transform into a new blazing sun.

The moment Yun Ming put the seedling into the map of mountains and rivers, the entire world changed. The sky lit up. It wasn't the fake light condensed from spiritual glow, but a true light coming from the sky within the map itself.

The fusang divine tree suspended itself in mid-air, and golden light poured down from it like a golden waterfall, flowing through the mountains, rivers, plains, and valleys in the map.

At that moment, the Sun Law of the map of mountains and rivers was completely perfected.

But problems followed.

It was too bright and too hot.

Once the fusang divine tree entered, the Sun Law was driven to its extreme, and the lack of the Taiyin Law made it impossible to balance the entire world.

The temperature rose sharply, the Spiritual Qi became scorching, and even the air was slightly distorting.

Yun Ming looked down at the herb garden—the leaves of those Spirit Medicines began to curl and turn yellow, and several lower-grade ones had already withered and died.

The enlightenment tea tree was fine; instead, the golden patterns on its leaves became even brighter, as if it were greedily absorbing the extreme Yang qi emitted by the fusang divine tree.

The Qinghe Sword was stuck in the ridge of the field, its blade glowing slightly as the wood-element life-generating qi automatically circulated, protecting a small patch of spiritual plants around it.

But those unprotected spiritual plants withered one after another.

Yun Ming's expression changed. He quickly reached out and grabbed the fusang divine tree from mid-air, moving it along with its soil to the very edge of the map of mountains and rivers, far away from the herb garden and the wooden house.

With the distance increased, the temperature dropped a bit, but it was still much higher than before.

Those low-grade spiritual plants were scorched to the point of death, and whether they could survive depended entirely on fate.

Yun Ming looked at the patch of dead medicinal seedlings and felt a moment of heartache, but there was nothing he could do.

He couldn't go without the fusang divine tree; the matter of the Taiyin Law would have to wait.

The third item was that Dao Fruit.

As soon as it touched his fingertip, it turned into a stream of light, drilling directly into his body and merging into his Divine Soul. The Dao Fruit dissolved into a clear stream, flowing through his Meridians into his Sea of Consciousness.

The Enlightened Dao Fruit.

Those who consume it will have a clear spiritual terrace and a lucid Divine Sense, never falling into illusions, never birthing Heart Demons, and never suffering from Qi Deviation. Cultivating Cultivation Techniques would yield twice the result with half the effort, and the power of Spells would be greatly increased. He could feel his Divine Soul slowly transforming under the power of the Dao Fruit. The irritability, stagnation, and unease he occasionally encountered during cultivation were now completely gone. He felt as if he were sitting in a pool of clear water, the surface like a mirror, without a single ripple.

He finished looking at all three items. Yun Ming withdrew from the sea of stars and opened his eyes.

The Quiet Room was very silent. Outside the window, the sky was already beginning to turn white; a night had passed. He didn't rest but got up and pushed open the door. Ah Yuan was standing at the courtyard gate holding a food box. When she saw him come out, she was stunned for a moment.

"Master, you've finished your seclusion?"

Yun Ming shook his head. "On the contrary, from today on, I will officially enter seclusion. No one is to disturb me. You don't need to deliver food either. You will handle everything outside. As for the matters of the Ning Mansion, handle them as you see fit. If you encounter something you can't solve, then come find me."

Ah Yuan looked at Yun Ming's calm face, and a sudden, indescribable feeling welled up in her heart. Master was about to have a Breakthrough. She nodded vigorously. "Yes, Master. Rest assured in your seclusion; I'll take care of everything outside."

Yun Ming glanced at her, said nothing more, turned back into the room, and closed the door.

Ah Yuan stood in the courtyard, looking at the closed door for a long time. Then she turned and walked out of the Qingzhu Courtyard with the food box. She handed the box to the servant at the courtyard gate and instructed, "Mr. Yun has entered seclusion. From today on, no one is allowed to approach the Qingzhu Courtyard. There is no need to deliver three meals a day. No one is allowed to disturb him." The servants quickly complied.

Ah Yuan walked out of the Qingzhu Courtyard, through the corridor, and to the front yard. Ning Wanqing was standing at the entrance of the flower hall, holding a letter with an anxious expression. Seeing Ah Yuan, she hurriedly came forward.

"Miss Ah Yuan, a letter from my elder brother has arrived."

Ah Yuan took the letter without opening it. "What does the letter say?"