Chapter 139: Then What Are We Waiting For?
The desert stretched endlessly, dry and lifeless, its golden sands shimmering under the blaze of high noon.
The sun beat down mercilessly. Heat waves rippled across the barren expanse like the breath of some ancient furnace. To an ordinary traveler, this wasteland would be death itself—dehydration and collapse within moments. The heat rivaled the legendary Blazing Mountains.
And yet, at the heart of this seemingly dead sea of sand, lay something miraculous.
A pond. Tiny—barely a meter wide. But it gleamed, nestled at the convergence point of the rarest essence: Primordial Taiyi Water.
A drop of this was legend. A pool, nearly unthinkable.
Compared to the surrounding desert, this modest little pond looked like nothing. You'd miss it unless you knew exactly where to look.
And Yu Zimo knew.
Without her, no one—no matter how powerful—would have found it hidden amid tens of thousands of miles of lifeless sand.
Ancient spiritual treasures develop a will of their own. The older they grow, the more conscious they become. They hide themselves, avoiding discovery.
"Brother, the Taiyi Water is so rich and full of life," Shi Hao said, licking dry lips as he stared at the luminous little pond. "If I didn't already know, I'd have mistaken it for the Undying Divine Spring."
"You wouldn't be far off," Shi Yi replied, leaping down from the back of the Fiery Red Bird and joining him. "The Undying Divine Spring reverses death and restores life. But in sheer utility, Taiyi Water might be even better."
The two brothers stood side by side, gazing at the miraculous pool.
It was small, yes—but its presence was vast. Power rippled through it like a hidden ocean.
The Primordial Taiyi Water glowed with sacred brilliance. Light refracted across its surface in iridescent streaks. Mist curled upward from the water, shimmering with auspicious hues. Anyone with eyes would know this wasn't just water—it was a divine treasure.
"In the outside world, a single drop of this would trigger war," Yu Zimo said as she stepped up beside them. "A whole pool? Priceless."
Shi Hao looked ready to jump in. "Then what are we waiting for?"
"No!" Yu Zimo raised a hand quickly. "Taiyi Water has a will. If you approach it recklessly, it'll vanish. You have to win its trust—slowly. Let me try. Our Rain Clan has an affinity with water. I can communicate with it."
She was right.
The pool may have looked like a puddle, but it was nearly sentient—filled with ancient runes and natural laws. It could burrow into the earth or fly off into the sky. You couldn't capture it through brute force. You had to earn its recognition. Otherwise, you'd be lucky to catch a few drops before it escaped.
"Let the professional handle this," Shi Yi said, pressing a firm hand on Shi Hao's head to keep him from lunging forward and ruining everything. "Don't scare it off."
Yu Zimo began to chant.
Her voice was soft, melodic—an incantation passed down from the Rain Clan for generations:
"Yin and yang, breath and wind, cloud and rain…Earth holds qi, and qi births water.Where there is qi, water flows.And where water flows, life follows."
Each step she took forward was light, almost reverent. The desert air began to change. Humidity gathered. A subtle blue glow spread through the once-barren land. The environment itself seemed to respond to her call.
But peace didn't last.
A black whirlwind suddenly howled through the sands, lifting entire dunes into the air. A towering vortex reached into the clouds like a spear of destruction.
Then came a sound.
A low, bestial growl.
A black beast appeared—its form flickering between real and illusory. Fangs bared, it roared as if to scare them off, feral and menacing.
"In a place like this? How could a beast live here?" Shi Hao frowned.
"It's not real," Shi Yi said calmly. "It's a construct—half-illusion, half-rune. Don't be fooled."
His Heavenly Twin Eyes—the double pupils that saw through all illusion—flashed briefly.
Boom!
The illusory beast exploded into dust. The tornado dissipated.
Trying tricks in front of a Heavenly Twin Eye wielder was like showing off a dagger to a swordmaster.
But it wasn't over.
A sound echoed through the stillness—click… crack…
The sands trembled. A dune split apart, revealing snow-white bones rising from the ground. The bones twisted and snapped together, forming the shape of a fierce, wingless bird. Runes glowed on its skull—dark, eerie.
Its aura was terrifying, like a revenant dragged from the underworld.
Yu Zimo's voice dropped. "When our Rain Clan ancestors and the Ancient Emperor came here, many died. These bones… they're the remains of fallen titans from that war. The Taiyi Water must be summoning them."
Another sand dune ruptured.
This time, dozens of white skeletons rose. Beasts once divine, now just bones etched with ancient runes. Their remains glowed faintly, a relic of an age long past.
Each was a Primordial Descendant—mighty beings from the ancient era. The runes etched into their bones were refined and esoteric, a treasure trove of knowledge.
"So many died here…" Shi Hao said, his eyes burning. "This is a goldmine."
The desert preserved these corpses perfectly. The runes remained intact. For Shi Hao, who studied the True Primordial Records, this was a fortune beyond imagining.
"That war must've been brutal," he added.
"But after so long, they're weak—barely a tenth of their former strength," the Fiery Red Bird scoffed, beating its chest.
The Nine-Headed Golden Lion snorted. Golden flames licked its mane. "If this water ever completes Spirit Transformation, it could ignite a Divine Flame and ascend to godhood. But right now? It's harmless. These bones are no threat to me."
"Enough!" Yu Zimo barked. "You can't frighten it. If it flees, it might be gone forever!"
The Fiery Red Bird and Golden Lion shut up immediately and lay down like obedient pets—not because of her, but because of the figure standing behind her.
Shi Yi.
Even Shi Hao called him Brother. That alone told them not to mess around.
"This water truly is remarkable," Shi Yi murmured. "It's not just moving the bones—it's awakening something in them. It may well complete its transformation one day."
His voice held awe.
He could see it—clearly. The water didn't just animate the bones. It infused them with something else. Not life, but an echo of it.
And deep down, he couldn't help but wonder—
Between the Undying Divine Spring and Primordial Taiyi Water… which is greater?
Because this pool was starting to seem like more than a mere treasure.
It was almost... divine.