Chapter 1210: Fishing Finally Yields Treasure

Daoist Baihua came to report her work to Li Ping. Of course, her main purpose was to request Essence of Source Energy.

After absorbing it several times and experiencing a rapid surge in strength, Baihua had developed a taste for it and found it difficult to part with.

In fact, the golden Source Energy created through the prayer rituals of the You Clan still differed slightly from true Essence of Source Energy. However, for an ancient cultivation immortal like Baihua, its ability to help her advance further made it practically indistinguishable from the genuine article.

While greeting Li Ping, Baihua also noticed Qiaogong and Tianyang by his side.

Although Tianyang appeared to be just a teenage boy, the power contained within him sent a subtle shiver down Baihua's spine. As for Qiaogong, Baihua sensed a familiar aura from him—the aura of a cultivator from beyond the Xuanhuang Realm.

After carefully observing the two, Baihua said nothing more. The Great Revelation of the Sacred Dynasty had attracted far too many unusual individuals; she had long grown accustomed to such sights.

This, in fact, was a good thing for her.

Having received the Essence of Source Energy from Li Ping, Baihua contentedly returned.

"Fellow Daoist, who was that?" Qiaogong asked somewhat reservedly.

"Daoist Baihua, formerly the Sect Master of the Heavenly Lotus Sect in the Myriad Prosperity Realm," Li Ping introduced concisely.

That simple sentence startled Qiaogong and also set his mind racing. Just like him, she was also a practitioner from another cultivation world. Were there more such beings in this minor realm?

With this question in mind, Qiaogong and Tianyang, guided by Li Ping, toured the Great Revelation of the Sacred Dynasty.

Both the Immortal Spirit Pagoda, which continuously released spiritual energy day and night, and the Sky Patrol Arrows, which flew across the sky in vigilant defense, left the two greatly impressed.

During their tour, the occasional enigmatic individuals they encountered further enlightened them: the Great Revelation of the Sacred Dynasty was full of hidden talents, and beings like themselves, there were many more.

Finally, they arrived inside the Holy Emperor's Throne.

Li Ping returned to his rightful place, looking down at the two, his voice echoing in the vast, empty hall.

"Fellow Daoist Qiaogong, I know your artifact forging skills are exceptional. I have some ideas for crafting new types of puppets here; you might want to consider them."

Qiaogong was quickly captivated by the plans Li Ping presented.

"Essence of Source Energy, combined with the transformation into the Dao, and supplemented by the artifact forging techniques of the Heavenly Secret Realm... to create beings with their own consciousness, capable of rivaling Immortal-tier puppets."

The more Qiaogong looked, the more excited he became. In his view, the plan was entirely feasible. Moreover, many of the ideas within it aligned perfectly with his own long-held concepts.

"I will specifically open up a space within the Great Revelation Minor Realm to serve as your research facility. Tianyang will also assist you."

Li Ping continued, "First, craft some puppets for practice. Once you're confident, you can begin Tianyang's modification."

Hearing this, Qiaogong glanced at Tianyang and had a sudden realization.

"With Ink Flame as the foundation, and Essence of Source Energy to aid in sublimation... once perfected, his strength will likely be no less than that of a Xuanhuang Immortal!"

The thought that he could, in the future, truly bring forth Immortals, or even, in a sense, Immortal-tier beings, filled Qiaogong with immense secret excitement.

Shortly after completing his liaison with the relevant personnel of the Great Revelation, Qiaogong eagerly began his work.

"Everything is ready. Next, we just wait for the people from the Medicine King Sect to return," Li Ping thought.

He had long ago set up a net, ensuring that once the Medicine King Cauldron returned to the Xuanhuang Realm, it would be directly drawn into the Great Revelation Minor Realm.

While elixirs might not significantly boost the overall strength of the Great Revelation, Li Ping possessed numerous insidious elixir recipes capable of severely weakening the cultivators of the Myriad Immortals Alliance.

The Faceless Holy Emperor sat upon the Holy Emperor's Throne, his mind reviewing all recent affairs of the Sacred Dynasty.

Without his constant oversight, everything was progressing in an orderly and stable manner. Indeed, with everyone aware that the Holy Emperor was watching at all times, no one dared to slack off.

After reviewing all the minor matters, the Holy Emperor's thoughts slowly settled.

His figure flickered, and the next moment he was in the dim secret chamber beneath the Holy Emperor's Throne.

The chamber resembled an endless starry sky, with dozens of treasures floating silently like stars, emitting brilliant light.

The Sacred Dynasty's fishing competition had never ceased for a moment. The treasures fished out from the pond were countless. The vow Li Ping had made initially remained unbroken. All these treasures belonged to the individual citizens of the Sacred Dynasty.

Of course, those who, due to personal temperament or uncertainty about their specific use, did not require a particular treasure could choose to hand it over in exchange for other rewards. Within this treasury were treasures from the fishing pond that had yet to find owners.

Li Ping paid little attention to most of them.

Except for one particular item...

Li Ping extended his right hand, and golden Essence of Source Energy flickered into existence.

One of the glowing orbs in the treasury reacted most swiftly. Before any of the other orbs could make a move, it had already flown to Li Ping's side.

It spun continuously, seemingly trying to please him.

Inside the glowing orb, a small kitten could faintly be seen, staring eagerly at Li Ping.

Li Ping condensed the Essence of Source Energy onto his fingertip, and the small kitten instantly understood his intent.

It approached joyfully and began licking Li Ping's finger.

"Neither beast nor artifact. The vast Star Sea is indeed full of wonders. To think such a creation could exist," Li Ping mused to himself.

This small kitten appeared harmless. However, when it approached, the immense golden Source Energy net within Li Ping's body sensed danger and spontaneously activated its defenses.

Although it resembled a living creature, it possessed no vital energy whatsoever. In fact, when it was first fished out, it was merely a small cat-shaped figurine. No matter what methods the lucky angler used to test it, they couldn't discover the use of this cat-shaped figurine. Ultimately, frustrated, they handed it over to the Sacred Dynasty in exchange for other rewards.

Even Li Ping didn't detect anything unusual about it at first. It wasn't until one day he suddenly noticed that the treasures stored in the treasury were mysteriously diminishing, and only after using Essence of Source Energy to 'fish out' the culprit did he finally apprehend it.

The cat was merely one of its forms.

After eating its fill, it was lazily about to fall asleep when it sensed Li Ping's mental command.

Although still somewhat reluctant, considering its future meals, the small kitten let out a weak growl.

After a flicker of dark green light, the small kitten transformed into a small, square box.

Strange images were engraved on all sides of the box: celestial stars falling, the earth teeming with myriad beasts; in the Star Sea, countless colossal battleships stretched endlessly; two gigantic human figures stood in confrontation, separated by a river of light and shadow in the middle.

Li Ping held the small square box and aimed it at one of the glowing orbs in the treasury.

One end of the box instantly emitted a faint green light, enveloping the glowing orb.