Chapter 1003: Crystallized Particles of Creation

In a dim hall of the Gold Origin Immortal Palace.

The hall was shrouded in darkness tinged with a red glow. Upon closer inspection, the ground and walls were inscribed with dark blood-colored patterns, forming a massive array.

As these array patterns flickered on and off, strands of chilling aura seeped out from the array, drifting through the hall and piercing into one's heart.

At the center of the array stood a black stone pillar with seven branches. At the tip of each branch rested an ancient oil lamp, burning with a faint green flame.

The seven green flames flickered within the hall, bringing not light but an eerie, gloomy atmosphere.

Suddenly, the seven green flames swelled several times, turning into fist-sized orbs that detached from the lamps and hovered in midair.

Green array patterns emerged from the surrounding void, connecting the seven flames and quickly forming a seven-star array.

A black light flashed at the center of the array, and a remnant soul materialized, coalescing into a blurry face—it was Tao Ji.

"Fortunately, I set up these Seven Star Lamps as a contingency; otherwise, I would have surely died this time," Tao Ji murmured, his eyes then filling with venomous hatred.

"Han Li, you killed my son and destroyed my cultivation. This enmity is irreconcilable—it's either you or me! Though I cannot kill you myself, I will stop at nothing to destroy you through others! I will give up that thing if I must!"

Tao Ji's remnant soul twisted with ferocity, then opened its mouth and sucked toward the seven-star array below.

The seven green flames from the array shot toward him and entered his mouth, causing the remnant soul to rapidly solidify.

At the same time, with a crack, a foot-wide hole split open at the base of the black stone pillar, and a human-shaped talisman flew out, merging with the remnant soul.

A bright black light flashed, and a black figure materialized, his entire body seemingly formed from black liquid—it was Tao Ji.

He flexed his limbs, nodded in satisfaction, and then flew outward.

Half an hour later, Tao Ji arrived before a golden palace.

"Elder Tao!"

Two attendants stood on either side of the palace gate. Seeing Tao Ji's current appearance, surprise flickered in their eyes as they bowed respectfully.

"I have urgent matters to see the Palace Master. Announce me at once!" Tao Ji wore an expression of great urgency.

"Yes, Elder Tao, please wait!" The two attendants, seeing his demeanor, immediately replied and were about to enter to report.

"No need. Let Elder Tao in." A dignified voice came from within.

Tao Ji pushed open the palace doors and strode in quickly. Passing through the great hall and a corridor several hundred zhang long, a vast garden appeared before him.

The garden was filled with all kinds of flowers and trees, colorful and vying for beauty, with exotic fragrances lingering as if in a sea of blossoms.

At the center of the garden stood a white pavilion, where a figure in white stood with hands behind his back, seemingly admiring a pale red flowering tree outside the pavilion.

"Greetings, Palace Master!" Tao Ji stepped forward and bowed respectfully.

"What is the matter? You even used a Heaven Shadow Talisman to project your form from afar to see me." The figure in white turned around, revealing a middle-aged man.

His features were not particularly striking, with graying temples and a hint of world-weariness. Only his eyes were exceptionally deep, as if they had seen all the phenomena of the world, giving a sense of profound richness.

"Reporting to the Palace Master, I did not project from afar. My physical body was destroyed by an enemy. Fortunately, I had set up the Seven Star Lamp restriction in advance, preserving a wisp of my remnant soul. Forced to use the Heaven Shadow Talisman to condense my form, I came to seek an audience with you," Tao Ji said mournfully, his face full of sorrow.

"What! Your physical body was destroyed? By whom?" The man in white frowned and asked gravely.

"It was a wanted criminal on the Heavenly Court's Execution List, named Han Li, who usually goes by the alias Li Feiyu," Tao Ji said through gritted teeth.

"Han Li... Li Feiyu, I remember this man. He was wanted for cultivating the Divine Refinement Art and participating in the murder of a high-ranking Heavenly Court immortal official. Your son Tao Yu was also injured by him. The bounty is five thousand immortal spirit stones. He has appeared in the Gold Origin Immortal Domain? It is only natural that you, with a blood feud, would go after him. However, according to the Heavenly Court's collected data, this man is only a True Immortal. Even if his cultivation has improved over the years, he should at most have advanced to the Golden Immortal stage. How could you have been defeated by him?" The man in white recited Han Li's information as if he had everything stored in his mind, giving an impression of omniscience.

"According to the records, that is true. But this man's cultivation is now extremely high, having reached the Tai Yi stage, and his physical body is exceptionally formidable, at least at the Tai Yi Xuan Immortal level. The Two Principles Yin-Yang Array set up by Fellow Daoist Jin Chuan, nearly a hundred Golden Immortals, and myself was easily broken by him. Everyone except me died under his hand," Tao Ji said solemnly.

"What? Dual cultivation of Dharma and body, both reaching Tai Yi? That's impossible!" The man in white finally showed shock.

"I dare not deceive you in the slightest. This is absolutely true. Here is the battle record captured by my Heavenly Soul Pearl. Please take a look, Palace Master." Tao Ji spat out a thumb-sized crystal bead, which landed before the man in white.

The man in white made a hand seal and pointed at the crystal bead.

The bead immediately emitted a bright light, recording the entire battle process with Han Li in detail, clearly showing Han Li's cultivation level.

"This man's cultivation has indeed reached the Tai Yi stage, yet it has only been two or three thousand years since he was placed on the Execution List," the man in white murmured, his face full of disbelief.

"Then the only explanation is that he concealed his cultivation back then and was not a True Immortal. No wonder my son, who had already achieved Golden Immortal status, still fell to this man," Tao Ji said bitterly.

"No. Before the Heavenly Court places someone on the Execution List, they thoroughly investigate all information about the target, especially cultivation level. There is no mistake!" The man in white slowly shook his head.

"If the investigation back then was correct, then could it be that in just two or three thousand years, he advanced from True Immortal to Tai Yi stage and also cultivated his physical body to the same level? That's impossible! Even if he had exceptional talent and support from a major force, his cultivation could not possibly increase so quickly, unless he had some heaven-defying treasure that could shorten cultivation time... Huh!" Tao Ji shook his head, then his gaze suddenly sharpened as if he had thought of something.

"Elder Tao, what have you recalled?" The man in white, who had been pondering the matter, was interrupted by Tao Ji's exclamation and asked with a frown, somewhat displeased.

"Palace Master, I have indeed recalled something concerning my son Tao Yu," Tao Ji said.

"Tao Yu? What is it?" the man in white said.

"My son once clashed with this Li Feiyu in the Northern Cold Immortal Domain. He sent back some information about this man, and I remember there was something about a time law treasure. Previously, I was too grieved by my son's death to look into it. Could it be related to this man's rapid cultivation progress?" Tao Ji said.

"What information?" The man in white perked up at this.

"It was some time ago, and I don't recall clearly. But I still have those materials saved. I'll have them sent over, and we can check," Tao Ji said quickly, then took out a communication array disk and muttered a few words.

After a moment, a young man in a golden robe flew over and bowed to them.

"Greetings, Palace Master, Uncle Tao."

"No need for formalities. Have you brought what I asked for?" Tao Ji said.

"All the materials concerning Cousin Tao Yu are here." The young man in gold took out a stack of jade slip documents and placed them on the stone table in the pavilion.

The man in white ignored the young man and picked up a jade slip to examine.

"Good, you may leave." Tao Ji waved his hand, dismissing the young man, and picked up another jade slip to examine.

With their abilities, they quickly went through most of the jade slips.

"Ah!" The man in white stared at a white jade slip in his hand, his face showing excitement, his eyes flickering intensely as if greatly agitated.

"Palace Master, have you found something?" Tao Ji asked.

The man in white glanced at Tao Ji and handed over the jade slip.

Tao Ji took the jade slip and immersed his divine sense into it. It contained a message from Tao Yu, vaguely mentioning that he was investigating someone who possessed a crystallized particle treasure imbued with time law.

"Yes, that's it. Crystallized particles of time law. Palace Master, do you think this is related to Li Feiyu's rapid cultivation?" Tao Ji quickly asked.

"Li Feiyu's cultivation is no longer important. Contact the temple immediately—we have found a clue to the Crystallized Particles of Creation!" The man in white said excitedly, then quickly walked deeper into the garden.

"What? Those particles are the Crystallized Particles of Creation?" Tao Ji was startled, following him, his voice betraying shock.

"Though not a hundred percent certain, I am seventy to eighty percent sure. According to the temple's records, the Crystallized Particles of Creation can accelerate the cultivation of laws and, if used properly, can hasten the growth of spiritual herbs. They are the foremost treasures for rapidly improving cultivation. Li Feiyu's cultivation speed is so fast, and he possesses time law crystallized particles—there are too many coincidences in the world. Those particles are most likely the Crystallized Particles of Creation!" The man in white spoke rapidly.

"So that's it. That is very likely! Alas, it is all my fault for being too careless before, not delving deeper into this matter, and missing many opportunities to capture this man. Fortunately, Palace Master, you are quick-witted and recognized the origin of those particles," Tao Ji nodded, then said regretfully.

The man in white stopped at these words, turned to look at Tao Ji, his gaze deep.

"Palace Master?" Tao Ji also stopped, looking puzzled.

"Elder Tao, did you truly not notice the matter of those particles before? Or did you deliberately conceal it, intending to keep that treasure for yourself, only revealing it because the opponent was too strong for you to obtain it?" The man in white's eyes blazed with white light, turning into two white blades fixed on Tao Ji.

A vast aura erupted from his body, pressing down on Tao Ji.

"Palace Master, please see clearly! That treasure concerns the rise and fall of our Nine Elements Temple. Even if I had a thousand guts, I would never dare to harbor such a thought. I only just realized this!" Tao Ji's face changed drastically, and he fell to his knees with a thud, wailing.

The man in white paid no heed to Tao Ji's wailing; the white light in his eyes grew brighter, and the pressure emanating from him increased.

Tao Ji trembled all over, kowtowing repeatedly.

"Hmph! Whether you speak truth or falsehood, you have some merit for uncovering the clue to the Crystallized Particles of Creation. You may leave now. Later, the Immortal Palace will select a suitable body for you to undergo possession and rebirth," the man in white said indifferently, the white light in his eyes suddenly dimming and quickly dissipating.

"Thank you, Palace Master." The pressure on Tao Ji vanished abruptly; he gasped for breath and thanked him repeatedly.

The man in white snorted again, then flickered and vanished without a trace.

Tao Ji relaxed, slowly stood up, wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead, and walked outside.

A glint of triumphant malice flashed deep in his eyes, then vanished instantly.