novelraw Chapter 139 : Obtaining the Immortal God Secret Treasure, Supreme Solar Authority
Chapter 139 : Obtaining the Immortal God Secret Treasure, Supreme Solar Authority
Chapter 139: Obtaining the Immortal God Secret Treasure, Supreme Solar Authority
At this moment,
In front of Jiang Yan, Historical Dust drifted, displaying the mission information.
【Mission One: Complete】
【Mission Two: Complete】
【Mission Rating: Grade A+】
【Mission completed, may return to the real world at any time.】
Once again receiving an A+ rating, he obtained the Tributary of the Historical Long River's reward.
The only difference between a forced mission and an actively initiated exploration was that the former adjusted to one's own strength, while the mission rewards remained the same.
Ba Lie and Zhao Yinman received Grade B+ evaluations, the highest possible for support roles.
"This brat really stole the spotlight."
Ba Lie shook his head, but a smile crept onto his lips. He finally understood why Jiang Yan could consistently achieve Grade A+.
This ability to scheme opponents to death, even piercing through the entire Golden Apple Diseased Domain...
Jiang Yan received Grade A+ because the Historical Long River's evaluation system capped at Grade A.
If Commander Lu found out, he probably wouldn't be able to sleep.
Zhao Yinman, with red eyes, looked at the mission panel, hoping it would be valuable enough to help her save up the points needed to sleep with the Coffin Spirit.
However, Jiang Yan did not choose to return. Instead, he continued to burn away the diseased starry sky flesh, eventually igniting even the massive starry flesh mountain formed by Tree Guanyin.
Starfire scorched the heavens, incinerating all.
He did not rush to inspect the abilities of the Primal Stellar Treasure Lamp but softly spoke, "How much longer do you intend to watch, esteemed one? Should I call you Tree Guanyin, or rather..."
"A member of the Guanyin Collective of the Diseased Domain?"
"The donor’s insight is as bright as a torch."
The voice came from the ground.
"What the hell!?"
Ba Lie was startled too, because when he looked down, the entire earth had turned into Guanyin’s face, lips curled into a compassionate smile.
They had been standing on Guanyin’s face this entire time.
This damned Guanyin Collective—why were they everywhere!?
Always watching from the shadows.
As if sensing Ba Lie’s thoughts, she chuckled and said, "To silently observe the development of all things is the correct Path of Witnessing Truth. Too much interference only invites entanglement by karma. The Causality-Eating Worm fell astray this way, its downfall already predestined."
Clearly... she's just better than that wretched insect!
Jiang Yan silently retorted. Through the Life Lamp’s perspective, he had already noticed that even in the Golden Fuguo Diseased Domain, there existed Life Lamps similar to those of the Guanyin Collective. Although the vision was blurry, he could confirm...
This Life Lamp did not belong to the Causality-Eating Worm.
In the Golden Fuguo Diseased Domain, only two walked the 【Witnessing Truth】 path:
Tree Guanyin and the Causality-Eating Worm.
No need to guess—the former was clearly the stronger.
After all...
Who would’ve thought she directly refined the Diseased Domain into her avatar?
The Causality-Eating Worm thought it had devoured her, but in truth, the ever-watchful Tree Guanyin had already stirred the threads of causality.
Guiding events to unfold in her favor.
The Causality-Eating Worm became nothing more than a supporting role driving the plot—discarded once spent.
Had he not possessed the Lamp-Igniting Method, Jiang Yan too might’ve become a plaything for this bunch.
As the pinnacle of the 【Witnessing Truth】 path, one of the Western Three Saints—could the Guanyin Bodhisattva also be silently watching from the shadows?
Guanyin Bodhisattva Watching.jpg
Just the thought made Jiang Yan feel a chill crawl up his spine. He instinctively glanced around.
Was there another hidden Guanyin Collective?
Though he didn’t find any, he still felt...
A shiver down his back—as if some mysterious gaze was fixated on him.
‘Sooner or later, these bastards are going to give me PTSD.’
After confirming there were no more Life Lamps, Jiang Yan looked at the Tree Guanyin-refined Guanyin Collective on the ground and asked:
"What exactly do you want?"
Tree Guanyin chuckled softly. "My duty is to guard the Immortal God Secret Treasure left behind by Guanyin. Now..."
"The task is complete!"
As the words fell,
Ba Lie’s breathing grew heavier.
He never expected... within a mere Congestion-level Diseased Domain, there was a hidden Immortal God Secret Treasure left by Guanyin.
And from the looks of it, it seemed meant for Jiang Yan.
The great and merciful Guanyin had left behind many legends in Hangzhou, the most famous being the Legend of the White Snake—with plenty of anchor points.
Her strength ranked among the best of the Immortal Gods—one of the strongest below the Ancient Celestial Venerables, who transcended time.
Though mundane beings were mere ants in their eyes,
There were still distinctions among the Immortal Gods.
The highest-tier Immortal Gods were called Ancient Celestial Venerables!
Supreme beings of the Old Heavens!
If this secret treasure was real, it could rank among the top even within the Bureau of Historical Revision.
If word leaked, it would lure all the hidden old monsters of the Main World into a frenzy, fighting to the death over the treasure.
However, thinking that Guanyin Bodhisattva was the strongest of the 【Witnessing Truth】 path instantly sobered Ba Lie.
To grasp causality at the highest level—nothing from such beings came without price.
Fate’s gifts always carried invisible price tags.
Jiang Yan understood her meaning but refused to take the bait, half-smiling as he said, "What, did you lose the Immortal God Secret Treasure?"
"The donor need not test me—I mean no harm," Tree Guanyin replied with a smile.
Zhao Yinman chimed in, "No malice doesn’t mean goodwill. Maybe once you take it, you’ll be livestreaming high-def footage of yourself to the Immortal Gods behind the Guanyin Collective 24/7."
High-def livestream...
A vivid, graphic, and jarring expression.
Even Tree Guanyin was briefly stunned.
Not because she didn’t understand—in her time spent among diseased souls, she had learned much about the modern world. She knew what it meant.
It was just... no one had ever described the 【Witnessing Truth】 path as watching porn before.
Jiang Yan and Ba Lie exchanged glances.
Jiang Yan: Your fault?
Ba Lie: Bullshit, it’s yours.
Jiang Yan: Then maybe it was the Causality-Eating Worm.
Ba Lie: Makes sense. It didn’t deny it, so it probably agreed.
They quickly reached a mutual understanding and kept their guard up against Tree Guanyin below their feet.
Tree Guanyin didn’t take offense at the zombie’s rudeness. She calmly nodded and said, "Now that I think of it—skipping the plot, only watching the passionate scenes... it really does reflect how the Witnessing Truth path guides events and bears witness to the envisioned plot."
"The donor sees through the fog and grasps the essence of things—you truly are fated with the Witnessing Truth path."
Jiang Yan heard those familiar words and thought to himself—did this guy crawl out of the wild history version of *Investiture of the Gods*?
"I’m a zombie," Zhao Yinman replied tersely.
Tree Guanyin chuckled, "In Buddhism, all beings are equal. Everything can achieve great enlightenment."
Zhao Yinman calmly said again, "I’m a zombie."
Modern Zombie Etiquette Lesson Three: Politely refuse others without showing disdain for Buddhism.
"..."
Tree Guanyin fell silent, suddenly recalling a term from human souls in the real world—
NPC.
No matter what you ask, the replies are mechanical.
From that perspective, emotionless AIs were, in a way, the best observers and Buddhist practitioners.
Not wrong, actually.
Tree Guanyin's train of thought was instantly expanded.
As she silently contemplated, Jiang Yan interrupted, "So what’s the price I must pay to obtain this secret treasure?"
Things on the path of causality were never easy to take.
Tree Guanyin came back to her senses and smiled. "I’m merely a guardian. From the moment of my creation, I’ve only followed the contract. As for the cost, since Guanyin said nothing—then there is none."
She blinked. No longer like a wooden Buddha statue, she now seemed livelier—like a sly fox, brimming with human traits.
Jiang Yan laughed. "Indeed. If there were a price, you’d have to say it upfront. Otherwise, I won’t acknowledge it later."
Whatever your schemes are—go talk to my Demon-God Embryo!
"This treasure will not disappoint you. The Causality-Eating Worm tried to master it but was never able to uncover its power."
Tree Guanyin giggled. The Guanyin mark on her brow cracked open.
Ba Lie, curious, wondered—was it the Willow Purification Vase?
Or perhaps a willow branch?
But what emerged... was an ancient black stone-carved disc.
Jiang Yan’s expression turned to shock: "This is... a sundial?"
The sundial could be traced back to the Western Zhou dynasty’s excavated "earth gnomon," also called "leaking pots." It calculated the difference between day and night using the shadow of the "carved arrow"—a marvel of ancient wisdom.
A sundial typically had a gnomon (the pointer) and a dial (marked base), using the sun’s shadow to tell time.
Yet the one before him lacked a gnomon—only the dial remained.
Tree Guanyin said, "This treasure is called the 【Sundial of the Old Heavens】. As you can see... as for what it does—I don’t know."
Seeing Jiang Yan’s suspicious gaze, she explained:
"Because it’s in a damaged state, it cannot be used. But the Causality-Eating Worm was born from its shadow. It possessed the power to alter causality. I, too, gleaned the path of Witnessing Truth from it. Its deeper functions... only the destined one will understand."
Just its shadow gave birth to a being of the causality path.
Had it not met a monster like Jiang Yan—a bug who could arbitrarily replace others’ causality and create countless Witnessing Truth avatars—even mythic Golden Apples could be eaten.
He could devour the 【Cause】, block the arrival of 【Effect】, and manipulate the Law of Causality.
Given enough time, it had the potential to become a Saint, even a Lord of the Nation.
Only pity, the dead have no potential.
Swish swish swish!
Golden Tree behind Jiang Yan extended countless tendrils, coiling around the 【Sundial of the Old Heavens】.
Had Tree Guanyin not explained beforehand that this was a treasure left by an Immortal God, one would not have sensed anything unusual—there wasn’t even a trace of transcendent aura.
It looked just like an ordinary carved stone sundial—at most, older in age, its origin lost to time.
Archaeologists would probably love it.
The moment Jiang Yan took the Sundial of the Old Heavens, a lazy voice emerged from beneath the earth: "Break free from the old shackles of yesterday—only today do I know I am me!"
The earth quaked violently. Radiant points of light gathered. A female figure shrouded in translucent gauze appeared, her pinkish-white jade feet stepping onto the ground.
Though her true face was veiled, anyone who saw her would instinctively believe: "She must be beautiful."
Beauty is a feeling.
Swish swish swish!
Behind her, six massive white fox tails soared skyward like jade ribbons, ethereal and dazzling, swaying with grace and blocking out the sun.
She was like a legendary celestial fox.
Jiang Yan spoke softly, "Fox Guanyin?"
She covered her mouth and laughed, "That name belongs to a great and noble Immortal God—I dare not bear it. Just call me Fox… hmm, Foxli Great Immortal!"
Jiang Yan teased, "Are you related to those three from the Kingdom of Chechi?"
Foxli Great Immortal giggled behind her hand, "Who knows? Maybe if I dig into some wild histories, I’ll find myself with three elder brothers as backing."
One had to admit—this was the most enchanting woman Jiang Yan had ever seen.
Every movement exuded natural seduction, yet there was a hint of sanctity.
Succubi and elves couldn’t hold a candle to her.
She was the true embodiment of sensual calamity.
Foxli Great Immortal smiled lightly, "Fated one Jiang Yan, until we meet again!"
Crack!
With a wave of her delicate arm, she tore through the Diseased Domain. Lotus blossoms bloomed in her every step.
At least at High-Stage Ancient Talisman level—perhaps even peak.
She sashayed away with her mesmerizing curves, vanishing into the depths of the Historical Long River.
"So it really was her." Jiang Yan narrowed his eyes, having deduced her origin.
From the way the Causality-Eating Worm called her Fox Guanyin, her association with Guanyin, and her appearance as a Guanyin statue—it naturally reminded a folklore enthusiast like Jiang Yan of an ancient legend from Hangzhou.
From 【Zibu Yu】, the tale of 【Three-Year Guanyin】.
The tale told of a man named Zhou in Hangzhou who once shared an inn with Patriarch Celestial Master, where they met a beautiful woman requesting incense offerings from the people. Upon consulting the Celestial Master, they learned she was a powerful fox demon in possession of Guanyin’s jade belt.
The Patriarch feared she would become a calamity by feeding on incense, so he refused. But Zhou, enamored by her beauty, pleaded for her, and the Celestial Master relented, allowing her to receive three years of incense worship.
Three years later, Zhou, now a scholar, returned and heard of a miraculous Guanyin Temple. His sedan chair broke nearby, so he decided to visit. He found thousands of worshippers, the incense flourishing, but the Guanyin statue was veiled.
The nuns said the statue was too beautiful and might incite disaster.
Zhou didn’t believe it. He had his servant lift the curtain—only to see the same fox demon from three years ago. Furious, he rebuked her for not leaving after enjoying the three years of incense.
As his words fell, the Guanyin statue shattered. When rebuilt, it lost its miraculous power.
The story was simple: a scholar meets a fox spirit—with the addition of Patriarch Celestial Master, it gained novelty.
Yet it implied much more.
Zhou thought his plea granted her the incense—but in truth…
Who did he think he was?
A mere scholar, not even a reincarnation of Ziwei—how could his words decide three years of incense from the people?
Would the Patriarch Celestial Master not recognize the significance of Guanyin’s jade belt?
More so, as a high-ranking Taoist cultivator, how could he dare divide incense meant for Guanyin Bodhisattva?
Zhou’s broken sedan simply let him discover the three-year term’s end.
In the end, this tale's core was 【Causality】.
Plant a cause, and you’ll reap its effect.
All things in the world are predetermined.
The Patriarch merely followed the flow.
In this mutated version of history, she may not be the same seductive Fox Guanyin—but her connection to Guanyin remained.
Guardian of a treasure, awaiting the chosen one.
He just didn’t know—was she appointed to wait for him?
Or had he forcibly seized another’s fate?
"So what if I was? So what if I wasn’t? Obsession only leads to the Obstacle of Perception."
Jiang Yan smiled. Using mortal thoughts to speculate the intentions of great beings was arrogance in itself.
Whatever comes, he’ll deal with it.
Unless Guanyin herself descends, there’s always room to maneuver.
"But still…"
Jiang Yan looked at the 【Sundial of the Old Heavens】 before him. He didn’t rush to let his Demon-God Embryo absorb it, but instead turned to Ba Lie and Zhao Yinman.
This time, if Ba Lie hadn’t stalled Metheus, completing the setup under an Ancient Talisman-level nose would’ve been impossible.
Not to mention clearing all fifty floors of the Fuguo Tower.
The Diseased Domain was conquered by all three of them together.
Especially when he faked his death to help the Causality-Eating Worm cross its tribulation—Ba Lie and Zhao Yinman had risked their lives to bring him back.
Jiang Yan remembered this bond.
He spoke, "I’ll make it up to—"
"There’s nothing to make up for."
Ba Lie cut him off, squinting as he said seriously, "This Diseased Domain was wrecked too badly by the Causality-Eating Worm—nothing valuable left. But resolving the Guanyin mutation wasn’t a loss. Hurry up, pack it in, time to return to the real world."
"Right, Comrade Xiao Zhao?"
Jiang Yan’s offer moved him. Willing to split even Immortal God treasures to repay them...
But...
Ba Lie felt like he’d just coasted through the mission—he didn’t deserve a share.
Besides, seeing his kid gain a great opportunity—how could he not be happy?
With the blessing of an Immortal God treasure, even damaged and with unknown function, Jiang Yan now had the right to vie for the peak of this era.
"Changing the subject is rude."
Zhao Yinman glanced at him. She never lied—quietly jotting down her work log.
Ba Lie’s Heaven-Weaving Maiden arm sneakily peeked over, worried she’d stubbornly record the Immortal God treasure, but what he saw made his eyes widen.
"Good heavens!"
【Jiang Yan schemed to slay the Causality-Eating Worm, burned the Golden Fuguo Diseased Domain, didn’t take a single item—but brought home a big rock as a souvenir...】
Not a single word was false, yet it was more misleading than lies.
Spring-Autumn Style!
Ba Lie sighed, "You’re wasted not being a historian!"
Zhao Yinman nodded. "When you both die, I’ll keep the story alive and pass it on to future generations."
As a zombie, her lifespan was endless.
Only a decayed soul marked death.
And she was far from that.
"..."
Touching words, but could you not curse me dead?
Ba Lie internally groaned, making Jiang Yan laugh heartily.
After that, the trio left the Diseased Domain and returned to the real world.
After their departure, the Golden Apple Diseased Domain gradually withered and shattered under the current of the Historical Long River.
At last, it collapsed completely into a compassionate Guanyin smile—
A fleeting moment, buried deep in the past.
Reality.
Jiang Yan and the others returned, declaring the root of the Guanyin mutation eliminated. The catastrophe had been uprooted, causing a stir.
Because the process had been so effortless—it felt dreamlike to most Yuhang Sub-Bureau members.
No massive casualties. No desperate last-stands. They just went in and resolved it at the source.
Start trouble?
We’ll smash the source first!
When Ba Lie filed the report, he concealed the Immortal God treasure—not out of distrust toward the Bureau of Historical Revision, but to avoid dragging Jiang Yan into potential chaos.
Hence, the mission was ultimately rated as 【Congestion-Level】. Niu Tunan, Cang Hong, and others received 1,000 points. Other contributors received varying amounts—dozens to hundreds.
As for removing the mutation from the Diseased Domain and reducing Hangzhou’s losses, the headquarters awarded 24,000 points.
Jiang Yan chose to split them evenly—8,000 each.
This time, Ba Lie accepted gladly.
The celebration feast was cooked by Yin Yiyi—finally letting the Yuhang Sub-Bureau know…
So the Pan’an Sub-Bureau ate this well all the time!?
Especially with specialties like Flame-Hell Barbecue from the Corpse-Dissolution Court—while visually eerie, the taste was top-tier.
So good it made people want to lie in coffins!
As for Niu Tunan—exhausted from overwork, he fell asleep mid-meal.
Full and satisfied, Jiang Yan didn’t return to rest. Instead, he headed to the cultivation room within the Mountain and River Dragon Vein.
He released the Coffin Spirit and Little Celestial Ghost. The three little ones frolicked about.
As for Jiang Yan, he glanced at the ground—finding no trace of that mysterious entity—then began reviewing his gains from this mission.
First: the Primal Stellar Treasure Lamp.
According to the 【Lamp-Igniting Method】, its normal evolution should’ve been the Star Sea Treasure Lamp. But he had received the gift of the Mother of Stars, resulting in a mutation.
Naturally, the difficulty of the Lamp Tribulation increased exponentially.
Under normal circumstances, it would be impossible to survive.
But he had the good fortune of some poor soul stepping in to take the hit for him.
Thus, after successfully transforming, its power surged,
and three abilities were born.
The first was that it could be raised as a magical treasure to shield the soul.
As long as the candlelight remained unextinguished, the soul stood in an invincible position.
Under the Ancient Talisman level, attacking his body had a higher chance of breaking defenses than targeting the soul.
The second was called【Dark Starfire】.
The flame of the Stellar Divine Lamp could no longer only burn souls.
Wherever Jiang Yan’s gaze fell, he could ignite a mysterious flame of dark starry sky hue upon the target, burning flesh and soul alike. Once tainted, it was hard to extinguish.
So long as the lamp oil endured, the flame would not die.
Until the target was burned into nothingness.
Moreover, he could burn away the karma of slain enemies, and even large-scale slaughter wouldn’t accumulate sins—there was no fear of deduction.
However, the stronger the opponent, the tougher the karma.
For now, he could only purge karma beneath the Heavenly Official level.
Fortunately, as his power grew—or if the burning persisted long enough—it could also be severed.
A low-tier version—Unstained by Karma.
As for lamp oil...
It could be extracted via karma, or refined through burning mutated lifeforms from the Primal Starry Sky, or absorbed from the radiance of the stars—the latter being far less efficient.
“This is, in disguise, pushing me to hunt starry sky-mutated beings. But Old Ba said the worst of the mutations were those Stellar Gods wandering the outer universe—godlike yet not gods, especially powerful... and seemingly risen from the depths of the Historical Long River…”
Jiang Yan pondered internally. Meeting a Stellar God—previously nearly impossible—could now be achieved through his third ability,【Stellar Descent】.
At the cost of a massive amount of lamp oil, he could roam the starry sky and explore the Primal Stellar Realm deemed forbidden by the Bureau of Historical Revision.
But the place was filled with perils—even Heavenly Officials might not return alive. Countless terrors lurked within.
Naturally, Jiang Yan's strength was far from sufficient, but...
The Primal Stellar Divine Lamp could condense a【Stellar Spirit Incarnation】for him—a juvenile form of stellar spirit descending into the dark starry sky and inhabiting his soul, essentially a soul-sharing incarnation.
Even if it died, at most some soul force would be consumed, without injuring the essence.
But the gains obtained could be brought back to the real world.
The Primal Stellar Realm was a conceptual aggregate formed from countless starry skies within the Historical Long River, containing infinite stellar power, forming a unique Forbidden Zone-level Diseased Domain.
It held vast amounts of starry and even spatial-type materials, including supreme-grade elemental qi.
This could help Little Celestial Ghost grow, and also condense the Mirror of the Heaven-Stealing Ghost, releasing it into various diseased domains to gather ascension resources for himself and the Coffin Spirits.
Forming positive feedback, and even snowballing growth.
“Gulu?”
Little Celestial Ghost curiously turned its head, sensing its master’s joyful gaze falling upon it.
Though it didn’t know the reason, as long as its master was happy, it too was happy.
“Same here!” The Coffin Spirit and Three-Headed Flood Dragon quickly chimed in as well!
Jiang Yan patted the head of Little Three, clearly in a good mood.
The second gain was the descendant born after the Causality Worm was devoured by the Demon-God Embryo.
【Causality-Eating Worm】
【Skill Description: Can condense causality worms to gnaw away one’s own and others’ karma. By consuming vast amounts of karma, it can control karmic power and temporarily devour the【Prime Cause】, delaying the arrival of【Retribution】.】
In addition, he also obtained a supreme elemental qi of the causality path:【Eye of Endless Loop of Causality】.
Its appearance resembled a ring formed from countless eyes.
Paths like causality, fate, tribulation, and space didn’t belong to the Ten Heavenly Stems because they weren’t material fundamentals of reality, nor did they correspond to yin or yang.
Hence, even low-grade elemental qi was extremely rare.
To gain a strand of supreme-grade elemental qi was an exceptional stroke of luck.
“I don’t walk a pure causality path, so directly planting it isn’t ideal. But causality and tribulation are closely related—adjacent paths. I can use the Cataclysmic Sea of the Return Ruins to slowly soak it and convert it into the tribulation path.”
Jiang Yan planted it into the River of Calamity Qi, waiting for it to transform into tribulation elemental qi before planting it again.
As for the third gain, it was the secret treasure left by Guanyin:【Sundial of the Old Heavens】.
Jiang Yan had the Demon-God Embryo swallow it, but instead of instantly birthing something, it absorbed a large amount of nutrients, prompting the embryo’s growth.
As the name implied, the Demon-God Embryo—
Was still merely an embryo.
Each time it birthed a descendant, it accumulated nourishment, steadily growing.
Only this time, the nourishment was particularly fierce, allowing the Demon-God Embryo to grow significantly.
It was now on the verge of its next metamorphosis.
When a flood of information surged into Jiang Yan’s mind, his pupils trembled. Realizing the identity of the【Sundial of the Old Heavens】, he exclaimed in shock:
“This is actually… the authority of the Supreme Sun!”