"Ding! Congratulations! Your Dragon Clan's fate has increased by 1 point!"
"Ding! Congratulations! Your Dragon Clan's fate has increased by 1 point!"
"Ding! Congratulations! Your Dragon Clan's fate has increased by 1 point!"
That crisp, familiar chime echoed once again in Ao Qing's ears. At first stunned, he then broke into a delighted grin.
"Heh… Fate has never been easier to farm."
In just a few breaths' time, the Dragon Clan's fate value had jumped by four points!
"Collect."
Without paying any more mind to the notifications, Ao Qing silently recited an incantation. In an instant, the towering thousand-zhang Exquisite Spirit Tower rapidly shrank back down and landed gently in the palm of his hand.
Staring at the treasure nestled in his palm, Ao Qing smiled with satisfaction.
Just the Shushan cultivators inside this tower were more than enough to boost the combat strength of his Four Seas Army by a huge margin!
Only one issue remained—loyalty.
But just as Ao Qing was mulling over that problem, another prompt rang in his ears:
"Your innate spiritual treasure, the Seven-Colored Exquisite Spirit Tower, is eligible to receive evolution points. Do you wish to allocate one now?"
"Upon evolution, the tower will become the Nine-Colored Exquisite Spirit Tower, capable of suppressing any enemy with lesser cultivation than the wielder. Additionally, all captured enemies will be forced to 100% loyalty and become permanent slaves."
Ao Qing's eyes narrowed.
"Huh? Even that's possible?"
He hadn't received any prompts like this when he first obtained the tower from Guiding Daoist. Clearly, the system had sensed his dilemma and responded at just the right moment.
This tower, once evolved, would be on par with his Mountains and Rivers Destiny Map—one could seize fate, the other could force loyalty.
And now, both were his.
"Perfect."
Without hesitation, Ao Qing allocated one evolution point into the Seven-Colored Exquisite Spirit Tower.
After all, the thousands of cultivators inside—especially those from Shushan—were far more useful as loyal servants than as prisoners.
"Ding! Evolution point successfully allocated to Seven-Colored Exquisite Spirit Tower."
"Congratulations! Your treasure has evolved into the Nine-Colored Exquisite Spirit Tower. All enemies absorbed will now become permanent loyal slaves!"
Ao Qing could barely contain his joy.
Before he could even fully explore the newly upgraded tower's capabilities, another prompt chimed again:
"Detected: Your Nine-Colored Exquisite Spirit Tower currently contains 4,121 Shushan cultivators. One has achieved ascension. Would you like to convert all captives into permanent loyal slaves?"
"Once converted, their loyalty will be locked at 100%. They will follow your commands forever. This action cannot be undone."
Ao Qing's eyes gleamed.
"Yes."
The response was instant.
"Ding! Congratulations! Shushan's founding master Qingwei's loyalty has increased to 100%! He is now your human slave!"
"Ding! Congratulations! Shushan elder Qingchu's loyalty has increased to 100%! He is now your human slave!"
"Ding! Shushan elder…"
"Ding! Shushan elder…"
One chime after another resounded in his ears.
Ao Qing's smile widened.
"Now that's more like it."
With these once-proud cultivators now utterly obedient, so many of his worries simply disappeared.
This... was the true power of evolution points.
But Ao Qing did not reveal a shred of his inner joy. He simply cleared his throat with a light cough.
Only then did Prime Minister Turtle and the rest of the Eastern Sea Dragon Clan finally snap out of their stunned silence. Their faces were still filled with awe and shock—it was nearly impossible to believe their Dragon King possessed such terrifying strength.
Their gazes fell upon the now-empty Mount Shushan.
Ao Qing's figure flickered and descended directly onto the mountain's summit.
Though the place was now deserted, it was still one of the Thirty-Six Celestial Mountains and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands. Just by standing atop it, Ao Qing could clearly sense a faint, ancient fragrance wafting through the air, soothing his heart and mind.
Moreover, threads of pure spiritual energy continuously gathered around him, cleansing and nourishing his entire body.
"It's nowhere near the Eastern Sea Dragon Palace in quality," Ao Qing muttered, "but for cultivation, this is still a first-rate sacred land."
He closed his eyes slightly.
"If I'm not mistaken, Pangu's Heart should be hidden here in Shushan…"
A grin crept onto his face.
Suddenly, a mighty dragon aura surged from his body and swept outward in all directions. Moments later, the sound of cracking rock echoed through the air as a massive fissure opened beneath his feet.
Without pause, Ao Qing dove into the crevice.
According to legend, Shushan was once the resting place of Pangu's heart.
After the great god opened the heavens, his body gave rise to all things. His breath became the wind, his voice became thunder, and his blood birthed the rivers and seas. His heart, however—Pangu's Heart—transformed into Shushan.
Countless cultivators and demons had come seeking the essence and bloodline of Pangu, but none had ever succeeded.
But now?
"Only I—a transmigrator—know the true path."
As he ventured deeper, the space around him expanded rapidly. Soon, enormous crimson arteries came into view, weaving and intertwining, all converging toward a single, pulsing core.
There it was.
Still beating.
With each thump, the entire cavern rumbled as if the mountain itself were alive.
"That's it… Pangu's Heart."
Ao Qing's eyes sparkled.
Even from a distance, he could feel the ancient, unfathomable power slumbering within.
It was a primordial force, as though it had witnessed the creation of heaven and earth itself.
"Pangu's Heart!?"
"T-the Heart of Pangu!?"
Behind him, Prime Minister Turtle and the elders gasped, eyes wide with disbelief.
After all, everyone in the mythic world knew—this realm had been born from Pangu's might. His remains had birthed the world; his breath gave rise to the three great Dao Saints; his bloodline created the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
And now, his heart, source of all things divine—was right in front of them.
"If we, the Dragon Clan, can obtain this…"
"Then our rise… will be unstoppable!"
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