SFS Chapter 2: A Treasure Hunt in Yaochi!
Chapter 2: A Treasure Hunt in Yaochi!
Yaochi was immediately delighted upon hearing this, since there was no one available just now, and now that there was suddenly someone to help, she was naturally happy!
Originally, they came to the Heavenly Court empty-handed. The Lingxiao Palace was dilapidated, and the Yaochi Wonderland was ruined. Looking around, there wasn't even a single sweeping boy.
Although Yaochi is the Great Celestial Venerable, he cannot do everything personally.
Now that the Taibai Immortal Stone has taken human form, possessing both innate talent and the cultivation of a Taiyi Golden Immortal, even though the Heavenly Court is in dire need of rebuilding, at least we have our first usable person.
"Very good."
Yaochi immediately said solemnly, "Since you are the incarnation of Taibai Jinjing and are in the Yaochi Wonderland, you have a special connection with this wonderland. I hereby bestow upon you the title of Taibai Jinxing, to oversee all affairs of the Yaochi Wonderland. In the future, the reopening of the Peach Forest and the reconstruction of the Immortal Palace will all be under your command."
Upon hearing this, Li Taibai waved his whisk and cupped his hands, saying, "This humble immortal, Li Taibai, receives the decree of the Great Heavenly Venerable! I thank the Great Heavenly Venerable for this imperial decree!"
Yaochi was overjoyed at this moment. Of course, as joyful as he was, one Venus could not change the fact that Yaochi Wonderland was in ruins.
Yaochi sighed softly.
"Venus".
"Little Fairy is here."
"Now the Jade Pool is empty, the celestial palace is in ruins, the spiritual roots have withered, and even the pool water has lost its spiritual energy."
Yaochi looked distressed: "I have the position of Great Celestial Venerable, yet I have no idea where to begin when faced with this ruin."
Upon hearing this, Li Bai immediately said, "I respectfully report to the Great Heavenly Venerable, please follow me."
Yaochi was slightly taken aback and glanced at Li Taibai.
Li Bai didn't offer much explanation and headed straight in one direction.
Yaochi felt a surge of curiosity.
This newly transformed Venus has never left the Jade Pool Wonderland. What could he possibly know? And where could he take her?
Li Bai left the Western Heavenly Gate, rode on a white cloud, and Yaochi followed on a cloud.
The two, one after the other, passed through the Nine Heavens Gale Layer and flew into the depths of the sky.
Soon the sky ahead gradually darkened.
It wasn't the darkness of night, but a deep, dark blue, as if one had sailed from daylight into eternal night.
The stars lit up against the deep blue sky, sparse at first, becoming denser as you went further, until finally, a sky full of stars adorned the sky overhead.
Amidst the surrounding stars, a colossal star floats silently.
The star was entirely silvery-white, with a faint, clear glow on its surface, as if veiled by a thin gauze.
The moonlight spread out, dyeing the surrounding star field a gentle moon white.
The outlines of undulating mountains and rivers are faintly visible on the surface of the stars, but those mountains and rivers are all silvery white and cold.
Taiyin Star!
As soon as the two arrived at Taiyin Star, a woman appeared. She was dressed in a plain white dress, with long hair like a waterfall. Her face was so pale that it was almost transparent, and there was a faint sadness between her brows, as if she had something on her mind.
"Chang'e pays her respects to the Great Celestial Venerable."
Yaochi's gaze fell on Chang'e, and she scrutinized her for a moment.
"Are you Hou Yi's wife?" Yaochi asked.
Chang'e nodded and said, "Reporting to the Great Heavenly Venerable, it is indeed I, a humble immortal. I was newly married when the Heavenly Empress Xihe gave me an elixir. After consuming it, I was unable to control myself and floated here. Since then, I have been trapped on this Taiyin Star and can no longer leave."
Newlyweds, before even consummating their marriage, were separated, and then came the final battle between the Lich King and the Demon King, in which Hou Yi also perished!
Yaochi looked at Chang'e and remained silent for a moment.
"Very well, since you have met me, it is fate. I am the Golden Mother of Yaochi, the Great Celestial Venerable who commands all immortals. I hereby bestow upon you the title of Taiyin Star Lord, in charge of all affairs of Taiyin Star. From now on, this Moon Palace will be your residence, and you will no longer be confined here, but may travel freely to the Three Realms."
Upon hearing this, Chang'e trembled and knelt down again, her forehead touching the ground, her voice trembling slightly.
"Chang'e receives the decree of the Great Heavenly Venerable! She kowtows in gratitude for the Great Heavenly Venerable's imperial decree!"
Yaochi nodded: "Let's follow."
Chang'e rose and stood beside Yaochi with her hands at her sides.
Then he glanced at Li Taibai and nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Li Taibai nodded in return. One was the newly transformed Venus, and the other was the newly appointed Moon Goddess; both were now from the Jade Pool.
Li Bai did not linger and turned to continue leading the way.
Yaochi followed with Chang'e.
The three of them crossed a silvery-white plain, passed several low moon hills, and arrived at a seemingly ordinary mountain.
That mountain isn't the highest or the most dangerous on the Taiyin Star.
Its entire body is silvery-white, indistinguishable from the surrounding mountains.
The hillside was covered with a thin layer of moon dust, devoid of any vegetation or unusual aura; at first glance, it appeared to be just an ordinary moon mountain.
Li Bai stopped in front of the mountain, refusing to move. He draped his whisk over his arm, looked up at the mountain for a long while, as if trying to identify something or confirm something.
In fact, before the Lich War, Xihe and Changxi had a conversation that Li Bai learned about: there was a Taiyin Grand Array on the Taiyin Star!
However, he only knew it, but was not sure if it was true, but Li Bai wrote it down nonetheless.
The Taiyin Grand Formation was not something he could break on his own, so Li Taibai told Yaochi directly.
Yaochi stood behind him without urging him on, and Chang'e stood quietly to the side, her cool gaze shifting back and forth between Li Bai and the mountain without saying a word.
After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Li Bai turned around and bowed to Yaochi.
"I hereby inform the Great Heavenly Venerable that this is the treasure trove of the Heavenly Queen Xihe."
Yaochi's gaze suddenly sharpened: "A treasure trove?"
"Exactly."
Li Taibai pointed to the seemingly ordinary Moon Mountain: "When I first gained sentience in the Jade Pool Immortal Realm, it was on the eve of the Great War between the Lich King and the Demon King. The Heavenly Queen Xihe secretly ascended to the Moon Star and hid a batch of treasures here. Using the entire Moon Star as a base, she set up a Great Moon Array to seal the treasure's location within. Later, the great war broke out, Xihe perished, and this secret was buried with her."
He lowered his hand and looked at Yaochi.
"The Great Celestial Venerable can open the Taiyin Grand Array here. The items within the array may be able to resolve the current predicament of the Jade Pool Immortal Realm."
Upon hearing this, Yaochi was overjoyed and looked at Li Taibai with delight.
Regardless, he was just a mere child who had become the Heavenly Emperor, with no support system. This Li Taibai was truly a pleasant surprise!
The treasure trove, the Taiyin Grand Array, the relics of the Heavenly Empress Xihe.
This is like a pillow being delivered to someone who's just fallen asleep.
Just moments ago, he was lamenting that the Jade Pool was empty and he didn't know what to do, but in the blink of an eye, someone led him here to search for treasure.
The Heavenly Court is in dire need of rebuilding; what is it lacking most?
It was their family fortune. Di Jun and Tai Yi had already exhausted their resources in the Lich War, yet Xi He still had a trump card up her sleeve.
In fact, there was no need for Li Bai to hide anything from Yaochi, because he would lose a lot if he left Yaochi now.
Now it belongs to the original shares of Yaochi Tianzun, why not buy in?
"Very good."
Yaochi only said two words, but the joy in her voice was unmistakable.
Yaochi stepped forward and flipped her right palm.
The Gathering Immortals Flag appeared in his palm, grew in the wind, and in the blink of an eye transformed into a flag more than ten feet tall.
The primordial energy surged forth from the flag like a tide, enveloping the entire Moon Mountain.
Chang'e was struck by that aura and involuntarily took half a step back, her eyes showing surprise.
Li Bai remained completely still, only slightly narrowing his eyes.
Yaochi reached into her hair with her left hand and took out a gold hairpin.
The gold hairpin was about three inches long and was made entirely of innate Geng metal.
The divine power of the Gathering Immortals Banner condensed above Moon Mountain, and the Xuanhuang Qi grew increasingly dense, almost solidifying into a tangible form.
The entire Moon Mountain began to tremble, and silvery-white moon dust fell in a flurry, revealing the faint array patterns emerging on the mountain's surface.
The array patterns were moon-white, similar in color to the mountain, and would have been completely invisible had the vibrations not stripped away the moon dust.
Yaochi held the golden hairpin in her hand, aimed it at the emerging array patterns, and gently traced them.
This seemingly casual stroke, however, tore a dark rift in the space where the golden hairpin passed.
A pale golden light emanated from the edge of the crack, the traces of the collision between the Great Celestial Venerable's power and the Taiyin Grand Array. The entire Taiyin Star trembled, and a rumbling echo came from the distant Moon Mountain, as if this ancient star was uttering a low murmur.
The Taiyin Grand Array has manifested.
The entire Taiyin star serves as the base of the formation, while the power of the moon's essence is its source.
Countless beams of moon-white light surged from all directions of the Taiyin Star, weaving together to form a massive array on the mountain's surface.
At the center of the formation is a full moon-shaped eye that emits an extremely cold light.
Yaochi's golden hairpin struck the eye of the full moon formation.
"open!"
Yaochi gave a soft shout, and the primordial energy on the Gathering Immortals Banner suddenly poured into the golden hairpin. The golden phoenix on the head of the hairpin seemed to come alive, and a golden and red light shone through it.
The light struck the array's core, causing the full moon array core to tremble violently before cracking open in the middle.
The gap widened rapidly, and the entire Taiyin Grand Array was like a piece of cloth torn apart by scissors, ripping open from the array's core to both sides.
One after another, the moon-white array patterns broke, producing a crisp sound like a snapping harp string.
The mountain shook violently, and moon dust poured down like a waterfall.
Then, deep inside the mountain, a huge cave entrance slowly appeared.
The cave entrance was ten zhang high and wide enough for dozens of people to walk side by side.
The cave was not dark; instead, it emitted a soft, pearly glow, as if someone had lit up countless luminous pearls inside.
The pearly light reflected on the stone wall at the cave entrance refracted into a rainbow of colors, creating a dreamlike spectacle.
Yaochi put away the Gathering Immortals Flag, put the golden hairpin back into her hair, stood in front of the cave entrance, and felt the rich spiritual energy surging from the cave, feeling extremely happy.
The treasure trove of the Heavenly Empress Xihe, the Moon Goddess Chang'e, and Venus Li Taibai.
Having been in the Heavenly Court for only a day, he had already taken on two subordinate officials and found Xihe's relics.
"Come with me and see what treasures this Empress has left behind."