Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

The heavens were murky and the earth was turbid. In a nameless void, the impossibly colossal skeleton of a giant beast lay suspended. Its spine rose and fell like a mountain range, jagged bone spurs jutting out and glowing with a pure, jade-like light.

Upon the beast's joints, which resembled pillars supporting the heavens, were built the White Bone Palaces and temples—a continuous stretch of buildings. This was the headquarters of the Bone Sect, one of the four great Demon Sects.

In one of the White Bone Palaces, two Daoists were in conversation. One of them, with a grave expression, said, "Senior Brother, we must treat this matter with the utmost caution."

The one addressed as Senior Brother, a withered old Daoist, replied with an indifferent expression, "Who is this person? What's their cultivation level? How am I supposed to respond to a Flying Book sent for no reason at all?"

His junior brother, a short, middle-aged Daoist, frowned. "But if the Tai Su Orthodox Sect truly intends to intervene in the conflict between our Bone Sect and the Celestial Abyss Sect, I'm afraid our sect won't be able to withstand them alone."

The withered old Daoist hummed faintly. "If that's the case, what 'utmost caution' are you suggesting we take?"

The short Daoist was taken aback for a moment, then said hesitantly, "Perhaps... we could ask the Innate Demon Sect for aid."

The withered old Daoist asked, "Let me ask you, are the four great Demon Sects truly united?"

The short Daoist's expression grew heavy. "Of course not. But our Bone Sect is acting as the vanguard for the Demon Sects, being the first to provoke this conflict with the Celestial Abyss Sect..."

The withered old Daoist said coolly, "Celestial Abyss is situated within the Abyssal Gorges of the earth's fissures. Its Spiritual Qi is abundant, but its turbid miasma is even more so, which makes it perfectly suited for our Bone Technique. Our Bone Sect isn't acting as a vanguard for the Demon Sects; we are fighting for our own advancement."

The short Daoist fell silent. The old Daoist glanced sideways at him, shook his head, and said, "Let me ask you another question. Are the Three Sects and Six Schools truly united?"

The short Daoist replied, "Of course not. The Divine Continent has existed under Chengxuan's influence for ten thousand years. The Three Sects have remained eternal, but the members of the Six Schools have changed several times. If they were truly united, how could that be possible?"

"Correct. There is no harmony among the Three Sects and Six Schools. If there were, then even if our four great Demon Sects were a solid block, we still couldn't contend with the orthodox establishment," the withered old Daoist nodded. "The Tai Su Orthodox Sect has never had friendly relations with the Celestial Abyss Sect. Why would they intervene in a conflict between our two sects now?"

The short Daoist sighed. "That may be so, but the reputation of the Tai Su Sect is simply too fearsome. I can't help but worry."

The withered old Daoist gazed off into the distance and said hauntingly, "Which of our four great Demon Sects hasn't endured suppression by the orthodox establishment, yet continued to pass down its teachings for ten thousand years? The Three Sects may be strong, but there is no need to be overly fearful."

"Yes, Senior Brother," the short Daoist replied.

The withered old Daoist nodded. "Since the Celestial Abyss Sect is unwilling to hand over Liao Yuan, the time to strike will soon be upon us. Many things have yet to be arranged. You should go attend to your duties, Junior Brother."

The short Daoist cupped his hands in assent, turned, and left the main hall. He had only taken a few steps when a thought struck him. 'That may be true, but that person is heading for the Celestial Abyss Sect's territory, and I still don't know their purpose. I just hope they don't ruin the sect's plans.'

The more he thought about it, the more sense it made. 'To be on the safe side, I should send word to put all areas on high alert,' he thought. 'And that Earth Lung Fire Element I need for my cultivation... I need to have Extreme Flame Demon deliver it as soon as possible.'

Having made his decision, the short Daoist wasted no more time. He took out some talisman paper, carefully wrote a message with his finger, and sent it flying off. Then, he retrieved a Bone Talisman from his pouch, channeling his Magical Power to form tiny characters that seeped into it before giving it a slight push of energy.

Far away in the Divine Continent, deep within the Earth Lungs an unknown distance beneath a mountain range, another Bone Talisman vibrated faintly.

"Hmm?" The expression of a Taoist with a red beard, red hair, sharp owl-like eyes, and a tigerish mouth flickered. He drew the Bone Talisman from his sleeve, and tiny, rice-sized characters floated up from its surface.

The Red-haired Taoist scanned it carefully and frowned. "Has something unexpected happened? They want me to deliver the Fire Element a hundred days early."

He glanced around, muttering to himself, "A pity. It's not often I get to return to the Earth Lungs. I was hoping to have a proper cultivation session."

That was out of the question now. Still, before he left, he might as well absorb some Earth Fire to refine a few of his techniques.

The Red-haired Taoist shook his head, formed a Magic Formula, and let out a great shout. Black smoke billowed as murky fire rolled in from all directions, all of which he swallowed into his belly. His expression remained unchanged; if anything, he began swallowing faster and faster. In just two hours, he had managed to lower the fiery energy in this vast fire cavern by a full notch.

——

In the refining chamber Xuzhuang had created, Artifact Refining was in full swing.

At the mouth of the Fire Chamber, fierce flames roared. Cloud Quartz, Star Sand, and all sorts of rare treasures churned within the blaze, gradually melting into multicolored liquids. Then, under the pressure of Xuzhuang's Magical Power, they merged into a single mass and began to smelt.

Xuzhuang divided his focus, maintaining the fire smelting the materials while also taking out the Primordial Jade Gui he had prepared. This naturally formed, tablet-shaped jade was wondrous; Spiritual Qi and Magical Power could flow through it without the slightest loss. It required almost no refining, making it the perfect material for Xuzhuang's purpose.

He suspended the Primordial Jade Gui before him and took a yellow paper talisman from his sleeve. It was covered in densely packed, minuscule characters written with Furnace Sand—the very restriction runes derived from the Void Shape Xuan Creation Dragon Dao Skill.

He pressed the yellow talisman over the Primordial Jade Gui, and it fit perfectly, seam to seam. Xuzhuang gathered another breath of Magical Power and blew. The talisman dissipated like smoke, but the densely packed restriction runes had already settled onto the jade tablet, sinking deep into its surface.

As Xuzhuang methodically worked through each step of the Artifact Refining, the materials smelting in the Earth Fire shed their various colors. They began to faintly transform into a silvery substance that glittered with specks of starlight—a sign that they were beginning to fuse. All he had to do now was maintain the fire and wait.

A satisfied expression was just beginning to form on Xuzhuang's face when he suddenly froze. He noticed that the intensity of the fire in the Fire Chamber had diminished slightly. While it wasn't yet enough to affect his Artifact Refining, the flames were still steadily weakening. If this continued, there was no telling what would happen.

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