Fang Han never expected that simply cultivating a sliver of the Great Universal Mercy Light would cause the talisman from the Five-Element Land to respond. Clearly, there were depths to the charm he had yet to uncover.
Since it reacted, he made a quiet decision: from now on, he would regularly refine the talisman using the Mercy Light. Only by nurturing it with this Buddhist brilliance would he uncover its true nature.
With a thought, he slipped into the Yellow Springs Diagram.
Inside, the dragon spirit Yan still coiled atop the Blood Dragon Crystal mountain. He remained unmoving, immersed in his final stage of rebirth. His transformation had long surpassed a skeletal frame; flesh, scales, whiskers—every part of him was now real, immaculate, and alive. This was no illusion. By absorbing the blood essence within the crystal mountain and merging with Fang Han's Wood Emperor qi, he had finally reconstructed a true draconic body.
He spanned a full thousand feet, radiating surging pure yang energy.
Yet he remained in perfect stillness, wrapped in spiraling streams of sacred Yellow Springs water that constantly refined the last traces of impurity.
Fang Han had held back the Yellow Springs Diagram during his battle with Star-Extinguishing for this very reason. If the diagram trembled too violently at a critical moment, and Yan fell into deviation, the Yellow Springs Treasury would forever remain sealed to him.
"Since you've worked so hard, let me give you a hand," Fang Han said.
His Heavenly Gate opened, and his golden core shot out—immediately blooming with delicate, soft flames. Tender threads of scarlet fire unfurled like countless red silks, sweeping across Yan's colossal body and sinking into his scales.
Yan did not react.
He seemed not even to feel the refining fire.
But his body subtly shrank, and from between his scales seeped wisps of gray and black impurities, carrying a foul stench. The last remnants of filth burned away.
His dragon scales grew smoother and more lustrous, supple yet strong, radiating a dignified, sacred aura.
A deep, thunderous roar erupted from his throat.
Yan opened his eyes.
"I never thought the day would come where I attained true form… a real dragon! All I need now is pure yang qi to restore my immortal body, reopen the Wheel of Reincarnation, reclaim every shred of my former power. And now—The Bridge of No Return… open for me!"
With a sweep of his claw, the Yellow Springs Diagram convulsed. Demonic mists surged. A massive stone bridge emerged across the dark holy river, fully manifested at last—the ancient battlefield scars upon it still glistening with divine and demonic blood.
Fang Han watched it appear, then stepped forward with draconic stride and fearless momentum. In one bound, he crossed infinite distance and landed upon the bridge. His golden core—complete with ninety divine abilities—shone overhead, suppressing the structure effortlessly.
Wind whipped across the river, tugging at his robes as he rested a hand on the stone railing.
For the first time, he was master of the Bridge of No Return.
"Fang Han—y-you've formed a golden core! You actually succeeded!" Yan's booming voice trembled with disbelief. During Fang Han's battle with Star-Extinguishing, Yan had been completely oblivious, locked in deep reconstitution.
"That's right. I've stepped into the Golden Core realm. Nine thousand years of lifespan, ninety million horses of force. Nearly ten million. Almost touching the threshold of the Eternal Life realm."
Fang Han smiled.
"Mountain-Lifting!"
BOOM.
A deafening quake thundered through the diagram as Fang Han swept into the sky, descending onto the Blood Dragon Crystal mountain. A surge of boundless might exploded from him. The entire mountain—so heavy it defied measurement—was ripped upward, suspended in his grasp like a mere stone.
Just like Hua Tiandu.
He now possessed mountain-lifting, earth-shattering strength.
Yan let out a low, excited rumble.
"It was thanks to your Red Emperor Fire Essence that I could refine the heavenly dragon bones so quickly and unlock both the Abyss Gate and the Bridge of No Return. Now, the Yellow Springs Diagram carries the power of a true top-grade dao artifact. It can clash evenly with Fang Qingxue's Immortal Lightning Talisman or Hua Tiandu's Primordial Desolation Furnace."
His draconic aura surged.
"With this power restored, I finally have confidence to battle Hua Tiandu! I will fulfill my twenty-year oath!"
Though only three years had passed in the outside world, Fang Han had spent eighteen years inside the TaYuan Immortal Mansion—time enough to make the vow nearly true.
Reaching Golden Core in twenty years was unprecedented.
By realm alone, Fang Han still lagged behind Hua Tiandu. But in raw magic power and its purity, he had caught up. Artifact for artifact, Yellow Springs Diagram now rivaled the Primordial Desolation Furnace. The gap between them had vanished.
Though killing Hua Tiandu outright would still be nearly impossible—even for ancient giants—Fang Han was now a contender for the strongest in the supernatural arts realm.
"I wonder about the two above Hua Tiandu on the Provisional Eternal Life Ranking… Brahma Pure Shadow and Misty Water. Hua Tiandu is nearly on par with ancient giants already. What kind of monsters could surpass him? Misty Water even broke the Bloodless Execution Array of a true ancient giant… I hope I get the chance to face them."
His thoughts drifted to the two unreachable prodigies above Hua Tiandu.
Yan's tone turned grim.
"If Hua Tiandu breaks through to the Eternal Life realm and becomes an ancient giant, his power will transform again. With the help of Life-Creation Pills, he could achieve an immortal body. Beating you would be easy. You must raise your realm soon. But the more divine abilities you gather, the harder the breakthrough becomes. The next tribulation—the Wind-Fire Calamity—that is your life-or-death moment. Survive it, and your path opens. Fail… and you're ash."
Fang Han's eyes flashed.
"Hmph. Wind-Fire Calamity? Perfect for tempering my golden core! After I accumulate for a while longer, I'll study its mysteries and try to ignite the calamity myself—cross it in one decisive strike. And once I bring a Golden Core gift to Exquisite Immortal Venerable, she'll certainly guide my cultivation."
He waved a hand.
"Now—I'll forge the prototype of my future life-bound treasure: the Eightfold Pagoda."
The Blood Dragon Crystal mountain roared as it spun violently. Though Yan had consumed much of its blood essence, it remained translucent and filled with vigorous draconic energy.
"Eight Dragon King Rulers! Burning Dragon Furnace! Dragon-Eye Sphere! Evening Drum! Morning Bell! Prayer Beads! Sky-Splitting Halberd! King-Slaying Axe—come forth!"
Eight powerful top-grade artifacts shot out and orbited the whirling mountain.
Fang Han exhaled a torrent of fire a thousand feet long, enveloping the mountain and the eight artifacts. Following the forging instructions within the Heavenly Dragon Codex, he began forming the earliest structure of the Eightfold Pagoda.
He wasn't refining a dao artifact—he was assembling parts. True refinement of the Eightfold Pagoda was far beyond his current realm.
But even fusing them required tremendous power—power he finally had.
Under the blazing fire, the Blood Dragon Crystal mountain softened. Its surface collapsed inward, forming eight compartments—eight layers of a tower.
One by one, the eight artifacts embedded themselves into the mountain, dissolving and transforming.
The small bronze bell burst with golden radiance, expanding until it became a massive ceremonial bell whose deep tone echoed throughout the Diagram.
The drum thundered in answer, but instead of warlike ferocity, its sound was solemn, meditative—like the evening drum of a monastery.
The Heavenly Dragon Codex had always hinted that dragon arts shared kinship with ancient Buddhism. This was why Fang Han had exchanged his two catastrophic sun arts for the Great Universal Mercy Light.
Under the roaring flames, the fusion completed.
The Eightfold Pagoda took form—a colossal top-grade artifact.
Still only a top-grade artifact, not a dao artifact. Without the Eternal Life realm, no amount of fused artifacts could birth a true artifact spirit.
But even as a prototype, the Eightfold Pagoda radiated terrifying power.
Eight top-grade artifacts and a mountain of Blood Dragon Crystal—the force was undeniable. Any one of the pieces, like the Eight Dragon King Rulers, could already threaten Golden Core experts.
But the pagoda was enormous, still mountain-sized. Too massive for battle. Casting it at enemies would be slower than using his own spells.
It was a treasure of suppression, not offense.
Yan burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Fang Han, how are you supposed to fight with THAT? Throwing a mountain at your enemies? You'll die of old age before it hits anyone!"
Fang Han smirked, pacing across the towering structure like a man strolling his own mountain estate.
"It's not meant for combat," he said. "Just a foundation for the future."
Only one thing bothered him.
The backside of the mountain—now the rear of the Pagoda—was a bare cliff face. No carvings, no engravings, nothing.
He considered inscribing something himself—
—but paused.
A spark of intuition flickered.
He pulled out the Five-Element Land Talisman and slapped it onto the sheer cliff.
BOOM.
The entire Blood Dragon Crystal mountain trembled violently.
And then—it began to shrink.
Fang Han's eyes flew wide.