A Divine Artifact from Memory

The Sun Divine Tree. This was the name Qin Sang had chosen for his new magic treasure. Its design was inspired by a divine artifact from the memories of his previous life—the bronze divine tree. Back then, he had been fortunate enough to behold a restored replica of that sacred tree, and the profound awe it had inspired lingered vividly in his mind to this day. When contemplating the form of his magic treasure, Qin Sang had decided to model it after the bronze divine tree as a sort of sentimental tribute. Upon a base forged from the Nine-Life Black Tortoise shell, three roots supported the trunk of the divine tree. The trunk rose straight and tall. Its boughs were arranged in three tiers, each tier branching out in three directions, making nine boughs in total across the entire tree. All of the branches drooped in a graceful, curving posture, etched with flickering runes like ancient decorative patterns. None of this, however, was the primary feature. Most striking was a short shoot branching upward from each bough, curving slightly to support a small circular disk that held a flower bud atop it. In Qin Sang's conception, once the Vermilion Bird True Feather was subdued, the Nanming Primordial Fire would be guided into the white bronze trunk. Ultimately, the power of those flames would coalesce atop the flower buds, transforming into nine divine birds holding their heads high with tails upturned! That way, he could employ the magic treasure to wield the Nanming Primordial Fire, rather than merely treating it as a vessel to seal the Vermilion Bird True Feather away. At this moment, the first step was complete. The Vermilion Bird True Feather had been drawn into the base forged from the black tortoise shell. Deprived of its source, the Nanming Primordial Fire was no longer a match for the ancient golden-thread restriction. Its intensity rapidly waned, suppressed by the dense golden radiance, while the majority of the flames followed their origin and surged into the Sun Divine Tree. The stone chamber was laid bare in its entirety. At the very center of the chamber stood a circular stone platform. Its center was hollow, its surface traced with dense patterns of the ancient golden-thread restriction, glowing bright red from within. The residual flames retreated inside, settling into a hearth of fire whose gentle, swaying flickers appeared thoroughly docile. They were now rootless fire that would gradually dissipate with time. As expected, this place had once been an alchemy chamber. Yet there was only the alchemy chamber, with no cauldron to be seen. Nor were there any fire conduits to channel subterranean fire, demonstrating that the spiritual fire the ancient cultivators had used for concocting pills had been the Nanming Primordial Fire itself. Qin Sang had no leeway to examine his surroundings. He sat down cross-legged on the floor and closed his eyes. Before him, the Sun Divine Tree slowly rotated. Inside the base of the Sun Divine Tree, once the Vermilion Bird True Feather was dragged into the Mysterious Water Space, the power of mysterious water contained within the black tortoise shell surged forward in a torrent. The tortoise shell came from a Transformation-stage Nine-Life Black Tortoise; while nowhere near the level of the Vermilion Bird, the power of mysterious water still possessed a degree of restraint against flames and could blend with the aura of the green copper chunk. Of course, the lion's share of the credit belonged to the green copper chunk. Qin Sang focused all his attention on driving the magic treasure with everything he had. The green copper chunk manifested within the Mysterious Water Space, its green light deepening. The Vermilion Bird True Feather trembled ceaselessly, attempting to pull away from its natural nemesis. At this point, however, escape was out of the question. The green copper chunk slowly descended onto the true body of the Vermilion Bird True Feather, pinning it down so that the two treasures adhered tightly to one another. Suppressing the true feather's body was half the battle won. Daring not slacken, Qin Sang hastily shifted his attention to the divine tree. Under his guidance, the power of the Nanming Primordial Fire flowed into the tree. The white bronze trunk was instantly stained red. In an intensely unstable state, its entire form turned crimson, coated in an enamel-like sheen that seemed to ripple, leaving one to worry whether it might melt away on the spot. This was another major hurdle; until this moment, Qin Sang had felt no certainty in his heart. The mysterious white bronze had an unusual origin, unmentioned in any ancient texts of the modern world. No one knew whether its material could withstand the potent Nanming Primordial Fire. Qin Sang could only do his utmost, drawing upon everything he had learned in his life and melting various other precious spiritual items into it to forge the tree body. The rest was up to fate. Qin Sang's mind was wound taut, not letting a single subtle shift in the divine tree escape his notice. Flames drifted slowly through the tree body. The trunk grew translucent, revealing the fiery currents coursing within. Tame as it seemed on the surface, Qin Sang knew full well how violent its nature truly was. The shock and destruction inflicted by the Nanming Primordial Fire were well within Qin Sang's expectations. Runes across the tree's surface flickered and dimmed in wide swathes. Qin Sang was frantically occupied, doing everything he could to repair them, yet still found himself stretched thin. The situation seemed perilous in the extreme as the divine tree shook violently. Yet the joy on Qin Sang's face only deepened. Living up to expectations, the tree body forged of the mysterious white bronze did not collapse; it held firm. In fact, throughout the process, the body of the divine tree became even more refined and compact. At the same time, the aura of fire converged at the centers of the tree's nine flower buds. These fiery auras churned restlessly, but as time passed, they gradually condensed into crimson fireballs, and the trembling of the divine tree steadily subsided. Qin Sang opened his eyes, a brilliant light flashing within them. Across the surface of the crimson divine tree, an ethereal layer of flame seemed to burn perpetually. With the slightest movement, it showered streamers resembling streaks of rosy dawn—exquisitely magnificent. The fireballs at the centers of the flower buds shone with an even more dazzling brilliance, looking like nine miniature suns suspended from the boughs. Seen this way, it truly bore some resemblance to the legendary divine tree Fusang. Admiring it thoroughly from top to bottom, Qin Sang was filled with satisfaction. This was a magic treasure conceived and forged entirely by his own hands, an extraordinarily rare accomplishment in this modern age. Despite numerous twists and turns, he had finally succeeded. He released his spiritual sense, cautiously extending it into the Sun Divine Tree to stimulate the fireballs atop the buds. The divine tree suddenly shuddered, and the Nanming Primordial Fire showed signs of turning violent. The moment a fireball collapsed and the balance shattered, all his prior efforts would go to waste. Qin Sang's heart tightened, and he hastily pulled back. His gaze settled upon the nine buds. Once condensed into fireballs, the process had stalled, falling somewhat short of what he had envisioned. After trying several more times without progress, Qin Sang realized it was because his cultivation was still too low. 'It seems I will only be able to wield the Nanming Primordial Fire after I condense these fireballs into the form of fiery birds and stabilize them.' Qin Sang rose to his feet as a wave of exhaustion washed over him. Ever since entering the secret passage, every step had felt like walking a tightrope. Deciphering the ancient golden-thread restriction and subduing the Vermilion Bird True Feather had taken an immense toll on his mind and spirit. He lingered over the Sun Divine Tree for quite a while, reluctant to put it away, the joy on his face unmistakable. Having poured so much effort into it, it had ultimately lived up to his hopes. Stowing the divine tree away, Qin Sang turned his gaze to examine the alchemy chamber. Aside from the ancient golden-thread restriction, nothing else of use could be found. Even if the ancient cultivators had left anything behind, it had long since been destroyed by the Vermilion Bird True Feather. A cluster of Nanming Primordial Fire still lingered within the hearth. Qin Sang had no means to take it, so he could only leave it there to dissipate on its own. Just then, a sudden chill crept over him. With no Nanming Primordial Fire to hold them back, the sword qi and baleful winds were sweeping into the chamber. This was no place to tarry. Qin Sang turned and walked out of the alchemy chamber. Before leaving, he did not forget to look into the other alchemy chambers; their damage was even more severe than this one, yielding nothing. There were no other treasures on Sword Mark Mountain worth lingering for. After meditating in the stone palace to recover his strength, he decided to leave at once. Repeating his previous trick, he lured and destroyed the red foxes before crossing the perilous dense forest. Retracing his original path, Qin Sang sped toward the outside of the mountain.