C623 Sunsilver Throne
"Ochre Mountain was meant to be the foundation for my Solar Spirit refinement!"
Tong Laoqian's eyes were nearly bursting with rage as he spoke, his teeth grinding together with an audible crack.
The Jade Tower hovered in the air toward Gavanas, its structure in ruins, with jade pavilions shattered upon the ground.
The entire Jade Tower radiated an aura of desolation and decay.
One glance at it and anyone could tell that this remarkable artifact was in dire need of repair, or it would never again exhibit its divine power.
Tong Laoqian, along with Zhu Peining from the Skyreach Consortium, Jiang Yurong, Gao Qin, and others, were all present in the Jade Tower.
Leaning on the railing and gazing towards Ochre Mountain, Tong Laoqian lamented, "Beneath the mountain lies the Mana Nexus, intricately carved from fine gold over decades! And within the mines, the iron stone essence I buried aids in the purification of the heaven soul!"
Ochre Mountain was Tong Laoqian's place of cultivation, his very foundation.
He had gone to great lengths to assist Yu Yuan in the Sundering Isles, banking on the spiritual energy eruption from the Forgotten Ruins. He anticipated that the Mana Nexus would absorb the divine force, transforming it into a rich metal vitality, and in turn, produce an abundance of fine gold.
This fine gold was crucial for the restoration of the Jade Tower, and it was his key to advancing to the Solar Spirit!
But his carefully laid plans and all the opportunities he had gambled on were usurped by Liang Jingyin, a rogue cultivator with whom he had an old feud.
And now, he was powerless to stop it.
At this moment, Liang Jingyin was holed up in Ochre Mountain, using the very resources and foundation Tong Laoqian had spent decades building to refine his own Solar Spirit.
All Tong Laoqian could do was watch from a distance, consumed by a pain so intense he wished for death, cursing the heavens and the earth, yet utterly helpless.
"If Liang Jingyin succeeds, you'll need to find a different path to refine your Solar Spirit," Gao Qin from the Skyreach Consortium said sympathetically. "Once his Solar Spirit is complete, he'll claim all you've hidden beneath the mountain. Even if he leaves, it would take a century for Ochre Mountain to recover."
Tong Laoqian's face darkened further with each word spoken.
Jiang Yurong glanced at Gao Qin and cautioned, "Perhaps you should say less."
Gao Qin simply shrugged, "I'm speaking the truth, even though it might not be pleasant to hear."
Tong Laoqian's partnership with the Skyreach Consortium was merely temporary, unlike the Golden Fiend, who had already become an integral part of the consortium.
He felt no obligation to spare Tong Laoqian's feelings, speaking his mind freely.
"Please accept my apologies."
Zhu Peining let out a soft sigh, sharing the sense of helplessness. "Liang Jingyin is under the covert protection of the Ethereal Void Sect. I can even sense Chong Xiao's Lunar Spirit lurking nearby. Bound by the rules set by Shadow's Keep, the Consortium can't send a Solar Spirit to intervene. Liang Jingyin, now one with the mine's depths, continuously draws upon the metal magic for strength. There's nothing we can do."
She continued with a wry smile, "Once Liang Jingyin ascends to become a Solar Spirit and is openly embraced by the Ethereal Void Sect, he'll harness his newly refined Solar Spirit Body to venture into the extraterrestrial Star River. By then, Tong Laoqian, even we at the Skyreach Consortium will have no recourse against him."
"I'm aware," Tong Laoqian murmured, his gaze dropping. He no longer wished to look upon Ochre Mountain or concern himself with the developments there.
He was acutely aware that the Mana Nexus he had installed beneath the mountain, the stockpile of fine gold and magic items he had amassed over the years, would be utterly depleted once Liang Jingyin solidified his Solar Spirit Body.
The mountain itself might crumble and collapse due to Liang Jingyin's triumph.
If that happened, he would lose any chance of achieving his own ambitions through Ochre Mountain.
Finding another extraordinary place to advance to a Solar Spirit Body was far from simple.
With a heavy sigh, Tong Laoqian began to harbor resentment towards Yu Yuan deep within.
Because of his attempt to shield Yu Yuan from harm, the Jade Tower had been reduced to its current state. It could have only been restored by Yu Yuan's return to the Lost Lands, where he could once again preside over Ochre Mountain, relying on the surge of spiritual energy to recover what was lost.
But now...
He shook his head repeatedly in disbelief.
"Eh!"
"A Gold Mountain is roaring toward us!"
"It's the Sunsilver Throne, refined by the Golden Elephant God!"
Gao Qin, Jiang Yurong, and Zhu Peining each called out in turn, their voices growing louder and their surprise more profound.
Zhu Peining, with her higher realm, looked beyond Ochre Mountain and spotted Zhan Tianxiang, Zhao Yafu, Dusk Raven, and Xu Zixi.
And there was Yu Yuan.
"Yu Yuan!"
Zhu Peining exclaimed once more, her eyes sparkling with wonder, "Tong Laoqian, you, you still have hope!"
Tong Laoqian trembled with a thunderous jolt!
...
Inside Ochre Mountain.
Liang Jingyin, the solitary practitioner, sat cross-legged with a five-tiered pagoda above his head, emitting a blinding divine light. This light formed a protective dome around Liang Jingyin's real body.
Liang Jingyin's heaven soul stood like a gilded shadow beneath the pagoda.
The earth rumbled, and specks of fine gold light burst forth from the depths like a deluge, ascending in reverse.
The fine gold light was irresistibly drawn to and absorbed by Liang Jingyin's heaven soul beneath the pagoda.
It was as if the earth itself had rained upon the heavens, with each raindrop being a speck of fine gold light.
Each speck was the essence of the fine gold mine deep underground, perhaps even its very soul.
These specks of fine gold light were the crystallized essence of metal magic. As they merged with Liang Jingyin's heaven soul, his ethereal soul began its metamorphosis into something tangible.
The fine gold light would form the very bones of Liang Jingyin's Solar Spirit!
With fine gold as the framework and complemented by other rare treasures, Liang Jingyin would forge golden, vein-like tendons, amass a surge of spiritual energy, and gradually endow the Solar Spirit with boundless power.
Whoosh!
Golden, black iron, and silver seals, each embodying the cosmic principles of fine gold, iron, and silver, were imprinted upon Liang Jingyin's forming Solar Spirit Body.
The cosmic order lay dormant within. Once Liang Jingyin's Solar Spirit Body was complete, he would wield the metal magic he had mastered to perform divine feats of unimaginable power.
Boom! Thunderous rumbling!
Suddenly, Ochre Mountain, which he had meticulously checked seven times to ensure absolute perfection, began to quake unnaturally.
Specks of fine gold glittered, bursting forth from the earth before swiftly contracting.
They resembled cautious fireflies peeking out from the shadows, startled by the intense light, then darting back into the darkness.
The Solar Spirit Body enveloping Liang Jingyin, extending from his neck to his waist, was forged from these fine gold glimmers.
At this moment, his spine, cast from molten goldsteel, started to shed flecks of golden light.
"Ah!"
Liang Jingyin's real body let out a roar, teetering on the brink of madness!
...
Ochre Mountain faced the Sunblessed Empire.
The Gold Mountain, known as the "Sunsilver Throne," hovered three hundred zhang in the air.
The surface of the "Sunsilver Throne" bore the images of numerous resplendent Golden Elephants. At first glance, it seemed as though hundreds of these colossal beasts were bellowing within the mountain itself.
Roar!
Ancient demon energy, imbued with the power to reshape the world, burst forth from the "Sunsilver Throne" with that roar.
Deep underground, the ingenious array that Tong Laoqian had spent decades crafting responded to the arrival of the "Sunsilver Throne." The earth-shattering roar echoed with the "Sunsilver Throne," triggering a subtle yet monumental shift that could reverse the very fabric of existence!
Countless strands of golden, silver, and dark green fine gold threads were intricately rewoven within the heart of the mine.
The array, initially meant to erupt with fine gold brilliance, suddenly transformed, becoming a force of attraction!
"My master's Sunsilver Throne, the gold mountain he refined, is said to be the second Holy Mountain to have formed in the Everlands," Zhan Tianxiang said with pride. "Even though my master has diminished in rank, the Sunsilver Throne remains largely intact, still capable of influencing this world and any mountain range with gold veins!"
"And the first one?" Zhao Yafu inquired with curiosity.
"Cough, cough. The very first Sunsilver Divine Mountain in the Everlands, they say, was shattered when Humans and evilkind united to dethrone the Nagas from their Holy Mountain," Zhan Tianxiang explained, scratching his head. "That's what my master told me. He also mentioned that many of the renowned Sunsilver mountains in the Everlands are actually fragments of that original Divine Mountain, scattered across the land."
As the two prodigies from Shadow's Keep conversed, a smile played at the corners of Yu Yuan's mouth.
He deliberately avoided Ochre Mountain after catching sight of Tong Laoqian's decrepit Jade Tower, taking a longer route as he swooped in from a different direction.
Tong Laoqian's expression was one of wild joy, visible even from a great distance.
