Otherworldly Affairs Office

Chapter 1204: The Source Acquired

After finalizing the matter with Long Jin, Pei Yan lost his interest in wandering around and returned to his lodging with Hu Jiu. In the following days, the swelling on Pei Yan’s body quickly subsided, but even after both Pei Yan and Hu Jiu had completely recovered, the Ancestral God and Lin Junzhao had not yet returned from the Daoist Plane.Just as Pei Yan was getting bored and ready to dive into the fervent reconstruction efforts of the Dragon Realm, the long-absent Ancestral God finally returned quietly and alone to the Dragon Realm. Instead of directly summoning Pei Yan, he first met with Long Taichu, the current Dragon King, and the clan leaders of two esteemed clans. Pei Yan, who had received news of this, completely understood. After all, after such a massive incident occurred in the Dragon Realm, the Lord of the Plane would naturally calm the people first. Following the meeting, the Ancestral God affirmed Long Taichu’s performance during the upheaval, implicitly approving Long Taichu’s temporary assumption of the Dragon King’s duties. With this, Long Taichu secured his position and truly became the Lord of the Dragon Realm.

Afterwards, the Ancestral God went to see the previously confined Saraf. Since the great battle in the Dragon Realm, Pei Yan had not seen the Saraf he had defeated any longer. It was said that Saraf had been imprisoned by the Dragon Race in an extremely secretive location, one that Pei Yan neither knew nor cared to know. After waiting in his room for three whole days, the Ancestral God, having dealt with all affairs, finally ordered Long Jin to bring Pei Yan and Hu Jiu to see him at the cave where he had previously trained.

"Impatiently waiting, aren’t you?" asked the Ancestral God, who was still meditating cross-legged, illuminated by the light filtering through the cave’s crevices, as he looked at Pei Yan rushing in with Hu Jiu.

Pei Yan bowed to the Ancestral God and, as the latter gestured, sat cross-legged across from him and replied with a smile, "It’d be a lie to say I’m not anxious. I’ve been here for more than a month, and both I and my companion have many matters waiting for us. So I wish to resolve everything here as soon as possible to return to the Daoist Plane, Ancestral God, are you satisfied with my work this time?"

"Hahahaha!" laughed the Ancestral God heartily, pointing at Pei Yan, "You’re truly impatient, asking for your reward just after accomplishing something. Without considering how much effort I expended for your sake, or how much my Dragon Realm has suffered. Had I known my Dragon Realm would suffer such catastrophe, I wouldn’t have accepted that girl’s invitation to help you!"

"Uh~!"

Seeing Pei Yan awkwardly wanting to defend himself, the Ancestral God waved his hand dismissively and said, "Forget it, as the Lord of a Plane, how could I breach my promise to you? Besides, you and my child have established a symbiotic contract, hence your strength is his strength. For the future of my Dragon Realm, I must fulfill my promise, right?"

With that, the Ancestral God took out a prepared jade box from his bosom and tossed it to Pei Yan, then said, "I’ve heard of your actions from Jin’Er. Fortunately, you have some conscience, helping us eliminate an enemy. The injuries on Saraf aren’t too severe and can recover after some time. If nothing unexpected happens, he should meet the requirements for me to possess him before the great battle. You’ve honored our pact, and this is your reward."

Excited, Pei Yan was about to open the jade box in his hand when the Ancestral God spoke again, "No need to rush, open it after I’ve left."

As he spoke, Pei Yan looked up at the Ancestral God, only to see his figure becoming increasingly ethereal and difficult to discern. As the Ancestral God faded from sight, his voice, now hollow, continued to echo in Pei Yan’s ear.

"This is the third piece of absorbed Power of Origin. Upon absorption, the Power of Origin within you will reach a balance, meaning this time the absorption process will take much longer than before. I’ve estimated that this process will take about a month. You can stay here and absorb it peacefully. During this time, I’ll personally ensure the safety of you both. This Power of Origin is one of my core capabilities, so you must absorb it calmly and integrate it into your body thoroughly without wasting a single drop."

"Thank you, Ancestral God, for the guidance! I will certainly absorb it well and not squander a bit of it!"

Watching the Ancestral God disappear entirely, Pei Yan finally let out a sigh of relief and hurriedly opened the jade box in his hand. Upon opening it, the seal restricting the Power of Origin was released, and a burst of vigorous energy greeted him. As Pei Yan closed his eyes to sense the power inside the box, he suddenly felt his cheeks itch. Opening his eyes and looking around in surprise, he discovered that, unknowingly, the plants within the cave had been summoned by the power inside the box, and countless vines had silently sprouted and quickly encircled him, eager to draw nourishment from the jade box in his hands.

Overjoyed at the sight, Pei Yan realized that the Ancestral God had truly given something substantial. Unlike the Demon God who only provided the branching, fear-based power of origin, the Ancestral God generously offered his true core origin power for the sake of his descendants and the Dragon Realm. Pei Yan, no longer hesitant, took out the crystal from the box and, sitting cross-legged, began to slowly absorb the energy within, following the Ancestral God’s instructions.

Each time a part of the crystal dissolved, the Source Qi containing the Power of Origin flowed through the bodies of Pei Yan and Hu Jiu. Only after fully absorbing and integrating this energy did Pei Yan continue dissolving the crystal and repeat the process.

The process, as the Ancestral God said, was lengthy and tedious, but immersed in the power, Pei Yan felt neither boredom nor weariness, and instead found joy in it. Time moved slowly as their strength steadily increased in the secluded cave. Apart from occasional visits from the Ancestral God to check the progress, none could intrude upon the peaceful cultivation of the two.

A month’s time swiftly passed, and as Pei Yan absorbed the last of the crystal, now reduced to the size of a fingernail, he and Hu Jiu simultaneously opened their eyes. In this practice, Pei Yan felt none of the aches or stiffness that usually followed prolonged meditation. Instead, thanks to this new Power of Origin, the hidden injuries from previous battles and training were healed and eliminated over the month, leaving Pei Yan feeling rejuvenated, as if reborn from flames.

"Awoo!"

Evidently, Hu Jiu shared the same view, letting out a high, spirited howl to express his thrill. Pei Yan, filled with joy, wished to test his newfound power but sat down again the moment he moved! It was then he noticed that, during the month of their training, they had been enveloped by layers of vines and plants inside the cave, responding to the vibrant life energy emitted by both.