Chapter Thirty-Four: The Sword of Yin and Yang

Kunpeng, Minghe, Burning Lantern, and the others all gazed eagerly at Li Tian, each hoping to obtain the last gourd.

Li Tian looked left and right, and finally turned his gaze to Hongyun. If his memory served him, in the original history of the Great Desolation, Hongyun was indeed the one who received a fire-attributed gourd, which he later refined into the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd. Li Tian had no intention of disrupting Hongyun’s destined fortune.

“Friend Hongyun, let this last gourd go to you. There aren’t many good-natured souls like you in the Great Desolation,” Li Tian said.

Hongyun was momentarily stunned, then overjoyed. He bowed to Li Tian with gratitude. “Many thanks, fellow Daoist.” He had not expected Li Tian to give him the final gourd.

“It’s nothing,” Li Tian replied with a smile, then turned to the others. “Fellow Daoists, the gourds have all been distributed. Please take your leave.”

Though the crowd was reluctant, none dared to voice their dissatisfaction. To do so would mean offending not only Li Tian, but also Nuwa and the disciples of the Three Pure Ones and the Five Sages.

Still, many among them began to resent Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi, especially Kunpeng, Minghe, and Burning Lantern. They already harbored secret grievances against Hongyun for taking the seat they desired, and now, hearing Li Tian say, “There aren’t many good-natured souls like you in the Great Desolation,” their hatred deepened, seeing Hongyun as someone who had stolen the seat that rightfully belonged to them.

Li Tian, however, was unaware that a casual remark of his had inadvertently invited a fresh wave of enmity toward Hongyun.

At that moment, the gourds were not yet fully ripe, and everyone could only wait patiently. Fortunately, time passed swiftly, and after a surge of spiritual energy, the seven gourds began to radiate their respective colors.

Seeing this, the crowd knew the gourds had matured. They each stepped forward to pick one, exchanged bows and thanks, and departed eagerly, intent on refining their new treasures.

Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi could barely contain their joy. At present, they were destitute, lacking even a proper acquired spiritual treasure.

Once everyone had left, a smile appeared on Li Tian’s face. With a gesture, he collected the gourd vine that everyone else had overlooked.

“What use does this gourd vine have?” Nuwa asked curiously.

“It’s a good thing, regardless. It’s always useful to keep it,” Li Tian responded, smiling without further explanation.

Though the gourd vine had lost much of its essence after nurturing seven gourds, it remained one of the ten innate spiritual roots, containing the power of yin, yang, and the five elements—a rare and precious treasure.

In the original history of the Great Desolation, Nuwa used this gourd vine in the creation of mankind, and thus it earned a portion of the merit for that act, transforming into the famed Immortal Binding Rope (some say it became the Empress’s Whip or the Creation Whip).

“Wait a moment, that patch of soil is very strange.”

---

Just as they were about to leave, Nuwa suddenly noticed the peculiar earth at the root of the gourd vine and walked over to investigate.

Li Tian also looked over, and at the sight of the gold-hued soil, he was taken aback, recalling the legendary Nine Heavens Breathing Earth, known as the ancestor of all soils. In some versions of the Great Desolation tales, it was said a piece of this earth lay beneath the gourd vine.

Lost in thought, Li Tian watched as Nuwa collected the Breathing Earth. Feeling its extraordinary qualities, Nuwa was delighted by this unexpected find.

The two returned to the Heavenly Court, preparing to refine the two gourds they had obtained.

Li Tian’s was the gourd of yang attribute among the seven, while Nuwa’s was the one of yin. In the original history, Nuwa received the gourd of metal, which she refined into the Demon-Refining Pot—a renowned artifact.

But now, the Demon-Refining Pot would not exist, as the metal gourd had gone to Zhenyuanzi, who might make something entirely different from it.

Glancing at the yin gourd in Nuwa’s hand, Li Tian conceived the idea of fusing the yin and yang gourds together. The Universe Cauldron could melt all things; surely it could merge these two gourds.

Yin and yang united—would it produce a treasure rivaling the ten great innate spiritual treasures?

Li Tian felt a surge of anticipation. When he shared his idea, Nuwa agreed and handed over the yin gourd.

Back in the Palace of Myriad Realms, Li Tian eagerly took out the Universe Cauldron, placed the two gourds inside, and began the refinement.

After forty-nine days, the two gourds started to melt.

On the eighty-first day, they transformed into black and white spiritual materials, gradually merging.

Li Tian pondered what kind of treasure would best suit Nuwa, and after much consideration, he settled on a sword.

Another eighty-one days passed, and finally a delicate sword began to take shape within the Universe Cauldron.

Retrieving the cauldron, Li Tian gazed at the sword in his hand, which glimmered with the unique radiance of a spiritual treasure, and a smile crept across his face.

The sword’s design was entirely based on Li Tian’s vision, making its appearance exquisitely refined—a snow-white blade with a black groove running down the middle, and a yin-yang fish emblem on the hilt.

Testing its power, Li Tian nodded in satisfaction; it was surely a top-tier innate spiritual treasure, on par with the greatest ten.

---

Li Tian felt a pang of regret. If he could have fused all seven gourds, perhaps he might have produced an innate supreme treasure… But it was too late for such thoughts.

“This sword shall be called… the Yin-Yang Sword,” he decided.

Having named the sword, Li Tian left the Palace of Myriad Realms and sought out Nuwa.

“Did it succeed?” Nuwa asked, delighted at the sight of the sword in Li Tian’s hand.

Li Tian smiled. “Naturally. I’ve named it the Yin-Yang Sword. Try it out.”

Nuwa nodded, dripped blood to establish her bond with the sword, and wielded it with her power. She was filled with joy, though most of it was for the sword’s elegant form.

…

After the division of the gourd vine, Li Tian’s thoughts turned to another spiritual root that might be found on Buzhou Mountain—the Plantain Tree. He immediately ordered a thorough search of the mountain.

At first, he was merely trying his luck, and after several fruitless years, he put the matter aside. Unexpectedly, the Plantain Tree was discovered by a minor demon, not even of celestial rank.

Li Tian was overjoyed and generously rewarded the little demon who found the tree. He then used his powers to transplant it to the Orchard of Spiritual Fruits, placing it beside the Ginseng Fruit Tree.

Nourished by all manner of marvelous spiritual materials, the Plantain Tree soon recovered its vitality and thrived.

According to the original history of the Great Desolation, the Plantain Tree withered for unknown reasons, and its leaves were later taken to fashion several fans. But now, Li Tian had changed its fate, preventing its demise.

He wondered whether the Plantain Tree would bear bananas.

Li Tian looked at the tree before him, filled with curiosity. As far as he knew, “bananas” had yet to appear in the Great Desolation.