Chapter 787: The Primordial Gold-Banded Staff and Great Rewards
The black fire stick and the mysterious beast egg floated quietly in midair. Though both appeared plain and unassuming, faint traces of power radiated from them, stirring an uncanny sense of awe.
Whoosh!
Under Mo Yu's gaze, the iron-dark staff and the strangely patterned egg drifted forward and stopped before him. After a brief hesitation, he extended his hands and caught them gently.
Cold weight filled his palms instantly; the moment his fingers closed around the black stick, his left shoulder sank under its oppressive heft.
Startled, Mo Yu frowned—the stick might have looked no different from a fire poker, yet its sheer weight was astonishing. The overwhelming pressure it exuded was like holding up a mountain. Even with his immensely tempered body, moving it fluently took effort.
That alone told him this was no ordinary treasure.
His eyes gleamed with curiosity. The treasures drawn out by the purple-gold token had proven anything but simple.
Concentrating, Mo Yu flicked his finger. A drop of blood fell onto both the stick and the egg, seeping instantly into their surfaces. The moment it vanished, he felt a link form between them and his soul.
As expected, these relics—once guarded by the fallen Treasure Beast—had become masterless after its death. Now bonded with his blood, they belonged to him.
Streams of ancient knowledge surged into his mind, and he closed his eyes briefly before reopening them, staring at the black staff in wonder.
Its name emerged clearly in his thoughts: the Primordial Gold-Banded Staff.
According to the message within his mind, the Treasure Beast had forged this artifact using one of its own main bones, merging countless rare and powerful materials into its creation. It had been among the mightiest treasures the creature ever forged.
Originally ranked as a sacred artifact, it suffered immense damage during the great ancient war against the Outer Demons. Now, its formidable body had withered into the guise of an ordinary iron rod, degraded to only quasi-sacred status.
"So that's what it is…" Mo Yu murmured, realization dawning.
Had he chosen to seize the three quasi-sacred artifacts earlier, he would have missed this entirely. Each visitor, he now understood, was allowed only one chance to claim a treasure. Had he given in to greed for the lesser weapons, this final reward would have vanished forever.
Fortune had favored restraint.
He chuckled softly at the thought. "Good thing I didn't act rashly. I would've strangled myself with regret."
If he'd taken those three quasi-sacred objects, yes, he would've gained one—but never the mysterious beast egg nor the Primordial Gold-Banded Staff.
True treasure revealed itself only to those who had conquered greed.
"The Treasure Beast was truly cunning," Mo Yu muttered, shaking his head.
Still, in the end, he was the one smiling.
He hefted the staff again, struggling slightly under its weight, yet satisfaction tugged at his lips.
Even damaged, the Primordial Gold-Banded Staff had once been a sacred artifact beyond compare. Its latent potential was immense. Given time and fortune, restoration to its true form wasn't impossible.
He willed it to respond, and the massive staff shimmered, shrinking rapidly until it was no larger than a needle. Tucking it behind his ear, Mo Yu grinned.
Only then did his curiosity shift to the strange beast egg resting in his other hand. Though the bond between them was faintly detectable, each attempt to probe its depths left him with only silence—as if his awareness had sunk into an endless abyss.
"What a strange egg," he muttered. "What kind of creature are you hiding?"
Being placed alongside the Gold-Banded Staff meant this egg could not possibly be mundane. Yet no matter how he examined it, its mystery remained impenetrable.
"It'll hatch on its own, perhaps," he said finally with a sigh. "Let's hope it surprises me when it does."
Regardless, this venture to the Lake of Treasures had already proven more rewarding than any of them dreamed. If the egg held a divine beast within, then his fortune would surpass even that of an emperor.
"The treasures are mine," he whispered. "Time to leave."
His consciousness withdrew, and the dark dimension surrounding him faded.
Back in the material world, Mo Yu's eyes flicked open atop the white bone he had been sitting on. A faint gleam shone within them as his hand brushed over his ear, feeling the dormant power pulsing faintly there.
The Gold-Banded Staff was real.
And the beast egg remained safely in his possession.
A smirk curved across his face. "This trip was worth every step."
With such a weapon, facing someone like Hei Yin Tian again would be child's play.
He tested the artifact's resonance. Its aura might not yet equal the Thunder Dragon Heaven-Slaying Seal—his main body's sacred weapon—but its potential far exceeded ordinary quasi-sacred treasures.
Once restored, it could even rival sacred artifacts themselves.
Mo Yu rose from the bone, hovering midair as his gaze swept the surroundings. Not far away, Cai Lin, Han Yue, and the others were also finishing their own explorations, opening their eyes one by one.
"How did it go?" Mo Yu called with a smile, floating closer.
The three Ximo experts exchanged awkward looks and chuckled bitterly. "We found some fine artifacts," one admitted, "but the moment we took them, our connection was severed. We couldn't explore further."
So they had fallen into the same temptation he had avoided.
Han Yue sighed. "Apparently, we only get one chance each. After picking one treasure—no matter its grade—the path closes."
The three Ximo warriors grimaced; their regret was almost visible.
Mo Yu smiled faintly. Counting the mysterious egg, he'd actually managed two treasures. The likely reason? The Primordial Ape Token.
Some unknown bond between the ancient Treasure Beast and the Primordial Ape gave him privileges others lacked.
Of course, he saw no reason to boast. To do so now would be like salting their fresh wounds.
"Looks like Brother Han fared decently," Mo Yu said, turning toward him.
Han Yue grinned, summoning a flash of black light into his palm. A heavy iron axe appeared—rough, inscribed with intricate runes, its weight alone distorting the air.
"This is the Split-Heaven Axe," Han Yue said proudly. "Not a quasi-sacred item by rank, but its weight is terrifying. One swing could crush even a seventh-rank Supreme."
Mo Yu nodded in admiration. "Formidable indeed."
Pure weight, wielded properly, could destroy anything—sometimes even more effectively than sacred abilities. Yet somehow, he suspected the Gold-Banded Staff was heavier still.
He looked next to Cai Lin, Mang Lie, and Mang Yu, who each revealed their spoils with smiles.
Cai Lin raised a jet-black ruler—the same one Mo Yu had seen among the triad of quasi-sacred relics earlier. The Dark Void Ruler shimmered faintly, swallowing nearby light until even the air appeared dim.
Mo Yu's brows lifted slightly, realization dawning. Fate, it seemed, had brought it to her.
Then Mang Lie revealed an ancient spear, dull gold and thick, its blunt head glinting with a cold gleam. Mang Yu's treasure was a crimson bell, faint flames roaming across its surface as it rang with a muted chime that hinted of endless infernos.
Each of them had claimed genuine quasi-sacred artifacts—and by the smiles on their faces, even stoic Mang Lie appeared content.
The expedition had been a resounding success.
Cai Lin looked up with an amused glint in her eyes. "And you, Mo Yu? What did you find?"
The others turned curiously as he reached to his ear and drew forth what looked like a plain, dark rod.
"This," he said with a faint smile, "is the Primordial Gold-Banded Staff. Once a sacred weapon, it was damaged in the ancient war and has since fallen to the quasi-sacred level."
The others stared, stunned into silence.
Han Yue whistled. "So you got the best treasure of them all."
The simple stick gave off no grand aura, yet its name alone carried mythic weight. A relic once ranked as a sacred artifact—only Mo Yu could have pulled such a miracle.
He smiled faintly but said nothing else, concealing the existence of the beast egg. Some secrets, after all, were better kept hidden.
"The treasures of the Treasure Beast have been claimed," Han Yue said with a grin. "I suppose your next step is to track the ancient Swallowing Python?"
Mo Yu and Cai Lin nodded. That had always been their true purpose—the legacy of their kind, the hope of their entire clan.
"Then we'll stay to help," Han Yue declared. "You've done us too many favors already."
Mo Yu dipped his head in gratitude before gazing toward the depths of the Beast Tomb. Faint, ancient power pulsed from within, carrying whispers of something colossal.
The true path—and the shadow of the ancient Swallowing Python—awaited them ahead.
(END CHAPTER)
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