The True Spirit Brush?
Jiang Chen's first impression upon hearing those three words was that it sounded extraordinary.
"Senior, what kind of treasure is this True Spirit Brush?" Jiang Chen's memories from his previous life were unrivaled across all the heavens, but the myriad planes of the heavenly realms contained countless artifacts — it was impossible for him to recognize every single one.
That said, Jiang Chen had a rough idea. The True Spirit Brush was most likely the kind of treasure used for inscribing formations and crafting talismans.
Before the Zhuque Divine Bird could speak, Da Shi let out a surprised "Hm?" from the side, his voice laced with astonishment.
"Da Shi, what did you find? You seem quite startled," Jiang Chen said, turning toward him at the sound of the big fellow's reaction.
"Benefactor, this brush belonged to Saint Dan! Its name really is the True Spirit Brush. All of us brothers have seen Saint Dan use this brush."
Da Shi spoke with barely contained excitement. His copper-bell-sized eyes were fixed on the brush, his face flushed red with emotion.
"Benefactor, could you let me hold it for a moment?" Da Shi gazed at Jiang Chen with a somewhat sheepish look, his eyes filled with longing.
"Take it." Jiang Chen was not stingy about such things. Perhaps letting the giant examine it would reveal more of the True Spirit Brush's mysteries.
Da Shi cupped the True Spirit Brush in both hands, his eyes brimming with reverence. It was clear that Da Shi had worshipped and deeply respected Saint Dan, the man who had once saved his life.
Now, even a treasure once used by Saint Dan was something he treated with the utmost respect — as though he were in the presence of the saint himself.
Da Shi's lips trembled slightly, his voice thick with emotion: "It really is the True Spirit Brush — it's truly it! I can't believe that after all this time, stretching back from the Desolate Epoch to the present, this treasure still exists. Benefactor, the True Spirit Brush was Saint Dan's most prized personal treasure during his travels through the Desolate Epoch world."
"Oh? Do you know how many uses this True Spirit Brush has?" Jiang Chen asked, slightly curious at the intensity of Da Shi's reaction.
"I know a little — Saint Dan told us about it back then. In the Desolate Epoch, Saint Dan was an extraordinary leader among the humans of the Divine Abyss Continent, holding an extremely elevated position. This True Spirit Brush was the treasure he relied on most heavily when traveling the world. Its uses were remarkably versatile — it could craft talismans and bind malevolent energies, inscribe formations, and even serve as a powerful weapon in combat. There were many more functions besides, though Saint Dan never went into detail. But in general terms, those directions are certainly correct."
This seemingly unremarkable brush — the reason Jiang Chen had singled it out earlier was precisely because he had sensed that it possessed merits invisible to most people.
Da Shi respectfully held out the True Spirit Brush and returned the treasure to Jiang Chen.
"Young master, since you've obtained Saint Dan's True Spirit Brush, you're no different from Saint Dan himself. It seems this was all the will of heaven. Our eight brothers will follow you with unwavering loyalty from now on. Saint Dan once told us that whoever revives us should be acknowledged as our master. He also said that if someone could one day inherit his True Spirit Brush, that person would surely become the future master of the Holy One Sect. Benefactor, you fulfill both conditions. The eight of us will heed your every command."
Jiang Chen hadn't expected that the True Spirit Brush would cause the eight brothers to pledge themselves to him even more fervently.
"However, Benefactor — regarding the True Spirit Brush, our brothers once asked Saint Dan out of curiosity. He told us that even with our combined strength, we probably couldn't use it in combat. The True Spirit Brush requires the wielder to be fated, and their strength must reach a certain threshold; otherwise, they simply cannot unleash much of its true power."
Da Shi was a thoroughly honest fellow. Even though he had already declared his allegiance to Jiang Chen, he would never hold back the truth out of fear of offending him.
Jiang Chen's heart stirred. From the way Da Shi spoke, he realized that at his current Emperor realm cultivation, he certainly wouldn't be able to use the True Spirit Brush as a combat weapon.
Even if he tried, he'd be unable to draw out its potential and true power — like using a bull-cleaver to trim a flower. Far too wasteful.
Learning that he had stumbled upon such an incredible find — a legacy treasure of the ancient Holy One Sect — left Jiang Chen both thrilled and deeply moved.
The Zhuque Divine Bird was also mildly surprised upon learning that the True Spirit Brush was the legacy treasure of the Holy One Sect's founding patriarch.
"Jiang Chen, congratulations. You truly are a man of immense fortune. Perhaps the ancient Holy One Sect really will see a new dawn."
Ancient sects like these had by and large been reduced to extinction. Since the Desolate Epoch, even the most formidable powers had become nothing more than clouds drifting on the river of time.
"Come — let's go examine the formation inheritance."
Jiang Chen's mind was still focused on the formation inheritance. This was what concerned him most and what he needed most urgently at this stage.
If he couldn't slay the Heavenly Demon Lord, or couldn't prevent the Demon Lord from breaking free of his seal, then once the demonic tribulation erupted, the human territories would face utter annihilation.
Jiang Chen now had a family and loved ones of his own. He refused to let anyone in this world threaten the people closest to him.
This formation inheritance was hidden with extraordinary cleverness, for it wasn't concealed in any single location.
Instead, the essence of the formation inheritance was distributed across the entire area surrounding the Holy One Sect's palace, spread across all directions.
The core of the formation inheritance was divided into eight regions, corresponding to the Eight Trigrams of heaven and earth. Observing any single region in isolation would make it utterly impossible to comprehend what one was looking at.
Only by hovering in midair and activating the earth veins of all eight regions simultaneously would the full picture of this formation inheritance reveal itself, giving Jiang Chen a clear and intuitive understanding.
When Jiang Chen witnessed this wondrous sight, he was genuinely astonished.
The most remarkable thing was that these eight regions, these eight plates, were not static. They shifted and changed in accordance with the laws of spatial Divine Ability.
Without having grasped the underlying mysteries of the formations, learning this formation would be extraordinarily difficult.
Fortunately, Jiang Chen's mastery of formations was already exceptionally profound.