This is the largest room Zhu Furong has seen till now with pitch black walls, a ceiling height of 30 feet and an area equivalent to 2 basketball courts.

Thankfully there were no traps at the doorway and after he entered the room, Zhu Furong was greeted with an arrangement of 4 shelves surrounding a dim light source. The shelves are all filled with white and purple jade boxes of best quality and of different sizes.

There should be precious herbs and materials inside them. After all this is an Alchemy Room.

Once again Zhu Furong made sure there weren't any hidden traps and then he went around the shelves looking for an opening. He wanted to see where the dim light was coming from.

The shelves are long and are aligned to the four walls with one shelf outside and one shelf inside. Walking towards the right direction, Zhu Furong took a left turn at the corner and then took another left on the next corner.

This is the back side of the room.

The supposed long shelf here seems to be divided into two from the middle; the shelf inside is also divided forming a doorway to the center of the room.

...

At the center, a huge 20 feet high, golden colored, closed lid, tripod furnace is surrounded by nine 10 feet miniature long dragons spewing fire on its surface.

Zhu Furong didn't feel anything when he was outside the shelves, but now inside, he can feel the tremendous heat coming from nine dragon mouths. This area is sweltering!

Zhu Xingzuo sighed, "Want Chaos Qi protection?"

"No need to waste it. I can try something."

Saying this Zhu Furong slowly closed his eyes, after a while a red coloured thin layer of Flames of Nirvana covered his entire body.

Fighting fire with fire.

Since the Flames of Nirvana are a part of Zhu Furong's body, it never hurts him, covering his entire body with it makes it possible for Zhu Furong to defend himself from other fires of lower grades.

Though it takes a lot of Soul Energy to maintain this flame armor, with his peak Open Ascension rank Spiritual Cultivation, Zhu Furong can keep it up for an entire day.

...

Without wasting any time, Zhu Furong walked forward to inspect the tripod furnace.

The tripod furnace seems to be made up of some golden metal and the surface is filled with moving carvings of nature; flora and fauna. The images are creeping all over the round surface of the tripod furnace.

The fire breathing dragons are also golden in color but the metal is not the same as the tripod furnace. The nine dragons are made up of Goldburn, a metal which can endure any grade of cold or hot fire. It is definitely a treasure in itself.

The nine miniature dragons don't seem to be a part of the tripod furnace as they are fixed to the floor and not the tripod furnace.

"Flames of Nirvana... A member of the Phoenix Clan?" A man's ancient voice asked via Divine Sense.

Zhu Furong subconsciously took a step back with a frown. He looked here and there with vigilance.

He murmured, "Ancient Dragon?"

...

Before Zhu Furong could investigate any further, Zhu Xingzuo interrupted—

"So you are a God Artifact huh? Were you created or born naturally?"

The ancient voice replied—

"I am Nature's Cradle. Born from nature, for nature."

Zhu Furong frowned, "Hey Xingzuo, who are you talking to? It doesn't sound like the Ancient Dragon."

"It's the tripod furnace in front of you Big Brother. It's a God Artifact!"

"God Artifact?— Wait! You mean an artifact which has a soul?"

"Yes, indeed."

The tripod furnace suddenly let out a heavy sigh—

"How long has it been since I last talked with someone. I have been trapped here for billions of years with no touch to the outside world. Sigh..."

"What's your name Sir God Arti— I mean Sir Nature's Cradle?" Zhu Furong asked politely.

"Name... Name... Did I even have a name? I don't remember ever getting a name." "I was captured by the Abyssal Dragon 2.5 billion years ago and since then I have been serving him as a Refining Furnace. Refining pills and artifacts. Sigh..."

"Abyssal Dragon?"

"You don't know even though you are working in his palace? This is the palace of Abyssal Dragon, one of the Celestial Monarchs, isn't it? Are you a newbie here?— Sigh... Refiners used to visit this room daily but they all suddenly stopped coming 1.7 billion years ago. Sigh... Even though it takes too long to refine this bone, they didn't have to shut me here without paying a single visit. I was so lonely... Sigh..."

The sighs of the Nature's Cradle filled the room in a forlorn atmosphere.

The ancient voice asked—

"Are you here to get the refined bone? Unfortunately it is still not refined yet. As you can see, the nine dragon heads started with grade 8 Essence of the Sun and now after over a billion years the grade has fallen to grade 3 which is only good enough to heat my body. Even though I tried my best to make use of the grade 5 fire, the refining process couldn't progress. It stopped a few million years ago. You guys should have changed the fire to a fresh grade 8 one to keep the refining going, or at least changed it to grade 6 from time to time— You guys are negligent,  sigh..." "Just what was the Abyssal Dragon thinking? Even though I am a God Artifact, I am not omnipotent. You cannot expect me to succeed without providing me with resources."

"Hey Xingzuo, this Celestial Monarch..."

"It's what they call a Celestial rank Cultivator, this rank is above your Masters Cultivation rank. They both were almost close to reaching the Celestial rank but they died an untimely death."

"I see… Also, the 1.7 billion years match with the date of my Masters death. Is the Abyssal Dragon somehow related?"

"Your Masters denied me to tell you anything about what happened 1.7 billion years ago. You have to wait for the right time, Big Brother. Sorry."

'Again the excuse of the right time.'

Zhu Furong sighed, which made the Nature's Cradle sigh in reaction.

...

"Old Ziran(natural), what did you mean by 'born from nature, for nature?'"

"Ziran? Are you talking to me?" Nature's Cradle asked with interest.

Zhu Furong nodded, "Calling you Sir Nature's Cradle feels awkward so I thought of this name, Ziran. You don't like it?"

The ancient voice spoke with fervor, "Like it! I like it very much! Ziran... Ziran... As natural as nature. Ziran. Yes, I love it. Thank you umm..."

"Zhu Furong. This little one is called Zhu Furong." Zhu Furong responded with a smile.

"Zhu Furong... Crimson Hibiscus. Beautiful. Beautiful. Your name and your real face, both are beautiful."

"Er..." Zhu Furong scratched his cheek with a finger while blushing.

No disguise works against Divine Sense. God Artifacts all have souls similar to Nascent Soul and hence naturally have Divine Sense.

...

"Now about what you asked, Young Man. You may know there are two types of artifacts, one which is born from nature and one which is crafted by a person. Both the artifacts have a slight chance of gaining wisdom and giving birth to a soul, becoming a God Artifact!— The difference between an artifact created by nature and the one created by a person is that the former is indestructible while the latter is destructible. It remains true for the God Artifacts as well. Though, the soul of a God Artifact is destructible." "I am Nature's Cradle, nature created me with the ability to refine anything with a 100% success rate. Whatever I refine has 0% impurities left in it. Also, no matter what grade or rank it is, I can refine it. The ability or proficiency of a Refiner doesn't matter. But, you have to provide me with the required materials and resources as I cannot make them appear out of thin air."

The tripod furnace, now with the name Old Ziran, murmured in an audible voice— 

"The Abyssal Dragon should know all of this, then why didn't he take care of these nine Essence of the Suns?"

The one to reply was Zhu Xingzuo—

"That's because the Abyssal Dragon is dead and his palace has become a treasure trove for the Cultivators. My Big Brother here is not some servant of the Abyssal Dragon as you are thinking. He is here to explore the Dragon Palace for treasures and opportunities— By the way, I am called Zhu Xingzuo."

Old Ziran didn't fluster, "I see, the haughty Abyssal Dragon had this coming. I warned him, a tyrant can never live a long life, humph!" "By the way, this Zhu Xingzuo, where are you? I cannot see you. Are you this Young Man's younger brother? You must be a beautiful man as well."

"You are wise Old Ziran, I am indeed good-looking. I am as—"

"A good-looking egg." Zhu Furong interrupted.

"Hey—"

"A good-looking egg." Zhu Furong won't let Zhu Xingzuo speak.

"Fuck you!" Zhu Xingzuo cussed and went quiet.

Old Ziran asked with confusion, "Umm... Young Man. What are you talking about? This egg?..."

"You will see." Zhu Furong smiled mysteriously.

"By the way Old Ziran, what bone are you refining?"

"Hmm... Since you are here to explore the palace, whatever you find here is yours to keep. I guess I am also yours from now on?"

"Well, I was thinking about taking you with me, but since you have the ability to think, you have the right to choose your own destiny, I won't force you."

"Hmm..."

Old Ziran stayed silent for a while before speaking—

"Let's do it. Let's form a Spiritual Bond. I was always looking for a good master to serve and after looking at you... You have the Heavenly Innate Body right?"

Zhu Furong is surprised, "How did you know?"

"Hehe, didn't I say I was born from nature? Your Heavenly Innate Body is also close to nature— We resonate."

"I see, but Spiritual Bond... Are you not bonded with the Abyssal Dragon? If he was a Celestial rank Cultivator as you say, I don't think I can erase his mark even after a billion years."

Old Ziran snorted, "Like hell I would let someone evil as him put a Spiritual Mark on me. He is not just a tyrant but a treacherous villain! He captured me against my will and made me refine pills and artifacts for him non-stop— Well, I am a Refining Furnace, so I love working with rare materials, and since he did provide me with rare materials, I complied for the time being. Though this bone refining was supposed to be the last of it."

Zhu Furong rolled his eyes thinking—

'So you got baited with rare materials huh?'

...

"Hmm... So should I apply a Spiritual Mark or a Blood Spiritual Mark? Which one do you prefer?"

Spiritual Mark is the condensation of a mixture of pure Qi and Soul Energy. It can be broken easily by a Cultivator with Cultivation rank higher than the one who applied the mark. On the other hand Blood Spiritual Mark is a mixture of Blood Essence and Spiritual Mark which is almost impossible to erase without killing the owner.

Blood Spiritual Mark is a double edged sword. Though it's almost impossible to erase a Blood Spiritual Mark without killing the owner, if by chance someone manages to do it, both the Nascent Soul and Life Essence of the owner will be damaged. At the same time it may also result in damaging or destroying the artifact.

In the case of God Artifact, the soul may get destroyed.

Applying a Blood Spiritual Mark is the same as asking Old Ziran to put his life at risk depending on Zhu Furong's fate.

...

"Whichever you prefer, I am fine with it. I have lived long enough to not regret death. I just hope the days I spend with you will be interesting."

Zhu Furong smiled, "Well, I am just starting with my Cultivation journey. So you are up for a heck of an adventure. I will allow you to spread your Divine Sense out of my body so you can enjoy the scenery on the go. Though you are not allowed to peek into private matters— I like to defecate in peace."

"Blood Spiritual Mark it is then. I am too selfish to let anyone have an indestructible God Artifact."

"Who isn't selfish? Go on. I hope you will be a good master."

Zhu Furong assured, "I will."

After that, he bit his tongue and spewed blood essence on the tripod furnace.

"Xingzuo, I am opening the Meridian Channels for a moment. I have to use my own Qi to form the mark. Take care of any residual Spiritual Qi that enters my dnatian."

"Leave it to me Big Brother."

With a slight nod, Zhu Furong started weaving hand signs and soon a Spiritual Mark seal formed of 4 types of Qi was shot on the splattered blood essence. The mark absorbed the blood essence and merged into the tripod furnace. Zhu Furong instantly felt a connection form between his soul and the Nature's Cradle.

Zhu Furong breathed out and looked a bit tired after losing blood essence. He sat cross-legged on the floor in meditation.

...

Suddenly, Old Ziran yelped, "Essence Qi, Demon Qi, Monster Qi and Spiritual Qi all in one Spiritual Mark? Who are you Young Man? What is this abnormality? I have never heard or seen anything like this in my whole life."

Zhu Xingzuo sneered, "There is always a first for everything Old Ziran. Get used to it. There is more to come."

It took 10 minutes for Zhu Furong to regain his color. The lost blood essence will recover with time. It wasn't much.

He stood up and started weaving hand signs again. Covering the Nature's Cradle in his Divine Sense he pulled it inside the Nine-Layers Pagoda.

...

"Woah... What is this place? Doesn't look like a Divine Sea to me." 

Old Ziran couldn't help but be amazed by the interior of the Nine-Layers Pagoda. The Spiritual Qi here is denser than the Dragon Palace and the night sky has 12 bright constellations. The ground has soft, purple grass growing on it.

"It isn't Big Brother's Divine Sea. It's an artifact above rank 9 called Nine-Layers Pagoda— Anyways, you don't need Spiritual Qi for refining right? The Spiritual Qi here is not enough for my own Cultivation so I don't want to share it with anybody. I don't even let Big Brother use it."

"Oh, so you are here young Zhu Xingzuo? No, I don't use Spiritual Qi for refining— By the way... I still cannot see you. Can you come here? As I cannot move."

"What will you do after looking at my face? I also cannot move. It uses a lot of Qi and Soul Energy for movement. Ask Big Brother to help you, humph!"

Zhu Furong spoke apologetically via Divine Sense—

"Xingzuo is at the center, Old Ziran. I too cannot help you move to the center as the distance is too far and it will consume a lot of my Soul Energy. Also, it will be difficult to take you in and out from the center position. After my Cultivation rank rises, I will let you see the egg."

Old Ziran is again confused, "The egg?"

Zhu Furong smiled while putting the 8 shelves inside the Nine-Layers Pagoda—

"Xingzuo is a Primal Beast egg. He is Cultivating in the Nine-Layers Pagoda, preparing to hatch."

Old Ziran yelped and stuttered, "Pr-Primal Be-Beast?"

Zhu Furong frowned, "Why are you so shocked? Did something happen in the past?"

Old Ziran took a deep breath and calmed down, "Nothing happened, it's just that, I am born from nature while a Primal Beast is born from Chaos. He is my senior. And until now I was being quite disrespectful to him— I am really sorry."

"That's it? Don't worry, Xingzuo is kind-hearted. He doesn't mind. And given that he is still an egg right now, he is indeed younger than you."

"But—"

"What Big Brother said is true Old Ziran. I don't mind. Also, I will be creeped out if an old voice calls me Senior."

"But still, calling you by name is blasphemous for me. Also, since Young Man Zhu Furong is your Big Brother..."

Old Ziran found himself in a dilemma all of a sudden.

Zhu Furong came to the rescue—

"Since we have formed a Spiritual Bond and I am your master now, you can just call me Master and call Xingzuo, Young Master. How's that?"

"Aha! That sounds good, Master. Let's go with that— I am blessed to serve a Primal Beast and his brother. I can die without regret." Old Ziran became emotional.

"Don't die on me now Old Ziran, I still need you to teach me about refining."

"Teach you?"

"Yes. I know you can refine anything of any grade and rank but that's your capability, not mine. Other people's talent is not my talent, right?"

"Master is wise."

Things were decided and Zhu Furong proceeded to collect the nine grade 3 Essence of the Suns. He doesn't have time to absorb them now, so he just threw them inside the Nine-Layers Pagoda. The nine small flames floated silently at a corner.

Finally he can dissolve the Flames of Nirvana armor.

...

As Zhu Furong walked out of the room, he suddenly remembered—

"Old Ziran, you didn't answer me, what bone were you refining? And, since I forgot to ask you before putting you inside the Nine-Layers Pagoda, it didn't cause any damage to the bane did it?"

"Don't worry. Once put inside me, no matter what it is, it will never get damaged; the refining process will be halted, that's all."

Zhu Furong's lips twitched, "So absurd. You are completely an overpowered treasure, aren't you?"

"So the bone?"

"The Abyssal Dragon called it the arm of the Azure Dragon." "Azure Dragon was supposed to be another Celestial rank Beast, who didn't get along with the Abyssal Dragon. Abyssal Dragon wanted to craft a weapon with the bone."

Zhu Xingzuo suddenly asked, "Was there flesh and marrow with the bone?"

"Yes. The Abyssal Dragon put a chopped raw arm inside. He told me to separate the flesh, bone and marrow by myself during the refining process. All three body parts are still inside me, seperated."

Zhu Xingzuo yelled with joy—

"Ah Big Brother, we found the material. The best possible material for the last three stages of Body Transformation."

The best indeed. Zhu Furong couldn't help but wear a wide smile even though he doesn't know if he is able to use such a high ranking material.

That's to be seen in the future.

...

Zhu Furong had spent quite a lot of time at this part of the Dragon Palace. There's a lot to discover in too little time. He needs to hurry.

After leaving the building, standing in the open-air atrium Zhu Furong is puzzled about the exit. It's nowhere to be found.

"Master, are you looking for the exit?"

"Yes, Old Ziran. Do you know where the exit is?"

"Yes I know, since I checked the outside through the Space Ring I was carried in."

"That's a great help since my Divine Sense is restricted. It cannot pass through any objects present in the Dragon Palace, not even the walls."

"Yes Master. The Dragon Palace has rank 9 restriction arrays placed all over the places."

"Ah, don't remind me of the rank 9 array. Opening that door almost took my life. I don't want anything to do with that again."

"Now that I think about it, the Alchemy Room was sealed by a rank 9 array. Since the Master could enter the room without any key..."

"Master is quite amazing." Old Ziran couldn't help but sing praises.

...

Old Ziran led Zhu Furong back to the room protected by rank 6 array. Inside the empty room was a needle point size hole in one of the walls. A duplicate needle key was kept inside one of the boxes in the shelves. Inserting the key opened a door leading to a long, dark hallway.

As Zhu Furong marched through the hallway, the door closed behind him, leaving him puzzled about one last thing—

'Where did the man in camel colored hanfu go?'