Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the State

His expression turned solemn as he said gravely, "Fellow Daoist, your power reaches the mysteries. There is a matter I wish to discuss with you!"

"If you have something to say, Fellow Daoist, please speak freely. I am all ears!"

"Have you heard of the demon Luohu, Fellow Daoist?"

A hint of amusement shone in Fuxi's eyes.

Sure enough, Old Man Hongjun had finally been unable to hold his tongue.

After Pangu had split open the heavens, the light, pure Qi between heaven and earth had risen to become the sky, while the heavy, turbid Qi had sunk to become the earth. There were also the four aspects of creation—earth, fire, water, and wind—and the five elements—metal, wood, water, fire, and earth—which brought the origin of Spiritual Qi to completion. If the origin of Spiritual Qi encountered an opportunity bestowed by heaven and earth, it could gain sentience, take form, and attain the Dao.

Moreover, it was born with an exceptional understanding of the Dao and cultivation.

As for Luohu, he had been born from the fusion of the origin of the heavy, turbid Qi of creation with the remnant soul of Jidu, a Chaos Demon God from before the opening of the heavens. His aptitude was in no way inferior to that of Old Daoist Hongjun.

During the Dragon-Han Calamity, he had been Old Daoist Hongjun's strongest rival in the contest to become the spokesperson for the Heavenly Dao.

Fuxi had already set his sights on Luohu, and he knew full well why Hongjun had come today.

But Fuxi wanted to take the initiative, so naturally he would not speak frankly.

"And who might this Demon Ancestor Luohu be?" Fuxi asked, though he already knew the answer.

"Fellow Daoist, this demon is a great fiend of the Western Realm of the Six Desire Heavens. He cultivates the law of slaughter, and wherever he goes, bloody Qi surges to the heavens. Heaven is enraged, people are resentful, and men and gods alike have cast him aside!" Hongjun wore an expression of compassion for all living things.

"The existence of such a fiend is a great calamity for our Primordial World, and the Heavenly Dao cannot tolerate him either."

"Though I, Daoist Hongjun, lack talent, I have taken the safety of the Primordial World upon myself. I cannot ignore the need to eradicate this fiend!"

"Yet the fiend is mighty. I have clashed with him several times, but I have never been able to defeat him. Each time we fought to a draw, I could only let the matter rest. Today, after witnessing your divine abilities and methods, Fellow Daoist Fuxi, I was moved by a thought."

"Fellow Daoist, your Dao arts reach the mysteries. If you were willing to join us in the expedition against the fiend, would that not be a deed of great merit?"

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

Hongjun truly lived up to his reputation as the foremost schemer of the Primordial World, a master swindler.

His words and expression were both perfectly pitched. He appealed to emotion and reason, and finally dangled a reward before him.

Joining him in the expedition against the fiend Luohu meant carrying out justice on heaven's behalf, a good deed that would bring great merit.

What was merit? In the Primordial World, it was something that could do almost anything.

With enough merit, even becoming a Saint was not difficult.

Thus, Hongjun's words were quite persuasive.

Unfortunately for him, that approach would not work on Fuxi.

Fuxi was, after all, a transmigrator. Naturally, he knew that Hongjun would merely use those allies in this battle, while Hongjun himself would reap the benefits in the end.

Fuxi's thoughts raced, and he declined. "A fiend like that is naturally someone everyone has the right to slay, but my Dao arts are meager. I truly am unequal to such a great task."

"Meager Dao arts? Fellow Daoist Fuxi, you must be joking." Hongjun's face froze in surprise at those words.

Fuxi had actually refused!

That was not right. Had the mention of merit not tempted him?

Or did he not trust Hongjun?

"Fellow Daoist, you grasped my Method of Severing the Three Corpses in the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and even found its flaws and errors. Such divine ability is something I have never seen in my life."

"How can you say your Dao arts are meager?"

Then Hongjun changed tack and continued, "If you are worried that something might go wrong with this expedition, Fellow Daoist, there is no need for that either. Though I, Hongjun, am not among the very strongest in the Primordial World, I do have a little influence. Great Immortal Yang Mei and the others have already accepted my invitation to go to Mount Sumeru together and seek peace for heaven and earth!"

"With those fellow Daoists there, and your help as well, how could we possibly fail?"

"If you still make excuses, Fellow Daoist, that would be rather unreasonable!"

"It is not that I am making excuses. I am simply not skilled in combat!"

Faced with Hongjun's pressure, Fuxi remained unmoved and spoke again.

"Slaying demons and eradicating fiends is a duty we cannot shirk. Alas, I possess nothing of value. I have stayed here on Buzhou Mountain since the day I was born and have never set foot in the outside world. I have only heard of these so-called Magic Treasures and have never seen one. I truly wish to help, but lack the means!"

Fuxi then stared at Hongjun without blinking.

He had made his meaning clear enough.

Now it remained to be seen how Hongjun would respond.

Yang Mei, Qiankun, and the others had probably all been tricked into going by Hongjun in much the same way, but he was not so easy to deal with.

He wanted the horse to run without feeding it grass?

Where in the world could anyone find such a bargain?

Seeing this, Hongjun understood that Fellow Daoist Fuxi was harder to deal with than Yang Mei and the others.

He was the sort who would not release the hawk until he saw the hare.

It seems winning over this mysterious figure will be impossible without paying a price.

Hongjun immediately reached a decision and said in a clear voice:

"Do not worry, Fellow Daoist Fuxi. I happen to have a magical treasure with me that I can give you."

With that, Hongjun turned his hands over, and a fan-shaped Innate Spiritual Treasure appeared in them.

"Please look, Fellow Daoist Fuxi. This Innate Spiritual Treasure is called the Qiankun Fan. It is a rare magical treasure."

"Not only does it contain a large space, but it also holds Qiankun Qi, making it quite formidable in combat."

Hongjun raised a hand and waved it, sending a streak of treasured light across a thousand miles.

Fuxi reached out and beckoned, and the light came to a stop before him.

Within the golden light, a feather fan appeared before Fuxi, the two kinds of Qiankun Qi swirling and intertwining around it. It contained the law of space, whose presence was extraordinary. There was surely a small world hidden within it.

A single glance showed that this treasure was no ordinary object. It gave off the presence of a mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Fuxi calmly accepted the treasure and pondered for a moment, then said with a trace of disdain in his voice:

"Even with your strength, Fellow Daoist, you still need to join forces with many great experts. From that, I can tell how terrifying Luohu is. Though this treasure is good, I am afraid it lacks the power to deal with him. When the time comes, I might instead hold you back, Daoist Hongjun!"

As he spoke, Fuxi channeled his magic power and pushed the Qiankun Fan back to Hongjun.

Since you want my help, show some sincerity. At least bring out a magical treasure worth looking at.

As for this scrap metal, don't try to fob me off with it.

Hongjun swept his wide sleeve and put away the Qiankun Fan. "If you do not like the Qiankun Fan, Fellow Daoist, I shall simply exchange it for another!"

After speaking, Hongjun considered what treasure to offer instead. Fellow Daoist Fuxi's standards were so high that he looked down on even the Qiankun Fan, a mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

To win him over, Hongjun would have to pay more.

Hongjun did have a few Innate Supreme Treasures, but those were the means by which he protected himself and secured his place in the world. He could never give them away.

That left him with few choices.

Though he, Hongjun, had amassed considerable wealth, he could count the treasures surpassing mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures on one hand.

"Then, Fellow Daoist, what do you think of this?"

After a long moment's thought, Hongjun recalled a fine treasure.

It was a scroll, and when unfurled, it revealed a painting of mountains and rivers.

Hongjun explained, "This treasure is called the Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the State. It is a high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. The world within the painting is complete in itself and can nurture all things and nourish heavenly beings."

This treasure was a map of the Primordial World, recording the courses of its mountains, waters, and earth veins. Within it lay a vast universe: mountains and rivers, all manner of fantastic sights, the sun, moon, and stars, flowers, grasses, and trees, birds and beasts, and the veins of mountains and earth.

The boundless Spiritual Qi within the Spiritual Treasure nurtured billions of living beings, all passing between life and death. It had everything one could wish for, as though the painting contained a proper little world of its own. Even if a quasi-Saint entered the painting without a supreme treasure in hand, he could be trapped for a hundred years.

Even with a supreme treasure in hand, it would still take a month to escape.

From this, one could see what kind of treasure the Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the State truly was. Even top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures might not possess such an effect.

But there was one enormous flaw that made the Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the State a high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure: it could not draw people inside. Anyone entering had to walk in of their own accord.

In other words, unfurling the Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the State was like laying a trap.

Thus, in a battle of techniques, the treasure might as well not have existed. Even a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal cultivator would never walk into it, much less a great expert.

When Hongjun had first obtained the Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the State, he had simply used it as a storehouse.

Now it was just right to give to Fuxi.

Hongjun raised a hand and waved, and the painting of mountains and rivers flew across a thousand miles before coming to rest steadily in front of Fuxi.

"The Landscape of Mountains and Rivers, and the State!!"

At the sight of it, a glimmer of satisfaction finally appeared in Fuxi's eyes.

In later times, this was the very magical treasure destined to belong to his younger sister, Nuwa.

This treasure contained the Dao of Creation, making it an excellent treasure for Fuxi and Nuwa, who both specialized in the Great Dao of Creation.

His little sister Nuwa had yet to be born. If he could study this treasure, he could also lay a firmer foundation for her.