Guarding Buzhou Mountain was not as simple as placing the Taiji Diagram there.
Its power had to be combined with Buzhou Mountain's own strength to form a stable grand formation, one capable of drawing upon an endless supply of power to resist attacks.
However, Qin Xuan was not skilled in formations. After trying for several hundred years, he had made no progress whatsoever.
Then he suddenly remembered that there was someone in the Primordial World who excelled at defensive formations.
That person was Zhen Yuanzi.
Zhen Yuanzi's Earth Book was formed from the fetal membrane of the Primordial World's land.
Using the Earth Book as its core, he set up a grand formation connected to the lands of the Primordial World, borrowing the earth's boundless power and making himself nearly invincible.
As long as the Primordial World did not perish, the formation would remain unbreakable. Any forceful attack would only trigger the backlash of the entire land.
Who could possibly withstand the Primordial World's backlash?
Rather than calling the Earth Book Formation the Primordial World's greatest defensive formation, it would be more accurate to call it the Primordial World's greatest moral blackmail formation!
Qin Xuan immediately had an idea.
Could he imitate the Earth Book Formation's operating principles and connect the Taiji Diagram to all of Buzhou Mountain?
And if he could mix in some Merits of Creation...
With that thought, Qin Xuan hurriedly rose to his feet.
He looked around and saw that all his elder brothers and sisters were in seclusion, cultivating as they strove toward the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal realm.
After all, peak Great Luo cultivation was somewhat lacking in the face of Quasi-Sages.
Thus, he did not disturb them and left Pangu Temple alone, heading for Wuzhuang Temple.
A thousand years later.
Within Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, Qingfeng and Mingyue attended at their sides while Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun drank tea and discussed the Dao.
Zhen Yuanzi set down his teacup, his brow slightly furrowed, and said,
"Yunzi, I always feel that there is something wrong with this path of severing corpses."
Hongyun was taken aback.
"Something wrong? How could there be anything wrong with the Dao Ancestor's personally taught method?"
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head.
"I cannot put it into words. I just feel a faint unease in my heart."
"I seem to vaguely recall someone saying that the path of severing corpses has flaws, but I cannot remember who said it or where."
Hongyun fell into thought as well.
Zhen Yuanzi had always been steady and prudent. His intuition was unlikely to be baseless.
"Right, Yuanzi," Hongyun said, as though he had suddenly remembered something. "What realm do you think Qin Xuan is in?"
Zhen Yuanzi said, "Qin Xuan?"
Hongyun said,
"When the Dao was taught at Zixiao Palace, he did not even go."
"Yet after Yuanshi became a Quasi-Sage and kidnapped Hou Tu, Qin Xuan defeated him in a single move. If the Dao Ancestor had not intervened, Yuanshi might have died by his hand."
A trace of gravity appeared in Zhen Yuanzi's eyes.
"Indeed. Though I did not see it personally, I heard about it."
"His strength is truly unfathomable. Even a Quasi-Sage was so powerless before him. He is likely not in the Quasi-Sage realm."
Hongyun sighed softly.
"Ah, it is a pity we have no friendship with Qin Xuan. Otherwise, we could ask him for guidance."
At that moment, a gentle voice came from outside Wuzhuang Temple, clearly reaching both their ears.
"Zhen Yuanzi, I am Qin Xuan, here to pay a visit."
Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun were both startled at first. Then they exchanged a glance, and their eyes lit up at the same time.
Wasn't this like receiving a pillow just as they were getting sleepy?
They had just been discussing him, and Qin Xuan had come to their door himself!
The two hurriedly rose. Zhen Yuanzi laughed heartily and said,
"Haha, so Qin Xuan has arrived. Forgive me for failing to welcome you from afar. Please, come in!"
As he spoke, he had already led Hongyun outside.
The three entered Wuzhuang Temple's main hall together and took their respective seats as host and guests.
Zhen Yuanzi instructed,
"Qingfeng, Mingyue, go pick six Ginseng Fruits. I wish to entertain our honored guest."
Qingfeng and Mingyue acknowledged the order and left.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhen Yuanzi asked with some curiosity,
"May I ask why you have come to my Wuzhuang Temple this time?"
Rather than answering Zhen Yuanzi's question, Qin Xuan secretly activated the Taiji Diagram to conceal the heavenly secrets before asking,
"Have you two fellow Daoists recently been comprehending the path of Quasi-Sages?"
Zhen Yuanzi nodded.
"Indeed. After the Dao Ancestor's lecture, my brother and I have both been attempting to sever our corpses, though we still have some doubts in our hearts."
Hongyun was rather impatient by nature, so he asked directly,
"May I ask what realm you are in? Yuanshi was already a Quasi-Sage, so why could he not withstand even one move from you?"
Qin Xuan chuckled, his tone calm.
"I cultivate the path of the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal and have not taken the path of severing the Three Corpses."
"Primordial Origin Golden Immortal?"
Hongyun cried out in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.
Zhen Yuanzi also revealed a look of astonishment.
"Didn't the Dao Ancestor say that after Great Luo, the only path was to sever the Three Corpses and become a Quasi-Sage, eventually uniting the three corpses to become a Sage?"
Qin Xuan shook his head and chuckled again.
"What Hongjun said was not entirely wrong."
"A Primordial Origin Golden Immortal is one who has attained the perfection of one's own Great Luo Dao Fruit, thoroughly comprehended the laws, and reached the flawless Primordial realm. Their strength is far greater than that of Quasi-Sages at the same realm."
He paused before continuing, "Had my bloodline not naturally contained the power of laws, I likely could not have continued down the path of the Primordial Origin Golden Immortal either. This path is difficult and unsuitable for most people."
"But!" Qin Xuan's tone shifted slightly. "Hongjun concealed the flaws of severing the Three Corpses."
Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun were both shaken.
Hongjun had concealed the flaws of severing the Three Corpses?
Did that not mean that the path they were currently taking had a problem?
Zhen Yuanzi was deeply alarmed. Qin Xuan's words coincided perfectly with his vague feelings, and he hurriedly asked,
"May I ask, Fellow Daoist, what flaw it has?"
Qin Xuan said calmly,
"After severing the three corpses of good, evil, and self, the three corpses are entrusted to external spiritual treasures. When one becomes a Sage, the three corpses must unite as one, and the spiritual treasures must return to oneself."
"You two should think carefully. If the spiritual treasures entrusted with the three corpses do not share the same origin, how can they truly merge into one?!"
Qin Xuan directly sold Hongjun out.
As for whether word would spread and what consequences it might bring,
that was Hongjun's problem to consider.
The moment those words were spoken, they exploded in their hearts like thunder.
Spiritual treasures that did not share the same origin could not unite the three corpses!
If what Qin Xuan said was true, then if they casually used any spiritual treasures to sever their corpses and become Quasi-Sages,
would their Dao paths not be cut off entirely, leaving them forever unable to unite the three corpses and become Sages?
At that thought, both of them felt a chill run down their backs.
This guidance, this favor, was no less significant than the favor of imparting the Dao—perhaps even greater!
Thinking of this, Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun rose together, their expressions solemn as they deeply cupped their hands to Qin Xuan.
"Many thanks for Fellow Daoist's great kindness!" Zhen Yuanzi said sincerely. "Had Fellow Daoist not told us, my brother and I would likely have entered the wrong path. From this day onward, if Fellow Daoist ever has need of us, simply give the word. My brother and I will never refuse!"
Qin Xuan also rose and returned the gesture. "There is no need for courtesy, you two fellow Daoists."
He paused, then said,
"Actually, I do have a matter for which I seek your help."
Zhen Yuanzi immediately said,
"Please speak freely, Fellow Daoist! No matter what it is, as long as I can do it, I will never refuse!"
Qin Xuan nodded. Only then did he reveal his purpose.
"I happened to obtain a treasure and wish to use it as the foundation of a formation to establish a protective grand formation."
"I heard that Fellow Daoist's Earth Book Formation is the foremost defensive formation in the Primordial World."
"I would like to observe the Earth Book Formation's operating paths. Would that be possible?"
Qin Xuan did not directly mention using the Taiji Diagram to establish a formation on Buzhou Mountain. It was best for others not to know of that matter.
Zhen Yuanzi laughed heartily.
"Why not!"
As soon as he spoke, he extended his palm. A thick, ancient tome appeared out of thin air above it—the top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Earth Book!
Zhen Yuanzi lightly tapped with his finger, and the Earth Book floated in midair.
Under his guidance, countless points of light illuminated upon the Earth Book, intertwining into intricate patterns. These patterns were not physical objects, but the formation foundation, formation markings, and most crucial operating paths of the Earth Book Formation.
They were clearly and directly displayed before Qin Xuan.
Qin Xuan watched with complete concentration. Though he was not skilled in formations, his cultivation was profound, and neither his insight nor comprehension was lacking.
After a short while, he had committed every operating trajectory of the formation to memory.
Qin Xuan withdrew his gaze and once again cupped his hands to Zhen Yuanzi.
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist! I still have important matters to attend to, so I will not stay any longer!"
Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun also rose to see him off.
"Fellow Daoist is welcome to visit Wuzhuang Temple at any time."
Qin Xuan accepted with a smile, then turned and departed from Wuzhuang Temple.
Watching his figure vanish beyond the horizon, Hongyun turned to Zhen Yuanzi and asked,
"Yuanzi, are we still cultivating this Quasi-Sage path?"
Zhen Yuanzi put away the Earth Book, his face filled with relief.
"Cultivate my ass! We nearly got screwed over by Hongjun!"
"Let's first try cultivating laws. If that does not work, then we can look for spiritual treasures that share the same origin!"
Meanwhile, beyond the Primordial Chaos, within the distant Zixiao Palace.
Hongjun, who was sitting quietly upon a meditation cushion, suddenly felt a wave of palpitations for no reason, as though something important was slipping beyond his control.
He frantically activated the Creation Jade Plate to deduce the heavenly secrets.
After an unknown amount of time.
Hongjun opened his eyes and muttered,
"Could it be Qin Xuan again?!"
Before you continue