Inverted Mountain

Zhou Jun found himself in a difficult position. According to his previous plan, after connecting Mount Sumeru, he should have continued downward to explore beneath the Earth Veins. The problem was that he now knew there were so many schemers lurking about. Moreover, the corpses of Chaos Gods and Demons were sealed aboveground. He feared their sky-piercing Resentful Energy would affect him.

Di Kun had already entered the Kalpa of Calamity, while he himself should be making plans from behind the scenes. At the same time, he feared that the half of the Western Continent he had connected would be incapable of suppressing the Resentful Energy below. For now, he could only take a step back: connect all the Earth Vein nodes on the surface of the Western Continent, then draw upon the combined power of all its Earth Veins to communicate downward from beneath Mount Sumeru.

After all, Mount Sumeru was the Western Ancestral Vein, and the force it suppressed beneath it should be the strongest. He could communicate with it bit by bit, while using the Eighteen Earth Fiend Pearls and the World-Purifying White Lotus to purify the Resentment of Chaotic Gods and Demons and the Earth Fiend Qi below.

As long as Zhou Jun remained cautious, communicating bit by bit and sorting out the Earth Veins, there should not be much of a problem. While he was at it, he could comprehend the power of the World-Purifying White Lotus. If he could gain insight into a set of formations from it, he could use the Earth Vein nodes to lay formations, placing one with every step downward and improving them along the way.

There was no need to set up a single strongest formation. He could proceed layer by layer, from weak to strong. Even if some Resentful Energy or Earth Fiend Qi eventually seeped out, it would be processed and absorbed by the entire Western Continent, transforming that Resentful Energy and Earth Fiend Qi into Innate Spiritual Energy.

If he ultimately resolved the problems beneath the Western Continent, Zhou Jun might possess even more Western fortune than Luohu. Even if Luohu was currently the Spokesperson of the Western Continent, once Luohu fell, Zhou Jun could decide the next Western Spokesperson through his influence over the West, even if he did not take the position himself.

The more he considered it, the more it resembled a minor Heavenly Dao. Its authority simply would not be as great as that of the Heavenly Dao. At most, it could establish certain rules or strip some Western beings of their fortune, causing them to be disliked and rejected by the West.

Zhou Jun sat cross-legged beneath Mount Sumeru. Using his Mana and divine sense, he followed the flow of the Western Earth Veins and spread outward in all directions. Whenever he encountered a blockage, he went there to clear the Earth Veins and connect their nodes. During this process, Zhou Jun would also comprehend certain laws or encounter some Innate Formations.

He would then go and study them. Once he fully understood them, he would wave his hand and collect the items within, then use the Earth Vein nodes to arrange the formations he had comprehended. Although the primary functions of many formations were concealment and creation, with defense as a secondary function,

the things contained within them were meant to await those fated to find them and possessed little offensive power. Though nothing seemed different on the surface, they nonetheless strengthened the defenses of the entire Western Continent, making its Earth Veins harder to break. At worst, only the surface would be damaged, which actually caused far less harm to the continent as a whole.

Furthermore, the power of creation and nurturing contained within them could accelerate the circulation of the Earth Veins and even purify the Earth Fiend Qi, killing intent, and Resentful Energy they absorbed from heaven and earth. These could be used to strengthen the Earth Veins and increase the Innate Spiritual Energy between heaven and earth. At the same time, this deepened the foundation of heaven and earth as a whole and raised the upper limit of the Primordial Land. It might not seem like much now, but accumulated bit by bit, quantitative change would eventually become qualitative change. By then, even Zhou Jun himself probably could not imagine what he would gain.

Heaven and earth cycled endlessly, and time had no order. Five or six epochs passed. Di Kun, who had traveled from Wuyi Mountain toward the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains in the north, sorted out an Earth Vein along the way and connected it to the Northern Continent. During this process, he also split off an Earth Vein and linked it to Mount Zhou Territory. Though it did not approach Mount Zhou itself, it connected with one of its subsidiary veins. The moment the connection was established, the flow through the Earth Vein nodes linking east and north increased by at least threefold. Only then did his later progress become faster and faster.

When Di Kun reached the Northern Continent, he calculated with his fingers and discovered that the vast majority of Primordial Wilderness powerhouses had already arrived there. Moreover, according to the news carried by heaven and earth, they had decided that the site of this Dao Discussion would be the Dao field of Fellow Daoist Niluan, an Innate God and Demon of the north: the Inverted Mountain Dao Discussion.

Di Kun looked around, determined the direction, and headed toward Inverted Mountain. At the same time, he continued connecting Earth Vein nodes bit by bit. According to his calculations, he still had time before reaching it, so he was in no hurry.

Along the way, Di Kun occasionally saw Innate Gods and Demons or Innate Races leaping over him, heading toward Inverted Mountain. Yet no one discovered Di Kun concealed within the Earth Veins. This satisfied him greatly, but he also knew that he had yet to encounter top-tier powerhouses such as Hongjun. Only if he met them and still remained undiscovered could he truly breathe easy.

Another epoch slowly passed before Di Kun finally arrived at Inverted Mountain. At this moment, Inverted Mountain was exceptionally lively. Countless Innate Races lingered nearby, for they all knew a Dao Discussion would soon take place here. Even if they could not enter, they could still gain some insights from the outskirts. After all, once news of the Dao Discussion spread, heaven and earth conveyed a message: this was the first Dao Discussion and preaching of the Dao, so heaven and earth would lend their support. Furthermore, everyone participating in this Dao Discussion would receive rewards.

At this moment, Di Kun slowly released the aura of a powerful Innate God and Demon. Every Innate spirit he encountered along the way made way for him, cupping their hands and bowing. After all, this Dao Discussion chiefly concerned Innate Gods and Demons like them. When the time came, all the Innate Races and Innate Beings present would owe them a favor. This could also be considered a strand of Karma.

When Di Kun reached the summit of Inverted Mountain, he found that the mountaintop was not large. More than thirty Innate Gods and Demons sat there, their auras stronger than those of the Innate Gods and Demons outside. That was why they were able to enter. After all, in the Primordial Land, strength was respected. Seated in the central place of honor was Fellow Daoist Niluan, master of Inverted Mountain. There were another eight seats in the center, occupied by eight powerhouses. Around them sat Innate Gods and Demons with somewhat weaker cultivation auras. The nine seats at the center were the core of this Dao Discussion. The closer one sat to the center, the stronger one's strength, and the more benefits one could obtain from this Dao Discussion.

Seeing this, Di Kun's eyes flashed. He raised a foot and slowly walked toward the center. As he passed each Innate God and Demon, they released their powerful cultivation auras to stop him from advancing. If even one of them had a higher cultivation than Di Kun, he would be unable to continue forward.

As this happened, Di Kun gradually released his own powerful aura. Not a single Innate God or Demon around him could suppress him. At last, he slowly reached the center. At this point, the other Innate Gods and Demons in the center also released their auras. If Di Kun could not withstand them, he could only take a step back and would be unable to enter the center and stand alongside them.