Within an unnamed cave abode on Buzhou Mountain, the lotus that had sustained itself for a hundred years suddenly bloomed, then dissolved into specks of spiritual light.
Cihang's figure also appeared within the cave abode. He was no longer in his previous bedraggled state; his aura was now perfectly integrated, clearly showing that his strength had greatly increased.
"Finally recovered!"
Cihang opened his eyes and let out a sigh.
His injuries this time had been even more severe than expected, having already damaged his origin.
Only after refining another drop of Three Lights Divine Water had he managed to fully recover within a mere hundred years.
"Mysterious Immortal Peak!"
Feeling his cultivation, Cihang smiled once more.
If he had previously been just a hair away from becoming a Golden Immortal, then now, so long as he wished it, he could immediately establish the Dao of the Golden Immortal.
However, Cihang had no such plans for the time being.
Cihang had previously discovered that although his cultivation method had been inherited from the World-Purifying White Lotus, the World-Purifying White Lotus had shattered, leaving the inheritance he received incomplete and unsystematic.
Before breaking through, he needed to perfect his cultivation method and inheritance, strengthening his foundations.
The reason cultivators of the same realm differed in strength was greatly influenced by their cultivation methods, inheritances, aptitude, and foundations.
Cihang yearned for great power, but he would not take shortcuts for the sake of a temporary breakthrough and compromise his future foundation and achievements.
"My injuries have recovered. It is time to see what I gained this time!"
A Jade Seal appeared in midair, and Cihang immediately formed Dao seals with his hands and began refining it.
He had previously obtained quite a few spiritual treasures from Huoyi and the other demons, but aside from the Void-Escaping Shuttle, they had all been destroyed by this jade seal.
It had been able to resist the devouring power of the Glazed Pure Vase. Though that was partly because his cultivation had been insufficient, this spiritual treasure's grade could not be low.
After his cultivation increased, Cihang's speed at refining spiritual treasures also surged. In only a few days, he had already initially recognized it as his master.
"A top-grade Houtian Spiritual Treasure with thirty-six Houtian divine restrictions. No wonder it could withstand the Glazed Pure Vase."
This Jade Divine Seal had been refined by Chiyu from the essence of a spiritual mountain. It was a powerful offensive treasure, and Cihang had personally experienced its might.
With the Jade Divine Seal, he no longer needed to use Innate Spiritual Treasures against every opponent.
With his current cultivation, wielding Innate Spiritual Treasures would inevitably invite others' covetous eyes.
Cihang did not rush to continue refining the Jade Divine Seal. Instead, he took out the Glazed Pure Vase.
During his battle with Chiyu, he had discovered that the Willow Branch had undergone an inexplicable change, gaining a spirituality it had not possessed before.
Especially after entering the Witch Race's territory, that spirituality had grown increasingly intense and had continuously drawn him toward it.
However, he had been focused on recovering at the time and had not examined the Willow Branch's changes in time.
Ever since he had inexplicably gained memories of the future, Cihang had always been suspicious of the Willow Branch, yet he had never discovered anything.
"What profound mystery do you contain? Will this time finally resolve the doubts in my heart?"
As he spoke, Cihang sent a strand of divine sense into the Willow Branch.
This was not Cihang's first time investigating the Willow Branch, but there had been nothing unusual about the origin he had seen before.
This time was different. Deep within the Willow Branch's origin, Cihang sensed a mysterious and indescribable place.
Without hesitation, Cihang's divine sense incarnation stepped into that unknown place.
In the blink of an eye, Cihang appeared in an empty, boundless space filled with dense vitality.
The instant he stepped inside, Cihang felt as though his divine sense were being sublimated.
"So this is the Willow Branch's true origin space? Such dense Life Essence!"
This was his first time entering this place, and the Life Essence within it made Cihang feel even more strongly that it was extraordinary.
The Life Essence here seemed endless and boundless.
The more that was the case, the more certain Cihang became that this place was extraordinary.
"I hope this time will reveal all the answers."
Cihang transformed his divine sense into a streak of light and headed deeper into the space.
Along the way, Cihang sensed no danger. Other than Life Essence, there was nothing here.
Within this silent space, even time seemed frozen.
Perhaps hundreds of millions of years had passed, or perhaps only an instant. Cihang had no idea when or where he was.
Suddenly, a change appeared ahead. Life Essence far denser than before began to spread outward.
Looking up, he saw a pure white sun hanging high in the sky, continuously releasing Life Essence.
Cihang immediately determined that this white sun was the source of everything.
It was not a true sun, but the origin of a spiritual root.
At the same time, Cihang was utterly astonished. Although he had never possessed a top-grade spiritual root, he had sensed the aura of a top-grade Innate Spiritual Root at Jade Pool before.
Yet this sun before him surpassed the top-grade Innate Spiritual Root at Jade Pool in both aura and level of life.
"A Chaos Spiritual Root?
Whether this is fortune or calamity will be decided now!"
Having reached this point, Cihang naturally did not hesitate. He immediately prepared to use his divine sense to touch the sun's origin and peer into its essence.
"Whoosh!"
Before Cihang could touch the sun, an invisible ripple shot out from it and instantly enveloped him.
Under the effect of that mysterious power, Cihang's consciousness seemed to travel through endless time and space before reappearing upon an island.
"Mount Luojia?"
Seeing the familiar island, Cihang cried out in alarm.
He clearly remembered being in the Willow Branch's origin world. How could he possibly have returned to Mount Luojia?
"No, although this is Mount Luojia, both its spiritual energy and its divine charm far surpass my own dojo.
This Mount Luojia is even slightly superior to Queen Mother of the West's Jade Pool."
Cihang strode directly into Mount Luojia.
Though he did not know why this had happened, he sensed that the answer lay ahead.
"Young friend, you have finally arrived!"
A white-browed Daoist suddenly appeared beneath a willow tree, looking kindly at Cihang.
"Cihang greets you, Senior. May I ask who you are, Senior? And how did I come to be here?"
Suppressing the shock and suspicion in his heart, Cihang guarded himself carefully against the other man.
"I am Yang Mei. I bear no ill will toward you, young friend, so there is no need to be nervous."
Yang Mei smiled as he explained to Cihang.
"Yang Mei, the Chaos Demon God Yang Mei? Had you not long since left the Primordial World, Senior?"
Cihang was once again shocked by Yang Mei's identity.
This was an existence who had attained the Dao before Hongjun. If Yang Mei had not left the Primordial World, it was uncertain whether there would even have been a Dao Ancestor.
"I did indeed return to Chaos long ago. This is a consciousness space I left behind, and I was the one who brought you here.
Today's meeting is also meant to settle a karmic bond with you, young friend."
Yang Mei explained gently to Cihang.
"A karmic bond? Then the memories I awakened really were because of you, Senior?
Then was I reborn, or did I foresee the future?"
Cihang finally could no longer restrain himself from asking the question that had troubled him all along.
"I appeared this time precisely because of this matter. Once you see it, young friend, you will understand the Karma involved!"
Yang Mei sent a stream of memory light toward Cihang.
Before Cihang could react, he had already fallen into ancient memories.
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