Awakening the Dao at Mount Buzhou, Five Qi Returning to the Origin

Returning to Mount Buzhou, Xuan Wazi felt rather emotional. This place had been the "beginner's village" at the start of his transmigration, as well as the place where he had been trapped for dozens of yuanhui, unable to take a single step because of his "leaky Qi" physique. Now, revisiting this old ground, he was no longer the ignorant youth he had once been. He possessed a Primordial Dao Body, held a Chaos Supreme Treasure in his hand, and his cultivation had reached the Great Perfection of Grand Unity Golden Immortal. He was only one step away from attaining the Dao of Grand Unity.

Mount Buzhou remained as majestic as ever, propping up heaven and earth, radiating Great God Pangu's unyielding will and vast pressure. The closer one came to the mountain, the richer that desolate Dao Rhyme born from the creation of heaven and earth became. The laws of heaven and earth were especially active and clear here, even seeming somewhat "chaotic" and "primitive" due to the lingering pressure of Pangu.

Such an environment was a dangerous place for ordinary cultivators, who could easily have their Dao foundations damaged by the chaotic laws. But for Xuan Wazi, who intended to break free of all constraints and condense his own unique Grand Unity Dao Fruit, it was the perfect place to comprehend the Dao!

At the foot of Mount Buzhou, he found a secluded valley near the natural restriction where he had first gone into seclusion, a place he was relatively familiar with. He laid down layer upon layer of restrictions, then used the Chaos Bead to completely conceal the heavenly secrets. Once he had ensured that nothing could go wrong, he sat cross-legged, immersed his mind within his body, and prepared to assault that crucial threshold—condensing the Five Qi in his chest and returning them to the origin as one!

Grand Unity Golden Immortals transcended the river of fate and enjoyed freedom without restraint. Their hallmark was condensing the five qi within the chest: the fire, wood, earth, metal, and water qi corresponding to the heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. In the end, the Five Qi Returning to the Origin would resonate with the Three Flowers atop one's head—essence, qi, and spirit—forming one's own Grand Unity Dao Fruit.

Previously, with the aid of Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence and First Kirin Blood Essence, Xuan Wazi had initially condensed the Qi of Lung Metal and the Qi of Spleen Earth, laying down a solid foundation. Now, he needed to complete the remaining three qi of Liver Wood, Heart Fire, and Kidney Water, then bring them into balanced harmony with the metal and earth qi.

He first took out the strand of [Innate Wood Spirit Qi] rewarded by the system, along with the segment of [Laurel Divine Branch]. The Laurel Divine Branch was a branch of the companion spiritual root of the Lunar Star. Though yin in nature, its essence was still wood, and it contained exceedingly pure Innate Yi Wood Essence and Taiyin Moon Essence.

"Liver belongs to wood, stores the soul, and governs free coursing and drainage... Its brilliance lies in the nails, its fluid is tears, and its orifice is the eyes..." Xuan Wazi silently recited the passages concerning the Five Elements and internal organs from the Nine Revolutions Primordial Profound Art, guiding the strand of Innate Wood Spirit Qi and the Yi Wood Essence within the Laurel Divine Branch slowly into the location of his liver.

Vigorous vitality blossomed from his liver, like all things reviving in spring, carrying the intent of unfurling and free expansion. His eyes became clearer and brighter, as though they could see through all falsehood; the circulation of Qi and blood throughout his body also became smoother and more fluid. A strand of lush green Innate Yi Wood Qi, brimming with life, slowly began to take shape within his liver.

Next, he took out the remaining drop of [Primordial Phoenix Blood Essence]. The heart belonged to fire, stored the spirit, and governed the blood vessels! The ultimate indestructible flames and True Meaning of Nirvana within the Primordial Phoenix Blood Essence were precisely the finest nourishment for condensing Heart Fire Qi!

The blood essence entered his body and shot straight toward his heart. In an instant, Xuan Wazi felt as though his heart had transformed into a miniature blazing sun, beating violently as surging heat flooded into his limbs and bones. His blood boiled like scorching magma! A blazing, vigorous strand of Innate Ding Fire Qi, carrying the intent of destruction and rebirth, roared to life within his heart!

Last came the Qi of Kidney Water. The kidneys belonged to water, stored essence, and governed the intake of Qi! He did not directly use the Ancestral Dragon Blood Essence—whose properties leaned more toward strength and control rather than pure water—but instead took out the bottle of [Profound Origin Heavy Water] he had plundered from the dragon clan. At the same time, he drew upon his comprehension of the laws of water, as well as the primordial intent of water within his Primordial Dao Body that could evolve all things.

Profound Origin Heavy Water was the essence of all waters beneath heaven, incomparably heavy; a single drop could become rivers and lakes. Refined by Xuan Wazi's profound art, its supremely yin, frigid, heavy, and profound water essence flowed into both kidneys. A cool essence of moistening descent and concealment arose, forming a mutually assisting balance with the Heart Fire. A strand of Innate Ren Water Qi, deep as an abyss and agile in its transformations, slowly condensed within his kidneys.

At this point, within the five organs—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, and kidneys—the crimson Ding Fire, azure Yi Wood, yellow Wu Earth, white Geng Metal, and black Ren Water, five strands of Innate Qi, had all initially taken form!

But this was merely the beginning. The five qi each operated independently; they still had to "return to the origin" as one before they could form a stable Grand Unity Dao foundation and condense a Dao Fruit.

Xuan Wazi held his breath and focused, circulating the Nine Revolutions Primordial Profound Art with all his strength. His Primordial Dao Body was like a massive furnace, emitting a Primordial Dao Rhyme that embraced all things as it began to reconcile and sort through these five strands of Innate Qi, each with different attributes and even mutual opposition.

This was an exceedingly perilous process. The Five Elements generated and restrained one another; a single misstep in control could cause the five qi to clash, damage his internal organs, and shatter his Dao foundation!

Liver Wood generated Heart Fire, Heart Fire generated Spleen Earth, Spleen Earth generated Lung Metal, Lung Metal generated Kidney Water, and Kidney Water in turn generated Liver Wood... The Five Elements generated one another in an endless cycle, forming an internal system of energy circulation.

Yet at the same time, the austere killing nature of Lung Metal restrained the free expansion of Liver Wood; the drainage of Liver Wood restrained the transformation of Spleen Earth; the bearing nature of Spleen Earth restrained the flooding of Kidney Water; the chill of Kidney Water restrained the blazing intensity of Heart Fire; and the scorching heat of Heart Fire restrained the clear austerity of Lung Metal... The Five Elements restrained one another, maintaining a delicate balance and mutual check.

Xuan Wazi's mind was wholly immersed in the cycles of generation and restraint among the five qi, savoring the supreme principles of the Great Dao within them. At this moment, his Dao heart of "obstinacy" played a marvelous role. Unbound by convention, breaking free of restraints, he sought balance amid generation and restraint, and flexibility amid limitation!

He did not forcibly suppress the mutual restraint. Instead, he guided them to clash and collide "mischievously" within a certain range, stirring up a deeper understanding of Dao Rhyme. Nor did he rigidly cling to mutual generation. At times, he "naughtily" reversed their flow, comprehending the mystery that when things reached an extreme, they turned back, and when misfortune reached its limit, fortune arrived.

Under this guidance, seemingly "reckless" yet in truth aligned with the dialectics of the Great Dao, the five strands of Innate Qi did not circulate rigidly. Instead, they were like five spirited sprites, constantly adjusting and adapting amid generation and restraint, until they finally reached a dynamic balance brimming with vitality!

"Bzz—!"

Who knew how much time had passed when a soft sound like the harmonious resonance of the Great Dao rang out from within Xuan Wazi's body! Within his five organs, the five strands of Innate Qi, each a different color yet equally brilliant and pure, suddenly shone brightly. Then they left the organs and converged toward the middle dantian in his chest!

Crimson, azure, yellow, white, and black radiance intertwined and spun, ultimately transforming into a mass of chaotic-colored, ever-evolving misty Qi. It hovered within the middle dantian before slowly settling, completely merging with the foundation of his mana and the origin of his Spirit Soul!

The Five Qi in his chest had returned to the origin as one!

At the instant the Five Qi Returned to the Origin, Xuan Wazi felt as though he had shattered some invisible shackle. His Spirit Soul rose without limit, as though it had leaped beyond some predetermined track, and he saw a vast river flowing endlessly, containing countless points of light that represented the fates of living beings—the river of fate of the Primordial World!

He sensed that his True Spirit Imprint had already transcended the restraints of that river. From this day onward, his fate was his own, no longer at its mercy! Though he remained within heaven and earth, subject to the governance of the Heavenly Dao, he had gained the foundation for great freedom and great transcendence!

Grand Unity Golden Immortal! He had succeeded!

Mana countless times more vast and majestic than that of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal surged from within him. The range covered by his divine sense expanded dramatically, and his perception and command of the laws of heaven and earth underwent a qualitative leap! More importantly, he felt that the foundation of his Dao had never been more stable. That chaotic-colored misty Qi fused with the origins of the five qi was the embryonic form of the Grand Unity Dao Fruit he would condense in the future!

He slowly opened his eyes. Within them, images of heaven and earth being opened and the Five Elements revolving flashed past. His aura was flawlessly harmonious; resonating with heaven and earth, it naturally gave rise to phenomena. Golden lotuses emerged in the valley, sweet springs gushed from the ground, and Dao music drifted through the air.

"So this is the Grand Unity realm... Truly profound!" Feeling the earthshaking changes within himself, Xuan Wazi could scarcely express the joy in his heart. After bitter cultivation for countless years, he had finally entered the inner hall today, truly stepping across the threshold of the Primordial World's supreme mighty experts!

[ Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully breaking through to the Early-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal! The Primordial Dao Body has further awakened, and the preliminary refinement of the Chaos Bead has improved. Reward: Divine Ability 'Five Elements Great Escape'; Innate Spiritual Treasure 'Five-Colored Heaven Net' (low-grade).]

The system's notification sounded at just the right time, adding flowers to brocade.

"Five Elements Great Escape? Good stuff! Running away in the future... ahem, traveling will be much more convenient! The Five-Colored Heaven Net? Looks pretty good. Suitable for ambushing people... no, suitable for protecting myself and capturing enemies!" Xuan Wazi was extremely satisfied with the rewards.

After consolidating his newly achieved realm and familiarizing himself with the power of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal and his new divine ability, Xuan Wazi rose to his full height and removed the restrictions.

He looked westward, where demonic Qi and tribulation Qi intertwined, already dense to the extreme. He looked eastward, where the immortal radiance of Jade Capital Mountain was growing ever more brilliant. The Dao-Demon Conflict was already an arrow fitted to the bow!

"The time has come!" Xuan Wazi's eyes gleamed with excitement and anticipation. "Grand Unity has been attained, and the Chaos Bead is in hand. It is time to head to that Dao-Demon battlefield, meet Luo Hou and Hongjun, and see whether I can make another huge haul in this great tribulation!"

With a flicker, he had already left the valley, transforming into an invisible, traceless escape light as he shot toward the western land where Sha Qi soared into the heavens!