Qing Huan's Helplessness

Following someone as ambitious yet unstable and easily carried away by success as East Prince was practically a one-way ticket into the abyss.

How many Primordial Great Powers were there in the world? Would they bow their heads and pledge allegiance just because the Dao Ancestor had bestowed a title?

The Witch Clan was overbearing, the Demon Race held great power, the Three Pure Ones were unfathomably deep, and there were beings like Qing Huan who concealed their true strength—not to mention that he had an Innate Supreme Treasure in hand...

Could East Prince really afford to provoke people like these?

The smile on East Prince's face froze instantly, a flicker of irritation at being contradicted flashing through his eyes.

But he was not without composure. Suppressing the displeasure in his heart, he said in a low voice:

"Daoist Friend, your words are far too cautious. A personal appointment by the Dao Ancestor is no trivial matter.

The title 'Head of Female Immortals' is not something you can simply avoid even if you wish to.

Since you need time to consider today, I will visit another day.

This matter concerns the grand trends of the Primordial World. I urge you to think carefully!"

With that, East Prince clasped his hands in a salute, transformed into a beam of golden light, and departed, leaving his unfinished meaning hanging in the air.

Queen Mother of the West watched the direction East Prince had vanished, let out a soft sigh, and turned her gaze toward the mist-shrouded West Kunlun mountain range, lost in thought.

Just as Qing Huan was meditating at Buzhou Mountain, having searched for opportunities for nearly ten thousand years without success, a powerful tremor suddenly came from the southwest.

This pulling force was overwhelming, pointing straight at his Dao heart!

"The Innate Gourd Vine is about to emerge!"

Qing Huan's eyes snapped open, a sharp light bursting from his pupils. Without a moment's hesitation, with a single thought, his figure had already turned into a streak of light, racing toward the source of the tremor.

After searching for ten thousand years with no result, he had thought this treasure was not meant for him... Now that the opportunity had appeared, he could not tell whether it was a gift from heaven or a trial.

In the blink of an eye, he had arrived at the place that pulled at him.

The surrounding mountains were rugged, the vegetation ordinary, except for an unremarkable mountain hollow shrouded by a mysterious and profound Innate Grand Formation. The formation patterns swirled, sealing off the inside from the outside, with only the life pulse of the vine faintly seeping through.

"...Heh, it seems I am the first to arrive."

Qing Huan hovered in midair, staring at the seemingly indestructible barrier of light. The helplessness of not finding the opportunity earlier instantly turned into cold resolve.

"But opportunities are fleeting. Why would I leave them for those people?"

With a thought, a treasure umbrella appeared in his palm. Its ribs swirled with Chaos Qi, and seven-colored light rose and fell within—this was the Innate Supreme Treasure that combined offense and defense: the Seven Symbols Treasure Umbrella!

A Heaven-Opening Blade, condensed with the intent to tear apart chaos and annihilate all phenomena, wrapped in a fierce Gale Wind, slashed down with overwhelming force!

"Boom—!"

A thunderous roar shook the peaks, and waves of air surged like a tide!

When the dust settled, the light barrier of the Innate Grand Formation only rippled violently, sending out layer after layer of undulations—completely unharmed!

Qing Huan's pupils contracted slightly.

"This... impossible!"

The strike he had just delivered, driven by eighty percent of his Magic Power, could have broken even an Ancestral Witch True Body...

Yet this Innate Grand Formation was as solid as a rock? An indescribable feeling of wrongness surged in his heart.

"Is the Will of Heaven blocking me?"

Qing Huan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and prepared to strike again.

The treasure umbrella's radiance exploded outward. The vast, boundless Magic Power within his body was poured into it without reserve.

"Seven Symbols Annihilation Slash!"

This time, the blade of Qi condensed into a tangible form. The aura of destruction twisted the surrounding space and made it wail in agony!

This single strike was enough to leave an ordinary Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal without a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure to protect themselves either dead or severely injured!

"Boom—!!!"

An even more earth-shattering explosion rang out!

Violent energy shockwaves swept across the land. Mountains shattered, rocks split, and vegetation was ground to dust.

Yet, when the smoke and dust settled, the Innate Grand Formation still stood tenaciously. Though the light barrier had dimmed slightly, it remained as stable as before.

Qing Huan stared at it for a long time before finally slowly putting away the treasure umbrella.

A bitter smile, mingled with helplessness and understanding, appeared at the corner of his lips.

"It is not that my power is insufficient, nor that the spiritual treasure is inadequate... It is the Will of Heaven. The opportunity has not yet arrived."

At this moment, Qing Huan's mind suddenly cleared. The stubborn obsession with forcibly seizing the treasure dissipated, and his state of mind became calm instead.

Since it could not be forced, he would wait quietly for the flower to bloom. Taking even a 'branch tip' would still be a gain.

He retracted his sharp edge, stood silently to one side, as steady as an abyss or a mountain, waiting in silence.

Above Buzhou Mountain, streaks of light tore through the air one after another. Powerful auras arrived in succession, instantly shattering the silence of the mountain range.

"Second Brother, Third Brother."

Grand Pure One Laozi's expression was calm, his gaze falling upon the grand formation below.

"The spiritual mechanism here is drawn forth, seeming to hold a karmic connection with my Dao."

"Eldest Brother speaks truly. I too sense that this treasure is fated with me."

Yuqing Yuanshi nodded.

"Haha, First and Second Brothers, that pull of intent could not be clearer—this treasure is also calling out to me!"

Shangqing Tongtian laughed heartily.

The Three Pure Ones exchanged glances, understanding passing between them in silence.

"Good."

With those three words, the three Dao Venerables had already claimed a corner of the heavens before the formation.

From the West, golden light flickered as Jieyin and Zhunti arrived together.

"Senior Brother,"

Zhunti's eyes blazed, his words carrying undisguised longing.

"This place's treasure light is inwardly radiant—clearly, it has a karmic connection with the West!"

Jieyin's face was gaunt, his expression of sorrow deepening, yet his mouth spoke:

"Amitabha. The Buddha does not speak of karma."

Jieyin's fingers moved subtly within his sleeve, clearly having made full preparations.

Di Jun and Tai Yi, the brothers, had Solar True Fire faintly flickering around them, their sovereign aura pressing upon all.

Fuxi and Nuwa, siblings, arrived together, their auras interwoven, pure and transcendent.

Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun the Daoist accompanied each other; the former held the Earth Book, his presence thick and steady as the earth itself.

Old Ancestor Minghe came as well, treading upon the Karma Red Lotus, a hint of bloodlight flickering.

East Prince, surrounded by a throng of followers, rode a cloud as he arrived, his laughter bright:

"Hahaha! All you Daoist Friends gathered here—this place must hold no small opportunity!"

Yet East Prince's words drew no notice from the top-tier Great Powers like the Three Pure Ones, Di Jun and Tai Yi, or Fuxi and Nuwa. Only the scattered cultivators and those newly entered Great Luo who clung to him responded with flattery.

The atmosphere before the formation was delicate, undercurrents stirring.

The Great Powers each occupied their own space, their gazes interweaving, all fixed upon that layer of the Innate Grand Formation—seemingly fragile, yet in truth unbreakable.

Grand Pure One Laozi pinched his fingers in a subtle calculation, his voice calm yet clearly reaching the ears of every Great Power:

"The qi mechanism of this formation flows; its spiritual essence is nearly full. There are still a hundred years before it dissipates."

"A mere hundred years—a snap of the fingers."

Primordial Heavenly Venerate closed his eyes serenely, sitting cross-legged on the spot to enter meditation.

The others either sat quietly to regulate their breath or secretly readied themselves, their gazes never leaving the spiritual light within the formation.

A hundred years were but an instant in the eyes of the Primordial Great Powers.

When the final moment of that century passed, the Innate Grand Formation enveloping the mountain hollow suddenly emitted a pleasant hum. The profound array patterns faded like melting snow and ice, vanishing without a trace!

In that instant, billions of rays of multicolored light shot into the sky. Seven-colored Auspicious Qi surged forth like a tide, and an indescribable innate spiritual essence spread out, refreshing the soul!

At the center of the radiance, a miraculous vine took root in a patch of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil shimmering with Innate Wutu Essence. The vine was a vivid, dripping green, entwined with streams of Chaos Qi.

Seven gourds of varying shapes swayed in the wind atop it, each emitting a distinct yet equally powerful treasure light!