Following someone as ambitious as East Prince, yet so unstable in his foundations and so easily carried away by success, would most likely lead straight into the abyss.
There were countless Primordial Great Powers in the Primordial Wilderness. Would they truly bow their heads and submit merely because of the title bestowed by the Dao Ancestor?
The Witch Clan was formidable, the demon race powerful, the Three Pure Ones unfathomable, and there were also hidden figures like Qing Huan. Not to mention those who possessed Innate Supreme Treasures...
Could East Prince truly afford to provoke such people?
The smile on East Prince's face instantly froze, and a flicker of anger at having been slighted flashed through his eyes.
Yet he was not without composure. He forcibly suppressed his displeasure and said in a low voice:
"Fellow Daoist, you are being overly cautious. How could an appointment personally bestowed by the Dao Ancestor be a joke?
"The title of Head of Female Immortals is not something you can avoid simply because you wish to.
"Since Fellow Daoist needs time to consider today, I shall pay another visit another day.
"This matter concerns the greater currents of the Primordial Wilderness. I hope Fellow Daoist will consider it carefully!"
With that, East Prince cupped his hands in salute, transformed into a streak of golden light, and departed with lingering reluctance.
Queen Mother of the West watched the direction in which East Prince vanished. She sighed softly, her gaze turning toward the mist-shrouded mountain range of West Kunlun, as though lost in thought.
While Qing Huan sat in meditation on Buzhou Mountain, searching for opportunities for nearly ten thousand years without success, an intense palpitation suddenly came from the southwest.
That force of attraction was overwhelming and irresistible, pointing directly at his Dao Heart!
"The Innate Gourd Vine is about to emerge!"
Qing Huan abruptly opened his eyes. A brilliant light burst from them, and he hesitated no longer.
At a single thought, his figure became a streak of light and sped toward the source of that palpitation.
After searching for ten thousand years without result, he had thought this treasure was not fated for him... Now that the opportunity had appeared, was it a gift from heaven or a trial?
As his thoughts raced, he had already reached the place drawing him in.
Jagged mountains surrounded him, and the vegetation was ordinary. Only an unremarkable mountain hollow was enveloped by an inscrutable Innate Grand Formation. Its formation patterns flowed, sealing off inside from outside, while only the faint pulse of life from the vine seeped through.
"...Heh, looks like I was the first to arrive."
Qing Huan hovered in midair, staring at the impregnable curtain of light. The helplessness from his fruitless search moments ago instantly turned into cold resolve.
"But opportunities vanish in an instant. Why should I leave it for those people?"
With a slight stir of his thoughts, a Precious Umbrella appeared in his hand. Chaos Qi flowed through its ribs, and seven-colored halos rose and fell around it. It was the offensive and defensive Innate Supreme Treasure—the Seven Symbols Treasure Umbrella!
A Heaven-Opening Blade condensed with the intent to tear apart chaos and annihilate all phenomena, wrapped in fierce Gale Wind, slashed down without mercy!
"Boom—!"
The thunderous blast shook the surrounding peaks, and shockwaves rolled out like raging tides!
When the smoke and dust dispersed, the light curtain of the Innate Grand Formation had merely rippled violently, layer upon layer. It was completely unharmed!
Qing Huan's pupils contracted.
"This... is impossible!"
His previous attack had contained eighty percent of his power. Even an Ancestral Witch True Body could have been broken apart by it...
Yet this Innate Grand Formation was as unshakable as a rock? An indescribable sense of wrongness rose in his heart.
"Is the Will of Heaven blocking me?"
Qing Huan took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart as he prepared to strike again.
The Precious Umbrella's radiance surged. The vast, boundless Magic Power within him was no longer held back and poured into it in full.
"Seven Symbols Annihilation Slash!"
This time, the blade was condensed almost into substance. Its aura of Destruction twisted the surrounding space until it wailed!
This strike was enough to leave even an ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortal without a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure for protection either dead or grievously wounded!
"Bang—!!!"
An even more earth-shattering roar erupted!
The violent energy blast swept across the land. Rocks shattered, and grass and trees were reduced to dust.
Yet when the smoke and debris finally settled, the Innate Grand Formation still stood stubbornly. Though its light curtain had dimmed slightly, it remained as stable as ever.
Qing Huan stared at it for a long while before slowly putting away the Precious Umbrella.
A bitter smile, woven from helplessness and realization, appeared on his lips.
"It is not that my strength is lacking, nor that the spiritual treasure is inadequate... It is simply the Will of Heaven. The time for this opportunity has not yet come."
At that moment, Qing Huan's heart suddenly cleared. The obsession to seize the treasure by force dissipated, and his state of mind instead became calm.
Since it could not be forced, he would quietly wait for the flowers to bloom. Even taking its "lesser branches" would still count as a harvest.
He concealed his edge and stood quietly to one side, still as an abyss and firm as a mountain, waiting in silence.
Above Buzhou Mountain, streaks of light tore through the sky one after another. Powerful auras arrived in succession, instantly shattering the silence of the mountains.
"Second Brother, Third Brother."
Taiqing Laozi looked calm as his gaze fell upon the formation below.
"The spiritual opportunity here seems to share a karmic affinity with my Dao."
"Eldest Brother speaks truly. I too sense that this treasure is fated to be with me."
Yuqing Yuanshi nodded.
"Haha, Eldest Brother, Second Brother, that pull could not be more obvious. This treasure is clearly calling for me as well!"
Shangqing Tongtian laughed heartily.
The Three Pure Ones exchanged glances, their understanding unspoken.
"Good."
As that single word fell, the three Dao Venerables had already claimed a section of territory before the formation.
Golden light also flashed from the west as Jieyin and Zhunti arrived together.
"Senior Brother,"
Zhunti's eyes blazed, and his words carried undisguised desire.
"The treasure light here is contained within. This is clearly fated to our west!"
Jieyin's face was gaunt, his sorrowful expression deepening, yet he said:
"Amitabha, Buddha does not speak of fate."
Jieyin secretly worked his fingers within his sleeve, clearly having made every possible preparation.
Solar True Fire flickered around the brothers Di Jun and Tai Yi, their imperial aura pressing down on all around them.
Fuxi and Nuwa arrived together, their auras blending as they appeared pure and otherworldly.
Zhenyuanzi arrived alongside Daoist Hong Yun. The former held the Earth Book, his aura as profound and steady as the earth.
Ancestor Minghe also arrived, standing atop the Karma Red Lotus as a blood-red glow flickered around him.
East Prince rode the clouds amid a crowd of followers, laughing brightly.
"Hahaha! Fellow Daoists have truly gathered here in full force. It seems the opportunity in this place is no small matter!"
Yet East Prince's words drew no attention from peak great powers such as the Three Pure Ones, Di Jun and Tai Yi, or Fuxi and Nuwa. Only the independent cultivators attached to him and those newly entering the Great Luo realm replied with flattering words.
The atmosphere before the formation was subtle, with undercurrents surging beneath the surface.
The great powers each occupied their own side. Their gazes crossed as all looked toward the Innate Grand Formation, seemingly fragile yet truly indestructible.
Taiqing Laozi made a slight calculation with his fingers. His voice was calm, yet it clearly entered the ears of every great power:
"The qi of this formation is circulating, and its spiritual resonance is nearing fullness. It will dissipate in one hundred years."
"A mere hundred years will pass in the blink of an eye."
Primordial Heavenly Venerate calmly closed his eyes and sat cross-legged where he stood.
The others either sat quietly to regulate their breathing or remained secretly on guard, their eyes never leaving the spiritual light within the formation.
To the Primordial Great Powers, a hundred years were no more than an instant.
When the final moment of those hundred years passed, the Innate Grand Formation covering the mountain hollow suddenly emitted a pleasant hum. Its mysterious formation patterns rapidly faded like melting ice and snow, vanishing without a trace!
In an instant, countless rays of rosy light shot into the heavens. Seven-colored Auspicious Qi surged forth like a tide, and an indescribable innate spiritual essence spread through the air, refreshing the heart and soul!
At the center of that rosy radiance, a divine vine rooted itself atop a patch of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil that shimmered with Innate Wutu Essence. The vine was verdant and lush, wreathed in streams of Chaos Qi.
Seven gourds of varying shapes swayed upon it in the wind, each emitting a different yet equally powerful treasure light!
Before you continue