Innate Gourd Vine

Several people in the valley were discussing the Dao with great enthusiasm, and Zhenyuanzi also began talking about his Companion Spiritual Root.

Apart from Hong Yun and Jiang Yun, everyone else wore expressions of shock and envy when they heard this. The Three Pure Ones were even more astonished. "Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, could you be referring to one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots of the Primordial Desolation World—the Ginseng Fruit Tree?"

"Indeed, it is that very Spiritual Root. My Ginseng Fruit Tree blooms once every three thousand years, bears fruit once every three thousand years, and its fruit ripens after another three thousand years. In other words, it takes ten thousand years before the fruit can be eaten once."

Compared with Companion Spiritual Treasures, Companion Spiritual Roots were even rarer. This was the first time the Three Pure Ones, Zhunti, and Jieyin had heard of one.

Such a top-grade Spiritual Root had extraordinary effects. More than six thousand years had passed since the Ginseng Fruit Tree's fruit had last ripened, so Zhenyuanzi generously invited everyone to visit his Wuzhuang Temple once the fruit matured. They could taste the Ginseng Fruit together and discuss the Dao while they were there.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Just as they were chatting happily, several streaks of Evasion Light descended from the void above and entered the valley. The newcomers were the four great sages of the Monster Clan: Dijun, Taiyi, Fuxi, and Nüwa.

Not long after they arrived, the spiritual energy in the valley began to seethe. After the earth shook and the mountains trembled, a huge fissure split open in the center of the valley. Golden light surged from within. Suddenly, a verdant-green radiance pierced through the golden light and shot into the sky. Within that radiance, a Gourd Vine slowly emerged.

The leaves on the Gourd Vine were broad and thick. Each one looked as if it had been carved from jade, with clear veins and a vigorous vitality radiating from it.

Following the Gourd Vine upward, they saw seven gourds growing upon it.

The seven gourds had different shapes and sizes. The one at the very top was the largest, its entire body purple-gold. The gourd below it was orange-yellow, while beneath that were red, green, cyan, blue, and several other colors. The lowest gourd was the smallest. It looked malnourished and did not seem fully mature.

The Gourd Vine's stalk was incomparably sturdy, and its roots sank tightly into the depths of the earth. It drew endless spiritual power from the ground, and with every transmission of spiritual energy, a flash of light passed over its vines.

Everyone in the valley looked at the newly emerged Innate Gourd Vine and the seven Innate Spiritual Gourds, unable to hide their delight.

However, there were many people in the valley, and seven gourds were not enough for everyone. After their initial excitement, they could not help but begin thinking of a solution.

"My two brothers and I were all guided here by Heaven's Dao. By fate, we should each take one," Yuanshi said first.

"The two of us will take only one," Hong Yun said afterward.

"The four of us will take only two," Dijun added immediately.

When Zhunti and Jieyin heard this, their hearts filled with joy. The two of them had originally followed Hong Yun here just to take a look. They had not expected to obtain a Spiritual Treasure gourd as well. It was truly an unexpected delight.

Jiang Yun was also filled with astonishment. With his presence added to the situation, such a change had occurred. In the legends, Jieyin and Zhunti had never possessed this opportunity.

"Everyone may take their opportunities first. The three of us will decide afterward," Zhunti said.

After they reached an agreement, Taiqing Laozi stepped forward first and took down the purple-gold gourd. He said with a smile, "This gourd and I are fated. I can take it back and refine it into a Spiritual Treasure for storing pills."

After Taiqing took his gourd, Yuqing Yuanshi and Shangqing Lingbao also stepped forward in turn and picked a gourd each. It was simply unknown what the two of them intended to do with the gourds they had taken.

Next, Hong Yun stepped forward and took the red gourd. This was the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd that Hong Yun would later refine. It contained red divine sand capable of injuring a person's primordial spirit and corroding their body, making it a rare Spiritual Treasure.

Afterward, Nüwa and Taiyi each stepped forward and took down the yellow gourd and the golden gourd.

The former was refined by Nüwa into the Monster Summoning Banner, the supreme treasure of the Monster Clan. It contained the true souls of members of the Monster Clan and could control the monsters of the Primordial Desolation World. The latter was refined by Taiyi into the renowned Immortal Slaying Flying Knife, becoming a famous killing Spiritual Treasure in the Primordial Desolation World. It could lock onto a target's soul aura, pursue and kill its enemies, and sever their primordial spirits.

After taking her gourd, Nüwa had originally wanted to stay a little longer. However, Dijun, Taiyi, and the others still resented Yuanshi because of what he had said in the Purple Cloud Palace. The fact that no conflict had broken out already showed considerable restraint.

Seeing that Taiyi and the other two had no intention of staying after picking their gourds, Nüwa also transformed into a streak of Evasion Light and left with them.

The others paid no attention to the departure of the four members of the Monster Clan. After Dijun and the others left, Zhunti slowly stepped forward. Just as he was about to take the final black gourd, the gourd automatically broke free from the vine. Immediately afterward, the Gourd Vine began to wither, as if it had exhausted its source after nurturing the seven gourds. It would probably find it difficult to recover in the future.

Zhunti picked up the fallen black gourd. It had failed to develop fully. Compared with the other six gourds, which had matured completely and had each become a high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, this black gourd was an entire grade lower. It was only a mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Zhunti did not dislike it and carefully put it away.

At this point, Jiang Yun seized the opportunity to step forward and collect the remaining Gourd Vine, along with the soil beneath it. He transplanted all of it into his Inner World. The others said nothing when they saw this, merely treating it as leaving something for the junior.

Jiang Yun let out a sigh of relief. He knew that this move had been somewhat rash, but the result had turned out well. The others were all innate fiends with profound blessings and numerous Spiritual Treasure opportunities, so they did not care about such a minor matter and let him pick up the spoils.

Jiang Yun sensed his Inner World. The lowest layer of the soil he had just collected was indeed Innate Breathing Soil. He had only tried it on a whim, so this result truly delighted him.

He made some arrangements for the Gourd Vine and the Breathing Soil he had brought into his Inner World. After settling the Gourd Vine inside, he watered it with some Three Lights Divine Water. The Gourd Vine absorbed the Three Lights Divine Water and gradually recovered some of its vitality.

Jiang Yun thought that with Innate Breathing Soil and Three Lights Divine Water, the Gourd Vine might not be unable to recover its vitality and bloom and bear fruit again in the future.

After collecting the Spiritual Treasures, everyone agreed on a time to visit Wuzhuang Temple for Fruit Tasting Dao Discussion. The Three Pure Ones then bade farewell to the others and went straight back to Kunlun Mountain.

Hong Yun and Zhenyuanzi remained accompanied by Zhunti and the other two. The group did not continue touring Buzhou Mountain. Everyone was eager to return to their Dao Fields to comprehend what they had heard and refine their treasures, so they all mounted their Evasion Lights and left Buzhou Mountain for the Western World.

Two hundred years passed in the blink of an eye. The group traveled from the central region of the Primordial Desolation World without stopping and arrived at Zhenyuanzi's Dao Field, Wuzhuang Temple.

Wuzhuang Temple stood upon a large Spirit Vein near the border of the Western World. It was a beautiful and spiritually endowed place, like a pearl hidden beyond the mortal world.

It was located amid a lush mountain forest, surrounded by mountain ranges and undulating peaks that resembled a giant dragon winding and lying in wait. Wuzhuang Temple was nestled among the forest, quietly situated in the valley, as though it were a sacred land carefully carved by nature.

When they reached the temple, they saw that its gates were wide open. Two Dao boys stood before the entrance, both with bright and clever appearances.

The leading Dao boy had delicate features and clear brows. His two eyebrows looked as if they had been painted with ink, slender and slightly raised at the ends, radiating a lively air. The other Dao boy looked innocent, with a round face like a full moon and a healthy rosy flush. His eyes shone with a clarity reminiscent of a university student from later generations.