For Grand Luo Golden Immortals like them, Ginseng Fruit only satisfied their appetites. At their level of cultivation, it was difficult for any Spiritual Fruit to have much effect.
After eating the Ginseng Fruit, the group discussed Dao techniques for a while.
Each of them gathered their qi and focused their minds, revealing the Three Flowers above their heads and preparing to manifest the Dao they cultivated within the auspicious clouds formed by those Three Flowers.
In an instant, the auras of various Dao techniques filled the air, and the auras of the Three Pure Ones and the others intertwined.
The first to change was Yuanshi's auspicious cloud. That mass of Chaos Qi suddenly surged violently, transforming into the embryonic form of a universe before the emergence of primordial chaos. Jiang Yun held his breath and focused nearby. He saw countless stars being born and extinguished within the cloudy qi, and saw earth, water, fire, and wind intertwining and evolving in the void. Yuanshi's voice rang through the main hall like the deep peal of a great bell:
"Nameless, it was the beginning of Heaven and Earth; named, it was the mother of all things. My Dao was called 'Beginning.' Holding the Supreme Ultimate, it gave birth to the Two Modes; following Heaven's Dao, it carried out Heaven's workings..."
Next, Tongtian's auspicious cloud suddenly burst into light. That golden flower bloomed with a thunderous roar, transforming into eighty-four thousand dazzling pillars of light. Within each pillar appeared the phantom of a formation—Three Powers, Two Modes, Four Symbols, Immortal-Slaying... Jiang Yun felt sword qi crisscrossing within them. One glance was enough to make his eyes ache and tears stream down his face. Even more astonishingly, the phantoms of those formations constantly changed shape, sometimes dispersing and sometimes converging, as if they had no fixed combinations yet contained every possibility.
"All things carried yin and embraced yang; blending their qi, they achieved harmony." Tongtian wore a serene expression. "My Dao was called 'Change.' When things reached an impasse, they changed; through change, they found a way forward. Heaven derived forty-nine, with one escaping. Thus came Severing Heaven's Line..."
Laozi's auspicious cloud rose last. Unlike the imposing displays of the previous two, it was merely a light, faint mass of white qi. Yet upon closer inspection, countless tiny characters flowed within it—the true words of morality in his heart. At times, those characters transformed into farmers tilling the fields; at times, they became children at play. In the end, they condensed into a winding river flowing forward.
"The highest goodness was like water; water benefited all things and did not contend." Laozi's voice was like a clear spring flowing through the heart. "My Dao was called 'Virtue.' Dwelling in nonaction, practicing unspoken instruction; the greatest sound was barely audible, and the greatest image had no form..."
The three auspicious clouds began to merge with one another. Yuanshi's Chaos Qi formed the foundation, Lingbao's myriad-changing radiance became the bones, and Daode's tranquil true words became the rhythm. As the three-colored clouds revolved, they evolved into the Sun, Moon, and Stars, mountains and rivers, flying birds and beasts... Finally, they transformed into a miniature Primordial Desolation universe.
Watching this scene, a sentence naturally rose within Jiang Yun's heart: "Red flowers, white lotus roots, and green lotus leaves—the Three Pure Ones had originally been one family."
If he had not witnessed this scene, he could never have imagined that Yuanshi and Tongtian's utterly opposing Daos could actually merge together.
"Your Three Pure Ones' Dao was profound."
Jieyin nodded in acknowledgment. A Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus rose from the top of his head, with three Sariras resting upon its lotus platform. Within the radiance it released, the phantom of the Western Pure Land emerged. Countless figures chanted scriptures within the light, and the sounds of Buddhist hymns actually solidified into golden characters that fused into the auspicious cloud.
"Please enlighten me, fellow Daoists." Jieyin's voice carried an echo of Nirvana. The auspicious cloud suddenly collapsed into a single point, then erupted with immeasurable light, illuminating everything inside and outside the hall with crystalline clarity.
Watching from the side, Jiang Yun felt his soul grow strangely light, and he even felt an impulse to leave his body and fly into that radiance.
Zhunti laughed loudly. "Senior Brother's wondrous Dao of Nirvana makes your junior brother's Dao seem inferior." As he spoke, the auspicious cloud above his head abruptly changed. The phantom of the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree surged to a height of ten thousand zhang. Its crown pierced through the thirty-three heavens, and every Bodhi leaf held up a world. More astonishingly, countless blood-red threads intertwined around its roots—those were the concrete manifestations of the karma of all living beings!
Zhenyuanzi applauded in admiration. "What a fine 'Bodhi was not a tree, and the bright mirror was not a stand'!" The Earth Scroll flew from his sleeve. As it unfurled, it transformed into auspicious clouds filling the sky. Within them, Longevity Mountain and Wuzhuang Temple stood majestically, while the roots of the Ginseng Fruit Tree reached through the Nine Netherworlds and its crown touched the Chaos Starry Sky. Most miraculous of all, countless mountain and land spirits knelt in worship beneath the tree, while the power of incense and faith condensed into blue garlands that hung down.
Hong Yun suddenly slapped the gourd at his waist. "All of you are taking this so seriously. I can't be lazy either."
A streak of red cloud qi burst from his crown and transformed in midair into the first cloud glow born at the beginning of the Primordial Desolation. Purple qi swirled within it, and innate Dao patterns faintly flowed through it, yet it forever gathered and dispersed unpredictably. Jiang Yun stared closely and was startled to discover that the cloud qi's path of circulation corresponded with the Circulating Stars. Every wisp that drifted away aligned with the ultimate principles of Heaven's Dao.
The auspicious clouds of the group flowed and revolved. Amid this pure collision of Dao techniques, all kinds of spiritual insights emerged from their minds. This was precisely what was meant by using another mountain's stone to polish one's jade.
The Black Tortoise had no primordial spirit, and his soul had also been separated from his body. He did not understand much about the currently popular cultivation of the immortal Dao through the primordial spirit, so he merely offered his own interpretation of the method favored by cultivators in earlier eras: Spirit and Flesh Unity, with all power returning to the physical body.
Unlike the cultivation path of using the primordial spirit to commune with Heaven and Earth in order to control and wield laws, physical cultivation emphasized combining spirit and flesh. Upon reaching profound depths, one could achieve Blood Rebirth, engraving the imprints of laws into one's bloodline and ultimately nurturing laws through that bloodline, reaching the state of "My Body is the Dao," where one no longer needed to seek anything outside oneself.
After hearing the Black Tortoise's explanation, everyone looked forward to the grand vision he had painted of physical cultivation. Thus, after the Three Pure Ones, Zhunti, and Jieyin later witnessed the powerful combat strength of the Wu Clan's physical bodies, they began studying physical cultivation methods suited to cultivating both the primordial spirit and the flesh. In the end, the Three Pure Ones jointly derived the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique, while Zhunti and Jieyin jointly derived the Eight-Nine Arcane Technique.
These two techniques each had their own strengths, and their might needed no explanation. One only had to look at the later performances of the Mystic Sect's protector Yang Jian and the Meishan Arm-Through Ape Yuan Hong to understand a little of their power.
This discussion of the Dao continued for several thousand years. Everyone who participated gained tremendous benefits. The Fruit Tasting Grand Meeting was considered a complete success, and joy filled the faces of all those present. Without prior agreement, they began arranging the time for their next Fruit Tasting Dao Discussion.
After the discussion ended, everyone chatted together about various interesting tales from the Primordial Desolation. Zhunti and Jieyin also spoke of the reconstruction project they had begun in the Western World, leaving the others utterly shocked and prompting them to marvel at the pair's tremendous resolve and perseverance.
Just as Jiang Yun had told the two of them, accomplishing great things required gathering greater strength. By means of shared interests, one had to unite everyone who could be united. Zhunti and Jieyin did not hesitate to invite the Three Pure Ones, Zhenyuanzi, and Hong Yun to join them in this grand undertaking.
However, the Three Pure Ones came from Pangu's Orthodoxy and possessed the merit of the Great Dao of Heaven Opening. They had little interest in such a thankless endeavor. The small amount of Heavenly Dao merit produced by repairing Heaven and Earth was hardly worth their attention. Of course, they did not reject the invitation outright, merely saying that they would lend a hand if they had the time.
Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun, however, had some thoughts about it. After all, Zhenyuanzi followed the Way of the Great Earth and possessed the Earth Scroll. In the future, he would be known as the Ancestor of Earth Immortals and would hold the investiture of the Spirits of Mountains, Rivers, and Lands throughout the world. The reconstruction of the Western World would bring him immense benefits and accord with his Dao.
Hong Yun was simply warmhearted and enjoyed helping others. He cultivated the Way of Auspiciousness, formed good karma with living beings, protected them, and dispelled disasters and troubles. When faced with such a matter, he was willing to contribute his strength.
After receiving their assurances, Jieyin and Zhunti were delighted.
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