Creation Marrow

Xuanxiao roamed freely across the Primordial World, leisurely passing ten entire Chaos Tribulation cycles of time.

In those long years, his footprints had touched nearly every corner of this vast, boundless world—he had explored it all.

Through the sedimentation and tempering of time, Xuanxiao's cultivation had also reached the late-stage Golden Immortal of the Origin realm.

Now, his strength had caught up to top-tier Innate Divine Beings like Hongjun and Luohu, all of whom had inherited the legacies of Chaos Demon Gods to varying degrees.

Still, Xuanxiao guessed that the only one left with a complete Chaos Demon God's memories was the Space Demon God Yang Mei; the other Innate Divine Beings were probably in a similar state to the Yin-Yang Daoist.

One day, Xuanxiao returned to the summit of Buzhou Mountain.

Gazing into the distance, the magnificent, surging beauty of the Primordial World unfolded before him without reservation. He stood there quietly, a gentle breeze brushing past, his robes fluttering.

"Big Brother, I've thoroughly explored every inch of this Primordial World you created with your own hands. I have to say—this world is truly breathtaking!"

He narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of reminiscence and emotion in his gaze, and spoke slowly: "Before, after the Fierce Beast Tribulation ravaged the Primordial World, living beings were devastated, and it felt especially cold and desolate. Thankfully, after the Heavenly Dao took over, the world gradually revived. Now it's far livelier than before. Look—living beings are flourishing across the Primordial lands. Though this vast earth remains boundless, the number of creatures is no longer so sparse in comparison."

At this, a faint smile appeared on Xuanxiao's face. He pointed into the distance and continued: "The Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes have risen, each taking on the role of leader for the Scaled Beasts, Flying Birds, and Beasts. Look at their fortune now—like the rising sun, growing ever brighter, a scene of thriving prosperity. At this rate, the number of living beings in the Primordial World will only increase, and this world will grow fuller of life and vitality."

But then his tone shifted, a trace of regret coloring his words as he sighed softly: "It's a pity, though—the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin tribes strayed from their original path from the very start, taking a wrong turn. And on top of that, Luohu has been scheming against them in the shadows. Truly a shame."

As if suddenly remembering something important, a glint of light flashed in Xuanxiao's eyes, and he spoke with renewed enthusiasm:

"Oh, and I've also seen the Three Pure Ones, who were born from your Primordial Spirit. Their personalities each have their flaws, but they're decent fellows. And the Twelve Ancestral Witches—they're quite interesting too. The place where they were born is right here on Buzhou Mountain. But their natures have many shortcomings—they act rashly and impulsively. In the future, they're bound to stir up trouble and cause headaches. Still, Big Brother, don't worry. As their Second Uncle, I won't let them repeat the same mistakes. But if they won't listen to me, I'll just have to beat them until they do. Don't blame me for that, Big Brother."

Lifting his head slightly to gaze at the endless sky, Xuanxiao pondered for a moment before speaking again: "I've met Hongjun too. Our first meeting left a decent impression. With his ability and opportunities, if he's the one to merge with the Dao, it shouldn't be a problem. But if something goes wrong later..."

As he spoke, Xuanxiao shook his head lightly and pulled an ancient wine gourd from his bosom.

He uncorked it, and instantly, a rich, mellow aroma of wine wafted into the air.

Xuanxiao tilted his head back and took a light sip, letting the spicy yet sweet liquid flow down his throat, a look of contentment spreading across his face.

This wine gourd was no ordinary thing—it was called the Heaven and Earth Annihilation Gourd, a Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

Within the gourd lay the "Chaos Annihilation Qi." Anything touched by this aura would instantly revert to a state of chaos—its power was astonishing.

Moreover, the gourd contained a Heaven and Earth Space within. Any treasure stored inside would be gently nourished by the gourd's Heaven and Earth Qi, an effect somewhat similar to the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Heaven and Earth Cauldron.

Still, it was only a Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasure after all, so naturally it fell slightly short compared to the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Heaven and Earth Cauldron.

But at this moment, this precious Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Treasure was nothing more than an ordinary container for wine in Xuanxiao's hands.

The wine inside the gourd was brewed over many years by Xuanxiao himself, using various Innate Spirit Roots he had carefully gathered during his travels across the Primordial World, along with rare Innate Spirit Roots from the Primordial Realm. Each type of wine had its own wondrous effects, potent enough to be significant even for powerful Golden Immortals.

Before Xuanxiao sat a very simple grill, sizzling with fragrant aromas as various meats and vegetables roasted over the fire.

Most of the meat on the grill came from Fierce Beasts.

Though the Fierce Beast Clan had once been jointly hunted down by the Innate Divine Beings, the Primordial World was vast beyond measure. Even after years of effort by living beings to eradicate them, many still remained as stragglers.

But even if the Fierce Beast Clan were wiped out entirely, Xuanxiao wasn't worried about running out of meat. He had already raised a batch of Fierce Beasts in his Primordial Realm, enough to supply him whenever he pleased.

As for the vegetables, though they weren't Innate Spirit Roots, they were still rare spiritual plants seldom seen in the world.

Xuanxiao valued them not just for their rarity, but because—after countless trials—he had confirmed that these plants tasted excellent, a rare delicacy.

Now, these spiritual plants had their own dedicated growing areas in the Primordial Realm. Xuanxiao had even set aside a vegetable garden and a breeding ground there, purely to satisfy his own appetite.

"Ahh, this flavor—hits the spot! No wonder it's Fierce Beast meat at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal level. So fragrant it's making my head spin. I wonder what Golden Immortal-level Fierce Beast meat would taste like."

Xuanxiao ate heartily, muttering to himself, and couldn't help licking his lips.

But he knew well that, in the Primordial World now, hunting Fierce Beasts at the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal level was already the limit.

Golden Immortal-level Fierce Beasts had long developed intelligence. Since the birth of Fierce Beasts in the Primordial World, only the Beast Emperor Shen Ni and the Four Great Beast Kings had ever reached that level—and they had all fallen during the Fierce Beast Tribulation.

Now, under the strict control of the Heavenly Dao, the Primordial World would no longer allow the Fierce Beast Clan to produce a Golden Immortal.

And so, Xuanxiao savored his food and drink while chattering endlessly about his experiences across the Primordial World over the years, living a life of pure leisure and contentment.

After eating and drinking his fill, Xuanxiao saw that all the prepared ingredients had been devoured. He stood up, brushed the crumbs off his clothes, and packed away the grill.

He looked toward Buzhou Mountain and said softly, "Big Brother, I'm off now. Next time something new and interesting comes up, I'll come find you for a chat." With that, he turned to leave.

He had originally planned to stop by Pangu Hall to see his twelve adorable nephews, but when he arrived, he found them all quietly cultivating—and they had stopped touching the "Turbid Qi" and "Sha Qi" altogether.

Xuanxiao recalled how ferocious he had acted during his last visit. If he went now and startled the little ones, that wouldn't be good. Thinking this, he dropped the idea.

Just as Xuanxiao was about to leave, a sudden flash of light appeared within Buzhou Mountain. A piece of flawless, warm, jade-like marrow materialized out of thin air before him.

The moment Xuanxiao saw this marrow, a strange sense of familiarity surged in his heart.

Even stranger, as soon as the marrow appeared, it seemed drawn by some force and flew straight toward Xuanxiao, burrowing into him.

Xuanxiao instinctively sensed that devouring this marrow would greatly benefit his cultivation.

He pondered for a long time, and then a flash of insight struck him. He finally remembered: "This marrow is the Creation Marrow, condensed from Big Brother's own bone marrow. It must be a treasure he left behind in Buzhou Mountain. Could it be that Big Brother heard what I was saying just now and sent me this gift?"

Thinking this, Xuanxiao looked up at the void, smiled, and waved his hand, calling out: "Big Brother, thank you! I love this gift!"

With that, he gladly accepted the Creation Marrow.

But he didn't plan to absorb it immediately. He had already decided to use it when he was ready to break through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin realm—that, in his view, would be the best time to maximize its effects.

As if sensing Xuanxiao's gratitude, a gentle breeze stirred within Buzhou Mountain, softly brushing through Xuanxiao's hair, as though Pangu were responding to him.

With a heart full of joy and satisfaction, Xuanxiao left Buzhou Mountain and strolled leisurely toward Thunder Marsh.

After all, he had been away from Thunder Marsh for a long time—it was time to go back and see it.