Innate Gourd, Mountain-Protecting Divine Vine

In an unnamed valley tens of millions of miles away, suppressed groans and violent coughs began to echo. Di Jiang's strike had, by sheer luck, brought them all together again.

Taiqing's lips were bleeding, his daoist robe torn, and the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Qi above his head had dimmed considerably. He sat cross-legged on the ground, his expression more solemn than ever, as he silently circulated his energy to heal.

Yuqing was also in a sorry state, his hair disheveled, his face ashen. Coughing up blood, he growled, "Utter humiliation! Truly, utter humiliation!" He had traversed the Primordial World for so long, when had he ever been treated like this?

Shangqing wiped the blood from his lips, a flicker of shock and lingering fear in his eyes. The power of the Five Elements Divine Light had made him truly feel the threat of death. Even recalling it now sent shivers down his spine, and so he remained silent.

Di Jun and Taiyi supported each other, the Solar True Fire flickering unstably. It was clear they had suffered serious internal injuries, their faces so grim they looked like they could drip water.

The siblings Nuwa and Fuxi also had weak vital energies. Two strings on the Fuxi Qin had snapped, requiring slow nurturing.

Hongyun was the most miserable, relying entirely on Zhenyuanzi's protection with the power of the Book of Earth to avoid falling unconscious on the spot. Zhenyuanzi himself felt his blood churning, shaking his head with a bitter smile.

Nine renowned and powerful figures in the Primordial World were now all injured, disheveled, and in a pitiful state. They had expended a significant amount of their vital energy to barely stabilize their wounds and gather in a relatively safe location.

Shame, anger, unwillingness, and a trace of indescribable fear swirled in everyone's hearts.

"Who on earth is this person?" Di Jun broke the silence, his voice hoarse.

Taiyi gritted his teeth, "No matter who he is, he didn't go to the Purple Heaven Palace to listen to the Dao. It's hard to know his identity!"

This implied that the other party was either so arrogant they disregarded the Great Dao of the Saints, or they were confident their own Dao was not inferior to the Saints! Either way, it sent a chill down their spines.

"To be beaten into this state without even seeing their face! If this gets out, what becomes of our reputation?" Yuqing said hatefully.

Taiqing slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and said gravely, "This matter cannot be left unresolved. At the very least, we need to know his origins and background."

Nuwa nodded, her beautiful eyes gleaming, "Indeed. Such power, and occupying Mount Buzhou, they cannot be an unknown figure. If we don't know, perhaps someone else does."

Fuxi chimed in, "Perhaps we can find the answer in the Purple Firmament Palace."

Everyone's eyes lit up. That's right! Dao Ancestor Hongjun was a Saint of the Primordial World, and he would surely know who the mysterious master of Mount Buzhou was!

"The next time the Purple Heaven Palace lecture begins, we must ask the Saint for clarification!" Shangqing clenched his fists.

"At least we need to find out who beat us!" Hongyun added weakly, voicing the thoughts of everyone present.

To be thoroughly beaten, yet not even know the name or origin of the assailant – this feeling of frustration was more unbearable than their physical injuries!

They had definitely noted this debt. Although they couldn't do anything about the opponent right now, they would at least uncover their enemy's true identity!

Thus, carrying their injuries and a belly full of frustration, the nine powerful beings each returned to their respective dojos to heal, vowing inwardly that the next time they saw Dao Ancestor Hongjun, they would get to the bottom of it!

Not long after casually dismissing those noisy powerful beings, Di Jiang's mind stirred. He sensed an unusually strong and pure spiritual energy fluctuation from another area of Mount Buzhou, mixed with various distinct innate dao rhymes.

His figure flickered, and he appeared at the source of the spiritual energy. In a mountain hollow shrouded in spiritual mist, a lush green vine covered in dense dao patterns grew, its roots firmly planted in a patch of Nine Heavens Breathing Soil exuding a profound aura of creation.

On the vine hung seven gourds of various colors, shimmering with treasure light. They were purple-gold, crimson, azure, golden-yellow, emerald green, deep black, and a seventh gourd that was still immature, its color chaotic. The first six gourds were already ripe, emitting alluring dao rhymes and spiritual pressure, while the seventh was still lacking.

Di Jiang's divine sense swept over them, discovering that the Innate Gourd Vine itself had only developed a trace of extremely weak sentience, like a newborn infant, ignorant and fragile.

"So it's this."

Di Jiang understood, but he didn't eagerly pluck it like ordinary cultivators encountering a Spiritual Treasure. Instead, he observed with interest, wanting to see how long it would take for the seventh gourd to mature.

However, a sudden change occurred! The seventh gourd seemed to have reached a critical stage, its demand for spiritual energy reaching terrifying levels. It began to madly devour the surrounding heaven and earth spiritual energy, not even sparing the scattered dao rhymes from the six mature gourds beside it. Yet, even so, it was like a drop in the ocean, unable to satisfy its immense need for final maturation.

The faint sentience of the gourd vine sensed the crisis! It instinctively realized that if this continued, not only would the seventh gourd fail to mature, but its main vine itself might wither from depleted foundations!

To protect its main body, the gourd vine made a cruel, instinctive choice: it began to draw back the essence and vitality of the seventh gourd, feeding it back to the main vine!

Thus, the seventh gourd visibly dimmed and shriveled, while the main vine barely maintained its vitality.

Di Jiang watched this scene silently, not intervening. This was the survival law of the spiritual root itself. Just then, the faint sentience of the gourd vine seemed to sense Di Jiang's vast, ocean-like power and his destiny as the master of Mount Buzhou.

Like grasping at a final lifeline, a plea filled with urgency and supplication intermittently entered Di Jiang's mind:

"Help... help me... transform... I'll give... I'll give you... top-grade... Spiritual Treasure..."

The gourd vine, with no other choice, offered the six ripe, top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure gourds on its vine as a bargaining chip, begging Di Jiang to help it successfully transform!

Di Jiang's eyes flickered upon hearing this, but he didn't immediately agree. This gourd vine had too high an origin, being a top-tier Innate Spiritual Root, and its path to transformation was incredibly difficult. Its original intention in producing these seven gourds was likely to use the gourds to share some of its essence and karma, thereby reducing the difficulty of transformation.

Unfortunately, in his past life, it had failed. The gourds were taken, and it couldn't transform. In this life, with the protection of my Five Elements Great Array, although there are no external tribulations, other problems still exist.

More importantly, deep down, Di Jiang did not wish for the gourd vine to transform.

He looked at the vine, more like he was looking at a rare potted plant in his own courtyard. What about after transformation? A being with independent consciousness and unpredictable thoughts – how should it be handled?

To remain on Mount Buzhou? Its nature unknown, it could be a blessing or a curse. To drive it away? It would create an unnecessary karmic debt and enmity. Rather than potentially facing a "fratricidal strife" or a "farmer and the snake" scenario in the future, it was better to eliminate this possibility from the outset.

"It's better for you to just stay a vine honestly."

Di Jiang had already made up his mind!

Thus, while the gourd vine's faint sentience was still waiting expectantly for a response, a fierce glint flashed in Di Jiang's eyes, and he unhesitatingly unleashed a divine light of law!

The power of law, carrying a tyrannical force that suppressed all, struck directly into the core essence of the gourd vine!

"Buzz--!"

The gourd vine trembled violently. Under the impact of this pure and overbearing law, that trace of faint sentience couldn't even struggle, and was instantly erased completely! All pleas, hopes, and fears vanished into nothingness.

With its sentience gone, the gourd vine reverted to being an Innate Spiritual Root that grew purely on instinct. And without the control of sentience, the gourd vine's instincts began to take over. It no longer obsessed over transformation, nor did it distinguish between main and secondary!

Survival and growth became its sole objective. It began to instinctively absorb the majestic spiritual power and dao rhymes contained within the six mature gourds, as well as the remaining essence of the seventh immature and shriveled gourd!

The six treasure-shimmering gourds dimmed and shriveled at a visible rate, all their essence greedily absorbed by the main vine. The main vine began to grow astonishingly thick and long, the dao patterns on its emerald green surface becoming denser and more profound, emitting an even more boundless vitality.

Di Jiang wanted exactly this effect! With a wave of his hand, he activated the Earth Law, transplanting the entire Gourd Vine, along with the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil beneath it, to the very base of Mount Buzhou, near the core of the earth's veins.

"Grow, grow to your heart's content! Climb upwards along Mount Buzhou, and with your branches, become the first natural barrier of my Mount Buzhou!"

Guided by Di Jiang's will and nourished by the abundant spiritual energy of Mount Buzhou, the Gourd Vine, having lost its sentience and retaining only its instinct to grow, began to spread its branches wildly. Like massive green dragons, they climbed tenaciously and persistently up the majestic body of Mount Buzhou, coiling and winding...

It was foreseeable that in the near future, this Innate Gourd Vine, which had absorbed the origins of seven gourds and restored its foundation, would bestow a natural green armor upon Mount Buzhou, becoming the first powerful barrier protecting this pillar of the Primordial World!

Di Jiang watched this scene with satisfaction. Spiritual Treasures? He was not lacking in them. A "living formation" and "mountain decoration" that was obedient, useful, and would not betray him was what he truly desired.

Di Jiang had considered picking the six gourds, after all, they were six Innate Spiritual Treasures. However, doing so would also significantly reduce the quality of the Gourd Vine, and its protective effect would naturally decline. Mount Buzhou was his foundation; let alone six supreme Innate Spiritual Treasures, even six Innate Supreme Treasures could not compare to Mount Buzhou!

As long as Mount Buzhou existed in this Primordial World, he would forever be the safest person in the Primordial World. And most importantly, the Gourd Vine not only preserved itself but also its origins remained intact!

In this exchange, the Gourd Vine didn't lose out, and he, Di Jiang, made a massive profit!