After dealing with the Gourd Vine and arranging it as both a greenbelt and a defensive net around Mount Buzhou, Di Jiang's thoughts stirred. He divined the secrets of Heaven and sensed that another opportunity with deep ties to him was about to emerge—the Green Lotus of Creation, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots and a direct descendant of the Chaos Green Lotus!
According to his memories of his past life, the Green Lotus of Creation was of too high a grade and was therefore forbidden by the Heavenly Dao. The moment it emerged, the Heavenly Dao Laws would suppress it and split it into three: its Lotus Platform, lotus root, and leaves would become the Three Pure Ones' Daoist treasures—the horsetail whisk of Daoist Taiqing, the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi of Daoist Yuqing, and the Green Duckweed Sword of Daoist Shangqing.
"Red flowers, white lotus roots, green lotus leaves—the Three Teachings were originally one family..." Di Jiang murmured, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile. This family probably wouldn't all be getting together in this life.
Since he was here, how could he allow this treasure, originally belonging to Pangu's lineage, to be forcibly split apart by the Heavenly Dao and handed to those three who had inherited only a portion of the Primordial Spirit's legacy?
"The Heavenly Dao won't accept you, but I will!"
Pangu Divine Hall was its own world. Now that he had become its master, it followed his will and cut off the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun's ability to probe within. It was the perfect place to shelter the Green Lotus of Creation!
What was more, Di Jiang possessed the purest Pangu bloodline and had three-tenths of the Heaven-Opening Merit. In terms of his origins, he was the Green Lotus of Creation's most legitimate inheritor—far more qualified than the Three Pure Ones!
At this thought, Di Jiang stood on Mount Buzhou and stopped concealing his aura. It erupted with a thunderous roar!
A vast, ancient, and majestic torrent of blood surged into the sky. It was the pure bloodline aura unique to Pangu's True Lineage! At the same time, the golden light of Heaven-Opening Merit, mystic yellow in hue, spread from his body!
It was as if a sacred radiance had draped itself over him. The profound Daoist charm within that merit, which repelled all techniques and remained untouched by karma, made the laws of the surrounding world draw close to him and retreat before him in equal measure!
Like a walking mark of Pangu, Di Jiang made his presence felt without reservation. His divine sense swept over every inch of Mount Buzhou, an intangible summons carrying goodwill and the promise of protection as it searched for the Green Lotus of Creation, which was about to emerge.
"Come. Come to me. Only in my hands can you remain whole and avoid the agony of being torn to pieces."
Di Jiang's thoughts brimmed with confidence and certainty. Compared to the fate of being forced to split apart in the future, taking refuge in his embrace, settling in Pangu Divine Hall, and basking in the nourishment of Pangu's bloodline and merit was undoubtedly the Green Lotus of Creation's best destination!
He had both the ability to shelter it and the right to do so! Sure enough, not long after Di Jiang fully released his aura, a response came from deep within Mount Buzhou, from a hidden place where innate spiritual energy was thickest and Daoist charm most obscure!
It was a spiritual fluctuation filled with vitality and creation, yet touched with bewilderment and unease. It had felt the Primordial World Heavenly Dao's rejection and oppression, but it had also felt Di Jiang's warm and powerful summons!
Like a lost child hearing a loved one's call, the hidden Green Lotus of Creation no longer hesitated! A dazzling beam of azure light shot skyward from somewhere on Mount Buzhou, heading straight toward Di Jiang!
Within the light was a flawless thirty-six-petal green lotus. Its leaves swayed, its Daoist charm seemed to come naturally, and it radiated boundless vitality and the power of creation!
It had chosen Di Jiang! It had chosen the path that would let it remain whole! A satisfied smile appeared on Di Jiang's face. He reached out, and the azure light settled lightly into his palm like a swallow returning to its nest. Radiant streams of light flowed across the lotus petals, their Daoist patterns densely interwoven, as the lotus affectionately brushed against his fingers.
"A wise choice!" Di Jiang gently stroked the green lotus, feeling the vast source of creation within it. "From now on, you'll live with me in Pangu Divine Hall. No one will ever be able to harm you again."
Just as Di Jiang had successfully brought the Green Lotus of Creation under his protection by using his Pangu bloodline and Heaven-Opening Merit as a lure, and was about to take it into Pangu Divine Hall and sever it completely from the Heavenly Dao's senses—
Somewhere beyond mortal sight, the cold and boundless Primordial World Heavenly Dao, which represented the world's current rules, "crashed" once again.
The invisible Heavenly Dao Laws surged toward Mount Buzhou like a tide, attempting to execute the established directive: "Do not allow the Green Lotus of Creation to exist in its complete form."
However, when the force of those laws touched the resplendent Heaven-Opening Merit blazing on Di Jiang like the sun, and the aura of his Pangu bloodline...
Logic conflict! Target: destroy or split the Green Lotus of Creation. Obstacle: Pangu's True Lineage, Di Jiang. Executing the directive will damage Pangu's True Lineage and incur the backlash of Heaven-Opening Merit. Risk too high! Reassessing...
The Heavenly Dao Laws fell into another endless loop. Destroying the Green Lotus of Creation by force would inevitably affect or even gravely wound Di Jiang, whose aura was linked to it.
The cold rules wavered repeatedly between executing their directive and preserving their foundations. In the end, the invisible pressure seemed to hit an unseen wall. It lingered above Mount Buzhou for a moment before slowly ebbing like the tide.
Default status: The Green Lotus of Creation exists within Pangu Divine Hall (special area, insufficient clearance). Entry recorded!
The Heavenly Dao chose to ignore it. Since it couldn't deal with the lotus without harming Di Jiang, it could only accept its existence within Pangu Divine Hall, a place even it couldn't fully control!
At the same time, beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, in Purple Firmament Palace, Hongjun, who had been watching the Primordial World with indifference and paying particular attention to the situation on Mount Buzhou, showed clear signs of shock!
Through the Five Elements Five Directions Grand Formation, he had seen firsthand the boundless, oceanlike Heaven-Opening Merit that had burst forth from Di Jiang, brilliant with mystic yellow light!
"How can his Heaven-Opening Merit be so immense? It's almost equal to the Three Pure Ones' combined!"
Hongjun's heart surged with shock. He had already marveled at the depth of Pangu's legacy when he saw the Three Pure Ones each protected by Heaven-Opening Merit. But he had never imagined that Di Jiang, formed from Pangu's blood essence, would possess Heaven-Opening Merit equal to theirs combined—all by himself!
What did this mean? It meant that the Pangu lineage and karma Di Jiang carried were far greater than those of the Three Pure Ones! He was the greatest beneficiary and inheritor of Pangu's legacy in the Primordial World!
A variable that had originally been outside his plans suddenly became impossible to ignore.
Hongjun's original plan had been to take the Three Pure Ones as disciples, teach them carefully, and bestow powerful spiritual treasures upon them. In this way, he would repay his karmic debt to Pangu and clear the obstacles in the way of his future union with the Heavenly Dao.
However, Di Jiang's appearance and his astounding Heaven-Opening Merit had completely upended that plan!
"I must settle the Three Pure Ones' karma, but the karma tied to Di Jiang seems even greater!"
Hongjun furrowed his brows slightly. With such immense merit, if I fail to properly settle my karma with Di Jiang, this vast debt stemming from Pangu will surely become a major obstacle when I unite with the Heavenly Dao. It might even provoke a backlash from the Primordial World!
The Heavenly Dao was impartial, and karma came full circle. If Hongjun wanted to unite with the Heavenly Dao, he had to sort out his karmic ties to the Primordial World—especially his debt to Pangu, who had created it. He had thought settling things with the Three Pure Ones would be enough. Now this major stakeholder, Di Jiang, had appeared!
"It seems settling my karma with the Three Pure Ones won't be enough to fully repay Pangu for creating Heaven and Earth. I must take Di Jiang into account as well." Hongjun's gaze grew profound as he began divining the secrets of Heaven anew and planning for the future.
"Perhaps, after the next lecture, I should consider including him in that opportunity as well?"
Hongjun weighed the matter in his mind!
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