In an unknown gap between space and time, inside a sanctuary the system had temporarily opened.
Tai Yi lay sprawled on the ground, drenched in blood. His Daoist robe was in tatters, and his aura had weakened to the extreme.
The Chaos Bell had shrunk to the size of a palm and fallen beside him, its radiance dim.
"Cough... cough, cough..." He spat out several more mouthfuls of golden blood.
Ding! Host has successfully escaped a fatal crisis. Advance rewards have been issued. Debt contract established.
The system's cold prompt sounded once more.
Tai Yi smiled bitterly. Looking at his wretched state, he remembered Dijiang's three terrifying punches. Resentment, lingering fear, and a deeper... burning fervor flickered in his eyes.
"Ten eras... ten descendants with innate foundations or better..."
He licked the blood from his lips, his gaze growing stubborn and crazed once more.
"Dijiang... Ancestral Witches... just you wait!"
"Once I recover and give birth to enough powerful descendants to earn the system's rewards... I'll make you pay a hundredfold!"
"And you too, Qin Yuan, you scourge."
"Houtu, Xuanming... just wait for me... heh heh..."
He struggled to sit up and began circulating his power to heal his wounds. In the dim sanctuary, that smile of his looked especially sinister.
After this battle, the belief that "the Ancestral Witches are undefeatable" was etched deep into the hearts of many Prehistoric World beings.
At the foot of Buzhou Mountain.
Qin Yuan was busily making up wild history.
He was the one who had used the system to spread the story of Tai Yi's disrespectful remarks to Houtu and Xuanming.
"Ah... I really am a terrible person."
Qin Yuan had already heard that Tai Yi had been beaten to a pulp, and he felt deeply guilty about it.
Host has successfully convinced the beings of the Prehistoric World that Tai Yi flirted with Houtu and Xuanming. Congratulations. You have received the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Solar Divine Wheel.
Soon, the reward for spreading this wild history was delivered into his system storage.
The Solar Divine Wheel awarded by the system shared his origin. The system had probably given it to compensate for his lack of an accompanying treasure.
Just as Qin Yuan was wondering where to go next to spread more wild history,
in a secluded valley at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, where innate spiritual energy swirled,
heaven and earth abruptly fell silent.
Then an indescribable surge of Innate Creation Qi shot into the sky.
Seven-colored rays of light and thousands of streams of auspicious Qi instantly illuminated half the heavens!
Within the radiant glow, the shadow of an ancient, powerful vine slowly unfurled.
Seven gourds of different hues, each imbued with natural Daoist patterns and about the size of an infant's fist, swayed gently among the vine's leaves, absorbing and releasing boundless Innate Spiritual Qi.
The Innate Gourd Vine had emerged!
This surging aura of creation and Innate Spiritual Charm was like a beacon in the night, instantly startling the entire Prehistoric World.
Countless powerful divine senses swept across space and time.
Once they had confirmed what it was, streaks of light shot into the sky from all corners of the Prehistoric World without hesitation, all heading straight for Buzhou Mountain!
At the nearby Kunlun Mountain, in the Four Pure Ones' Daoist grounds,
the whisk in Laozi's hand paused. Primordial Heavenly Venerate opened his Dharma Eye, while the sword around Tongtian Cult Master rang clear.
"The Innate Gourd Vine, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots."
"Each of the seven gourds has wondrous uses. They are destined to be connected to us by fate," Laozi said calmly, with an air that brooked no argument.
"Elder Brother is right. Such a spiritual treasure can only belong to the virtuous," Yuanshi said with a nod.
Tongtian grinned. "Indeed. We share an inexplicable connection with this treasure."
Li Shou naturally followed his three elder brothers, but in his heart, he remained on guard.
According to the "plot," the Gourd Vine should have emerged much later.
Besides, Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Hong Yun were each supposed to get one.
Hadn't Di Jun and Tai Yi also seemed to get one?
Now Tai Yi had been gravely wounded by Dijiang, and Di Jun had stayed holed up on the Solar Star, never going out. The Prehistoric World also had an unknown Daoist named Xuan Qing.
Could the Innate Gourd Vine still end up in the same hands as before?
Meanwhile,
inside Pangu Hall, Chen Tian was in the middle of deducing Witch Clan battle formations when he sensed something and looked toward Buzhou Mountain.
"The Innate Gourd Vine? It's emerging now?"
He furrowed his brow.
"My elder brothers are practicing their combined techniques. I mustn't act rashly. This treasure is valuable, but it offers little benefit to my Witch Clan's path of the physical body, and it could involve me in karma..."
He hadn't planned to get involved, but his system issued him a mission.
It required him to seize all seven gourds from the Innate Gourd Vine.
His reward would depend on how many he turned in.
"Fine. I'll go take a look and act according to the circumstances."
Chen Tian blurred and transformed into an unremarkable streak of light, flying out of Pangu Hall.
In the West, at the broken-down cave beside Xuan Qing's dwelling,
Jieyin and Zhunti were facing the muddy spring and "discussing its bitterness" when they both paused.
A glint flashed in Zhunti's eyes. "Elder Brother, an Innate Spiritual Root has emerged. This is a great opportunity!"
Jieyin's sorrowful expression deepened. "But that Xuan Qing..."
Before he could finish, a green light wrapped in thick resentment and greed shot into the sky from the crooked cave a hundred li away, racing toward Buzhou Mountain.
It was Xuan Qing!
"Quick, after him! Don't let that fiend seize more fortune and strengthen his demonic arts!" Zhunti cried.
The two could no longer be bothered to conceal themselves. They transformed into two streaks of golden light and hurried after him.
On the Solar Star,
Di Jun, immersed in his insights into the "Way of Caution," was roused by the aura of the Gourd Vine's emergence.
He swept the area with his divine sense and understood at once.
"Oh, the Gourd Vine... A fine treasure."
Di Jun nodded, then... rolled over and settled into a more comfortable position beneath the Fusang Tree. "What's it got to do with me?"
"If I go out, I might get beaten up, incur karma, or get dragged into a Measure Calamity."
"Better to sleep."
"System, block outside interference. Deep Caution Mode, activate."
Ding! Deep Caution Mode activated. Estimated dormancy: one era. During this time, the system will automatically absorb the Solar Star's origin...
Di Jun closed his eyes in satisfaction.
On the Lunar Star,
Chang Xi was snuggled up against Xi He, rubbing her sister's sleeve and happily collecting the daily rewards from her "cuddle" system.
When the Gourd Vine's aura reached them, Xi He raised her eyes slightly.
Chang Xi immediately grew alert. "Sister! Are you thinking of going to watch the excitement? It's dangerous outside!"
"There are so many smelly men, and who knows where that disgusting Golden Crow is hiding..."
Xi He gently patted her hand. "I only sensed a pure stream of Lunar Water Qi. It seems to resonate with one of the gourds, so I wanted to take a look."
Chang Xi's eyes rolled. She immediately hugged Xi He's arm. "Then I'll go with you, Sister! I'll protect you!"
She thought, This is perfect. I can spend more time cuddling with Sister and see how the other Transmigrators manage to get themselves killed.
Based on her deductions, there were definitely more than just her and Tai Yi among the Transmigrators in this Prehistoric World.
Minghe, Kunpeng, Zhenyuanzi, Hong Yun, and perhaps even some hidden Great Powers whose auras were obscure and difficult to discern...
One figure after another, some openly and some in secret, gathered from all directions toward the spot where the radiant glow poured forth at Buzhou Mountain.
By the time Qin Yuan arrived, dozens of figures with a variety of auras had already gathered outside the valley.
The Three Pure Ones and the Four Pure Ones stood upon auspicious clouds to the east, their Daoist auras utterly natural.
Nuwa and Fuxi stood together, their auras of creation flowing around them.
Hong Yun and Zhenyuanzi had arrived together: one wore a genial smile, while the other was steady and composed.
Minghe stood upon surging waves of blood, surrounded by a dense baleful aura.
Kunpeng hid in a bank of dark clouds, his gaze sharp.
Jieyin and Zhunti arrived wearing sorrowful expressions, but their positions subtly blocked Xuan Qing's escape route.
Xuan Qing clutched a remnant leaf of the Azure Lotus, staring fixedly at the Gourd Vine inside the valley.
Chang Xi clung close to Xi He, her little eyes darting about as she sized up every "potential threat" present.
Chen Tian quietly landed on a distant cliff, his aura withdrawn. He looked like an ordinary, unaffiliated Taiyi Golden Immortal, watching coldly from the sidelines.
Other cultivators of the Prehistoric World, famous and unknown alike, were scattered around, their eyes burning as they stared at the valley.