Taiqing and Yuqing, Arriving Fashionably Late

On the surface of the lotus seed, the Qi of Creation swirled, each pulse seeming to strike the very origin of heaven and earth.

Xuanyuan's gaze burned with fervor as the Primordial Measure Heaven Ruler transformed into a streak of purple light soaring upward, merging with the Chaos World Projection to form a massive vortex that enveloped the entire span of time and space.

"Come out!"

Xuanyuan's hand grasped, and a terrifying suction force erupted from the vortex.

The lotus seed struggled violently, but ultimately could not withstand the blessing of Pangu's Residual Might and the power of the Chaos Supreme Treasure, and was forcibly pulled out.

In an instant, the entire Buzhou Mountain trembled slightly, dark clouds gathered in the sky, and bolts of Purple Heaven Divine Thunder condensed, yet hindered by the protection of Pangu's Residual Might, they hesitated to fall.

"Is this a Creation Lotus Seed?"

Tongtian leaned in, asking with some uncertainty.

The scene of the lotus seed transforming into the Twenty-Four Petaled Creation Green Lotus and emerging into the world was still vivid in their minds, and now another one appeared?

Could it be that they might harvest three more Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures?

"Creation is the Source of Vitality; this is a seed of creation. If fate allows, it can transform into a Twelve-Petaled Creation Green Lotus, with the potential to birth intelligence and take form in the world, yet it is destined to be fated with me."

Storing this lotus seed within the Chaos World, Xuanyuan was in high spirits.

The Creation Lotus Seed could help him comprehend the Great Dao Law of Creation, one of the ten most fundamental Great Daos of the Chaos World, and the benefits it brought were far from comparable to one or two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.

If the Creation Green Lotus could take form and be born, its origin would be that of an Innate Divine Being, and in the future, it would become one of Xuanyuan's disciples.

Today, you help me comprehend the Dao; in the future, I will help you attain enlightenment.

If it ultimately cannot take form, it would still be a Treasure for Proving the Dao no weaker than the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi.

"The Green Lotus nurtured four treasures, and each of us got two—truly wonderful!" Tongtian exclaimed.

"Fate is wondrous, beyond words." Xuanyuan smiled faintly, pulling Tongtian along as they flew toward the Pangu Hall at the foot of the mountain.

The two of them obtained four treasures—was it the will of heaven?

Xuanyuan didn't think so.

The four treasures of the Green Lotus corresponded to the Four Pangu Purities...

However, since these four treasures had already fallen into his and Tongtian's hands, they were no longer fated for those two "brothers."

"Swish, swish—"

Not long after Xuanyuan and Tongtian left, two clear auras suddenly swept in from the distance, finally coming to a stop at the peak of Buzhou Mountain.

The Grand Pure Qi flowed like a gentle long river over the scorched earth, condensing into an old man with white hair and a white beard, his crane-feather cloak swaying gently in the wind as Mysterious Yellow Qi faintly circulated within; the Jade Pure Qi transformed into a middle-aged man draped in rainbow robes, the Dao patterns between his brows inhaling and exhaling innate spiritual light.

The arrivals were none other than Laozi and Yuanshi.

"Alas."

The mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Primordial Spirit's divine sense exploded outward, but upon touching the shattered time and space, it turned into a helpless sigh.

Laozi could feel that the treasure that had emerged this time was deeply fated with him.

"So swift in action—the treasure appeared, and we were merely one step behind, missing it!"

Looking at the celestial phenomena still lingering in the sky, Yuanshi performed a divination with his fingers, but saw the heavenly mechanism tangled like a mess of threads, and a sharp pain struck his spiritual platform, causing his expression to shift slightly.

Then, his vast and boundless divine sense swept over millions of miles in all directions, yet still found no trace of the great divine power who had obtained the treasure.

"Forget it, such is the decree of heaven; it cannot be forced."

Laozi shook his head, then transformed into a stream of pure Qi and vanished.

Seeing this, Yuanshi, though unwilling, followed closely and left Buzhou Mountain.

On the other side, Xuanyuan, who had entered Pangu Hall, naturally did not know that Laozi and Yuanshi had arrived shortly after them, and because Pangu Hall isolated heavenly secrets and obscured karma, they also did not discover that the treasures had fallen into his and Tongtian's hands.

Of course, even if Laozi and Yuanshi had known, Xuanyuan wouldn't have cared.

The two brothers had had a fairly eventful journey through the Primordial World these past years, especially making friends with Zhen Yuanzi and getting into a fight with Zhun Ti and Jie Yin.

But inside Pangu Hall, the Twelve Ancestral Witches had also each gained something.

The cultivation process of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Art went without saying; as for the Indestructible True Spirit, aside from the Fire Ancestral Witch Zhurong, the other eleven Ancestral Witches all succeeded in their first attempt, condensing a layer of Indestructible Will outside their True Spirits.

At the same time, all the Ancestral Witches' cultivation levels ranged from mid-stage to late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

"Damn Zhun Ti and Jie Yin! I swear I'll twist their heads off!"

"Those two shameless bastards! If our strength were fully matured, I'd make them suffer Death and Dao Annihilation!"

As Xuanyuan and Tongtian shared the tales of their journey, when the Ancestral Witches heard how Zhun Ti and Jie Yin, that pair of brothers, had bullied the Great Witches and Lesser Witches, each of them burned with righteous indignation.

If not for Di Jiang holding them back and Xuanyuan's persuasion, Gonggong, with his fiery temper, would have likely dragged Zhurong straight to the Western Land.

"This is no great matter; there will be a time for reckoning later. These are Ginseng Fruits, one of the ten Innate Spiritual Roots, meant to be shared with all my siblings."

Xuanyuan waved his hand, and with a flick of his sleeve, fourteen Ginseng Fruits wrapped in an Innate Ice Silkworm Silk Scarf appeared inside Pangu Hall, emitting a refreshing fragrance that soothed the heart.

Though he and Tongtian had already partaken of them at Wuzhuang Temple, these Ginseng Fruits were still excellent for savoring the taste.

"Brother Xuanyuan, your divine ability is quite interesting."

The other Ancestral Witches had their attention fixed on the Ginseng Fruit; only Di Jiang stared at Xuanyuan's sleeve, his expression thoughtful.

"Haha, this exchange with Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi has taught me two divine abilities, and I was just hoping to discuss them with you, Brother Di Jiang."

Xuanyuan distributed the Ginseng Fruit before each Ancestral Witch, then took out fourteen porcelain cups, dissolving the Ginseng Fruit into water. With that, he sidled up to Di Jiang and sat down cross-legged.

The insights gained from his discourse with Zhen Yuanzi were manifold.

However, aside from the Great Dao of Earth and the Great Dao of Wood, most of his realizations regarding the Space Great Dao had been deduced from the Wu Earth force that represented the earth's veins. Even Zhen Yuanzi himself understood it only superficially, without grasping the underlying reasons.

After all, the Space Great Dao was not his primary cultivation path.

Thus, Xuanyuan had accumulated some inspirations and doubts in his heart that he needed to thoroughly discuss with Di Jiang, the Space Ancestral Shaman.

"Zhen Yuanzi is indeed a man worth befriending. If the opportunity arises in the future, we should get to know him as well." Di Jiang nodded.

Xuanyuan and Di Jiang did not consume the Ginseng Fruit for the time being. Instead, they isolated themselves on the spot with the power of space, so as not to disturb the other Ancestral Witches, and began discussing the Space Great Dao.

Seeing this, Tongtian thought for a moment, then directly began refining the newly acquired Qing Ping Sword and the Dragon-Head Crooked Staff.

As the Ancestral Witches successively consumed the Ginseng Fruit, the Pangu Hall became shrouded in dense Innate Wood Qi and Wu Earth spiritual energy. The fragrance of the Ginseng Fruit, carrying the rhythm of the Dao, swirled through the hall.

After refining the Ginseng Fruit, the other Ancestral Witches only experienced a slight improvement in their cultivation and a strengthening of their physical bodies, with no other gains.

But it was different for Gou Mang, the Ancestral Witch of Wood, and Houtu, the Ancestral Witch of Earth.

Countless emerald-green vines and towering trees burst forth from the ground around Gou Mang. Azure divine patterns writhed wildly beneath his skin. He raised his head and roared to the heavens; his originally restrained ten-thousand-zhang true form swelled to one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred zhang.

A human body with a bird's face, covered in green scales, his feet treading on two azure dragons.

Houtu's aura grew heavier and heavier. The ground beneath her feet cracked open with a thunderous roar, and thousands of earth-yellow light bands coiled around her body. She, too, transformed into the true form of the Ancestral Witch of Earth, standing one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred zhang tall. Every opening and closing of her eyes caused the earth's veins to tremble.

A human body with a snake tail, seven hands born on her back, two hands sprouting from her front, grasping two Teng Snakes.

"Boom! Boom!"

Two vast auras erupted simultaneously. The space within Pangu Hall trembled, and endless spiritual energy converged from all directions.

The law divine patterns on the two Ancestral Witches blazed ever brighter. Their majestic momentum shot straight into the clouds, and the oppressive pressure of the Late Stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal swept across the eight directions like a hurricane!