Xuanyuan Leaves the Pass, Roaming the Primordial Wilderness

"Third Brother, I've only just stabilized my cultivation. How are yours?"

Xuanyuan waved his hand, and a jade table and cushion appeared, inviting Tongtian to sit.

"Ah, don't even mention it. I stabilized mine three kalpas ago. Same as you, early-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. We're both among the Four Pangu Purities, yet our Innate Foundations can't compare to Eldest Brother and Second Brother."

Tongtian shook his head with a sigh.

Hearing this, Xuanyuan fell silent.

Among the Four Pangu Purities, he and Tongtian each shared half a percent of the Heaven-Opening Merit—one percent split between them.

Compared to the Twelve Ancestral Witches dividing three percent among themselves, the two of them were far ahead.

But next to Grand Pure One Laozi and Yu Qing Yuan Shi, they paled in comparison.

Each of those two had received a full percent of the Heaven-Opening Merit, and both their Innate Foundations and their cultivation upon Forming and Born surpassed Xuanyuan and Tongtian.

Originally, there shouldn't have been a Fourth Purity like Xuanyuan; the entire percent of Heaven-Opening Merit would have been Tongtian's alone.

"Eldest Brother and Second Brother stabilized their cultivation in three kalpas of Secluded Cultivation. I only took six. Fourth Brother, how did you... ah, forget it. Nine kalpas isn't that long anyway—there's nothing urgent."

Tongtian thought Xuanyuan's Innate Foundation was even worse than his own, and a flicker of sympathy crossed his eyes. He was about to offer comfort, but then realized that such comfort might wound his Fourth Brother's pride, so he quickly stopped himself.

"Third Brother, Innate Foundation is just a starting point. In the future, you and I may not be weaker than our two elder brothers."

A warmth stirred in Xuanyuan's heart, and he spoke in turn to console him.

His own situation was actually a bit better than Tongtian's.

Though he too had inherited half a percent of the Heaven-Opening Merit, the Houtian Merit Supreme Treasure, the Primordial Measure Heaven Ruler, contained another full percent.

All told, he could muster one and a half percent of the Heaven-Opening Merit.

Besides, a humble origin was no disgrace. A starting point could influence the finish, but it didn't decide it.

"Fourth Brother speaks truly."

Tongtian nodded, but his gaze drifted, as if lost in thought, a bit distracted.

"Third Brother, why have you wandered off?"

Xuanyuan raised an eyebrow.

"Ah? Forgive me, I was rude!"

"Sigh, Second Brother recently found an Immortal Apricot on Kunlun Mountain—a rare Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root, ranked among the Ten Great Spiritual Roots. I couldn't help but yearn for it."

"Eldest Brother has his companion Innate Supreme Treasure, Second Brother has his Innate Spiritual Root, and now only you and I, brothers, have nothing to our names."

Tongtian snapped back to attention, quickly apologized, and then explained.

"Treasures? What's so hard about that?"

"At the Beginning of Heaven and Earth, when the Primordial World was first settled, Innate Treasures emerged endlessly. As they say, heavenly materials and earthly treasures go to those with virtue. You and I carry Heaven-Opening Merit—if we go down the mountain and travel a bit, why worry about not finding treasures?"

Xuanyuan smiled.

He'd thought it was something serious.

Though Tongtian and Yuanshi had no treasures when they Formed and Born, with great fortune and merit on their side, both the Innate Supreme Treasure Pangu Banner and the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation would fall into their hands when the time was ripe.

"But Second Brother said our Innate Foundations are shallow and our strength too weak. Without Eldest Brother's permission, we're not allowed down the mountain."

A flicker of eagerness crossed Tongtian's face, but after a moment's hesitation, he shook his head helplessly.

"We're all among the Four Purities. We call them elder brothers only because they're older. Eldest Brother and Second Brother bear the name of elder brothers, yet they've never looked after you or me."

"Why should we bow our heads and obey their commands?"

"If Third Brother dares not go, I'll go down the mountain alone."

Xuanyuan stood up, his gaze piercing through the palace walls as if seeing an indifferent old man and a cold-eyed middle-aged figure.

They owe me nothing, and have no duty to care for me;

Likewise, I owe them nothing, and have no reason to grovel and be ordered around!

"I dare! Why wouldn't I dare?"

"Fourth Brother is right. Second Brother is truly annoying, and Kunlun Mountain is far too dull. Let's go down the mountain now!"

At Xuanyuan's words, Tongtian's blood ran hot. His eyes widened, and then his Grand Unity Magic Power swept up the Two Brothers, transforming them into a streak of light that flew out of Xuan Qing Palace, heading into the distance without looking back.

In the Eight Sceneries Palace, Laozi, who was refining the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, lifted his head slightly, sighed, and then continued refining its restrictions.

In the Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi was deeply immersed in comprehending the Wind and Thunder Dao Patterns on the Immortal Apricot. Seeing a streak of light carrying two familiar auras fly far away, he only sneered disdainfully:

"With such a backward Innate Foundation, yet unwilling to strive, ignorant of the need for diligent cultivation and accumulating magic power—truly rotten wood that cannot be carved! Do they think Innate Spiritual Roots and Innate Spiritual Treasures are so easily obtained? A sheer waste of time!"

"Fourth Brother, I was so focused on leaving the mountain that I never thought about where we should go."

Tongtian sped across the Primordial World Earth with Xuanyuan, then suddenly blurted out.

"Let's go to Buzhou Mountain. Buzhou Mountain is the pillar of heaven, formed from Father God Pangu's spine. Kunlun Mountain lies east of Buzhou. Third Brother, fly west."

After a brief pause, Xuanyuan quickly made up his mind.

If one were to ask where the most treasures in the entire Primordial World could be found, Buzhou Mountain would undoubtedly rank among the top.

Where did the Red Flower, White Lotus Root, and Green Lotus Leaf come from? They were found at Buzhou Mountain, all treasures evolved from the shattered Twenty-Four Petaled Creation Green Lotus!

When the Thirty-Six Petaled Chaos Green Lotus shattered at the dawn of creation, the lotus seed pod transformed into the Innate Supreme Treasure Universe Cauldron, the lotus stem into the Innate Supreme Treasure God-Slaying Spear, and the five lotus leaves into the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures known as the Five Innate Directional Flags.

Of the five lotus seeds, one was mature and four were half-ripe. The half-ripe ones respectively transformed into the Twelve Petaled Karma Fire Red Lotus, the Twelve Petaled Merit Golden Lotus, the Twelve Petaled World-Destroying Black Lotus, and the Twelve Petaled World-Purifying White Lotus.

The mature seed fell upon Buzhou Mountain, gestating the Twenty-Four Petaled Creation Green Lotus, which rivaled an Innate Supreme Treasure and held the potential to grow into a Chaos Green Lotus. Heaven begrudged it, so it split into three, becoming the Treasures for Proving the Dao of the Three Pure Ones—the Red Flower, the White Lotus Root, and the Green Lotus Leaf.

The Red Flower became Laozi's crutch, the White Lotus Root became Yuanshi's Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and the Green Lotus Leaf became Tongtian's Qing Ping Sword—all three were Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures!

Beyond these, Buzhou Mountain held many other treasures, such as the Gourd Vine, one of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots, and the Banana Fan, evolved from Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind into four leaves...

In short, for the first journey down the mountain, Buzhou Mountain was absolutely the best choice!

"Eh, Fourth Brother, wait. Something in the valley ahead seems to be drawing me in."

The two brothers had flown for who knows how long, and were just passing through the Broken Mountains at the Western Extremity of Kunlun Mountain. Here, jagged rocks crouched like beasts, and Chaos Residual Qi had yet to fully disperse. Suddenly, Sect Master Tong Tian halted his flying light with a startled exclamation.

"If that's the case, it might well be Brother's opportunity. Why not go and take a look?"

Xuanyuan looked up at the thick thunderclouds hanging over the valley, then at the heavenly bolts that howled down like purple lightning dragons, one after another. A guess began to form in his heart.

"Hahaha, I'll take your good words, Virtuous Younger Brother. Let me go see."

Sect Master Tong Tian laughed heartily, then flashed into the valley.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The next instant, as if provoked by the roiling thunderclouds, bolts of purple lightning carrying an Aura of Destruction crashed down upon Tong Tian like the end of the world, battering him relentlessly.

"Upper Clarity Divine Thunder!"

Though Tong Tian had no treasures on him, as a member of the Pangu Orthodox Lineage with the cultivation of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, how could he fear mere heavenly thunder? He immediately channeled the Upper Clarity Qi between heaven and earth into the Upper Clarity Divine Thunder, meeting the purple lightning head-on.

In the blink of an eye, eighty-one cycles of day and night had passed. The purple lightning and the vast thunderclouds were finally scattered by Tong Tian's assault.

"Rumble—!"

As the thunderclouds dispersed, a purple rainbow crashed down. Where it landed, thunder exploded as if Heaven were Collapsing and Earth Cracking. Amidst the flying stones, a short hammer manifested, its head wrapped in a ball of purple lightning.

"Crack, crack—"

The moment the short hammer appeared, Purple Firmament Qi coiled around its body like a wandering dragon. The thunder patterns on its surface seemed ready to break free, each vein inhaling and exhaling a sharpness that could tear the void apart. The surrounding rocks, swept by the lightning's glow, were instantly reduced to powder, and even the air was scorched with a faint, burnt smell!

"Whoosh!"

A sharp light flashed in his eyes. As Tong Tian stepped through the void, the Purple Lightning Hammer seemed to sense him and shot toward him with fierce momentum.

He reached out and caught it. A wild surge of thunderous power rushed up his arm straight toward his spiritual platform, only to merge explosively with the Upper Clarity Qi in his Primordial Spirit.

"What a fine Innate Spiritual Treasure! What a fine Purple Lightning Hammer!"

With a low chuckle, Tong Tian lightly ran his finger across the hammer's body. The restless lightning was instantly tamed, leaving only a flickering purple spark at the hammer's tip.

"Ding-dong, ding-dong—"

Just as he was examining it, a clear sound rang out from a deep ravine not far away, carved out by the thunderbolts. The note was crisp, like jade striking jade, overpowering the fading Thunderous Sound.

"Another treasure?"

"Hahahaha, Fourth Brother, you were right! This is a heavenly treasure, and it belongs to the virtuous! Good thing I didn't listen to Second Brother, or I would have missed out on this treasure!"