Laughing, Tongtian turned to look. An object resembling a section of ancient Chaos wood was floating up from the mud. Faint silver light shrouded both ends, and streaks of lightning patterns appeared across its surface. It was none other than the Fishing Drum.
Treasures had spirits, and the Fishing Drum and Purple Lightning Hammer were a pair of Yang Thunder and Yin Lightning. Sensing that the latter had already acknowledged its master, the drum drifted along the stream to Tongtian's feet of its own accord and gently bumped his boot. Countless tiny runes appeared across its body, as if revealing the mysteries of the Great Dao.
"You certainly know how to find your master."
Tongtian bent down and picked up the Fishing Drum. Holding the hammer in his left hand and the drum in his right, he casually struck them together.
"Rumble!"
In an instant, the lightning from the Purple Lightning Hammer and the thunderous sound of the Fishing Drum wove together into a net. The Chaos Residual Qi between the Broken Mountains surged like a tide, faintly resonating with the Great Dao Law of heaven and earth and conjuring a phantom vision of myriad immortals paying homage.
"Congratulations, Brother, on obtaining these two treasures."
Watching the scene of myriad immortals paying homage, Xuanyuan seemed to realize something. He smiled and offered Tongtian his congratulations.
With the Fishing Drum and Purple Lightning Hammer, Tongtian was no longer without any treasures at all. He would have something to aid him in battle, too.
"Ha ha ha! I owe this good fortune to Fourth Brother. The Purple Lightning Hammer and Fishing Drum are both Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. How could I keep them both for myself?"
"We came here as brothers, and there happen to be two treasures. It's only right that we each take one!"
Tongtian laughed heartily, clearly delighted.
He held the two treasures in his hands and felt how perfectly they matched his Upper Clarity Qi, as if they were destined for him.
But when he thought of how his youngest brother had no treasures to protect himself either, a flicker of reluctance crossed his eyes. Even so, he moved decisively, offering Xuanyuan the Purple Lightning Hammer.
"Thank you for your kindness, Brother. But I see that these two treasures are a pair, corresponding to the Way of Thunder."
"The Way of Thunder truly has a division between Yin and Yang. Yang is thunder, while Yin is lightning. Only when Yin and Yang combine is it the true Way of Thunder."
"The Purple Lightning Hammer is Yin, and the Fishing Drum is Yang. They are one Yin and one Yang, thunder and lightning united. It is Heaven's will that both treasures belong to you, Brother."
Xuanyuan considered it, smiled faintly, and shook his head.
After all, he already had the acquired Supreme Treasure, the Primordial Measure Heaven Ruler, and the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Pearl. And Tongtian clearly loved the Fishing Drum and Purple Lightning Hammer, looking as though he were being made to part with his own flesh. A gentleman shouldn't take what another cherished.
As it happened, among the Twelve Ancestral Witches were the Ancestral Witch of Thunder and the Ancestral Witch of Lightning.
"Yang is thunder? Yin is lightning?"
"I didn't expect Fourth Brother to have such insight into the Great Dao of Thunder. Though I possess the Upper Clarity Divine Thunder, my understanding of this Great Dao is nowhere near yours."
Tongtian was slightly surprised. Then he gritted his teeth as if reaching a decision, and offered Xuanyuan the Fishing Drum in his other hand as well.
"If Yin and Yang united are the Great Dao, and you happen to have insight into it, then these two treasures must be destined for you, Fourth Brother. They can help you make further progress in understanding the Great Dao of Thunder."
"Please don't refuse, Fourth Brother. We're brothers, and as your elder brother, I should look after you."
It was clear that Tongtian truly regarded Xuanyuan as his younger brother. He was giving him two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures—ones that matched him perfectly—just like that.
"This... Third Brother, you're too kind, but you've misunderstood. I don't intend to focus on cultivating the Way of Thunder. Besides, the Primordial World has only just begun. With the fortune you and I possess, how could we lack treasures in the future?"
"Buzhou Mountain stands at the center of the Primordial World and is one of its finest blessed lands. There may well be treasures hidden there."
Xuanyuan was taken aback, warmth rising in his heart. He pushed the two treasures back, then sent out a cloud of Profound Clarity Qi that enveloped Tongtian and carried them west.
In the distance, where the Chaos Residual Qi had yet to disperse, Buzhou Mountain soared like a giant sword thrust into the heavens. Clouds and mist wreathed its peak, as if endless mysteries lay hidden within.
Xuanyuan and Tongtian arrived on the clouds. As soon as they drew near, they sensed two energies of the same origin entwining like the paired Yin-Yang fish, circling endlessly.
One of these energies was Lesser Yin, the other Lesser Yang. Neither burned as fiercely as the sun nor was as cold as the moon. Instead, they carried a unique vitality and liveliness, faintly forming a spell formation of their own.
"This formation doesn't seem to have arisen naturally. It looks as though someone set it up."
Xuanyuan narrowed his eyes slightly, spreading his primordial spirit's power like fine threads to sense the unique fluctuations of energy.
"The Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang Qi circulate in a cycle, creating their own transformation. If no treasure is about to appear, then perhaps a powerful cultivator is here."
Tongtian stroked his beard, curious, as though pondering what sort of powerful cultivator lay behind these energies.
"Let's take a look."
They exchanged a glance and followed the energies. Before long, they spotted a brother and sister sitting cross-legged on a sheer cliff's blue stone. They were none other than Fuxi and Nuwa.
"Xuanqing Xuanyuan."
"Upper Pure Tongtian."
"Greetings, fellow Daoists."
Xuanyuan and Tongtian stepped forward and saluted.
"I am Nuwa, and this is my elder brother, Fuxi. Have you two fellow Daoists come here because of these Yin-Yang energies?"
The Innate Eight Trigrams Diagram before Fuxi shimmered faintly, while the Five-Colored Jade in Nuwa's hair was adorned with clouds and rosy light. Seeing the two arrive, Nuwa gently smoothed her robe and rose gracefully, warmth in her expression.
"Your insight is keen, Fellow Daoist Nuwa."
"The Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang energies circulate to form a formation. My elder brother and I were curious, so we came to investigate."
Xuanyuan cupped his hands, his gaze settling on the ground before Fuxi, where Eight Trigrams patterns were carved.
At this time, the two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, the River Diagram and Luo Book, were still in Di Jun's hands. Fuxi was truly remarkable to have derived the rudiments of the Innate Eight Trigrams on his own.
In the future, once he obtained the River Diagram and Luo Book after the Witch-Demon Tribulation, he would be able to perfect the Innate Eight Trigrams.
"The formation of Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang was indeed set up by my sister and me."
Fuxi traced the Eight Trigrams patterns on the ground. The Hexagrams shifted and changed beneath his fingertips.
"I deduced that although Buzhou Mountain is one of the Primordial World's greatest blessed lands, it is also a vortex of karma. If my sister and I stay here for long, even with our extraordinary origins, we'll find it difficult to escape entanglement. We'd be better off choosing another peaceful place, where we can more easily comprehend the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth."
"This time, we joined forces to set up the formation of Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang to settle the old karma formed when these energies came into being. We're preparing to move."
Fuxi raised a hand and drew a circle. The Eight Trigrams pattern turned slowly in the air, while the karma formed when the Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang energies took shape and became connected to Buzhou Mountain was gradually resolved.
"Meeting is fate. Would the two of you allow us to join you in discussing the Dao? Perhaps we can gain an even deeper understanding of the transformations of Yin and Yang."
Xuanyuan gazed at the shifting Hexagrams and suddenly had a realization.
Fuxi and Nuwa had been far-sighted. From the very beginning, they had sensed that Buzhou Mountain was a place of trouble and one of the starting points of the Kalpa Tribulation. They wanted to avoid karma and the calamities of slaughter.
But the karma they were resolving now was only superficial.
When Gonggong later collided with Buzhou Mountain in anger, Nuwa would still have to mend the heavens before the karma of being born from Pangu's spine could truly be settled.
"Gladly! Lesser Yin and Lesser Yang are the pivot of Yin and Yang. If we can explore their mysteries together here, perhaps I can further perfect my Innate Eight Trigrams."
Fuxi laughed at that, and the Eight Trigrams Phantom unfurled with a crash.
In an instant, winds and clouds stirred above Buzhou Mountain's peak. Heavenly Flowers rained down, beams of rosy light blazed, and countless auspicious hues filled the sky.
Fuxi's Hexagram phantom, Nuwa's creation light, and the inclusive Daoist aura of Xuanyuan's Chaos merged and clashed.
Even Tongtian seemed to gain some insight. His understanding of Yin Lightning and Yang Thunder deepened, and he became markedly more efficient at refining the Purple Lightning Hammer and Fishing Drum.
"Chaos, Yin and Yang, Thunder..."
After years of building up his understanding, Xuanyuan had spent a long time in seclusion comprehending the Chaos Law within the Chaos World inside the Chaos Pearl. Now, their discussion of the Dao stirred it within him as well. In learning from one another, all had gained.
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