"Fourth Brother, this is..."
Before long, Tongtian's vision blurred. The next moment, he was drawn to the pool brimming with Pangu Jade Marrow.
His Upper Pure Primordial Spirit stirred, as if drawn to a power of the same origin!
"This is Pangu Jade Marrow. Marrow is where bones and blood are generated; it is the source of the body's vital energy."
"We were transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, so our laws naturally resonate with it. Now that we have found this treasure land, it seems we were destined to encounter this fortune."
Xuanyuan nodded slightly as he explained.
Anyone who drew near Pangu Jade Marrow and cultivated secret arts related to Pangu's world-opening techniques, or possessed a magic treasure left behind by Pangu, such as the Pangu Banner transformed from the Sky-Opening Axe, would trigger a resonance and receive guidance.
If Pangu Jade Marrow had already reached the time of its emergence, then even without the Primordial Measure Heaven Ruler to determine the space-time coordinates, Xuanyuan and Tongtian's innate foundations would have been enough to lead them to this opportunity.
In Xuanyuan's memories, this marrow contained the Origin Dao Rhyme of Pangu's creation of heaven and earth. Every drop carried the evolution of the highest Great Dao Laws, including the opening of space, the division of Yin and Yang, and the birth of the Five Elements. It could help cultivators quickly comprehend the true meaning of the Great Dao and even glimpse the opportunity to attain the Primordial Chaos realm and become a sage.
In addition, this Pangu Jade Marrow contained one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit!
The two Merit Supreme Treasures received two-tenths of the Heaven-Opening Merit.
The Four Pangu Purities received three-tenths of the Heaven-Opening Merit.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches received three-tenths of the Heaven-Opening Merit.
And this Pangu Jade Marrow, also transformed from Pangu Essence Blood, likewise contained one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit.
The remaining one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit was scattered throughout the Primordial World Earth, nourishing all creation and strengthening the foundations of the Primordial World.
"Brother, your innate foundation and mine are incomplete. We each received only half a tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit."
"This Pangu Jade Marrow can not only strengthen our bodies and improve our cultivation talent, but also contains one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit. It can complete our innate foundations. We might as well refine it together."
Throughout the Primordial World, whether mighty cultivators, spiritual treasures, or supreme treasures, nothing could bear more than one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit.
Perhaps Heaven and Earth would not allow it, or perhaps they could not bear such immense merit...
Xuanyuan did not know.
But one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit was indeed the limit of the Four Pangu Purities' innate foundation.
Besides, letting Tongtian refine it would not be giving it to an outsider. This pool of Pangu Jade Marrow was just enough for the two brothers to complete their foundations.
"In that case, I'll accept your kindness."
When Tongtian first heard that the marrow could strengthen his body and improve his talent, he had been tempted. Still, he had mostly thought of leaving it all to his Fourth Brother. After all, he already had two Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, while Fourth Brother had a greater need to improve his strength and ability to protect himself.
But when he heard that it contained one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit, he understood what Xuanyuan meant.
How precious was the Heaven-Opening Merit? Fourth Brother could refine at most another half-tenth. How could they let the other half-tenth go to waste?
Besides, the moment he recalled the look Second Brother Yuanshi had given him when they emerged into the world and took form, he could no longer bring himself to refuse.
So be it. He owed his spiritual treasures and comprehension of the laws to Fourth Brother's help. Refusing the Pangu Jade Marrow now would be rather hypocritical, and would make their brotherly bond seem distant.
They were brothers, after all. If he had found Pangu Jade Marrow today, he would have shared it with Fourth Brother as well...
Thinking it through, Tongtian felt at ease. He simply resolved that he would repay Xuanyuan one day.
"Hum!"
Xuanyuan and Tongtian stood within the pool.
The instant Xuanyuan used Profound Clarity Qi to divide the marrow in two, the entire space shook. Countless golden runes burst from the depths of the marrow, forming the illusory image of a giant wielding an axe as Pangu had when he opened Heaven. The image wove through the void, shining with a brilliant Mysterious Yellow Color.
The primordial spirits' clear qi, sharing the same origin, had awakened the Heaven-Opening Merit within.
"Go."
Seeing this, Tongtian drew a wisp of Upper Clarity Qi from his primordial spirit and sent it into the pool.
In an instant, Upper Clarity Qi and Profound Clarity Qi intertwined in the void, forming a marvelous Taiji Diagram.
The pool boiled. Pangu Jade Marrow rose like a river of stars turned upside down, each drop reshaping the structure of the surrounding space-time.
Then it transformed into a downpour of light that cascaded over the two of them.
The robes formed from their magic power vanished. Their exposed skin took on a bronze sheen as the marrow soaked into it, and wisps of Chaos Qi seeped from the 480 million pores across their bodies.
Xuanyuan and Tongtian sat cross-legged, refining the Heaven-Opening Merit permeating the marrow. Their innate foundations, once a shade inferior to Yuanshi's and Laozi's, were gradually made whole under the nourishment of the Mysterious Yellow Heaven-Opening Merit.
Their Clear Qi Nascent Souls and the Heaven-Opening Merit bore witness to each other, slowly restoring the two brothers' incomplete foundations in the Great Dao.
As their innate foundations recovered and they absorbed the Heaven-Opening Merit, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy began to gather wildly within the secret realm, forming a seven-colored pillar of light that shot toward the dome.
Heavenly Flowers fell like rain, each one containing the complete laws of the Five Elements.
Golden Lotuses sprang from the earth, bearing countless rays of Merit Auspicious Light that enveloped the two.
The Pangu Marrow Pool boiled and surged ever more violently, continuously manifesting the scenes of Pangu opening Heaven:
Chaos began. Clear qi rose to become the heavens, turbid qi sank to become the earth, and the Sun, Moon, and Stars were born in the void.
The clear became the primordial spirit, the turbid the physical body.
One clear, one turbid, they strengthened both their primordial spirits and their bodies.
Chaos Residual Qi and Mysterious Yellow Merit intertwined into Seven-Colored Light Ribbons, winding around them.
Cultivation knew no years. In the blink of an eye, a thousand years passed.
"Boom!"
"Boom!"
The Great Dao Laws rumbled through the void. Xuanyuan and Tongtian's auras climbed steadily. The remaining power of the Heaven-Opening Merit easily tore through the bottleneck of the early Grand Unity Golden Immortal stage, as if it were tissue paper. Their majestic Dao Rhyme became tangible, setting off waves of Space-Time Turbulence throughout the secret realm.
Their innate foundations had been completed, and their cultivation had risen accordingly. Everything had fallen into place naturally!
Three thousand streams of clear qi surged from their crowns, condensing in the void into the innate Dao characters for "Grand Unity."
The pressure of the mid stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal swept out from Xuanyuan and Tongtian.
When the last trace of marrow fused into their bodies, they opened their eyes at the same time.
"Mid stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal. This saves us countless years of painstaking cultivation and accumulating magic power."
With a lift of Xuanyuan's hand, space within a radius of ten million li instantly froze beneath his Grand Unity Magic Power.
"Ha ha ha! Now our innate foundations and cultivation are no inferior to those of our two elder brothers! In terms of combat strength, even Second Brother would be no match for me now!"
Tongtian laughed heartily, lightning flashing in his eyes.
He and Yuanshi were at the same cultivation level, and he had a set of Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, the Fishing Drum and the Purple Lightning Hammer. On top of that, he had his perfected Upper Pure Lightning Technique...
Tongtian was confident that he could defeat Yuanshi, who still had no treasures to protect himself!
He had stabilized his cultivation and secluded himself in the mountains for three Eons, yet his strength had improved very little. He had never been able to close the gap between himself and Laozi and Yuanshi.
But he had never expected that after listening to Fourth Brother Xuanyuan, he would barely have left Kunlun Mountain before gaining spiritual treasures, restoring his innate foundation, and improving his cultivation. His overall strength had even surpassed that of Second Brother Yuanshi, who looked down on him!
Eldest Brother had the Houtian Merit Supreme Treasure, the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, which hovered above his head and rendered him invincible from the outset. Otherwise...
"Brother, the Heaven-Opening Merit was only the first opportunity brought by the Pangu Jade Marrow. Next, we must continue our seclusion and refine its essence, strengthening our bodies and improving our cultivation talent."
After restraining his aura, Xuanyuan remained seated cross-legged without getting up.
The Pangu Jade Marrow had been divided and absorbed into their bodies. But apart from the Heaven-Opening Merit, which had merged into their primordial spirits and completed their innate foundations, its essence—born from Pangu Essence Blood combined with Chaos Qi—still lay hidden throughout their limbs and bones. They needed to keep refining it with Grand Unity Magic Power to make it part of their own foundations.
"Fourth Brother is right. I'll do as you say."
Tongtian had initially planned to leave and return to the Upper Pure Palace on Kunlun Mountain to refine the marrow in seclusion. But after hearing Xuanyuan's words, he agreed to stay.
After all, it was no great matter.
And so the two brothers continued their seclusion. Their bodies grew ever stronger, their bones like Chaos Immortal Gold. Throughout the entire Primordial World, only the Twelve Ancestral Witches could surpass them in physical strength and innate cultivation talent.
And that was not all. Pangu Jade Marrow had been transformed from Pangu Essence Blood and shared the same innate foundation as the Twelve Ancestral Witches. If it could have taken form and entered the world, then with one-tenth of the Heaven-Opening Merit, it would have been even more powerful.
Naturally, it contained the same bloodline of laws as the Ancestral Witches!
When Pangu opened Heaven, he slew the other 2,999 Chaos Demon Gods. Along with the imprint of the Great Dao of Strength, the imprints of all three thousand Great Dao Laws were engraved in his bloodline.
Xuanyuan still did not know what kind of bloodline of laws his body would gain.
Before you continue