Kunlun Mountain.
After the Three Pure Ones returned, they each went back to their own caves to cultivate in seclusion and comprehend the Great Dao Hongjun had taught.
All three were Quasi-Saints now, so naturally they wanted to attain Sagehood as soon as possible.
Others might not know this, but Qin Mu knew it all too well.
If the Three Pure Ones wanted to attain Sagehood by Slaying the Three Corpses, that path was bound to fail.
After all, among the many Saints in the Primordial Wilderness, Hongjun alone had attained Sagehood by Slaying the Three Corpses.
Later on, the Three Pure Ones would attain the Dao Through Merit by establishing the Three Teachings.
But this was a heavenly secret, and Qin Mu had no intention of telling them.
First, he had no idea how much karmic retribution it might bring upon him if he did.
Second, if the Three Pure Ones asked him about it, he wouldn't know how to explain.
Once the Three Pure Ones had gone into seclusion, Qin Mu returned to his own cave.
His cave was in a place where the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was abundant.
After sitting cross-legged, Qin Mu stirred his thoughts and drew out a seed.
It was a lustrous, jade-green seed, wreathed in an aura of Chaos.
It was the Lotus Seed of the Creation Green Lotus that Hongjun had gifted him when he had returned to Zixiao Palace earlier.
"I wonder how my true form will change after I refine this Lotus Seed of the Creation Green Lotus?"
Qin Mu mused to himself. Then, with a thought, he transformed into his true form.
Before him appeared the Innate Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, its leaves like sharp swords and radiating a terrifying aura.
Each Sword Leaf seemed to possess the power to cleave stars apart.
It was called the Nine-Leaf Sword Grass, but after its previous evolution, its original nine leaves had increased to thirty-six.
In truth, calling Qin Mu's true form the Innate Thirty-Six-Leaf Sword Grass would have been more fitting.
After transforming, Qin Mu wasted no time and immediately circulated his magical power.
Streams of clear, shimmering light surged from his true form and settled onto the Lotus Seed floating before him.
Gradually, strands of green light split off from the Lotus Seed of the Creation Green Lotus and sank into Qin Mu's Sword Grass form.
Just then, a system notification suddenly rang out in Qin Mu's mind:
[ Ding! ]
[ High-grade source object detected—Lotus Seed of the Chaos Green Lotus! ]
[ Innate Nine-Leaf Sword Grass is beginning to evolve...]
[ Evolution complete. Innate Nine-Leaf Sword Grass has evolved into Innate Sword Lotus! ]
"Boom!"
In an instant, Qin Mu's true form underwent a tremendous transformation, and a terrifying aura of Chaos suddenly burst forth.
The veins of each of the thirty-six leaves, which had once been as sharp as swords, now revealed intricate lotus patterns.
At the center of the Sword Grass, a radiant green lotus blossomed.
A terrifying aura of Chaos radiated from it.
"It evolved?"
"Innate Sword Lotus!"
Qin Mu was utterly stunned.
He hadn't expected that merely refining the Lotus Seed of the Creation Green Lotus would cause his true form to evolve again, all thanks to the system.
As his true form evolved into the Innate Sword Lotus, Qin Mu's origins rose from those of a Top-grade Innate Sacred Being to the level of a Chaos Demon God.
One had to know that Chaos Demon Gods were on the same level as Hongjun, Luohu, Yang Mei, and the others!
"Whew..."
Still reeling from the shock, Qin Mu transformed back into human form and let out a long breath.
He took a moment to sense the surging power within him.
He discovered that his cultivation had advanced from the early Golden Immortal stage to the middle stage.
"Time to keep refining treasures!"
Qin Mu said calmly. With a slight wave of his hand, a bead wreathed in scarlet flames appeared before him.
This was the Fire Spirit Pearl, an Initiation Gift from Tongtian.
Qin Mu wasted no time and began refining the Fire Spirit Pearl.
The years drifted by.
In the blink of an eye, tens of thousands of years passed.
For the creatures of the Primordial Wilderness, time was the least valuable thing.
Tens of thousands of years amounted to no more than the snap of a finger.
Over this long stretch of time, the Primordial Land gradually grew livelier.
Countless creatures came into being among its mountains, rivers, and streams. Some were newly awakened spirits, while others were powerful beasts from birth...
Birds and beasts absorbed the essence of the sun and moon, while plants and rocks took form and cultivated the Dao.
The entire Primordial Wilderness was filled with vigorous life.
Of course, beneath this apparent prosperity, undercurrents were also stirring.
For one thing, clashes between the Witch Clan and the Demon Race had become increasingly frequent.
The Demon Race Heavenly Court ruled over the All Heavenly Stars, while the Witch Clan controlled the mountains and rivers of the land. Their forces repeatedly clashed, and the fighting never ceased.
Besides that, East King Duke's Immortal Court was not content to stay idle. It continued expanding its sphere of influence, seeking to unite the Primordial Wilderness.
Kunlun Mountain.
Qin Mu slowly opened his eyes. Flames swirled in his gaze, then drew inward and faded away.
After tens of thousands of years of refinement, he had refined twenty restrictions in the Fire Spirit Pearl.
These restrictions on a spiritual treasure were seals of law bestowed by the Heavenly Dao.
Each restriction he refined allowed him to unleash a little more of the treasure's power.
Houtian Spirit Treasures contained at most thirty-five restrictions.
Innate Spiritual Treasures, on the other hand, contained as many as forty-eight.
As for Innate Supreme Treasures, they had a full forty-nine restrictions, corresponding to the number of the Heavenly Dao.
"With my current cultivation, refining twenty restrictions in the Fire Spirit Pearl is already no small feat."
"To unleash the Fire Spirit Pearl's full power, I'll need to reach the Great Principle Golden Immortal stage at the very least."
Qin Mu muttered to himself.
The Fire Spirit Pearl was a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, containing forty-eight restrictions.
It would take quite some time to refine it completely.
"My cultivation has improved quite a bit, at least. I've reached the Golden Immortal Late Stage!"
Sensing his magical power, Qin Mu discovered that he had reached the Golden Immortal Late Stage.
Besides that, he was shocked to discover that a somewhat illusory Sword Leaf had taken shape within him.
The Sword Leaf was not a physical object. It had formed from the interweaving of his own sword Dao origin and the power of the Chaos Green Lotus.
It radiated a faint but terrifying aura that made one's heart tremble.
"I wonder what kind of power it will have once it becomes fully solid?"
Qin Mu pondered to himself.
After all, his path of cultivation was unlike that of any other creature in the Primordial Wilderness.
Earlier, while listening to Hongjun's third lecture at Zixiao Palace, he had noticed an Extra-Large Red Packet drop.
When he opened it, he had obtained an Exclusive Great Dao Level Cultivation Method.
The method was quite simple.
Every time he broke through a level, a Sword Leaf would form within him.
Once he had formed thirty-six Sword Leaves, he would be able to break through to the Great Dao.
Moreover, each Sword Leaf that took shape could give rise to various divine abilities and special effects.
"I haven't even broken through the first level yet, have I?"
Qin Mu smiled wryly and took a deep breath. He calmed his mind and didn't rush things.
Then he left his cave and wandered around Kunlun Mountain.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Qin Mu stopped. His gaze fell on an Innate Spiritual Tree not far away.
Looking closer, he saw Yuanshi and Tongtian sitting beneath the tree, discussing the Dao.
Daoist rhythms flowed around them. Every word they spoke stirred the laws of heaven and earth, causing lotus blossoms to appear in the void and golden springs to bubble up from the ground.
After pausing for a moment, Qin Mu hurried over and bowed respectfully.
"Greetings, Master and Second Senior Uncle."
At his words, Tongtian and Yuanshi both looked toward him.
"Not bad."
Tongtian nodded, his face full of praise.
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