Let's do it!
Little gourd, let Daddy give you a good rub!
Di Jun furrowed his brow. Rub the gourd vine? What kind of move was that?
Still, he didn't stop him.
Every time Li Mo did something, he had his reasons, and he often managed to surprise Di Jun.
Without giving it another thought, Li Mo reached out and touched the gourd vine.
But just then,
Zhen Yuanzi frowned, looking displeased. "Li Mo, what do you think you're doing? The gourd vine hasn't ripened yet. Don't go messing with it."
As he spoke, he moved to stop Li Mo.
After all, in Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun's eyes, Li Mo was just a lowly follower.
But just as Eastern Emperor Tai Yi looked on in confusion,
Di Jun stepped in front of Zhen Yuanzi and said, "Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, Li Mo means no harm. He knows what he's doing."
Zhen Yuanzi was taken aback.
It seemed Li Mo's status wasn't what he had assumed. He wasn't merely a simple follower.
As for what his true status was, Di Jun clearly had no intention of telling him, and Zhen Yuanzi wouldn't pry.
Well done, Jun Ge! Otherwise, Zhen Yuanzi would've thought I was trying to yank the gourd vine right out of the ground.
Muttering to himself, Li Mo pressed his palm against the Innate Gourd Vine.
[ Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully copied the Innate Gourd Vine. Collection progress for the Ten Great Innate Supreme Spiritual Roots: 3/10. ]
Li Mo was delighted.
Wonderful! I've got the Innate Gourd Vine too.
But in the very next moment, a sudden change occurred.
The endless purple qi in the sky began surging toward the seven little gourds on the Innate Gourd Vine as if driven mad.
In an instant, it formed a massive vortex, and fierce winds howled.
Stones and splintered wood were swept into the air, while sand and rocks filled the sky. It was a terrifying sight.
Di Jun and the others' robes snapped in the wind.
A startling transformation unfolded before their eyes.
What's happening? Jun Ge, grab me!
Damn it! Too late!
Li Mo's body hurtled toward the rock wall behind the Innate Gourd Vine.
Before everyone's eyes, his figure disappeared.
Di Jun's expression changed drastically!
"Fifth Brother!"
"Fifth Brother!"
Di Jun and Tai Yi cried out at the same time.
The two reached for the spot together, but grabbed at empty air.
At the title "Fifth Brother," Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun were stunned.
He was their brother? How could that be?
Li Mo was only a Mystic Immortal, while these two were both peak Grand Unity Golden Immortals.
But there was no time for them to dwell on it.
They saw that at the spot where Li Mo had disappeared,
the seven Innate Gourd Vines ripened all at once.
Figures began racing toward them from every direction in the sky.
Seeing this, Zhen Yuanzi urged them, "Fellow Daoist Di Jun, what are you standing there for? Take the treasure and leave!"
Di Jun snapped out of it and grabbed the Innate Gourd Vine.
Then he circulated his magical power throughout his body, summoned all his strength, and uprooted the vine.
The moment he did, all of Buzhou Mountain began shaking violently.
Once he had uprooted the vine, Di Jun didn't even spare the Breathing Soil that had nurtured it.
With a sweep of his hand, a spirit treasure shaped like a shovel scooped up the Breathing Soil, and he stored it all away.
"Let's go!" Tai Yi urged.
"Go? Where do you think you're going? A treasure this fine belongs to everyone who sees it!"
Yuqing Yuanshi suddenly descended.
His eyes burned as he stared at the seven little gourds of different colors, like a starving wolf gazing at fragrant meat.
Behind him, Laozi descended slowly, a smile on his lips.
Tongtian, a stern young man with a sword strapped to his back, looked at Di Jun with a cool expression.
"We're done for! We're surrounded!" Zhen Yuanzi said gloomily, his brows knitted tight.
As soon as those words left his mouth,
several more figures appeared.
Jieyin and Zhunti smiled and said, "What a fine treasure! This treasure is destined for the West!"
"Hahaha! Destined for the West? Jieyin, Zhunti, you two really have no shame. This thing was born on Buzhou Mountain. How could it be destined for you? It clearly belongs to the East!"
Kunpeng soared into the sky, then slowly folded his wings and came to a halt halfway up Buzhou Mountain.
Before long, the mountain was crowded with countless innate divinities.
Fu Xi and Nuwa were among them.
The Lord of the Sea of Blood, Daoist Minghe, had also arrived.
Dressed in blood-red robes and reeking of blood, his eyes were full of greed.
The crowd closed in around the four of them, surrounding Di Jun and the others.
No one had openly declared their intention to attack, but they all knew that every gaze was fixed on the Innate Gourd Vine.
If Di Jun tried to flee, the innate divinities would likely attack them all at once.
There were only four of them, while the others had strength in numbers.
"Not good! We're surrounded. What should we do?" Zhen Yuanzi sent a voice transmission to the other three, sounding nervous.
"What else can we do? Fight our way out! Otherwise, won't these treasures end up in someone else's hands?" Flames surged in Eastern Emperor Tai Yi's eyes. He was ready to strike at any moment.
As his magical power flowed, he prepared to summon the Chaos Bell.
"No! Absolutely not. Fellow Daoist Tai Yi, though you possess the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Bell, none of the other innate divinities are weak. Against so many of them attacking together, even escaping would be difficult!"
Hong Yun flatly rejected Eastern Emperor Tai Yi's proposal.
"Then what should we do?" Tai Yi asked irritably, forcing himself to hold back.
"Di Jun, put down the Innate Gourd Vine at once! A treasure like this is absolutely not for the likes of you, born from the wet and hatched from eggs, covered in fur and sporting horns!"
Yuqing Yuanshi shouted at him. The Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Banner, floated behind him, ready to strike at any moment.
Di Jun glanced at the Pangu Banner. Its powerful aura left him shaken.
I should've acted sooner. The gourd vine ripened so suddenly. Now it'll be difficult to escape! Di Jun weighed his options.
Yuqing Yuanshi's words immediately enraged Kunpeng as well. He snapped, "Yuanshi, first you call us born from the wet and hatched from eggs, then you call us covered in fur and sporting horns! Don't act like you're so much nobler!"
After that, he tried to draw Di Jun to his side. "Fellow Daoist Di Jun, this treasure and I have a deep karmic connection. Why not join forces with me? With me on your side, the four of you could divide the Innate Gourd Vine among yourselves. Wouldn't that be splendid?"
Minghe's eyes turned cold. He sneered, "You've got quite the plan. But aren't you afraid the four of them will kill you afterward? You claim the treasure is destined for you, but we're all connected to it. Better to let each of us rely on our own strength. Whoever takes it gets to keep it."
As soon as he finished speaking,
no one said a word. Each of them stared at the Innate Gourd Vine with burning eyes.
Clearly, Minghe's proposal seemed perfectly reasonable to them.
But the next moment,
Di Jun said, "You're all right. This treasure is connected to each of you. With so many innate divinities gathered here, we might as well divide it among ourselves."
Before you continue