Fortune Stabilized, Tricking Jieyin

Within the great array atop Mount Sumeru, as Randeng's words fell, the atmosphere sank into silence.

"May I ask, Fellow Daoist, why you wish to help my junior brother and me?"

Jieyin was the first to break the silence. In his perception, Randeng was merely at the peak of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, yet he had promised the two of them a place in the Primordial Unity. Was he speaking recklessly, or did he truly possess exceptional ability?

Randeng said nothing. Instead, he beckoned the Eastern Green Lotus Precious Color Banner over and, with the cultivation of a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, activated it to guide the spiritual qi within the array toward Jieyin and Zhunti.

He knew that if he wished to win over Jieyin and Zhunti, emotions alone—or coercion and temptation—would not suffice. The crucial thing was to bind their interests together.

"Across this vast western land, only the three of us Innate Divine Saints remain in the end. Does that not say something? I believe, Fellow Daoist, that you have long understood the mission you bear after entering the world."

Randeng was not merely spinning lies. In the primordial world, the Heavenly Dao was exceedingly fair; every Innate Divine Saint had their own duty and mission.

For instance, Di Jun and Tai Yi were born with the fate of emperors. They were meant to unite the myriad races and advance the development of the primordial world's living beings.

Then there was Blood Sea Minghe, whose duty was to help the primordial world purify negative energies.

As for the Witch Clan, the original intent of heaven and earth was for them to absorb baleful qi and regulate the earth veins. That in itself was a great merit. Yet they only absorbed baleful qi, ignored the earth veins, and devoted themselves wholeheartedly to supremacy. Naturally, they would not meet a good end.

The inborn mission of this western pair was to revive the West. Their prosperity and ruin were bound to the West's.

"Your mission is also to revive the West?" Zhunti asked, a trace of delight in his voice. He had thought Randeng had entered the West to seize opportunities, never expecting him to be one of their own.

"Of course. The western land is shattered beyond recognition. Along my journey here, I have already repaired most of its earth veins."

Randeng made it clear that he truly cared for the West. As for the fact that he had come to intercept the opportunities of the two westerners, there was no need to explain that in detail to Zhunti.

"Fellow Daoist, you are not an Innate Divine Saint of the West, are you?"

Just as Randeng thought the two had accepted him without reservation, Jieyin raised the most critical question.

An Innate Divine Saint not native to the West coming here to revive it was difficult not to suspect.

The spiritual qi around Jieyin, peaceful only moments ago, surged into violence once more. If Randeng could not provide a reasonable explanation, he and Zhunti would immediately force themselves to manifest.

"Fellow Daoist, you are clinging to appearances. The West and I are fated."

As Randeng spoke, he revealed the Golden Light of Merit upon his Primordial Spirit, so dense it was nearly about to take the form of a Precious Mirror of Merit.

"A certain Great Power once said: Innate Divine Saints are judged by their deeds, not their hearts. Since the merit and fortune upon me cannot be faked, what does my origin matter?"

Jieyin fell silent once more. Yes, though this Daoist's origins were unknown, he truly was reviving the West.

"Dao Brother, please protect my junior brother and me as we manifest."

When Jieyin spoke again, he had acknowledged Randeng. Even his form of address had quietly changed.

Randeng let out a breath of relief. The fortune that had been drifting uncertainly around him all this time stabilized the instant Jieyin spoke.

Jieyin had not been wrong. As an outsider Innate Divine Saint, although he was favored by heaven and earth and temporarily blessed with fortune, that fortune was illusory.

The moment Randeng left the West, such blessings would immediately disperse. Only with the recognition of Jieyin and Zhunti, the true masters of the West, could this fortune turn false into real.

"Fellow Daoist may manifest first. Fellow Daoist Zhunti's origin is incomplete; when we establish our teachings, he may use the power of merit to restore it completely."

Randeng deliberately had Jieyin manifest first. With the two of them repairing the western land together, the process would undoubtedly be much faster. At the same time, it was a warning to them: he knew Zhunti's origin was incomplete.

"I shall follow Fellow Daoist's arrangements. I thank Fellow Daoist on behalf of my junior brother."

Jieyin was slightly startled, and his estimation of Randeng rose another level. Aside from the two of them, only the Dao Ancestor knew that Zhunti's origin was incomplete. Yet Randeng could see through it as well.

While waiting for Jieyin and Zhunti to continue accumulating their origins in preparation for manifestation, Randeng continued refining the Green Lotus Precious Color Banner, striving to finish consecrating this Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure as soon as possible and add a few more layers to his foundation.

With the aid of the Green Lotus Precious Color Banner, Randeng gained complete control over the Green Lotus World Purifying Glazed Great Array. Only then did he discover that, as the center of where Luohu had once detonated the earth veins, Mount Sumeru's internal earth vein nodes had become a complete mess.

Yet once they were repaired, the splendor of the West's greatest mountain in ancient days could be restored. After all, to increase the destructive power of detonating the earth veins, Luohu had used great divine abilities to transform Mount Sumeru into the center of the western earth veins.

As his future Dojo, Randeng naturally spared no effort in wanting to turn Mount Sumeru into a paradise no less magnificent than Kunlun.

Yet deep within Mount Sumeru's earth veins, he constantly sensed a faint, intermittent trace of demonic qi.

"Could Demon Ancestor Luohu have left some backup plan beneath Mount Sumeru?"

Randeng could not help but speculate. That was a titan who stood shoulder to shoulder with Dao Ancestor Hongjun—and a ruthless man who, at the slightest disagreement, had blown up the entire West.

"No matter. Jieyin is about to manifest. When the time comes, I'll have him go down and investigate."

He made the decision with ease. Shielded by the Green Lotus Precious Color Banner, he cautiously repaired the other earth vein nodes, leaving only the earth vein core containing demonic qi untouched.

Ten thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. Calculating the days, Randeng knew that Jieyin should manifest before long, so he emerged from his enlightenment.

The area where the Innate Bitter Bamboo stood was now enveloped in spiritual mist. Spiritual qi billowed thickly, ten thousand rays of rosy light shone forth, and at its center seemed to be a vortex continuously drawing in the surrounding spiritual qi.

Randeng formed hand seals, controlling the Green Lotus World-Purifying Glazed Array as it continuously purified the outside spiritual qi mixed with Karmic Energy and traces of the Annihilation Law, then sent it into the array.

"Jieyin, I hope you will not disappoint me."

Randeng was naturally sparing no effort in helping Jieyin because Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Roots were already difficult to manifest. He had intercepted the fortune of Jieyin and Zhunti, and he did not know whether unforeseen changes might arise. After all, he was still counting on Jieyin and Zhunti to work for him.

Within the array, Jieyin's aura rose step by step—early Primordial Unity Golden Immortal, middle stage, late stage!

Jieyin's aura did not stop until the late stage of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm. It was actually one minor realm higher than when Randeng himself had manifested.

But Randeng had relied on Pangu's Fortune to manifest smoothly. As for Jieyin? Through the array, Randeng looked toward the tribulation clouds continuously gathering above the heavens.

The Form Manifestation Heavenly Tribulation—every Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root would encounter this heavenly tribulation upon manifesting. Consider the Twenty-Four-Ranked Creation Green Lotus: its foundation had been incomparably noble, yet it had still been split into three beneath the heavenly tribulation and taken by the Three Pure Ones, each becoming a tool for Proving the Dao.

Randeng silently withdrew the array's protection, while his figure flashed ten thousand miles away. It was not that he could not help with this lightning tribulation; he simply had to wait until Jieyin took the initiative to ask for it.

Jieyin, on the verge of taking form, sensed Randeng's actions and could not help feeling that something was amiss.

He had thought Randeng would assist him all the way through. Once he took form, a late-stage Primordial Unity Golden Immortal facing a peak Primordial Unity Golden Immortal might be at a disadvantage, but it was not as though he had no chance to fight. When that time came, who would be master and who subordinate would still be uncertain.

But now that Randeng had withdrawn the protection and allowed the heavenly tribulation to descend, how could he not panic?

"Fellow Daoist, why have you withdrawn the grand formation? Lend me one more hand. Once my senior brother and I take form, we will surely repay you."

Jieyin sent out his Spiritual Sense, hoping Randeng could help him withstand the lightning tribulation.

Randeng snorted coldly within, but his face remained wreathed in smiles as he said, "Fellow Daoist, it is not that I refuse to help you. It is that if I rashly intervene in this lightning tribulation, its power will only grow greater."

Jieyin immediately grew anxious. If this lightning tribulation struck, then even if he successfully took form, his entire origin would be drained away. He did not even know whether he could preserve his Primordial Unity realm cultivation. For Jieyin, whose ambitions lay beyond the Great Luo, this was utterly unacceptable.

"Fellow Daoist, what conditions must be met before you are willing to lend your aid?"

At last, the fish had taken the bait. Randeng's lips curled faintly. Protecting you two, filtering spiritual qi for you two—I, Randeng, had been waiting precisely for this moment, when you were on the verge of taking form and had no choice but to compromise.