He looked up. Mount Buzhou still stood silently between heaven and earth.
Its slopes disappeared into a sea of clouds, and beyond that was a blur of Chaos, impossible to see clearly.
As he gazed at its towering silhouette stretching through the heavens, a thought suddenly arose in his mind.
He wanted to climb it.
Not because he had to reach the summit, nor because he was searching for some opportunity.
He simply wanted to walk this divine mountain himself, to measure it with his own feet.
To bear it with his own body, and feel it with his own Dao heart.
Xuande could no longer suppress the thought once it had taken hold.
He rose, used his magic power to protect himself, and began climbing Mount Buzhou.
At first, it was fairly easy.
The pressure at the foot of the mountain was strong, but he was already a late-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal. By concentrating and circulating his magic power, he could withstand it with ease.
He followed the mountain's contours, his pace steady, occasionally stopping to study the patterns in the rocks along the way.
Those naturally formed Dao marks were ancient and profound. Even with his current cultivation, he could not fully comprehend them.
He did not force the matter. After a few glances, he continued upward.
The higher he climbed, the heavier the pressure became.
That power did not come from any specific being, nor did it seem like a rejection of intruders.
It was like the very aura of the mountain itself, utterly one with it and present everywhere.
The closer he drew to the mountain, the more clearly he could feel it.
Xuande strengthened the magic power protecting him, and his steps remained steady, but his pace slowed noticeably.
The scenery along the way changed, too.
At the foot of the mountain, the vegetation was still fairly lush. Hardy old pines and gnarled cypresses grew there, their branches rugged and powerful.
Farther up, the trees gradually thinned, giving way to vast stretches of bare cliff face and snow that never melted.
Now and then, he spotted a few spiritual herbs rooted in cracks in the rock. Thin layers of ice crystals coated their leaves, refracting the sunlight with a cool gleam.
Xuande paused as he passed one such herb.
It stood barely three inches tall, its slender leaves shaped like swords and its entire body a pale purple. A ring of tiny ice beads clung to the edges of its leaves.
Even under the immense pressure of Mount Buzhou, it remained upright, showing no sign of withering.
Xuande crouched and gently probed it with his divine sense. He could feel an exceedingly tenacious, pure vitality within the herb—faint, yet resilient.
He watched it for a long while, then raised his hand.
A wisp of faint golden light gathered at his fingertip, gentle as water. Slowly, it settled into the crevice where the spiritual herb had taken root.
The Merit Golden Light did not touch the leaves directly. Instead, it seeped into the surrounding earth and stone, becoming a barely perceptible warmth that enveloped the herb.
If it was later beset by freezing winds, frost, or snow, this spot would have a little more protection than the rest.
He withdrew his hand, rose, and left.
He continued upward.
The pressure grew stronger and stronger. Xuande's steps became increasingly heavy, and the magic power circulating around him grew denser.
He did not force himself to move faster. He simply climbed one step at a time, keeping to his own rhythm.
Just then, he sensed something unusual.
It was neither pressure nor danger.
It was an Innate Restriction.
It lay among the cliffs not far ahead.
Xuande stopped and focused on sensing it.
The restriction had been laid with great skill, concealed within Mount Buzhou's natural Dao aura.
Had he not happened to reach this spot and release his divine sense to scout the way, he would hardly have noticed it.
Xuande's thoughts stirred.
An Innate Restriction, ancient and complete in its aura.
Could it be an Innate Spiritual Root?
Or perhaps an Innate Spiritual Treasure that had lain dormant here since the world first opened?
When he had undergone Form Transformation in the West, his Merit Golden Lotus had been protected by an Innate Restriction.
Now that he sensed one with a similar aura, he could not help but feel curious.
Since he had happened upon it and discovered it, perhaps it was fate.
He moved closer and probed it once more with his divine sense.
The inside of the restriction was a blur of Chaos. He could not sense what it contained.
But there was no doubt that something existed within.
He raised his hand and gathered magic power at his fingertip, preparing to try a gentle way of undoing the restriction and see what lay inside.
"Fellow Daoist, please stop."
A clear, gentle woman's voice, like jade striking jade, slowly came from within the restriction.
"This is the Daoist abode of my brother and me, not a restriction protecting an Innate Spiritual Treasure or Spiritual Root. I'm afraid you've misunderstood."
Xuande's hand hung in midair, and he froze for a moment.
He neither withdrew his hand at once nor spoke.
He was thinking about the voice, the Dao aura, and the siblings who had established their Daoist abode halfway up Mount Buzhou...
One name—or rather, two names—appeared in his mind almost simultaneously.
Nuwa. Fuxi.
Suppressing the complicated emotions welling up inside him, Xuande slowly withdrew his hand and lowered it to his side.
He stepped back, straightened his Daoist robe, and bowed solemnly toward the Innate Restriction.
"I am Xuande, a cultivator from the West. I did not know this was the Daoist abode where you two fellow Daoists cultivated in seclusion. I mistook it for an unclaimed restriction and nearly offended you. I hope you will forgive my discourtesy."
His voice was calm and sincere, without the slightest trace of arrogance or affected humility.
He simply spoke honestly and admitted his mistake without reservation.
Silence fell within the restriction for a moment.
A little while later, the woman's voice sounded again, softer than before.
"So you are Fellow Daoist Xuande. Your aura is pure, and Merit is faintly visible. You are clearly no wicked cultivator. You did not try to break the restriction by force, but merely approached to investigate. That hardly counts as an offense. There's no need to be so formal."
Another voice, deep and resonant, came from within the restriction. It was warm and steady.
"To have reached this place, Fellow Daoist must possess considerable cultivation. The pressure on Mount Buzhou is immense; ordinary Great Luo cultivators cannot reach halfway up the mountain. The fact that you made it here, with such a clear aura, shows that you have a Firm Dao Heart. It was a misunderstanding, and now that we've cleared it up, all is well. Please rise, Fellow Daoist."
Xuande straightened, thinking to himself:
So these two really were Nuwa and Fuxi.
He had long known that these two great powers existed in the Primordial Wilderness, but he had never expected to encounter them here, at this time.
And... He looked up at the Innate Restriction concealed among the cliffs, unable to suppress a sigh of emotion.
He had only wanted to walk around Mount Buzhou and take a look.
He had never expected to meet anyone here.
Yet there he was, halfway up the mountain, knocking on the door of a future Sage.
As he pondered this, the Innate Restriction suddenly shimmered with a faint, clear light.
The radiance rippled outward from the center of the restriction like water. A moment later, a doorway quietly opened.
It was not a real door, but an entrance the restriction had opened of its own accord.
Beyond it lay a path paved with white jade, winding into the depths.
On either side of the path, he could just make out verdant bamboo groves and clear, shallow streams. Spiritual Energy swirled, and Dao aura flowed—a scene utterly unlike the bleak, rugged cold of Mount Buzhou outside.
"Fellow Daoist Xuande." The woman's voice came again, carrying a faint smile.
"Since we've cleared up the misunderstanding, and it's rare for us to meet here, perhaps this is fate. If you don't mind, why not come in and talk? My brother and I certainly don't consider you an unwelcome guest."
The man's voice joined in as well.
"Exactly. This place is remote, and fellow Daoists rarely come here. Our meeting today is fate, too. Please, Fellow Daoist Xuande."
Xuande gazed at the open entrance in the restriction, several thoughts quickly passing through his mind.
He did not hesitate for long. The invitation had come suddenly, but it was sincere.
With Nuwa and Fuxi's origins and cultivation, if they meant him harm, they would have no need to invite him inside.
Besides, he really had only been passing through, and it really was a misunderstanding. He was also... a little curious about these two legendary great powers.
He cupped his hands again. "In that case, I'll trouble you both."
With that, he stepped forward and crossed the threshold.
The instant he entered the restriction, Xuande clearly felt that the inside and outside were two separate worlds.