Wanting to Transplant a Spirit Root

The sweet juice of the Ginseng Fruit had scarcely entered his stomach before it transformed into a torrent of innate creation, surging violently into Haotian's limbs, bones, and Primordial Spirit within his Purple Palace!

His nearly depleted sea of mana, like parched earth welcoming long-awaited rain, began to fill wildly at a rate visible to the naked eye, churning and roaring.

At the same time, his newly gained mana faintly became more condensed and lively, while his Dao Foundation was washed clean and made even more stable.

Haotian's spirits lifted, and his exhaustion was swept away.

Borrowing this abundant newly born power, his mind grew ever more focused as he continued to maintain the profound operation of the Primordial Chaos Sky Measuring Ruler with all his strength, guiding the fusion process onward along the precise trajectory of Dao laws.

Within the valley, halos flowed through the Three Talents Barrier, and Dao charm surged like a tide.

Before such an act of creation, time lost all meaning. Perhaps it was but the flick of a finger, perhaps several years had already passed...

At last, at a certain moment, the yellow earthen spiritual liquid radiance enclosing the Spirit Grass's Primordial Spirit, continuously merging with Earth Vein Power, drew inward and ceased its churning transformations.

The hundred-zhang-tall Spirit Grass and the strange stone slab had both vanished without a trace.

In their place floated a palm-sized living being of ancient and peculiar appearance.

This being was neither dragon nor tiger, nor was it any known beast or bird.

The lines of its body were smooth yet archaic, as though condensed from the purest essence of earth and stone and the spiritual charm of mountains and rivers. Faint miniature phantoms of Mount Wuyi's rolling peaks and winding streams flowed across its surface.

When its eyes opened and closed, divine light shone brightly within them. It possessed both the pure gentleness of a vegetation spirit and the weight of the earth, along with the delicate beauty of mountains and rivers.

After observing it, Haotian discovered that its form, spirit, and bearing bore six or seven parts resemblance to the beast of mountain rivers and terrain he had encountered when he first entered Mount Wuyi years ago.

The newborn Spiritual Beast landed steadily upon all fours, respectfully prostrated itself before Haotian, pressed its head to the ground, and sent out a clear Divine Sense wave filled with gratitude. "This little beast gives thanks to Immortal for the grace of remaking me!"

"This grace and virtue shall never be forgotten for all eternity!"

Seeing this, the great weight in Haotian's heart finally fell away, and he secretly let out a long breath.

With a thought, the various spiritual treasures floating around him turned into streams of light and returned to his body.

The surging Dao charm within the valley gradually calmed.

Haotian's gaze fell upon the strange newborn Spiritual Beast before him as he said slowly, "You have successfully shed your mortal frame and exchanged your bones."

"Your Primordial Spirit and soul have deeply merged with the force of Mount Wuyi's mountains, rivers, and terrain, as well as its Earth Vein spiritual aura. Your body is now the mountains themselves, and your spirit is one with the earth veins."

"From this day onward, you are part of Mount Wuyi's manifested spirituality, while Mount Wuyi is the foundation of your existence."

"Unless someone can forcibly destroy the entire Mount Wuyi range, sever its core earth veins, or bring forth a supreme spiritual treasure like the Earth Book, one specifically adept at sorting out and restraining earth veins—"

"Otherwise, you shall nearly share the mountain's lifespan, undying and indestructible."

At those words, the Spiritual Beast's body trembled slightly. It clearly sensed the intimate connection between itself and the earth beneath its feet, the surrounding mountains and rivers—a bond like shared blood, where prosperity and ruin were bound together.

It bowed deeply once more. "Immortal's grace in enlightening me and granting me transcendence is no different from bestowing new life."

"I humbly ask Immortal to grant this little beast a name, so that I may forever remember this kindness."

Haotian pondered briefly, his gaze sweeping over the towering peaks around them. "Since you were transformed from the spirit within Mount Wuyi, you shall be called Martial Spirit."

"From this day onward, you shall guard this mountain's Dao Field for This Seat, oversee the spiritual aura within the mountain, and watch over all things inside and out."

"When the time is ripe in the future, This Seat may grant you a proper Dao Fruit, allowing you to transcend the limits of an earth deity."

The Spiritual Beast, now renamed "Martial Spirit," was overjoyed upon hearing this. It repeatedly kowtowed, its Divine Sense brimming with excitement and loyalty. "Martial Spirit thanks Mountain Lord for bestowing this name!"

"Martial Spirit shall surely fulfill its duties with utmost devotion, never shrinking even from ten thousand deaths. I shall guard this mountain forever and never disappoint Mountain Lord's great expectations!"

Its former self had been no more than wild grass in the mountain. It was only because it grew upon Mount Wuyi and absorbed the spiritual qi of the earth veins that it became Spirit Grass.

Then, when Haotian had broken the Mountain Protecting Formation of Mount Wuyi, it was freed from the shackles on its Primordial Spirit, allowing its spiritual charm to soar.

Thus, Martial Spirit possessed no Primordial Wilderness inheritance and knew nothing of etiquette.

Its address for Haotian as "Mountain Lord" followed the rules previously established by the Nine-Colored Heavenly Phoenix.

As for Haotian, successfully enlightening Martial Spirit also left him deeply invigorated.

First, his understanding of the method of using the Imperial Great Dao to govern and harmonize the Dao laws of heaven and earth with Earth Vein Power had deepened, and his application of it had become more natural and effortless.

Second, from this day onward, Mount Wuyi could truly be said to possess a reliable barrier.

With Martial Spirit stationed here and connected to the earth veins, ordinary Golden Immortals and Taiyi Cultivators would have absolutely no possibility of silently infiltrating the mountain's core without special treasure artifacts for breaking formations or heaven-shaking Supernatural Powers.

Even if powerful enemies wished to cause destruction, they would first have to pass Martial Spirit.

And attacking Martial Spirit was equivalent to attacking the True Form of Mount Wuyi's earth veins. It would inevitably draw the backlash of the entire blessed spiritual mountain and vast karmic burden upon oneself.

The price was great enough to make the overwhelming majority of Living Beings in the Primordial Wilderness recoil at the sight.

"You may withdraw for now. Calm your heart and comprehend the changes within yourself, familiarize yourself with your resonances with Mount Wuyi's mountains, rivers, and terrain, and master your protective abilities as soon as possible," Haotian instructed.

Martial Spirit respectfully accepted. "Martial Spirit shall obey Mountain Lord's decree." Its body then transformed into a yellow stream of light and silently sank into the earth beneath its feet, its Aura slowly merging with all of Mount Wuyi.

After dismissing Martial Spirit, Haotian flashed and arrived at the valley where the Great Red Robe Mother Tree stood.

The Ancient Tree's branches and leaves were lush and emerald-green, spiritual light flowing across them. Most of its leaves remained tender jade green, with only their edges faintly tinged by a pale red that foretold ripeness. Clearly, it would still require some time of nurturing before the optimal picking season arrived.

Haotian was in no rush to harvest them. Instead, he found a level patch of higher ground where spiritual qi gathered and took out the Pure Glazed Bottle once more.

He carefully tilted the mouth of the bottle. A mass of spiritual light suffused with the essence of wu earth, enclosing the Innate Gourd Vine, the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil beneath it, and the Purple-Black Gourd that still appeared somewhat wilted, slowly descended onto the ground.

After being watered and nourished earlier by Spirit Tea and the sweet dew within the Pure Glazed Bottle, the Purple-Black Gourd's condition had indeed improved somewhat.

Though it was still underdeveloped, it had at least stopped withering further, preserving its last thread of life.

"Earlier, when I moved the Gourd Vine out of Buzhou Mountain, it did not immediately wither. Aside from the Treasure Dropping Gold Coin sealing its spiritual nature into slumber, it likely benefited chiefly from having taken root in innate divine soil such as the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil."

"The Nine Heavens Breathing Soil itself can gather the Spiritual Aura of heaven and earth, nourish all things, and possesses extremely strong malleability. It is not fixed to any single Earth Veins..." Haotian's gaze moved back and forth between the Great Red Robe Mother Tree and the Gourd Vine as he pondered inwardly.

"If I transplant the Great Red Robe Mother Tree onto the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil as well, would that work?"

"Could it free itself from its reliance on Mount Wuyi's particular Earth Veins?"

The thought was highly tempting.

But after pondering for a long while, Haotian ultimately shook his head, suppressing the impulse to take the risk and try.

"Forget it."

"Though a High-Grade Innate Spiritual Root is not utterly unique in the world, it is still exceptionally precious."