East King Duke had taken out three Yellow Middle Plums. They were the first fruits to grow on the Yellow Middle Plum Tree after he obtained the top-grade Innate Spiritual Root.
The Yellow Middle Plum was an exceptionally rare treasure. Among the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots of the Primordial World, its tree bore the fewest fruits, but each had extraordinary benefits.
That was why Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun were so astonished.
"Fellow Daoist, you are truly blessed. The Yellow Middle Plum is far more precious than my Ginseng Fruit. In that case, I'm the one getting the better end of this exchange. I'm quite ashamed."
Zhenyuanzi wasn't just being polite; that was the truth. Besides allowing ordinary living beings to become Taiyi Golden Immortals on the spot, the Yellow Middle Plum could also temper and refine immortal power. It even worked on Great Luo Golden Immortals.
By comparison, the Ginseng Fruit was much less impressive. Though it could help someone attain immortality, it only brought them to the True Immortal realm. It was of little use to Great Luo Golden Immortals, at most satisfying their appetite.
"They're just worldly possessions. You're too kind, Daoist Zhenyuan."
Zhenyuanzi was already impressed, and Hong Yun was even more so. His eyes lit up as soon as he saw the Yellow Middle Plums.
East King Duke had already eaten several Yellow Middle Plums, so he was much more interested in the Ginseng Fruit. He picked one up and examined it. As expected, it looked just like a baby less than three days old.
He certainly wasn't as ungrateful as Golden Cicada in his later reincarnation. He ate the fruit without hesitation, savored it, then nodded to himself. Though the Ginseng Fruit did nothing to help his cultivation, it tasted wonderful. No wonder Hong Yun had never stopped thinking about it.
After the three had enjoyed the immortal fruits and refined their energies, Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun in particular gained something from them. Both repeatedly expressed their thanks.
All three were Great Luo Golden Immortals, and their conversation turned to the scriptures and the Dao. After a long while, Hong Yun suddenly said, "We're all Great Luo Golden Immortals, and we've hit it off at our first meeting. Why don't we discuss the Dao together?"
East King Duke and Zhenyuanzi exchanged a glance, then nodded in unison.
"Excellent!"
The three manifested their Three Flowers. Hong Yun and Zhenyuanzi each had only one Human Flower, showing that they were still at the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. But when they looked at East King Duke, both were greatly astonished.
Zhenyuanzi was especially shaken. He couldn't gauge East King Duke's depth. He had assumed East King Duke was probably at the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, slightly stronger than himself. But now he saw clearly: all Three Flowers of Heaven, Earth, and Man had bloomed, each radiating an ethereal aura. East King Duke was a Late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.
Each of the Three Flowers above East King Duke's head was suppressed by a spiritual treasure: a lotus throne, a treasured sword, and a treasured banner. Innate Qi linked them together, while their Dao Rhyme flowed inexpressibly.
Zhenyuanzi had been born with profound blessings. The Earth Book that accompanied him was a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, and he also had the Pure Whisk, a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. He even possessed the Ginseng Fruit Tree, one of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots. So he could still take it in stride.
Hong Yun, however, couldn't help feeling envious. His blessings were quite meager. He had only one spiritual treasure, and it wasn't even an innate treasure. For a top-tier Innate Divine Demon at the Great Luo Golden Immortal level to own just one Acquired Spiritual Treasure was indeed a sorry state.
If the two of them knew that East King Duke's primordial spirit concealed an Innate Supreme Treasure as well, they couldn't have imagined how they would react.
"Fellow Daoist, Daoist Zhenyuan, allow me to begin. I'll just be offering a few introductory remarks."
Hong Yun spoke first. He sat cross-legged on a cushion, and crimson clouds appeared before him.
He had attained the Dao as the first crimson cloud in the Primordial World, which was how he got his name. He had cultivated the Dao of Clouds and Mist, and his inheritance was profound. As he expounded on the Dao, clouds and rosy mists filled the sky, transforming into flames that surged upward.
Hong Yun's true form belonged to Bing Fire. His great cloud technique followed the path of Water Qi giving birth to fire. Water and fire complemented each other, making his cultivation quite extraordinary.
His discourse lasted a hundred years. Though his cultivation realm was slightly lower, East King Duke gained something from listening and comparing it with his own understanding.
Next it was the host's turn. Zhenyuanzi was the transformed spirit of Wu Earth, and cultivated the Great Dao of earth. With the Earth Book assisting him, his cultivation was profound and surpassed Hong Yun's. Later generations would say that when he stood upon the earth and brought out the Earth Book, he could connect with the Earth Veins of the Primordial World and become nearly invincible in defense. Only someone far above him in cultivation could break through it.
"Wu Earth is another name for the earth. The character for earth has a horizontal stroke through the center, like something first emerging from the ground. This corresponds to the last month of summer. 'Last' means old. All things reach completion at this time... The Rites of Dipper Might say that it receives the righteous qi of the Sovereign Pole, contains the virtue of the Yellow Center, and can encompass all things..."
Zhenyuanzi expounded on the righteous Dao of the earth, which was incomparably profound. As he spoke, the earth rumbled in response, filling the scene with mystique. The grass and trees of Longevity Mountain were nourished, and their fragrance filled the air.
His discourse also lasted a hundred years. East King Duke gained something from it, but Hong Yun gained the most. One was a spirit of Bing Fire, the other a spirit of Wu Earth; their elements generated one another. This was likely one reason they had become friends.
After Zhenyuanzi finished, it was East King Duke's turn.
By now, Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun were both eagerly anticipating his discourse. East King Duke's Three Flowers swayed as his primordial spirit emerged. The Dao of Supreme Yang manifested before him, majestic and righteous, its nobility beyond compare.
"Supreme Yang means the utmost. Heaven is above and thus clear; earth is below and thus tranquil. The spiritual Niwan is Heaven... First, one perceives one's nature and aligns with the aperture of Heaven's Origin; afterward, one cultivates one's life and secures the foundation of the earth's qi below. This is the wondrous Dao of cultivating nature and life separately, before attaining the primordial merit of uniting them..."
As East King Duke explained his Dao, golden lotuses of yang energy emerged all around him, scattering into a sky full of Supreme Yang Qi. They stirred the Three Flowers of Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun's primordial spirits, and both looked delighted.
A hundred years passed as well. The instant East King Duke's Dao Sound faded, Zhenyuanzi's Earth Flower, on the verge of blooming, began to tremble. Then the Earth Book flew out, and the power of the Earth Veins surged into his Dao body. In just a few years, a mighty aura spread out as his Earth Flower fully blossomed. He had broken through to the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm.
"Congratulations, Daoist Zhenyuan."
East King Duke smiled and offered his congratulations.
Zhenyuanzi rose and bowed deeply to him. "Thank you, Daoist East King Duke, for helping me achieve this breakthrough!"
He had already reached the peak of the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, and a breakthrough had been imminent. Even so, listening to this discourse had saved him at least ten thousand years of cultivation.
To receive another's help in attaining the Dao was like being reborn. Even for a small breakthrough, it was only right to give thanks.
"Daoist Zhenyuan, there's no need for that. We all gained something from discussing the Dao."
Zhenyuanzi wasn't the only one who seemed to have found an opportunity for a breakthrough. Hong Yun hurriedly said, "I, too, have gained a great deal. Daoist Zhenyuan, I'll go to a quiet chamber in your temple and cultivate in seclusion. Whether it takes a thousand years or just a few hundred, I'm certain I'll reach the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm. Once I emerge, I'll come talk with you both again."
Zhenyuanzi had no reason to refuse. They had been friends for tens of thousands of years, and he was more than happy to see Hong Yun advance his cultivation.
Hong Yun couldn't wait another moment. He hurried off to cultivate in seclusion, leaving only East King Duke and Zhenyuanzi.
After the two chatted for a while, East King Duke was struck by a thought and told him about Luohu of the demon race.
Though Zhenyuanzi rarely traveled through the Primordial World, Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain stood at the boundary between the eastern and western continents. He had naturally heard of the demon race.
Even so, he was shocked to hear the names Luohu and Hongjun, both supreme powers beyond the Great Luo realm.
"The demon race has thrown the Primordial World into chaos, deepening the calamity. Senior Hongjun invited me to join the campaign against the demons ten thousand years from now. Daoist Zhenyuan, you are a True Immortal who has attained the Dao, favored by Heaven and Earth, and you possess the extraordinary treasure, the Earth Book. Why not join us and uphold Heaven's will?"
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