The Wonder of the Fusang Tree, Donghua Battles Di Jun

As Donghua stepped into the core region of Tang Valley, he saw that the Lesser Yang Qi here was thick as substance, naturally swirling into faint golden mist.

Within the haze, towering ancient trees spread their branches and leaves, spirit grasses grew in profusion, and petals scattered specks of golden light as they opened and closed. The air carried a sweet, vibrant life force, each breath like drinking fine nectar.

At the center of Tang Valley, divine radiance blazed for ten thousand spans.

A divine tree stood tall and majestic, born from two giant trees sharing a single root, leaning on each other as they held up a golden-crimson canopy of heaven.

Its trunk was forged from molten gold, with Dao patterns faintly visible. Countless branches stretched outward, supporting layer upon layer of verdant crowns.

The leaves were no ordinary things—they were condensed from pure light and fire, shaped like mulberry leaves yet vast as canopies.

Donghua's fingertips brushed the rough bark of the ancient Fusang Tree, sensing the warm Origin flowing within. A look of understanding and joy surfaced on his face.

He was not happy merely for obtaining a top-grade Innate Spirit Root, but because he clearly perceived the Origin contained within the Fusang Tree—the Lesser Yang Origin.

In the past, he might not have cared so much.

But by a twist of fate, he had just obtained a Jade Disk of Creation Fragment bearing the Lesser Yang Law on Penglai Immortal Island, and now he encountered this same-source Fusang Tree Origin.

Though it contained only one-third of the Lesser Yang Origin, using the Lesser Yang Origin as the foundation of the Law and the Jade Disk of Creation as the principle of the Law, cross-referencing and verifying them, comprehending the Way of Lesser Yang would naturally be far easier than having only one of the two.

First entering Purple Firmament, no seat was won; Relying not on Three Corpses to prove Sagehood. Meeting the Fusang, the true Dao is revealed; On the Chaotic Path, the True Heart is seen.

Though his thoughts stirred, Donghua knew well that this was no time for secluded meditation and Law comprehension.

The Innate Great Array here had already been broken, and Heavenly Mechanism was exposed. If not dealt with promptly, this top-grade Innate Spirit Root Fusang Wood and the entire Tang Valley would surely draw the covetous eyes of Primordial Wilderness great powers.

No time to delay—once decided, he acted.

As a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, he naturally would not drain the pond to catch the fish, digging up the Fusang Wood alone.

To take it, he must move the entire Tang Valley, the very land that nurtured it, to preserve its innate spiritual essence undiminished.

"Dharma Appearance Heaven and Earth!"

Donghua's heart moved, his mouth uttering heavenly decrees. A Dao Sound echoed through the void, and Dao resonance surged around him.

The next moment, a towering Dharma Appearance, unimaginably vast, manifested between heaven and earth.

Its head touched the sky, its feet trod the seabed, and the clouds and mists of the heavens could only swirl around its waist like a plain jade belt, slowly coiling with its breath.

He bent slightly, his gaze sweeping over the entire Tang Valley, then extended a great hand that seemed able to cover the heavens. Five fingers wreathed in Dao resonance gently reached down, lifting the whole Tang Valley and the Earth Vein Dragon Qi beneath it into his palm.

"Rise!"

Tang Valley rose from the ground, yet under his supreme Supernatural Ability, not a shred of its Spiritual Mechanism was harmed, and the Fusang Wood within shone with flowing light.

The Supernatural Ability activated, and the towering Dharma Appearance vanished in an instant, leaving no trace.

With a single step, he crossed endless void, carrying the Tang Valley—like a miniature sun—in his palm, speeding straight toward Zifu Continent.

Just as Donghua was returning, a Golden Crow's cry tore through the sky from the horizon.

He looked up and saw a Three-legged Golden Crow Dharma Appearance spanning the heavens, its wings spreading to blot out the sun, its body burning with Solar True Fire that vaporized the sea of clouds.

Its blazing light was even three parts more dazzling than the false sun within Tang Valley, as if the true Sun Star had arrived.

As flames roiled, the Dharma Appearance suddenly contracted, transforming into a beam of golden light that landed before Donghua.

The golden light faded, revealing a middle-aged Daoist in a golden robe. It was Di Jun—the Innate Divine Being born from the Sun Star Origin, wielding Solar True Fire.

"Daoist, please stay!"

Di Jun's arrival shocked Donghua, but after a moment's thought, though unexpected, it was within reason.

In this world, perhaps only three beings felt the Fusang Tree's emergence most keenly: Di Jun, Taiyi, and East King Duke.

To others, the Fusang Tree was merely a top-grade Innate Spirit Root.

But in their hands, they could use the Fusang Tree to comprehend the Way of Lesser Yang, verifying their own Dao and advancing their Law Comprehension.

Facing Di Jun's unquestioning demand, Donghua's expression did not change. Purple Qi swirled around him, silently dissolving the oppressive pressure of Solar True Fire that rushed toward him.

"Daoist," he said, his voice calm yet carrying unshakable resolve, "this treasure already has an owner. Please withdraw."

The golden flames in Di Jun's eyes flickered slightly, clearly not expecting Donghua to refuse so directly.

He was silent for a moment, then his True Fire actually receded three parts inward, his tone still majestic: "If the Daoist is willing to part with it, I will compensate with other things to settle this karmic debt."

Hearing this, a faint smile tugged at the corner of Donghua's mouth, his gaze seemingly casually sweeping over the vast, ocean-like Solar True Fire around Di Jun.

"This object concerns my Great Dao; it is not easily exchanged." Donghua paused briefly, then his tone deepened abruptly. "If the Daoist insists on obtaining it, why not trade it for your Sun Star Origin?"

The golden light in Di Jun's eyes blazed suddenly, and the pressure erupting from his body in an instant made the four seas boil. He laughed in fury:

"Good! Good! Good!"

Three cries of "good," each louder than the last, shattered space inch by inch. The ten-thousand-li sea region instantly roiled, and countless water creatures fled in terror to the depths.

"I, this Lord, thought you a fellow Innate Divine Being and wished to treat you with courtesy. I never expected such arrogance!"

Di Jun took a step forward, manifesting the Three-legged Golden Crow Dharma Appearance behind him, its sky-obscuring wings stirring the winds of heaven. "Since you do not recognize Heavenly Number, then today, I will settle this karmic debt with your life!"

As he spoke, the golden flames in Di Jun's eyes surged, and the Solar True Fire around him suddenly condensed to its utmost limit.

"Golden Crow Replaces Heaven."

The next moment, the Sun Star in the nine heavens above dimmed on cue, as if its radiance had been veiled by an invisible giant hand.

All things fell silent, save for the Three-legged Golden Crow Dharma Appearance behind Di Jun, which blazed ever brighter. The Solar True Fire roaring within it became a new source of light, casting the entire sea into a molten-gold inferno.

In the interplay of utter darkness and searing brilliance, Di Jun's might climbed step by step.

He stood aloft in the void, his Mystic Golden Crow Robe snapping in the true fire, as if he had truly taken the place of the great sun.

Donghua faced Di Jun's Supernatural Ability without changing expression, hands clasped behind his back.

The Pure Yang Qi around him flowed naturally, turning into a faint glimmer amid the boundless darkness.

"First Sun Dawns."

Donghua's fingertip tapped lightly, and a purple-gold dawn bloomed leisurely.

The light seemed gentle, yet it carried the heavenly principle of the Day and Night Cycle. Where it passed, the eternal night receded like a tide, and the veiled Sun Star revived with renewed vitality.

Di Jun's gaze sharpened abruptly. The true mystery of his Supernatural Ability was not merely to shroud the sky's light, but to use his own Golden Crow Origin as a guide, forcibly drawing the power of the Sun Star onto himself.

He had not expected Donghua to see through it in an instant and cut off his Supernatural Ability.

Di Jun stood with his hands behind his back. Though the Solar True Fire around him had subsided, his majesty remained undiminished:

"Your Supernatural Ability is formidable, fellow Daoist. I admit I am no match. Yet for all its wonder, a Supernatural Ability has its limits." Di Jun paused, and starlight seemed to swirl within his sleeve. "I wonder if you would care to test this spiritual treasure of mine?"