Three hundred years flowed by like water. The profound Daoist aura that had filled the hall finally receded like the tide, leaving only a deep stillness.
Donghua sat where he was, a faint Clear Radiance seeming to flow between his brows as he continued to savor the lingering resonance of the Path of Pure Yin.
Queen Mother of the West turned her head toward him, a faint smile in her eyes. Her voice rang clear as shattered jade from Kunlun.
"What do you think of my Path of Pure Yin, fellow Daoist?"
Donghua closed his eyes and pondered for a moment before offering a heartfelt sigh.
"It is like the moon shining over a cold abyss, pure and clear to the bone; like snow blanketing a thousand mountains, tranquil without end. You have grasped the true essence of this path, fellow Daoist. Your future is limitless."
At his words, delight spread across Queen Mother of the West's face. "Then I'll take your kind words to heart."
For a time, though the room was silent, Yin and Yang Energies seemed to evolve soundlessly, giving rise to and complementing each other.
Yin and Yang shared the same origin; on Kunlun, the true Dao was sought.
Pure Yang met Pure Yin, and only then did they glimpse the depths of the Great Dao.
Clouds drifted gently beside Jade Pool.
Donghua and Queen Mother of the West sat facing each other without a word. The resonance of their earlier discussion of the Dao still lingered in their minds, more fulfilling than a thousand words.
After a long silence, Donghua finally returned from the Dao Realm. A knowing smile flickered in his eyes as he looked at Queen Mother of the West and spoke.
"Fellow Daoist, I intend to visit Buzhou Mountain and behold the might of Pangu Father God. I wonder if fate might allow us to travel together?"
At his words, Queen Mother of the West's gaze shifted, starlight seeming to flow through her eyes. She pondered for only an instant before smiling and agreeing.
"Good. Your invitation is just what I wanted. I've lived in Kunlun for so long; it's time I went out for a change."
Queen Mother of the West was always swift and decisive. She immediately summoned the Three-legged Blue Bird and Qiu Yue, and made all the necessary arrangements.
In no time, everything was ready.
With their plans settled, the two wasted no time. They transformed into two long, dazzling rainbows, one golden and one purple, and tore through the clouds toward Buzhou Mountain.
Though neither of the Great Luo Golden Immortals revealed their cultivation, the Daoist aura around them was plain to see.
Those with spiritual awareness along the way glimpsed the spectacle from afar and were already terrified out of their wits. They scattered, not daring to offend them in the slightest.
The occasional reckless beast that charged at them had simply met its fate. The two casually destroyed its body and spirit, sending it into reincarnation.
The journey from West Kunlun to Buzhou Mountain was long. Between the spirit mountains and beautiful rivers, clouds and rosy mists rose in splendor, while Daoist charm suffused the land.
Both were blessed with great opportunities and immense fortune. Along the way, they came upon several Grotto-heaven Blessed Lands concealed by Innate Formations.
As for the opportunities they encountered, each relied on their own perception. The two tacitly honored their agreement: whenever they came upon a great formation, they worked together to break it. Any spiritual treasure or spiritual root within went to whoever sensed it first.
As for the immortal fruits borne by those spiritual roots, since they could grow again, neither considered them particularly precious. They simply picked them as they pleased, enjoying them with the Qingfeng and dew from the clouds as they chatted along the way. It added a touch of carefree pleasure to their journey.
The two traveled at ease until they saw a mountain at the boundary between Heaven and Earth. It rose majestically, reaching from earth to sky, its imposing presence pressing down upon the Primordial Wilderness. It was Buzhou Mountain.
Queen Mother of the West gazed at the mountain that pierced the heavens and said leisurely, "The foremost divine mountain of the Primordial Wilderness. I've long yearned to see it, and today I finally behold it with my own eyes."
Donghua's divine sense stirred, and he looked slightly surprised. "You've never visited Buzhou Mountain, fellow Daoist?"
"Never." Queen Mother of the West shook her head, her gaze clear and cool. "Buzhou Mountain bears the will of Great God Pangu. Its pressure is vast as the Sea of Stars hanging upside down, like a mountain range shackling those of us who cultivate."
"Besides, it's the Witch Clan's territory. The Witch Clan has always had a fiery temper, and they'll start a fight over the slightest disagreement. The Twelve Ancestor Witches stand united, too. Few living beings are willing to provoke them."
At this, Donghua laughed heartily and swept his sleeve toward the edge of the sea of clouds, his spirit soaring.
"Since we were born into the Primordial World Heaven and Earth, wouldn't it be a waste of all our cultivation if we never paid our respects at the mountain formed from Father God's Spine?"
"Then I'll have to thank you for bringing me here, Donghua! With your strength, I doubt the Twelve Ancestor Witches would dare cause us trouble." Queen Mother of the West smiled at Donghua.
"Taizhen, don't tease me. It's just a rumor!"
Laughter rang out amid the sunlight and drifting clouds.
A shared journey was the best way to strengthen a friendship.
As time passed, the formality in their manner of address gradually faded, and they grew more familiar and relaxed with each other.
"Let's not delay. We should hurry into the mountain!"
At that, Donghua's figure blurred. He transformed into a brilliant golden rainbow and led the way, tearing through the clouds as he streaked toward Buzhou Mountain's main peak.
The two streaks of light passed over Witch Clan territory without stirring the slightest ripple, then plunged deep into the mountain's heart.
The moment they entered the main peak's domain, an ancient, boundless aura rushed toward them, vast and heavy. It was the supreme pressure left behind by Great God Pangu after he created the world.
The pressure was not enough to make the two Great Luo Golden Immortals bow, but it settled over them like invisible chains, abruptly slowing their flight.
They looked around. Cliffs loomed like swords, and precipices cut like blades. A desolate, solemn landscape lay shrouded in clouds that had never dispersed since time immemorial.
Time passed slowly. Four thousand years had gone by since the two entered the mountain, yet its summit remained out of sight.
Just then, two contrasting rays of light suddenly surged from Buzhou Mountain.
One was a golden-red stream of light, blazing like the sun as Solar True Fire surged within it. The other was a silvery radiance, cold as a frosted moon, with Great Yin Divine Wind circling around it.
The two rays intertwined in the sky. Wind fanned the flames, and the flames lent the wind their power. Heat and cold clashed, yet merged into a stream of Chaos light.
The force of wind and fire swept through the surrounding clouds, roiling them—half stained golden-red, half washed in silver-white. Seen from afar, Buzhou Mountain's peak looked like the source of wind and fire, the extremes of heat and cold.
"It seems an opportunity has appeared. Taizhen, this opportunity is meant for us both!"
Before Donghua's words had even faded, the two transformed into streaks of light. No longer traveling at their earlier leisurely pace, they pushed their speed to the limit and raced through the air toward the rising radiance.
The golden-purple and silvery-white rainbows no longer intertwined and transformed. Now they raced side by side like two dragons in pursuit, tearing through layer after layer of cloud in an instant.
The two streaks of light faded, and Donghua and Taizhen abruptly halted in midair, both fixated on the spiritual root before them.
A divine tree was rooted in a rift in the void. Its trunk looked as if it had been cast from Chaos Profound Iron, yet seemed capable of swallowing the mind. Its height matched the Number of Zhou Tian—three zhang, six chi, and five cun—and it radiated a sense of perfect completion.
Even more astonishing were the four-colored divine leaves swaying on its branches.
The red leaf churned with the intent to burn the heavens; the black leaf surged with the power to swallow them, embracing all rivers. The yellow leaf was heavy with the virtue of bearing all things, steadying the world. The green leaf howled with an edge sharp enough to cleave the void and cut through laws.
As the four colors flowed, the four origins of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind counteracted and reinforced one another in an endless cycle. Every slight tremble of a leaf resonated with the surrounding Heaven and Earth Laws. Daoist aura rippled outward, turning this whole stretch of void into the source of the Four Symbols' evolution.
The instant their gazes fell upon the spiritual root, the name "Four Symbols Banana Tree" naturally appeared deep within both their true spirits, revealing its identity.
Taizhen gazed at it for a moment, then sighed softly. "I never expected such a born divine treasure to have an incomplete Daoist aura, unable to emerge in perfect form."
Just as its name suggested, the tree should have borne the origins of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind.
Yet at present, of the luxuriant canopy, only the two divine leaves representing Wind and Fire possessed complete Daoist aura and flowed with the full power of their laws. The remaining two leaves had restrained their radiance and were still taking shape.
The moment Taizhen finished speaking, Donghua's gaze turned cold as lightning, striking the space behind them. His voice rang across the wilderness.
"Since you're already here, why hide yourself? Show yourself!"
Before you continue