As Hong Yun immersed himself in the Four Symbols Plantain Tree's Dao Charm, his mind merged with the four origins of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind and entered a profound Realm of Enlightenment. Lord Wanshouyuan stood quietly beside him to guard his cultivation, and a thought stirred in his mind.
He remembered that besides the Four Symbols spiritual root, he had brought another extraordinary treasure back from within the Xiantian Restriction on Buzhou Mountain.
Though it possessed no intelligence, it was a legacy of Great God Pangu, containing supreme power and merit.
He brushed his sleeve again, this time with greater solemnity.
A golden streak, far brighter and more dazzling than before, shot from his sleeve. Almost solid, it resembled a dragon born of the rising sun. Bearing sacred majesty that made all things submit and all arts give way, it landed on an open patch of ground across the courtyard.
The golden light swelled as it fell, releasing faint dragon cries that reached deep into the soul.
In an instant, it expanded into a lifelike Nine-Clawed Golden Dragon hundreds of yards long, majestic and divine.
The dragon was no creature of flesh and blood. Its body had formed over countless ages from the purest, vastest World-Opening Merit, Xuanhuang Mother Qi, and the last breath of pure, original innate energy Great God Pangu had exhaled after opening heaven and earth.
Its body looked cast from primordial divine gold and Profound Yellow jade. Every scale was as large as a palm fan, its edges gleaming with an eternal golden luster. Mysterious Runes containing the Great Dao of Strength and the principles of World-Opening were naturally engraved upon them.
Its Dragon Horns looked capable of piercing the Vast Sky; its drifting whiskers seemed able to still Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind; and its sharp claws held the supreme power to tear Chaos apart.
Yet its eyes were closed, and it showed no sign of life. It looked more like an inanimate object.
But Pangu's vast, ancient Aura, the peaceful, weighty World-Opening Merit that repelled all evil, and the Profound Yellow Qi heavy enough to suppress every art in the Primordial Wilderness
spread like a tangible tide. They filled the entire courtyard of Wuzhuang Temple in an instant, even drawing a hum from the Guardian Great Formation.
These auras did not clash with Hong Yun's Four Symbols Dao Charm, Lord Wanshouyuan's Wood Qi, or the Earth Dao Rhyme of Zhenyuanzi's true form already present in the courtyard.
Instead, they blended perfectly, as though they shared one root and had all sprung from Pangu.
Pangu's Aura was ancient and boundless, inspiring both reverence and closeness. It could suppress inner demons, clear the mind, and bring cultivators nearer to the Great Dao Origin;
the merit was warm and peaceful, shining with golden light. It could improve one's fortune, avert calamity, dispel Karmic Retribution, and smooth the path of cultivation;
the Profound Yellow Qi was heavy and rich in virtue. As its strands drifted down, they could stabilize cultivation, temper treasures and bodies, and ward off all arts.
Bathed and nourished by these three supreme auras, Wuzhuang Temple seemed to become a sacred site of the Great Dao from the dawn of the Primordial Wilderness. Its conditions even surpassed those of some innate gods' domains:
Zhenyuanzi's mass of Essence of Innate Earthen Energy glowed and pulsed like a heart. It eagerly but steadily absorbed the Profound Yellow Qi and Pangu Primordial Qi, making his already formidable foundation as solid as Mount Buzhou.
His understanding of the Way of the Great Earth deepened without conscious effort, and his control over his own power reached a new pinnacle;
Lord Wanshouyuan felt his Yi Wood Primordial Spirit washed clean by a sacred spring. It grew purer and clearer, its connection to the laws of wood growing closer, until his every movement could stir vast vitality;
at the crucial point of his enlightenment, the Four Symbols energies around Hong Yun suddenly accelerated, flowing more naturally and harmoniously than before.
The merit acted like an exceptional teacher, helping him sort through his surging insights and avoid an unstable foundation or the rise of inner demons. His Dao Realm grew visibly steadier and deeper;
even Qingfeng Mingyue, standing quietly nearby and hardly daring to breathe, felt a tranquility and clarity of mind they had never known.
Many puzzles and bottlenecks from their cultivation suddenly became clear in this atmosphere, as though the Great Dao itself were speaking.
Their cultivation advanced rapidly without their noticing. Magical power surged through them like rivers, their auras climbed, and they gradually touched the threshold of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm!
For attendants with remarkable foundations but little time spent cultivating, this was an unimaginable stroke of fortune!
Years meant little in the Primordial Wilderness, and cultivation made time easy to forget.
In surroundings so blessed they ranked among the finest Blessed Lands in the Primordial Wilderness, time seemed to lose all meaning. Perhaps only an instant passed; perhaps countless years slipped by outside.
Then one day, Daoist Hongyun, who had sat beneath the Four Symbols Plantain Tree until he seemed almost one with its Dao Charm, suddenly erupted in dazzling four-colored divine light that illuminated the courtyard!
The Profound Yellow heaviness of earth, the deep blue of water, the keen pale green of wind, and the fierce crimson of fire rose like four ancient dragons awakening.
They roared out of his body, raced around him, collided, mingled, and evolved. At last they fused perfectly into one vast aura, unified and seemingly capable of reopening Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. It shot straight into the heavens!
(Though the Innate Grand Formation around Longevity Mountain kept it from alarming the outside world, his power had taken shape, and its meaning was unmistakable!)
His eyes snapped open. Four miniature universes seemed to form and perish within them as Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire settled Qiankun. His pressure spread without limit, complete and flawless. He had reached
the Peak Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!
He had fully absorbed the boundless insights gained from his deep resonance with the Four Symbols Plantain Tree. He now commanded and united his own four origins of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire perfectly. His understanding of the Dao had advanced, and his strength had been transformed!
Seeing Hong Yun awake and greatly advanced, his aura deep and unified, Lord Wanshouyuan smiled with heartfelt satisfaction and said:
"Congratulations, fellow Daoist. You have perfected the Four Symbols and united them as one. Your cultivation has risen another level, and the Great Dao lies before you!"
Hong Yun rose and felt the vast magical power flowing through him, responsive to his every thought. His understanding and command of the Four Symbols Law had never been so clear. His joy was beyond words.
He bowed solemnly to Lord Wanshouyuan and the Profound Yellow glow of his true form, then said with sincerity:
"Only through your generous gift of the spiritual root and your protection did I gain this opportunity."
His gaze passed over the Nine-Clawed Merit Profound Golden Dragon coiled nearby, radiating a boundless aura of creation. Wonder and gratitude flashed in his eyes again. He knew the nourishment of its Great Dao aura had played no small part in his smooth breakthrough and the stabilization of his realm.
Lord Wanshouyuan smiled.
"Why stand on ceremony between us? Now that you've emerged from cultivation, I have one more thing to give you. You can put it to good use."
He held two fingers together like a sword. A point of pale, hazy light containing endless principles of formations gathered at his fingertips, then shot into Hong Yun's brow.
Hong Yun shuddered. Countless profound insights into formations, each containing Heaven and Earth Ultimate Truth, flooded his mind. They were the complete mysteries of the Xiantian Four Symbols Great Array, which Lord Wanshouyuan had comprehended from the Xiantian Restriction while taking the Four Symbols Plantain Tree on Buzhou Mountain, then further perfected!
The array had formed innately from the supreme principle of Mutual Generation and Restraint among the Four Symbols. It combined offense and defense, could trap or kill, and held endless subtleties. It could even draw on the Four Symbols Power of the Primordial World's origin. Its might far exceeded that of any acquired formation.
The array was a perfect match for Hong Yun's own attributes and the Four Symbols Plantain Tree, which had become like a Companion Dao Treasure to him!
Even a brief look made Hong Yun feel as though the array had been made for him. Every variation and application confirmed the Four Symbols principles he had just grasped, fitting together seamlessly. In an instant, he understood most of it, as if he had studied it countless times before.
Deeply grateful, he said nothing more. He sat down cross-legged again and immersed his mind entirely in comprehending the Xiantian Four Symbols Great Array.
As expected, his affinity with the array made it effortless to understand. In a short time—by the measure of the Primordial Wilderness—he had mastered this complex Innate Grand Formation, which might have taken an ordinary Great Luo Golden Immortal countless years to study. Its workings were now clear to him.
With a thought, he could summon Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire around him to form the array. Though he was new to it and his cultivation limited its full world-shattering might, it had already taken shape. Its wonders were enough to trap and kill those at his level and protect him.
When Hong Yun opened his eyes again, their divine light was restrained but deeper than before. Countless Four Symbols Rune Patterns seemed to form and fade within them. His harmonious aura now carried the discipline and shifting complexity of a formation, and his confidence had grown.
His gratitude toward Lord Wanshouyuan lay deep in his heart. No words were needed.
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