Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun kept their original purpose firmly in mind. They did not casually interfere with what they saw and heard using their formidable powers. Most of the time, they simply watched in silence, like two detached chroniclers.
Zhenyuanzi paid closer attention to the contours of mountains and rivers, the distribution of Earth Vein Spiritual Energy, and the dependence of all things upon the earth. What he observed gave him more direct confirmation of and insight into his Way of the Great Earth;
Hong Yun gained a deeper understanding of the movement of energy through heaven and earth, the shifting winds and clouds, the mysteries of water and fire sustaining each other, and the distinct auras of different races. He felt his Four Symbols Dao growing more fluid and harmonious.
At times, they stopped at a place of extraordinary beauty and sat down to discuss the Dao for days, testing what they had seen and heard against their own paths. Both gained much from it, and their minds grew clearer.
The Primordial Wilderness was vast, and years meant little there.
After countless sunrises and moonsets, and countless subtle changes to seas and lands, they followed their faint sense of Father God Pangu and finally reached the center of the Primordial World, the starting point of all things: the foot of Buzhou Mountain.
Looking up once more at the towering pillar formed from Father God's spine, Hong Yun could not hide his shock and reverence as Pangu Pressure rolled over him, vast beyond measure.
Even at the Peak Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, he felt as small as dust before the mountain. The crushing pressure came from a difference in the very order of life, from the Primordial Origin itself.
The countless savage fissures scarring the mountain silently spoke of the ferocity of the world-opening battle and the greatness of Father God.
Zhenyuanzi was much calmer. Through the memories Lord Wanshouyuan had shared with him, he already knew the mountain's appearance and pressure intimately.
Seeing Hong Yun's awe, he sent a message through divine sense, recounting in detail how Lord Wanshouyuan had arrived at the mountain's foot years ago, dispersed her power, endured the pressure with her body alone to temper it, climbed step by arduous step, and finally received the baptism of Pangu Will and Great Dao fragments near the summit.
"So Fellow Daoist Lord Wanshouyuan underwent such a difficult and precious trial so soon after taking form."
As Hong Yun listened, his shock faded, replaced by heartfelt admiration and a blazing will to challenge himself.
"Father God's spine, the center of heaven and earth! If I don't climb it myself and experience it firsthand, what was the point of coming to the Primordial Wilderness? Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, now that we're here, we should follow Yuanjun's example and use this supreme divine mountain to temper our bodies and wills!"
A faint approving smile appeared on Zhenyuanzi's weathered face. He nodded. "Exactly. Only by experiencing it ourselves can we understand its true meaning. We'll go together and look after each other."
Of one mind, they hesitated no longer.
As Lord Wanshouyuan had done, they both completely dispersed the immortal light and power protecting their bodies.
They suppressed their cultivation auras to the utmost and relied solely on the raw strength of their bodies. Steadying their breath, they fixed determined gazes on the seemingly unreachable summit. Then, leaving a deep footprint with every step, they began their arduous climb!
At first, their extraordinary origins and deep cultivation foundations made for swift progress, and their steps came relatively easily. Zhenyuanzi in particular had taken form from the Essence of Innate Earthen Energy, then had his foundation remade by Pangu Jade Marrow. His body was far stronger than those of his peers.
But as they climbed, Buzhou Mountain's terrible pressure surged over them in waves, as though bearing the weight of the entire Primordial World. It grew heavier with every step. Skin, bones, organs...
Every inch of flesh endured an unimaginable crushing force, as if they might be ground to dust. The omnipresent Chaos Energy Stream slashed at their skin like billions of invisible blades, bringing pain that cut to the bone.
And the Pangu World-Opening will that pervaded the air battered their minds without pause, testing the strength of their conviction in their Dao.
Zhenyuanzi remained composed, each step steady as a mountain. Beneath his ocher Daoist robe, his muscles stood taut. The immense vitality within him faintly resonated with the Great Earth Pulse, channeling that terrifying pressure through every part of his body for the deepest tempering.
Hong Yun's face flushed slightly as Four Symbols Phantoms faintly swirled around him. Wind fed fire, water nourished wood, and the cycle continued without end, helping him bear the pressure and steady his body.
Though physical strength was not his specialty, the foundation of a Great Luo Peak cultivator was no small thing. He gritted his teeth and kept pace, step by step.
They moved slower and slower. Each step upward demanded all their strength against the nearly suffocating weight.
Sweat soaked their Daoist robes, only to be dried by the Chaos Energy Stream, leaving white salt stains behind.
Yet there was no retreat in their eyes. Their gazes grew clearer and firmer as they devoted all their attention to controlling their bodies and comprehending the pressure they resisted.
This tempered more than flesh. It forged their wills and tested their paths under the harshest conditions.
After countless bouts of exhaustion and recovery, after crossing seemingly impassable cliffs, they finally neared the cloud-wreathed summit. The moment they crossed a boundary they could not see but could clearly feel,
the same strange change Lord Wanshouyuan had experienced years ago occurred: the crushing pressure around them suddenly eased by more than half.
In its place came the vast remnant Pangu Will filling the air, suffused with defiance and the power to create. Countless broken fragments of Great Dao Law insight, holding the secrets of the Great Dao's origins, floated and gleamed like Star Fragments!
"This... Is this the first glimpse of the Great Dao Father God left behind?!"
Hong Yun's mind shook. He became utterly absorbed, his face alight with shock and joy. Most of the countless Great Dao Law fragments were incomplete and held only shallow insights.
Yet their origins were so lofty and their scope so vast that they seemed to reveal the very foundations of heaven and earth. Even at the Great Luo Peak, Hong Yun felt his vision open wide. Many barriers that had long confounded him in cultivation seemed to melt like snow beneath the fragments' light!
Zhenyuanzi had expected this, but experiencing the summit's mysteries himself was nothing like perceiving them through memories.
He, too, immersed himself completely, drawing insights into "bearing," "stability," "growth," and "creation" into dialogue with his profound Way of the Great Earth, testing and merging them.
He felt his understanding of "earth" extend beyond mountains and rivers to the bearing of all things and the foundations of Karma. It grew deeper and more complete, as though he had touched a more fundamental law.
After a long while—perhaps an instant, perhaps a thousand years—the two slowly awakened, one after the other, from that deep Realm of Enlightenment.
An indescribable light of wisdom flashed in their eyes. Their auras had not surged, but had grown more restrained and profound. The foundations of their cultivation were firmer than ever, and the path ahead toward the Primordial Chaos Great Dao seemed a little clearer.
They exchanged a smile. No words were needed.
Without further hesitation, they took the final steps together and stood firmly atop Buzhou Mountain—the highest point in the Primordial World!
In that instant, a vastness beyond words enveloped them completely.
It was as though they stood where heaven met earth. Below stretched the boundless, ever-changing Primordial Land. The courses of mountains and rivers and the interwoven Fortune of its peoples formed a grand panorama, revealed to their minds with unprecedented clarity;
above, the Vast Sky seemed close enough to touch. The paths of the sun, moon, and stars appeared right before their eyes, carrying the secrets of the Star Dou Formation.
Standing at the summit and seeing all other mountains below them, they felt a sweeping grandeur and a sense of detachment rise within them. They seemed to become one with heaven and earth. Their minds opened without limit, and their wills, cleansed by the experience, grew more unshakable than ever.
At the summit of the Primordial Wilderness, looking out over its countless beings and feeling the pulse of heaven and earth, Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun came to the same realization:
From the day they had taken form, their paths and their fates had been bound inseparably to this vast, mysterious Primordial World, where countless legends were unfolding.
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