Ascending Buzhou

Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun kept their original purpose in mind, rarely using their profound cultivation to casually interfere with what they saw and heard. Most of the time, they simply observed in silence, like two detached recorders.

Zhenyuanzi paid more attention to the lay of the mountains and rivers, the distribution of earth vein spiritual energy, and the interdependent relationship between all things and the great earth. This gave him more intuitive confirmation and supplementation for his own understanding of the Way of the Great Earth.

Hongyun, on the other hand, gained deeper insights into the flow of various primal energies between heaven and earth, the changes of wind and cloud, the mysteries of water and fire's mutual assistance, and the different aura attributes displayed by various races. He felt that his own Four Symbols Dao had become more harmonious and agile.

Sometimes they would stop, find a place of extraordinary scenery, sit down on the ground, and discuss the Dao for several days, cross-referencing what they had seen and heard with their own paths. Both felt they had gained immensely, their Dao hearts becoming more transparent.

The Primordial World was vast, with no reckoning of years.

After experiencing countless sunrises and moon sets, witnessing the subtle changes of seas turning into mulberry fields, they finally followed the faint guidance of Father God Pangu in the darkness and arrived at the center of the Primordial World, the origin of all things—the foot of Buzhou Mountain.

Looking up again at this sky-supporting pillar formed from Father God's spine, feeling the vast and boundless Pangu Pressure rushing toward them, Hongyun's face could hardly hide his shock and reverence.

Even though he was already at the Peak Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, standing before this mountain, he still felt as insignificant as a speck of dust. It was an absolute sense of oppression originating from the level of life itself, from the very foundation of the Primordial World.

The countless hideous and terrifying cracks on the mountain's surface silently narrated the brutality of the world-opening war and the greatness of Father God.

Zhenyuanzi was relatively calmer. Through the shared memories of Lord Wanshouyuan, he already had an extremely clear understanding of Buzhou Mountain's form and pressure.

Seeing Hongyun's shock, he transmitted his thoughts through divine sense, recounting in detail how Lord Wanshouyuan had once descended at the foot of this mountain, dispersed his magical power, relied purely on his physical body to withstand the pressure and temper himself, climbed step by step with deep footprints, and finally encountered Pangu Will and fragments of the Great Dao at the summit.

"So Fellow Daoist Wanshouyuan, not long after his transformation, had already undergone such a difficult and precious tempering."

After listening, the shock in Hongyun's eyes gradually faded, replaced by sincere admiration and blazing fighting spirit.

"Father God's spine, the center of heaven and earth—if I cannot personally climb and experience it, wouldn't it be a waste of my journey through the Primordial World? Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, since we have come this far, we should follow Fellow Daoist Wanshouyuan's example and use this supreme divine mountain to temper our Dao bodies and wills!"

Hearing this, a trace of approving smile appeared on Zhenyuanzi's simple and unadorned face. He nodded and said, "That is exactly right. Only through personal experience can one know the true meaning. Let us walk together and look out for each other."

Their hearts were in mutual understanding, and without further hesitation, they acted.

Just as Lord Wanshouyuan had done back then, they simultaneously completely dispersed the protective immortal light and magical power around their bodies.

They restrained their cultivation aura to the extreme, relying purely on their most fundamental physical strength, adjusted their breathing, and looked toward the unreachable summit with firm eyes. Then, step by step with deep footprints, they began this journey of climbing that was destined to be arduous!

In the initial stage, relying on their extraordinarily strong foundations and cultivation bases (especially Zhenyuanzi, who was the Essence of Innate Earthen Energy transformed and had his foundation reshaped by Pangu Jade Marrow, giving him a physical strength far exceeding his peers), their climbing speed was quite fast, and their steps were relatively relaxed.

But as the altitude continued to rise, the terrifying pressure unique to Buzhou Mountain, as if originating from the weight of the entire Primordial World, surged toward them layer by layer like a tide, growing heavier and heavier. Skin, bones, internal organs...

Every inch of flesh and blood endured an unimaginable squeezing force, as if trying to grind them into powder. Moreover, the omnipresent Chaos Energy Streams, like billions of invisible blades, madly cut at their body surfaces, bringing piercing pain.

The Pangu's World-Opening will permeating the air constantly assaulted their minds, testing the firmness of their Dao hearts.

Zhenyuanzi's face was calm, each step steady as a mountain. Under his earth-yellow Dao robe, muscles bulged, and the vast blood energy within his body resonated faintly with the great earth pulse, guiding the terrible pressure through his limbs and bones for the deepest level of tempering.

Hongyun's face was slightly flushed, with faint Four Symbols Phantoms swirling around him. Wind aided fire, water moistened wood, forming an endless circulation that helped him share the pressure and stabilize his Dao body.

Although he was not known for his physical strength, the foundation of a Great Luo Peak was not to be underestimated. He gritted his teeth and followed closely step by step.

Their speed became slower and slower. Every step upward required mobilizing all their strength to resist the almost suffocating weight.

Sweat soaked through their Dao robes, only to be evaporated by the Chaos Energy Streams, leaving white salt stains.

But there was no trace of retreat in their eyes. Instead, they grew clearer and more determined, immersing their entire minds in the control of their physical bodies and the insights gained from resisting external pressure.

This was not only a tempering of the body but also a forging of the will, a test of their own Dao under extreme conditions.

After countless cycles of exhaustion and recovery, crossing many seemingly insurmountable steep cliffs, when they finally struggled to approach the misty summit area and crossed an invisible yet clear boundary...

Just as had happened with Lord Wanshouyuan back then, a wondrous change occurred again—the terrifying pressure that had nearly crushed them suddenly lessened by more than half.

In its place was the vast and mighty residual will of Pangu, filled with unyielding and creative meaning, permeating the surrounding air, along with countless broken fragments of law insights floating and flickering like Star Fragments, containing the origins of the Great Dao!

"This... this is the initial enlightenment of the Great Dao left by Father God?!"

Hongyun's mind trembled greatly in an instant, completely immersed in it, his face filled with immense shock and ecstasy. The countless fragments of the Great Dao Law, though mostly incomplete and shallow in level...

Their roots were so high, their concepts so far-reaching, as if they directly revealed the underlying code of heaven and earth's structure. Even at his Great Luo Peak, he felt suddenly enlightened. Many barriers and mists in his past cultivation that had puzzled him endlessly seemed to melt like ice and snow under the light of these fragments!

Although Zhenyuanzi had anticipated this, personally experiencing the wonder of the summit was completely different from perceiving it through memories.

He also devoted himself fully, guiding the insights about "bearing," "stability," "growth," and "creation" to cross-reference and merge with his own profound Way of the Great Earth.

He felt that his understanding of "earth" was no longer limited to mountains and rivers but extended to the level of bearing all things and the foundation of cause and effect. It became deeper and more harmonious, as if he had touched upon some more essential rule.

After a long time—perhaps an instant, perhaps a thousand years—the two of them slowly awakened from that deep realm of enlightenment.

When their eyes opened and closed, an indescribable light of wisdom flashed and vanished. Their auras, though not surging, became more restrained and profound. Their Dao foundations were polished even more solidly, and the path toward the Primordial Chaos Great Dao seemed to have become a few points clearer.

They exchanged a smile, and everything was understood without words.

Without any further hesitation, they took the final steps together and firmly set foot on the summit of Buzhou Mountain—the highest point of this Primordial World!

In an instant, an indescribable sense of vastness completely enveloped them.

It was as if they stood at the boundary between heaven and earth. Beneath their feet was the endless, magnificent Primordial Land, with thousands of mountain ranges, river courses, and the interwoven qi fortunes of countless races forming a grand picture presented with unprecedented clarity in the depths of their hearts.

Looking up, the sky seemed within reach, and the trajectories of the sun, moon, and stars appeared close at hand, containing the secrets of the Star Dou Formation.

A majestic spirit and transcendent state of mind, like "standing at the peak, seeing all mountains small," arose spontaneously. It felt as if they had merged with this heaven and earth, their hearts and minds infinitely expanded, their wills tempered to be unbreakable.

Standing at the summit of the Primordial World, overlooking the vast multitude of living beings, feeling the pulse of heaven and earth, a sudden enlightenment arose in the hearts of both Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun:

Their Dao, their fate, since the day they transformed, had been closely and inseparably linked to this vast, mysterious Primordial World, where countless legends were unfolding.