At the summit of Buzhou Mountain, Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun stood side by side, their figures unmoving in the fierce winds, like two stone statues that had existed since time immemorial. Neither spoke for a long while.
They were already among the strongest Da Luo Golden Immortals, their minds long since cultivated to the stillness of an ancient well, untouched by the myriad phenomena of the world.
Yet now, standing at the highest point of this world, gazing down upon the boundless, magnificent Primordial Land in all its splendor, they felt the antiquity, grandeur, and vastness of the sacred mountain beneath their feet, formed from Father God's spine.
Deep within their Dao hearts, an indescribable awe still welled up unbidden, together with a reverence that sprang from the very source of their lives.
The Primordial World was truly too vast, too boundless!
Sacred mountains and towering peaks that had once seemed immense, stretching for tens of thousands of miles, looked from here like tiny models on a sand table, like building blocks scattered at random by a child;
The mighty rivers that roared and surged, nourishing all things, wound across the expansive land like slender threads, tracing pale silver veins upon its surface;
Thick seas of clouds rolled and unfurled beneath their feet, sometimes spreading like cotton, sometimes surging like tempestuous waves, shrouding much of the landscape in mist and lending it an added air of mystery;
When they raised their heads, the Sun Star and Great Yin Star, hanging high in the heavens and shining upon all living beings, seemed almost within reach, as though they could stretch out a hand to touch their outlines and feel the powers of utmost yang and extreme yin emanating from them.
The sense of the world's immensity and their own insignificance, like a single grain in a vast ocean, intertwined with a strange feeling of "control" born naturally from standing upon this summit, as though they could discern some of the world's underlying patterns. Together, these feelings formed a complex and wondrous state of mind.
Great God Pangu had once single-handedly opened up such an unimaginably vast world within Chaos. His supreme might and his heart that embraced heaven and earth lay far beyond the limits of any later being's imagination.
Standing here, breathing the summit's currents of air, which seemed mingled with the purest breath of the world's first moments, Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun felt as though they could perceive more clearly the supreme will and profound compassion within every inch of stone and every wisp of wind: to open heaven and earth, transform his body into all things, and bless all living beings.
This realization did not increase their cultivation, but reached straight to the source of their Dao hearts, cleansing and elevating them on a spiritual level.
The two slowly paced across the broad summit plateau. The rocks beneath their feet were a dark, muted shade of profound yellow, incomparably hard, having endured countless ages of wind and frost and the scouring of chaos energy streams.
The Pangu pressure here had weakened considerably compared with what they had faced during the ascent. It no longer possessed that domineering force that could crush everything; instead, it had become purer and more restrained, like a refined essence, gently permeating their bodies and primordial spirits.
Faint lingering traces of the Great Dao still suffused the air. Though they no longer struck their minds like a torrent with the striking effect they had felt upon first entering the summit region, they remained greatly beneficial for consolidating their earlier gains, purifying the magical power within them, and nurturing their Dao hearts.
They did not hurry to leave. Like the most devout pilgrims, they lingered for a long time upon this sacred ground, which symbolized the origins of the Primordial Wilderness and Father God's glory.
Sometimes they sat quietly in contemplation; sometimes they walked in silence. They relaxed their bodies and minds completely, blending into this unique environment, savoring its unparalleled spiritual cleansing and subtle benefits, and fully absorbing both the fatigue and the rewards of their ascent.
Only when they felt they had gained enough from this journey, their minds fulfilled and no reason left to linger, did they decide to descend. Compared with the arduous climb against that terrifying pressure, the journey down was countless times easier.
They still did not employ immortal arts or traveling light, relying only on their bodies, now stronger and more perceptive after being tempered by Buzhou Mountain.
Following the steep, treacherous slopes and jagged rocks, they swept down the mountain at tremendous speed like two extraordinarily nimble immortal apes, sometimes leaping lightly, sometimes pushing off stones, their figures flickering as they moved.
The wind howled past their ears, and the scenery on either side raced upward behind them, bringing a distinct sense of exhilarating freedom.
However, as they swept around the other side of Buzhou Mountain, they approached a seemingly ordinary hollow roughly halfway down, shrouded year-round in dense clouds and mist.
Hong Yun, who was leading the way, abruptly checked his movement. A soft "Hm?" escaped him, tinged with surprise and puzzlement, and he stopped short in midair, his crimson Daoist robe snapping in the wind from his sudden halt.
A trace of disbelief appeared on his face, and his brows knitted slightly. Suspended in the air, he carefully sensed his surroundings, as though trying to catch some exceedingly subtle fluctuation.
"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, wait a moment." Hong Yun raised a hand and called out to Zhenyuanzi, who had followed closely behind and likewise stopped.
Zhenyuanzi lightly touched the tip of his foot to a sharp, jutting rock and settled upon it as steadily as a mountain. His aura was calm and composed as he turned toward Hong Yun, a questioning look in his eyes:
"Fellow Daoist, what made you stop?" He had detected no obvious danger or unusual energy fluctuations.
Hong Yun closed his eyes. His aura became increasingly elusive, as though he had merged with the surrounding mist, and he sharpened his spiritual perception to its utmost limit.
Only after carefully sensing for the time it took an incense stick to burn did he speak with some uncertainty, his voice filled with puzzlement:
"Strange... truly strange... Just as I passed this place, an exceedingly faint tug arose without warning in the still lake of my mind. It was vague and elusive, yet seemed to come from deep within my blood, from the instincts of my true spirit.
"It seems to be coming from somewhere deep in the clouds below. Faintly... almost as though it is calling to me?"
The sensation was extraordinarily vague and intermittent, like a candle guttering in the wind, so faint that it could almost be ignored. Had he not just undergone Buzhou Mountain's cleansing, leaving his mind clear and tranquil and his spiritual perception sharper than ever before, he likely would not have noticed it at all.
At these words, Zhenyuanzi's heart stirred. Deep within his sea of consciousness, fragments of memory surfaced naturally—Buzhou Mountain, the Innate Gourd Vine, the Seven Great Innate Gourds... One of them did indeed seem to share a considerable bond of fate with Fellow Daoist Hongyun.
Clearly, however, the time was not yet fully ripe. The destined treasure probably had not reached the moment when it could reveal itself completely, which was why the pull it naturally emitted was so faint and difficult to discern.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Zhenyuanzi kept his expression unchanged, lest he interfere with Hong Yun's own perception. He paused as though considering the matter, then spoke slowly.
"Buzhou Mountain was formed from Father God's spine. It is the center of the Primordial World and the source of all Daos, so naturally it possesses inconceivable wonders.
"Since you have sensed something, fellow Daoist, and this unseen pull has drawn you, perhaps your opportunity has arrived, and you are meant to gain something here.
"The Heavenly Dao is elusive, and destined opportunities are difficult to fathom. Since we have noticed it, we must not let it slip by. Why don't we pause our journey and search carefully to find out what it is?"
Hong Yun already delighted in fortuitous encounters and exploration. Hearing Zhenyuanzi's words, his spirits soared, and the little uncertainty in his heart was instantly replaced by anticipation. He hurriedly nodded in agreement:
"You are absolutely right, fellow Daoist! Though this sensation is faint, it is real. It certainly cannot have arisen without cause.
"Then I am sorry for the trouble, fellow Daoist, but please join me in investigating the mystery of these clouds!"
He was already convinced that this vague pull must come from some spiritual treasure destined for him.
Thus, the two immediately abandoned their plan to head straight down the mountain and stopped in this mist-wreathed hollow with its complex terrain.
They descended closer to the mountainside and began extending their formidable spiritual sense power, as though weaving an invisible, intangible, yet exceedingly fine net.
Slowly and patiently, they scanned every inch of exposed rock, every deep fissure, and every energy node that might conceal a blessed land.
However, as the pillar supporting heaven, Buzhou Mountain possessed rocks of an extraordinarily unusual nature. They contained the Pangu will and residual traces of Chaos, which strongly obstructed and disrupted spiritual sense.
Even with the strength of their Da Luo Golden Immortal spiritual sense, probing into the rocks felt like sinking into a mire. Resistance met them at every turn, greatly reducing both the range and clarity of their perception.
Moreover, that faint pull was itself as elusive as a drifting thread, sometimes becoming clear for an instant, sometimes vanishing without a trace, making their search all the more difficult.
They were like men searching for one particular grain of gold in an immense desert, a task that demanded tremendous patience and concentration.
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