Descending the Mountain, Hongyun Senses

Ascending to the summit of Buzhou Mountain, Zhenyuanzi and Fellow Daoist Hongyun stood shoulder to shoulder, their forms utterly motionless amidst the howling celestial winds, like two ancient stone statues that had existed since time immemorial, remaining silent for a long while.

Even though they were already among the pinnacle existences of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, their state of mind long cultivated to be as calm as an ancient well, untouched by the myriad phenomena of the world.

Standing at the extreme zenith of this realm, gazing down at the boundless, magnificent Primordial Land beneath their feet, feeling the eternal, majestic, and vast aura of this divine mountain formed from Father God's spine.

An indescribable shock and a reverence born from the very essence of life still surged uncontrollably from the depths of their Dao hearts.

The Primordial World was simply too vast, too boundless!

The divine mountains and great peaks that once seemed towering and stretching for ten thousand miles now appeared as tiny as models on a sand table, like toys casually placed by a child.

The roaring rivers and great streams that nourished all living beings meandered like faint silver threads, tracing delicate veins across the vast land.

Thick seas of clouds churned and rolled beneath their feet, sometimes spreading out like cotton wadding, sometimes surging like monstrous waves, shrouding most of the mountains and rivers in a hazy veil, adding a touch of mystery.

Looking up, the Sun Star and Great Yin Star, which hung high in the sky and illuminated all living beings, now seemed within arm's reach, as if one could touch their contours and feel the Extreme Yang and Extreme Yin power they radiated.

A feeling of the world's vastness and one's own insignificance, like a single grain in a vast ocean, intertwined with a strange sense of "control" born from standing at this peak, as if one could glimpse part of the world's veins, creating a complex and wondrous state of mind.

Great God Pangu, back then, single-handedly opened up such an unimaginably vast world from chaos. His supreme power and his mind that embraced heaven and earth far exceeded the limits of any later generation's imagination.

Standing here, breathing the mountain-top air that seemed to mix the purest essence from the dawn of creation, Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun could almost more clearly feel the supreme will and profound compassion contained in every inch of rock and every wisp of wind—the will that opened the world, transformed into all things, and blessed all living beings.

This realization had nothing to do with increasing cultivation, but directly pointed to the source of the Dao heart, a spiritual baptism and sublimation.

The two slowly paced across the vast summit platform. The rocks beneath their feet were a dark, profound yellow, incredibly hard, bearing the weathering of countless ages and the scouring of chaos energy streams.

The Pangu Pressure here had already weakened compared to during the climb, no longer possessing that crushing, domineering force. Instead, it had become purer and more restrained, like refined essence, gently soaking into their physical bodies and Primordial Spirits.

The lingering echoes of the Great Dao still filled the air, though not as overwhelming as when they first entered the summit area, their effect still significant for consolidating previous gains, purifying internal energy, and nurturing the Dao heart.

They were in no hurry to leave. Like the most devout pilgrims, they lingered long on this sacred land, symbolizing the origin of the Primordial World and the glory of Father God.

Sometimes sitting in meditation, sometimes walking in silence, they completely relaxed their bodies and minds, merging into this unique environment, savoring the subtle benefits of this unparalleled spiritual cleansing, fully digesting and settling the fatigue and gains from the climb.

Only when they felt their gains from this journey were sufficient, their minds complete, and no further need to stay, did they decide to descend. The path down was naturally countless times easier than the arduous climb against the terrifying pressure.

They still refrained from using immortal techniques or light escape methods, relying solely on their physical bodies, now stronger and sharper after being tempered by Buzhou Mountain.

Following the steep, treacherous terrain of jagged rocks, they moved like two agile immortal apes, sometimes leaping lightly, sometimes stepping on rocks for momentum, their forms flickering as they sped swiftly down the mountain.

The wind whistled past their ears, and the scenery on both sides rapidly receded upward, bringing a unique sense of exhilaration.

However, as their forms flashed past another side of Buzhou Mountain, roughly at the mid-section, near a seemingly ordinary mountain hollow perpetually shrouded in thick clouds.

Hongyun, flying at the front, suddenly halted with a sharp jerk, letting out a surprised and puzzled "Eh?" as he stopped mid-air, his red Daoist robe rustling from the abrupt stop.

A look of disbelief crossed his face, his brows slightly furrowed. Hovering in the air, he carefully sensed his surroundings, as if capturing some extremely faint fluctuation.

"Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi, hold a moment." Hongyun raised his hand, stopping Zhenyuanzi, who had followed closely behind and also halted.

Zhenyuanzi lightly tapped a protruding sharp rock with his toe, standing as steady as Mount Tai, his aura deep and condensed. He turned to look at Hongyun, a questioning look in his eyes:

"Fellow Daoist, what makes you stop?" He hadn't detected any obvious danger or abnormal energy fluctuations.

Hongyun closed his eyes, his aura becoming increasingly ethereal, as if merging with the surrounding clouds. He pushed his spiritual perception to its limit.

After carefully sensing for a full stick of incense's time, he spoke with a hint of uncertainty, his tone full of confusion:

"Strange... truly strange... just now as I passed this place, a trace of an extremely faint, ethereal, yet seemingly blood-deep, true-spirit-instinct pulling force inexplicably arose in the lake of my heart.

It seemed to come from a certain point deep within these clouds below, faint and indistinct... as if it were calling out to me?"

This feeling was exceptionally vague, intermittent, like a candle in the wind, so weak it was almost negligible. Had he not just undergone the baptism of Buzhou Mountain, with a clear mind and unprecedentedly sharp spiritual perception, he likely wouldn't have noticed it at all.

Hearing this, Zhenyuanzi's heart stirred. Fragments of memory naturally surfaced in his Sea of Consciousness—Buzhou Mountain, the Innate Gourd Vine, the Seven Great Innate Gourds... one of them seemed to have a deep connection with Fellow Daoist Hongyun.

But clearly, the time wasn't fully ripe; the destined object hadn't yet reached the moment of complete manifestation, hence its naturally emitted pulling force was so faint and hard to detect.

"Oh? Is that so?"

Zhenyuanzi kept his expression neutral, not wanting to interfere with Hongyun's own resonance. He pondered for a moment, feigning thought, then spoke slowly.

"Buzhou Mountain is formed from Father God's spine, the center of the Primordial World, the source of all paths. It naturally possesses its own unfathomable wonders.

Since you have a spiritual resonance, a pull in the darkness, perhaps your destiny has arrived, and you are meant to gain something here.

The Heavenly Dao is subtle, and opportunities are hard to predict. Since you've detected it, it shouldn't be missed. Let us pause our journey for now and investigate thoroughly, to see what it is."

Hongyun, who was naturally fond of opportunities and eager to explore, was greatly invigorated by Zhenyuanzi's words. The uncertainty in his heart was instantly replaced by anticipation, and he quickly nodded in agreement:

"Well said, Fellow Daoist! Though this feeling is faint, it is genuine and not without foundation. It must not be a baseless illusion.

Then I'll trouble you to join me in unraveling the mystery of these clouds!"

He had already decided that this vague pull must be caused by some spiritual object destined for him.

Thus, the two immediately changed their plan of descending directly, stopping in this cloud-shrouded, complex mountain hollow.

They lowered their altitude, close to the mountain face, and began using their powerful Spiritual Sense Power, like weaving an invisible yet extremely fine net.

Slowly and patiently, they scanned every exposed rock, every deep crevice, every energy node that might hide a Blessed Land.

However, as the pillar supporting the heavens, Buzhou Mountain's rock was uniquely peculiar, imbued with Pangu's Will and residual chaos energy, which strongly isolated and interfered with spiritual perception.

Even with their Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal-level spiritual sense, probing into the mountain rock felt like sinking into mud, with heavy resistance and greatly reduced range and clarity.

Coupled with the pulling force itself being as elusive as a wandering thread, sometimes clear for an instant, then vanishing completely, the search became immensely difficult.

It was like searching for a single specific grain of gold in a vast desert, requiring immense patience and focus.