Having fully mastered the Innate Three Talents Grand Formation, Zhenyuanzi stirred his thoughts, and his divine awareness flowed like water through every inch of the three immortal islands' earth veins and every strand of their spiritual energy.
The islands' layout, the nodes of their restrictions, and even the unique Dao resonances emanating from their core treasures were reflected in his mind with perfect clarity, as easy to discern as the lines on his palm.
The resonance from Penglai Immortal Island at the center was the strongest. Like a summons from the womb of the earth, it shared almost the same source as his own earth essence, drawing him to go there at once.
Yet Zhenyuanzi's Dao Heart was whole and harmonious. He knew well that even when an opportunity arrived, it had to be pursued in proper order, without undue haste.
The clear, tranquil bitterness emanating from Fangzhang Island on the left did not belong to the Dao he chiefly cultivated, but it held mysteries of its own that might benefit his path.
He set aside his eagerness to visit Penglai Island and, with his Dao Heart clear, took a step forward.
Formation patterns flowed naturally beneath his feet, and space rippled like water. The next instant, using the grand formation's power of translocation, he appeared silently in Fangzhang Island's central region without stirring so much as a speck of dust.
Spiritual energy gathered thickly here, almost condensing into tangible spirit mist. Strangely, however, it offered no sense of rich sweetness, carrying instead an indescribable note of pure bitterness.
Breathing it into his lungs brought none of the exhilaration of increasing his magical power. It was more like drinking clear tea: faintly bitter at first, then sweet in the aftertaste, before finally settling his mind into peace.
Looking around, he saw neither magnificent palaces nor steep, extraordinary peaks in the central region, only a patch of seemingly ordinary spiritual soil that held its Dao resonance deep within.
The soil was dark brown, with wood essence and wutu essence qi faintly intermingling and circulating through it. Clearly, it was no ordinary substance.
At the center of that spiritual soil stood a solitary stalk of spiritual bamboo.
It was about ten feet tall, its entire length a vivid, glistening green, crystalline and translucent. It seemed less like a mortal plant than something painstakingly fashioned from flawless glass.
Its stem stood straight, its joints clearly defined. Each segment bore naturally formed, profoundly mysterious spiral patterns that seemed to contain a strange power capable of stirring the mind and ordering laws.
Its leaves were sparse, numbering only a few dozen, yet each seemed exquisitely carved from the finest green jade. Thin as cicada wings, with distinct veins, they radiated a gentle, precious glow.
They moved without wind. As they brushed together, they produced not the usual rustle of bamboo leaves but a faint, pure sound that penetrated the depths of the soul. Like sacred chanting or a meditative chime, it echoed barely perceptibly through this tranquil space, washing away all agitation and stray thoughts.
This was Bitter Bamboo, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots, a wondrous treasure containing the law of "salvation."
The moment Zhenyuanzi's gaze fell upon its stem, his mind cleared, while a strange, invisible power spread around him.
This power was neither a fierce, domineering attack nor a sinister charm that beguiled the heart. It was more like the subtle, silent permeation of a Dao realm.
Quietly, it washed dust from the heart, leading one to relinquish every attachment and dissolve every trouble, guiding the mind toward absolute "stillness" and profound "enlightenment." Faintly, it even carried a suggestion of salvation that inspired longing, a desire to "take refuge" in this tranquil, ethereal realm.
Had an ordinary Golden Immortal or even a Primordial Unity cultivator stood here, their Dao Heart would likely have fallen within moments. Unknowingly abandoning their former convictions, their disposition would have drifted toward an ethereal state of annihilation, sinking into the illusion of "enlightenment" and losing their true self.
What remarkable Bitter Bamboo! Its power of salvation has reached such heights...
Zhenyuanzi grew wary, then immediately understood.
So this treasure ends up in the hands of those two from the Western Lands...
In the future, Daoist Jieyin and Daoist Zhunti would establish a great religious order in the barren Western Lands and make the Forty-Eight Great Vows. The essence of their teachings and their wondrous divine abilities would all be intimately tied to "guiding those with destined affinity" and "bringing salvation to all beings."
The innate law of salvation contained within Bitter Bamboo made it a supreme treasure perfectly suited to their Great Dao.
But opportunities shifted. Since he, Zhenyuanzi, had found this island first, this treasure was rightly destined for him.
Recognizing the treasure's destined affinity with the Western Lands did not make him impatient, and he did not immediately move to collect it.
At his level, he knew well that gathering an innate spiritual root, especially a supreme one like Bitter Bamboo, was not as simple as wrenching it out by the roots.
Such an act would be wanton destruction. Not only might it damage the spiritual root's essence, it would also mean missing the true meaning of the Great Dao laws contained within it.
Only by calmly contemplating it and understanding the true meaning of its "bitterness" and the mysteries of "salvation" could he truly bring out its potential. He could even incorporate the beneficial essence of its laws into his own Earth Immortal Dao, making his Dao foundation more substantial and complete.
With his mind made up, Zhenyuanzi found a flat blue stone beside Bitter Bamboo, brushed away dust that was not there, and calmly sat down cross-legged.
His mind settled, his myriad thoughts becoming one. Innate wu tu qi and wood essence flowed naturally within him, blending him into his surroundings.
Then his vast yet gentle divine sense slowly extended, wrapping softly around the entire stalk of Bitter Bamboo like thin mist beneath the warm spring sun.
He neither forced his way into Bitter Bamboo's essential core nor attempted to refine it at once. Instead, as a humble observer and seeker of understanding, he carefully savored the true meaning of its "bitterness."
This "bitterness" was neither bodily suffering nor the resentment of unfulfilled desire. It was the lucid tranquility born of experiencing all things and seeing through the impermanence of worldly affairs, the true liberation gained after severing the countless threads of worry, a strange power that guided the heart toward absolute peace and brought it close to the Great Dao.
Viewed from a certain angle, the power of "salvation" could also be considered an extraordinarily sophisticated form of "mental influence" and "law assimilation" that reached straight into the heart.
Although Zhenyuanzi did not cultivate the Dao of annihilation and emptiness, the three thousand paths of the Great Dao ultimately led to the same destination, and all methods were connected.
Comprehending this Dao would bring boundless benefits: further stabilizing his own Primordial Chaos Dao Heart, deepening his understanding of karma, destined affinity, and worldly karmic retribution, and even preparing him for a future encounter with the two religious leaders of the Western Lands or other Great Divine Power Users skilled in mental attacks and confusing the Primordial Spirit.
Years went uncounted in the Primordial Wilderness. Within the Three Immortal Islands, enclosed by the Innate Grand Formation and forming a realm of their own, the passage of time was even harder to perceive.
No one knew how long had passed. Perhaps it was the flick of a finger; perhaps a thousand leisurely years.
The weighty, vast earth Dao charm surrounding Zhenyuanzi, capable of supporting all things, gradually acquired a trace of the same lucid tranquility as Bitter Bamboo. As that resonance flowed, his figure appeared ever more misty and ethereal.
But immediately afterward, it was embraced, dissolved, and absorbed by the deeper, vaster Dao resonance of his earth essence, returning to balanced serenity and flawless harmony.
He slowly opened his eyes. A clear light seemed to flash through their depths, then vanish. He had gained an initial understanding and command of the law of "salvation" within Bitter Bamboo. Though his understanding was not yet profound, he had grasped its essence, enough to wield it freely without being tainted by its power.
The time had come. Zhenyuanzi extended his right index finger. At its tip, an exquisitely pure strand of wood vitality mingled with nourishing wu tu qi, radiating the compassion that nurtured all things.
He gently touched the spiritual soil around Bitter Bamboo's roots. Rather than forcibly pouring power into it, he conveyed goodwill and acceptance through a gesture of guidance and reassurance.
At the same time, he quietly employed his signature divine ability—Sleeve Universe.
His sleeve did not suddenly expand to swallow heaven and earth. Instead, spatial Dao laws circulated within it. Drawing upon his profound understanding of the Daos of earth and vitality, he instantly constructed an independent, stable grotto-heaven space ideally suited to an innate spiritual root like Bitter Bamboo. The spiritual soil within was even finer than that outside.
As though possessing awareness, Bitter Bamboo trembled slightly, and the clear, meditative chimes of its leaves seemed to grow a little more joyful.
It sensed Zhenyuanzi's balanced, peaceful, and vast aura, far surpassing that of ordinary beings, along with his guidance devoid of malice. Enticed as well by the comfort emanating from the space within Sleeve Universe, it ceased to resist.
The entire stalk of Bitter Bamboo shone with a gentle green-jade radiance, then transformed into a streak of light brimming with vitality. Willingly leaving its original roots behind, it drifted lightly into Zhenyuanzi's seemingly ordinary, broad Daoist sleeve. There it took root anew in the recreated, supreme-quality spiritual soil, spreading its branches and leaves as it continued to draw in and release spiritual energy and grow in peace. With its improved surroundings, its spiritual radiance even seemed brighter than before.
Having gathered Bitter Bamboo, Zhenyuanzi felt little disturbance within. His Dao Heart remained tranquil.
He moved again. Formation patterns flashed beneath his feet, and ripples spread through space. The next moment, he had left the bitter, austere tranquility of Fangzhang Island and appeared in an entirely different world—the central region of Yingzhou Island on the right.
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