Master of the Great Earth

When the final core restriction was completely refined and marked with Zhenyuanzi's unique Primordial Spirit imprint, the Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner let out a satisfied light hum, like a long, deep sigh coming from the depths of the earth.

The Profound Yellow Divine Light fully retracted, and the entire banner became plain and unadorned, yet it emitted a supreme majesty of returning to simplicity.

It transformed into a gentle and weighty stream of light, actively throwing itself into Zhenyuanzi's palm.

That stream of light felt slightly heavy in his hand, as if he were holding a small world, then it vanished into his body, sinking into his Dantian's Qi Sea, merging inseparably with the vast, pure source of Earthen Energy Essence.

Within the Qi Sea, the Apricot Yellow Banner hovered above the Earth Book Phantom, their Qi flows connected, nourishing each other, together forming the core of Zhenyuanzi's Dao foundation.

At this moment, Zhenyuanzi's whole body aura suddenly changed. His originally heavy, mountain-like presence became even deeper and more restrained, as if shedding all external radiance, completely merging with the boundless earth beneath his feet—inseparable, unshakable.

Standing there, he was like a pillar of the Primordial Land, an eternal and unchanging divine mountain.

An invisible, majestic Dao resonance capable of bearing All Heavens and Myriad Worlds and stabilizing Earth, Water, Fire, Wind naturally emanated from him.

This Dao resonance was not ostentatious, yet it made the entire Penglai Immortal Island seem several points more stable, and the surging Chaos Energy Streams at the island's edge appeared to grow tamer.

The strange flowers and exotic herbs, the jade branches and jade trees on the island seemed nourished by something, their vitality more exuberant, their spiritual light more inwardly condensed.

His control and understanding of the Way of the Great Earth had already stepped onto a brand new, immeasurable level.

Where he once needed the Earth Book to clearly perceive the flow of earth veins and Earth Qi, now he only needed a slight movement of his mind to see them as clear as patterns on a palm.

He could even faintly sense the presence of other nodes or special existences in other regions of the Primordial Land that were closely connected to the Great Earth Origin—other possible Innate Wu Tu Essences, or certain Innate Spiritual Objects containing the Earth Law.

The long-stagnant bottleneck of Peak Great Luo Golden Immortal, under the nourishment of this perfectly aligned supreme treasure and the washing of Great Dao Insights, seemed to loosen a trace, and the path to the Primordial Chaos realm appeared a bit clearer.

The Primordial Chaos realm was not simply about accumulating magical power, but about complete comprehension and control of the Great Dao Law. The arrival of the Apricot Yellow Banner was like opening a door for him that directly pointed to the core of the Earth Law.

He slowly opened his eyes. In his pupils, there was no longer simple Profound Yellow color, but countless miniature mountains and rivers, Earth Vein Dragon Qi, appearing, evolving, and vanishing within, deep as an abyss, carrying the endless weight of the Primordial Land.

Where his gaze swept over, the Earthen Energy Essence beneath his feet seemed to gain life, pulsing slightly, and the surrounding Profound Yellow Qi also grew more docile.

His five fingers closed slightly, feeling the vast power and supreme Dao resonance coming from the Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner within his body, which was now bound to his very life and in mutual understanding with him.

That power was heavy, stable, and inexhaustible, as if connected to the source sea of the Primordial Land's great earth. That Dao resonance was profound and mysterious, expounding the ultimate principles of bearing, stabilizing, nurturing, and returning to the source.

On Zhenyuanzi's face, calm as an ancient well, a gentle smile finally appeared—indescribable, like the return of spring to the earth.

This smile was not wild joy, but a peaceful contentment after a long wait, a certainty on the path to proving the Great Dao.

On this journey to the Three Immortal Islands, at Fangzhang he acquired the Bitter Bamboo, comprehending a trace of a Dao heart that saves all living beings and remains unyielding amidst bitter solitude;

at Yingzhou he acquired the Pure World White Lotus, mastering the divine ability to cleanse filth and guard the origin amidst purification and sanctity;

and at Penglai, he finally retrieved this supreme earthly treasure most suited to his origin and directly pointing to the core of the Great Dao—the Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner.

These three treasures—the Bitter Bamboo to stabilize the heart, the White Lotus to purify the world, and the Apricot Yellow Banner to stabilize the earth—complemented each other, already laying a solid Dao foundation for him to reach the Primordial Chaos Dao Fruit.

The foundation of the Wuzhuang Temple of Longevity Mountain lineage, after this journey to the three islands, had already become deep enough to astonish the entire Primordial Land.

The Ginseng Fruit Tree, the Four Symbols Plantain Tree, the Gourd Vine, the Earth Book, plus this Apricot Yellow Banner, the foremost of the Innate Five Directions Banners, along with the Bitter Bamboo and the Pure World White Lotus—such a foundation might not even be matched by those great beings who existed since the creation of the world.

And regarding the traces of the remaining four direction banners, as well as the grand plan to set up the Innate Five Elements Great Formation that would shake the Primordial Land, seeds had quietly been planted in his heart.

With the Apricot Yellow Banner in hand, as the pivot of the Five Elements, his ability to sense the other four banners had greatly increased.

The Wood Element vitality of the Eastern Green Lotus Treasure Color Banner, the Fire Element blazing of the Southern Ground-Leaving Flame Light Banner, the Metal Element sharpness of the Western Plain Colored Cloud Realm Banner, the Water Element extreme softness of the Northern Profound Origin Water Controlling Banner... these unique and powerful Law auras, like stars in the dark night, though distant, had left blurry yet clear imprints in his perception, now based on the Apricot Yellow Banner.

If he could gather all five banners in the future and set up that Innate Five Elements Great Formation... Zhenyuanzi's mind moved slightly, as if he could see the Five Elements rotating, forming a world of its own, with unmatched defense and astonishing offense.

That would be true power standing at the peak of the Primordial Land, one of his ultimate supports for protecting his Dao field and proving the Great Dao.

He was not in a hurry to leave. The core area of Penglai Immortal Island was now, for him, the best place to comprehend the Dao.

He sat cross-legged on the Earthen Energy Essence jade platform, sinking his mind into his body, carefully savoring every change after the complete fusion with the Apricot Yellow Banner, organizing the flood of earthly ultimate principles pouring into him.

The Earth Book hovered in his Sea of Consciousness, echoing the Apricot Yellow Banner in his Qi Sea from afar. Countless pieces of information about the Primordial Land's earth veins, mountain and river trends, and Earth Qi flow became clearer and deeper.

He tried to communicate with Penglai Island's earth veins using his divine sense. Where his mind reached, the Earth Qi deep within the island surged like a docile river, nourishing the island's living beings, and even subtly influencing the flow of Chaos Energy Streams at the island's periphery.

This control was not forced manipulation, but like an extension of the earth's own will, a resonance and guidance at the level of Law.

Time quietly passed in deep contemplation. Zhenyuanzi's whole body aura grew more deep and condensed, and his connection with Penglai Immortal Island became tighter.

He seemed to have become part of the island, and the island seemed to have become an extension of his Dao body. Only after he had fully settled what he had gained this time and initially integrated the great power of the Apricot Yellow Banner did he slowly rise.

His gaze swept over the Penglai core once more. With the departure of the Apricot Yellow Banner, the concentration of Earthen Energy Essence here seemed to have dropped slightly, but the heavy, condensed Great Earth Origin Aura had not dissipated. Instead, because of his refinement and presence, it had gained a measure of spirituality and order.

He knew that in the future, this place might give birth to new Earthen Energy spiritual objects, becoming a sacred land of Earthen Energy.

Zhenyuanzi took a single step, and his figure had already vanished from the spot.

When he reappeared, he was at the edge of Penglai Immortal Island. He looked back. The entire immortal island, in his eyes, was no longer a simple overseas paradise, but a huge, precise aggregate of the Earth Law. The trends of the earth veins, the nodes of spiritual energy, the sources of vitality—all were clearly visible.

This was the new perspective granted to him after taking control of the Apricot Yellow Banner—the perspective of the Master of the Great Earth.