Each time he pointed, a glimmer of light from his fingertip slipped precisely into a tiny gap in the great formation's workings. Like a key entering a lock, it guided the vast, violent power of the Four Symbols into a gentle flow, briefly opening a passage.
"Hum—crack!"
A faint, strange sound rang out, like metal and stone breaking or space itself opening.
The mountain wall before him, impossibly hard and unchanged since time immemorial, had endured endless pressure without the slightest damage. Now it silently parted to either side like a curtain drawn by invisible hands, revealing the space it had guarded for countless ages.
There was no earth-shaking display, no violent surge of power. Everything happened in natural harmony, in accord with the Heavenly Dao.
In an instant, a vast tide of spiritual energy rushed toward him, pure beyond measure and so dense it seemed ready to drip. It carried the most primal Xiantian Origin auras of Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire, like a flood held back for ten thousand ages!
Lord Wanshouyuan felt every pore in his body open to greedily absorb this rare spiritual energy. A single breath set his power surging, soothed his body, and filled even his Primordial Spirit with delight. The mental energy he had spent rapidly returned.
The spiritual qi was so dense it had nearly become liquid. Gorgeous halos of earth-yellow, water-blue, wind-green, and fire-red shimmered throughout the space.
What greeted Lord Wanshouyuan's eyes was not some boundless Blessed Land, but a small, bottomless Innate Spiritual Pool. What filled it was no ordinary springwater.
It was formed entirely from liquefied Innate Four Symbols Spiritual Energy. Mist rose from it amid Myriad Rays of Rosy Clouds. At the pool's center, rooted in the void with its roots reaching into endless unknown dimensions, grew an extraordinary spiritual root imbued with the natural rhythm of the Dao!
It stood a little over ten feet tall, its whole body seemingly carved from the finest jade. It glowed emerald green, gleamed with precious light, and brimmed with life.
It looked like a tree, yet not quite. More than anything, it resembled an Innate Plantain Tree magnified countless times.
It bore no lush branches or foliage. At its crown grew only four immense, perfectly formed divine plantain leaves, each as broad as a ceremonial canopy.
The four leaves differed in color and bore intricate patterns imbued with the Dao. Each corresponded to one of the Xiantian Four Symbols Origins:
One was heavy and ocher, bearing the weight of the earth. Its veins wound like dragons and serpents, radiating an incomparable sense of stability and support;
One was a deep, profound blue, holding the essence of water. Endless waves seemed to flow quietly across its surface, nourishing all things;
One shimmered pale green, wreathed in Wind Qi. The slightest tremor of its edge sent fine ripples through the surrounding space, swift and formless;
One blazed crimson, with fire essence dancing upon it. It radiated astonishing heat and an aura of destruction and rebirth, brilliant in its splendor.
The four divine leaves swayed without wind. As they moved along some mysterious path, they naturally drew together the Power of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind. The forces met, collided, and gave rise to new forms, even producing wisps of Chaos Aura. The wonder of it defied description.
Each of the four leaves perfectly embodied and condensed one of the four great Xiantian Origin attributes: Earth, Water, Wind, and Fire!
"The Innate Four Symbols Plantain Tree!"
Lord Wanshouyuan blurted out the name, unable to hide the wonder and delight in his voice.
According to the memories of his true body, this Innate Spiritual Root was a rare treasure born of the Heavenly Dao at the dawn of creation. Each of its four leaves was a supreme divine object containing Xiantian Origin laws, with boundless uses and immense power.
In those hazy memories of his,
The leaves of this spiritual root seemed destined to fall into the hands of Laozi, the Grand Pure Sage, who would refine them into four immensely powerful Innate Treasure Fans. One would fan flames to aid his alchemy, while another would summon wind with boundless force.
They would prove invaluable in alchemy, artifact refining, and overcoming enemies, earning renown throughout the Primordial Wilderness.
But Hongjun had yet to emerge, the Heavenly Dao had yet to reveal itself, and no Sage had appeared. In the Primordial Wilderness, opportunities belonged to those with the virtue—or the strength—to claim them.
Today, Lord Wanshouyuan had discovered this spiritual root first. He had obtained it through Destined Affinity and his own ability. It was only right that it should belong to Zhenyuanzi's lineage, no longer fated for another.
It contained the most fundamental Four Symbols Law. If he carefully nurtured it in Longevity Mountain's immortal realm with Innate Earthen Energy, it would bring immeasurable benefits to his comprehension of the Great Dao, the refinement of his own techniques, the strengthening of the Book of the Earth's defenses, and even the course of his future cultivation.
Lord Wanshouyuan hesitated no longer. Only by transplanting such an Innate Spiritual Root to Longevity Mountain, where his true body and the Earth Fetal Membrane could protect it, and carefully nourishing it with Innate Earthen Energy, could he ensure it continued to thrive—and perhaps even help it advance further.
He stepped forward, solemn-faced, and circulated his cultivation technique. His hands formed intricate seals, releasing streams of gentle yet powerful Wood Divine Light brimming with life, like countless ribbons both soft and strong.
With utmost care, he wrapped the entire Innate Four Symbols Plantain Tree, together with the precious pool of Innate Spiritual Liquid beneath it, which contained the Four Symbols Origin, and slowly lifted them free.
His movements were exceedingly gentle. His divine sense remained sharply focused, for fear of damaging even the slightest root, leaf, or trace of the Dao contained within.
The Plantain Tree seemed to sense the kindred, gentle Innate Wood Essence and earthy aura about him. It trembled lightly, four-colored light flowing across it. Rather than resist, it conveyed a hint of affection.
At last, the wondrous spiritual root and the entire pool of liquid became a dazzling stream of interwoven four-colored light. They entered the Universe in Sleeve within his wide sleeve, where he settled them safely in a separately opened spiritual space lined with restrictions to await their return to Longevity Mountain.
Once the spiritual root was removed, the Xiantian Restriction behind the mountain wall flickered rapidly a few times. Deprived of its core support, it slowly dissolved into the ordinary stone, leaving no trace that it had ever existed.
Though he had gained an Innate Spiritual Root precious enough to rank among the finest in the Primordial Wilderness, Lord Wanshouyuan's heart brimmed with joy while his Dao heart remained as calm as water. He grew neither impatient nor complacent.
He knew climbing Buzhou Mountain was far harder than he had imagined. Exploring the restriction, comprehending the formation, and collecting the spiritual root had cost him considerable mental energy and power.
He returned to the hollow in the rock where the pressure was slightly weaker and sat cross-legged once more. Calming his mind, he circulated the Wood Scripture at full strength and absorbed the abundant Innate Spiritual Qi around him. Though it could not compare to the Spirit Pool, it still far surpassed that of an ordinary Grotto-Heaven. He replenished his reserves and consolidated the gains in his cultivation and physical strength brought by resisting the pressure and comprehending the formation.
Dense green light formed a thick cocoon around him, like a giant egg. It continually drew in vast amounts of energy, healed the faintest hidden injuries, and slowly sorted the fragments of Four Symbols Law he had just comprehended, incorporating them into his Dao Foundation to make it more complete and secure.
All of this was to prepare as thoroughly as possible for the climb toward the mountain's summit, where the pressure was terrifying enough to turn back even a Da Luo Golden Immortal.
The pressure ahead would surely be more fearsome, and the path more perilous. Yet that also promised more opportunities, more challenges, and perhaps even greater surprises.
His gaze returned to the path above, shrouded in cloud and mist, where fierce winds cut like blades and the pressure weighed like a prison. The mountain seemed to bear the weight of the entire Primordial World. His eyes were calm as water, yet held an unshakable resolve.
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