Mount Buzhou Summit

This was no ordinary demonic qi.

He could sense that within this demonic qi, there was a trace of an extremely high-level Power of Law.

"Could it be the remnants of a God of Devils?"

Before Pangu split the heavens, he had fought a great battle against the Three Thousand Gods of Devils, and these two clusters of demonic qi made it hard not to make that connection.

Just as he was on guard, the corner of his eye caught sight of deeper within the cave.

There, a mass of turbid yellow qi was violently churning, in utter chaos.

Xuanqing's heart leaped.

Turbid yellow qi? No, that's not right—it's chaotic merit qi!

He understood in an instant.

This place was likely where the Gods of Devils who fell during the Heaven-Splitting Calamity had become entangled with the Pangu Pressure of Mount Buzhou, creating this bizarre scene.

Those two clusters of demonic qi were probably the transformed origins of the Three Thousand Gods of Devils.

With his current strength, dealing with them would be too much of a stretch.

"A wise man does not stand where danger looms."

This thought flashed through Xuanqing's mind, and he made a decisive choice—without hesitation, he turned and fled.

The two clusters of demonic qi seemed not to expect him to run so cleanly; they paused for a moment before roaring and giving chase.

But Xuanqing's speed was immense; in the blink of an eye, he had burst out of the cave mouth and continued climbing upward without looking back.

He firmly memorized the location of this cave.

When his cultivation was higher in the future, he would return to see what treasures lay hidden inside.

The path of climbing was excruciatingly difficult. Astral winds tore through the void, like countless blades scraping across his body.

Heavenly flames incinerated all things, their scorching heat enough to evaporate a Primordial Spirit. All sorts of pre-heaven innate elemental forces relentlessly obstructed his advance.

The Merit Golden Wheel's light was restrained within, yet indestructible, shielding him from the brunt of the impact.

In these extreme environments, Xuanqing's physical body rapidly strengthened. His Dao Body was continuously tempered under the Pangu Pressure, every inch of flesh and blood imbued with the power of the heaven-splitting creation.

Time flowed, years passed like a shuttle, and in the blink of an eye, several thousand more years went by. Xuanqing finally stood at the highest peak of Mount Buzhou.

Looking out, seas of clouds churned, and stars seemed within arm's reach.

"Hah..."

Xuanqing let out a long breath of Turbid Qi, a sharp light concealed within his eyes. These many years of tempering had given him a new understanding of his own strength. He dared to say that even facing the Ten Great Demon Saints of the Demon Race, famed for their formidable physiques, he was confident he could fight them to a standstill, or even surpass them.

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Thinking of those Demon Saints, Xuanqing couldn't help but complain inwardly. The beings of Honghuang, especially the Demon Race, always liked to measure strength by physical bodies.

But when it came to physical bodies, who could compare to the Witch Race? Those Witch Warriors were born with overwhelmingly powerful bodies.

At the same cultivation level, they were simply humanoid beasts. If the Twelve Ancestral Mages gathered together, even a Quasi-Saint would have a hard time defeating them.

He himself had taken an unconventional path of body refinement; though he lacked the exaggerated brute force of the Witch Race, he excelled in resilience and balance.

He looked around. At the mountaintop, the Pangu Pressure was heavier and purer than at the mountainside or base.

With every breath of air, he could feel vast Innate Spiritual Qi and the Dao Rhyme from Pangu's heaven-splitting creation surging into his body, nourishing his Primordial Spirit and Dao Body.

This feeling made him utterly comfortable, as if he had returned to the time before he had taken form.

Back then, when heaven and earth first opened, spiritual qi was several times richer than now.

At the center of the mountaintop, a crystalline Lotus Pond came into view. The pond water was clear to the bottom, emitting a multicolored glow; the lotus leaves were a vivid green, and the lotus flowers were in bud, ready to bloom.

The scenery was full of life.

At the center of the Lotus Pond, an ancient and rugged Banana Tree stood tall and proud. Its trunk was gnarled, its branches and leaves lush, each leaf seeming to contain a world within it. A dense wave of Innate Spiritual Qi rushed toward Xuanqing, lifting his spirits.

"This is... one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots—the Banana Tree!"

Xuanqing's heart was a mix of surprise and joy. The Banana Tree was rumored to gather the four great heaven-opening elements of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind. It did not refer to a single tree, but to four companion Spiritual Roots, each nurturing an Innate Spiritual Treasure—the Banana Fan.

The Earth Banana Fan could move mountains and shift peaks with ease, even altering the flow of earth veins to create feng shui killing formations. Once this fan was used, the landscape for ten thousand miles would change color, earth qi would reverse, and its power was unmatched.

The Water Banana Fan could Summon Wind and Rain with overwhelming might, stirring up monstrous floods to drown all things. However, this fan had gone missing, rumored to be lost in some corner of Honghuang.

The Fire Banana Fan could burn the heavens and boil the seas, fanning out Samadhi True Fire to incinerate everything. Its power was enough to make even a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal retreat.

The Wind Banana Fan, with one wave, could blow a person a hundred and eight thousand miles away. This treasure, in the future Journey to the West Calamity, would become the possession of Princess Iron Fan, renowned across the land.

Xuanqing had long heard of these, but he never expected to see their original form with his own eyes today.

Most of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots had already been taken by the beings of Honghuang, yet the Banana Tree had not been found—this was enough to show its rarity.

As the Purifying Mystic Bamboo, Xuanqing was the first Innate Merit Spiritual Root in heaven and earth, born earlier than all other Innate Spiritual Roots. But although the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots came after him, they were top-tier existences that had existed since the dawn of Honghuang. Now, being able to see one of the legendary Ten Great Roots in person, Xuanqing was naturally overjoyed.

"This journey was not in vain!"

He sighed with emotion and slowly walked over to the Banana Tree. Up close, the aura emitted by the Banana Tree was even more immense. It was rooted in the Lotus Pond, drawing in the essence of heaven and earth and the creative power of the pond, nurtured by the long passage of time, and had long since matured to its peak.

Xuanqing reached out and gently touched the trunk of the Banana Tree. A surge of vitality, ancient and weathered, instantly flowed into his body. This sensation deepened his understanding of the Honghuang.

"Indeed, this is a chance bestowed by the Heavenly Dao."

With a thought, his innate ability, "Purification," silently activated. A faint layer of green light spread from his palm, slowly enveloping the trunk of the Banana Tree.

Xuanqing's Purifying Mystic Bamboo form was inherently capable of purifying the Sha Qi and filth of the world. This ability was equally effective for refining spiritual treasures. It could strip away impure impurities within a treasure, making it purer and easier to refine. Although the Banana Tree was an Innate Spiritual Root, the power of the primordial elements contained within it was too mixed. Even if an ordinary cultivator obtained it, they would struggle to fully refine it. Xuanqing's purification power happened to be the perfect solution.

The green light swirled, and the Banana Tree trembled slightly. It seemed to sense this pure and gentle force, offering no resistance, instead actively accepting Xuanqing's purification. This was a resonance between spiritual roots of heaven and earth, and also the Heavenly Dao's recognition of Xuanqing.

By refining this Banana Tree, Xuanqing would also gain a great amount of merit. With the boost from his Innate Merit Divine Body, it might help him step into the mid-Mystic Immortal stage.

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