The Summit of Mount Buzhou

This was no ordinary Demon Qi.

He could sense a trace of Power of Law of an exceedingly high level within it.

"Could it be a remnant of a God of Devils?"

Before Pangu split the heavens, he had fought a great battle against the Three Thousand Gods of Devils. Those two clouds of Demon Qi made it hard not to draw a connection.

As he remained on guard, the corner of his eye caught sight of something deeper inside the cave.

There, a mass of dark yellow energy roiled violently, chaotic and turbulent.

Xuanqing's heart gave a sudden leap.

Dark-yellow energy? No, that wasn't right. It was a chaotic mass of merit!

He understood at once.

This place was likely where the fallen Gods of Devils from the Tribulation of Creation had become entangled with Pangu's aura lingering on Mount Buzhou, creating this bizarre sight.

Those two clouds of Demon Qi were probably formed from the origins of the Three Thousand Gods of Devils.

With his current strength, dealing with them would be far too difficult.

"A wise man doesn't stand beneath a dangerous wall."

The thought flashed through Xuanqing's mind. He made his decision at once, turned, and ran without hesitation.

The two clouds of Demon Qi seemed surprised by how decisively he fled. They hesitated for a moment, then roared and gave chase.

But Xuanqing was incredibly fast. In the blink of an eye, he had rushed out of the cave and continued climbing without looking back.

He committed the cave's location firmly to memory.

Once his cultivation was higher, he would return to see what treasures were hidden inside.

The climb was extraordinarily arduous. Astral winds tore through space, lashing his body like countless blades.

Heavenly fire scorched all things, its heat powerful enough to evaporate a Primordial Spirit. Various innate elemental forces from before the heavens were split mercilessly obstructed his progress.

The Merit Golden Wheel's light was subdued, but it remained indestructible, shielding him from most of the impacts.

In these extreme conditions, Xuanqing's physical strength rose rapidly. His Dao Body was tempered under Pangu Pressure, every inch of his flesh and blood imbued with the power to create heaven and earth.

Time flowed on, and the years flew by. In the blink of an eye, several thousand more years had passed. At last, Xuanqing stood atop Mount Buzhou's highest peak.

Before him, a sea of clouds surged, and the stars seemed close enough to touch.

"Phew..."

Xuanqing let out a long breath of Turbid Qi, his eyes gleaming. All those years of trials had given him an entirely new understanding of his strength. He dared say that even against the Ten Great Demon Saints, renowned among the Yao Clan for their formidable physiques, he could hold his own—and might even come out ahead.

Thinking of those Demon Saints, Xuanqing couldn't help grumbling inwardly. The living beings of Honghuang, especially the Yao Clan, always seemed to measure strength by physical prowess.

But when it came to physical strength, who could compare with the Witch Clan? Their warriors were born with incredibly powerful bodies.

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

He had taken an unusual path of body refinement. Though he lacked the Witch Clan's outrageous brute force, he made up for it with resilience and balance.

He looked around. The Pangu aura at the summit was heavier than it was halfway down the mountain or at its base, and purer, too.

With every breath, he could feel tremendous amounts of innate Spiritual Qi and the Dao Rhyme from when Pangu had created heaven and earth pouring into his body, nourishing his Primordial Spirit and Dao Body.

The sensation left him feeling wonderfully refreshed, as if he had returned to the time before he took form.

Back then, the world had just been created, and Spiritual Qi had been several times more abundant than it was now.

At the center of the summit, a crystal-clear Lotus Pond came into view. Its water was transparent, shimmering with seven-colored light. The lotus leaves were lush green, and the flowers still in bud.

The scene was full of life.

At the center of the Lotus Pond stood a sturdy, ancient Banana Tree. Its trunk was gnarled, and its branches and leaves luxuriant. Each leaf seemed to contain a world of its own. A rich wave of innate Spiritual Qi washed over Xuanqing, lifting his spirits.

"So this is... the Banana Tree, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots!"

Xuanqing was both delighted and amazed. According to legend, the Banana Tree gathered the four elements that created heaven and earth: earth, water, fire, and wind. It did not refer to a single tree, but to four companion Spiritual Roots, each of which nurtured an Innate Spiritual Treasure—the Plantain Fan.

The Earth Banana Fan could move mountains and shift peaks with ease. It could even alter the flow of earth veins, creating deadly feng shui formations. When this fan was unleashed, the mountains and rivers across thousands of miles changed color, and the earth's energy reversed. Its power was unmatched.

The Water Banana Fan could Summon Wind and Rain, its power immense. It could call forth floods that surged to the heavens and drown all things. However, the fan's whereabouts were unknown. It was said to have been lost somewhere in Honghuang.

The Fire Banana Fan could burn the heavens and boil the seas. A single wave unleashed Samadhi True Fire, capable of burning everything to ashes. Its power was enough to make even a Da Luo Golden Immortal retreat.

A single wave of the Wind Banana Fan could send someone flying a hundred and eight thousand li. In the future Journey to the West Calamity, this treasure would belong to Princess Iron Fan and make her a force to be reckoned with.

Xuanqing had heard of all this long ago. He never expected to see the tree itself with his own eyes today.

Most of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots had already been taken by the living beings of Honghuang. The fact that the Banana Tree remained undiscovered showed just how rare it was.

As the Purifying Mystic Bamboo, Xuanqing was the first Innate Merit Spiritual Root in heaven and earth, born before all the other Innate Spiritual Roots. Though the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots had appeared after him, they had existed since the very beginning of Honghuang and were among its most exalted beings. Naturally, Xuanqing was delighted to see one of the legendary ten with his own eyes.

"This trip wasn't in vain!"

He sighed and slowly walked over to the Banana Tree. Up close, the aura it gave off was even more magnificent. Its roots reached deep into the Lotus Pond, drawing on the essence of heaven and earth and the pond's power of creation. After being nourished for countless years, it had long since reached the height of its maturity.

Xuanqing reached out and gently touched the trunk. An ancient yet vibrant aura surged into his body at once. It deepened his understanding of Honghuang.

"Sure enough, this is an opportunity bestowed by the Heavenly Dao."

At a thought, his innate divine ability, "Purification," quietly activated. A faint green light spread from his palm, slowly covering the Banana Tree's trunk.

As the original form of the Purifying Mystic Bamboo, Xuanqing naturally possessed the ability to purify the Malevolent Qi and filth of heaven and earth. This ability was just as effective for refining spiritual treasures. It could strip away impurities, making a treasure purer and easier to refine. Though the Banana Tree was an Innate Spiritual Root, it contained such a jumble of elemental forces from the creation of heaven and earth that ordinary cultivators would struggle to refine it completely, even if they obtained it. Xuanqing's power of purification was perfectly suited to solve that problem.

The green light flowed, and the Banana Tree trembled slightly. It seemed to sense the power's purity and gentleness. It did not resist at all; instead, it willingly accepted Xuanqing's purification. It was a resonance between Spiritual Roots of heaven and earth—and a sign of the Heavenly Dao's approval of Xuanqing.

By refining this Banana Tree, Xuanqing would also gain a great deal of merit. With his Innate Merit Divine Body to aid him, perhaps he could reach the middle stage of the Mystic Immortal realm.