Han Chi respectfully accepted it with both hands. Feeling that the pine cone was as warm and smooth as jade, its spiritual light suffused with Yinyun, a flash of shock and gratitude passed through his eyes. He bowed and said:
"Thank you for the reward, Master!"
To break through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, one needed to condense the Five Qi in the Chest;
the heart belonged to fire, the liver to wood, the spleen to earth, the lungs to metal, and the kidneys to water;
at present, the Innate Spiritual Energy within the Primordial Wilderness was abundant and of extremely high quality, containing many elements;
Cultivators could normally absorb Spiritual Energy through breathing and achieve breakthroughs through cultivation, while the Five-Needle Pine's pine nuts encompassed the Five Elements and could hasten the process.
"Alright." Bei Ming's tone was indifferent, yet carried an undeniable authority.
"Find a side hall and settle down.
This Seat will soon travel the Primordial Wilderness again. Changbai Mountain and Great Void Palace will be left in your care."
Han Chi's expression turned solemn. Clasping his fists, he replied, "I shall obey master's decree!"
With that, he slowly retreated several steps, bowed once more, then turned and departed.
Bei Ming was not worried that Han Chi harbored ill intentions;
unless Han Chi possessed a Spirit Treasure capable of concealing Heavenly Secrets, so long as Bei Ming wished it, none of Han Chi's thoughts could escape his notice.
Moreover, the highest authority over the Double defense formation was firmly in his hands.
If Han Chi entertained any crooked thoughts on Changbai Mountain, Bei Ming could subdue him with a single thought.
After dealing with this minor interlude, Bei Ming gathered his mind, half-closed his eyes, and entered cultivation to consolidate the realm he had just broken through to.
Outside the hall, pine waves rolled on while spiritual mist lingered. The entire Changbai Mountain Range seemed to have fallen silent, breathing in and out alongside him.
During cultivation, time truly was worthless;
here, thirty-six thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
Bei Ming slowly opened his eyes. A strand of divine light flashed through his pupils, illuminating the void with clarity as his aura settled into calm stability.
The next moment, his figure flickered. He used the Free and Unfettered Journey, transforming into a streak of streaming light as he silently and lightly departed the Changbai Mountain Range.
Following his previous plan, he continued onward through Honghuang Continent on his travels.
Fuxi and Nüwa's Daoist arena was located on Mount Qixi;
according to the geographical divisions of the Primordial Wilderness that Bei Ming had learned from his inheritance;
Mount Qixi lay in the Southeast Region, right at the border between the Eastern Continent and the Southern Continent.
This time, he had traveled south from the northeast, with the Southeast Region as his destination. Unfortunately, his route did not pass Mount Buzhou;
that foremost divine mountain of the Primordial Wilderness, formed from Pangu's spine, had long been etched in Bei Ming's mind. Sooner or later, he would go and pay it a visit.
The journey was long and dull. The mountains and Great Marshes he occasionally passed over were merely fleeting glimpses of Heaven and Earth.
The only thing that added some interest to the journey was encountering Innate Formations. After breaking them, he could obtain the opportunities hidden within.
It had to be said that the Eastern Region of the Primordial Wilderness was truly overflowing with riches.
Innate Spiritual Materials could be found everywhere among the mountains, rivers, and marshes along the way;
there were also no shortage of Innate Formations protecting Spirit Treasures and Spirit Roots;
Bei Ming had gained quite a bit during his travels, but most of the Spirit Roots and spiritual plants he obtained were mid-grade or lower. There were only a little over ten Top-grade ones.
As for Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures, he had not encountered a single one.
In this era, many Top-grade Spirit Treasures were gathered in Hongjun's possession or served as the Personal Spirit Treasures of Innate Gods;
wild Top-grade Spirit Treasures were already rare, and most were protected by great formations. Whether one could find them depended entirely on fate.
By this time, nearly all Innate Gods of his generation had entered the world and begun to make their mark throughout the Primordial Wilderness.
Aside from occasionally witnessing the Wu Clan expand and establish Tribes, Bei Ming had also heard quite a bit of news about the Ten Thousand Clans of the Primordial Wilderness.
It was said that Di Jun and Tai Yi of the Sun Star repeatedly stepped in to aid weaker clans when the Wu Clan attacked them, and their reputations had gradually risen among the Ten Thousand Clans;
many clans were even willing to recognize the two people as their leaders, following at their side in hopes of gaining protection.
Bei Ming was not surprised by this.
As a cultivator born with Emperor's Destiny, Di Jun's natural bearing and majesty as a leader were beyond question.
Establishing a clan and competing for Luck was a path where risks and opportunities coexisted. There would always be people who chose to walk it.
Bei Ming could not help wondering whether the original Kun Peng should have already gathered a force in the North Sea by this time;
after all, with the strength of a Great Luo Golden Immortal, ruling the clans of the North was no difficult task;
but the Northern Continent had limited clans and meager Luck;
the true difficulty lay in future development, while the path south had already been sealed off by the Wu Clan.
Perhaps Kun Peng's retreat to the North Sea meant that, to some extent, the Northern Continent had also been occupied by the Wu Clan.
In comparison, Di Jun and Tai Yi possessed the vast Honghuang Starry Sky as their rear base;
it could support countless clans. They could advance step by step, bide their time, and would eventually have their day of rise.
Of course, contending for supremacy had nothing to do with Bei Ming;
let alone making a name for himself, Bei Ming felt that there were not many Great Powers in the Primordial Wilderness who even knew he existed.
Little did he know that after his previous exchange of ideas with Ju Mang;
Ju Mang had proudly mentioned this newly acquainted Daoist friend at a gathering of the Twelve Ancestor Wizards, his tone full of bragging.
He was quite strong, and he did not look down on the Wu Clan for lacking Primordial Spirits. Such a Daoist friend was not easy to find!
The other Ancestor Wizards also showed some curiosity and interest upon hearing this. They rubbed their hands eagerly and mobilized the Wu Clan's members to seek out Bei Ming's whereabouts while expanding their territory.
However, since beginning his journey, Bei Ming had manifested in front of people only a handful of times, and his movements remained secretive;
even the Wu Clan could not uncover much useful information.
Yet the Wu Clan's actions caught the attention of the Ten Thousand Clans of the Primordial Wilderness.
Before long, word had spread through half the Primordial Wilderness;
all clans learned that the Wu Clan had a Daoist friend named "Bei Ming."
To those weaker clans that had long regarded the Wu Clan as a "man-made disaster," what good could a friend of those Wu Clan barbarians possibly be?
Thus, the rumors spread like wildfire.
However, exceedingly few Cultivators had actually seen Bei Ming, and deducing the existence of an Innate God was inherently difficult.
Time would eventually wipe away all phantoms, and the speculation surrounding Bei Ming was gradually replaced by the more pressing struggle for survival faced by every clan.
Meanwhile, on the Sun Star
the Fusang Divine Tree towered magnificently, its branches and leaves hanging with Golden Flame as blazing Solar True Fire flowed down them.
Beneath the tree, Di Jun sat cross-legged, his expression focused. Forming seals with both hands, he had Hetu and Luoshu floating before him.
The two Spirit Treasures reflected one another, their profound Light Patterns and Dao Rhyme circulating as they emitted supreme power capable of deducing Heavenly Secrets.
Suddenly, a golden rainbow tore across the heavens as Tai Yi arrived through Transformation into Rainbow.
Seeing his Elder Brother completely absorbed in his task, he did not speak to disturb him and merely leaned casually against the Fusang Tree's trunk.
He plucked several reddish-gold Fusang Fruits and slowly chewed them, narrowing his eyes slightly in contentment.
After enjoying them, Tai Yi hugged his beloved Chaos Bell and gave it a fond stroke.
After a long while, Di Jun finished his cultivation. The light of Hetu and Luoshu withdrew, and they quietly hovered at his side.
Tai Yi tilted his head and asked curiously, "Elder brother, what are you deducing this time?"
Di Jun slightly raised his eyes and said steadily:
"What do you think of the rumors that the Wu Clan has made a Daoist friend?"
"Heh." Tai Yi sneered, his lips curled with mockery.
"Anyone who can make friends with those Wu Clan barbarians is quite the oddity."
Before you continue