Longevity Mountain.
Wuzhuang Temple.
Ancient pines towered into the sky, while cranes cried out one after another.
Before the mountain gate, a couplet had been carved into the stone pillars on either side:
"The Immortal Abode of Eternal Life, the Daoist Home That Shares Heaven's Longevity."
The horizontal inscription read:
"Boundless Longevity."
Beyond the gate, a winding path of bluestone led up to the temple.
Lingzhi Immortal Grass grew in abundance along both sides of the path. Exotic flowers and fruits filled the air with their fragrance, while countless rare birds and beasts wandered at ease, unafraid of strangers.
This was the foremost blessed paradise in the Great Wilderness, the home of the Ancestor of Earth Immortals.
Xuandu stood alone before the mountain gate, his green robes fluttering slightly. His gaze was calm as he looked at the couplet, the horizontal inscription, and Wuzhuang Temple at the end of the bluestone path.
A smile slowly curved his lips.
It was faint, yet carried the assurance of one who saw through all things.
"Zhen Yuanzi..."
He murmured the name and took a step forward.
"Hum."
Space rippled soundlessly.
That Green Clad Figure vanished from before the mountain gate in an instant.
Inside Wuzhuang Temple.
Beneath the Ginseng Fruit Tree.
A Green Robe Figure sat cross-legged, his face lean and refined, three long strands of beard drifting over his chest. His aura was ethereal and profound, blending with heaven and earth.
It was none other than Zhen Yuanzi.
The Ancestor of Earth Immortals, the Ruler of the World.
His eyes were half-closed, as though he were meditating, or perhaps comprehending the Dao.
Dao charm flowed around him, faintly resonating with the Ginseng Fruit Tree behind him.
Thirty Ginseng Fruits hung from the branches. Each resembled an infant less than three days