Two figures sped above the clouds through the Kunlun Mountains. They were Yellow Dragon and the South Pole Immortal Elder, who had left the Jade Pure Palace in search of a place with abundant spiritual energy and active Dao laws where they could establish a cultivation ground.
Yellow Dragon occasionally plunged beneath the earth to examine the course of the Earth Veins and the paths along which spiritual energy flowed.
One day, Yellow Dragon returned from surveying the Earth Veins, his face alight with excitement. "Senior Brother Nanji, Kunlun Mountain truly deserves to be the birthplace of three innate divine beings like our teachers. Innate Spiritual Veins are rare elsewhere, but here, there's at least one beneath just about any mountain ten thousand zhang high!"
The South Pole Immortal Elder raised an eyebrow and stroked his beard. "Of course. Apart from Mount Buzhou, where else in the Primordial World could give birth to four innate divine beings at once?"
"Four?" Yellow Dragon's heart jolted. Then it dawned on him. "Right. There's also the renowned female innate divine being in the west, the Queen Mother of the West."
He turned to Nanji. "Senior Brother, sorry for the trouble, but could you take me west to have a look?"
"Junior Brother, we can't enter Western Kunlun without the Queen Mother of the West's permission," the South Pole Immortal Elder said, narrowing his eyes.
"Don't worry, Senior Brother. I only want to find a suitable place nearby to build a cultivation ground," Yellow Dragon said helplessly.
"I know, I know. No need to explain, Junior Brother." Nanji's eyes narrowed as he spoke with an earnest face.
With that, he led Yellow Dragon westward.
Near the border between eastern and Western Kunlun, Yellow Dragon asked the South Pole Immortal Elder to wait above the clouds. He plunged into the earth and began surveying the region along the flow of spiritual energy through the Earth Veins.
Months later, deep underground, Yellow Dragon finally made a discovery that stunned him.
"The solidity of earth, the vitality of wood, the softness of water, the heat of fire, the sharpness of metal... All five elements are here, cycling endlessly!" Golden light flashed in Yellow Dragon's eyes. On closer inspection, he found that the Dao laws of heaven and earth were unusually clear, like sweet fruit with its skin peeled away, ready for anyone to taste.
Yellow Dragon emerged from the ground, and he and Nanji flew toward the place he had sensed. They reached it moments later.
Before them lay a vast valley surrounded by five steep peaks.
The moment Yellow Dragon entered the valley, comfort spread through his body. He drew a deep breath of the crisp, sweet air and felt invigorated. His Magic Power circulated on its own, and he refined a stream of exceptionally pure Innate Spiritual Energy, suffused with the aura of the five elements, into strands of pure Magic Power in an instant.
The ground at the valley's center rose and fell. With a little work, it could form an array of the five elements that seemed entirely natural.
To the east, green Qi swirled with abundant life; to the west, golden light flickered with a sharp aura; the southern peak was covered in crimson Immortal Herbs and Medicines; in the north, black water vapor gathered into quiet, trickling streams; and at the center stood the most imposing peak, dark yellow and shaped like a Qilin lying on the ground!
The air around the peaks rippled faintly. Dao patterns appeared and vanished within it—the active Dao laws themselves!
"What luck, Junior Brother, to find such a blessed place for your cave abode," the South Pole Immortal Elder said as he came to Yellow Dragon's side. Envy showed on his face, but there was no trace of greed.
Seeing that envy, Yellow Dragon gave him a solemn bow. "I have you to thank for accompanying me, Senior Brother. Without you, I wouldn't have found this blessed place where all five elements are present."
The South Pole Immortal Elder waved a hand. "Helping you find a cultivation ground was the task Master gave me. There's no need to be so formal."
"Now that my task is done, I'll leave the building of your cave abode to you. It wouldn't be right for anyone else to interfere. Once it's finished, I'll come visit."
Without waiting for Yellow Dragon to reply, he turned into a streak of light and flew away.
Yellow Dragon bowed once more toward the departing South Pole Immortal Elder.
Then he turned to the five peaks steeped in the spiritual energy of the five elements and laughed aloud.
"This is where my cultivation ground belongs!"
He stepped onto the summit of the central peak. His hands formed seals too quickly to follow, sending Jade Pure talismanic marks flying from his fingertips. Like living things, they landed precisely on the five peaks and other key points in the earth.
It was the method of setting up arrays recorded in the Yuanshi Golden Canon.
Hum—!
As the final mark landed, the entire valley shuddered. Five thick pillars of light, each a different color representing one of the five elements, shot from the peaks.
Rich earthly energy burst from points across the ground, surrounding the five main peaks like guards.
Countless lines of Dao law raced between the peaks and those points, interweaving into a vast, three-dimensional array that covered the entire valley.
"Activate!" Once the array was complete, Yellow Dragon sent streams of Magic Power into its nodes and gave a soft command.
The array came to life. For a thousand li around Five Elements Mountain, a mist imbued with Dao resonance seemed to veil the land. In Kunlun, its only real purpose was to tell others that this place had an owner.
As the array operated, spiritual energy from the surrounding area slowly flowed inward and gathered within it.
The concentration of spiritual energy in the valley gradually rose. Within days, five-colored spiritual rain began to drift down, and Immortal Herbs and Medicines grew visibly throughout the area covered by the array.
Yellow Dragon stood atop the central peak, watching the array's changes with gleaming eyes.
He would cultivate and contemplate the Dao here from now on. He named it Enlightenment Peak.
He raised a foot and lightly stamped the summit.
Rumble!
The hard stone near the summit sank and took shape without a sound. Soon, a simple courtyard built into the mountainside stood there, its gates wide open.
Four characters in Dao script were carved above the gate: "Five Elements Courtyard."
A cultivation ground with nothing but a residence would look far too bare. That hardly suited someone who had crossed into this world.
Yellow Dragon darted across the peaks, busy as a streak of light.
He named the eastern peak, which held an innate wood-attribute Spirit Vein, Spirit Herb Peak. With a sweep of his sleeve, he scattered countless prepared seeds of Immortal Herbs and Medicines. Then he used the Sweet Dew Technique to summon Sweet Dew brimming with vitality, nourishing the seeds until they took root, sprouted, and grew rapidly.
Within a few short months, the fragrances of Immortal Herbs and Medicines filled the air—the fresh scent of orchids, the richness of ginseng, the sweetness of Vermilion Fruit... Mingled together, they were a pleasure just to breathe in.
Yellow Dragon named the northern peak Lotus Peak. Halfway up the mountain, above a Spirit Vein, a spring flowed into a hollow. He used Magic Power to widen and deepen it, making a pond several li across.
Yellow Dragon carefully took out a Pure World White Lotus seedling. Its short lotus root was white as jade, with two leaves at one end. It gave off a pure, ethereal aura that seemed capable of cleansing every impurity in the world. When he planted it in the spiritual mud at the bottom of the pond, the water instantly grew clearer, and a faint, holy white light flowed beneath the surface.
The southern peak was suffused with fire-attribute spiritual energy, making it perfect for cultivating Blood Jujube trees. Yellow Dragon named it Blood Date Peak.
He buried several date pits atop the Spirit Vein. Each was the size of a longan fruit, blood-red and covered in natural patterns. He had deliberately saved them after refining the flesh of the Blood Red Dates, an Acquired Spiritual Root.
Yellow Dragon had soaked the pits in Sweet Dew for a long time, filling them with vitality. As soon as they entered the soil, they swiftly took root, sprouted, and kept growing. A grove of date trees was taking shape.
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