Zhenyuanzi

Yellow Dragon held the Soul-Scattering Gourd and glanced at the Purple-Gold Gourd, sensing what was happening inside it.

The faint red cloud within had merged with the crimson light that arrived later. In an instant, it took the form of Hong Yun's Dao body, his features clear and his expression kindly.

Though his eyes remained closed and he lay dormant, the foundation of his True Spirit had been restored. It was now gathering at a speed beyond comparison!

"So that's it!"

"Hong Yun left a fragment of his True Spirit in the Soul-Scattering Gourd, waiting for the right moment."

Only then did Yellow Dragon understand. "The Purple-Gold Gourd gathered most of the fragments scattered when he self-destructed. The two parts sensed each other, giving him a chance at life. That fragment of his True Spirit then guided the Soul-Scattering Gourd through layer upon layer of space to return and become whole again!"

With that living fragment of his True Spirit absorbed, the Purple-Gold Gourd gathered the remaining fragments at a soaring pace. Like a hundred rivers flowing to the sea, its reach spread across nearly all the territory that remained!

In just a thousand years, it drew every fragment of his True Spirit from that vast expanse into the gourd!

When the last fragment of Hong Yun's True Spirit entered, the Purple-Gold Gourd rose into the air on its own and shook violently high above!

Hum!

Space split open before the Purple-Gold Gourd, forming a deep passageway. From its far end came an aura Yellow Dragon knew well: Kunlun.

The Purple-Gold Gourd became a streak of purple-gold light and slipped silently into the passageway, vanishing in an instant! The rift swiftly closed behind it, and the world fell still again, as though nothing had happened.

Yellow Dragon stared blankly at the place where it had disappeared. When he finally came to his senses, he rushed over and cried out in frustration:

"Grandmaster Uncle! Grandmaster Uncle! Your disciple hasn't boarded yet! I haven't boarded yet! Grandmaster Uncle—!"

But the empty sky gave no reply.

Only his helpless voice echoed through the world, and the wind soon swallowed it.

Yellow Dragon did not know whether to laugh or cry. A Sage's thoughts were hard to fathom. With no other choice, he shook his head and looked toward the last region shrouded in dark red dust.

"I'll finish restoring this last stretch before returning to Kunlun Mountain. Then I'll have seen it through to the end!"

Just as he calmed himself and prepared to reconnect the Earth Veins, a voice laden with immeasurable age sounded not far behind him.

"Young friend Yellow Dragon, it has been a long time since we parted at Kunlun."

Yellow Dragon's heart jolted! Even at the Late Golden Immortal Stage, he had sensed nothing of the speaker's aura!

He spun around, clear light flowing over his body, and peered intently ahead.

A familiar figure stood there, but his face was deeply weary. Yes, weary. Yellow Dragon had never expected to see exhaustion on a Quasi-Saint!

Yellow Dragon hurriedly cupped his hands and bowed. "Immortal Zhenyuan. This junior, Yellow Dragon, pays his respects."

Zhenyuanzi managed a faint smile. His gaze passed over the Pure World White Lotus above Yellow Dragon's head. "Young friend, you are blessed indeed to have such a Spiritual Root at your side."

Then he looked over the land that Hong Yun's self-destruction had once devastated, now restored to more than half its former vitality.

"What perseverance you have shown, young friend. And what merit you have earned."

A complex emotion flickered through his eyes. "By your efforts alone, you have restored this desolation stretching hundreds of millions of miles, left by my worthy brother Hong Yun's death. You have brought forth life and remade the land. This is merit beyond measure."

"It was I who came too late."

Yellow Dragon looked at this great power, a peer of the Three Pure Ones. What ordeal could leave a Quasi-Saint so visibly exhausted?

Curiosity stirred in him, and he could not help asking with concern, "Senior, you praise me too highly. I only did what needed to be done!"

"But you look weary. With your cultivation, what could have demanded so much of you?"

Zhenyuanzi sighed softly. The sound carried the weight of tens of thousands of years and the frustration of a task left unfinished.

"Weary?" Zhenyuanzi gave a bitter smile, idly sweeping his horsetail whisk through the air. "Forgive the sorry sight. I merely spent tens of thousands of years pursuing Kunpeng. Had he not joined the Demon Race and gained the protection of Di Jun and Tai Yi, I would not have had to return."

"Kunpeng!"

Yellow Dragon froze, then remembered seeing Zhenyuanzi chase after Kunpeng that day at Jade Pure Palace. He had never imagined the pursuit would last tens of thousands of years!

What devotion! What friendship!

"Indeed."

Zhenyuanzi gave a cold snort. "Kunpeng colluded with Di Jun and Tai Yi to surround and kill Hong Yun, leading to his death. Unfortunately, Taiyi holds a Primordial Treasure, and I am no match for him. Continuing the fight would have been futile."

"So I came to the place where my friend fell, intending to restore the Earth Veins and Spirit Mountains destroyed by Hong Yun's self-destruction and repay this debt to heaven and earth on my worthy brother's behalf. I never expected to meet you here, young friend, with most of the land's vitality already restored!"

Then his gaze fell unexpectedly on the crimson gourd hanging at Yellow Dragon's waist, its spiritual presence now withdrawn. He trembled, his eyes shining with disbelief and excitement. His voice faltered.

"This... this... the Soul-Scattering Gourd! Young friend, how did it come into your hands?"

Yellow Dragon understood why Zhenyuanzi was so agitated.

After a moment's thought, he briefly recounted how Supreme Pure Saint had given him a decree and sent him here with the Purple-Gold Gourd to regather Hong Yun's True Spirit, ending with the gourd's sudden departure moments ago.

Zhenyuanzi listened closely. When he heard that a shadow of Hong Yun's True Spirit had formed within the Purple-Gold Gourd, his eyes reddened. He threw back his head and laughed, his voice ringing with joy that his closest friend might yet return.

"Hahaha! Good! Good! Good! I will remember Supreme Pure Saint's kindness and your hard work on Hong Yun's behalf!" With those three cries of "good," the grief and anger pent up in him for tens of thousands of years finally found release.

Nothing could have pleased him more than knowing his dearest friend's True Spirit had survived and might become whole again.

Once his excitement subsided, Zhenyuanzi watched Yellow Dragon deftly tend the Earth Veins in the last remaining region. He did not join in. This was Yellow Dragon's opportunity, and the merit was his to earn.

Over the countless years he had spent refining his methods, Yellow Dragon had become remarkably skilled at restoring the Earth Veins. Yet Zhenyuanzi could see small adjustments that would make his work flow more naturally and draw more deeply on the earth's primal power.

The Earth Book under Zhenyuanzi's command had formed from the Earth Fetal Membrane. His understanding and use of the Earth Veins were unmatched in the Primordial World. Even Sages who commanded the powers of heaven and earth could not claim to surpass him in this art.

He was grateful that Yellow Dragon had spent tens of thousands of years gathering his friend's True Spirit. Seeing, too, that Yellow Dragon cared for the Primordial World and possessed rare character and talent, he decided to offer some guidance.

"Young friend,"

Zhenyuanzi swept his whisk and smiled. "Your skill in restoring and clearing the Earth Veins is already exceptional. But the earth's veins are like the meridians of a human body. Feel their breath, follow their rhythm, join with them in spirit, and guide them with intent."

"Now, watch...!"