Chapter 47

With the Power of Creation, recovery was only a matter of time.

To win at such a cost was enough to show how astonishing his transformation had been!

Amid the surging black mist, Luohu condensed his form once more.

"I never expected you to truly make it through..."

His tone carried a trace of rueful emotion.

"Though I suppressed my realm and left many methods unused..."

He shook his head with a bitter smile. "A loss is a loss."

"This World Destroying Black Lotus is yours."

A dim glow flickered as the lotus platform drifted toward Lu Tian.

With a wave of his hand, he put the treasure away, intending to refine it later.

"Senior, is the God Slaying Spear still in your possession?"

Lu Tian asked casually.

Luohu laughed at that.

"When I was defeated and perished back then, even this black lotus was only recovered after the Demonic Path reassembled in later generations. How could I possibly know where the God Slaying Spear is?"

"Having this lotus platform is already a great fortune. Do not be greedy..."

He stopped midway through his words.

Seeing the dazzling treasures surrounding Lu Tian, he ultimately shook his head and said no more.

What a monster!

"In that case, this junior shall take his leave?"

After years of seclusion, it was time to report back to his masters.

Luohu nodded silently.

Now that the inheritance had been handed over, there was no reason for Lu Tian to remain.

Luohu said calmly, "Though I lost this battle to you, I believe you understand where the key to victory lay."

"I am not trying to excuse my defeat. I merely wish to remind you—if you do not soon make up for the gaps in your understanding of the laws, they will eventually become a calamity."

Lu Tian nodded.

His victory over Luohu this time had indeed relied on the advantages brought by the transformation of his foundation.

In terms of mastery over the laws alone, not to mention Duobao and the others, he likely fell short even of ordinary Golden Immortals.

Those fellow disciples often comprehended the Dao for dozens of Kalpas within the time secret realm. Since leaving Kunlun Mountain, however, he had spent his days rushing about and had neglected his cultivation of the laws.

As demonic qi surged, Lu Tian opened a passage and returned directly to the Primordial World.

Behind him, within the abyss, Luohu's figure gradually dissolved into the demonic qi, leaving behind only a soft sigh that echoed through the darkness.

At the peak of Mount Sumeru, the Buddhist beads rotating around Jieyin's fingertips suddenly came to a halt.

"He has returned."

Zhunti swept his sleeve, unfurling a lotus platform. Looking at the travel-worn Lu Tian, he smiled. "Tell us about these hundred thousand years."

Lu Tian recounted his various experiences in detail, concealing only the matters of the Chaos Bead and the transformation of his foundation.

—The souls of Heavenly Dao Saints were entrusted to the void. Some secrets were ultimately inconvenient to reveal.

Jieyin nodded. "To defeat Luohu's incarnation, you should have no rival within the Taiyi Realm."

Zhunti continued, "Do not miss the lecture five thousand years from now."

Three chimes rang outside the hall, startling the spirit cranes across the mountain.

After breaking through to the Taiyi Realm, the teachings grew increasingly profound. The transmission of the Dao once every five thousand years gave the disciples ample time to comprehend them.

During this period, Lu Tian experienced the longest stretch of cultivation since joining the Western Teachings. Every day, aside from comprehending the Dao within the Dream World, he listened to his two masters expound the Dao. The Dream Path Enlightenment Method he wielded now was utterly different from what it had been during his Golden Immortal days. The ten-thousandfold difference in the flow of time had caused his efficiency in comprehending the Dao to soar.

Within the Lingshan training grounds, Jieyin's incarnation was preaching scriptures to the disciples. Amid the lingering Brahma Sound, he finished imparting the final few Dao formulas. Seeing everyone immersed in cultivation, Jieyin nodded slightly, and his incarnation immediately dissipated. The disciples within the hall continued comprehending the Dao until Lu Tian was the first to open his eyes.

After fully digesting what Jieyin had taught, Lu Tian bowed to the empty lotus platform and took his leave. Upon returning to his cave abode, he immediately operated the Dream Path Enlightenment Method and continued searching along the river of time. The path of the strong required the accumulation of years. The foremost great powers of the Primordial World had all endured immeasurable calamities. Just as Haotian claimed, he had undergone one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred tribulations before ascending to the position of Heavenly Emperor. Each tribulation lasted one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred years. Tens of billions of years were merely the surface; there had also been the Dao Ancestor's guidance and the blessing of accelerated time.

Lu Tian knew well that even with saint-level comprehension, he still needed time to temper himself. During this meditation, ten million years had already passed within the Dream World. After emerging from seclusion, he organized his gains, created several divine arts, and sparred with his senior brothers to verify them. With the secret methods Lu Tian shared, Pharmacist and the other senior brothers saw remarkable improvements in their foundations. Under Jieyin and Zhunti's careful cultivation, although they still could not compare to Lu Tian, they could now discuss the Dao with him normally.

"Senior Brother, your progress is truly astonishing," Lu Tian remarked after one sparring session. Without using spiritual treasures, Pharmacist's cultivation had become incomparable to what it once was. Though he was still slightly weaker than Lu Tian, he could already stand shoulder to shoulder with the direct disciples of the Severing Sect.

The Severing Sect had grown increasingly influential over the years and had long washed away its defeat at the Mystic Gate Grand Ceremony. In particular, its chief direct disciple, Daoist Duobao, had broken through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. In the eyes of the immortals of the Primordial World, the Severing Sect had become the undisputed foremost sect of the land. In contrast, the Western Teachings had seemed especially quiet in recent years.

"Compared to Junior Brother Lu, I still fall short," Pharmacist sighed. "I wonder when I will be able to force Junior Brother Lu to use his origin secret art."

Lu Tian shook his head at those words and looked into the distance. "Senior Brother Pharmacist, have you received any news from our masters lately?"

"Other than their regular lectures, there has been no further news in these past tens of thousands of years," Pharmacist answered honestly. "Since Lady Houtu came to assist in repairing the Earth Veins, Saints Jieyin and Zhunti have devoted themselves entirely to the task. Aside from sending incarnations to preach the Dao, they are scarcely seen."

As they spoke, their expressions suddenly changed. Without any prior agreement, both transformed into streams of light and sped away. As the distance widened, the joy on their faces grew stronger.

"This... I did not sense it wrongly, did I? The spiritual qi of the West is actually reviving!" Pharmacist could not hide his shock. By then, they had already left the Lingshan region. The once barren and ruined land had unexpectedly regained vitality. Earth qi had settled, spiritual qi flowed freely, and the scene was utterly unlike its former decay.

Lu Tian was equally astonished. Because the spiritual veins of the West had been severed, its spiritual qi had always been thin. Even blessed lands like the intact Phoenix Forest could not escape the effects. Yet now, everywhere he looked, the revival of spiritual qi was apparent, and it was still growing stronger. Given enough time, it would surely rival the East.

"It seems our masters have successfully repaired the spiritual veins." Before Pharmacist could finish speaking, golden light suddenly descended from the heavens. Boundless merit fell entirely upon Lu Tian. He immediately sat cross-legged and entered meditation.

Meanwhile, at the summit of Kunlun Mountain.

Dao De Tianzun, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian Jiaozhu gazed toward the strange phenomenon in the West, all wearing looks of shock.

"This is not right." Dao De Tianzun frowned deeply. "According to our deductions, the Western Earth Veins should only have been repaired after the calamity ended. How could it have happened so early?"

The restoration of the Western Earth Veins had far exceeded the Three Purities' expectations. How had it been completed ahead of time?

"Wait... Elder Brother, look. Heavenly Dao Merit has split into three portions!"

Yuanshi Tianzun's Divine Sense swept across the western land, and he immediately discovered the anomaly.

"The third beam of Golden Light of Merit is falling upon Lu Tian!"

Tongtian Jiaozhu, who had previously seemed listless, immediately perked up and used his Dharma eyes to observe.

Lu Tian's figure, bathed in the Golden Light of Merit, came clearly into view.

Dao De Tianzun continued deducing heavenly secrets, and his expression gradually turned grave. "That portion of merit was earned for him by Lady Houtu."

"The Western Teachings have always been close to the demon race. How did they persuade an Ancestor Witch to help them? They even transferred the merit for repairing the Earth Veins to Lu Tian?"

"What exactly is this child plotting?!"

Three waves of Sage's Might locked onto Lu Tian at the same time.

The Three Purities' eyes were filled with uncertainty—they found themselves increasingly unable to see through this junior!

Ever since he joined the Western Teachings and rebuilt his foundation in the Blood Sea, this man had risen like a storm.

At the Mystic Gate Grand Ceremony, he had merely been a junior competing with others and had not entered the Saints' sight.

Not until he led the human race westward...

Dao De Tianzun had been the first to notice something unusual:

After this child rose to prominence, the fortune of the Western Teachings had steadily climbed!

Among the disciples, they had always suppressed the Three Sects;

In contests between Saints, Jieyin and Zhunti repeatedly gained the initiative—

The fortune of the human race was proof enough!

And now, the Western Earth Veins had been repaired ahead of time...

How exactly had he persuaded Houtu to act?

This question lodged in the Three Purities' throats like a thorn, leaving them deeply uneasy.

Who could have imagined that Lu Tian, who never flaunted himself, would bring about such a tremendous feat!

The restoration of the Western Earth Veins had happened far earlier than the Three Purities had predicted...

If this child had not appeared out of nowhere, the trajectory of the Heavenly Dao should have proceeded as usual!

As the Three Sages stared, tumultuous waves surged within their hearts:

What secret was this junior hiding?

Lu Tian had to be closely guarded against!

From this day onward, every move he made in the western lands had to be monitored.

They had to prevent any further unexpected changes!

Dao De Tianzun's tone was icy.

Direct action would ultimately damage the dignity of Saints—

Only during the human race's westward migration had he nearly lost control of his Dao heart.

After all, the conflict between saintly sects had to remain within controllable limits.

If they truly tore off all pretense, setting aside what would become of the Three Purities' reputation, Jieyin and Zhunti were hardly easy opponents.

Even if they could not defeat the Three Purities working together, they could still risk backlash against their Saint positions and inflict severe damage upon the Three Sects' disciples!

Yuanshi and Tongtian remained silent, their Dharma eyes still fixed upon the figure who had stirred the winds and clouds after cultivating for barely more than ten thousand years.

Such a display had already shaken every direction. Who knew what kind of waves he would raise in the future?

If the West could truly prosper, perhaps the opportunity lay with this man.

A thought suddenly arose in his heart—

If Tongtian had accepted him as a disciple back then, would the situation now be entirely different?

The thought passed, and Tongtian returned to his listless appearance.

He gave a slight cupped-hand salute, then returned to Biyou Palace on his own.

Pharmacist stood quietly to one side, watching Lu Tian absorb all the merit filling the sky. The envy in his eyes lingered for a long time.

When the merit finally receded, a faint golden radiance appeared around Lu Tian—

It was a phenomenon naturally revealed by an excessively abundant power of merit.

Once the Witch-Demon Calamity ended, he had to quickly discuss the grand plan for transforming Buddhism with his two masters.

If they could create a method for a Golden Body of Merit and condense incarnations from merit...

Lu Tian quietly calculated in his heart.

The merit he had accumulated now was likely unmatched beneath the Saints.

If he did not make proper use of such an opportunity, would that not be foolish beyond measure?

Still, this matter required careful discussion with his two masters—

Those two were best at squeezing every last advantage to its limit.

As he pondered, hearty laughter suddenly tore through the air:

"Good disciple, you have gained quite a harvest this time!"

Jieyin and Zhunti arrived together. With a sweep of their sleeves, they had already cut off all outside observation.

Lu Tian and Pharmacist greeted them with formal salutes.

"The Earth Veins have been repaired by seventy or eighty percent. Let us return to Lingshan first and discuss this further."

The two Saints took their disciples westward on clouds. Along the way, Lu Tian learned—

Ever since Houtu had taken up residence in the West, the Three Sages had worked together to repair the Earth Veins for an entire Kalpa.

Now, the main veins had mostly been restored, with only scattered branch veins yet to be connected. The spiritual qi of the West was gradually returning to its former state.

After returning to Lingshan, Jieyin distributed part of the merit among the other disciples of the sect.

"Your merit is already abundant, disciple, so I shall not grant you any additional merit."

Lu Tian naturally had no objections—

If his masters bestowed something, he accepted it. If they did not, he would not ask for it.

As the old saying went: giving was kindness; not giving was only natural.

When Jieyin's true body returned, he and Zhunti specifically examined the disciples' cultivation progress.

Houtu did not go to the Western Teachings. Instead, she returned directly to the Witch Clan. Before leaving, she repeatedly urged Jieyin and Zhunti to act as soon as possible.

Jieyin and Zhunti naturally agreed.

Since Houtu had repaired the Earth Veins, it was time for them to make their move.

The two deduced heavenly secrets and chose an auspicious day, deciding to begin their actions soon.

At the peak of the Sun Star.

Within Tanggu Valley.

The ten Golden Crow princes all dwelled there.

On this day, Changxi came once again to assess her sons' progress in cultivation.