Bai Jing Discusses the Primordial Spirit

"Yet we Twelve Ancestral Witches still took form!" Di Jiang said with a frown.

"That was thanks to Pangu Hall. Pangu's will and Dao essence remained within Pangu Hall, sharing the same root and origin as you.

Under the influence of Pangu's will, your vital essence resonated within and without, producing acquired consciousness. From there, intelligence arose and you took form. But when acquired consciousness occupied the seat of life, the true spirit retreated and stabilized.

Thus, your innate spark of true nature hid deep within the chambers of your hearts. If you wished for the Primordial Spirit to emerge again and take the sovereign seat, you first had to see through acquired consciousness.

Yet you Ancestral Witches had always used Sha Qi to temper your bodies and hone your vital essence. Your acquired consciousness was powerful, and it was difficult for your hearts to quiet. If the heart could not be still, how could the Primordial Spirit emerge?"

After hearing Bai Jing's words, the Twelve Ancestral Witches all fell silent.

"Then does that mean our Witch Clan has no way of possessing Primordial Spirits?" Di Jiang asked in a low voice.

"I cannot speak for the other members of the Witch Clan. Of you Twelve Ancestral Witches, eleven cannot possess a Primordial Spirit. However, it is possible for you to find your true nature. As for Fellow Daoist Houtu, she is the only one who may be able to cultivate a Primordial Spirit."

The Ancestral Witches' eyes all lit up at once, and they stared eagerly at Bai Jing.

Bai Jing did not keep them in suspense. Instead, he explained to the Ancestral Witches what he had read in certain Daoist classics from his previous life regarding spirit and intent. "In my view, fellow Ancestral Witches, the true spirit and the intent spirit both lie within a single thought of the heart. When the heart is still, it is spirit; when the heart moves, it is intent.

"The reason your acquired consciousness occupies the seat of life while the true spirit lies hidden is that your hearts cannot become still. Why can they not become still? Because the agitation of vital essence drags your thoughts along with it.

"But if you can remove that agitation from your vital essence, straighten it out, and set it in motion according to a certain pattern, then let your hearts move in accordance with that pattern as well—

"Wouldn't your hearts and vital essence then share the same rhythm and move in perfect sync, becoming relatively still in relation to one another?

"When the heart is still, spirit is born. By this method, you may be able to uncover your true nature and use it to replace the restless spirit. At the very least, you could achieve completeness of nature and life. Proving the Dao as a Hunyuan Daluo should no longer be a problem.

"Even after proving the Dao, it may not be impossible to use that spark of true nature as a foundation and, through immense divine power, reverse-engineer a Primordial Spirit."

"Then why is only our little sister able to cultivate a Primordial Spirit?" Zhu Jiuyin asked.

"Though vital essence, Qi, and spirit are three things, they are in truth one body. The movement of life is ordered movement. The stillness of the nature spirit and the movement of life can transform into each other, but the agitation of Sha Qi is a wild, disorderly movement.

"Fellow Daoist Houtu was born last and was least affected by Sha Qi. Moreover, she bears the Law of Earth. Earth is deep and substantial, its nature is to bear and carry, and it can reduce this influence to the lowest degree.

"Just like the earth of the Primordial World: it appears motionless, yet its depths contain incomparably powerful kinetic force. Only through its immense power of bearing does it merge that force into itself, while within it, not a single moment passes without movement.

"Without that kinetic force, the earth would be a dead, rigid mass, incapable of nurturing life. The same principle applies to Fellow Daoist Houtu.

"Beyond that, there is one more point. I have heard that an innate indestructible spiritual light exists atop Mount Buzhou. If we can obtain that wisp of spiritual light to strengthen Fellow Daoist Houtu's own spark of true nature and make up for its deficiencies, then by working on both fronts, Fellow Daoist Houtu should be able to give birth to a Primordial Spirit."

"How did Brother Bai Jing learn that an innate indestructible spiritual light exists atop Mount Buzhou?" Di Jiang pressed.

Bai Jing had long anticipated that someone from the Witch Clan would ask this question. Since he dared to speak, he had already found someone to take the blame. Thus, Bai Jing replied unhurriedly, "To answer that question, I must begin with my Daoist sanctuary.

"My sanctuary is Yingzhou Immortal Island, one of the Three Immortal Islands. Like Penglai Immortal Island, which has already appeared in the world, and Fangzhang Island, which has yet to appear, Yingzhou Immortal Island was formed from fragments of chaos shattered when Great God Pangu opened heaven and earth.

"Before Immortal Yangmei was expelled from the Primordial World by the Heavenly Dao, he once used the Three Immortal Islands as his Daoist sanctuary. The many hidden secrets of the Primordial World that I know were all left behind by Immortal Yangmei."

"So that was how it was. No wonder Fellow Daoist Bai Jing knows so much," Houtu said with a sigh.

The other Ancestral Witches also believed Bai Jing's explanation. After all, his Daoist sanctuary could not be faked. If Bai Jing were lying, it would be easily exposed.

"With the condition of us brothers and sisters, we must at least cultivate to the peak of Hunyuan Golden Immortal before we can climb Mount Buzhou. To help little sister condense a Primordial Spirit as quickly as possible, it seems we must send more clansmen to the western lands to repair the earth veins."

"Big Brother is right. Repairing the earth veins in the west benefits Jieyin and Zhunti as well. They should not stop us."

"Who cares whether they stop us? If they dare get in our way, we'll beat them into submission!"

The Ancestral Witches spoke over one another and quickly decided to send another four Ancestral Witches west to repair the earth veins, Houtu among them.

Had the Ancestral Witches not still needed to comprehend the Twelve Capitals Divine Fiend Formation, Di Jiang might even have wanted the entire clan to go west.

Hearing this, Bai Jing hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist Shebi Shi, Fellow Daoist Qiangliang, and Fellow Daoist Gonggong, you three should head west first! Fellow Daoist Houtu and I will make a trip to Five Villages Temple to borrow Zhenyuanzi's Earth Book."

"The Earth Book? What use does it have?" Shebi Shi asked.

"The Earth Book is also known as the Heaven-Earth Treasure Mirror. Whoever possesses it can behold all the heavens and myriad worlds within a space no larger than one's palm. From then on, there will be nothing under heaven that cannot be known.

"More importantly, the Earth Book was transformed from the membrane of the earth itself. It contains one hundred twenty-nine thousand six hundred mountain-and-river nodes, and may be regarded as another kind of map of the Primordial World. Through it, one can appoint mountain gods and earth deities, establishing the foundation of the Earth Immortal lineage.

"Standing upon the earth while holding this treasure allows one to connect with the earth veins of the Primordial World. One can even lay down the Earth Book Formation, whose defense is without equal and cannot be broken by any object.

"With the Earth Book, we can learn where in the western lands the earth veins need repair, how far the repairs have progressed, connect with the Earthly Dao, comprehend the Great Dao of Earth, and establish contact with the Earthly Dao in advance."

"The Earth Book is so useful. Will Zhenyuanzi really lend it to us?" Gonggong asked.

"When we listened to the Dao at Zixiao Palace, Zhenyuanzi incurred a karmic debt to me. Exchanging that karma for the right to use the Earth Book for a time should not be a problem."

After hearing Bai Jing's words, the Ancestral Witches grew even more grateful to him. Bai Jing was truly sparing no effort in planning for the Witch Clan!

Their Witch Clan was not ungrateful. One day, they would certainly repay Bai Jing.

Then the four Ancestral Witches and Bai Jing left Pangu Hall. Shebi Shi, Qiangliang, and Gonggong headed west, while Bai Jing and Houtu made for Five Villages Temple, where Zhenyuanzi resided.

Nuwa, whose Daoist sanctuary was likewise on Mount Buzhou, naturally noticed the Witch Clan's movements.

Nuwa sighed, her expression somewhat complicated.

After the third lecture at Zixiao Palace, Dijun and Taiyi had repeatedly come to the Daoist sanctuary she shared with her brother, hoping to persuade the siblings to join the Demon Race Heavenly Court.

Nuwa's stance had always been clear: she did not wish to involve herself in the Demon Race Heavenly Court. At first, Fuxi had stood with her, but under Dijun and Taiyi's repeated persuasion, Fuxi gradually began to waver. Especially after hearing that Dijun and Taiyi intended to gather the Primordial World's destiny to become saints, Fuxi ultimately could not resist the temptation and boarded the Demon Race's chariot.

Nuwa and Fuxi were siblings bound as one. Since Fuxi had joined the Demon Race, Nuwa naturally chose to join as well.