Great Immortal Yangmei

There were nine innate spiritual treasures: six low-grade, two mid-grade, and one high-grade innate spiritual treasure.

This high-grade innate spiritual treasure was a nine-colored rainbow dress with thirty-three innate restrictions. Wearing it rendered one impervious to blades and spears, untouched by water and fire; it could also conceal one's aura, making divination impossible unless a Saint personally acted.

Even Bai Jing felt tempted. Unfortunately, it was a dress—he could hardly go out wearing one, could he? He could only regretfully put it away.

There were six spiritual roots. Five were low-grade innate spiritual roots, but one was the Five-Needle Pine, one of the Primordial World's ten great spiritual roots.

Just as Bai Jing had expected, the Five-Needle Pine was indeed on Fangzhang Island. Bai Jing directly collected the entire mountain where the Five-Needle Pine grew into the Source-Yang Cauldron.

A place capable of supporting the growth of the Five-Needle Pine was surely a rare blessed grotto-heaven. Why would he not take it away wholesale?

At last, Bai Jing turned his gaze toward the innate restriction at the very center of Fangzhang Island.

Bai Jing had come to Fangzhang Island for two purposes: one was to gather immortal materials and ores, while the other was to obtain the Xuanyuan Water-Control Banner. He had collected the ores, but had yet to find the Xuanyuan Water-Control Banner. Having come this far, Bai Jing naturally could not give up.

He arrived before the innate restriction at the center of Fangzhang Island. The Devouring Dao gathered in his palms as he pressed them against the restriction.

In less than a year, the restriction here was completely devoured by the Devouring Dao.

After breaking the restriction, Bai Jing discovered that there was actually a cave here. He fired a stream of mana into its entrance, and after confirming that there were no other restrictions, he stepped inside.

The cave was narrow at first, barely wide enough for a person to pass. After traversing the cramped tunnel, Bai Jing felt space ripple. The next instant, he found himself in a small world.

Alarm bells rang in Bai Jing's heart. What had just happened? How had he entered this small world in the blink of an eye?

Before Bai Jing could make sense of it, however, he saw the towering tree before him, soaring into the clouds.

The moment he saw this great tree, the inherited memories of an innate sacred being told Bai Jing that it was the legendary Jianmu, a divine tree capable of holding up Heaven and Earth.

"How could the divine Jianmu tree exist here?" Bai Jing sensed that something was amiss. He hurriedly circled Jianmu once, only to discover that it had been planted by someone.

An immensely intricate formation had been laid around Jianmu. Four supreme-grade innate spiritual treasures anchored the earth, fire, water, and wind of this small world, allowing the entire small world to nourish Jianmu's growth. The Xuanyuan Water-Control Banner that Bai Jing had been searching for was the supreme-grade innate spiritual treasure anchoring water within this formation.

Bai Jing assessed the formation. With his current strength, he likely could not break it. Forget him—even across the entire Primordial World, Hongjun was probably the only one capable of breaking this formation.

Only a Saint can break it. This formation was most likely left behind by Great Immortal Yangmei, Bai Jing thought.

At the same time, he felt even more regretful that he could not obtain the Xuanyuan Water-Control Banner.

Suddenly, an idea surfaced in Bai Jing's mind. Since he could not break the formation, why not simply take the entire small world? Wouldn't Jianmu and the formation both become his then?

No sooner thought than done. Bai Jing immediately put the idea into action and began searching for the core of this small world.

He actually found it. One could even say that the core of this small world was not difficult to find at all—it sat openly outside Jianmu's formation.

Bai Jing did not stand on ceremony. He sat cross-legged and began refining it.

However, the instant Bai Jing's mana touched the small world's core, an illusory figure appeared out of thin air.

This man had a kindly face and benevolent brows, yet lacked the bearing of an immortal sage. Instead, he resembled a plump, wealthy old man. What left the deepest impression was his eyebrows, which were as long as willow branches and trailed all the way to the ground.

Bai Jing's heart jolted. This man was undoubtedly Great Immortal Yangmei! Just as he was about to speak, Great Immortal Yangmei spoke first. "Nearly nine yuanhui have passed. Has someone finally come to Fangzhang Island and discovered this place?"

Bai Jing hurriedly rose and bowed. "This poor Daoist is Bai Jing. Greetings, Senior Yangmei."

Great Immortal Yangmei waved a hand. "No need for such ceremony. Since you know this poor Daoist, you should know my origins as well. When Pangu opened Heaven and Earth, we Chaos Fiend Gods perished because of him. This poor Daoist was fortunate enough to escape with half a life intact, and my true spirit possessed the Hollow Willow to begin another life.

"Yet fortune and misfortune lean upon one another; blessings and calamities lie hidden within each other. By cultivating anew in this life, this poor Daoist cast off the shackles of the Space Fiend God and attained the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal through the Dao of Space-Time. The road ahead became far broader, and my karma with Pangu was considered settled.

"However, the Hollow Willow I possessed was a spiritual root of the Primordial World, so this poor Daoist owed the Primordial World a karmic debt. When I attained the Dao, I glimpsed several fragments within the river of time. In the future, Mount Buzhou would collapse, and the Heaven and Earth of the Primordial World would overturn as a result. Even if someone acted to mend the heavens, the Primordial World's innate spiritual qi would still decline.

"To replace Mount Buzhou and hold up Heaven and Earth, the best method would be Jianmu. This poor Daoist happened to know where Jianmu could be found in the Chaos, so I went and found this Jianmu sapling. Using this small world as a field, I planted the sapling here. By my calculations, nine yuanhui have now passed."

"Senior, did you intend to use Jianmu to replace Mount Buzhou and hold up Heaven and Earth when Mount Buzhou collapsed, in order to repay the karmic debt you owed the Primordial World?" Bai Jing asked tentatively.

"That had been the plan. But not long after this poor Daoist retrieved Jianmu, I was expelled from the Primordial World by the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World. My karma with the Primordial World had been cleared; whatever happened to it thereafter had nothing to do with me.

"Thus, I left Jianmu in my former Daoist abode. If someone found my former Daoist abode before Mount Buzhou collapsed and was willing to use Jianmu to support the Heaven and Earth of the Primordial World in its place, this poor Daoist would be glad to see it happen.

"If they came only after Mount Buzhou had collapsed, or were unwilling to use Jianmu to support the Primordial World, this poor Daoist would not care either," Yangmei said indifferently.

"Then, Senior Yangmei, how can this formation be removed?" Bai Jing asked after pondering for a moment.

"One may remove it with the mana of a Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. Or, after refining this small world, swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World that you are willing to use Jianmu to support the Primordial World. The Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World will naturally help you remove the grand formation.

"That you were able to find this poor Daoist's former Daoist abode is your fortune. This poor Daoist does not wish to have any further entanglements with the Primordial World. There is no karma between you and me, and you need not seek me out in the future."

Before Bai Jing could ask another question, Yangmei's incarnation vanished.

Bai Jing curled his lips. How could cultivating to the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal be so easy? Yangmei claimed that his karma with the Primordial World had been cleared, but in truth, he still wanted Jianmu to support the Heaven and Earth of the Primordial World.

Yet after hearing Yangmei's words, Bai Jing had some new ideas. If Jianmu was put to good use, it would become much easier for him to settle the karmic debt he owed Great God Pangu.

Bai Jing suppressed the tangled thoughts in his heart and began refining the core of this small world.