Searching Mount Buzhou for Treasure, Taking Houtu as a Disciple

Not only had Houtu sensed the stirrings of Pangu's aura; the other eleven Ancestral Sorcerers had sensed them as well. One after another, they stepped out of the Ancestral Sorcerer Hall and headed straight for Mount Buzhou.

Meanwhile, Chen Xuan felt as though Pangu were calling to him. Without hesitation, he quickened his pace toward Mount Buzhou.

Mount Buzhou was inherently imbued with Pangu's aura. Especially before the Dragon-Han Calamity, when the spiritual veins of the Primordial World remained whole, that aura had naturally been even more powerful.

Thus, even a Da Luo Golden Immortal could not use escape arts to ascend the mountain. They could only move about at its foothills.

Even someone as powerful as Hongjun, a Golden Immortal of Primordial Unity, could at most use escape arts below the mountainside. To reach the summit of Mount Buzhou, he too would have to climb on foot.

However, once the Dragon-Han Calamity erupted, countless spiritual veins throughout the Primordial World were destroyed. Mount Buzhou's Pangu aura weakened along with them.

After Hongjun attained the Dao and became a Saint, he was even less willing to allow Pangu's aura to remain in the Primordial World.

He had secretly acted against Mount Buzhou several times, even wielding the power of the Heavenly Dao. As a result, Mount Buzhou's Pangu aura was nearly exhausted.

He even had Dijun and Taiyi establish the Demon Race Heavenly Court atop Mount Buzhou, hoping to erase Pangu's final trace of aura.

Even so, Hongjun remained uneasy. In the end, he used the Witch-Demon Calamity to make Gonggong ram his head into Mount Buzhou, destroying it completely.

But the present Mount Buzhou was undoubtedly at the height of its glory. Therefore, neither Fuxi nor Nuwa, not even the Twelve Ancestral Sorcerers, could reach its summit.

They had barely made it to the mountainside before they could no longer withstand the pressure brought by Pangu's aura. They could only wait there in silence.

Chen Xuan, however, was different. His cultivation had already reached the late stage of the Golden Immortal of Primordial Unity. More importantly, he had gained Pangu's acknowledgment, so Pangu's aura exerted no pressure on him whatsoever.

Even if Chen Xuan wanted to use escape arts on Mount Buzhou now, Pangu's aura would not affect him in the slightest.

Yet Chen Xuan still chose to walk, for it was his respect for Pangu. His respect for his elder brother.

Along the way, Chen Xuan encountered countless heavenly treasures, but he did not take a single one. Even when innate spiritual treasures appeared, he chose to turn a blind eye.

In this way, Chen Xuan spent a full three thousand years before finally reaching the summit of Mount Buzhou.

Standing atop Mount Buzhou, Chen Xuan looked out over a sea of clouds. Above it floated one suspended island after another.

"Before long, the Demon Race will build the Demon Race Heavenly Court here. When that happens, Big Brother's final trace of aura will vanish completely."

Chen Xuan felt somewhat saddened. After all, without Pangu's protection, that remnant fragment of his soul would likely have been utterly erased when the heavens and earth were first opened.

Then Chen Xuan sat cross-legged atop Mount Buzhou. Once seated, he remained there for a full three thousand years.

Throughout those three thousand years, Pangu's aura constantly surrounded Chen Xuan.

Just as Pangu had protected Chen Xuan in the past, it continued to protect this brother of his.

As Pangu's aura continuously entered Chen Xuan's body, Chen Xuan unexpectedly developed a blood-linked connection with the entire Mount Buzhou.

As Chen Xuan sat upon Mount Buzhou's summit, he could see not only every blade of grass and every tree upon the mountain.

Even a stone or a speck of sand seemed to resonate with Chen Xuan at that moment.

Only when Pangu's aura ceased pouring into his body did Chen Xuan slowly open his eyes.

"Thank you for your gift, Big Brother. Though my cultivation has not improved, the benefits I gained this time are far more important than an increase in cultivation."

Chen Xuan silently thanked Pangu for his grace, then began walking down Mount Buzhou.

This time, Chen Xuan did not hold back. Along the way, he collected every innate spiritual root and heavenly treasure he encountered, leaving nothing behind.

Chen Xuan's true body, the Fortune Green Lotus, possessed a Fortune Space. It was perfect for transplanting those innate spiritual roots, so he did not need to worry about whether they had matured.

Eventually, Chen Xuan discovered the Primordial Gourd Vine southeast of Mount Buzhou. At present, however, the Gourd Vine had only just begun to flower.

Even so, Chen Xuan showed it no mercy and directly stored it within the Fortune Space.

Besides innate spiritual roots and heavenly treasures, Chen Xuan also obtained several innate spiritual treasures. Among them were even some that Chen Xuan recognized.

"It seems Hongjun hasn't come to Mount Buzhou to search for treasures yet. Otherwise, there's no way he would have overlooked the Primordial Golden Dipper."

With that thought, Chen Xuan searched even more carefully, not overlooking a single inch of ground. In the end, after another four thousand years, he finally swept through the entire upper half of Mount Buzhou.

As for the lower half of Mount Buzhou, Chen Xuan felt there was no need to search it. After all, it had been visited by who knew how many Da Luo Golden Immortals. Even if there had been good treasures, none would have remained.

Satisfied with the gains from this journey, Chen Xuan descended Mount Buzhou.

However, as soon as he reached the mountainside, he saw Nuwa, Fuxi, and the Twelve Ancestral Sorcerers waiting there.

When they saw Chen Xuan walking down from the summit of Mount Buzhou, they all stepped forward and offered him a grand salute.

Houtu directly asked Chen Xuan, "This junior, Houtu of the Witch Race, greets you, Senior. This junior senses Father God's aura upon you. Might you be Father God's incarnation?"

The Twelve Ancestral Sorcerers all fixed their gazes upon Chen Xuan, eager to hear his answer.

Chen Xuan merely smiled faintly, then said to Houtu, "You and I share the fate of master and disciple. Are you willing to take me as your master?"

Houtu had not expected Chen Xuan to directly take her as a disciple. For a moment, she truly did not know how to respond.

At that moment, Dijiang hurriedly said from the side, "Sister Houtu, Senior wishes to accept you as a disciple. Hurry and perform the master-disciple rites."

Upon hearing this, Houtu immediately knelt before Chen Xuan and respectfully performed the grand master-disciple ceremony.

"This disciple, Houtu, greets Master."

With a satisfied expression, Chen Xuan helped Houtu to her feet and said, "My Daoist title is Azure Lotus."

"Before you, I accepted three other disciples: Taiqing Laozi, Yuqing Yuanshi, and Shangqing Tongtian."

"You are my fourth disciple, as well as my first female disciple. From now on, you will be the eldest senior sister of my lineage."

Chen Xuan was introducing his sect to Houtu, but to Houtu, his words carried a different meaning.

The Three Pure Ones were formed from Father God's primordial spirit, while we Twelve Ancestral Sorcerers were formed from Father God's essence blood.

Could it be that only Father God's descendants are qualified to enter Master's lineage?

Could Master truly be Father God's incarnation, merely unwilling to reveal his identity?