Kunpeng's Visit, the Calabash Vine's Potential

Buzz!

The next instant, the sound of the Great Dao resonating rang through the entire Lingxiao Palace.

That indestructible spark of Creation vitality upon the Calabash Vine abruptly revived. A glimmering green light flowed over the withered vine like water, and its once yellowed, brittle body took on a warm jade sheen, faintly showing signs of renewed life.

Xihe and Changxi instantly sensed the change in Lingxiao and hurriedly rose to gather around him.

Xihe wore a moon-white immortal gown with flowing sleeves, her graceful figure poised and elegant. The icy aloofness that had always kept others at a distance had long since faded from her exquisite, cool beauty before Lingxiao, leaving only abundant delight and tenderness.

Her beautiful eyes rested upon Lingxiao. With jade fingers, she gently tucked loose strands of hair behind her ear and said softly, "Dao Brother has glimpsed the mysteries of the Great Dao and determined the path ahead. This is truly a joyous occasion."

Changxi was even more direct. She threw herself to Lingxiao's side, her slender hands tightly clutching his arm as she cheered with delight. Her almond eyes brimmed with sparkling admiration as she cried brightly, "Big Brother is amazing! In merely three thousand years, you've already grasped such profound mysteries of the Great Dao. One day, you'll definitely surpass the Dao Ancestor and become the most formidable Saint Realm expert in the Primordial World!"

In Changxi's heart, her Big Brother Lingxiao was the most powerful being between heaven and earth. Even if his cultivation was currently inferior to Dao Ancestor Hongjun's, he would surely surpass his master one day.

—Wasn't such unreserved faith the purest form of "beauty lies in the eye of the beholder"?

Lingxiao came back to himself. Looking at the two women beside him, their smiles blooming like flowers, he tightened his grip on the Calabash Vine, his eyes filled with a gentle smile.

His fingertips brushed over the seven remaining calabash marks on the vine. His mind sank inward once more, and he gradually came to understand:

Among the Three Thousand Great Daos, there was inherently no distinction between high and low. Their strength depended entirely on the attainments of the one comprehending them.

The classification of Great Daos arose from differences in the mechanisms of heaven and earth's rules, but how far a cultivator could walk depended on the depth of their own cultivation.

Speaking of which, there was a joke in later generations:

What did it mean when a stat-checker appeared among a crowd of mechanic-abusers?

Put it this way: when your Uncle Pangu saw the other Chaos Fiendgods back then, one was controlling time, another reversing the future. Every last one of them was outrageously overpowered, all of them mechanic-abusers.

He was deeply depressed. He sat in Chaos for a long time, yet never managed to comprehend any laws. In a fit of embarrassed rage, he crushed the other two thousand nine hundred and ninety-nine Fiendgods to death, then split Chaos open with a single axe. He claimed it was the Force Law and stubbornly insisted that he had comprehended some Force Dao.

Wasn't he simply ridiculously strong?

Of course, a joke was still just a joke. Father God Pangu's Force Dao truly was the supreme Great Dao that created heaven and earth; that was beyond all doubt...

Shaking his head and suppressing his stray thoughts, Lingxiao's mind cleared—

The Force Dao could indeed break ten thousand laws with a single stroke, shattering every rule and obstacle in the world through absolute strength.

However, if there was a path that allowed him to walk more smoothly and perfectly, sparing him some twists and turns on the road to attaining the Dao, why insist on suffering for no reason?

For him, the complete path of Yin-Yang Five Elements, cycling endlessly and giving rise to life without cease, was ultimately more suited to the origin of this world than the singular Sun Dao or Fire Dao. It also concealed far broader room for growth.

"Perhaps I can refine this Calabash Vine into a second treasure for attaining the Dao."

A thought suddenly arose in Lingxiao's mind, and the gleam in his eyes grew ever brighter.

The spark of innate Creation vitality upon this Calabash Vine remained unextinguished. At present, it was in a mysterious state between life and death. It had previously withered and fallen in grade only because the seven calabashes had been plucked and its spiritual essence exhausted. Naturally, its innate deficiencies could be replenished through acquired means.

He only needed to find heavenly treasures compatible with the Yin-Yang Five Elements and gradually merge them into the vine, reforging its origin. In the future, he might be able to refine this Calabash Vine into a growth-type Supreme Treasure capable of validating his own Great Dao!

The Innate Calabash Vine and the western Bodhi Tree were both ranked among the ten great Innate Spiritual Roots of the Primordial World.

Lingxiao was certain of it.

The potential of a treasure refined from this Calabash Vine would never be inferior to the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree that Daoist Zhunti had refined from Bodhi Tree branches. One specialized in Jia Wood Vitality, while the other specialized in Yi Wood Creation; though their paths differed, they ultimately led to the same destination.

Though a plan had formed in his heart, Lingxiao did not immediately enter seclusion.

After all, refining such a Supreme Treasure in earnest would take several Yuanhu i at the least, while less than one Yuanhu i remained until the day of his wedding with Xihe and Changxi.

"North Nether Kunpeng has come to visit Fellow Daoist Lingxiao!"

Just then, a deep and vigorous voice pierced through the golden-flame barrier surrounding the Sun Star and carried from far outside Lingxiao Palace. It bore the fierce wind aura of the North Nether's deep sea, yet its manners were impeccable, without the slightest hint of offense.

The three immediately rose and left the palace. Looking up, they saw an enormous creature suspended amid the sea of stars in the distant Primordial Starry Sky.

That Great Peng's wingspan stretched for untold thousands of miles. Its back was like Mount Tai, its wings like clouds hanging from the heavens. It was none other than the North Nether Kunpeng, the one who "struck the waters for three thousand miles, then rose upon a whirlwind for ninety thousand miles."

Its iron-like feathers gleamed with a cold, dark light. A slight spread of its wings set the astral currents into motion and summoned howling gales.

When its golden eyes opened and closed, they revealed the domineering presence of an Innate Sacred Being, though it forcibly restrained it, leaving behind only a measure of friendliness.

"Kunpeng? What is he doing here?" Xihe's willow brows furrowed slightly, and a trace of confusion flashed through her cool, beautiful eyes. She said softly, "Since our emergence, we have cultivated in the starry sky and rarely interacted with the many Sacred Beings of the Primordial Lands. We only saw him once while listening to the Dao at Violet Firmament Palace, and have no friendship with him."

"Yeah, why would he come visit Big Brother for no reason?" Changxi tilted her head, her face full of bewilderment as her small hand instinctively clenched Lingxiao's sleeve.

"A visitor is a guest. There is no need to overthink it." Lingxiao remained calm as he transformed into a streak of great sun rainbow light and shot into the air, flying toward Kunpeng in the starry sky.

The man had come properly to pay a visit and announced his name before requesting an audience. There was no flaw in his etiquette. He was likely not an ill-intentioned guest at the door, so Lingxiao naturally could not lose the dignity of the Lord of the Sun.

"A friend comes from afar—is that not a joy? Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, please come in." Lingxiao stood amid the stars and cupped his hands toward Kunpeng from afar, speaking with a cheerful smile and composed bearing.

"Then I shall trouble Fellow Daoist during your quiet cultivation."

The Great Peng folded its wings and transformed into an old man in a dark robe, with a hooked nose and triangular eyes. He bowed and cupped his hands to Lingxiao, then followed him down onto the Sun Star.

The moment he landed, he looked up and saw the towering divine tree that stretched across hundreds of millions of miles—it was the Fusang Divine Tree, one of the ten great Innate Spiritual Roots.

The Fusang Tree's roots twisted and coiled, its branches stretched across the sky, its trunk soared high, and golden leaves draped down from heaven. Within the Dao field beneath the tree, Sun Golden Flames and Lunar Moonlight blended and complemented one another. There was not the slightest scorching heat; instead, the place was serene and peaceful, with Dao rhythms flowing without end.

An irrepressible flash of envy crossed Kunpeng's eyes, and he silently sighed, They say the Sun God Lingxiao possesses deep fortune and destiny. Seeing him today, the reputation is indeed well deserved. Even after searching all of the North Nether, I could not find a single Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Root like this. The disparity in foundations is truly immense.

With that thought, his confidence that Lingxiao could help him plot for Merit strengthened by several degrees.

Yet this was followed by even deeper unease—he possessed nothing of value and could not even produce a respectable Innate Spiritual Treasure. What right did he have to ask Fellow Daoist Lingxiao to aid him with all his strength?

Though thoughts churned within him, Kunpeng revealed none of them. He followed Lingxiao into the main hall of Lingxiao Palace, where host and guest took their respective seats.

After Kunpeng sat down, Lingxiao saw him repeatedly drifting into thought, his fingers twisting together and his expression shifting uncertainly. He assumed Kunpeng was still calculating how to seek revenge against Hong Yun, Jieyin, Zhunti, and the others, so he gave it little further thought and simply brewed spiritual tea himself to receive his guest.