Ancestor Zhulong Revealed That Que Mountain Concealed a Wisp of Innate Spiritual Light Left Behind by Ancestor Zhu Yu

The atmosphere in the pavilion on Spirit Platform Mountain was quiet and subtle.

The Western Sea Dragon Queen lowered her head in thought and did not immediately answer Venerable Zhu Yin. Zhu Yin was in no hurry, merely sipping his tea in silence as its fragrance slowly drifted through the air.

Beside them, Ao Shun scarcely dared to breathe. He had even drained his tea without noticing. He feared that one careless move might disrupt his mother's thoughts, yet he also feared offending this gentle and refined figure whose strength was unfathomable.

After all, the Dragon Clan had no Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal to hold the fort now, while Venerable Zhu Yin before him was the first true great expert Ao Shun had ever seen in his life.

After a while, the Western Sea Dragon Queen finally made up her mind. She first apologized to Zhu Yin, then went straight to the point:

"Venerable, my knowledge is limited, but I have heard my elders mention that Que Mountain, where Ancestor Zhu Yu once held sway, lay east of the Western Sea, only thirty thousand li from the Eastern Sea. Yet before Ancestor Zhu Yu died, he seemed to have foreseen it all. He sealed the entire Que Mountain away, concealing it between illusion and reality, letting it drift with the ocean currents. The Dragon Clan's ancestors searched for it many times, but could never find it."

"Later, Ancestor Zhulong was the one who revealed that Que Mountain concealed a wisp of innate spiritual light left behind by Ancestor Zhu Yu. Only a great expert stronger than him could sense its true location. If one tried to seek it by force, the divine mountain would only destroy itself, and all efforts would be in vain."

Zhu Yin raised his brows slightly after hearing this. He had not expected Que Mountain to possess such a hidden origin.

This meant that unless he personally searched for it, no one else could find it at all. There was no need to hurry; he could search after his cultivation broke through to the late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal stage.

Since Que Mountain was beyond reach for the time being, Zhu Yin did not press the matter. He changed the subject and brought up another plan:

"It does not matter if Que Mountain cannot be found. I wish to make another trade with the Dragon Clan. Dragon Queen, have you heard of the Hundred Illusion Butterfly?"

The Western Sea Dragon Queen was slightly startled, then understanding dawned on her face. "Venerable, do you wish for us to help you search for Hundred Illusion Butterflies?"

Zhu Yin nodded.

"The Hundred Illusion Butterfly excels in illusions, and its ability to brew honey is truly unparalleled. The flowers and grasses in my mountain flourish abundantly. If I could have Hundred Illusion Butterflies brew honey for me, everything could be put to its fullest use. I am willing to offer nine taels of Mind-Clearing Tea in exchange. If you can provide more butterfly breeds, the Dragon Clan may also enter into a long-term contract with me, exchanging your treasures for Mind-Clearing Tea and other rare resources."

Naturally, the Western Sea Dragon Queen was tempted.

Though she had only stayed on the mountain briefly, she could already see that Spirit Platform Mountain gleamed with treasure light, with innate spiritual roots spread everywhere. Its strength could not be underestimated. A long-term partnership with Spirit Platform Mountain would undoubtedly bring immense benefits to the Dragon Clan.

However, she did not rashly agree.

"This matter is of great importance. I must return to the Western Sea and consult the Dragon King and my brothers before making a decision. I hope the Venerable will forgive me."

Zhu Yin smiled and nodded, showing his understanding.

Before she departed, he gifted the Western Sea Dragon Queen one tael of Mind-Clearing Tea as a sample to take back to the Dragon Palace. This tea was worth as much as a mid-grade innate spirit fruit. He had only been willing to part with it because the Western Sea Dragon Clan had previously brought him gifts.

He believed that once the Dragon Clan tasted this tea, they would certainly be moved.

After leaving the Dao domain, the Western Sea Dragon Queen turned back for one last look at Spirit Platform Mountain, then instructed Ao Shun:

"This Mind-Clearing Tea is a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure. Since you have drunk the tea, you must immediately enter seclusion and cultivate. Steady your mind, use the power of Enlightenment Tea to comprehend the Great Dao, and break through to the perfected Primordial Unity stage as soon as possible, so you may inherit the position of Western Sea Dragon King."

"Do not use the Life-and-Death Fruit for now. It will not be too late to take it ten thousand years from now."

"As for Venerable Zhu Yin, if you have the chance, visit him often. If you can gain his protection, it will bring you nothing but benefits in the future."

Ao Shun nodded solemnly. He had already used two high-grade spirit fruits, and this Enlightenment Tea was now his final chance. He absolutely could not waste it.

If he truly became the next Dragon King, he naturally had to build closer ties with Zhu Yin.

After returning to the bamboo lodge on Spirit Platform Mountain, Zhu Yin did not hastily consume the supreme-grade Five-Needle Pine Fruit. Instead, he had the Wuxin boy bring over the treasures the Western Sea Dragon Clan had provided at the auction for inventory.

The Dragon Clan had bid for six items, yet they had brought out a full twenty-four treasures in exchange. Six of them were especially precious:

Deep Sea Marrow Silver: A crystallization of natural silver ore from the deep sea.

Five-Colored Mussel Pearl: Nurtured by a Five-Colored Spirit Mussel, exceedingly rare.

Wind-Thunder Profound Iron: An innate metal containing both wind and lightning.

Earth Origin Pear: Could strengthen the physique and aid in cultivating the Earth Great Dao.

Red Jade Fruit: Could intoxicate a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal for three hundred years and also contained fragments of the Dream Illusion Great Dao. With long-term consumption, one might have a chance to attain enlightenment into the Great Dream realm.

Gan Zha: Resembling a hawthorn, it contained dense power of the Earth Great Dao.

Zhu Yin was immensely satisfied and muttered:

"After wearing out iron shoes in search, I found it without lifting a finger. These gifts from the Dragon Clan truly suit my desires."

Zhu Yin remembered that his master Zhunti had once said that dragons came in five colors: white, azure, black, red, and yellow, representing the five elements of metal, wood, water, fire, and earth.

Among them, earth-aligned yellow dragons were the fewest. Even during the Dragon Clan's most prosperous era, there had only been several hundred thousand of them.

Later, after the Three Clans War, the Dragon Clan suffered grievous casualties, its numbers falling from hundreds of millions to ten million. Yellow dragons, in particular, were reduced to only several tens of thousands, becoming exceptionally rare.

Precisely because of this, many earth-attributed innate spirit fruits and heavenly treasures were of little use to them, so they had accumulated quite a stockpile. Thus, it was no surprise that the Western Sea Dragon Clan had brought out two earth-attributed spirit fruits for Zhu Yin this time.

Zhu Yin was not displeased by this. After all, the Dragon Clan had to consider its own interests. Putting himself in their shoes, he too would have chosen rare treasures of little use to himself as gifts. That was only natural.

Besides, exchanging three mid-grade innate spirit fruits for one was already a sincere offer from them. And he himself was very satisfied with these two spirit fruits.

There were now four kinds of innate spiritual roots planted on Spirit Platform Mountain:

Geng Metal Tree (metal)

Fire Jujube Wood (fire)

Water Origin Fruit (water)

Netherworld Bamboo (wood)

Among them, Netherworld Bamboo had been specially cultivated by Zhu Yin himself, all to make up the five elements.

Other than Fire Jujube Wood, which bore abundant fruit, the other three spiritual roots had each only borne fruit once so far. Yet through these spirit fruits, Zhu Yin had successfully bred quite a few acquired spiritual roots, especially Geng Metal Fruit Trees, of which he had the greatest number.

The White Tiger Clan would occasionally bring Geng Metal Fruits to exchange for Enlightenment Tea. He had thus accumulated many of them and cultivated three low-grade innate Geng Metal Fruit mother trees. The result was that the fruit trees multiplied more and more, forming a virtuous cycle.

At present, the number of acquired Geng Metal Fruit Trees on Spirit Platform Mountain was second only to the Fire Jujube Trees.

He had gone to such great lengths to create five forests of Five Elements spirit fruits. Then, he would build a mountain atop each spirit forest, refine five acquired spiritual treasures, and finally set up a vast Five Elements Gathering Spirit Formation.

This grand formation was planned to cover more than fifty million li around Spirit Platform Mountain. By harnessing the mutually generating power of the five elements, it would strengthen the earth veins, raise the concentration of spiritual energy, and make the Western Lands more suitable for cultivation.

If he obtained more Five Elements spiritual roots in the future, he would continue planting them and arrange for clansmen cultivating the Five Elements laws to guard them, constantly increasing the formation's power.

Ever since he had conceived this idea, Zhu Yin had been quietly preparing for it. He had even asked the Hundred Treasures Hall and the Wood-and-Grass Clan to seek information about earth-attributed spiritual roots far and wide, but nothing suitable had turned up.

Yet with this single gift from the Western Sea Dragon Clan, two had arrived at once.

Although using the pits of mid-grade innate spirit fruits to cultivate new spiritual roots was extremely difficult, and might not succeed even with the Vitality Treasure Vase's help, Zhu Yin was not anxious. He knew such matters could not be rushed. If he took things slowly, there would always be hope.

Besides, he still had his master Zhunti and his martial uncle Jieyin supporting him. If he could establish a long-term partnership with the Western Sea Dragon Clan, then as he acquired more spirit fruits, he would have more chances to make mistakes and try again. He refused to believe that he could not cultivate them.

If all else failed, he would wait until his master became a saint before thinking of another way. He could either continue trading for fruits or directly trade for spiritual roots. He believed there would always be a way.

Not to mention that he had now obtained a supreme-grade Five-Needle Pine Fruit. If he could cultivate several Five Elements pine trees in the future, the power of that Five Elements grand formation would surely increase greatly.