Spirit Platform Mountain Could Nurture Our Younger Generation Well and Had the Foundation for Long-Term Cooperation with the Dragon Clan

Inside Bodhi Hall.

After Zhu Yin paid his respects, Zhunti and Jieyin took their seats of honor.

Seeing that Zhu Yin had now reached the Late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, their faces were full of gratification.

When they learned that he had obtained three Five-Needle Pine Fruits and, aided by the fortune of the Hundred Treasures Hall, had broken through again in just over twenty thousand years, the two exchanged a smile. Zhunti said:

"This is both your fortune and something you earned for yourself. The Hundred Treasures Hall was founded by you, and the Enlightenment Tea you gave away during the Heavenly Wedding was also a cause. Your outstanding cultivation drew attention, which was another cause... Only when all these causes came together did they form the fruit you enjoy today."

"If you had not cultivated diligently all along, built a deep foundation, and received the support of Western Qi, how could you have seized the opportunity and broken through in one stroke?"

"Your achievements today make your teacher very happy. Remember to continue cultivating. Do not let greed disturb you and delay your own Dao."

Zhu Yin answered respectfully, "This disciple will remember your teachings. I will surely sever distracting thoughts, purify my Dao heart, and bravely climb the great Dao."

Zhunti nodded and looked toward Jieyin. "Senior Brother, do you have anything to say?"

Jieyin merely smiled faintly and said, "All things have cause and effect. When you act, follow your heart. Do not concern yourself with too much."

After this round of instruction, the two of them joined hands to resolve Zhu Yin's doubts for a full five hundred years before asking why he had come.

They had long understood Zhu Yin's temperament... He disliked moving about and usually cultivated in seclusion or repaired the earth veins in the Western Lands. Unless something major happened, he would never leave home.

Thus, his visit this time had to be a request for something.

Zhu Yin did not beat around the bush and spoke directly:

"This disciple came to ask whether the two elders still have any Primordial Divine Soil?"

"Spirit Platform Mountain is about to advance into an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land. If Supreme-grade Divine Soil can assist it, there may be a chance to cultivate an innate spiritual root. That would be a tremendous benefit to Spirit Platform Mountain, the Western Lands, and even Mount Sumeru."

Jieyin fell silent and turned to look at Zhunti.

He had spent all year in seclusion. Leave aside Supreme-grade Divine Soil—even upper-grade soil was scarce to him. If not for the Dao Ancestor and Treasure-Dividing Cliff, he might not even compare to Zhu Yin.

Seeing the looks in both their eyes, Zhunti could only helplessly take out a jade box, his tone rather disdainful.

"This contains Five-Colored Divine Soil, an innate supreme-grade treasure. It contains the Five Virtues and is exceedingly precious. I only kept a little for emergencies; the rest is all in this box. Do not waste it."

Zhu Yin accepted the jade box and thanked him happily. Though Zhunti complained aloud, he was actually willing in his heart. Still, he muttered:

"I worked so hard forging karmic ties outside and saving up good things, yet more than half of them have been taken by you brat. If you gain junior brothers in the future, you must not be stingy!"

Zhu Yin smiled. "This disciple has long prepared meeting gifts."

Zhunti pretended to be angry and hurriedly drove him away, lest his heart continue to ache.

After leaving the hall, Zhu Yin handed the prepared jade bottles to Jinyi and the White-Clothed Boy. Each contained three drops of Three Lights Divine Water.

Inside the hall, Zhunti watched Zhu Yin's departing figure, his face full of smiles. When he saw that bottle of divine water, he was positively overjoyed.

"That brat has a hard mouth but a soft heart."

Zhunti looked at Jieyin and said with feeling, "You have never taken on a disciple, so you do not understand the joy of teaching one. When you take a disciple someday, you will naturally understand."

Jieyin still wore that sorrowful expression of one who showed compassion for all living beings. He smiled without speaking.

Spirit Platform Mountain was lush and green, wreathed in clouds and mist, its scenery picturesque.

After returning to his Dao Field, Zhu Yin did not immediately begin planting innate spiritual roots. The Five-Colored Divine Soil in his possession was rare and precious; not an inch could be wasted. Before Spirit Platform Mountain advanced into an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land, he would not act rashly, much less risk using that precious Five-Needle Pine Fruit seed.

For him, waiting was affordable. There was no need to hurry.

Not long afterward, the Dragon Clan came again.

This time, not only had the Western Sea Dragon Clan arrived, but the Southern Sea Dragon Clan had come as well. They had long heard of the Hundred Treasures Hall's reputation and had specially come to visit, bringing along descendants of the Hundred Illusion Butterfly Clan and the Mirage Dragon Clan.

Zhu Yin received the elders of these clans, though their treatment was far inferior to that of the Western Sea Dragon Queen. After exchanging a few simple courtesies and accepting the Innate Spiritual Treasure sent by the Mirage Dragon Clan, he allowed them to wander freely and arranged for Hundred Herbs Fairy to entertain them.

Hundred Herbs Fairy's cultivation had now stabilized, and she was just qualified to receive these distinguished Primordial Unity Golden Immortal guests. In terms of status, she was also considered their equal.

Under Zhu Yin's secret instructions, Hundred Herbs Fairy led the four of them around Spirit Platform Mountain, showing them the Primordial Lotus Pool, the beehives in Hundred Flowers Valley, Dragonfish Spirit Lake, the Flame Mulberry Tree atop the mountain, and other places.

They also deliberately passed by the outside of the Spirit Medicine Garden.

It should be mentioned here that the original beehives were no longer in the Spirit Medicine Garden. The bee swarm had grown, and the queen bee had moved the hive to Hundred Flowers Valley. All manner of flowers, grasses, and spiritual roots had been planted there. Though they were all acquired spiritual plants, their quality was not low, their varieties were numerous, and their value was considerable.

As for the Spirit Medicine Garden, only Spirit Bees that had reached the True Immortal realm were qualified to enter.

As for Dragonfish Spirit Lake, it covered hundreds of thousands of li and was divided into two sections:

A small portion was called Whitewater Lake. The Dragonfish there had developed intelligence, and some could even transform into human form. With human bodies and fish tails, they could weave cloth and shed tears that became pearls. The fabric they produced could not only be made into defensive robes, but also had the effect of calming and concentrating wandering souls. It was especially sought after in the Hundred Treasures Hall.

The merfolk queen of Whitewater Lake had recently cultivated to the Mysterious Immortal realm. She was beautiful and possessed an ethereal bearing. Unlike the Southern Sea merfolk, the scales of Spirit Platform merfolk were pure white, like lotus petals, and they carried a faint lotus fragrance. After reaching the Transformation Stage, they bore a lotus imprint on their foreheads.

The other, much larger area was still called Dragonfish Lake. It contained tens of thousands of Dragonfish spanning more than thirty species, all of which possessed Ancient Beast bloodlines.

Ancient Beasts had been regarded as delicacies by all races in ancient times and hunted in great numbers. After several great calamities, they had nearly gone extinct. Today, only ancient great clans or secret realms might still keep them.

These Dragonfish had awakened within the Primordial Lotus Pool. They possessed both Dragon Clan bloodlines and Ancient Beast bloodlines.

Although most of them lacked intelligence and were like wild beasts, the advantage was that they grew quickly. Several hundred had already reached the Mysterious Immortal realm. The strongest among them, the Lotus Dragonfish King, had already cultivated to Mysterious Immortal Perfection.

Jin Tu was greedy for their flesh and often sneaked over to catch fish to eat. However, he knew where the line was. Without Zhu Yin's orders, he did not dare touch the powerful ones.

The other Dragonfish with more ordinary aptitude were raised in the spirit lake at the foot of the mountain. Once they reached the Transformation Stage, Zhu Yin planned to relocate them outside the mountain and bring a little more vitality to the Western Lands.

Time passed to Worry-Free Spirit Land.

It had advanced into a Supreme-grade Spirit Land a thousand years ago. The guest quarters were now built within tree hollows, spacious and comfortable.

The four Grand Unity elders from the Dragon Clan, Hundred Illusion Butterflies, and Mirage Dragon Clan gathered together. After a long silence, the elder of the Western Sea Dragon Clan spoke:

"Previously, we had only heard of Spirit Platform Mountain's greatness. Who could have imagined that seeing it today would be so shocking?"

"Enlightenment Tea, Mind-Clearing Bamboo, Life-and-Death Fruit, Starfruit... These innate spiritual roots should not have appeared together in the first place. I thought that no matter how impressive Spirit Platform Mountain was, it could possess at most these things. Adding that Primordial Lotus Pool would already have been its limit."

"But I never expected that Flame Mulberry Tree atop the mountain to be an innate mid-grade spiritual root. And that mass of light in the tree may well be a divine bird egg with an extraordinary bloodline."

"Then there was the fragrance of those Water Spirit Fruits outside the Spirit Medicine Garden. One whiff was enough to tell they were innate spiritual fruits. Though they could not compare to the Black Tortoise Clan's supreme-grade Water Origin Fruits, they were still rare treasures."

"On just one short tour, we discovered two or three innate spiritual roots. Spirit Platform Mountain's foundation... is far deeper than we imagined!"

"I estimate that before long, Spirit Platform Mountain will advance into an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land. At that point, across the entire Primordial Wilderness, it will rank among the foremost blessed lands."

"This Venerable Zhu Yin truly inspires both respect and admiration."

The other three elders all nodded in agreement.

The Southern Sea Dragon Clan elder's eyes shone as he said:

"I have never seen merfolk like those in Whitewater Lake before. They are unlike ours of the Southern Sea—fresh and unworldly, carrying lotus fragrance besides. If they did not refuse to leave Spirit Platform Mountain, I would truly want to marry one as my wife. The children she bore would surely be extraordinary."

The Hundred Illusion Butterfly elder rolled her eyes at him and said softly:

"Hundred Flowers Valley is no worse. I asked Fellow Daoist Hundred Herbs, and there are tens of thousands of spiritual flowers in that valley. Not only are there flowers and grasses from our Western Lands, but also from the east, south, and north, as well as many exotic flowers and herbs from the sea and beneath the waters."

"Spirit Platform Mountain has two more Hundred Flowers Valleys on such a scale. Each valley contains an innate spirit lake, no smaller than Dragonfish Lake."

"Our Hundred Illusion Butterflies and Mirage Dragon Clan descendants can choose one of them to live in and continue living together in the future."

"Moreover, I saw dozens of Mysterious Immortal Spirit Bees flying near the Spirit Medicine Garden. They carried the fragrance of innate spiritual flowers. It seems that many high-grade flowers and grasses have been planted inside."

"I had originally worried that sending our clan's younger generation here might be unsuitable, but now I am completely at ease. Once Spirit Platform Mountain advances, the treatment here will be even better than within our own clan."

The Mirage Dragon Clan elder also smiled and nodded.

"The places Fellow Daoist Hundred Herbs showed us today, as well as the route she took us along, were all carefully arranged. It was clearly Venerable Zhu Yin's intention—to have us return and convey a message to the forces behind us... Spirit Platform Mountain has the ability to nurture our younger generation well and enough foundation for long-term cooperation with the Dragon Clan."

"Not only Mind-Clearing Tea, but other spiritual treasures can also be traded. Everyone benefits, and all prosper together."