Once He Truly Stepped into Great Principle Perfection, Spirit Platform Mountain Would Also Advance into a Superior Cave-Heaven Blessed Land!

The three clan chiefs on Spirit Platform Mountain did not stay long. After briefly experiencing the Hundred Treasures Hall and Merit Pavilion, and exchanging some mid-grade innate Clear Spirit tea leaves with Zhu Yin, they each took their leave.

Although the Hundred Treasures Hall was fairly popular, in the eyes of these elder Golden Immortals, it still lacked deep foundations. Aside from the grand auction held once every ten thousand years, which could attract them, everything else seemed merely so-so... perhaps useful to Golden Immortals, but not enough to be called a true Grand Unity blessed land.

They themselves came from great clans, with deep backgrounds and abundant resources, so naturally they saw further ahead. Still, they had all remembered the Hundred Treasures Hall and knew it was a promising prospect.

Once Spirit Platform Mountain successfully advanced into a superior cave-heaven blessed land, the Hundred Treasures Hall would surely rise with the tide. When that time came and it attracted more true Grand Unity experts, it would not be too late to return.

Compared to the Hundred Treasures Hall, the Merit Pavilion left an even deeper impression on them.

After all, the karmic burden carried by the Dragon Clan had not accumulated in a day or two. The Mirage Dragon Clan and Hundred Illusion Butterfly Clan had also been implicated. Though theirs was not as severe as the Dragon Clan's, it was still far from pleasant. They all coveted merit intensely.

But they also understood that the karmic burden upon them could not be resolved by casually gaining a little merit. With such an enormous amount involved, without Zhu Yin's permission, they did not dare act rashly.

Still, they had remembered this place. Once they returned, they would certainly have a proper discussion with their respective clan chiefs or Dragon Kings.

At this moment, Zhu Yin sat in a pavilion on Spirit Platform Mountain, watching the few of them depart. He had heard their assessments, both praise and criticism. Yet his heart remained as calm as still water, unaffected by them.

He accepted the strengths and acknowledged the flaws. After all, the Hundred Treasures Hall had been established for less than a hundred thousand years. It truly still lacked the seasoning of time, and most of those it served were lower- and middle-level cultivators.

Zhu Yin was not afraid to face reality. He believed the Hundred Treasures Hall was like a jar of aged wine—the longer it sat, the richer its fragrance became. He knew how to proceed in the future and would not disrupt his own rhythm because of anyone.

After finishing his cup of tea, he rose and entered his cultivation chamber.

He spread open his palm, revealing a pearl and a small shield. These were the two innate spirit treasures sent by the Mirage Dragon Clan.

The pearl was called the Dream Illusion Pearl. It carried the aura of the Dream Illusion Great Dao and combined offense and defense in one. It was a mid-grade innate spirit treasure.

The shield was called the Wither-and-Bloom Shield. It contained the power of the Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao and possessed extremely powerful defenses. It was a superior-grade innate spirit treasure.

Zhu Yin was extremely satisfied with these two treasures. More than their simple power, he valued the profound mysteries of the laws contained within them.

The Dream Illusion Pearl could help him comprehend the Dream Illusion Dao and advance further in comprehending the Dao through dreams. The Wither-and-Bloom Shield, meanwhile, could help him understand the cycle of vitality and withering, bringing him closer to the essence of the Great Dao.

With these thoughts in mind, Zhu Yin calmed his heart and began refining the two treasures, deeply comprehending the Daoist laws within them.

At this time, far away in the Western Sea.

After hearing the elders' reports, the Western Sea Dragon King remained silent for a long while before finally speaking.

"Spirit Platform Mountain is even more formidable than we expected... From now on, our Dragon Clan will rent a shop in the Hundred Treasures Hall and specialize in selling rare treasures from the sea, so that Venerable Zhu Yin will retain a favorable impression of us."

"My son Shun'er has already entered the realm of Grand Unity Perfection. Before long, he will be able to inherit the position of Dragon King. You will personally make a trip and deliver an invitation to Spirit Platform Mountain."

"Whether Venerable Zhu Yin comes or not, this invitation must be delivered to show the attitude of our Dragon Clan."

"And once the Crown Prince emerges from seclusion, have him come see me immediately."

The Southern Sea Dragon King held much the same idea.

They all understood clearly that Spirit Platform Mountain was now a promising prospect. Even if they could not befriend it, they absolutely could not offend it.

As for the Mirage Dragon Clan and Hundred Illusion Butterfly Clan, their clan chiefs exchanged smiles, their faces full of relief.

"This time, we finally got ahead of the Dragon Clan."

Their juniors had already been accepted by Zhu Yin and were cultivating on Spirit Platform Mountain. Their future prospects would certainly surpass even their own imaginations.

As for the matter of the Merit Pavilion, neither of them mentioned it. It was not that they did not wish to, but that they could not bring it up yet.

To their three clans, merit was like a double-edged sword. Used well, it could save their lives; used poorly, it could hasten their deaths. Thus, they preferred to proceed slowly and wait for the right opportunity.

Time flowed on, but Zhu Yin paid no attention to what happened afterward with the three clans.

He immersed himself in cultivation. Though his cultivation did not immediately improve, his understanding of the Great Dao grew ever deeper, and his reserves of laws became increasingly abundant.

He believed that the countless paths of the Great Dao were all steps beneath his feet as he moved forward.

Above Spirit Platform Mountain, auspicious clouds curled through the sky. A verdant bamboo towering ten thousand zhang grew ever greener and more upright, radiating boundless divine light of purity and freedom. Around it, there was now an additional dreamy aura, beautiful beyond compare.

Five hundred years later, Zhu Yin opened his eyes.

The Dream Illusion Pearl and Wither-and-Bloom Shield had already been completely refined by him, and he had fully mastered the laws within them.

He picked up the Wither-and-Bloom Shield and examined it closely.

This treasure and another magical treasure in his possession... the Wither-and-Bloom Whip... could be called a pair, complementing one another.

The whip was "motion," representing the changing process through which all things went from withering to flourishing. The shield was "stillness," symbolizing the result after that transformation was complete.

One represented the beginning, and the other represented the end.

"The Mirage Dragon Clan truly put their hearts into this."

Zhu Yin murmured softly.

Although he knew that the Mirage Dragon Clan had been willing to offer this superior spirit treasure because they were not skilled in the Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao, and rather than leave it idle, they might as well give it to him in exchange for goodwill.

Zhu Yin was still grateful. He decided that he would look after those Mirage Dragon Clan juniors a little more in the future, even if the favor between them had originally already been settled.

After all, what he had received this time was not an ordinary treasure, but a great opportunity.

Outsiders did not know that he also possessed a Wither-and-Bloom Whip. With this Wither-and-Bloom Shield working alongside it, they would form a complete "Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao."

Both spirit treasures possessed thirty-six innate Dao restrictions and were only a step away from advancing into supreme-grade spirit treasures.

Now that the time had come, yin and yang united as one. Zhu Yin immediately acted, bringing forth the two magical treasures and allowing them to merge with each other.

The Dao of withering and flourishing emerged as yin and yang shifted, life and death alternating.

He opened his Dharma Eye, Wisdom Eye, and Heart Eye, seeing countless mysteries within the Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao.

Black and white alternated, unfolding the laws of the Two Forms: life and death, water and fire, motion and stillness—all fused into "wither-and-bloom."

Time flowed, seasons changed, and the growth and decay of grasses and trees represented the cycle of the four seasons. The waxing and waning of all things reflected the alternation of day and night.

He also saw the Vitality Great Dao and comprehended the ultimate purity and freedom.

When all things withered to their utmost limit, it was also the beginning of new life.

All phenomena renewed themselves, karma dispersed, and everything returned to tranquility.

Within the bamboo dwelling on Spirit Platform Mountain.

Nine hundred years passed, and the secluded cultivation chamber finally returned to calm.

The cultivator Zhu Yin, dressed in green and seated motionlessly in meditation for a full three hundred thousand days, finally opened his eyes on this day.

His gaze was profound. Within his eyes seemed to lie the mysteries of time's passage, life's and death's alternation, the rise and fall of all things, as well as a tranquil freedom that had endured eternity, its vitality never extinguished.

The aura he emitted was mysterious and powerful, yet it quickly returned to plainness, making him look like an ordinary person.

Floating before him was an ancient treasure mirror, wrapped in countless streams of light and shadow. As he looked at the mirror, he could not help but smile.

The affairs of the world were impossible to predict. No one would have expected the Mirage Dragon Clan to give him a precious innate spirit treasure... the Wither-and-Bloom Shield. And he himself happened to possess another treasure of the same rank... the Wither-and-Bloom Whip. The two spirit treasures had unexpectedly fit together perfectly, forming "Wither-and-Bloom Yin-Yang."

The great opportunity brought by this coincidence naturally fell into Zhu Yin's hands.

Over the past nine hundred years, he had allowed the two treasures to fuse while comprehending the "Dao of Wither-and-Bloom" they represented. At the same time, he incorporated Great Dao laws such as "yin-yang" and "time" into his own cultivation, allowing his cultivation to advance another step.

The result of merging the two spirit treasures was a supreme-grade innate spirit treasure named the "Wither-and-Bloom Mirror," whose power was comparable to a magical treasure wielded by a Quasi-Sage expert!

The entire process was like a powerful expert personally and unreservedly imparting all his cultivation insights to him. Even between master and disciple, or among family, such a thing was rarely done.

Thus, Zhu Yin cherished this opportunity all the more. For nine hundred years, day after day, he cultivated with complete concentration. His spiritual exhaustion was immense, but because of it, he also achieved a tremendous breakthrough.

Only after the Wither-and-Bloom Mirror had fully taken shape did he finally awaken from meditation.

When he looked back and examined himself, he discovered that his cultivation had silently reached the Peak Late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. He was only one step away from perfection, and even that final bottleneck had already loosened. At most, he would break through within ten thousand years!

Once he truly stepped into Great Principle Perfection, Spirit Platform Mountain would also advance into a superior cave-heaven blessed land!

Not only that, he had also achieved considerable attainments in the Yin-Yang Great Dao and had even gained insights into the Time Great Dao, causing the various divine abilities he possessed to undergo a qualitative leap.

For example:

Great Freedom Mysterious Radiance: It fused the Dao of yin and yang, increasing its power a hundredfold. It could encompass life and death and control withering and flourishing.

Great Freedom Seal: It balanced hardness and softness, able to suppress and transform all things.

Great Freedom Nirvana Divine Ability: Life and death revolved, withering and flourishing alternated, vitality flourished, and purity and freedom endured.

Then there were the changes brought by the Dao of time:

One Year, One Wither-and-Bloom: This divine ability could borrow the power of passing years to influence the rise and decline of all things.

Spacetime Fixation: It could freeze time for a short period, producing the effect of "time stop."

Time-Flow Dharma Body: His own body would not be affected by the passage of time, its vitality forever preserved.

Although his time divine abilities still seemed immature compared to his yin-yang divine abilities, their potential was enormous, and the future held great promise.

Zhu Yin was extremely satisfied with the results of this time. Although he pursued the Great Dao, he would not be greedy.

He knew deeply that the path of cultivation could not be rushed. Seeking quick success would only bring backlash upon oneself. Only by advancing steadily, step by step, was one following the proper path.

He had the support of Mount Sumeru's lineage. As long as he did not court death, time was not a problem for him. He preferred to fight steadily and surely, never abandoning the root to chase the branches.

After all, from Primordial Unity Golden Immortal all the way to his current Peak Late Great Principle realm, he had used only a little over a hundred thousand years. This was already an exceptionally fast cultivation speed.

After gathering his thoughts, Zhu Yin stored the newly forged Wither-and-Bloom Mirror within his body and slowly nourished it with his mana.