When He Truly Reached Great Principle Perfection, Spirit Platform Mountain Would Also Advance to an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land!

The three clan chiefs on Spirit Platform Mountain did not stay long. After briefly looking around the Hundred Treasures Hall and Merit Pavilion, and exchanging some mid-grade Innate Mind-Clearing 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 draw their interest, everything else seemed merely average... perhaps useful to Golden Immortals, but not enough to qualify as a true Grand Unity blessed land.

They themselves came from great clans, with deep foundations and abundant resources, so naturally they looked further ahead. Still, they all remembered the Hundred Treasures Hall and recognized it as a promising prospect.

Once Spirit Platform Mountain successfully advanced into an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land, the Hundred Treasures Hall would surely rise with the tide. By then, it would attract even more true Grand Unity experts, and it would not be too late for them to return.

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

After all, the Dragon Clan had carried karmic sin for far too long. The Mirage Dragon Clan and Hundred Illusion Butterfly Clan had also been implicated. Though their burden was not as severe as the Dragon Clan's, it was still far from pleasant. They all desperately coveted Merit.

Yet they also understood that the karmic sin upon them could not be resolved by casually obtaining a little Merit. With such a massive amount involved, they did not dare act rashly without Zhu Yin's permission.

Still, they had remembered this place. Once they returned, they would certainly speak at length with their respective clan chiefs or Dragon Kings.

At this moment, Zhu Yin sat in a pavilion on Spirit Platform Mountain, watching them depart. He had heard their evaluations—both praise and criticism. Yet his heart remained as still as water, untouched by either.

He accepted the strengths and acknowledged the flaws. After all, the Hundred Treasures Hall had existed for less than a hundred thousand years. It truly still needed time to accumulate its foundations, 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 matured, the richer its fragrance. He knew how to proceed in the future, and he would not disrupt his own pace because of anyone.

After finishing his tea, he rose and entered his cultivation quiet room.

He spread open his palm, revealing a pearl and a small shield. These were the two Innate Spiritual 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. It was a Medium-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

The shield was called the Wither-and-Bloom Shield. It contained the power of the Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao, possessed astonishing defensive strength, and was a High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Zhu Yin was extremely satisfied with these two treasures. Compared to their sheer power, he valued the profound truths of the laws contained within them even more.

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

With those thoughts in mind, Zhu Yin calmed his heart and began refining the two treasures, deeply comprehending the Dao methods within them.

Meanwhile, far away in the Western Sea.

After listening to the elders' report, the Dragon King of the Western Sea remained silent for a long time 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 Perfected Primordial Unity realm. Before long, he will be able to inherit the position of Dragon King. Go personally and deliver an invitation to Spirit Platform Mountain."

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

"Also, the moment the Crown Prince leaves seclusion, have him come see me immediately."

Elsewhere, the Dragon King of the Southern Sea held much the same thoughts.

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 gratification.

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

Their younger generation had already been accepted by Zhu Yin and were cultivating on Spirit Platform Mountain. Their futures would surely extend far beyond anything they could imagine.

As for the matter of the Merit Pavilion, none of them mentioned it. It was not that they did not want 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 passed, and Zhu Yin paid no attention to what became of the three clans.

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

He believed that the countless Great Daos were all steps upon his path forward.

Above Spirit Platform Mountain, auspicious clouds curled through the sky. A towering emerald bamboo, tens of thousands of feet high, grew increasingly verdant and upright, radiating boundless divine light of purity and freedom. A dreamlike aura also appeared around it, making the sight breathtakingly beautiful.

Five hundred years later, Zhu Yin opened his eyes.

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

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

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

The whip was "movement," representing the process by which all things transformed from withering to flourishing. The shield was "stillness," symbolizing the result after that transformation had been completed.

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

"The Mirage Dragon Clan truly put thought into this."

Zhu Yin murmured softly.

Although he knew that the Mirage Dragon Clan had been willing to give him this High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure because they were not skilled in the Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao, and it was better to trade it for goodwill than leave it unused.

Still, Zhu Yin was grateful. He decided that he would look after those younger members of the Mirage Dragon Clan a little more in the future, even if their original debt of gratitude had already been settled.

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

Outsiders did not know that he had also hidden a Wither-and-Bloom Whip. Together with this Wither-and-Bloom Shield, it formed a complete "Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao."

Both Innate Spiritual Treasures possessed thirty-six Innate Dao Restrictions and were only a step away from advancing into Top-Grade Spiritual Treasures.

Now, the time had come. Yin and Yang merged as one, and Zhu Yin immediately acted, bringing out the two magical treasures and allowing them to fuse.

The Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao emerged. Yin and Yang shifted, while life and death alternated.

He opened his dharma eye, wisdom eye, and heart eye, seeing countless profound mysteries within the Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao.

Black and white alternated, unfolding the laws of Two Modes: life and death, water and fire, movement and stillness—all merged within "wither-and-bloom."

Time flowed, seasons changed, and the growth and decay of grass 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 meaning of purity and freedom.

When all things withered to their limits, that was also the beginning of new life.

All things renewed themselves, karma dissipated, and everything returned to tranquility.

Within the Bamboo Building on Spirit Platform Mountain.

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

The cultivator Zhu Yin, dressed in azure robes and seated in meditation without moving for a full three hundred thousand days, finally opened his eyes on this day.

His gaze was deep. Within his eyes seemed to lie the mysteries of time's flow, the alternation of life and death, the rise and decline of all things, as well as a tranquility and freedom that had endured eternity and preserved undying vitality.

The aura he emitted was mysterious and powerful, but it soon returned to plainness, making him appear no different from an ordinary person.

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

The affairs of the world were unpredictable. No one had expected the Mirage Dragon Clan to give him a precious Innate Spiritual Treasure... the Wither-and-Bloom Shield. He himself also happened to possess a treasure of the same grade... the Wither-and-Bloom Whip. The two Innate Spiritual Treasures had unexpectedly fit together perfectly, forming "Wither-and-Bloom Yin-Yang."

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

Over the past nine hundred years, he had fused the two treasures while comprehending the "Wither-and-Bloom Great Dao" they represented. At the same time, he incorporated Great Dao laws such as "Yin-Yang" and "time" into his cultivation, allowing his realm to advance further.

The result of merging these two Innate Spiritual Treasures was a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure named the Wither-and-Bloom Mirror, whose power rivaled the magical treasures of Quasi-Sage experts!

The entire process was like having a powerful expert personally impart all of his cultivation insights to him without withholding anything. Even between master and disciple, or among relatives, such generosity was exceedingly rare.

Therefore, Zhu Yin treasured this opportunity deeply. For nine hundred years, he cultivated with single-minded focus. The drain upon his mind and spirit was immense, but in return, he achieved an enormous breakthrough.

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

When he looked back at himself, he realized that his cultivation had quietly reached the Peak Late Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. He was only one step away from Great Principle Perfection, and even that final bottleneck had already loosened. At most, he would need another ten thousand years to break through!

Once he truly entered Great Principle Perfection, Spirit Platform Mountain would also advance into an Upper-grade Grotto-heaven Blessed Land!

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

For example:

Great Freedom Mysterious Radiance: Fusing the Yin-Yang Great Dao, its power increased a hundredfold. It could encompass life and death and control withering and flourishing.

Great Freedom Seal: Combining hardness and softness, it could suppress and transform all things.

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

Then there were the changes brought by the Time Great Dao:

One Year, One Wither-and-Bloom: This divine ability could draw upon the power of time to affect the rise and decline of all things.

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

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

Although these time-based divine abilities still seemed immature compared to his Yin-Yang divine abilities, they possessed immense potential and a promising future.

Zhu Yin was extremely satisfied with the results of this cultivation. Though he pursued the Great Dao, he was not 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, one step at a time, was 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 steady progress and would not sacrifice the fundamentals for superficial gains.

After all, from Taiyi Golden Immortal to his current Peak Late Great Principle realm, he had spent only a little over a hundred thousand years. That was already an extremely fast cultivation speed.

Coming back to himself, Zhu Yin absorbed the newly forged Wither-and-Bloom Mirror into his body and slowly nurtured it with his mana.