The Western Lands Were Poor to Begin With; Aside from the Long-Inherited White Tiger Clan, Even Cultivators Who Reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal Realm Were Extremely Rare

Within a quiet room on Spirit Platform Mountain, the bell's chime continued to echo without end.

Zhu Yin sat cross-legged amid the ringing, wholly immersed in it, as though he had entered a mysterious world of Dao principles.

Everything his eyes saw and his heart perceived was composed of natural laws and the profound mysteries of the Great Dao.

As the saying went, "The four directions, above and below, are space; from ancient times to the present is time."

He seemed to stand within the River of Time, traveling through it as it sped up and slowed down, sometimes flowing backward and sometimes coming to a halt. It was like watching a surging river—now raging wildly, now gentle and mild, then suddenly turning and retreating.

It also seemed as though his entire being had become part of space itself, transforming into vortices, black holes, even separate little worlds—sometimes leaping, sometimes compressing, sometimes seeming to be isolated apart.

Time and space continuously collided and merged, eventually intertwining until they could no longer be separated.

Every drop of "water of time" seemed to be an entire small space.

And every space seemed to be a miniature reflection of a single drop of time.

Throughout this process, new laws were born, and a complete Space-Time Great Dao gradually took shape.

This Great Dao was ever-changing and unfathomably profound. Even an expert like Zhu Yin found it difficult to comprehend.

Fifteen hundred years later, Zhu Yin finally succeeded in fusing the two spiritual treasures in his hands and completely comprehended this Space-Time Great Dao, awakening from his state.

He opened his eyes, his gaze deep and mysterious. His left eye contained the power of time, while his right held the Dao of space. Within his body, an immense bamboo that pierced the heavens emerged, its roots deeply planted within the vastness of time and space, ancient and sacred.

This bamboo was exceptionally miraculous. Time could not erode it, nor could space destroy it.

Every one of its leaves was an independent world, and every vein in those leaves was a span of time.

As the strange phenomenon gradually faded, the mysterious aura around Zhu Yin slowly withdrew as well, returning to tranquility.

His gaze fell upon a great bell suspended in the void.

The bell was silver-white interwoven with transparency, sacred and dreamlike, as though all things between heaven and earth could be reflected within it, refracting the boundless cosmos.

If the "Eastern Sovereign Bell" represented the most intricate aspect of time and space intertwined... with sun, moon, and stars outside, mountains, rivers, and myriad races hidden within, its colors Chaos dark yellow...

Then this "Spacetime Bell" represented the ultimate simplicity... stripped of all complexity, leaving only pure time and space, brilliant and dazzling.

Of course, this newly refined "Spacetime Bell" was still far inferior to the Eastern Sovereign Bell.

The Eastern Sovereign Bell was an Innate Supreme Treasure of the Heaven-Opening grade, capable of suppressing the entire universe, controlling time and space, and refining the Five Elements. This bell, meanwhile, was merely a High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Though it possessed the beginnings of such power, it still had a long way to go.

Even so, Zhu Yin was exceedingly satisfied.

First, this treasure already possessed the ability to control time and space. It was both offensive and defensive, enormously powerful, and though it was not yet a supreme-grade spiritual treasure, it still far surpassed other high-grade spiritual treasures.

Second, through refining this bell, his understanding of the Space-Time Great Dao had deepened further. He was already close to stepping across the threshold of "perfection"; even experts who specialized in time and space might not be stronger than him.

His Great Freedom Dao thus gained powerful support and became even more flawless.

His progress was especially rapid in cultivating Spacetime Divine Abilities.

For example, the Sumeru Three Thousand Worlds divine ability he had originally cultivated had only achieved minor success. Now, it was nearing major success. With this divine ability alone, he could roam the Primordial World unopposed.

After putting away the Spacetime Bell to continue nurturing it, Zhu Yin closed his eyes once more and meditated, restoring his vitality and clearing his heart.

A hundred years later, Zhu Yin awoke again.

This time, he still did not leave seclusion. Instead, he swept his sleeve and took out three spiritual treasures.

Within the quiet room, three pearls floated in the air, their radiance flickering like dazzling stars.

They were the Dreamcloud Pearl, the Dream Illusion Pearl, and the Illusory Moon Pearl he had traded from the Witch Clan.

Among them, the Dream Illusion Pearl was a mid-grade spiritual treasure with twenty-seven Dao restrictions, already at the pinnacle of mid-grade.

The Dreamcloud Pearl and Illusory Moon Pearl, meanwhile, were low-grade spiritual treasures. Each possessed eighteen Dao restrictions and had both been nurtured by heaven and earth to their utmost limits.

When Zhu Yin had demanded that the Witch Clan exchange a "dream-attributed or illusion-attributed" spiritual treasure for spirit wine, it had been so that he could now fuse these three treasures into one.

The Witch Clan had indeed not disappointed him. Although the Illusory Moon Pearl was not especially compatible with the Dreamcloud Pearl, it was drawn to the Dream Illusion Pearl, which happened to create the opportunity for fusion.

Though Zhu Yin already had considerable experience with fusion, he remained extremely cautious. Once such a fusion failed, the losses would be tremendous.

The spiritual treasures had to attract one another, their attributes needed to be compatible, and the operation itself required the utmost precision. A single mistake would reduce all previous effort to ashes.

Fortunately, Zhu Yin had the Merit Golden Wheel's support. With the power of merit, he could reconcile the laws at critical moments and reduce the risk of failure.

Three hundred years later, the Dreamcloud Pearl smoothly merged into the Dream Illusion Pearl. The spiritual treasure's grade did not change, but its origin strengthened, giving birth to half a new Dao restriction.

He then continued by fusing the Illusory Moon Pearl into it as well. Though a few minor setbacks arose during the process, Zhu Yin handled them in time and ultimately completed it without danger.

This time, the Dream Illusion Pearl evolved again, completing a full new Dao restriction. It rose from twenty-seven to twenty-eight, officially stepping over the threshold into a high-grade spiritual treasure.

Though it had only just entered the high-grade, the changes brought by this elevation in rank were enormous. Both its abilities and potential underwent a qualitative transformation.

This fusion took a total of five hundred years. During that time, Zhu Yin also comprehended the Dream Illusion Great Dao for five hundred years and gained greatly from it.

Especially at the instant the treasure advanced, he seemed to see a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal attain Daluo Golden Immortal, with the entire Great Dao laid bare between heaven and earth without reservation.

As a result, his mastery of the Dream Illusion Dao advanced significantly, his divine abilities became stronger, and his realm grew more stable.

After putting away the spiritual treasure, Zhu Yin closed his eyes and entered meditation once more.

Several decades passed.

On the third floor of the Bamboo Building, a figure in green robes slowly stepped out.

Zhu Yin had finally emerged from seclusion!

After more than four thousand years in seclusion, he was now radiant and full of vigor, his bearing calm and composed.

He stood atop the mountain and gazed into the distance. Seeing Spirit Platform Mountain brimming with life, he felt greatly pleased.

He went to the Spirit Medicine Garden as well, wielding a spirit hoe and divine plow as he leisurely tended to the spirit roots and immortal herbs.

After finishing, he considered whether he should take in a few cattle or vegetation spirits to help tend the spirit fields. But after thinking it over, he abandoned the notion.

For such matters, it was best to let nature take its course. If he encountered them, he could take them in; if not, it mattered little. A tranquil state of mind was what mattered most.

After leaving the Spirit Medicine Garden, he strolled around the mountain for a while. Only after glancing at the scenery beyond the mountain did he send a voice transmission to summon the immortals under his command...

Inside a pavilion on Spirit Platform Mountain, a faint fragrance of tea drifted through the air.

The White Lotus Pool remained lush with life. Lotus blossoms were in full bloom, and their leaves were green as jade. The newly opened Black Lotus Pool beside it had also gradually begun to show hints of green, though it would still take some time before complete Innate Black Lotuses could grow.

Zhu Yin took a sip of freshly brewed spirit tea. Just as he was savoring it, a group of cultivators arrived one after another and congratulated him in unison on leaving seclusion. After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhu Yin began examining the fruits of their cultivation over the years.

On this Primordial World, strength was revered above all else. The Western Lands were poor to begin with; aside from the long-inherited White Tiger Clan, even cultivators who reached the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm were extremely rare.

Mount Sumeru's lineage was even more so. Apart from Hundred Herbs Fairy, Baiyi, and the two boy attendants Jinyi, there were scarcely any formidable experts worth mentioning. Hundred Herbs Fairy, in particular, had formed karmic ties with the Demon Race after once saving the Longbo Giants, making it inconvenient for her to show herself throughout this era.

Thus, Zhu Yin placed particular importance on the powerful figures under his command. Only when they were strong could Spirit Platform Mountain stand more firmly, and they could also share a great deal of his burdens.

At present, aside from Hundred Herbs Fairy, the strongest was Cang, chief of the Longbo Clan, who had already reached Golden Immortal Perfection. He was a true descendant of the bloodline of a Daluo Golden Immortal from long ago. His bloodline was pure, and he had every hope of entering the Primordial Unity realm. However, it was likewise inconvenient for him to appear publicly.

Fortunately, the Longbo Clan excelled at controlling water-element laws, so Zhu Yin had them repair the water veins within a million li around Spirit Platform Mountain. They usually hid within rivers and streams and rarely showed themselves, yet they had helped greatly.

Next was Hundred Flowers Fairy, who had already reached the Late Golden Immortal Peak. She had cultivated for a long time to begin with, received Zhu Yin's guidance through several Dao lectures, and assisted in repairing the Western Lands' earth veins for many years. Favored by Western Qi, her cultivation naturally advanced at great speed.

The White Tiger Jin Tu possessed exceptional talent. Not only did he have Spirit Platform Mountain's resources, but he also received support from the White Tiger Clan. Better still, during the last ceremony he gained an opportunity from the Witch Clan. After merely four thousand years of imprisonment, he broke through and emerged, and had now entered the Late Golden Immortal stage as well.

Zhu Yin held great expectations for him and regarded him as an important fighting force.

Although the Jiaochong Queen Bee was not an Innate sacred being, her bloodline was extraordinary. She could freely enter and leave the Spirit Medicine Garden, gathering honey and refining medicine there while using spirit flowers to aid her cultivation. She had now reached the Early Golden Immortal Peak.

Five Fruits Fairy, on the other hand, possessed weaker talent. She was merely an ordinary spirit root that had reached the Transformation Stage. Though ten thousand years of cultivation had brought improvement, she was still some distance from the Early Golden Immortal Peak.

After ten thousand years of tempering, the two boy attendants Wuxin and Wuqing had also successfully broken through and attained the Golden Immortal realm.

Fuqu, the merfolk queen of Whitewater Lake, also possessed an exceptionally powerful bloodline, no weaker than that of pure-blooded merfolk from the Southern Sea. She could cultivate with the help of the White Lotus Pool and had now reached the Mysterious Immortal Late Stage.

A clear breeze brushed across the pavilion, carrying waves of faint fragrance. Zhu Yin looked at that group of young ones, his heart filled with satisfaction.

The children of the Hundred Illusion Butterfly and the Mirage Dragon had been born for ten thousand years. Their bloodlines were extraordinary, and Spirit Platform Mountain's spiritual energy was abundant. They had all now broken through into the True Immortal realm. So long as they cultivated diligently, they would surely possess Mysterious Immortal cultivation in the future.

Several Innate earthworms had also grown to a hundred zhang in size. Their presence made the spirit soil even more fertile.