Gourd Babies on the Vine, a Daoist with a Disk on His Head

In the Primordial World, where Primordial Chaos had only just been divided, Mount Buzhou stood like a giant holding up heaven and earth, towering proudly as it silently watched the surging river of time for hundreds of millions of years, bearing witness to the rise and fall, flourishing and withering of all things beneath the heavens.

Xiao Teng, a "visitor from beyond the heavens" from another spacetime, had unexpectedly had his soul possess the Innate Gourd Vine, one of the ten great innate spiritual roots.

When the first golden ray of morning sunlight scattered across the seven gradually growing gourds, outlining mottled, kaleidoscopic shadows, Xiao Teng's thoughts drifted back to his distant past life.

Without thinking, he hummed that all-too-familiar tune: "Gourd Babies, Gourd Babies, seven flowers on a single vine..."

The Innate Gourd Vine was one of the ten supreme innate spiritual roots.

But don't let the lofty title of "supreme innate spiritual root" fool you. Xiao Teng was suffering bitterly inside; he was practically the most tragic existence in the "spiritual root world."

Why? He knew it as clearly as a mirror: once these seven Gourd Baby-like gourds matured, what awaited him would be a grand feast of division.

His seven gourds would be snatched and fought over by great powers such as the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, like children fighting over candy.

Even after his death, his withered branches would not escape Nuwa's "clutches"; she would uproot him completely and use him with mud to create living beings.

Whenever he thought of this, Xiao Teng felt as though an invisible hand were fiercely twisting his little heart, leaving him restless with dread.

No, he absolutely could not sit still and wait for death!

Xiao Teng gritted his teeth and secretly swore that he would cultivate diligently, take form as soon as possible, and escape this terrifying fate.

Bitter Bamboo and the Bodhi Tree in the west were both examples of innate spiritual roots that had successfully taken form, attained the Dao, and become saints.

Xiao Teng's heart was full of envy, and he hoped that one day he could be like them as well.

As one of the ten great innate spiritual roots, Xiao Teng believed he was no worse than they were. Besides, he knew the major events of this world, so he was bound to become even stronger than them.

The moment he decided, he acted. Xiao Teng gathered his thoughts and poured all his energy into cultivation.

He took a deep breath. In an instant, the spiritual energy within a hundred-mile radius came rushing toward Xiao Teng in an endless stream, and he swallowed every last bit of it into his body.

The other spiritual beings nearby were so startled that their jaws nearly hit the ground. They stood there stupidly, muttering to themselves, "Good heavens, where's the spiritual energy? Why has all the spiritual energy disappeared?"

Xiao Teng paid them no mind. He carefully guided the spiritual energy he had absorbed, circulating it through his meridians and gradually transforming it into his own cultivation.

As more and more spiritual energy gathered, Xiao Teng could clearly feel his strength steadily rising.

"Mother, Mother..." While Xiao Teng was immersed in cultivation, several gourds called out in soft, childish voices full of dependence.

Xiao Teng shuddered in fright and hurriedly corrected them, "I'm not your mother. If you must call me something, call me Father."

The seven gourds were filled with question marks. In their newly sprouted consciousnesses, the one who gave them life and nourishment was clearly Mother. Why did they have to change it to Father now?

However, they were kind-hearted and could not bear to see Father unhappy. After struggling with it briefly, they obediently changed their tune. "Father, Father."

Looking at these unbearably adorable gourds, Xiao Teng felt as though he had tucked a little stove into his heart, warm from the inside out.

But he also knew time was pressing, and there was no room for the slightest laziness. Otherwise, these adorable little fellows would become someone else's.

So he softly warned them, "You little ones, stay put and don't disturb my cultivation. Otherwise, when calamity descends upon us, we'll all be finished."

"Why is Father cultivating so desperately?" The youngest gourd, Seventh Gourd, blinked his round little eyes and curiously asked his brothers.

Da Wa swayed his plump, round body and answered solemnly, "Didn't Father say so? Cultivation can make us incredibly powerful. Then we can protect ourselves during the great calamity and drive all those bad people away."

Third Baby's eyes rolled around, and he said crisply, "Then we can't be little lazybones either. We have to cultivate hard and become as powerful as Father."

After that, the seven gourds began absorbing the surrounding spiritual energy and started cultivating.

Xiao Teng was rooted atop Mount Buzhou, his roots buried deep within the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, which contained endless vitality.

After the gourds were divided up, Nuwa would also dig away this Nine Heavens Breathing Soil to create "humans."

During a break from cultivation, a bold thought suddenly popped into Xiao Teng's mind: if he took form ahead of time, would Nuwa then be unable to accomplish the great task of creating humans?

But the instant this thought surfaced, he flung it beyond the ninth heaven. In his heart, the most important thing now was to focus wholeheartedly on cultivating until he could take form. As for everything else, it could wait until later.

So Xiao Teng took another deep breath, and this time, he stripped the surrounding spiritual energy clean once more.

Xiao Teng cultivated bitterly for an entire kalpa, and he keenly sensed that the crucial moment for him to take form was about to arrive.

But at that very moment, an uninvited guest suddenly appeared.

The place where Xiao Teng was located was protected by the powerful restrictions of an innate grand formation, and ordinary minor fry could not enter at all.

Yet at this moment, a Daoist with a disk atop his head stood outside the grand formation.

Xiao Teng's gaze was immediately drawn to that disk. It gleamed with flashing light, and it had to be an incredible treasure.

After pondering for a moment, Xiao Teng had his answer.

In all heaven and earth, aside from Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who else could stroll around so openly with a disk balanced atop his head?

It was just that Hongjun seemed not to have become a saint yet.

The moment Xiao Teng saw Hongjun arrive, his heart leaped straight into his throat.

What was he supposed to do? What if Hongjun charged into the formation and snatched away his precious Gourd Babies?

Though according to fate's script, he would sooner or later be divided up by great powers such as the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, who could guarantee that no accidents would happen along the way?

"Who is that old man outside?" Wu Wa blinked his innocent eyes and asked curiously.

"I'll take a look." Er Wa answered, and immediately afterward, light burst from all over his body like an enormous searchlight.

Er Wa saw Hongjun clearly.

"He's an old man with a disk on his head. He doesn't look easy to deal with."

"Hey, old man! If you've got the guts, come in!" The hot-tempered Third Baby shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Shut your mouth!" Xiao Teng's face changed in fright as he hurriedly rebuked him.

This little ancestor was really going to get Father killed! His heart was in turmoil as he wondered whether the innate grand formation he relied upon could stop a great deity like Hongjun.

If they really called him into the formation, the consequences would be too horrible to imagine.

Hongjun stood quietly outside the grand formation for a while, carefully examining the situation within.

After some time, he drifted away.

Only when Hongjun's figure gradually vanished did Xiao Teng finally let out a breath, as though a thousand-pound burden had been lifted from his shoulders.

It seemed that before the gourds fully matured, no one would come looking to cause him trouble for the time being.

Xiao Teng sighed softly, his heart full of helplessness. He was also deeply curious about the Primordial World beyond the grand formation. He dearly wished to go outside and see what existed there, and what powerful living beings roamed it.

But he also understood that thinking alone was useless. His only way out now was to successfully take form.

Thus, Xiao Teng cast aside his distracting thoughts once more and devoted himself wholeheartedly to cultivation.