The immaculate white lotus shifted forms under the nourishment of spiritual energy, transforming into an otherworldly woman.
She wore a pure white gown like fresh snow, its hem swaying gently in the breeze. Her skin was fairer than snow, smooth and delicate like suet jade. Her features were exquisitely flawless, every inch seeming like a work of art meticulously sculpted by heaven.
Xiao Teng stared blankly at her. Her beauty seemed to transcend everything in the world. Even Nuwa, whom he had seen before, appeared somewhat inferior in comparison.
Her lively eyes resembled clear autumn waters. With every glance, they seemed capable of ensnaring one's soul.
Her slender, snow-white feet seemed carved from fine jade. She lightly tapped the air as though a dragonfly skimming water before gracefully drifting down to the ground.
Xiao Teng was by no means a frivolous, lustful man. His gaze held nothing but pure appreciation, as though he were admiring a rare treasure painstakingly crafted by nature itself.
"Congratulations, fellow Daoist, on successfully taking human form."
There was a trace of unconcealed envy in Xiao Teng's voice. He even secretly imagined that after taking human form, he would surely become a handsome and dashing man. Standing beside White Lotus, they would make an utterly breathtaking sight.
After taking human form, White Lotus did not leave at once.
Her realm had yet to stabilize, and she needed to cultivate quietly on Mount Buzhou for a while.
White Lotus had now stepped into the Early Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm. Given her profound foundation and innate origins, attaining Great Luo was only a matter of time.
Xiao Teng suddenly hoped that he could successfully take human form before White Lotus departed.
Thus, he focused wholeheartedly on absorbing spiritual energy.
At this time, the Primordial World had been thrown into chaos by the conflict among the Dragon-Phoenix-Qilin Tribes.
At first, the progenitors of the three tribes had truly entered the conflict against their will.
However, once their cultivation rose to Perfect Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, they realized that if they wished to break through their shackles and advance to a higher realm, they could only utterly defeat the other two tribes and become the sole ruler of the Primordial World.
They immediately led their clans into this earth-shaking struggle for supremacy.
As the war grew increasingly fierce, dense killing intent filled heaven and earth. That aura seemed almost tangible, corroding every inch of space and causing the fighting spirit of the three tribes to burn like an unquenchable blaze.
At this point, even those who wished to retreat had already sunk into the quagmire of slaughter and could not extricate themselves. Their paths of retreat had long been ruthlessly cut off, leaving them no choice but to stake everything on final victory.
Yet they had no idea that all three tribes would be the losers in this war.
Although the Calabash Kids had reached the Late Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, they were still no match for the top experts of the three tribes.
Therefore, Xiao Teng told them to stay away from places where the three tribes fought, lest they be dragged into the conflict.
With Er Wa's divine ability, they could avoid danger beforehand and locate treasures.
What surprised Big Bear was Little Seven's ability.
He himself did not possess any particularly remarkable ability, but the calabash in his hand was exceptionally powerful.
Once anything was taken into the calabash, it could never come back out.
Although Xiao Teng had warned them not to approach the three tribes, the seven Calabash Kids still often went to places where the tribes clashed on a smaller scale.
They secretly concealed themselves and waited patiently in the shadows.
Once both sides had fought themselves to exhaustion, they would swarm in and reap the benefits.
Along the way, they picked up quite a few treasures.
Si Wa even seized his chance when a Fire Phoenix had exhausted its strength and successfully snatched the Fire Spirit Pearl from it.
With this, only the Wood Spirit Pearl was still missing from the Five-Element Spirit Pearls.
If they could gather all five Five-Element Spirit Pearls, it would be equivalent to gaining another top-grade spiritual treasure.
The flames of war among the three tribes burned ever more fiercely, and the entire Primordial World descended into endless chaos. Mountains and rivers shattered, living beings suffered, the earth trembled, and the sky wept.
Seeing such misery, Xiao Teng felt a wave of unease rise within him. For safety's sake, he had all the Calabash Kids return to Mount Buzhou.
With the protection of the Primordial Array, Mount Buzhou was still considered relatively safe.
When White Lotus, now in human form, appeared before the Calabash Kids, their eyes were filled with amazement and curiosity.
Seventh Gourd skipped over, his little face blooming with an innocent smile as he shouted, "Big sister, you're so beautiful!"
Xiao Teng corrected him, "What big sister? Call her Auntie!"
White Lotus shot Xiao Teng a glare, then gently picked up Seventh Gourd.
She pinched Seventh Gourd's soft, squishy cheek. It felt wonderfully satisfying to pinch.
Seventh Gourd nestled comfortably in White Lotus's arms and said, "Big sister, your arms are so comfy."
Seeing this, Xiao Teng could not help feeling envious.
If only I were Seventh Gourd.
Suddenly, an idea struck him, and he secretly rejoiced. I may not be able to become Seventh Gourd, but I can see things through his eyes.
"Hehehe!"
After several long eras, Xiao Teng finally reached the crucial moment of taking human form.
At this moment, he could clearly feel that the spiritual energy within him was no longer leaking away as it once had. Instead, it surged through his body like a rushing river.
The Calabash Vine began growing wildly, with tender green leaves constantly sprouting like bamboo shoots after rain.
The vine twisted and stretched, gradually transforming into a human shape.
A handsome young man stood tall before them, dressed in a green robe adorned with seven-colored hues.
Though the robe shone brilliantly, it was neither flamboyant nor dazzling.
Xiao Teng looked at his brand-new appearance, unable to suppress his excitement. He threw back his head and roared, "Haha! I've taken human form!"
His cry echoed between heaven and earth, proclaiming that he had escaped the fate of being divided up and had begun a brand-new future.
At the instant Xiao Teng took human form, Hongjun, far away in the west, vaguely sensed something.
He calculated with his fingers, yet found nothing.
A trace of foreboding suddenly arose in Hongjun's heart. He had already collected most of the Jade Butterfly of Creation. Logically speaking, there should have been nothing in the Primordial World that he could not calculate.
After failing to uncover anything despite painstaking calculations, he temporarily set the matter aside.
Following a thorough investigation, Hongjun finally discovered Luo Hou's shocking plan.
At this time, Hongjun was preparing to persuade the other innate great powers to join forces against Luo Hou.
"Father! Father!"
The Calabash Kids swarmed forward and surrounded Xiao Teng, chattering all at once, "Congratulations, Father, on taking human form!"
Looking at these adorable children, warmth welled up in Xiao Teng's heart, though he also found the scene somewhat strange.
It was as though I had sons before I ever became their father.
Xiao Teng turned to look at the Calabash Vine that had once given birth to the Calabash Kids. The once vibrant vine had now lost all life and vitality. Its tendrils were withered, and its leaves had fallen.
However, the Calabash Vine itself was a rare treasure. Xiao Teng directly refined what remained of it into a long whip.
Before you continue