Gods of Mount Buzhou, Journey to Western Kunlun

"Rob, rob, rob. All you know is robbing. Different people require different methods."

No matter what, Queen Mother of the West was the female immortals' leader personally appointed by Hongjun. At the very least, they could not openly rob her of her belongings.

Besides, there was no benefit in butting heads with Queen Mother of the West as though she were some ordinary character.

Xiao Teng felt that the best course of action was to offer something in exchange for the Queen Mother of the West's treasure.

But what exactly did Queen Mother of the West need?

Leaving aside what Queen Mother of the West might want, Xiao Teng simply did not possess any treasure capable of matching the Plain-Colored Cloud-Realm Banner.

Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures were already rare and difficult to find. Those known to exist generally already had owners.

Xiao Teng could hardly take out his natal spirit treasure, the God-Striking Whip, or Seventh Gourd's Primal Chaos Gourd to attempt an exchange.

As he pondered, Xiao Teng inadvertently looked toward Seventh Gourd beside him.

Seeing Xiao Teng's gaze, Seventh Gourd instinctively gripped the gourd in his hand even tighter.

"Father, let's hurry after her! If we don't, we won't be able to catch her!" Er Wa urged.

Er Wa had kept his eyes on Queen Mother of the West's figure the entire time. They only needed to follow her to find her.

Just as Xiao Teng was about to set off in pursuit of Queen Mother of the West, White Lotus suddenly came over and asked, "Where are you going?"

Xiao Teng answered truthfully, "I'm planning to pay a visit to Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West."

White Lotus raised her brows slightly, seeming puzzled. "If you wish to pay a visit, shouldn't it be Eastern King Duke? Why Queen Mother of the West?"

Third Baby was blunt by nature and shouted without thinking, "Father wants Queen Mother of the West's Plain-Colored Cloud-Realm Banner."

Xiao Teng knocked Third Baby on the head. That mouth of his was far too quick.

Upon hearing this, White Lotus pondered for a moment. "The Plain-Colored Cloud-Realm Banner is a Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure. It will likely not be easy to obtain."

"No matter what, we should visit her first. If it truly comes down to it, forcibly taking it isn't out of the question."

They already owed so much karma anyway. When lice were too numerous, one stopped fearing the itch; owing one more debt made little difference.

"In that case, I'll go with you," White Lotus offered voluntarily.

"That would be wonderful."

As a female immortal, White Lotus visiting Queen Mother of the West was only natural. Perhaps she and Queen Mother of the West would communicate more smoothly and naturally.

Thus, Xiao Teng and his group sped grandly in the direction Queen Mother of the West had departed.

Relying on his sharp eyesight, Er Wa kept watch over Queen Mother of the West's movements at all times.

They descended from Purple Cloud Palace, passed through layer upon layer of clouds and mist, and arrived at the towering Mount Buzhou.

At that moment, Mount Buzhou was gathered with countless living beings. Nuwa, Zhunti, Red Cloud, and the others all stood halfway up the mountain, each wearing a different expression.

Their faces carried faint melancholy, and an indescribable sense of loss lingered in their hearts, as if something important had slipped away, yet they could not grasp what it was.

Xiao Teng knew the reason for all of this perfectly well, because what they had lost was him.

According to the original course of events, the Innate Gourd Vine should have been divided up at this time.

Nuwa felt the strongest sense of loss.

When Nuwa had originally divided the gourds, she had not only obtained one of them, but had also dug up the Xirang Divine Soil and taken away the final section of withered vine.

She then used the Xirang Divine Soil and the Calabash Vine to create a new race of living beings—humans—thereby gaining immense merit and smoothly becoming a Saint.

However, this time, because Xiao Teng had already taken form and carried away both the Xirang Divine Soil and the Calabash Vine, Nuwa had missed her opportunity.

After resting briefly, Xiao Teng and the others flew past Western Kunlun without stopping.

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye, and they finally arrived at Queen Mother of the West's cultivation ground: Western Kunlun.

Though Western Kunlun had sparse vegetation, it possessed a distinctive beauty, one that was cool, desolate, and solitary.

The mountain's spiritual energy was exceptionally dense, even surpassing that of Mount Kongtong. Xiao Teng almost wanted to live here.

But that was only a passing thought. After all, they had developed Mount Kongtong for so long; how could they simply abandon it?

Western Kunlun was home to quite a few living beings. Queen Mother of the West had not driven them away, and everyone lived together in the Kunlun Mountains without disturbing one another.

Queen Mother of the West's cultivation ground was located within the centralmost peak of Western Kunlun.

When Xiao Teng and the others prepared to go up, however, an array blocked their path.

Xiao Teng drew a deep breath, gathered his breath, and called out loudly, "This poor Daoist is Xiao Teng. I have come to see Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West, as I have something I wish to discuss with you."

Xiao Teng's voice rang through the valley like a great bell, echoing for a long while.

Yet Queen Mother of the West's response was cold and decisive. "Please return. I receive no visitors."

Ever since Queen Mother of the West had become the female immortals' leader, countless living beings had pursued and surrounded her along the way, bombarding her with all manner of questions and requests. She had long since grown utterly weary of it.

She had never intended to involve herself in the Primordial World's complicated administrative affairs. She found that Eastern King Duke was rather enthusiastic about management, so he could busy himself with it. She only wished to be a hands-off shopkeeper.

Xiao Teng carefully examined the array before him. It was not particularly strong, and breaking through it would be easy.

But this was, after all, Queen Mother of the West's peaceful sanctuary. Barging in rashly would be a discourteous act and might invite unnecessary misunderstandings and trouble.

Left with no other choice, they could only wait patiently outside the array.

Looking at the Calabash Kids, Xiao Teng said, "Since that is the case, everyone can stay in Western Kunlun for a while."

"Da Wa, take your younger brothers around Western Kunlun. Remember, you absolutely must not cause trouble this time. If anyone causes trouble, don't blame me for being merciless. Understood?"

The Calabash Kids hurriedly agreed, then charged into every corner of Western Kunlun like wild horses breaking free of their reins.

They were lively and active by nature. Though they had not deliberately intended to cause trouble, their noisy play still shattered Western Kunlun's original tranquility.

All along the way, chickens flew and dogs leaped; it was a lively spectacle that drew sidelong glances from some of the local living beings.

Xiao Teng and White Lotus did not become anxious or irritated after being turned away. Instead, they simply sat down where they were and began discussing the Dao.

"What are Fellow Daoist White Lotus's thoughts on the Three-Corpse Severing Method?" Xiao Teng asked.

White Lotus replied, "The Three-Corpse Severing Method is indeed profound and wondrous. It can break through the body's state of perfection, allowing one to cultivate further and seek the Great Dao."

"Does Fellow Daoist White Lotus intend to choose the Three-Corpse Severing Method?"

White Lotus fell silent for a while before saying, "I'm not sure for now. If there are no other paths left to take, then I can only choose the Three-Corpse Severing Method."

For everyone, the Three-Corpse Severing Method was considered the most convenient. All one needed was a spirit treasure of sufficiently high grade.

Before long, Quasi-Saints would appear throughout the Primordial World.

While Big Bear and White Lotus discussed the Dao, countless living beings heard that Queen Mother of the West was here and came flocking over, hoping to behold the female immortals' leader.

Some even directly stated that they wished to join Western Kunlun and become part of it.

Yet Queen Mother of the West seemed deaf to all this commotion from the outside world and never once appeared to respond.

At first, Xiao Teng could still calmly discuss the Dao with Fellow Daoist White Lotus. But as time passed, the noise outside grew louder and more incessant. Even he, usually so mild-tempered, gradually became restless and irritated.