The Worst Plan

As Dao Xuan walked across the western lands, all he could see was an endless desert. The earth was cracked with deep fissures, yellow sands swept across ten thousand miles, and fierce winds tore over the Gobi, sending shattered stones flying through the sky.

Since the Dao-Demon War, the earth veins of this land had collapsed and been ruined, while the innate spiritual energy had grown so thin it was nearly exhausted. Naturally, life could scarcely flourish upon this land, and heavenly materials and earthly treasures were even rarer.

As Dao Xuan traveled along the way, he could not help but sigh inwardly. Everyone said Jieyin and Zhunti were shameless, but having been born in such a place, how could the West have risen to prosperity later on if they had not been shameless?

Of course, although he somewhat admired the two men's resilience, Dao Xuan still maintained the utmost vigilance toward them.

He was even more cautious than when he had faced Dijun and Taiyi in the Thirty-Three Heavens.

After all, although Dijun and Taiyi had dominated their era and were the protagonists of this Calamity Cycle, their power was at its peak. Yet their eventual achievements were far inferior to those of Jieyin and Zhunti.

How could a Quasi-Saint compare to a Saint?

Although Jieyin and Zhunti were not yet Saints, Dao Xuan remained deeply wary of them.

If he had any other choice, Dao Xuan truly would not have wanted to make this trip.

But he had no choice. Of the innate Five-Element Spiritual Roots, he had already obtained three: Jia Wood, Bing Fire, and Wu Earth. Yet he still lacked the two great spiritual roots of Ren Water and Geng Metal.

His chances of acquiring the Ren Water Spiritual Root, the Immortal Peach Tree, were virtually nonexistent. Thus, he could only scheme for the Geng Metal Spiritual Root, the Bodhi Tree.

Of the five spiritual roots, he had to obtain at least four before he could possibly perfect the Five Elements Law.

Now, he was just one tree short.

Yet the Bodhi Tree was Zhunti's true body, and coming here to scheme against it was extraordinarily dangerous. After all, Zhunti was not yet a Saint, but he would inevitably become one in the future.

If Zhunti became a Saint, the karma between him and Zhunti would become a serious matter.

If his strength failed to keep up by then, he feared he would meet the same fate as Kong Xuan.

But it was wrong to risk it, and wrong not to risk it.

If he did not seize the time to gather the Five-Element Spiritual Roots and accelerate his deduction of the Five Elements Law—

then when the Saints successively proved their Dao, his situation would become extremely dangerous.

It was precisely because Dao Xuan had realized this that he decided to stake everything on one attempt.

After all, among the Laws currently available to him, the Five Elements Law was the one most likely to bring a tremendous leap in his Inner World.

It could be said that if Dao Xuan successfully evolved the Five Elements Law, then even if his Inner World could not reach the level of a Greater Thousand World, it would still transform into an exceptionally high level of Middle Thousand World.

At that time, even if the Saints proved their Dao and Zhunti calculated the karma between himself and Dao Xuan—

with such strength, even if Dao Xuan could not contend against him in the Primordial World, he could still choose to flee into Chaos and avoid his edge.

This was one of the unique benefits of Dao Xuan cultivating the World Dao.

Other Primordial Golden Immortals or Quasi-Saints found it difficult to survive in Chaos, because they could hardly refine Chaos qi.

But Dao Xuan possessed an Inner World, allowing him to easily refine Chaos qi and replenish his mana.

Therefore, even if Dao Xuan failed to become a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal, he did not truly fear the Saints.

The only one Dao Xuan had no confidence in facing, the one who made him feel as though a blade hung over his back, was only one person.

That was—

Hongjun!

Dao Xuan was not afraid of offending Dijun and Taiyi, the protagonists of this Calamity Cycle, nor was he afraid of offending Jieyin and Zhunti, the future Saints.

But Hongjun was a Saint who was currently in power!

Moreover, he had been chosen by the Heavenly Dao. He was the Heavenly Dao's spokesperson, possessed the Creation Jade Disc, and was an existence on the verge of merging with the Heavenly Dao.

And right now, perhaps Hongjun was in Zixiao Palace, observing his every move!

Although Hongjun could not possibly know that Dao Xuan had opened an Inner World and embarked upon his own path to proving the Dao—World-Proving Dao—

Hongjun most likely knew everything about Dao Xuan's activities within the Primordial World.

From this, once Hongjun made his calculations, he would surely know that Dao Xuan was a great anomaly.

However, this anomaly did not mean his identity as a transmigrator had been exposed. It merely referred to his disruption of certain fixed fates within the Primordial World.

Such anomalies and their disturbances to fixed fate were nothing much to the Heavenly Dao.

After all, beneath the Heavenly Dao, there were fixed fates, but there were also variables. Without variables, everything would become stagnant water.

The entire world, including the Heavenly Dao, would perish.

Thus, although anomalies existed, so long as they did not commit acts that defied Heaven—such as killing Calamity Cycle protagonists like Dijun and Taiyi, or personally strangling future Saints like Jieyin and Zhunti—

the Heavenly Dao would tolerate their existence.

But that was the Heavenly Dao!

Not Hongjun!

If Hongjun decided he had no need for an anomaly like Dao Xuan and wished to erase him, then Dao Xuan would truly be finished.

But there was nothing he could do. Who told him to have been born too late?

Although Dao Xuan clearly knew this would greatly draw Hongjun's attention, he still began to act.

First, in the starry sky, he suppressed Kunpeng, threatened Dijun and Taiyi, and extorted three great spiritual roots from them.

And now, he had come to the West to seize the Geng Metal Bodhi Spiritual Root!

Hongjun had not intervened before. What would his attitude be this time?

Dao Xuan appeared calm on the surface, but he had already prepared for the worst possible outcome. If Hongjun truly made a move against him—

then Dao Xuan would immediately carry out his most decisive plan.

Yes, although he had no chance of victory against Hongjun's overwhelming strength, Dao Xuan was confident that Hongjun knew nothing of his Inner World.

If Hongjun attacked him, then at the critical moment, Dao Xuan could use his Inner World to exile himself into the boundless Chaos.

However, Dao Xuan had not yet attained Hunyuan. Not only were his chances of escaping through such a method slim, but even if he escaped by sheer luck, he would pay an extraordinarily terrible price.

Unless forced into a desperate situation, Dao Xuan would never do so.

Dao Xuan continued westward. On this day, he finally saw a great mountain in the distance.

This mountain was the most majestic mountain in all the western lands. Moreover, unlike elsewhere, its scenery was entirely different.

Around this mountain lay an oasis. Mountains and waters could be seen everywhere, and the number of living beings traveling to and fro had also increased.

This place was no longer barren.

This was the cultivation ground of Jieyin and Zhunti, known as—Sumeru Mountain.

At the same time, Sumeru Mountain was where the remaining ancestral veins of the West converged.

At the foot of Sumeru Mountain, clear streams wound through the land, springs tinkled softly, green grass spread across the ground, and spiritual flowers covered the earth. Warm, dense spiritual energy turned into a thin mist that shrouded the entire mountain, making it seem like an entirely different world from the desolate desert outside.

Dao Xuan arrived beneath the mountain and saw that no restrictive formations sealed it off. He then began ascending the mountain by the steps.

The scenery along the way was exquisite. Mountain peaks rose and fell, waterfalls poured down from cliff faces, clear pools gleamed below, and auspicious birds circled and cried amid the clouds and mist.

On both sides of the path stood groves of Bodhi Trees, lush and verdant, stretching endlessly into the distance. Their trunks were straight and tall, their branches and leaves luxuriant, layered upon layer in dripping emerald hues. When the breeze passed through them, the leaves trembled gently and rustled softly, while Dao rhythm slowly flowed with the swaying branches and leaves.