Treasures from the Vault, the Divine Vine Emerges

Li Qingxiao slowly exhaled a breath of clear air, divine light blazing in his eyes.

Before he could rise, the Twelve Ancestral Witches at the front of the hall had already approached him in unison under the lead of Dijiang, the foremost Ancestral Witch.

The Wu were arrogant to the bone. From the moment of their birth, they had never revered the Heavenly Dao,

nor bowed to Hongjun. They worshiped only Father God Pangu.

Yet at this moment, the twelve primordial fiendgods capable of destroying heaven and earth

solemnly bowed deeply to Li Qingxiao!

Dijiang's expression was resolute as he cut open his palm before everyone and used Ancestral Witch blood essence to swear a blood oath to heaven and earth:

"Father God above, today the Wu have received the life-remaking grace of Brother Qingxiao, who defied heaven itself to alter our fate!"

"From this day forth, Li Qingxiao shall be the sole Witch Clan Great Venerable of our Wu! His status shall be equal to that of an Ancestral Witch!"

"From the millions of Wu warriors above and below, wherever the Great Venerable points, through mountains of blades and seas of fire, we shall charge through without hesitation!"

The other eleven Ancestral Witches shouted in unison:

"Without hesitation! Greetings, Great Venerable Qingxiao!"

Their thunderous voices pierced through the earth veins, prompting the millions of Wu warriors beneath Mount Buzhou to roar as one,

while the vast fortune of the Wu split off a mighty stream in the unseen realm,

binding itself tightly to Li Qingxiao's fate!

Li Qingxiao made a gesture to help Dijiang up and said seriously:

"You brothers flatter me. Since we are brothers, we should stand together through storm and hardship from now on."

Seeing Li Qingxiao accept so openly without putting on airs, Dijiang felt even more delighted.

He laughed heartily, grabbed Li Qingxiao by the sleeve, and headed toward the rear of the side hall:

"Come! Brother Qingxiao! Follow me to the treasury!"

"We Wu do not cultivate primordial spirits, so we cannot use those flashy Innate Spirit Treasures."

"Countless divine objects collected since the creation of heaven and earth have just been gathering dust in the storehouse!"

"Today, the treasury is open to you. Take whatever catches your eye!"

Moments later, the heavy Ten-Thousand-Year Black Ice Stone doors burst open.

An ancient, dense treasure aura rushed toward them.

Within the primordial treasury, which stretched for tens of thousands of zhang, mountains of supreme divine materials rarely seen in the outside world were piled high.

Fragments of Nine Heavens Breathing Earth, raw Primordial Chaos Dark Iron ore, Taiyi Geng Metal essence...

The treasures were dazzling and too numerous to count!

Naturally, Li Qingxiao did not put on a show of refusal.

In the brutal Primordial World, only resources turned into strength truly mattered.

With a sweep of his sleeve, he unceremoniously collected tens of thousands of jin of Primordial Chaos Dark Iron and Geng Metal divine stone, materials needed to forge supreme divine weapons.

Then Li Qingxiao's gaze fixed precisely upon three warm jade marrow bottles atop the jade platform at the center of the treasury.

Three drops of crimson-gold liquid, radiating vast chaotic Dao rhythms, floated silently within them,

and the faint thunder of heaven and earth being created echoed from inside.

Pangu Primordial Marrow Divine Liquid!

This was the supreme divine liquid left here by Great God Pangu, meant to temper one's body into the highest Dao foundation!

Li Qingxiao swept his sleeve and calmly stored it within Universe in the Sleeve, his heart filled with boundless delight.

With these three drops of marrow divine liquid, both his physical body and innate foundation would undergo a heaven-shaking transformation in the future!

Having made his selections, Li Qingxiao was about to take his leave and find a quiet chamber for secluded cultivation.

As he reached a corner of the divine hall's corridor, a gentle figure in goose-yellow robes was waiting there quietly.

It was Houtu.

Houtu hurried forward, a flush of red and sincere gratitude on her beautiful cheeks.

She extended her fair jade hand. In her palm, a pale yellow sphere of light radiating dense earth mother energy pulsed slowly.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxiao."

Houtu spoke softly and sincerely:

"In the chaos storm, you saved my life. In the Wu hall, you also cleansed my marrow and set my Dao."

"The treasures from the vault just now belonged to the public. But this strand of Innate Wu-Earth Ancestral Essence

was something I obtained while traveling through the core of Mount Buzhou long ago. It is my personal life-bound possession. I offer it to you today, Fellow Daoist. Please do not refuse."

Looking into Houtu's clear autumn-water eyes, Li Qingxiao's heart stirred slightly.

Such ancestral essence containing the source of earth was a supreme treasure every Daluo Golden Immortal dreamed of obtaining.

Li Qingxiao reached out and accepted the essence, looking at Houtu gently as he accepted it without pretense.

Thinking of Houtu's fated future and tragic end, Li Qingxiao pondered for a moment before sending her a profound voice transmission:

"I shall accept Sister Houtu's generous gift."

"In return, I have a piece of precious advice to offer you."

Houtu's expression turned solemn. "Please speak, Great Venerable."

Li Qingxiao looked toward the vast and boundless Primordial World beyond Mount Buzhou, his tone carrying an inscrutable mystery that seemed to pierce through the ages:

"Beneath the Heavenly Dao, yin and yang cycle. Living beings die, and turbid baleful energy must have a place to return to."

"Now, killing has gradually begun to rise between heaven and earth. After death, the souls of countless beings have nowhere to rely upon. Lost ghosts drift between heaven and earth, wailing day and night as karmic force breeds."

"If you travel the Primordial World in the future, Sister, you should pay more attention to those wandering remnants of souls that have nowhere to go after death."

"Your true great opportunity to attain the Dao does not lie within this divine hall. It lies in compassion and in giving them a destination."

"Boom!"

Those words were like an evening drum and morning bell, striking heavily against Houtu's heart!

Houtu's delicate body trembled violently. In the unseen realm, a glimmer of Dao light from the deepest part of her soul was instantly ignited.

Though she still could not fully understand the true meaning of "destination,"

an indescribable realization and tremor surged within her heart!

As she looked at the unfathomably profound young man before her, her respect had already reached its peak.

Houtu straightened her attire and bowed deeply to Li Qingxiao:

"Houtu... shall heed the Great Venerable's instruction!"

Just as Li Qingxiao was reaping a tremendous harvest among the Wu and preparing to use this treasured place to refine the Pangu marrow divine liquid in seclusion.

"Rumble—!!!"

The entire towering divine mountain of Mount Buzhou suddenly shook violently!

A vast Innate concealment formation halfway up the mountain shattered with a crash,

and a seven-colored divine radiance of creation that pierced heaven and earth shot into the sky,

illuminating the heavens Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens in a blaze of splendor!

The grand phenomenon of a top-grade Innate spiritual root being born swept across the entire Primordial World!

Li Qingxiao's soul jolted, and his Daluo spiritual sense instantly deduced the heavenly secret.

Top-Grade Innate Gourd Vine!

And the Nine Heavens Breathing Earth containing supreme power of creation!

They had matured and entered the world!

In the unseen realm, the violent divine senses of mighty figures from all sides—the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Hong Yun, the Demon Emperor, and others—

were already rushing over like a raging storm from every direction of the Primordial World.

A sharp light burst from Li Qingxiao's eyes as a plan formed in his mind:

Although the World-Cleansing White Lotus was untouched by karma, if he swallowed all the gourds and Breathing Earth in one bite,

it would inevitably draw the Heavenly Dao's extreme vigilance, perhaps even its backlash.

He might as well seize only the most crucial ones!

With that thought, Li Qingxiao stepped upon the phantom of the White Lotus and transformed into a brilliant rainbow,

tearing through the earth veins ahead of everyone else as he shot through the air to seize the treasure!

Mount Buzhou stood towering and majestic, connecting the Nine Heavens above and overlooking the Nine Netherworlds below.

The seven-colored radiance of creation that had shaken the universe moments earlier had erupted from halfway up Mount Buzhou.

Though the mighty figures outside possessed divine abilities such as golden light that crossed the earth and the power to tear through space,

they would still need some time to arrive from their various cultivation grounds across the Primordial World.