Treasure Hunt at Mount Buzhou, Gathering of the Gods

Li Qingxiao was deep beneath Mount Buzhou, within the Wu ancestral land, holding every advantage of time and terrain.

"Whoosh!"

A dazzling streak of pure-white escaping light tore through layer after layer of rock.

Standing atop the phantom image of the White Lotus, Li Qingxiao resembled a meteor soaring against the current.

In an instant, he shot out from the fissure in the earth vein and landed steadily at the heart of the phenomenon.

Before him stood a hidden cliff shrouded in dense aura of creation.

The innate concealment formation naturally formed around the cliff had already been mostly shattered by the rosy light.

Upon the cliff face, an emerald-green divine vine coiled like a horned dragon.

Its tendrils stretched for thousands of zhang, its leaves seeming carved from jade, while primordial Dao runes flowed across its entire form.

It was precisely a supreme-grade innate spiritual root:

[Innate Gourd Vine]!

Li Qingxiao focused his gaze and saw that amid the lush green leaves,

seven treasure gourds of different colors hung in an orderly arrangement.

Red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.

Each of the seven gourds exhaled and absorbed a distinct innate Great Dao origin law.

The red one blazed like fire, the orange one was illusory, the yellow one carried fierce killing intent, and the green one brimmed with vitality...

The seven divine rays reflected one another, forming a pillar of creation light that shot into the heavens and stirred all winds and clouds Beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens!

Li Qingxiao's divine eyes did not linger solely upon the gourds. His gaze traveled down the main vine, locking onto where the spiritual root had taken root.

Within the cliff's crevice lay an entire mass of five-colored divine soil, radiating boundless heaviness and the vitality of creation.

Beside the divine soil, golden, silver, and purple divine waters bubbled continuously within a clear little pool.

"Innate Nine Heavens Breathing Earth! And Three Lights Divine Water!"

Li Qingxiao's heart stirred slightly.

The stockpile within the Wu treasure vault was merely a few scraps of "Breathing Earth fragments" left behind when the heavens were first opened.

But this mass of Breathing Earth before him was the core of divine soil whose origin remained whole and undivided!

It was not merely the source that nourished supreme-grade spiritual roots;

it was also the most crucial supreme treasure for Nuwa's future creation of humanity from earth and her attainment of the saintly position through immeasurable merit.

At this moment, divine light swirled around the seven treasure gourds, and Dao chimes rang out in waves.

Yet Li Qingxiao did not rashly move to pluck them.

His Great Luo spiritual sense was incomparably keen. With a single glance, he saw that the seven treasure gourds still needed half a moment before they could fully draw upon the Dao rhythm of the heavens and reach complete maturity.

If they were forcibly harvested now, their innate origin and foundation would surely be damaged.

Rather than drain the pond dry to catch the fish, it was better to wait at ease for the harvest.

Li Qingxiao stood with his hands behind his back, his robes fluttering in the wind as he quietly waited for the opportunity to ripen.

Several breaths later.

"Rumble—!"

The heavens above suddenly tore open into three vast rifts.

Three streams of supremely clear and pure Pangu Pure Qi shot through the air from the direction of Mount Kunlun at an inconceivable speed.

As the clear light dispersed, three incomparably majestic Daoists appeared.

Laozi manifested a mass of Black-Yellow Qi above his head, faintly shielding his body.

Yuanshi wore a solemn expression, holding a whisk as he radiated imposing dignity.

Tongtian stood with a sword on his back, sword intent piercing the heavens, his spirit high.

The Three Pure Ones had been formed from Pangu's primordial spirit, and they possessed a profound karmic resonance with the innate spiritual objects upon Mount Buzhou.

However, when the Three Pure Ones descended from the clouds and saw Li Qingxiao already standing with his hands behind his back beside the gourd vine,

all three of their expressions tightened slightly.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxiao?"

A trace of genuine surprise flashed through Master Tongtian's eyes. Then he laughed heartily, stepped forward first, and cupped his hands.

"Fellow Daoist, what swift escape arts you possess! Since our parting outside Purple Heaven Palace, I have never forgotten your peerless bearing when you struck down Kunpeng!"

Tongtian was bold by nature and had always enjoyed befriending heroes.

Li Qingxiao's extraordinary performance before Purple Heaven Palace had long since earned the immense favor of this Supreme Pure Lord of Numinous Treasure.

Li Qingxiao returned the courtesy with a gentle smile.

"You flatter me, Daoist Brother Tongtian. I merely happened to be traveling around Mount Buzhou and gained a slight advantage in distance."

At the side, Yuanshi, the Jade Pure Heavenly Venerable, furrowed his brow almost imperceptibly.

Yuanshi thought highly of himself, and in his heart, only the Orthodox Lineage of Pangu mattered.

In his view, such supreme-grade innate spirit treasures ought to belong to orthodox divine beings such as the Three Pure Ones.

The fact that Li Qingxiao, an independent cultivator of unknown origin, had arrived first made him somewhat displeased.

Laozi's expression remained as still as an ancient well. His deep eyes swept over Li Qingxiao as he slowly spoke.

"Heavenly treasures and earthly riches are nurtured by heaven and earth. Those with virtue and affinity may possess them."

Laozi's tone was calm, yet it naturally carried the stabilizing presence of the Daoist Sect's eldest disciple.

Before they could say more, another clear and melodious phoenix cry rang out from within the void.

Immortal light of creation rained down from the sky as ripples spread across the void.

Two transcendent figures descended side by side.

They were Nuwa and Fuxi.

The moment Nuwa appeared, her beautiful eyes fell upon the gourd vine and the Nine Heavens Breathing Earth.

A powerful tremor suddenly surged from the depths of her primordial spirit.

That resonance reached into her bones, as though the objects before her concerned her future opportunity to attain the Dao.

When Nuwa turned and saw Li Qingxiao, a gentle smile from the depths of her heart appeared upon her incomparably beautiful face.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxiao, several years have passed since we last met, yet your bearing remains unchanged."

Within Purple Heaven Palace, Nuwa had personally witnessed Li Qingxiao turn the tide.

Especially his ruthless methods in restraining Hong Yun and severely injuring Kunpeng.

Thus, she held this young man in the highest esteem and immediately stepped forward with her elder brother Fuxi to offer greetings.

Li Qingxiao smiled and returned the gesture, both understanding without words.

"Boom—!!"

Without warning, the temperature between heaven and earth suddenly surged.

Two Three-Legged Golden Crow manifestations that blotted out the sky stretched across the heavens.

The blazing, tyrannical Solar True Fire directly burned the sky curtain crimson!

Eastern Emperor Taiyi held the Chaos Bell in one hand, while Di Jun held the River Chart and Luo Writing.

Wrapped in flames that filled the sky, they descended with overwhelming dominance upon the other side of the cliff.

Taiyi's gaze was sharp as blades as he arrogantly swept his eyes across the crowd. The Chaos Bell trembled lightly, bell waves rippling outward as its pressure spread in all directions.

When Di Jun's gaze fell upon Li Qingxiao, his eyes instantly turned cold and wary.

"Second Brother, remain calm."

Di Jun secretly transmitted his voice, restraining the eager Taiyi.

"This man is the mysterious great power who severely wounded Kunpeng in Purple Heaven Palace."

"Now that the Three Pure Ones are here and this man's background is unfathomable, we must not casually make an enemy of him. Let us first see whom this opportunity favors!"

Taiyi snorted coldly. Though he restrained some of his killing aura, his pair of golden divine eyes remained filled with hostility.

"Hahahaha! Daoist Brother Qingxiao! What a coincidence!"

Following the warm laughter, boundless pure crimson clouds and heavy earthen mystic light rose from the horizon.

Ancestor Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi, the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, arrived together!

The moment Hong Yun landed, he paid no heed whatsoever to the gloomy expressions of Di Jun and Taiyi, nor did he care about Yuanshi's scrutinizing gaze.

He strode swiftly to Li Qingxiao's side and excitedly slapped him on the shoulder.

"When I saw the Divine Light of Creation shooting into the sky from afar, I guessed that you would surely be here, Daoist Brother!"

"To stand shoulder to shoulder with you today is truly a great fortune!"

Zhen Yuanzi held the Earth Book in his hand and also solemnly bowed to Li Qingxiao in greeting.

The two men stood beside Li Qingxiao without the slightest hesitation, their stance unmistakable.

They directly formed a powerful faction in the gathering that could not be ignored!