The Gourds Had Spirits, but He Took Only One Ladle

A smile appeared at the corners of Wang Shi's mouth.

He had sensed just now that something was unusual. This little gourd really possessed intelligence—and more importantly, there seemed to be seven separate minds.

The Innate Gourd Vine had been born before heaven and earth. Who knew how many years it had gestated, or how much of the essence of heaven and earth it had absorbed, before it could emerge today?

Now, at this critical moment, they had finally revealed their intelligence.

How could treasures like these be allowed to go to waste?

“With me and my Three Masters here today, not one of you will escape. Be good and acknowledge us as your masters, or I'm afraid you'll be destroyed right here.”

The little gourd's voice rang out.

"Great Immortal, spare us! We each have our own mission. Please show us mercy!"

Its voice carried a hint of pleading and helplessness.

Who wanted to be refined into a magical artifact as soon as they were born? Wasn't a life of freedom far sweeter?

Just then.

A Rosy Glow shot into the sky.

The seven gourds instantly scattered, flying off in different directions.

It turned out they had ripened long ago and had been waiting for a chance to escape.

Sect Master Tongtian and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi were instantly overjoyed.

"Fine treasures! Stop them!"

Treasures with such intelligence were truly rare.

The Three Pure Ones each caught a gourd, but by the time they tried to seize the others, it was already too late.

Wang Shi snorted coldly and reached straight for the yellow gourd.

If he remembered correctly, this should be the Immortal Slaying Flying Knife.

With this treasure in hand, the others hardly mattered.

The Three Pure Ones and Wang Shi had obtained four gourds, while the remaining three had already vanished.

There was no denying how swiftly they had fled.

The many members of the Demon Tribe who had just entered Buzhou Mountain saw the Rosy Glow filling the sky and turned pale with shock.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi was overjoyed.

"Treasures have emerged! Stop them!"

The demons all swooped toward one of the gourds. It was a blue gourd that looked extraordinarily wondrous. It darted left and right, but in the end, it still failed to escape Taiyi's grasp.

Nuwa was returning to the Demon Tribe when she suddenly saw a flash of green light in the sky and instinctively reached out.

Looking closely, she saw that a green gourd had flown into her hand.

"Oh? A treasure falling from the heavens. What a strange feeling."

Fuxi smiled faintly.

"If you refuse what heaven offers, you will suffer its blame instead. Put it away quickly. This treasure rightfully belongs to you, little sister."

Nuwa smiled faintly and nodded.

What a fortunate coincidence it was.

Hong Yun had an encounter much like Nuwa's.

After the lecture at the Purple Firmament Palace ended, he had set off for Wuzhuang Temple with Zhen Yuanzi.

The two were already good friends and exchanged insights into the Dao.

Halfway through their journey, a streak of red light flashed past.

Hong Yun instantly realized that it was a magical treasure.

With a casual wave of his hand, a cloud flashed across the sky and instantly enveloped the treasure.

In the end, he tucked the red gourd at his waist.

Zhen Yuanzi looked at Hong Yun in surprise.

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, that Universe in the Sleeve technique is truly remarkable. I've always wanted to learn it. Once we return, I can ask you for some guidance."

He felt no envy. His temperament was placid, and he had never liked disputes.

Nor did he covet what belonged to others.

In his eyes, this was Hong Yun's destined opportunity.

Hong Yun laughed heartily, in quite a good mood.

"Of course! We brothers can sit together and discuss the Dao, advancing together. Why wouldn't we?"

On Buzhou Mountain.

Despite seeing three treasures slip through their fingers, the Three Pure Ones were not annoyed.

"I had a chance to catch those gourds just now, but hesitation arose in my heart. It seems the Heavenly Dao intervened. These treasures were not meant for us."

Laozi sighed softly, having already understood the hidden workings behind it.

Wang Shi nodded slightly.

“These gourds grew on Buzhou Mountain and have existed for countless years, only ripening now. The power they contain is extraordinary. Three Masters, you will surely benefit from refining them.”

Then he looked at the Innate Gourd Vine beside him.

"Actually, the most useful thing is this withered vine."

"To have nurtured treasures like these, the Innate Gourd Vine itself must be the greatest prize."

With a light wave of his hand, he put away the Gourd Vine.

Then he dug around its roots.

He gently scooped up a handful of soil.

"This is Innate Spirit Soil—Nine Heavens breathing soil."

"Using this spirit soil to cultivate precious medicinal plants yields twice the results with half the effort."

The Three Pure Ones' eyes immediately lit up.

"My fine disciple, your knowledge is truly extraordinary. I've only heard of this Nine Heavens breathing soil before; I've never seen it."

Sect Master Tongtian scooped up a handful of the breathing soil and examined it carefully.

The seemingly ordinary soil actually emanated a purple aura.

"So that's it. This Nine Heavens breathing soil actually contains primordial violet qi. Though the amount is extremely small, it is still precious indeed."

"No wonder it could nurture such an astonishing Innate Gourd Vine. It truly is extraordinary."

They divided the Nine Heavens breathing soil among themselves before leaving in satisfaction.

There were other treasures on Buzhou Mountain, but none were worthy of their attention.

Wang Shi invited his Three Masters back to the Buzhou Mountain Divine Hall.

Naturally, they began refining the gourds in their possession.

These treasures possessed spirits, so they had to refine them early and bring them under their control as soon as possible.

Wang Shi looked at the Immortal Slaying Flying Knife in his hand.

He soon began refining it.

There was no denying that treasures became extremely difficult to refine once they possessed spirits.

The spirit of the Immortal Slaying Flying Knife struggled constantly and taunted him from time to time. In short, it absolutely refused to cooperate.

Wang Shi flew into a rage and grabbed the Pangu Divine Axe.

"Today, you either serve me, or I'll cleave you apart!"

With his fiery temper, he could not tolerate such defiance.

The Immortal Slaying Flying Knife immediately trembled and no longer showed the slightest resistance.

After successfully refining it, Wang Shi nodded in satisfaction.

"If you knew it would come to this, why resist in the first place?"

The Immortal Slaying Flying Knife spoke up resentfully.

"Master, you're awful! You used that axe to scare me."

"That's Great God Pangu's Pangu Divine Axe! One swing could split not just Buzhou Mountain, but the entire Primordial World in two! Please, could you stop pulling it out to scare people? You'll frighten someone to death!"

As an Innate Gourd, it knew quite a great deal.

Wang Shi chuckled. This treasure was actually a chatterbox. How interesting.

"Little gourd, what abilities do you have?"

He was actually asking a question he already knew the answer to, just to see this fellow boast about itself.

Sure enough, the Immortal Slaying Flying Knife perked up proudly.

"I am an innate spirit gourd. As long as I know my target's name, I can slay them if they are an immortal."

It seemed thoroughly full of itself.

Wang Shi shook his head helplessly.

"Then try slaying me."

The Immortal Slaying Flying Knife immediately wilted.

"Master, are you joking? How could I possibly turn against my own master?"

"I can slay anyone below a Saint, though Quasi-Saints are a little difficult. After all, experts like that won't die in a single strike, and I only have the power for one attack."

"I need to nurture Immortal-Slaying Power. I can't just be used whenever you please."

Wang Shi nodded thoughtfully.

The Immortal Slaying Flying Knife seemed impressive, but only against ordinary immortals.

Truly powerful experts had no fear of such a thing.