The Innate Spirit Root Yellow Center Plum and Gonggong's Unexpected Arrival

"Not bad. Before the Primordial World's age of Quasi-Sages arrived, I managed to catch the last train at the tail end of the era when Daluo stood at the top."

Attaining the Dao of Daluo had evidently put Ao Changsheng in a good mood, and he made a joke at his own expense.

But immediately afterward, Ao Changsheng's mood soured. He had just remembered something.

He had only just chosen to enter seclusion when he made his breakthrough, and he had already used the rewards.

Yet his ten-million-year seclusion had barely begun when his breakthrough in cultivation forced him to enter the River of Space and Time to break through to Daluo.

Ao Changsheng opened the system panel and checked it, but found no special notification from the system.

Apparently, the system had not counted Ao Changsheng's breakthrough as coming out of seclusion.

Seeing this, Ao Changsheng breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to continue his seclusion. His cultivation had only just broken through to Daluo.

His inner world had also only just taken shape. Although his Law Power was abundant compared to that of a newly advanced Daluo, it had not even reached one percent of what his inner world could hold.

What was more, if his inner world was to advance, it would need to absorb a vast quantity of Innate Spiritual Qi.

From now on, even without an option from the Seclusion System, he probably would not choose to come out of seclusion and delay his cultivation.

"Right, my Innate Spirit Treasures, Innate Supreme Treasure, and Innate Spirit Roots!"

Ao Changsheng was just about to enter seclusion when he suddenly caught sight of the Yellow Center Plum fruit tree beside him.

He immediately recalled the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Qiankun Cauldron, and the many Innate Spirit Treasures and Innate Spirit Roots he had traded for with Hongjun.

The Innate Supreme Treasure, the Qiankun Cauldron, and the Innate Spirit Treasures still needed to be refined gradually.

But the Yellow Center Plum fruits and the many Innate Spirit Roots could be eaten directly.

With a turn of his right hand, a fruit appeared in Ao Changsheng's palm. It was shaped like a pearl stamen, with the two characters "Yellow Center" on it.

An exceedingly faint, fresh fragrance drifted in and out of Ao Changsheng's nose and mouth.

After taking a brief whiff of the fragrance, Ao Changsheng swallowed the Yellow Center Plum fruit whole. It melted as soon as it entered his mouth.

Unlike ordinary delicacies, it had no sour, sweet, bitter, or spicy taste. It was simply a cool freshness that seeped into his soul.

At the same time, extremely pure Spiritual Qi flowed into Ao Changsheng's dragon body. After being absorbed a little by his Law Power, it transformed directly into incomparably pure Law Power.

Even Ao Changsheng, a Daluo, felt refreshed in mind and spirit. If he cultivated and comprehended the Dao now, the results might well be thirty percent better than usual.

"This single Yellow Center Plum was actually worth a hundred thousand years of arduous cultivation for me." Ao Changsheng opened his eyes, a look of delight in them.

Ao Changsheng was no ordinary Daluo. After successfully opening up his inner world, he cultivated hundreds or thousands of times faster than an ordinary Daluo Golden Immortal.

He also had the endless Innate Spiritual Qi provided by his cultivation ground to cultivate with.

Even under those conditions, a single Yellow Center Plum was worth a hundred thousand years of arduous cultivation for him.

For those impoverished Daluo, it probably really was as the legends said: a single fruit was worth a million years of cultivation.

"Nine Yellow Center Plums ripen every thirty thousand years, giving me Law Power equivalent to nine hundred thousand years of cultivation. That's thirty times the cultivation efficiency."

Ao Changsheng could not contain his delight. Without further hesitation, he was about to enter seclusion and refine the remaining Yellow Center Plums.

However...

Ao Changsheng suddenly frowned and turned toward the edge of his cultivation ground.

"A Daluo?"

Strange. Why would a Daluo suddenly be heading toward my cultivation ground across this vast sea? Ao Changsheng wondered.

Although Yangmei and Hongjun had visited his cultivation ground before and noticed its extraordinary nature,

what realms had Yangmei and Hongjun been in at the time? One had been on the verge of attaining the Dao of Hunyuan, and the other had been on the verge of attaining the Dao and becoming a Sage.

It was no surprise that they could see how extraordinary his cultivation ground was. But a Daluo... Ao Changsheng was certain the other party had absolutely no ability to discover it.

As for an accident or a coincidence?

Ao Changsheng did not believe it. Although his cultivation ground stretched across hundreds of millions of miles, compared with the entire vast East Sea, the difference was like that between a star and a speck of dust.

With a thought, Ao Changsheng condensed an avatar and brought it to an island at the edge of his cultivation ground, gazing at the distant figure of the Daluo.

Then...

Ao Changsheng froze.

In the vast sea far away, a bare-chested giant was swimming toward him from a distance at an astonishing speed.

A long trail of water stretched out behind him. From time to time, the giant ducked his head and plunged to the seabed, then leaped out and showed off his physique in midair.

"Is he... swimming?"

Ao Changsheng stared, somewhat dumbfounded.

Honestly, since coming to the Primordial World, this was the first time Ao Changsheng had seen a creature other than fish, shrimp, and other aquatic life swimming.

What was more, it was fancy swimming, and the swimmer was a Daluo Golden Immortal.

"Could this... really be a coincidence?"

Watching the Daluo Golden Immortal in the distance, who was absorbed in his own swimming strokes, Ao Changsheng could not help wondering whether he had been a little too cautious.

If anyone from the Witch Race had been present, they would surely have recognized the swimming Daluo.

The swimming Daluo was the Ancestral Witch of Water, whom Zhu Jiuyin had sent to the East Sea with Houtu to search for the cultivation ground of the hidden great expert mentioned by Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Gonggong!

After arriving at the East Sea, Gonggong and Houtu had split up to search for it more efficiently.

But compared with Houtu, who was searching diligently elsewhere, Gonggong seemed more like he was enjoying himself in the East Sea.

For thousands of years, Gonggong had spent his time either catching fish and crabs on the seabed or swimming to his heart's content in the sea.

As for finding the expert, he merely cast a casual glance around and searched a little along the way as he enjoyed himself.

"Huh?"

Gonggong, still absorbed in his swimming strokes, raised his head and glanced at the distant island, somewhat surprised.

He remembered not having noticed this route before.

But he paid it no mind. That was how the seas of the Primordial World were; over the long passage of time, a lonely island might well have drifted over the sea.

"Hehe, this island came at just the right time... Watch my latest diving pose."

A smile suddenly appeared on the burly man's lips. He plunged straight to the seabed, then leaped up from it and burst out of the water, his hands held above his head.

"Huh?"

Gonggong looked somewhat surprised.

He remembered that when he had leaped up before, he had not seen an island in this direction!

But Gonggong did not pay it much mind. After all, he had only taken a casual glance earlier and had not looked carefully.

This was a world of immortals and gods, after all. It might well be someone's cultivation ground, hidden by a formation.

But for Gonggong, an Ancestral Witch at the Daluo Golden Immortal level, was there any need to care about such things?

"Hehe, this island came at just the right time..."

A smile suddenly appeared on Gonggong's lips. He plunged straight to the seabed, then burst out of the sea in a mighty leap, his hands held above his head.

Dark-skinned Gonggong spun and leaped languidly through the air, lost in bliss. I close... my eyes are open?!

Gonggong's eyes widened as they met the strange gaze of Ao Changsheng's avatar on the island's shore.