Chapter 41: Great Immortal Yang Mei
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There were nine innate spiritual treasures in all: six lower-grade innate spiritual treasures, two mid-grade innate spiritual treasures, and one superior-grade innate spiritual treasure.
The superior-grade innate spiritual treasure was a Nine-Colored Rainbow Skirt, bearing thirty-three innate restrictions. Once worn, it rendered the wearer impervious to blades and spears, immune to water and fire, and capable of concealing their aura so completely that no one below the level of a Sage could divine anything about them.
Even Bai Jing found himself coveting it. Unfortunately, it was a skirt. He could hardly walk around wearing one, could he? With some regret, he put it away.
There were six spiritual roots, five of them lower-grade innate spiritual roots. One, however, was the Five-Needle Pine, one of the Primordial World’s Ten Great Spiritual Roots.
Just as Bai Jing had expected, the Five-Needle Pine was indeed on Fangzhang Island. Without hesitation, he collected the entire mountain where it grew into the Source Yang Cauldron.
Any place capable of nurturing the Five-Needle Pine had to be an exceedingly rare blessed paradise. Why would he not take the whole thing with him?
At last, Bai Jing turned his gaze toward the innate restriction at the very center of Fangzhang Island.
He had come to Fangzhang Island for two purposes: to gather immortal materials and ores, and to obtain the Mysterious Origin Water-Control Flag. He had already collected the ores, but he had yet to find the flag. Having come this far, Bai Jing naturally had no intention of giving up.
He arrived before the innate restriction at the island’s center and gathered the Devouring Great Dao into both palms, pressing them against the restriction.
In less than a year, the restriction had been completely devoured by the Devouring Great Dao.
After breaking through the restriction, Bai Jing discovered a cavern beyond it. He sent a strand of magical power toward the entrance and, after confirming that there were no further restrictions, stepped inside.
The cavern was so narrow at first that only one person could pass through. After crossing the cramped passageway, Bai Jing suddenly felt space ripple around him. In the next instant, he found himself in a small world.
The alarm bells in Bai Jing’s heart rang wildly. What had just happened? How had he arrived in this small world in the blink of an eye?
Before he could figure it out, however, he saw the towering tree before him, its crown vanishing into the clouds.
The instant he laid eyes on it, the memories innate to his divine nature told him that this was the legendary Jianmu—the divine tree said to be capable of supporting Heaven and Earth.
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“How can the divine tree Jianmu exist here?” Bai Jing sensed that something was amiss. He hurriedly circled the tree once and discovered that it had been planted by someone.
An extraordinarily complex formation had been arranged around Jianmu. Four supreme-grade innate spiritual treasures stabilized the earth, fire, water, and wind of this small world, allowing the entire world to provide nourishment for Jianmu’s growth. The Mysterious Origin Water-Control Flag Bai Jing had been searching for was precisely the supreme-grade innate spiritual treasure that stabilized the water within the formation.
Bai Jing assessed the formation. With his current strength, he was probably incapable of breaking it. In fact, throughout the entire Primordial World, the only person who might be able to do so was probably Hongjun.
“Only a Sage could break this formation. Most likely, it was left behind by the Great Immortal Yangmei,” Bai Jing thought.
At the same time, he felt even more regretful that he could not obtain the Mysterious Origin Water-Control Flag.
Then a thought suddenly occurred to him. Since he could not break the formation, why not simply take the entire small world? Would Jianmu and the formation not become his as well?
Once the idea arose, Bai Jing immediately put it into action and began searching for the core of the small world.
To his surprise, he truly found it. In fact, the core was not difficult to locate at all. It had been placed conspicuously outside the formation surrounding Jianmu.
Bai Jing did not stand on ceremony. He sat down cross-legged and prepared to refine it.
However, the instant his magical power touched the core of the small world, a phantom figure appeared from thin air.
The man possessed a kindly, benevolent face, but none of the transcendent bearing of an immortal. Instead, he looked like a plump, wealthy merchant. What left the deepest impression, however, was his eyebrows. They were astonishingly long, like willow branches, and drooped all the way to the ground.
Bai Jing’s heart jolted. There was no doubt about it—this man was the Great Immortal Yangmei!
Just as he was about to speak, Yangmei spoke first.
“Nearly nine epochs have passed. At last, someone has come to Fangzhang Island and discovered this place.”
Bai Jing hurriedly rose and bowed. “This junior is Bai Jing. Greetings, Senior Yangmei.”
Yangmei waved a hand. “There is no need for such formalities. Since you know me, you should also know my origins. When Pangu created Heaven and Earth, we Primordial Chaos Fiends perished because of him. By sheer luck, I escaped with half a life. My true spirit seized an Empty-Hearted Willow, allowing me to begin a second life.
“Yet misfortune is often the vessel of fortune, and fortune may conceal the roots of misfortune. Through cultivating anew in this life, I was able to cast off the shackles of being the Space Fiend and attain the realm of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal through the Great Dao of Time and Space. The road ahead is now far broader, and my karma with Pangu may be considered settled.”
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“However, the Empty-Hearted Willow I seized was itself a spiritual root of the Primordial World. Thus, I incurred a debt of karma to the Primordial World. When I attained enlightenment, I glimpsed certain fragments in the River of Time. In the future, Mount Buzhou will collapse, and the Primordial World will be overturned as a result. Even if someone intervenes to repair Heaven, the innate spiritual energy of the Primordial World will still decline.
“The best way to replace Mount Buzhou and support Heaven and Earth is Jianmu. As it happened, I knew where Jianmu could be found within the Primordial Chaos, so I went in search of it and obtained this sapling. I planted it here, using this small world as its garden. By my reckoning, nine epochs have now passed.”
“Senior, are you planning to use Jianmu to support Heaven and Earth in place of Mount Buzhou when it collapses, thereby repaying your debt of karma to the Primordial World?” Bai Jing asked tentatively.
“That was originally the plan. But not long after I recovered Jianmu, the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World expelled me from it. My karma with the Primordial World was thereby severed, and whatever happens to it is no longer my concern.
“So I left Jianmu here, in my former dojo. If someone finds my dojo before Mount Buzhou collapses and is willing to use Jianmu to support the world in its place, I will be delighted to see it happen.
“If they arrive after Mount Buzhou has collapsed, or if they are unwilling to use Jianmu to support the Primordial World, that is of no concern to me either,” Yangmei said indifferently.
“Then, Senior Yangmei, how can this formation be removed?” Bai Jing asked after pondering for a moment.
“It can be removed with the magical power of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Alternatively, after refining the core of this small world, you may swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial World, pledging to use Jianmu to support it. The Heavenly Dao will naturally help you remove the formation.
“That you were able to find my former dojo is a blessing granted by fate. I do not wish to become entangled with the Primordial World again. There is no karma between us, and you need not seek me out in the future.”
Before Bai Jing could ask anything else, Yangmei’s avatar vanished.
Bai Jing curled his lips and thought, “How easy does he think it is to cultivate to the realm of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal? He claims that his karma with the Primordial World has been severed, but in truth, he still wants Jianmu to support Heaven and Earth.”
Yet after hearing Yangmei’s words, Bai Jing had developed several new ideas. If he could make good use of Jianmu, repaying his debt of karma to the Great God Pangu would become far easier.
Suppressing the tangled thoughts in his heart, Bai Jing began refining the core of the small world.
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