24: Kunlun Mountain, Huangzhong Plum

At this time, Qing Wu and Yuan Feng were climbing together, presumably near the central region of Kunlun.

The two stepped through the clouds, traveling through the spiritual mist on the mountainside of Kunlun Mountain.

This place was surrounded by Immortal Qi, with spiritual springs and waterfalls everywhere, and exotic flowers and herbs growing all over, completely different from the fiery intensity of the Immortal Volcano.

"This Kunlun Mountain is quite peaceful." Yuan Feng casually picked a Vermilion Fruit; a flicker of flame from her fingertip caused the skin to peel away on its own, revealing the crystal-clear flesh.

Qing Wu chuckled, holding a wisp of Kunlun Spiritual Qi in his palm, sensing it carefully.

"Kunlun is the ancestral court of the East; its Spiritual Qi is pure and clear, suitable for practicing the Dao of tranquility. However, the earth-vein fire of the Immortal Volcano is more suitable for you and me."

Yuan Feng raised an eyebrow and then nodded.

Although Kunlun was good, it lacked a certain intensity.

Their Daos, one of wood and one of fire, needed to support and nourish each other.

The earth fire of the Immortal Volcano could help Yuan Feng advance her Nanmingli Fire and use Qing Wu's Qingmu Dao for harmony, making it the best choice.

The two climbed all the way up, reaping a bountiful harvest.

Qing Wu found several pieces of Innate Kunlun Green Jade, which contained Yimu Essence.

Yuan Feng gathered many fire-attribute spiritual materials.

Arriving at a secluded valley, Qing Wu suddenly stopped.

The valley was filled with mist, where a well-growing Spiritual Root could be vaguely seen, naturally engraved with dao patterns.

He took a leaf to sense it carefully.

"yellow center plum?" A flash of joy appeared in Qing Wu's eyes. "This item has an Opportunity with me."

Through many practices and deductions, Qing Wu's Qingmu Sound had become increasingly refined.

The conditions required for communication were also becoming simpler.

As in this case, with just one leaf, he could know the whole picture.

From the information extracted from this leaf, he learned that this was the yellow center plum, one of the Ten Great Supreme-Grade Acquired Spiritual Roots.

The reason this item was held by Yuanshi was originally because it was located on Kunlun Mountain.

This item blooms once every kalpas, bears fruit once every kalpas, and only produces nine fruits at a time.

For Cultivators below the Daluo level, consuming one can immediately allow them to attain the Daluo Dao Fruit; it can be said to be extremely precious.

For Cultivators who have already attained Daluo, it can also increase their accumulation of magic power to a certain extent.

More importantly, this was the first time Qing Wu had encountered a Spiritual Root of a rank equal to his own, so he couldn't help but feel somewhat excited.

Although both were Supreme-Grade Acquired Spiritual Roots, the Wutong Tree was not among the Primordial World's Ten Great Supreme-Grade Acquired Spiritual Roots.

This made Qing Wu a bit curious about who exactly determined these top ten, as they didn't even take him, Qing Wu, into account.

Did they not understand the value of "A single Wutong Tree brings the Phoenix's grace"?

He made up his mind to create his own ranking in the future, with the Wutong Tree being the first...

Thinking too far ahead, Qing Wu withdrew his mind and exchanged a look with Yuan Feng.

The latter cooperatively stepped aside, sitting quietly to Cultivate and wait.

Qing Wu then activated his Divine Ability to begin a Dao Discussion with the yellow center plum.

As his Divine Thought entered, the joy Qing Wu initially felt quickly dissipated.

He had originally thought that as a Spiritual Root of the same rank, even if it didn't nurture a complete spiritual intelligence, it should at least have a higher level of aggregation and a more autonomous spiritual intelligence.

But the opposite seemed to be true; the spiritual consciousness within the yellow center plum was even more scattered than that of the Nanli Tree, and the shackles of the Great Dao were even firmer.

One could see how much the Great Dao did not allow these Innate Spiritual Roots, which carried the Origin of the world, to take human form.

As the Wutong Tree, a Supreme-Grade Acquired Spiritual Root, Qing Wu's successful transformation seemed to be a truly irreplicable existence in the Primordial World.

After all, Transmigration itself was a miracle.

Moreover, as the Wutong Tree, he had Yuan Feng as a companion, and with her help, he was able to complete his transformation.

Through various coincidences and Opportunities, he now enjoyed freedom in the Primordial World.

Looking back, Yuan Feng was quietly Cultivating, her red dress fluttering gently in the wind.

...

The yellow center plum ultimately could not resist Qing Wu's temptation and chose the bright future he promised.

Swaying, it burrowed into his embrace.

This wasn't something Qing Wu forced; it was a voluntary matter for both parties.

Qing Wu and Yuan Feng continued to climb; the mist on Kunlun Mountain grew thicker, and the Spiritual Qi condensed into tiny water droplets, leaving crystal traces on their robes.

Suddenly, a faint sound of a bell came from afar, distant and profound, as if penetrating through time and space.

"Did you hear that?" Yuan Feng stopped and listened intently.

Qing Wu nodded, looking in the direction of the sound: "There seems to be a sound of the Great Dao echoing; let's go take a look."

This sound seemed specifically intended to attract the attention of surrounding creatures, constantly changing its pitch.

This indicated that there was already a Fellow Daoist on Kunlun Mountain.

The dao rhyme contained in this sound was similar to when Qing Wu used the sound of a flute to convey his own dao rhyme while preaching to the living beings of the Immortal Volcano, yet it was also distinctly different.

Since it was a sermon, the flute music Qing Wu manifested was naturally easy for all beings to listen to, with the purpose of helping them organize their own cultivation and break through bottlenecks.

It was about deconstructing one's own dao rhyme before sending it out.

But this sound directly displayed its profound Great Dao to the outside; it seemed like a provocation, an invitation, and even more like a cry for help.

From this sound alone, it was evident that this person's attainment in the Dao of Sound was extremely high, not something an ordinary creature could produce.

Considering that many Innate Sacred Beings on the mountain had not yet reached the time to be born.

The person who made this sound should be another reincarnated Chaos Gods and Demons.

Since the other party had issued an invitation, they might as well go and see.

The Chaos Gods and Demons they had encountered before, such as Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and Hongjun.

Although they each had different temperaments, without exception, one could see in them a pure pursuit of the Great Dao.

Discussing the Dao with them always allowed Qing Wu and his companion to gain another perspective on the Primordial World.

Following the sound of the bell, the two arrived at a hidden canyon.

What they saw before them, however, surprised them.

The entrance to the valley was covered by a layer of faint golden light, where many illusory images of Golden Bells could be seen floating, rotating slowly according to some mysterious trajectory.

The surface of each Golden Bell was covered with complex runes, emitting a faint pressure.

There were sixty-five Golden Bells in total, each connected by a golden thread, forming a massive Formation.

Sounds continuously emanated from within, echoing endlessly throughout the canyon.

After multiple layers of accumulation, it spread outward, finally forming that quite mysterious Dao sound.

"This Formation is already so profound even when operating on its own without anyone controlling it!" Qing Wu praised.

Qing Wu reached out to touch the golden light but was pushed back by a gentle force, followed by a sonic boom that exploded in front of them.

"Sixty-five Golden Bells, independent of each other yet closely linked; touching one affects the whole. This Formation is not simple."

"Putting on airs!" Yuan Feng said with dissatisfaction.

"He was the one who guided us here, but now he doesn't show himself. Truly rude."

"Watch me break his Formation; let's see if he can still sit still then."

As she spoke, Yuan Feng had already sacrificed her divine phoenix plume, preparing to break the Formation.

Qing Wu frowned in thought, seeing some unusual aspects.