Primordial Era: Reborn as a Qi Immortal, Steadily Cultivating

Chapter 39 A Handful of Breath of Soil

Ma Yuan's gaze was fixed on the innate gourd vine itself before him.

The emerald green vines are crystal clear, as if they were carved from the finest divine jade.

A vast and boundless innate wood Daoist charm flowed over it, brimming with endless vitality.

This vitality is so pure and powerful.

Just sensing it from afar caused the magical power within Ma Yuan's body to involuntarily become active.

An idea suddenly came to mind.

"Among the five elements, wood generates fire..."

"Although I have now established the foundation of the three elements of water, fire, and earth, the source of fire is ultimately the weakest link in my foundation. If I can refine this innate gourd vine, extract its source, and complete my own path of wood..."

"At that time, wood will generate fire, fire will generate earth, and water will also generate wood... A more stable and complete cycle of the four elements will be formed! My foundation of Dao will surely achieve another qualitative leap!"

This idea is incredibly tempting.

For any cultivator who pursues the Great Dao.

The gourd vine before us is one of the ten innate spiritual roots.

These are all supreme treasures that would make them risk their lives to fight for.

However, there was longing in Ma Yuan's eyes.

More than anything, there was a deep sense of apprehension.

He knows better than anyone.

The cause and effect behind this gourd vine in front of us must be terrifying and vast!
"The Creation Whip..."

Ma Yuan muttered to himself, revealing the vine's ultimate fate.

In the grand scheme of things in the future.

After this naturally formed gourd vine produced these seven gourds...

Its true form will fall into the hands of the goddess Nuwa.

Ultimately, it transformed into the supreme treasure of immeasurable merit, which helped Nuwa achieve the holy position of the Heavenly Dao—the Creation Whip!
It can be said that this vine was the key to Nuwa's attainment of sainthood!
If I were to take it away today, it would mean that I would be cutting off Nuwa's chance to become a saint!

You must know that Nuwa was the most crucial link in ushering in the era of sages.

The human race created by Nuwa was destined by Heaven to become the overlords of the primordial world.

Such acts of defying the heavens would likely incur enough karmic consequences to cause even a powerful being at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm to be instantly reduced to ashes and never recover!
"I am now merely a Golden Immortal, and I cannot even shake the karma of a Great Luo Golden Immortal. How dare I get involved in this overwhelming karma that could affect a Saint's attainment of the Dao?"

A chill ran through Ma Yuan's heart, and he instantly extinguished that unrealistic greed.

He had already tried it.

He simply couldn't shake the causal chain of beings like the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa.

If the Creation Whip is taken away, preventing the birth of humankind and preventing Nuwa from becoming a saint, a great calamity will surely befall them.

"The vine is undesirable."

Ma Yuan shook his head, making a decision in an instant.

He looked down.

It finally landed beneath the gourd vine, on that wondrous soil brimming with endless vitality and the power of creation.

The Nine Heavens' Breath Soil.

Earth element treasure.

The instant I saw this thing.

Ma Yuan's heart had just calmed down.

My heart skipped a beat again, involuntarily!
This is his most fundamental and desired goal for this trip.

The core hidden danger in his current foundation of the Three Powers is that the Earth element has no root.

This Nine Heavens Breath Soil is the essence of the earth's origin, the ultimate manifestation of the Great Dao of Earth.

As long as one can obtain even the slightest bit of it, one can refine it into one's body.

The innate essence of Earth within his body can then have a source, and be endlessly regenerated!

At that time, his foundation in the Three Realms will be truly complete, as stable as Mount Tai, with no more worries.

However, just like the gourd vine.

This Nine Heavens Breath Soil is also closely intertwined with the cause and effect of Nuwa creating humans and becoming a saint.

Nuwa used the Nine Heavens Breath Soil as mud and the Three Lights Divine Water as a guide to create the innate human race, thus obtaining the greatest merit of creating humans since the beginning of time. It can be said that the Nine Heavens Breath Soil, like the Creation Whip, was an essential element for Nuwa's attainment of sainthood.

Those who take it will inevitably incur this karmic consequence!
"Take it or not?"

Ma Yuan was caught in an unprecedented internal struggle.

Reason told him that he must not be tainted in any way by any cause or effect related to the future enlightenment of the saint, otherwise the consequences would be endless.

But his yearning for the Great Way was also tempting him madly.

Just a little bit.

Taking just a tiny bit of the Breath Soil would be enough to resolve the fundamental hidden dangers in one's Dao foundation, ensuring a smooth path to immortality.

He stood in this small world, silent for a long time.

His gaze was fixed on the soil radiating nine-colored light, his eyes filled with struggle.

A long time, a long time.

Ma Yuan let out a long breath.

A resolute glint flashed in his eyes.

"Enough, enough. The struggle for the Great Dao is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind!"

"If I am always timid and hesitant, and remain stagnant, how can I possibly pursue the supreme path of immortality?!"

In the end, he could not resist the enormous temptation that could change his own destiny.

However, even if one decides to take this risk.

Ma Yuan also maintained his extreme caution, which was ingrained in his bones.

"You may take it. But you must not take more than you are allowed!"

He instantly set a bottom line in his mind.

"When Nuwa created humans, she needed the Breath of Earth, but not all of it."

This thing can grow with the wind, endlessly regenerating. I only take a negligible small portion of it; I think its impact on the overall situation should be minimal.

"As long as it doesn't affect her ability to create humans and become a saint, this cause and effect is still within a controllable range!"

Once Ma Yuan realized this, he no longer hesitated.

Slowly stepping forward, Ma Yuan arrived before the Nine Heavens Breath Soil.

He did not take direct action.

Instead, he first respectfully bowed to this small world.

"By the grace of Heaven, I, Ma Yuan, have dared to take a handful of the Breath Soil today to mend the deficiencies in my own Dao foundation. I will repay this debt of karma if I have the opportunity in the future."

He muttered incantations, as if making a promise to this world and to the mysterious Dao.

After doing all this, Ma Yuan reached out and carefully scooped up a small handful from the edge of that vast expanse of Nine Heavens Breath Soil.

That handful of soil felt warm and incredibly heavy to the touch.

It contains immense vitality and the power of creation.

It made Ma Yuan's entire arm feel comfortable.

Not much, just a small clump about the size of a fist.

Compared to that entire expanse of life-giving soil, it is but a drop in the ocean, utterly insignificant.

But Ma Yuan knew in his heart that this amount of weight was more than enough to solidify his foundation of the Three Powers Dao!
Having taken the Breath Soil, Ma Yuan had no greed whatsoever, and dared not even glance at the gourd vine.

He bowed to the spot once more.

Immediately, with a flicker of his figure, he turned and left this secret little world without hesitation.

When he returned to the fiercely windswept cliffs of Buzhou Mountain.

The entrance to the secret realm behind them had silently closed once more.

It's like it never happened.

Ma Yuan let out a long sigh of relief.

He did not linger there for long.

He immediately harnessed the light and flew towards the outside of Buzhou Mountain.

(End of this chapter)