Primordial Era: From the Creation Lotus to the First Disciple of the Three Pure Ones

Chapter 61 Secrets Revealed Inside Wuzhuang Temple

Longevity Hill, Wuzhuang Temple.

This ancient Taoist temple, famous for its Earth Book Array and Ginseng Fruit Tree, was now shrouded in an even heavier aura of Earth than usual.

The mountain gate was tightly closed, and the protective array was operating at full capacity. The thick yellow light acted as a tangible barrier, isolating the inside from the outside, and even the mountain breeze carried a sense of impending doom.

Since Hongyun's death, Zhen Yuanzi has completely closed his Daoist temple, immersing himself in grief and self-reproach over the passing of his old friend, and no longer seeing any outside visitors.

Two figures, covered in dust but with their auras carefully concealed, appeared silently before the tightly closed gates of Wuzhuang Temple, as if piercing through a curtain of water. They were Qinglian and Sun Wuzhen, who had arrived at full speed.

"Qinglian, the chief disciple of the Three Pure Ones of Kunlun Mountain, along with his disciple Sun Wuzhen, has come to pay their respects to Uncle-Master Zhen Yuanzi! We have an extremely urgent matter to report and humbly request your permission to see us!"

Qinglian's voice was not loud, but it clearly pierced through the heavy mountain gate's restrictions, carrying an undeniable urgency and solemnity.

The area inside the mountain gate was completely silent.

A moment later, ripples appeared on the seemingly seamless yellow jade mountain gate, and two Daoist boys, about eleven or twelve years old, with their hair in Daoist buns and wearing blue Daoist robes, poked their heads out. They were none other than Zhen Yuanzi's personal attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue.

Qingfeng rubbed his sleepy eyes (clearly startled), while Mingyue, looking wary, asked crisply, "Who goes there? My master has been keeping his doors closed to guests for a long time!"

Qinglian, with a solemn expression, cupped his hands again: "This humble Daoist, Qinglian, is the chief disciple of the three Dao Venerables, Taiqing Laozi, Yuqing Yuanshi, and Shangqing Tongtian! I have come here concerning a matter of utmost importance, a secret of heaven and earth, a matter of life and death, which I must personally report to my Uncle-Master Zhenyuanzi! Please inform him!"

"The chief disciple of the Three Pure Ones?"

Qingfeng and Mingyue exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with surprise and uncertainty. Although they had lived in Wuzhuang Temple for a long time, they had heard of the renown of the Three Pure Ones of Kunlun Mountain and the immortal Qinglian, a disciple of the Dao Ancestor.

Seeing that Qinglian possessed an extraordinary demeanor and spoke earnestly, seemingly without pretense, Mingyue hesitated for a moment before saying, "Immortal, please wait a moment while we report to Master."

Qingfeng then dashed back into the temple.

Before long, the protective barrier around the mountain gate glowed with a yellow light and slowly opened a crack just wide enough for one person to pass through. Mingyue stepped aside and said, "Master invites you, Immortal Qinglian, Fellow Daoist Sun, please follow me."

The master and disciple stepped into the temple. Familiar scenes came into view: the pavilions and towers were still simple and elegant, the spring water gushed forth, exotic flowers and rare herbs were fragrant, and the rich spiritual energy of the Earth element was overwhelming.

However, the entire temple was permeated with an unyielding sense of sorrow and silence. The ginseng fruit tree, a primordial spiritual root that stood tall in the temple, seemed to have lost some of its former verdant greenness, drooping listlessly.

A gentle breeze led the two through the corridor to the ginseng fruit tree in the back garden.

The Great Immortal Zhenyuan was dressed in an apricot-yellow Taoist robe. His face was even more gaunt than when we last met, and his brows were shrouded in an overwhelming sense of sorrow and weariness. He had his back to the visitor and was gazing up at the ginseng fruit tree, his silhouette exuding a desolate air.

"Master, the Immortal Qinglian has arrived," Qingfeng respectfully reported.

Zhen Yuanzi slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Qinglian. His eyes were deep, scrutinizing, and also carrying a hint of barely perceptible hope.

He naturally recognized Qinglian; the eldest disciple of the Three Pure Ones had left a deep impression on him with her performance at Zixiao Palace and Kunlun. But at this moment, he was more concerned about the phrase "a matter of life and death."

"Nephew Qinglian," Zhen Yuanzi's voice was somewhat hoarse and tinged with vicissitudes, "In these turbulent times, instead of cultivating in seclusion in Kunlun, you have come to my secluded place. What brings you here?" He did not engage in much small talk and went straight to the point.

Qinglian bowed deeply, her expression extremely solemn: "Disciple Qinglian greets Uncle Zhenyuan! I have come here because of a matter concerning the life and death of an uncle! However, this matter is extremely important, involving the secrets of the Great Tribulation. I beg Uncle Zhenyuan to first activate the Earth Book Array to completely conceal this place and prevent any prying or divination! Only then will I dare to speak plainly!"

"Oh?"

A glint of light suddenly flashed in Zhen Yuanzi's turbid eyes!

Qinglian's identity and tone made him instantly realize that this was no ordinary matter!

Is it about the life or death of his "Master Uncle"? Or the secrets of the Great Tribulation? His heart skipped a beat, and a name he almost dared not think of surfaced in his mind!

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhen Yuanzi stomped his foot!

A sudden, violent tremor shook the entire Wuzhuang Temple!

Beneath the ground, the vast and powerful energy of the Earth element erupted like a giant dragon awakening!

Countless thick, earth-yellow beams of light shot into the sky, instantly intertwining to form a massive array covering the entire Longevity Mountain area!

The power of the mountains and rivers was frantically drawn, transforming into the most solid barrier! At the same time, a profound and ancient book, exuding the aura of the earth's origin—the Book of Earth—flew out from above Zhen Yuanzi's head and unfolded with a whoosh!

As the pages turned, the illusory images of ancient mountains and rivers flowed endlessly, and a power of "Earthly Forbidden Zone," which was even more mysterious and profound than the mountain-protecting array, spread out!

This force not only isolated space, but also confused the secrets of heaven and severed cause and effect, as if it had briefly "dug" the area where Wuzhuang Temple was located out of the primordial world!

"With the earth's veins as its foundation and the earth's scripture as its shield, even a sage could not easily glimpse the slightest part of this place at this moment!"

'

Zhen Yuanzi's voice was deep yet carried supreme authority. His gaze was fixed intently on Qinglian. "Nephew, you can speak now! What is it?!"

Qinglian felt a sense of calm as she sensed the invisible barrier around her, as thick and isolated as an ancient mountain.

He took a deep breath, flipped his hand and took out an object—a gourd covered with spiderweb-like cracks, dull and lifeless, yet still emitting a faint dark red light!

"The Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd?!"

Zhen Yuanzi cried out in shock! It was as if he had been struck by lightning!

His body trembled violently, and he rushed forward, his withered hands trembling slightly as he stared intently at the broken gourd in Qinglian's hand!

That was Hongyun's ever-present magical treasure! How did it end up here? Wasn't it destroyed in the self-destruction?

"Uncle-Master Zhenyuan!"

Qinglian's voice carried a hint of excitement and urgency, "My disciple and I traveled to the old site of Wuyi Mountain and unexpectedly found this gourd at the edge of a chaotic spatial rift! I used my divine sense to explore it and discovered—deep inside the gourd, there remains an extremely faint, broken, yet tenacious fragment of Uncle Hongyun's true spirit!"

Boom! Zhen Yuanzi felt as if something had exploded in his mind!

A tremendous sense of surprise, disbelief, and profound grief overwhelmed him instantly!

He stumbled and almost lost his balance if Qingfeng and Mingyue hadn't caught him in time!

"Red—my old friend Red Cloud—is his spirit still alive?!"

Zhen Yuanzi's voice trembled violently, and turbid tears welled up in his eyes instantly!

He suddenly reached out, but then, fearing he might disturb something, his movements became incredibly gentle, as if he were holding the most fragile treasure in the world, carefully taking the broken Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd from Qinglian's hands.

It was icy cold to the touch, and the shocking cracks seemed to tell the tragic story of that self-destruction.

Zhen Yuanzi suppressed his turbulent emotions and gently channeled his powerful yet gentle divine thoughts, like the finest trickle, into the depths of the gourd.

Dead silence — ruin — nothingness —

His divine sense struggled to traverse the broken space inside the gourd, and every scene caused Zhen Yuanzi's heart to ache.

Finally, in the most central and darkest corner, he "saw" it!

A faint, almost imperceptible, dark red light!

More flickering than a candle in the wind! Within the light, a wisp of true spirit, as thin as smoke and as shattered as broken glass, was wrapped!

On that fragment, one could vaguely discern the iconic aura of Daoist Hongyun, aura that carried a hint of freedom yet also a touch of helplessness!

It was too faint, so faint that it couldn't even convey a clear thought; it could only emit an instinctive...

A faint yearning for life and endless cries of agony!

"My old friend! It really is you!!"

Zhen Yuanzi could no longer hold back his tears, which streamed down his face as he sobbed uncontrollably!

A deep affection spanning countless ages welled up in his heart, and Hongyun's final farewell gaze seemed to be right before his eyes! He had thought it was a final farewell, but unexpectedly, the heavens had left such a faint glimmer of hope!

"Ginseng Fruit Tree! My old friend, my life depends entirely on you!" Zhen Yuanzi suddenly looked up and uttered a deep call to the towering innate spiritual root, as if calling to a close relative!

Buzz—! As if sensing the unparalleled excitement and prayer in its master's heart, the ginseng fruit tree with its drooping branches suddenly trembled!

The entire body bursts forth with an unprecedentedly dazzling emerald green radiance! Each leaf is like a piece of the finest jade, crystal clear, flowing with an extremely rich source of life and the vitality of creation!

The natural patterns on the tree trunk seemed to come alive, radiating a gentle yet powerful spiritual energy!