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

Chapter 79 Obtaining the Origin of Ginseng Fruit

As she continued onward, Qinglian's heart stirred slightly, and she thought of the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain.

I wonder how well Uncle Hongyun's remnant spirit is being nurtured. Since I'm passing by nearby, it's only right and proper that I go and visit him.

Having made up his mind, he changed direction and headed towards Longevity Hill.

Before long, the familiar sacred mountain came into view. The mountain was verdant and full of Taoist charm. The heavy earth energy formed an invisible barrier, protecting this pure land, making it seem like a different world from the primordial wilderness filled with calamity outside.

The three of them descended from the clouds and landed in front of the ancient and simple mountain gate of Wuzhuang Temple.

Before Qinglian could speak, the mountain gate opened by itself, its yellow light swirling around it. Two Daoist boys, Qingfeng and Mingyue, quickly stepped out to greet her, their faces beaming with sincere smiles.

"Immortal Qinglian! You've arrived! My master was just talking about you a few days ago!" Qingfeng greeted him with a smile.

Mingyue also respectfully said, "Immortal, please come in. Master is tending to the ginseng fruit tree in the backyard."

Qinglian smiled and returned the greeting: "Thank you for your trouble, young boys." She then led Sun Wuzhen and Ao Guang into the temple.

We walked through the quiet courtyard and arrived at the backyard.

There stood Zhen Yuanzi, the Great Immortal, beneath the towering ginseng fruit tree with its swaying branches and leaves. Holding a jade hoe, he carefully tended to the spiritual soil beside the tree roots, his expression focused and compassionate, as if he were caring for his most precious child.

Hearing footsteps, Zhen Yuanzi looked up and saw Qinglian. A gentle smile immediately appeared on his face: "Junior Nephew Qinglian, come and sit down."

He put down the jade hoe and led Qinglian to sit down at the stone table under the tree. Qingfeng and Mingyue, without needing to be told, had already nimbly prepared the immortal tea and spiritual fruits.

"I am a junior traveling and happened to pass by this area, so I came to pay my respects to my senior uncle. I apologize for disturbing you, and hope you will not take offense," Qinglian said respectfully.

"Oh, what are you saying! I'm overjoyed that you've come!" Zhen Yuanzi waved his hand and laughed, then looked at Sun Wuzhen and Ao Guang.

Sun Wuzhen and Ao Guang quickly stepped forward to pay their respects: "Junior Sun Wuzhen (Ao Guang) greets Grandmaster Zhen Yuanzi!"

"Good, good child, no need for such formalities." Zhen Yuanzi stroked his beard and smiled, appearing very happy.

At this moment, Qingfeng and Mingyue brought fragrant tea and several plates of spiritual fruits.

Zhen Yuanzi laughed and said, "Nephew, you've come at the perfect time. Several more fruits have ripened recently, and I was just worried about having no one to share them with."

As he spoke, he personally got up, walked to the ginseng fruit tree, and used his supernatural powers. A faint glow appeared on the tree, and six ginseng fruits, shaped like infants with all four limbs, endearing and radiant, exuding a rich vitality and Daoist charm, floated down and landed steadily in the jade plate.

The aroma of fruit instantly filled the air, bringing clarity and comfort to the whole body.

"Come, junior disciple, and two young friends, have a taste, don't be shy." Zhen Yuanzi pushed the jade plate in front of Qinglian and his disciples.

Sun Wuzhen and Ao Guang stared wide-eyed at the legendary innate spiritual fruit, but since their master hadn't made a move, they didn't dare to act rashly and could only watch longingly.

Qinglian was deeply moved. These ginseng fruits from his Uncle Zhen Yuanzi were incredibly precious; only thirty could be obtained in a single Yuanhui (a unit of time). Now, he had harvested six at once to treat them—his kindness was truly profound. He rose and solemnly thanked him, "Thank you so much for your generous gift, Uncle!"

"These are just a few fruits, a token of my appreciation. Why should you stand on ceremony with me, my nephew? Please, have a seat." Zhen Yuanzi urged with a smile.

Qinglian then picked up a ginseng fruit and handed it to Sun Wuzhen, then picked up another one and handed it to Ao Guang, before taking one for herself.

The two disciples couldn't wait any longer. They took small bites and felt an indescribable sweetness and boundless vitality instantly spread through their bodies, nourishing their flesh and spirit. They felt so comfortable that they almost groaned and quickly closed their eyes to circulate their energy.

Qinglian savored it carefully, feeling the pure life essence and fragments of earth element laws contained within. It was quite similar to the earth elemental fruit he had just consumed, but even more gentle and vast.

After tasting the spiritual fruit and chatting for a while, Qinglian's expression turned serious, and she asked, "Uncle-Master Zhen Yuanzi, I wonder how Uncle-Master Hongyun's wisp of true spirit is being nurtured?"

Mentioning Hongyun, Zhen Yuanzi's smile faded slightly, turning into a soft sigh, but his eyes still held hope: "Thank you for your concern, Junior Nephew. With the ginseng fruit tree's essence nourishing it day and night, that wisp of remnant spirit has finally stabilized and is no longer as likely to dissipate at any moment as it was at the beginning."

However... he remains extremely weak, in a deep slumber, and it is unknown how many long years and how much fortune it will take to fully recover, or even rebuild his primordial spirit...

His tone carried a hint of weariness and heartache that was barely perceptible.

Clearly, he had expended a great deal of effort to stabilize Hongyun's remaining spirit, even using the power of the Earth Book's origin.

Upon hearing this, Qinglian sighed inwardly and comforted her, "Uncle-Master, there's no need to worry too much. As long as your true spirit remains, there is hope. Uncle-Master Hongyun is blessed by the heavens and will surely make a complete recovery one day."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded: "I hope so..."

He was silent for a moment, then suddenly looked up at Qinglian, his gaze deep and profound. "Nephew, your visit this time is probably more than just a simple visit, isn't it? If there is anything I can do to help you, please feel free to speak."

Qinglian pondered for a moment and said, "To be honest, Uncle-Master, I have recently gained some insights into the Dao of Creation during my cultivation. I need to comprehend the original aura of some top-tier innate spiritual roots in order to achieve a thorough understanding."

"Uncle-Master, this ginseng fruit tree is the ancestor of all earth-type spiritual roots in the primordial world, its vitality and creation unparalleled... I, a junior, presume to ask Uncle-Master for a trace of the ginseng fruit tree's primordial energy for my comprehension. It will certainly not harm the foundation of my spiritual root. I wonder..."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhen Yuanzi interrupted him without hesitation, raising his hand: "What is it! It's just a wisp of primordial energy. If you need it, take it!"

After saying that, he stood up and walked to the ginseng fruit tree. He made mysterious hand seals, and the vast earth essence and the aura of the earth book surged around him!

He pointed his fingers like a sword and gently guided one of the aerial roots of the ginseng fruit tree!

Instantly, the entire ginseng fruit tree shimmered with light, its branches and leaves swaying gently, as if in pain but not resisting.

A wisp of air, as thin as a hair yet condensed to the extreme, displaying a warm, yellowish-brown luster and radiating an indescribable, boundless vitality and the essence of the earth, was slowly drawn out from that root!

As soon as this primordial energy was released, the life force in the entire backyard instantly became several times stronger!

Qingfeng and Mingyue watched from afar, their faces showing heartache.

Extracting even a trace of the spiritual root's essence is a significant loss to the spiritual root and may even affect the subsequent outcome.

However, Zhen Yuanzi remained calm and carefully guided the precious ginseng fruit tree essence to his palm, where it condensed into a warm and translucent yellow jade bead the size of a longan and was handed directly to Qinglian!

"Junior nephew, here you go!" Zhen Yuanzi's tone was so relaxed that it was as if he were giving away an ordinary spiritual fruit.

"To me, this is nothing more than a small matter that will allow my old friend's tree to rest for a few eons and recover. If it can be of any benefit to my nephew's cultivation, then it is worthwhile!"

Looking into Zhen Yuanzi's sincere and genuine eyes, and at the heavy primordial jade bead in her palm, which contained endless vitality and Zhen Yuanzi's deep affection, Qinglian felt a warm current surge in her heart.

He knew the value of this trace of origin, and he understood that Zhen Yuanzi's actions were entirely out of consideration for his Uncle Hongyun, as well as his unreserved trust and recognition of Qinglian.

He rose, bowed deeply to Zhen Yuanzi, and said in an extremely solemn tone, "Uncle-Master's kindness will be forever etched in my heart! If you ever need anything in the future, I will do my utmost!"

Zhen Yuanzi quickly helped him up, feigning anger, and said, "You child, why are you being so distant! I have yet to repay the kindness shown to me regarding Hongyun's matter, what is a mere trace of my essence worth! If you say that again, I will get angry!"

Qinglian said no more, but kept this sentiment deep in his heart. He carefully placed the primordial jade bead into the deepest part of the Qiankun Diagram, and gently nurtured it with the energy of the Creation Green Lotus.

After lingering at Wuzhuang Temple for half a day, discussing Taoism and enjoying tea with Zhen Yuanzi, Qinglian finally got up to take her leave as the sun set.

Zhen Yuanzi personally escorted the three of them to the mountain gate. Before parting, he gave Sun Wuzhen and Ao Guang each a bottle of pills he had refined, and instructed Qinglian, "The Great Tribulation is becoming increasingly unpredictable. Nephew, please be careful on your journey. If you have time, come and visit often."

"Uncle-Master, please wait. I understand." Qinglian bowed and took her leave, then rode away on a cloud with her disciple, departing from Longevity Mountain.

Looking back at the sacred mountain, still exuding Taoist charm in the twilight, Qinglian was filled with emotion.

Uncle-Master Zhen Yuanzi's affection is truly profound. And Uncle-Master Hongyun's glimmer of hope has finally been preserved; though the road ahead is long, there is finally hope.

On the cloud, Sun Wuzhen and Ao Guang were still excitedly discussing the wonders of the ginseng fruit and the generosity of their grand-uncle Zhen Yuanzi.

Qinglian quietly planned her cultivation after returning to Kunlun.

Having obtained the essence of the Ginseng Fruit Tree, combined with the previous essences of Huang Zhongji and Bitter Bamboo, his Ninth-Rank Creation Green Lotus might advance further. As for the method of severing the Three Corpses taught by his masters, he needs to find an opportunity as soon as possible and attempt to take that step.

The tranquility of the primordial world is uncertain; how long will it last? Only by continuously increasing our strength can we prepare for the impending cataclysmic waves.

The figures of the master and his two disciples gradually faded into the distance amidst the rosy glow of the sunset.