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

Chapter 85 Collecting the Source of Spiritual Essence

Qinglian secluded herself deep within the Qingyu Dao Palace, immersing herself completely in comprehending the Great Dao of Creation and refining her own magical power, oblivious to the changing seasons and the passage of time.

Within his dantian, the Ninth-Rank Creation Lotus slowly rotated, continuously absorbing the vast innate spiritual energy of Kunlun Mountain.

It also slowly refined the essence of the Earth Element Dao Fruit, Ginseng Fruit, and even the trace of the Ginseng Fruit Tree's origin that it had previously consumed. The lotus body became increasingly emerald green and dazzling, and the Dao patterns became increasingly complex and profound. The vitality of creation it exuded already had the feeling of nourishing a small world.

On this day, he was observing the illusory image of the innate bitter bamboo obtained from Yingzhou in his sea of ​​consciousness, trying to comprehend its subtle Daoist charm of purity, tranquility, and cleansing of inner demons, attempting to verify it with his own concept of creation, and seeking the balance point between movement and stillness, beyond birth and death.

Suddenly, three gentle yet immense thoughts descended silently into his mind as if traversing layers of space, carrying an irresistible force.

"Qinglian, come to the Sanqing Palace."

It was the voice of the revered Master Lao Tzu, calm and detached, yet seemingly containing the ultimate truths of the universe.

Qinglian immediately awoke from her deep state of enlightenment, a hint of surprise flashing in her eyes, which quickly turned into respect.

He concealed his aura, straightened his Taoist robe, and stepped out of the meditation room. With a slight movement, he transformed into a beam of light and swept towards the Sanqing Palace on the mountaintop.

The palace gates opened silently, revealing a profound and unfathomable atmosphere within, more enigmatic than ever before.

The Three Pure Ones remained seated cross-legged on their cloud bed, their aura as deep and profound as the sea, seemingly merging with the very breath of the Kunlun Mountains.

"Disciple Qinglian greets Master."

Qinglian entered and bowed respectfully.

He keenly sensed that the auras of his three masters seemed to have become even more refined than when they emerged from seclusion. Although they still hadn't taken that final step, their understanding of the Heavenly Dao was clearly more profound.

Laozi nodded slightly, his gaze falling on Qinglian, and said indifferently, "The path of cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation. Your foundation is already solid, but if you wish to advance further, you still need an opportunity."

Yuanshi Tianzun spoke, his majestic gaze carrying a hint of barely perceptible expectation: "We previously traveled through the primordial world and found some assistance for you. We hope you will make good use of it and not let our efforts go to waste."

Having said that, Laozi lightly flicked his sleeve.

In an instant, the entire main hall of the Sanqing Palace was filled with countless dazzling and heaven-reaching rays of light!

The lotus platform, radiating boundless merit and auspicious energy, shines with a golden light.

A red lotus, its origin pulsating with dark crimson flames and imbued with the meaning of judgment and burning sins;

A serene and tranquil aura, imbued with the wisdom of a Bodhi tree;

A tea ceremony that is ethereal, profound, and enlightening, inspiring the mind and spirit;

A blazing, radiant cluster of hibiscus wood essence, seemingly containing the core of the great sun;

A serene and secluded laurel tree spirit, gathering the essence of the moon;

There were also dozens, even hundreds, of strands of innate spiritual root energy, varying in strength and attribute, yet all perfectly pure.

These primordial energies were sealed by the Three Pure Ones with their supreme power into individual orbs of light, which floated in front of the Azure Lotus like stars. Their variety and the sheer power of their aura were beyond imagination!

Qinglian froze on the spot, speechless!

He felt the vast and compassionate power of merit of the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit, the heart-palpitating judgment of karmic fire of the Twelve-Petaled Red Lotus of Karmic Fire, the light of wisdom of the Bodhi tree, the ethereal charm of the Enlightenment Tea, the pure Yang fire of the Fusang wood, the Yin essence of the Laurel tree—and countless other spiritual roots, some familiar and some unfamiliar!

Any single strand of this essence would be enough to cause a great power to fight over it in the outside world! And now, so many of them have gathered before my eyes!

After a brief moment of shock, an indescribable, scalding heat surged into Qinglian's heart, coursing through his limbs and even impacting his primordial spirit and Dao heart!

He immediately understood! He understood why his masters had left in such a hurry after their seclusion!

It turns out—it turns out they actually traveled all over the primordial wilderness themselves to search for and exchange for these incomparably precious innate spiritual sources!

The Western Bodhi, the Golden Lotus of Merit, the Fusang and Laurel of the Heavenly Court, the Red Lotus of Karmic Fire in the Sea of ​​Blood—the origin of any one of these is not easily obtained. The masters must have paid an unimaginable price or done them a great favor!

For the sake of his disciple's path to enlightenment, the three masters did not hesitate to set aside their sacred bodies and personally travel to great lengths—

"Master—this—this—" Qinglian's voice trembled slightly, as if something was blocking his throat. His usual composure and calmness disappeared, leaving only a heart full of excitement and gratitude. He suddenly lifted the front of his Taoist robe and was about to kneel down to perform a grand salute.

The Tongtian Sect Leader laughed heartily, and a gentle, invisible sword aura supported him: "Mistake! Don't act like a little girl! It's only right that we plan for you! Quickly put that away, cultivate diligently, and achieve enlightenment as soon as possible—that would be the best way to repay us!"

The Primordial Celestial Venerable also said solemnly, "Indeed. Spiritual treasures are easy to obtain, but fine materials are hard to find. Your path to enlightenment concerns the future of Kunlun, so you need not worry about such external things."

Lao Tzu concluded calmly, "Take it and absorb and refine it properly; don't waste it. Go."

Although Sanqing's words were plain, each word carried the weight of a mountain, containing an incomparably deep bond between master and disciple and earnest expectations.

Qinglian said no more, deeply engraving that profound emotion into the deepest part of her Dao heart, and bowed deeply once more.

Her voice was unwavering: "Disciple Qinglian thanks the three masters for their generous gifts! This kindness and virtue will never be forgotten! Disciple will devote herself wholeheartedly to cultivation and will never fail to live up to the masters' high expectations!"

He carefully collected the dozens of light orbs floating in the air into the Qiankun Diagram one by one, his movements as gentle as if he were handling the most precious treasures in the world.

Each ray of light contains a completely different Daoist charm and power; some are as blazing as the sun, some as cool as the moon, some as heavy as a mountain, and some as fluid as water.

As the light shifted, it illuminated the side hall of the Sanqing Palace with flickering light, reflecting the undisguised solemnity and joy in his eyes.

His fingertips traced across the void with an almost pious rhythm, and the Qiankun Diagram slowly unfolded, emitting a hazy light that gradually contained and soothed the restless or docile primordial light clusters.

The entire process was silent, yet filled with a sacred sense of ritual, as if a great feat concerning the great principles of the universe and having a far-reaching impact was being accomplished.

After leaving the solemn and magnificent Sanqing Palace, I returned to my own simple and tranquil Qingyu Dao Palace meditation room.

The place is filled with spiritual energy, and the jade is warm and lustrous. It is isolated from all the disturbances of the outside world and is the perfect place for seclusion and enlightenment.

Qinglian sat cross-legged on the futon in the center of the quiet room, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.

The rich innate spiritual energy in the air rushed into his lungs, but it still couldn't immediately calm his turbulent emotions.

The experience in the Sanqing Palace just now, especially the profound look and entrustment of the Tongtian Sect Leader at the end, was still crystal clear in my mind.

He knew that the primordial energy in his hands was not only a tremendous opportunity, but also carried the expectations of his teachers and the path he would take in the future.