Primordial Era: Refusing Hongjun's path to sainthood, I attained the Dao of Hunyuan.

Chapter 23 Discussing Mount Sumeru

"It is an honor to have you visit, fellow Daoist. Please come in!" said Jieyin and Zhunti to Xuanhuang.

Xuanhuang greeted the two men and followed them into Mount Sumeru, which was not yet the blissful holy land.

Even now, Jieyin and Zhunti are still Taoists. Therefore, the temple built in Mount Sumeru is also a Taoist temple.

Upon entering a palace, the two sides took their seats as guests. Zhunti looked intently at Xuanhuang and asked, "May I ask where you come from, brother?"

Among the ten spiritual roots, the Yellow Plum Tree is the first, so Zhunti also calls Xuanhuang "Brother Dao".

Of course, the main reason is that Zhunti cannot see Xuanhuang's cultivation level clearly, but can only vaguely sense a series of unfathomable depths.

Therefore, naturally, they were very wary of Xuanhuang.

"We came from Yingzhou in the East Sea," Xuanhuang replied.

"Yingzhou?"

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, secretly made some calculations, and were immediately taken aback.

"Fellow Daoists, I have come here today with two matters to discuss."

Xuanhuang didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point, saying, "Firstly, you and I, Fellow Daoist Zhunti, are both among the Ten Great Spiritual Roots."

"Since I cultivate the Five Elements Dao, I need to collect some innate Five Elements origins, so I plan to exchange origins for origins and ask fellow Daoists for some innate Geng Metal origins."

At this point, Xuanhuang paused and looked at Zhunti.

Zhunti reacted quickly. After thinking for a moment, he smiled and said, "Since it's an exchange of origins, I naturally have no reason to refuse."

Jieyin nodded secretly.

Xuanhuang's cultivation level is extremely high, and now is the perfect time to build a good relationship with him. If it's something that won't cost us anything and will also earn us favors, then we should definitely do it.

Upon hearing this, Xuanhuang smiled and continued, "As for the second point, I would like to discuss the Dao with you two fellow Daoists."

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance and both laughed loudly, "How could we possibly refuse these two requests from you, fellow Daoist?"

"That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask!"

Originally, because Xuanhuang spoke so solemnly, the two thought it would be something difficult. But the result was just this.

This immediately put both of them at ease.

Xuanhuang wasn't making a mountain out of a molehill; he just wanted to make things clear to avoid any future karmic consequences.

Then, Xuanhuang flipped his hand and took out a yellow plum.

After thinking for a moment, Xuanhuang took out another one, making a total of two, and presented them to Jieyin and Zhunti respectively, saying, "I don't have many of these Huangzhong plums, only nine in total. I gave three to fellow Daoists Ziwei, Zhenyuanzi, and Hongyun when I met them before, so these two are for you two."

Jieyin and Zhunti looked at the fruit in front of them, and after listening to Xuanhuang's words, they both understood what Xuanhuang meant.

These yellow plums are the fruit of the original form of Xuanhuang, and they are now extinct; there are only nine in total.

Three coins were given away before this, leaving six coins. Now, two more coins will be given to the two of us.

Then there really aren't many left.

Xuanhuang spoke so frankly that even though Zhunti was envious and wanted more, he couldn't bring himself to ask for more.

After all, if it were just about exchanging the source, Xuanhuang could have taken out one, which would have been enough, but instead, each person received one.

Although Zhunti doesn't need noodles much, it's not like he never needs noodles.

Or rather, at least in the early stages, facing an opponent of equal strength, and without absolute certainty, Zhunti couldn't afford to act recklessly.

This wasn't even after he became a saint. Once you become a saint, even though saints are considered the lowest level, they are immortal and indestructible, so naturally you can be carefree.

But not now.

"Thank you for your kindness, fellow Daoist. Here are three Bodhi seeds." Zhunti also took out three Bodhi seeds.

These Bodhi seeds are golden, gleaming, radiating a light that is both bright and soft.

Xuanhuang could sense the pure, innate Geng metal essence contained within it.

However, Xuanhuang did not intend to refine them immediately. After all, one should always be wary of others, as Jieyin and Zhunti were not like Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun, who were kind-hearted people.

If they were to refine it right here, it would be dangerous if they were attacked by the two of them!

Xuanhuang put away the Bodhi seeds, and then Zhunti threw out his Seven Treasures Tree. The Seven Treasures Tree transformed into a Bodhi tree in mid-air, shining brightly.

At the same time, the surrounding environment changed drastically, and the three of them appeared on the summit of Mount Sumeru.

The Bodhi tree also slowly fell, taking root on the mountaintop.

Jieyin then took out three prayer cushions, one for each person, and said, "Fellow Daoist Xuanhuang, please."

"Please, fellow Daoists."

The three of them each sat on a futon. Then they all shuddered, and a cloud of auspicious light appeared above their heads.

They are each about an acre in size.

Above the auspicious clouds of Xuanhuang, a yellow plum tree appeared, with strands of chaotic energy hanging down and rays of five-colored light blooming.

What is revealed is the way of the Five Elements.

The auspicious cloud that guided them shone brightly, with white lotuses blooming on it, and atop the lotuses, a precious banner was supported.

The jeweled banner had twelve tiers. It shone brightly, and within each tier, various objects were faintly hidden, including bells, drums, bows, swords, and so on.

As for Zhunti, similar to Xuanhuang, he manifested a Bodhi tree within the auspicious clouds.

This Bodhi tree, along with the Bodhi tree transformed from the Seven Treasures Tree, complement each other, creating a pure and natural atmosphere.

The paths of Jieyin and Zhunti are very different from those of Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun; their paths are very broad.

For example, the main path that Jieyin comprehends is the path of cause and effect. In addition, there are many other paths that complement it, such as light, annihilation, fortune, and wishes.

There is also Zhunti, whose main understanding of the Tao is the Tao of Nirvana. In addition, he also understands the Tao of Cause and Effect, the Tao of the Four Symbols, the Tao of Liberation, and so on.

Both of them had a wide range of knowledge, but it was not chaotic; each had its own system, which made Xuanhuang sigh in admiration.

The two of them were indeed of great wisdom and perseverance. Their future attainment of sainthood may seem like a shortcut, but in fact, the foundation had already been laid.

However, compared to Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun, Jieyin and Zhunti were far less generous.

They discussed the Way with each other, and both of them kept their secrets to themselves, and quite a lot of them.

Xuanhuang didn't have much to say about this, since he had kept it to himself, and simply explained the principles of the Five Elements.

As for the other paths, none of them have been revealed.

Even so, all three of them gained a great deal, and after eight hundred years of discussion, they were all happy.

Jieyin and Zhunti personally saw Xuanhuang off as he left the mountain, saying, "Fellow Daoist, you are welcome to visit often in the future!"

"Of course, fellow Daoists, please return. There's no need to see you off any further," Xuanhuang said.

After bidding farewell to the two, Xuanhuang used his escape technique, and a streak of light disappeared into the distance.

"Senior brother, what do you think of this person?" Zhunti asked Jieyin, looking in the direction Xuanhuang had gone.

"The Tao is profound and unfathomable, and it is beyond our reach; there is no doubt about that."

Jieyin pondered for a moment, then sighed, "It's better to befriend them than to make them enemies!"

Upon hearing this, Zhunti nodded.

The two returned to the mountain, each taking out the yellow plum given to them by Xuanhuang. They exchanged a glance, and Zhunti laughed, "Senior brother, let's also try the taste of this fruit, the foremost of the ten spiritual roots!"

Jieyin also laughed and said, "This Xuanhuang Daoist is very polite, giving us both a gift."

"By the way, after we eat the fruit, we can try to cultivate the seeds," Jieyin added after thinking for a moment.

"Of course."

Zhunti laughed loudly, and the two brothers began to eat the Huangzhong plums. Afterwards, they planted the pits of the two Huangzhong plums on Mount Sumeru, attempting to cultivate them into trees.

(End of this chapter)