Hermit in the Mountains

Gu Changsheng rode his blue ox through the depths of the Qinling Mountains, taking a month to emerge from the Qinling Mountains.

During this time, three spiritual energy nodes were unexpectedly discovered, and three strands of innate, indestructible primordial energy were obtained.

A streak of azure light shot straight into the sky from the end of the Qinling Mountains, heading towards the Kunlun Mountains.

Nine thousand miles above the clouds, a green ox leisurely treads on the clouds.

A young man with his eyes closed was resting on the back of a blue ox.

"Whoosh—"

A bird's cry rang out.

Gu Changsheng, atop the blue ox, slowly opened his eyes, a golden light flashing within them.

His gaze pierced through the layers of clouds and he saw a golden-winged roc spreading its wings in the sky, dozens of kilometers away, directly in front of him, below the clouds.

The roc has golden feathers that reach the sky, and its wingspan is hundreds of meters wide. With each flap of its wings, it bursts out with explosive sounds and moves as fast as lightning.

The green ox did not stop walking. It opened its mouth and spoke in human language, "Master, a golden-winged roc is flying from under the sea of ​​clouds ahead. It is at the second transformation stage of the Dao Tree Realm."

"Let's go our own way and not bother each other," Gu Changsheng replied calmly.

Having reached the second stage of the Dao Tree realm, the Great Roc's cultivation level is already among the top tier in the outside world.

In the context of Wandao City and the Changsheng Sect, they would be just average.

Hidden within Wandao City are many cultivators who dislike fighting; these people are the best among the first and second batches of spiritual energy descending.

Among these cultivators, apart from those with established sects and strongholds, most of the outstanding individuals, long-established hermits, and families emerging from the common people still choose to cultivate in seclusion.

From Shou'an Ancient Town to Wandao City, it is the best place for them to live in seclusion.

Given their top-tier cultivation levels, their seclusion within the sphere of influence of other forces would inevitably arouse the suspicion of their master's family.

Nobody wants an unrestrained powerhouse under their nose, requiring them to be constantly on guard.

Hiding within the sphere of influence of those who follow the path of the Human Emperor is the first option they rule out;

Within such spheres of influence, one must either obey orders, cooperate, leave, or fight to the death; it is unlikely to cultivate in seclusion in a low-key manner.

The Lord of Destiny maintains absolute control over the territory and would never allow an unstable element to appear within it.

Under the influence of destiny, the higher one's cultivation level, the more obvious the exposure becomes.

Possessing top-tier concealment treasures and top-tier breath-concealing techniques, and with extraordinary cultivation reaching sainthood, he can remain undetected by the spirit of destiny.

Retreating to seclusion in the deep mountains and forests was the second option they ruled out.

They all knew in their hearts that going into seclusion in the deep mountains and forests was like a dung beetle going into a latrine—it was courting death!

The most dangerous places on Earth are the boundless ocean and the deep forests.

These two places are home to countless plants and animals, far outnumbering humans by tens of millions.

As spiritual energy descended, these plants and animals grew in size and developed strange and unusual abilities and toxins.

Perhaps an inconspicuous little insect contains a deadly poison, and accidentally stepping on it could instantly kill them.

Staying away from the sea and mountains is an unspoken rule for survival among all cultivators.

When searching for treasure in the mountains or the sea, one cannot stay there for too long.

Wandao City is backed by the Changsheng Sect and Gu Changsheng, making it a neutral force among the extraordinary.

It is a secluded place of cultivation that most cultivators dream of.

Encountering the Golden-Winged Roc was just a minor incident; the Green Ox carried Gu Changsheng all the way towards Kunlun Mountain.

Along the way, we flew over rolling mountains, boundless plains, bustling ancient cities, and surging rivers.

On the third day after leaving the Qinling Mountains, a man and an ox descended upon the Kunlun Mountains.

The green ox carried Gu Changsheng along the core line of Kunlun, avoiding demonic beasts and spirit beasts, focusing on finding treasure.

On the morning of the second day after entering the Kunlun Mountains, my luck was off the charts.

Gu Changsheng, who was collecting the first purple energy of the rising sun atop a ten-thousand-meter-high mountain, noticed out of the corner of his eye that a large amount of the first purple energy of the rising sun was gathering and falling in the southeast direction.

He pointed southeast. "Qingxuan, southeast, do you see it?"

"Let's go take a look."

"Yes, sir!" The green ox transformed into a beam of green light and headed straight for the place where the purple aura was falling.

In the blink of an eye, a man and an ox appeared where the purple aura had fallen.

Gu Changsheng glanced around and found that none of the surrounding plants, trees, or monsters contained any rich purple aura.

If it's not on the ground, then it can only be underground.

"Qingxuan, find a place to stay up there."

As soon as he finished speaking, Gu Changsheng fell into the forest below like a shooting star.

The moment he landed, pale yellow ripples appeared on the ground beneath his feet, engulfing his body before returning the ground to its original state.

He used the Earth Escape Technique to move underground and the Void Guiding Technique to sense the fluctuations of spiritual energy around him.

He searched down the soil inch by inch, and when he reached a depth of ten kilometers into the mountain, he noticed the remnants of the purple aura of the early sun.

He approached and discovered that an ordinary clod of earth was concealed by a formation. When he reached out to touch it and his spiritual sense stepped into it, he was repelled by a force.

A pale yellow aura expanded around Gu Changsheng, forming a light shield with a diameter of two meters.

He sat cross-legged in front of the formation, his hands forming a mudra, resting naturally on his knees.

He probed the formation with his divine sense and began to comprehend its principles.

After an unknown amount of time, Gu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, a hint of joy flashing in them.

[Primordial Purple Qi Array: Gathers nascent purple qi and transforms it into primordial purple qi.]

Its function is similar to that of a spirit-gathering array, but it is not comparable to any spirit-gathering array.

He had also tried to set up an array to collect the primordial purple energy, but he was unable to capture it.

The purple aura of the rising sun disappears in the blink of an eye, and the opportunity to seize it is fleeting.

The moment the purple aura of the rising sun was born, the formation disappeared before it could react or be activated.

Having grasped the principles of the formation, Gu Changsheng stood up, flicked his sleeves, and stepped into the Innate Purple Qi Formation.

He stepped through a layer of light purple protective energy, and what came into view was a space of about 100 square meters.

A purple bead floated in the very center of the space, its surface emitting a faint purple halo.

The purple bead is about the size of an egg, with a pale purple color and wisps of purple flowing inside.

The moment he saw the purple bead, he blurted out, "A spiritual treasure."

He strode over to the purple bead and gently touched it with his right hand.

The purple bead swayed slightly in protest, then fell silent again.

Gu Changsheng probed the inside of the bead with his divine sense, and a stream of information flowed into his sea of ​​consciousness.

[Innate Purple Qi Bead: An embryonic innate spiritual treasure, containing nine innate restrictions. It can absorb primordial purple qi and transform it into innate purple qi, which is then stored within the purple qi space.]

The Innate Purple Qi Pearl can automatically filter impurities in spiritual energy during cultivation, making magical power purer.

Wearing it for a long time can nourish the spirit and soul.

Absorbing innate purple energy during a breakthrough can reduce the invasion of inner demons.

Innate purple energy can heal damage to the spirit and soul.

Gu Changsheng examined the Innate Purple Qi Pearl before him and muttered, "What a treasure!"

Although the Innate Purple Qi Pearl is not of high grade, it can transform the Primordial Purple Qi into Innate Purple Qi and store it, making it very useful.

Innate purple energy can be considered a top-tier cultivation resource.

He sat cross-legged in the void, separated a wisp of his divine thought, and sent it into the Innate Purple Qi Pearl to begin the process of recognizing it as his master.

It's too difficult for him to refine the innate restriction. He can only first brand it and recognize it as his master, and then break through one or two major realms in his cultivation before he will be qualified to refine the innate restriction.

Even if the innate restriction is only in its rudimentary form, it is still beyond his current cultivation level to refine.