Honghuang Town Yuanzi.

Chapter 19 An Encounter with Hongyun (Please add to your favorites, recommend, and vote!)

More than ten years have passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhen Yuanzi has thoroughly sorted out and perfected the earth veins of the Western Regions.

Suddenly, a mass of primordial energy descended from the void, entering Zhen Yuanzi's primordial spirit and transforming into a massive golden wheel of merit.

Heaven, moved by Zhen Yuanzi's actions, guided and perfected the ley lines of the western wilderness, thus bestowing upon him the meritorious and primordial energy of Xuanhuang.

Just as Zhen Yuanzi was about to put away the Golden Wheel of Merit and the Primordial Spiritual Treasure Earth Book, Zhen Yuanzi was about to put them away.

Suddenly, a red auspicious cloud appeared in the distance, upon which stood a Taoist priest, dressed in red robes and with red hair, resembling a red cloud. He streaked across the sky with a red light and flew towards Zhen Yuanzi.

Upon seeing this, Zhen Yuanzi felt a slight stirring in his heart and couldn't help but think of the name of a great supernatural being from the primordial era.

The Taoist priest stopped his cloud-like light in front of Zhen Yuanzi, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect, and said, "This humble Taoist priest, Hongyun, greets fellow Taoist."

"This humble Taoist is Zhen Yuanzi. Greetings, fellow Daoist." Zhen Yuanzi looked at the red cloud before him, feeling a mix of emotions.

If we say that Zhen Yuanzi's life in his previous life was not easy.

Then Hongyun is truly pitiful and lamentable.

First, he gave up his seat in Zixiao Palace to the Guide Daoist and the Zhunti Daoist, which resulted in the Great Sage Kunpeng of the Demon Clan having his seat taken by the Zhunti Daoist and missing out on the holy position.

This caused Hongyun to form an immense karmic bond with the demon race's great sage, Kunpeng.

Ultimately, Hongyun, having obtained the Primordial Purple Qi, was besieged by powerful demon race figures such as Dijun, Taiyi, and Kunpeng, and met his demise.

This shows that you can't be a pushover.

"I just witnessed you using your magical treasure to dredge the veins of the western wilderness. Your merits are truly immeasurable, and I wish to make your acquaintance."

"I hope you will forgive my intrusion, fellow Daoist." Hongyun looked at the huge golden wheel of merit behind Zhen Yuanzi, a hint of envy in his eyes, and thought to himself, "He is indeed a person of great virtue."

"Fellow Daoist, how dare you be so presumptuous!" Zhen Yuanzi said with a smile, "I would be more than happy to befriend you."

In his previous life, Zhen Yuanzi had heard that Hongyun liked to make friends with fellow cultivators from all over the prehistoric world.

However, there are very few who can be considered close friends.

"Haha, I knew I hadn't come to the wrong place," Hongyun said with a happy smile.

"If you have nothing else to do, fellow Daoist, why not stay at my humble abode for a few days and sample some celestial delicacies and spiritual fruits?" Zhen Yuanzi had already completed the sorting out of the western ley lines of the prehistoric world and was planning to return to Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain when he invited Hongyun.

"I wonder what rare and precious fruits your temple has!" Hongyun couldn't help but be curious. For a cultivator at the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm to call them rare and precious fruits, they must be extraordinary spiritual objects.

"Once we arrive at my temple, you will all know what's going on." Zhen Yuanzi chuckled, and the auspicious clouds beneath his feet flashed, transforming into a divine light as he headed towards Longevity Mountain.

Upon seeing this, Hongyun paused for a moment, then the red auspicious cloud beneath her feet also transformed into a streak of light and chased after Zhenyuanzi.

The journey from the westernmost point of the primordial wilderness to Longevity Mountain is extremely long.

Even though Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun both possessed the cultivation of Great Luo Golden Immortals, they still needed to fly at full speed for several months.

Several months passed in the blink of an eye, and Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun arrived at Wanshou Mountain almost at the same time.

Hongyun's eyes lit up, and he thought to himself, "What a wonderful paradise!"

Before me stood a sacred mountain, tall, handsome, and majestic, its roots connected to the ancestral veins of Kunlun, its summit reaching straight into the clouds. White cranes would often perch on the cypress trees, and black monkeys would sometimes hang from the immortal vines.

The celestial aura shines through the forest, rosy clouds swirl around the auspicious sky, colorful clouds drift around the mountains, birds chirp and sing among the green bamboo, dragons roar and tigers howl, cranes dance, mythical beasts frolic, and celestial mushrooms abound.

In the mountains stands a Taoist temple with the three large characters "Wuzhuang Temple" written on it. It was formed by the manifestation of innate divine script and radiates rays of immortal light.

On either side of the main gate of the Taoist temple is a couplet that reads: "The abode of immortals who live forever; the home of Taoists who live in harmony with the world."

"The abode of immortals, a place of eternal life; a Taoist home where one lives in harmony with the world!"

Hongyun couldn't help but read it aloud, clapped his hands, and laughed loudly: "Fellow Daoist, how carefree and at ease you are!"

Zhen Yuanzi smiled without saying a word and invited Hongyun into the temple.

As soon as Hongyun entered Wuzhuang Temple, he saw a large tree with lush branches and leaves. The tree was so tall that it reached into the clouds. On its branches and leaves, there were fist-sized fruits hanging from the branches, like children. They moved their arms and legs and nodded and swayed their heads, as if they had come to life, and exuded bursts of innate Jia wood energy.

"A ginseng fruit tree with innate spiritual roots!"

Hongyun was greatly surprised and exclaimed, "The celestial treasures and spiritual fruits you spoke of, could they be the ginseng fruit?"

"It is indeed this ginseng fruit," Zhen Yuanzi said with a smile. "Where are the gentle breeze and the bright moon?"

"Qingfeng and Mingyue greet you, Master!" The two boys, Qingfeng and Mingyue, hurriedly ran over.

"You two go quickly and fetch the golden mallet, and knock down ten fruits from the orchard."

"This humble Taoist priest wishes to entertain Fellow Taoist Hongyun." Zhen Yuanzi was naturally not stingy.

Upon hearing this, the two attendants, Qingfeng and Mingyue, obeyed the order and went to fetch the golden cudgel.

Zhen Yuanzi then walked into a dwelling to greet Hongyun, and the two sat down.

"May I ask, fellow Daoist, what is this golden cudgel?" Hongyun asked curiously after sitting down.

"This golden cudgel is just an ordinary piece of Geng metal, but only this golden cudgel can knock the ginseng fruit down," Zhen Yuanzi explained.

This golden cudgel was casually crafted by Zhen Yuanzi. Apart from being exceptionally hard, it has almost no other mystical properties and is used daily for picking ginseng fruits.

Upon hearing this, Hongyun looked puzzled and asked, "Why is it that only this golden mallet can knock the ginseng fruit down?"

"Although this ginseng fruit tree has an innate Jia wood spiritual root, the fruit it bears is incompatible with the five elements."

Zhen Yuanzi smiled and explained again: "It can be said that it falls when it encounters gold, withers when it encounters wood, dissolves when it encounters water, burns when it encounters fire, and enters when it encounters earth. Therefore, it must be knocked down with a gold tool and then placed in a plate made of innate spiritual jade."

It is incompatible with the Five Elements!

"What a wondrous spiritual fruit!" Hongyun couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "This humble Taoist has truly broadened his horizons today."

Before long, Qingfeng and Mingyue brought ten ginseng fruits and placed them on the table.

"Fellow Daoist, please have a taste." Zhen Yuanzi pointed to several ginseng fruits with complete facial features on the table.

Hongyun couldn't resist picking up a ginseng fruit, putting it in her mouth and taking a small bite. Instantly, she felt a surge of innate Jia wood essence flowing into her abdomen, and then from her abdomen into her whole body. It felt as if every pore on her body was refreshed. She couldn't help but praise, "Truly worthy of being an innate Jia wood spiritual root, it is truly extraordinary."

Although the ginseng fruit is mysterious and extraordinary, with Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun's supernatural powers, the fruit has long been of little use; at most, they can only taste it for the novelty.

Hongyun ate two ginseng fruits in a row before stopping and asking, "I wonder what this celestial treasure you speak of is?"

Precious and miraculous fruits!

The "spiritual fruit" mentioned here refers to the ginseng fruit, a rare and precious delicacy!

Zhen Yuanzi smiled slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist, please wait a moment."

With a flick of his sleeve, Zhen Yuanzi took out two jade cups carved from innate spiritual jade. He then poured water from the spiritual spring into the two jade cups and placed two ginseng fruits into each cup.

After a short while, the spiritual spring water in the jade cup gradually turned emerald green, and a rich aura of innate wood energy wafted out, wafting a refreshing fragrance.

"Fellow Daoist, why don't you try this celestial delicacy again?" Zhen Yuanzi said, pointing to a jade cup.

In the previous Journey to the West, the local deity of Longevity Mountain said that this ginseng fruit must be dissolved in water in a porcelain container before consumption.

Zhen Yuanzi replaced the porcelain with innate spiritual jade and the clear water with spiritual spring water from Longevity Mountain, thus dissolving the ginseng fruit and turning it into a rare and precious elixir.

Seeing this, Hongyun reached out and picked up a cup, slowly bringing it to her mouth. The emerald green liquid instantly transformed into a cool breeze upon entering her mouth, filling her lungs and leaving a lingering fragrance in her mouth.

The next moment, Hongyun felt a cool breeze spreading from his lungs into his whole body and into his blood. He shivered and exclaimed again, "What a wonderful delicacy! It truly has a unique flavor."

"Fellow Daoist, you flatter me. In my humble abode, there are only ginseng fruit and this celestial delicacy that I can barely taste," Zhen Yuanzi said, seemingly with a hint of regret.

The Phoenix Clan has ruled over the southern part of the prehistoric world for hundreds of millions of years, so there must be innate spiritual roots among its members.

It's just that Zhen Yuanzi didn't encounter it.

"Fellow Daoist, you are too kind. This ginseng fruit surpasses countless celestial treasures and spiritual fruits. There are very few innate spiritual roots in the entire prehistoric world that can compare with it."

At this moment, Hongyun suddenly changed the subject, saying, "Back in the Western Regions, I saw you use a primordial spiritual treasure to regulate the earth's veins. May I ask, is this primordial spiritual treasure your artifact for achieving enlightenment?"

"Why does Fellow Daoist ask about this matter?" Zhen Yuanzi asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but although I was born as a Primordial God or Demon, I am different from ordinary Primordial Gods and Demons. I did not achieve Dao through Yin and Yang and the Five Elements, so I have never refined a Dao artifact. Therefore, I would like to learn from you." Hongyun showed a bitter smile on his face.

Hongyun's origins are extraordinary. He was the first red cloud in the world to attain enlightenment at the beginning of the primordial world, hence he calls himself: Hongyun Daoren (Red Cloud Daoist).

Unfortunately, precisely because of Hongyun's extraordinary background, it is extremely difficult for him to refine a suitable magic weapon for attaining enlightenment.

As for innate spiritual treasures!

When Hongyun took human form, he did not possess any accompanying spiritual treasures. Similarly, there were no innate spiritual treasures within the Fire Cloud Cave. Furthermore, Hongyun had traveled through the prehistoric world several times, yet still gained nothing.

"A magical artifact for attaining enlightenment!"

Zhen Yuanzi gave Hongyun a strange look. It seemed that in his previous life, it wasn't until Hongjun Daozu preached that Hongyun picked a primordial gourd on Buzhou Mountain and refined it into a magic weapon for achieving enlightenment.

"My Dao-attaining artifact is called the Primordial Yin-Yang Divine Diagram. Fellow Daoist, you will know its name upon seeing it." Zhen Yuanzi directly summoned the Primordial Yin-Yang Divine Diagram, which slowly unfolded above Wuzhuang Temple, transforming into a huge Primordial Yin-Yang diagram, within which the flow of the Primordial Five Elements was hidden.

It can be said that Yin and Yang transform into the Five Elements, and the Five Elements give rise to all things.

"Innate Yin and Yang and the Five Elements!" Hongyun couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

Hongyun had also associated with many powerful beings, whose Dao-attaining artifacts were all innate spiritual treasures. He had never heard of anyone who had refined a Dao-attaining artifact using the innate Yin and Yang energies and the innate Five Elements energies.

However, Hongyun misunderstood one thing: the Innate Yin-Yang Divine Diagram is not based on the two energies of innate Yin and Yang, but rather on the convergence of innate pure Yang energy and innate pure Yin energy, which are then harmonized with the innate Yin-Yang spiritual jade.

"It is precisely the innate Yin and Yang and the Five Elements."

Zhen Yuanzi smiled and said, "However, fellow Daoist, you did not attain the Dao through the innate Yin-Yang and Five Elements, while my skills are all above the innate Yin-Yang and Five Elements. I'm afraid I'll disappoint you."

Looking at the Primordial Yin-Yang Divine Diagram in the sky, Hongyun showed no disappointment, but rather a gleam of wonder. He said, "Fellow Daoist's Primordial Yin-Yang Divine Diagram is indeed profound and extraordinary. However, I see that the changes in the Primordial Five Elements in the diagram seem to be slightly incomplete. Could it be that the Primordial Five Elements Qi is incomplete?"

"Fellow Daoist is right. My Primordial Yin-Yang Divine Diagram is still missing the Primordial Geng Metal Qi and the Primordial Ren Water Qi." As Zhen Yuanzi spoke, he pointed to the Primordial Yin-Yang Divine Diagram in the air. Instantly, the Primordial Yin and Yang Qi disappeared, revealing the Primordial Five Elements Qi: Wood generates Fire, Fire generates Earth, Earth generates Metal, Metal generates Water, and Water generates Wood.

Among them, the innate Jia wood Qi flows with the innate Bing fire Qi and the innate Wu earth Qi, while the innate Geng metal Qi and the innate Ren water Qi are very illusory.

"Unfortunately, I do not possess the innate Geng metal and innate Ren water energy, otherwise I could help you complete your innate five elements energy."

"However, I am a Daoist who attained enlightenment through auspicious clouds, and can gather clouds into rain and transform them into the essence of primordial Gui water, which I can give to you, fellow Daoist."

"Although the innate Gui water energy is different from the innate Ren water energy, they have something in common. It can barely complete your innate Yin-Yang Divine Diagram. When you find the innate Ren water energy in the future, you can refine the innate Gui water energy in the diagram." Hongyun explained his method.

They may seem different, but they actually have something in common.

Zhen Yuanzi was overjoyed and said, "Thank you, fellow Daoist."

"Fellow Daoist, there's no need for that." Hongyun formed Dao seals with both hands, revealing the Three Flowers of Primordial Spirit. Above the half-acre-sized auspicious cloud, the three flowers of primordial spirit hung high. Above one of the three flowers of primordial spirit, a red divine light shot into the sky, like a red auspicious cloud, which transformed into a rain and mist in the air.

It is the innate Qi of Gui Water.

Then, Hongyun pointed to the innate Gui water energy in the air, which gradually began to merge into the innate Yin-Yang divine diagram, easily blending together without the slightest repulsion.

The innate Qi of Gui water and the innate Qi of Ren water.

Among them, the Qi of the innate Gui water belongs to Yin, and the Qi of the innate Ren water belongs to Yang.

The two can be described as yin and yang.

Therefore, the Innate Yin-Yang Divine Diagram does not reject the Qi of Innate Gui Water.

Hongyun poured all the innate Gui water energy into the innate Yin-Yang Divine Diagram, and then collected the three flowers of the primordial spirit.

In an instant, the innate Yin-Yang divine diagram in the sky emitted billions of rays of light, and the innate Yin-Yang and Five Elements flowed endlessly, faintly generating the innate Geng metal energy.

Zhen Yuanzi sensed the changes in the Innate Yin-Yang Divine Diagram. Not only was the flow of the Innate Yin-Yang Five Elements much smoother, but the mutual generation and restraint of the Innate Five Elements also seemed to be generating a trace of Innate Geng Metal Qi. As long as he was willing to work hard to evolve it in the future, he might not be unable to truly evolve it.

"I thank you again, fellow Daoist." Zhen Yuanzi stood up and bowed to Hongyun in thanks.

"Why be so formal, fellow Daoist?"

Hongyun couldn't help but joke, "If you really want to express your gratitude, why not pluck a few more fruits?"

"Haha, this is easy." Zhen Yuanzi laughed and said, "Please, fellow Daoist, move to the orchard."

Before long, the two arrived at the orchard. Zhen Yuanzi pointed to the ginseng fruit tree and said, "Fellow Daoist, can you see any difference?"

Seeing that Zhen Yuanzi didn't take the golden cudgel but instead kept her in suspense, Hongyun couldn't help but curiously examine the ginseng fruit tree.

But after looking at it for a long time, he still couldn't see anything different.

However, before Hongyun could speak, Zhen Yuanzi spoke again, saying, "This humble Taoist priest has not yet picked the first batch of fruits from this ginseng fruit tree."

"Fellow Daoist, if you can stomach it, why not pick a few and try them yourself?" Zhen Yuanzi said with a smile, a hint of teasing in his eyes.

"Why can't you bring yourself to eat it..." Hongyun had only spoken halfway when she saw that among the fruits on the ginseng fruit tree, there were about thirty ginseng fruits with bitter expressions on their little faces, as if they had come back to life.

(End of this chapter)