【Ding! Major Event Detected: Innate Gourd Vine Incident. Numerous Innate Sacred Beings have gathered at Mount Zhou, pointing their sights at the Innate Gourd Vine. This conflicts with the Host's initial plan. Please choose from the following options:
Option One: As a merchant, appropriate compromise is necessary. Pick only the seventh gourd, yield the other six gourds, and gain the goodwill of the Innate Sacred Beings.
Reward: One hundred cubic units of Chaos Primeval Soil!
Option Two: As a merchant, greed is in your nature. With the Twelve Ancestral Witches present, the advantage lies with you. Seven gourds, the gourd vine, the Nine Heavens Soil—I want them all!
Reward: Ten thousand cubic units of Three Lights Divine Water!】
A system panel materialized out of thin air in front of Xuanjian, silent and intangible, visible to him alone.
Xuanjian paused slightly.
A system task?
It had been quite a while since one last appeared.
Xuanjian's gaze swept across the two options and their rewards.
He naturally wanted to pocket all seven gourds.
However, doing so would be bound to offend the entire crowd of Innate Sacred Beings.
Although Xuanjian did not fear them—it would not matter if they all came at him at once—he still intended to do business in the future.
Flexibility without compromising principle, generating wealth through harmony, and avoiding unnecessary conflict was the true key to success.
Xuanjian's Dao was the Great Dao of Commerce.
If he provoked every single one of these Innate Sacred Beings, what would happen if their future factions refused to trade with him?
For the sake of his Great Dao, Xuanjian decided to yield some profit appropriately.
For example... those six gourds that were embryos for Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
“Still... what on earth is this Chaos Primeval Soil?”
Curious, Xuanjian looked at the system's description:
【Chaos Primeval Soil: The Max version of Nine Heavens Soil, classified as a Chaos-grade treasure. Possesses the power to nurture spiritual roots and create all living things. Even if an Innate Spiritual Root has already withered, planting it in Chaos Primeval Soil will allow it to be reborn.】
Xuanjian was stunned.
An artifact of the Chaos rank!
Then...
Xuanjian looked at the Innate Gourd Vine.
He asked internally, “System, if I plant the Innate Gourd Vine in Chaos Primeval Soil, can it bear fruit a second time?”
System: 【Yes.】
Who were the two most tragic spiritual roots in Honghuang?
None other than the Innate Gourd Vine and the Twenty-Four-Petaled Creation Green Lotus.
These two Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Roots had reached their absolute limits. Given just a bit more time to mature, they would undoubtedly have evolved into Chaos Spiritual Roots!
However... the Heavenly Dao did not permit spiritual roots of such a tier to exist.
Thus, they were dismembered.
The Twenty-Four-Petaled Creation Green Lotus was divided into three, turning into three Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures: the Taiyi Fly-Whisk, the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and the Qingping Sword, which were obtained by the Three Purities of Kunlun.
As for the seven gourds of the Innate Gourd Vine:
The purple-gold gourd went to Taiqing Laozi.
The purple-red gourd went to Ancestor Hongyun.
The purple-green gourd went to Lady Nuwa.
The purple-blue gourd went to Sect Master Tongtian.
The purple-yellow gourd went to Yuanshi Tianzun.
The purple-white gourd went to Dijun and Taiyi.
And the final purple-black gourd was taken away by Haotian, who had descended to Honghuang on decree, eventually falling into the hands of Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
Moreover, the Innate Gourd Vine and the Nine Heavens Soil were taken away by Lady Nuwa as well.
It could be said that these two Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Roots sacrificed themselves to fulfill all these Innate Sacred Beings.
Twenty-Four-Petaled Creation Green Lotus, Innate Gourd Vine: Dammit, did we bloody want to sacrifice ourselves?!
Though thousands of thoughts flashed through his mind, in reality, only a moment had passed.
Xuanjian had made his decision and said inwardly, “System, I choose Option One.”
【Ding! Host has made a choice. Please complete the task as soon as possible.】
Just as the system finished speaking, Xuanjian happened to witness Taiyi unleashing the full power of the Chaos Bell to strike down Gonggong.
Xuanjian then intervened, leading to the series of events that had just unfolded.
...
Seeing the six gourds bound in midair and unable to escape, the expressions of the Innate Sacred Beings softened considerably.
Taking only one gourd was something they could accept.
Unlike Zhunti and Jieyin—just two people, yet daring to demand three gourds right off the bat!
Where did they get such nerve?
While the Innate Sacred Beings were pleased, the Ancestral Witches were furious.
Zhurong blustered, “Brother Xuanjian, why fear them?! Even if there are three hundred Daluos here, our Wu tribe fears nothing!”
Gonggong added, “That's right, Brother Xuanjian, don't be afraid of them!”
Xuanming's pretty face was icy cold, her eyes brimming with intent to kill as extreme cold fiend qi surged around her. “Anyone who takes a gourd dies!”
Each Ancestral Witch stood like a demon god, fiend celestial qi boiling while the vast, terrifying aura of Great Dao rules swirled around them.
They looked ready to break into a brawl at the slightest provocation.
“Enough.”
Dijiang remained the calmest and spoke up to stop the Ancestral Witches. “Listen to Brother Xuanjian.”
Having seen Xuanjian clash head-on against an Innate Treasure with only his physical body, Dijiang did not believe for a moment that Brother Xuanjian was afraid of these guys.
Brother Xuanjian was an Essence Soul cultivator who undoubtedly thought far ahead of them. There had to be a good reason for his actions.
The other Ancestral Witches wanted to say more, but Dijiang silenced them with a glare, forcing them to back down.
The Innate Sacred Beings let out a sigh of relief.
They had long heard of the Ancestral Witches' strength. If the Ancestral Witches truly resolved to stop them, a fierce battle would be unavoidable.
Fortunately, the Ancestral Witches backed off.
However, how should the remaining six gourds be divided?
The many Innate Sacred Beings looked at one another, each remaining warily on guard for fear that someone might suddenly strike to snatch a gourd.
Seeing the stalemate, Taiqing Laozi stepped forward and spoke, “Fellow Daoist Xuanjian.”
“Please release your restriction on these gourds. Spiritual treasures possess intelligence; let them choose their own masters.”
“Those destined for them shall receive them, while those without fate should not force it.”
Regarding Taiqing Laozi's proposal, everyone nodded in agreement with no objections.
“Very well.”
Xuanjian nodded.
He released his restriction on the six gourds.
The moment the restriction dissipated, the six gourds immediately transformed into six streaks of light, flying off in different directions.
Taiqing Laozi obtained the purple-gold gourd, Yuanshi Tianzun obtained the purple-yellow gourd, and Daoist Tongtian obtained the purple-blue gourd.
Nuwa obtained the purple-green gourd.
Taiyi obtained the purple-white gourd.
Hongyun obtained the purple-red gourd.
With that, all six gourds found their rightful owners.
On his end, Xuanjian was in no hurry to pick the purple-black gourd.
He knew that this purple-black gourd was not yet fully mature; its status as a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure embryo was merely an unfinished state.
If allowed to grow for a while longer, it would mature into a supreme treasure embryo.
Just at this moment...
Above the Nine Heavens, divine light burst forth grandly as a passage connecting Honghuang and Zixiao Palace swung open.
Haotian, appearing as a young boy, stepped out from within.
His eyes lit up the moment he spotted the purple-black gourd on the vine, and he said joyfully, “This is it—the treasure Master wanted!”
“Everyone, I come by order of my Master to retrieve this purple-black gourd.”
Everyone: “...”
The crowd harbored varying expressions, glancing at Haotian, then at Xuanjian.
What was this?
After all that work, he wouldn't get a single treasure in the end?
What an ironic turn of events.
“Fuck!”
Qiangliang cursed in rage, “Is there no end to this?! We already yielded six of them! Are you Essence Soul cultivators still not satisfied?! Do you really think our Wu tribe is a bunch of sick tigers that won't blow a fuse?!”
Rate on N.U.
