Chapter Ten: The Provincial Governor Asks About His True Body, Searching for the Treasure, Breaking Through the Illusory Realm and Seeing His True Form

  Pangu's hint, easy to understand, Zhenyuanzi had no doubts. He obtained the spiritual root in the Hongmeng world, mostly relying on the ginseng fruit tree of his original body, and knew early that he had the ability to find treasure.

  This person, Ginseng Fruit Tree, is enormous in size, covering an area of tens of thousands of square meters. Not only does it absorb the chaotic spiritual energy at an incredible speed, but its sensing range is also exceptionally wide. Especially for other wooden objects around it, the effect is extraordinary, with a sensing range that is hundreds of times greater than other things! Although Zhenyuanzi has already separated from the Ginseng Fruit Tree and refined his Dao body, he was once one with it, and their spiritual consciousness is connected. Therefore, what the Ginseng Fruit Tree senses, he also sees as if it were right in front of him. Thus, the phrase "reflect on oneself" must be telling him to use the Ginseng Fruit Tree's sensing ability to locate its position, after all, those two things are also wooden spiritual roots. If that doesn't work, then he should "ask the gourd again", and with the gourd root working together, they will complement each other, with yin and yang intersecting, their abilities will increase several times over, and the sensing range will also increase geometrically.

  It was just that he had tried countless times before, but didn't know if it was because his cultivation was limited or if the two spiritual roots were indeed too far away, and he never gained anything. To be aware of the vastness of the primordial chaos, there is no up or down, no left or right, and no east, south, west, or north. Although in later generations those two spiritual roots would be in the western region, this information was of no help to Zhenyuanzi at present.

  This matter concerns the fate of Zhenyuanzi's future, like a hanging sword of Damocles. If it is not removed early, the Dao heart will be uneasy. Moreover, to solve this matter, the opportunity is fleeting, if waiting for those two spiritual roots to take shape, he will have no chance again. Even if one's cultivation reaches the extreme of immortality and indestructibility in the future, it will still be impossible to achieve that state, ultimately still being an ant, when the great calamity arrives, still becoming a pawn in someone else's hand.

  He has a keen insight that transcends time, the greatest advantage of which is to advance his transformation by nearly two yuan, putting himself in the driver's seat. If this cannot be achieved, it will become meaningless and he will have to follow the old path again.

  What Pangu refers to now must have a reason. Moreover, Zhenyuanzi has just comprehended the prohibition of the creation tripod, and his cultivation has greatly increased, almost reaching the realm of Daluo Jinxian in later generations. If he acts again this time, the effect will naturally be much different from before.

  Zhenyuanzi was about to create the Ding tripod, and as he turned it over, a ginseng fruit tree and a calabaza vine appeared. The two flew out of the tripod, and when they first emerged from the mouth of the tripod, they were only as small as toys in one's palm, delicate and exquisite; but as soon as they left the mouth of the tripod, they grew bigger and bigger, eventually restoring their magnificent original appearance, majestic and unparalleled, with a surging spiritual energy. The surrounding Hongmeng space was all covered with green leaves by the two, as if there were no other objects in this world.

  That ginseng fruit tree has matured countless times, and the fruits have all been stored away by Zhenyuanzi. The calabaza vines have already produced two mature calabazas, and there are three more hanging from the back. Two ling roots, both lush and thriving, with a delightful growth. And among them, golden light flickers in and out of sight.

  Zhenyuanzi did not dare to slack off, and he activated his divine powers. He released his divine consciousness and merged it with the spiritual root, carefully sensing everything around him.

  He has made great progress in his alchemy this time, and indeed it is different from before. He feels that his spiritual awareness is like an arm or a finger, almost omnipresent, and within its range, even non-wooden objects can be clearly perceived.

  Suddenly, Zhenyuanzi felt a blackness in front of his eyes, his consciousness was hit hard, and the tide-like retreat came back. In an instant, it seemed to have touched something, but it wasn't clear what it was.

  Zhen Yuanzi, however, was not surprised but delighted. Although he did not find out what the other party was specifically, he knew that the other party had also cultivated his spiritual consciousness and felt extremely likely to be a wood-based spiritual root. The feeling of being interrupted earlier was precisely because it was attacked by the other party's spiritual consciousness. On the surface, although one's own spiritual consciousness was repelled by the other party, it was because it was at the far end of the range, and oneself was the last gasp of a strong crossbow, so there was no way to catch up. The other party should be extremely close, and the reaction could be so rapid. In terms of real strength, the other party should be far inferior to oneself.

  Besides, if the other party could move, they would have hidden their tracks and fled far away long ago, and would not have deliberately provoked a fight with a weaker force.

  With these two points, Zhenyuanzi felt that it was probably one of the two spiritual roots. He didn't hesitate, put away the ginseng fruit tree and calabaza vine, and immediately headed towards the place where he sensed something.

  Now he has a goal and is no longer as idle as before, his body moves like a thunderbolt, flashing by in an instant.

  Not long after, a mountain suddenly appeared in front. The mountains and forests were lush and green, the scenery was quiet and secluded. There are Taoist temples and pavilions hidden among the dense forests, sometimes visible, sometimes invisible, with a deep and profound atmosphere.

  Zhenyuanzi slightly felt a sense of familiarity, and followed the winding mountain path upwards. Before long, he saw in front of him a signboard standing upright, with the three large characters "Yuqing Palace" written on it.

  "Huh? Isn't this Qingcheng Mountain?" Zhenyuanzi suddenly remembered, and the memories of his past life came flooding back to him like a tidal wave.

  Take another look, under the signboard, a young woman is standing, with a beautiful face, a slender figure, long hair draped over her shoulders, and a white skirt fluttering. Isn't she the girlfriend from my previous life?

  The woman stood there, pretending to be nonchalant as she glanced at Zhen Yuanzi with a slanted gaze, then turned away as if she hadn't seen him, but her feet remained rooted in place, waiting for Zhen Yuanzi to approach.

  Although she pretended not to see Zhen Yuansu, her eyes secretly paid attention to his movements, and her eyebrows were full of emotions, which could not be hidden. It seemed that she was obviously annoyed with Zhen Yuanzi for not listening to her words at the beginning and following her to Qingcheng Mountain.

  What's going on? How did I return to my past life again? Was it Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou?

  At this moment, Zhenyuanzi couldn't help but feel a little bewildered, and more of it was emotion: indeed the great way is profound, fate is unpredictable.

  At this moment, he suddenly recalled all sorts of unpleasant memories: born in poverty, lost his parents at a young age, his aunt was cruel, his girlfriend was arrogant... one by one, familiar people seemed to be so detestable, flashing in his mind like a movie.

  At this moment, the seven emotions and six desires seem to have floated back up to his mind, causing him to feel a mix of five flavors. His previous cultivation of spiritual powers seems to have been just an illusion, and he has thoroughly turned back into an ordinary person.

  But the next moment, Zhenyuanzi suddenly smiled: "Like me or not like me, all are me. I am similar to others, and all are living beings. Fellow Taoist wants to confuse me with appearances, but it is less of a Taoist practice."

  With that, she blew a breath of vital energy towards the mountain, the scenery and the person. Instantly, the scene in front of her was like a reflection on the water's surface, rippling with waves, becoming fragmented and disjointed, and then gradually disappearing amidst the ripples... In just an instant, everything had vanished without a trace.

  After all sorts of illusions disappeared, Zhenyuanzi found himself still in the Hongmeng. Only a short distance ahead, two Linggen stood towering!

  One of the trees was tall and dense, similar in size to a ginseng fruit tree. Its crown was like an inverted egg, with a broad canopy and sparse branches; the small leaves were deep green and shiny, without any dust or impurities; at the joints of the branches, there were white fine roots growing out, hanging down like whiskers, dense and luxuriant.

  It is indeed the Bodhi precious tree. Indeed wisdom dignified, called the sacred tree!

  Another spiritual root, Zhongyuanzi is even more familiar. Only to see its large leaves are round and smooth like a basin, the spiritual root is fat and has many knots, white as jade, on the stem grows a huge fifteen-petaled blue lotus flower, the corolla is half open, revealing nine lotus seeds on top of the lotus pod, in black and white, seven colors.

  It is indeed the sacred object of the three religions, the lotus root!

  In the town of Yuanzi, among the congenital spiritual roots, the gourd root's power has not yet been revealed, while the lotus root's function should be ranked first. The only one born on top is a green lotus named Hundun Green Lotus. All evil spirits do not invade, and all methods are not occupied. Although it is said that the attack does not have much power, it is far inferior to the later Pan Gu Fan, Hundun Zhong, and Xian Jian Array, and in terms of defense, it is also slightly inferior to the Tian Di Xuan Huang Ling Long Tower. However, it has another congenital wonderful use: not only can it suppress the air transport as the first among the congenital spiritual treasures but also help the disciples under the door to resolve their karma.

  These two functions, although useless in fighting, are the most important for the disciples of the sect, and can lay the foundation for a school. Therefore, this treasure was the town's treasure in the Western Sect, the fundamental of the sect. The prosperity of the Western Sect is largely due to this treasure. Later, this treasure transformed into the Eight Hundred Merit Pool, increasing its magical uses.

  In the Hongmeng, the first lotus had fifteen grades. However, during the Great Calamity of the Opening Heavens, even at the edge of the Primordial Chaos, it was not exempt from the calamity and was reduced by three grades due to the residual power of Pangu's axe. Therefore, Zhenyuanzi only knew that there were twelve grades of Primordial Chaos lotus in his past life.

  These two spiritual roots, having been favored by the Great Dao, were together from birth and did not resemble the solitary ginseng fruit tree of Zhenyuanzi. They complemented each other like the harmony of yin and yang, and their cultivation was doubly effective. What's more, they remained united in heart and mind, without any discord.

  The two had just gained spiritual awareness, but they were troubled by the fact that their Chaotic True Bodies were too powerful and could not easily transform and emerge, making it impossible for them to move. It must be known that the more powerful the Chaotic True Body is, the harder it is to refine it. However, once the transformation is successful, the true body's power will also be more magnificent.

  When Zhenyuanzi's spiritual consciousness was explored, they knew it wasn't good. With no way to avoid it, they could only join forces to counterattack. The two couldn't move, and their strong point was the technique of spiritual willpower. They thought that the opponent would retreat after being hit once, suffering heavy damage, and wouldn't dare come again. When Zhenyuanzi arrived in front of them, the two had no choice but to join forces again, using their techniques to draw Zhenyuanzi into their own mental illusion realm.

  He didn't want to fight against Zhuan Yuanshi, who had encountered one strange thing after another. With his magical powers and divine abilities, he was no longer someone they could contend with. Not to mention the Taiji Jade Symbol on his body, which was the nemesis of all divine thoughts and illusions.

  Zhenyuanzi looked at them with a heart full of pity. The lotus root and the bodhi root had transformed, and it was certain that they were guiding and assisting without a doubt. The two of them originally had no connection with him, let alone any grudges. Yet he wanted to take away their foundation, although it was something he couldn't avoid doing, his heart still felt some reluctance.

  The great way is like a sharp knife, and all living things are like ants. If you don't struggle for this life now, there will be no more opportunities later, and you will eventually become a sacrifice under the great way. Who will pity yourself then?

  Having understood this point, Zhenyuanzi no longer hesitated and sighed to the two spiritual roots: "Two fellow Taoists, I have indeed wronged you!"

  It is indeed:

  Fate is unpredictable and hard to know.

  Who is the chopping board and who is the fish?

  Unless you find lotus seeds

  The long road stretches far and wide, with no end in sight.

  To know how to guide and bring out one's innate nature, see next time's explanation.