Primordial Era: Reborn as Zhen Yuanzi, taking control of the underground passage

Chapter 225 Houtu's Request

After the second sermon at Zixiao Palace ended, the three thousand guests left one after another, each with their own thoughts.

The Three Pure Ones vanished in an instant, transforming into pure light, while Emperor Jun and Taiyi, with their profound self-aura, broke through the chaos.

Kunpeng, Styx, and others, each with their own thoughts, disappeared into the vast chaotic currents.

Outside the palace gates, Jieyin and Zhunti did not leave with the crowd, but waited respectfully to the side, just as they had done before.

Their gazes frequently drifted towards the slowly closing palace gates, anticipating the appearance of Senior Zhen Yuanzi.

However, to their slight surprise, there was another person standing quietly outside the palace gate besides them.

She was a woman with graceful bearing and a calm, compassionate demeanor, radiating a profound earthy aura that seemed out of place with the surrounding chaos. She was none other than Houtu, one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Unlike the other Ancestral Witches who disregarded Zixiao Palace, she lingered there, gazing calmly at the palace gate, as if waiting for someone.

Before long, the gates of Zixiao Palace opened again, and Zhen Yuanzi, Hongyun, and Yin Yang walked out slowly.

"Seniors!" Jieyin and Zhunti hurriedly stepped forward to pay their respects.

Zhen Yuanzi nodded slightly, about to lead them away.

Houtu, mustering her courage, stepped forward and bowed gracefully to Zhen Yuanzi, her voice soft yet firm: "Senior Zhen Yuanzi, I am Houtu. I apologize for disturbing you. May I ask—for permission to travel with you for a while?"

Upon hearing this, not only did Jieyin and Zhunti show surprise, but even Hongyun and Yinyang cast curious glances at them.

The Wu tribe does not cultivate their primordial spirit and lives in seclusion from the world. They especially scoff at the idea of ​​listening to the Dao at Zixiao Palace.

Why did Houtu, the ancestral witch, take the initiative to ask to travel with Zhen Yuanzi?

Zhen Yuanzi looked at Houtu, a knowing glint in his eyes.

With a slight thought, he could sense the pure and boundless power of the earth's origin emanating from Houtu.

And that vague longing for "bearing", "nurturing" and "home" that comes from the depths of one's blood.

More importantly, he clearly knew that Houtu's existence was inextricably linked to his grand plan to establish the underworld and control reincarnation!

Her path, her destiny, are inextricably linked to the Six Paths of Reincarnation submerged beneath the sea of ​​blood.

"Good." Zhen Yuanzi didn't ask any more questions, but simply nodded peacefully. "Since young friend Houtu has this intention, then come along."

Upon hearing this, Houtu's eyes flashed with joy, and she bowed again, saying, "Thank you, Senior!"

Therefore, Zhen Yuanzi once again summoned the Earth Book, and the Xuanhuang Qi enveloped the six of them together, transforming them into streams of light that steadily traversed the chaos, returning towards the direction of the Primordial Longevity Mountain.

Although Jieyin and Zhunti were curious about Houtu's purpose, they dared not ask too many questions since they saw that Zhenyuanzi was senior and should be allowed to do so. They simply followed silently.

Hongyun and Yinyang exchanged a smile, and Hongyun became more interested in this extraordinary ancestral witch.

They traveled in silence and made it safely back to Wuzhuang Temple.

The temple remained peaceful and serene, filled with spiritual energy. Zhen Yuanzi first said to Hongyun and Yin Yang, "Please make yourselves at home, fellow Daoists." Then he said to Jieyin and Zhunti, "You two should remain in the guesthouse for now and quietly contemplate what you have gained from listening to the Dao."

"Yes, senior." Jieyin Zhunti respectfully replied and went to the guest house.

After making the arrangements, Zhen Yuanzi said to Houtu, who was standing quietly to the side, "Young friend Houtu, come with me."

He led Houtu directly to the depths of Wuzhuang Temple, to a quiet room shrouded in layers of restrictions, exuding the most ancient and serene aura.

This quiet room is where Zhen Yuanzi usually secludes himself to study the "Current Chaos Scripture".

Not only is the spiritual energy extremely rich, but it is also protected by the power of the Earth Book and the innate Five Elements Grand Array, isolating it from all heavenly secrets and divine sense probing.

Inside the quiet room, there was only a simple cloud-shaped futon, and the air was filled with the most primal earthly rhythm and a faint, ethereal aura of chaos.

Zhen Yuanzi waved his hand to set up the last restriction to ensure that everything was foolproof. Then he said to Houtu, "This place has been completely isolated by me with the power of the Earth Book. Even a Heavenly Saint would find it difficult to know about the conversation here unless he deliberately tried to investigate."

"What brings you here, young friend Houtu? Please speak freely."

Houtu felt the pure, profound, all-encompassing, and timeless Daoist energy within the quiet room, and the resonance with her bloodline reached its peak.

She took a deep breath, suppressing her excitement and a hint of trepidation, and looked up at Zhen Yuanzi with clear and sincere eyes.

"Senior Zhen Yuanzi," Houtu spoke slowly, her voice exceptionally clear in the absolutely quiet room.

"To be honest, senior, I gained very little from this trip to Zixiao Palace to listen to the Dao."

Her tone carried a hint of helplessness and frankness: "The Heavenly Dao Order, Primordial Spirit Cultivation, and Corpse Severing Methods spoken of by Dao Ancestor Hongjun are like scratching an itch through a boot for my Wu Clan's bloodline; they can hardly touch the root of the problem."

The Dao of the Dao Ancestor, though lofty, seems to float above the nine heavens, always separated from the earth beneath our feet and to the very ground to which our blood flows.

At this point, she changed the subject, her eyes becoming burning with curiosity as she looked first at Zhen Yuanzi: "However, in the Zixiao Palace, when you, senior, exuded your own Dao aura, I could clearly feel a kind of throbbing and attraction from the depths of my soul and bloodline!"

It is a kind of profound and boundless support, a vibrant nurturing, an inclusive embrace of all things returning to their source, and an eternal and unchanging tranquility!

That is the true Way of the Earth, which the younger generation vaguely perceives in their bloodline yet can never fully comprehend!

Her tone grew increasingly excited, filled with the joy and urgency of finding a fellow traveler: "I know I am being presumptuous, but with the path ahead, I dare not remain silent."

"This junior humbly begs the senior to—perhaps—to enlighten this junior and reveal the mysteries of the Way of the Earth?"

Houtu's words showed that she had lowered her stance to an extremely low level, completely adopting the attitude of a seeker of the Dao, asking Zhen Yuanzi for guidance.

She abandoned the pride of the Ancestral Witch, just to catch a glimpse of the true face of the Great Dao that resonated with her origin.

Zhen Yuanzi listened quietly, his heart filled with emotion.

Houtu was indeed a later earthly sage. Although she did not cultivate the primordial spirit, her intuition and affinity for the origin of the earth far surpassed that of many innate deities.

Her ability to set aside sectarianism and pursue her own path is commendable.

He pondered for a moment, then instead of answering directly, asked, "Young friend Houtu, your Wu clan rules the earth. In your opinion, what is the foundation of the earth?"

Houtu pondered for a moment, and based on the understanding of the Wu tribe, replied: "Solidity, power, bearing all things, is the manifestation of the Father God's body, and is the foundation of our Wu tribe's survival."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded slightly, then shook his head: "That's true, but it doesn't capture the whole picture."

His gaze was profound, as if penetrating the quiet room and revealing the entire primordial land: "The earth is not only a vessel, but also the source of life."

It silently endures everything, whether it be the trampling of living beings or the devastation of disasters, yet it always manages to nurture new life from its silence. This is one aspect of the "great virtue that sustains all things."

"The earth is also a place of destiny and transformation."

He continued, his voice carrying an ancient rhythm, "Fallen leaves return to their roots, dust to dust, ashes to ashes. All things are born from the earth and will eventually return to the earth."

However, the return is not the end, but the beginning of another form, a transformation of energy and matter, and the starting point of a new cycle.

This encompasses both the death and rebirth of the cycle of reincarnation.

7

"Birth and death, bearing and transformation, constitute the complete cycle of the earth."

Knowing only its power but not its virtue; knowing only its bearing but not its transformation, one cannot truly understand the way of the earth.

Houtu was deeply shaken upon hearing this!