Primordial Era: I, Hongyun, take charge of the literary path

Mount Buzhou is the largest mountain range in the primordial world. It was formed from the spine of the great god Pangu and supported the primordial world.

After entering the Buzhou Wasteland, Hongyun discovered that the area was rich in metallic minerals and beautiful jade underground.

Hongyun occasionally picked up some immortal gold and divine jade, but most of the time he was on his way forward.

Before he knew it, Hongyun arrived at the foot of Buzhou Mountain, where someone was waiting for him.

"Hahaha, Blood Cloud greets the Venerable One."

"Fellow Daoist Xueyun, it's been a long time."

Hongyun and Xueyun greeted each other and agreed to climb the mountain together to explore the treasures of Buzhou Mountain.

Just then, Huoyun sensed something.

A hint of surprise appeared on Hongyun's face. She took out the Boundless Cloud Handkerchief, and Huoyun emerged from it.

Huoyun is depicted as a burly, strong man dressed in a crimson leather jacket, his chest bare, revealing bulging muscles; he is as strong as two people, Hongyun and Xueyun.

Because he hadn't taken human form, Huo Yun's figure was somewhat elusive, but his domineering presence was undeniable.

"Hahaha, Fire Cloud greets the true master!"

"And Blood Cloud, nice to meet you."

Huo Yun greeted the two of them wildly.

Hongyun nodded and asked, "Fellow Daoist Huoyun, you just said that Xueyun possesses your destiny?"

Huo Yun's brow relaxed, and he said loudly, "That's right, after seeing the blood cloud, I suddenly had a premonition."

Hongyun looked at Xueyun, thought for a moment, and then Xueyun took out the Hundred Herbs Diagram, from which wisps of flame floated out.

"Perhaps it was the phoenix tree; after the fiery clouds appeared, my phoenix tree also reacted."

Xueyun looked at the Hundred Herbs Diagram in his hand and said.

"That's right, it's the sycamore tree. I sensed that power, the power that can help me break through."

Huo Yun stared at the Hundred Herbs Diagram and spoke loudly, his voice booming and exuding a rough and unruly aura.

Xueyun spoke up, "Huoyun, since this phoenix tree is useful to you, I'll give it to you!"

"However, whether you can gain the approval of the sycamore tree depends on your own abilities."

Blood Cloud handed the Hundred Herbs Scroll to Fire Cloud.

Huo Yun said excitedly, "Xue Yun, you are my best brother. I am so touched."

Xueyun smiled and shook his head. They were one, and the phoenix tree was the same no matter whose hands it was in.

Huo Yun took the Hundred Herbs Scroll, and his primordial spirit entered the scroll, quickly developing a connection with the phoenix tree.

The next instant, the phoenix tree emerged from the Hundred Herbs Diagram. Huo Yun nodded and stepped forward, walking directly into the phoenix tree without any resistance.

Looking at this familiar scene, Hongyun seemed to be deep in thought. Shuiyun had also broken through using the same method.

Does the opportunity to break through the barriers of cultivation and achieve the origin of power also require a top-grade innate spiritual root?

Blood Cloud watched the changes in Fire Cloud with curiosity.

In Xueyun's perception, the energy of the fire cloud and the phoenix tree are connected, the dragon and tiger are in harmony, and yin and yang are in balance. Each interaction enhances the power of the origin.

Seeing the changes in Huoyun, Hongyun turned to Xueyun and said, "Huoyun needs a long time to transform, so the two of us can have a discussion."

"That is indeed my wish, but I dare not ask!"

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, let me ask first!"

Xueyun smiled and asked, "What is the Dao?"

Upon hearing Xueyun's question, Hongyun sat on the cloud platform for a long time without saying a word. Xueyun held his breath and waited, only to hear the mountain wind blowing through the pine branches, making a clear and tinkling sound.

After a long silence, Hongyun finally spoke, her voice clear and resonant like a stone thrown into an ancient well, "What is the Dao?"

"Fellow Daoist Xueyun, listen to the wind. Has it intentionally stirred any pine branch?"

"Does the pine tree ever intentionally make any sound? It blows without intention, it sings without intention, this is the Way."

Hongyun paused, then lightly tapped the void with his fingertip, and a ray of clear light spread out, sweeping across the four seas and eight wastelands.

"The greatest obstacle for a spiritual practitioner is not demons, nor tribulations, but the word 'I.' When you are always thinking about how to attain enlightenment, how to ascend to heaven, or how to achieve something, you have already strayed far from the path."

A thoughtful look flashed in Xueyun's eyes.

After Xueyun finished thinking, Hongyun continued to ask Xueyun a question, but Hongyun asked about good and evil and cause and effect.

"Is karma truly so unfortunate?"

Xueyun pointed to the stream below the mountain.

"Look at that water, flowing from the mountaintop to the foot of the mountain. Has anyone ever used a ruler to measure how far it has traveled, how many bends it has made, and how much silt it has carried away?"

Xueyun stated definitively, "No!"

"But it comes naturally, just like cause and effect. Cause and effect is not a deity keeping accounts and settling accounts one by one. Rather, whatever cause you plant, the energy in the world will flow accordingly, just like throwing a stone into water, the ripples will inevitably spread, and eventually you will get the result."

"The same goes for good and evil. Good is not something you do for others to see, and evil cannot be hidden from anyone. That kind of spirit cannot deceive heaven and earth, much less your own Dao heart."

Xueyun continued, "What is meant by 'the Way follows nature'?"

Hong Yun sat on the cloud platform, took a pot of turbid wine from his side and took a big gulp, showing a rather unruly attitude.

Have you ever witnessed flowers blooming and withering?

Xueyun nodded and said, "Of course I've seen him before."

"Did the flower ever ask me when I should bloom, what color I should be, and for whom I should bloom?"

Xueyun paused for a moment, then replied, "No."

Hongyun put down the wine pot and said, "That's it. Because the flower doesn't know it's a flower, it blooms freely; the bird doesn't know it's a bird, so it flies freely."

"But people know that they are human, so they develop a sense of discrimination, attachment, and comparison."

"I'm always thinking about who I'm stronger than, what level I want to cultivate to, and how many tens of thousands of years I want to live..."

The more you think, the further you stray from the right path.

Hongyun's voice was ethereal, "When you forget this word, the Dao will naturally appear before you."

Then, Hongyun raised his question.

Is the Great Dao truly heartless?

Xueyun frowned in thought, stars flickering around him. After a moment, he slowly spoke, his voice neither sad nor happy.

"Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things like straw dogs."

Xueyun spoke eloquently, "This statement does not mean that one has selfish motives or that one harms all living beings. On the contrary, it means that all living beings are equal before the Great Dao."

He reached out and plucked a shooting star, which turned into dust in his palm. He continued, "In the eyes of the Dao, there is no difference between a sage and an ant. He will not give you any more spiritual energy just because you kneel and worship devoutly, nor will He send down divine punishment for you insulting Heaven and Earth."

Xueyun said softly, "The Dao is like a mountain; whether you climb it or not, it is there. The Dao is like water; whether you drink it or not, it flows on its own. The essence of cultivation is not to seek the Dao's pity, but to align yourself with the Dao's path."

Next, Hongyun and Xueyun asked and answered each other's questions about their cultivation, listening to each other's interpretations.

After an unknown amount of time, the paulownia tree behind Hongyun suddenly emitted a terrifying aura.

Hongyun was startled awake from the discussion and turned to look at the superior innate spiritual root, the phoenix tree, and the fiery cloud that had emerged from it.

Huo Yun emerged from the phoenix tree, but his aura was different from before. He had broken through, shattered the shackles of his origin, and broken through to the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm before taking human form.

Huo Yun: "I have fulfilled my mission."

Huo Yun smiled and nodded, his eyes shining brightly, the sun and moon shining together, the Milky Way turning upside down, and all things being born and dying.

Hongyun: "Haha, congratulations!"

Xueyun: "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Huoyun."