FVN Chapter 41 Journey East to Seek the Immortal Island, Embracing All Things in One's Sleeves
Chapter 41 Journey East to Seek the Immortal Island, Embracing All Things in One's Sleeves
Within the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Hill, the Taoist atmosphere is peaceful and harmonious, with the pure energy of Yi Wood and the essence of Xu Earth blending together, creating a pure land of its own.
The nine-clawed golden dragon in the center of the courtyard still exhaled the aura of merit and virtue, the four-symbol banana trees swayed without wind, and the seven treasure gourds on the gourd vines emitted a hazy Daoist charm.
The newly arrived cranes, descendants of sacred beasts, and other creatures each perform their duties, adding a touch of vitality to this ancient Taoist temple.
Zhen Yuanzi and Hongyun sat facing each other under the Four Symbols Banana Tree. After experiencing a series of major events, such as climbing Buzhou Mountain, collecting gourd vines, and preaching in the West, the rare moment of tranquility was all the more precious.
In a corner of the courtyard, the Black Tortoise lay quietly, its aura connected to the earth, comprehending the Dao of Transformation;
The black Qilin carefully tended to the spiritual plants in the herb garden on the back mountain, its dark scales gleaming faintly in the sunlight;
Nine lions stood guard at the mountain gate, their nine pairs of eyes vigilantly surveying the surroundings.
However, Zhen Yuanzi had a feeling that his cultivation, which had reached the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, was about to touch an invisible barrier in his Dao of Earth.
Simply meditating in the temple is no longer enough to trigger that final transformation.
On this morning, as the first rays of dawn pierced through the clouds and shone on the scales of the nine-clawed golden dragon in the courtyard, refracting countless golden rays, Zhen Yuanzi slowly opened his eyes, and a fleeting glimpse of mountain and river veins seemed to appear in his eyes.
He looked at Hongyun, who was comprehending the profound principles of the Four Symbols, and spoke calmly:
"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, I have a feeling that I wish to once again enter the primordial world, walk upon the earth, and comprehend the flow of the earth's veins and the fundamental principles of the life and death of all things, in order to advance in the Great Dao."
Upon hearing this, Hongyun awoke from her reverie, showing no surprise on her face.
He knew that his fellow Daoist was the embodiment of the earth. While meditation and seclusion were important, traveling through the wilderness and personally sensing the earth's breath and pulse was also an indispensable part of cultivation.
He laughed freely, his crimson Taoist robe billowing like flowing clouds: "Fellow Daoist, wherever the Great Dao leads, you should follow it yourself. Everything in the mountains will be looked after by this humble Daoist and the Primordial Sovereign; please go forth with peace of mind."
Zhen Yuanzi nodded slightly, saying nothing more. The two had known each other for countless eons and were already of one mind, so there was no need for further formalities. He rose, his steps steady and deliberate, as if a mountain had shifted, and slowly walked out of the Wuzhuang Temple's gate.
The nine-headed lions guarding the gate bowed their nine heads respectfully, watching the master depart; the cranes patrolling the clouds let out clear and melodious cries, as if bidding farewell; even the black tortoise in the corner of the courtyard raised its head slightly, watching the ancient figure gradually disappear into the distance.
After leaving the blessed land of Longevity Mountain, Zhen Yuanzi did not use his great supernatural powers of shrinking the earth to an inch or breaking through the void.
With a slight thought, the vast and abyss-like aura surrounding him, which even ordinary Golden Immortals would have to revere, instantly vanished, like a giant whale diving into the sea, returning to its original simplicity.
At this moment, he looked like an ordinary Taoist traveling around, wearing an inconspicuous earth-yellow Taoist robe, with a peaceful aura, blending into the primordial beings without appearing out of place.
His goal was clear: the vast and boundless East China Sea.
According to his memories from later generations, there are three immortal islands hidden above the East Sea, formed from fragments of chaos, each a world of its own, containing innate spiritual energy, and surely containing innate spiritual treasures or spiritual roots. Such an opportunity may be of great use to his future path of cultivation, so he should go and explore it.
However, Zhen Yuanzi was not in a hurry to continue his journey.
Since he set out under the guise of "understanding the way of the earth," he truly immersed himself in the embrace of this vast and untamed land.
He abandoned his cloud-flying escape and instead set his feet firmly on the vast, ancient land.
With each step he took, he subtly sensed the earth's essence, drawing upon his innate nature. The instant his feet touched the ground, boundless information flowed into his heart like streams merging into a vast ocean:
The slow undulation of magma deep underground is like the earth's hot blood; the gurgling flow of the earth's spiritual energy is like crisscrossing meridians.
The breath of mountains and rivers, the sighs of valleys, and even the slightest tremors caused by the movement of billions of tiny creatures underground and in meadows... all of these together constitute the magnificent and complex rhythm of life on the primordial land.
He walked through the lush, ancient forest, where fallen leaves accumulated over millions of years rustled softly under his feet. The damp earth and the fresh scent of grass and trees were so refreshing.
While passing through a secluded valley, Zhen Yuanzi encountered a group of strangely shaped beasts.
It resembles a sheep, but has nine tails and four ears, with its eyes on its back. It is the "Boyi" recorded in the later "Classic of Mountains and Seas".
These creatures are timid and cautious, and they hide in the crevices of rocks as soon as they see a stranger.
Zhen Yuanzi observed that its aura was pure and detached from worldly affairs, so he did not disturb it and let it grow naturally. Deep in the valley, he also discovered several rare "Danmu" trees, whose leaves resembled grains of rice, and whose fruits were as large as melons, with red markings and black veins, and whose consumption could ward off fire.
We trekked across the desolate and vast Gobi Desert in the west, where sandstorms raged, and felt the resilience and silence of the earth in extreme environments.
The scorching sun baked the cracked earth, and the fierce wind whipped up yellow sand, which scraped across the rock walls like knives, leaving the marks of time.
Here, he came to understand another side of the earth's "bearing virtue and carrying all things"—the loneliness and fortitude that endures wind and frost silently.
Beneath this seemingly desolate Gobi Desert, he sensed a faint spiritual energy still flowing within the earth's veins, nourishing some unique creatures.
In a Gobi oasis, he discovered several "zheng".
It resembles a red leopard, with five tails and one horn, and the sound it makes is like striking a stone.
These strange beasts were drinking water in the oasis when they saw Zhen Yuanzi approaching. They immediately raised their five tails and let out a low growl of warning.
Zhen Yuanzi sensed the pure Five Elements energy emanating from them, nodded slightly, and took a detour. In the center of the oasis grew a peculiar "Sand Pear Tree," which resembled a pear tree, with yellow flowers and red fruit; eating it would prevent drowning.
He also stood on the banks of the raging river, watching the turbid waves surge and the waves crash against the shore, feeling how the water has shaped and changed the land over millions of years, and experiencing the mutual generation and restraint between the resilience of "water" and the bearing capacity of "earth," a fusion of Taoist principles.
On the rocky beach by the river, he found some "Yu Pei" jade, which could ward off miasma when worn. These jade stones were shaped like amber, and it seemed as if there was flowing water inside.
The "Ranyi Fish" swims in the river. It has a fish body, a snake's head, and six legs. Its eyes are like horse ears. Eating it can ward off evil spirits. These ancient species live leisurely in the water, completely unaware that they will soon be on the verge of extinction.
Deeper still, there are schools of "He Luo fish" swimming around, with one head and ten bodies. Their voice is like that of a barking dog, and eating them can cure boils and carbuncles.
Along the way, he not only contemplated the wonders of the world, but also carefully observed the survival and evolution of all living things in the primordial world.
Not long after the creation of the world, the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was extremely abundant, nourishing countless exotic beasts and spiritual plants that would later be considered "rare treasures".
Many creatures have ancient forms and pure auras, containing unique primordial power. However, in Zhen Yuanzi's vague understanding derived from later generations, most of them seem to have faded away in some great calamity in the future, eventually becoming legends or even completely annihilated in the river of time.
As soon as this thought arose, a ripple stirred in Zhen Yuanzi's heart.
He is the Lord of the Earth, wielding the Book of Earth, and sharing weal and woe with the primordial land.
These creatures were part of the primordial world, and their extinction, in a sense, was also a loss and incompleteness of the earth's origin.
Even though his Dao heart was as firm as a rock, he couldn't help but feel a pang of compassion, a sense of responsibility as a guardian of the earth, for seeing life but not death.
"Since we've met, it must be fate." Zhen Yuanzi thought silently.
I cannot reverse the overall trend at present, but perhaps preserving a few sparks in my small way can fulfill my karma with this world.
Once he made up his mind, he became more cautious when he set off again.
Deep within a swamp perpetually shrouded in a seven-colored poisonous miasma, he discovered a pair of strange beasts called "Yu Li," resembling Qilin but with deer antlers and covered in crystalline jade scales.
They feed on unique spiritual fungi found in swamps, and can transform poisonous miasma into pure spiritual energy. Their inner cores possess the miraculous effects of curing all poisons and reviving dead tissue. In later generations' memories, this beast was hunted to extinction due to its miraculous effects.
With a flick of his sleeve, Zhen Yuanzi unleashed a gentle yet irresistible force that instantly enveloped the startled jade goblets and the small patch of swamp they inhabited, capturing them intact within his sleeve. Within the swamp grew some "Bewitching Valley Trees," shaped like grains with black veins, their blossoms radiating light, ensuring that wearing them would not cause confusion.
We arrived at a barren, red mountain range where "Yong" birds lived.
It resembles an owl, with a human face, four eyes, and ears; its cry can ignite fire in the ground.
Seeing that these strange birds were interdependent with the earth fire and possessed great spirituality, Zhen Yuanzi took a pair and opened up a valley full of earth fire for them in the space in his sleeve.
There is also a "Diwu Tree" growing in the mountains. It looks like a pepper, but it damages the red fruit and can ward off evil.
On the summit of a remote snow-capped mountain, he found a small tree, no more than a foot tall, with its entire body sculpted like ice crystals and its leaves naturally covered with snow patterns, called the "Snow Soul Tree".
This wood exudes an extremely cold aura, yet it can nourish the soul and stabilize the primordial spirit, making it a treasure for those who cultivate ice-based techniques or whose souls are damaged.
Similarly, it will be difficult to find in the future.
Zhen Yuanzi carefully activated the earth's veins, moving the Snow Soul Wood and the Ten-Thousand-Year-Old Mysterious Ice containing its roots into his sleeve.
Near the snow line, he also discovered some "white apes," which resembled apes but had white heads and bare feet. Their appearance foretells disaster, but these white apes were playing in the snow at the moment, completely unaware that their appearance foreshadowed the impending calamity.
On the snow-capped mountain, there are also "Zhujian" creatures that appear. They look like leopards with long tails, human heads and ox ears, and only one eye. They are good at howling.
These strange beasts left deep footprints in the snow. Zhen Yuanzi saw that they were exceptionally fierce, yet they were also created by the creation of heaven and earth, so he also took a pair.
Even more surprisingly, he discovered a flock of "cold-weather birds" in an ice cave. These birds resembled chickens but had white heads and rat feet and were able to keep warm.
He also encountered a strange creature called the "Illusionary Light Butterfly," whose wings could refract light and create a mesmerizing illusion. When they danced in groups, they could even cause ripples in a small area of space.
They are beautiful yet fragile, and have extremely high requirements for their living environment.
Zhen Yuanzi did not disturb them, but quietly moved an entire woodland, inhabited by hundreds of Illusionary Light Butterflies and home to their only food source, "Moonlight Moss," into his Sleeve Universe. This woodland also contained several "Spirit Stem Trees," which resembled pears with red veins, and eating them would cause deafness.
In a secluded bamboo forest, Zhen Yuanzi discovered the "Chess Game of the Emperor's Platform" recorded in the later "Classic of Mountains and Seas".
These colorful pebbles, scattered among the trees, are shaped like quail eggs and radiate a warm luster.
According to records, these stones were used by the gods to play chess, and wearing them would prevent one from being harmed.
Seeing that it contained a small amount of innate five elements, Zhen Yuanzi collected tens of thousands of them and kept them in his sleeve to nurture them.
Some "Xingxing" also live in the bamboo forest. They look like monkeys but have white ears. They crawl on their backs and walk with people. Eating them makes them walk faster.
We passed a crystal-clear stream where stingrays were playing.
It resembles a carp, with a fish's body and bird's wings, blue markings, a white head, and a red beak. It usually travels in the Western Sea and swims in the Eastern Sea, flying at night.
These spirit fish are not afraid of people; instead, they approach them out of curiosity.
Seeing their lively and adorable nature, Zhen Yuanzi collected a group of them and created a body of water in his sleeve for them to inhabit. Along the stream also grew "Huai Mu," which resembled a Chinese ailanthus tree but bore fruit like a melon, whose taste was unforgettable.
In a valley filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, Zhen Yuanzi encountered "Qinyuan". It was shaped like a bee, as large as a mandarin duck, and its stings killed birds and beasts, and withered trees.
These ferocious creatures, though poisonous, were also creations of nature. Zhen Yuanzi carefully avoided their sharpness and collected some from specially designated poisonous miasma areas, placing them in his sleeve. There was also a "Jia Guo Tree" in the valley, resembling a peach with a square stem, whose fruit required no labor.
The list goes on and on.
There is a creature called "Yonghe" that is not yet intelligent but has immense strength, and is covered in fur and horns. It looks like an ape with red eyes, a red beak, and a yellow body. Its appearance is a sign of great fear for the country.
The "Wonderful Bird" has a song that can soothe the soul, and resembles a lark but has seven-colored feathers on its tail;
There is a creature called "Acid" that lurks in the lava of the earth, feeds on refined gold, and has an indestructible shell. It is shaped like a snake, with four wings, six eyes, and three legs.
There is also the "Qi Tu," which looks like a crow, has three heads and six tails, and is good at laughing. Taking it makes people never tired of it, and it can also ward off evil.
In a marshland, he also discovered a "spiral turtle," which is shaped like a turtle but has the head of a bird and the tail of a snake. Its sound is like the cracking of wood, and wearing it will prevent deafness.
Deep in the dense forest, I encountered the "Lili," which resembles a pig but has spurs; its appearance foretells much earthwork in the county. On the wasteland, I saw the "Zhu Bird," which resembles an owl but has human hands and a cry like a quail; its appearance foretells much exile in the county.
Zhen Yuanzi was not without options.
What he collects are mostly those species that are full of spirituality and have unique origins, but whose "lifespan" seems short in his vague perception, or that are extremely sensitive to environmental changes and are very easy to perish.
He was not a saint who indiscriminately showed mercy; he acted according to his own principles.
These creatures were taken in by his extraordinary ability to conceal themselves within his sleeve, not imprisoned.
Within his sleeve space, relying on his profound understanding of the laws of the earth and his ability to write earth books, he simulated and recreated the most suitable original living environment for every kind of creature—swamps where they should be, snow-capped mountains where they should be, and forests where they should be, and drew in external spiritual energy to continuously maintain their life cycle.
In a sense, these creatures, within Zhen Yuanzi's inner world, gained a "Noah's Ark" unaffected by external calamities and wars. They lost the possibility of freely migrating in the vast wilderness, but were able to continue their bloodline under a state of protection, thus avoiding their inevitable extinction.
"Although they lost their freedom, they gained the opportunity to continue their lineage. This is a matter of gain and loss, and it is difficult to make a simple judgment."
Zhen Yuanzi traveled eastward at a leisurely pace, sometimes pausing to sense the pulse of the earth, and sometimes taking action to collect those rare and precious creatures that were "destined" to be with him.
Within his sleeve, a miniature, all-encompassing atlas of primordial life is gradually evolving, a "collection of all things" unique to him.
He did not deliberately pursue speed, but with his cultivation level, even on foot, his speed far exceeded that of ordinary Golden Immortals flying away.
Thus, after countless seasons and crossing endless mountains and rivers, traversing nearly half of the ancient continent, the salty sea breeze finally rushed towards them, and the vast and boundless East China Sea was already in sight.
Standing atop the coastal rocks, gazing at the boundless expanse of azure where the sea and sky merged, a hint of solemnity crept onto Zhen Yuanzi's usually calm and unassuming face. The land was his domain, but this vast ocean was a completely different world.
Finding the elusive and mysterious Three Immortal Islands is no easy task.
On the shore, he saw some "Lingyu" swimming in the water, which looked like fish but had human faces and complete hands and feet; several "Jun birds" flew in the sky, which looked like owls but had red feet and straight beaks, with yellow markings and white heads;
The pearl beetle crawls among the rocks; it resembles a lung, has eyes and six legs, and often spits out pearls. These marine creatures are completely different from land animals, carrying the unique mystery of the sea.
He paused briefly to adjust his breathing and bring himself to his best condition, then took a step forward and stepped onto the waves.
His aura became increasingly restrained, but his divine sense, like an invisible spider web, began to cautiously and resolutely spread towards this unknown blue kingdom.