Dao Lord: Starting from a Top-grade Golden Core

The void, it turned out, was not wide open everywhere.

Although everyone in Xuzhuang’s party, save for Xuzhuang and Zhong Shenxiu, had already been defeated, none had left early as Zhuo Hansheng had.

The group followed the Immoral Taoist’s Wine Immortal Gourd through the void. Even with the cultivation of Nascent Soul Cultivators, it was difficult to judge how far they had flown or what their position was. All they knew was that they had arrived before a seemingly boundless Dark Star Cluster and were now plunging right into it.

Although there was no distinction between heaven and earth in the void, the concepts of up, down, and the cardinal directions still existed. Even without reference points, a cultivator’s ability to perceive both the external world and their own inner state was enough to make such distinctions.

But as the Wine Immortal Gourd flew into this place, Xuzhuang felt all his senses become muddled. If not for the gourd carrying them, he feared he would have lost his balance, making it impossible to find any direction.

’This is...’ In Xuzhuang’s inner senses, the talisman left behind by the Celestial Sphere began to flicker. He frowned, and after a moment’s thought, he secretly split his focus to ask Bitu, ’Fellow Daoist Bitu, do you know what kind of place this is?’

"The cosmos is boundless, mysterious, and magnificent; it’s impossible to know everything," Bitu replied. "Places like this strange Land of Chaos are not actually rare in the universe. The reasons for their formation often vary. From what I know, they can be caused by the destruction of Great Thousand Worlds, battles between beings of immeasurable Divine Techniques, and so on. Some may have even existed since the dawn of the cosmos, their origins a complete mystery."

"Thus, these various strange Lands of Chaos also harbor different dangers. Even a Primordial Spirit True Man wouldn’t enter one recklessly without a thorough understanding of it."

"However, you can rest easy, Fellow Daoist. This is the place where Yi Daoist and the Divination Daoist discovered the Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruit. The Zhenren of their two lineages have traveled here many times and know the way well. There’s no danger of anything going wrong."

’So that’s how it is.’ No wonder the lineages of Yi Daoist and the Divination Daoist were able to lay claim to an Innate Spirit Root that takes twelve hundred years to blossom, twelve hundred years to bear fruit, and another twelve hundred years to mature. It was because it was hidden away in this Land of Chaos.

The Wine Immortal Gourd seemed to zigzag chaotically through this space. It was impossible to tell if it was following a specific path, or if their sense of direction was so scrambled that they were actually moving in a straight line. Along the way, they occasionally spotted strange and wondrous sights: pools of chaotic energy, inexplicable clusters of light, floating icebergs of dust, Hanging Stone Star Ore, and even dead, silent stars.

After flying like this for an unknown amount of time, they suddenly passed through a dense, fine layer of stardust that resembled a river of light and arrived in what seemed to be a more open expanse of space.

There was nothing else in this space. Their eyes were immediately drawn to the Innate Spirit Root, bearing the Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruit, which instantly came into view!

It was a wondrous sight that defied many people’s expectations—

A continent floated in the void, shaped like a golden cymbal—flat with a rounded edge, its center bulging out like a great hill.

And it was upon this protrusion that a towering, translucent jade tree grew, its crystalline form shimmering like glazed porcelain. It stood as tall as a majestic mountain range, its canopy a vast parasol that shaded the entire continent’s sky. Yet for all its magnificent size, the tree was exquisitely detailed, as if a work of divine craftsmanship; every inch of its texture, from the trunk to the leaves, was clearly visible.

Dangling from the boughs of this colossal jade tree were twelve Pearl Fruits—one purple and eleven cyan. True to their name, each was like a perfectly round, flawless jade marble.

What was truly unexpected was that these Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruits looked minuscule hanging on the jade tree—not even a tenth the size of a single leaf. And yet, each fruit was actually taller than a person, a full ten feet in diameter.

Even more astonishingly, life flourished on the continent beneath the Innate Spirit Root. A human race thrived there, having already developed a tribal civilization. Some of them, dressed in strange attire, would even climb to high places to gaze upon the Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruit and practice breathing exercises. They were like nascent Qi Cultivators, though their methods were exceedingly crude and simplistic.

"What! Life can be nurtured in an environment like this? An entire human race?" Sima Zongfa found it incredible, and the others were equally astonished.

Xuzhuang asked Bitu internally and learned only that when Yi Daoist and the Divination Daoist first discovered this Spirit Root, life had already taken hold here.

However, Bitu also mentioned that an Innate Spirit Root could draw immeasurable primordial energy from the void and convert it into spiritual vitality. Perhaps for this reason, over a great expanse of time, it had even formed an atmospheric ’Celestial Vault’ around the continent.

Even so, this place had no sun or moon, only the light from the river of stardust, and thus no cycle of day and night. That it could nurture life, and even give birth to a civilization, was a testament to the truly staggering miracle of life.

"Another thirty-six hundred years have passed, and they still haven’t gone extinct." The Immoral Taoist looked down, clicking his tongue in amazement.

The secrets of heaven were obscured within the Land of Chaos. Heaven only knew how the two Daoists, Yi and Divination, had managed to find the Innate Spirit Root here in the first place. In any case, its existence was impossible to divine from the outside world, so the Immoral Taoist had no idea how these creatures, living in such a harsh environment, had fared over the past few millennia.

While they were hovering there, another streak of light shot in from beyond the stardust. It circled once, but instead of approaching the Immoral Taoist’s party, it went straight to the opposite side of the Innate Spirit Root and paused. A moment later, three rays of spiritual light flew out from it, landing on the canopy of the great tree.

"Hm? They’re already boarding the Spirit Root?" Cen Fenghong’s eyebrow twitched. "Isn’t that...?"

Jide Taoist said calmly, "It’s fine."

The Immoral Taoist took two Jade Ruyis from his sleeve and explained, "To pick the Cyan and Purple Pearl Fruit, you must gently tap their stems with these Jade Ruyis. They will then fall. They cannot be contaminated by any worldly dust, nor can they touch the branches. You must collect them immediately."

He handed one Jade Ruyi to Xuzhuang and the other to Zhong Shenxiu. "To put it bluntly," he said, "this competition is simple: whichever side picks more Pearl Fruits wins. Of course, eliminating the other team’s members is also a path to victory."

"Other than that, there aren’t many rules... You’re free to proceed however you see fit."

Zhong Shenxiu’s eyes lit up with understanding. "In other words, we can also snatch them from our opponents?"

"Correct." The Immoral Taoist nodded. "Furthermore, the Purple Tribulation Pearl Fruit can only be picked after all the Cyan Tribulation Pearl Fruits have been harvested. Whoever plucks the Purple Tribulation Pearl Fruit will be considered the ultimate champion."

He cleared his throat. "To be honest with you, there used to be only victory and defeat, no ’ultimate champion.’ But this time, it’s tied to a private wager between a few of us... If your side is victorious, you two can figure out who gets to be the champion."

"In any case, the reward for becoming champion has already been made clear to you." After he finished speaking, he gave Xuzhuang a subtle wink.

Xuzhuang certainly hadn’t forgotten the wager for two Cyan Tribulation Pearl Fruits. While the Innate Spirit Fruit wasn’t his sole reason for accepting this undertaking, its value was beyond question.

However, Xuzhuang didn’t dwell on it. He simply accepted the Jade Ruyi, cupped his hands, and said, "I understand."

𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

Zhong Shenxiu merely smiled and did the same. The Immoral Taoist, knowing it was still too early for more talk, said nothing further. He formed a hand seal with a flick of his fingers, pointed at the two of them to bestow a talisman’s blessing, and then shouted, "Go! May you return victorious!"