Chapter Thirty-Seven: The Gourd Spirit Root

The radiant multicolored light floated through the sky, startling every cultivator atop Mount Buzhou. Where should one seek treasures? Why, Mount Buzhou was the place to be. Though the mountain belonged to the Wu tribe, that did little to deter the treasure-seeking horde.

The cultivators flocked like sparrows, swarming from all directions toward the sacred peak of Mount Buzhou. Of course, it was not pure coincidence; some sought to probe the Wu tribe’s strength, while others wished to weaken it through attrition.

This time, the ancestral witches truly lost their tempers. Each of the Twelve Ancestors of Wu led their own sons in a charge to all corners, striking back at the greedy cultivators.

The Three Pure Ones were the true beneficiaries of luck. Mount Buzhou was vast, and at that moment, not a single Wu tribe member guarded that particular direction, allowing the Three Pure Ones to enter the mountain with ease.

They arrived at the spot where the treasure’s light shone brilliantly, only to find a single gourd vine.

This was one of the ten great innate spiritual roots, and Tongtian could not help but recall stories from Journey to the West, where the Golden and Silver Boys of the Grand Supreme Elder’s court shone brightly along the pilgrimage route.

The gourd acquired by the Lord Primordial would later belong to the disciple of Guanyin in the ensuing ages. As for Tongtian’s own gourd, no record or tale mentioned it—how curious! Tongtian found himself full of questions.

At that moment, a female Daoist approached from afar, bowing respectfully to the Three Pure Ones and greeting, “Greetings, senior brothers.”

Who was she? None other than the guest of Zixiao Palace—Lady Nuwa. While cultivating in her cave estate, Nuwa had sensed a mysterious connection guiding her spirit. Upon closer inspection, she realized she was fated to this treasure and thus rode the clouds to Mount Buzhou in search.

The Three Pure Ones returned her greeting: “Greetings, Junior Sister Nuwa.”

“I wonder, senior brothers, would you let your junior sister have one of those little gourds?” Lady Nuwa asked directly.

The Lord Primordial furrowed his brow, inclined to refuse. But the Grand Supreme Elder interjected, “Let us grant our junior sister this kindness.”

“Thank you, Senior Brother Taiqing.” Lady Nuwa bowed in gratitude, a joyful smile lighting her face.

From the distance, two more figures approached. The four present recognized them at once: Ancestor Hongyun, bearer of the Primal Purple Qi, and the Eastern Emperor Taiyi of the demon clan.

Hongyun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi paid their respects to the four, who returned the courtesy.

“Might the four of you grant each of us a gourd?” asked Eastern Emperor Taiyi, gazing at them.

Lady Nuwa, not being the principal among them, turned to the Grand Supreme Elder for direction.

Seeing Hongyun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi arrive together made their intentions plain—they each desired a gourd.

“That is acceptable. Let us wait for the gourds to ripen; the six of us shall each claim one,” the Grand Supreme Elder said.

“Thank you, Daoist Taiqing.” Hongyun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi bowed deeply.

The Grand Supreme Elder merely raised a hand in a gentle, dismissive gesture, signaling there was no need for such formality.

Hongyun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi composed themselves and waited quietly for the gourds to mature.

Upon the spiritual root of the gourd, seven gourds of different colors hung: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—each an infant-sized treasure. At a mere glance, a sense of delight would well up from the heart.

The six of them gazed at the vine, knowing the seven little gourds were about to ripen, each wearing a smile of anticipation.

The Grand Supreme Elder stepped forward first, picking a violet gourd—the miraculous one that could dissolve all things.

The Lord Primordial and Tongtian each took one as well, claiming the green and blue gourds, respectively. The Lord Primordial’s green gourd would later become the one wielded by Cihang Daoist’s disciple, impervious to water and fire.

With the gourd in hand, Tongtian paid it no further heed, tucking it into his sleeve.

Lady Nuwa claimed the orange gourd, which would become the demon clan’s Summoning Gourd.

Ancestor Hongyun’s was the crimson gourd, the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd, also known as the Red Sand Gourd. Within it lay sand capable of corroding a cultivator’s soul; to be tainted by it meant even one’s very spirit would be annihilated—a truly fearsome treasure.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi took the yellow gourd. After the demon clan’s decline, he would entrust it to his nephew, Daoist Luya. In the Investiture of the Gods, the yellow gourd shone brightly, and Daoist Luya used it to slay countless fiends. The gourd bore another name: the Immortal-Slaying Flying Knife—a weapon of unmatched lethality.

Examining the treasures in their hands, the six could not help but feel elated. To have gained a spiritual treasure of their own was no easy feat.

Just as they prepared to leave Mount Buzhou, several figures blocked their path. These were none other than the ancestral witches themselves.

Here, the Wu tribe were true overlords, considering Mount Buzhou their private domain, determined to slay intruders and keep its sacred soil untainted.

At this moment, Eastern Emperor Taiyi stepped forward and declared, “Is this how Ancestor Emperor Jiang of the Wu tribe receives his guests?”

Before the second sermon, Eastern Emperor Taiyi had met the Twelve Ancestors of Wu and even fought three of them; thus, his animosity toward the Wu tribe ran deep.

“This is the Wu tribe’s sacred mountain. Do you think you can come and go as you please?” Ancestor Emperor Jiang, flanked by the other ten ancestral witches, approached the gourd vine, encircling the six.

“There remains one last gourd. Consider it a token of goodwill from us to the ancestral witches,” the Lord Primordial said, unable to bear the tribe’s suffocating aura.

Ancestor Zhu Rong, always quick to anger, snapped, “One is not enough! Leave all your gourds behind!”

This remark instantly kindled the fighting spirit in the six. Each tightened their grip on their respective gourd, ready to invoke their treasures.

“Each of us came by these treasures through fate. If you doubt it, Ancestor Emperor Jiang, you are welcome to investigate,” said Tongtian, seeking to make peace with the Wu tribe—after all, their aid might be needed someday. “Let us do this: I will relinquish my gourd along with the final one to the ancestral witches. The vine itself, however, I ask to keep. What say you?”

Ancestor Emperor Jiang considered. With ten ancestral witches present, and with Eastern Emperor Taiyi able to match at least two, the Three Pure Ones still held formidable power. Though confident in their own strength, the ancestral witches had spent much of their power fending off invaders. In the end, he decided to agree.

“Very well, let it be as Daoist Tongtian suggests,” Emperor Jiang replied after weighing the options.

Ancestor Zhu Rong opened his mouth to protest but was silenced by Emperor Jiang’s stern glance.

Relief and joy spread across the six faces.

“No! I do not agree.” A figure appeared before them all. At these words, Tongtian sneered inwardly—how reckless the Wu tribe could be.

But upon seeing the newcomer’s face, Tongtian’s eyes widened in astonishment, a flush of red blooming in his gaze, and a tear slipped down his cheek.

Never could Tongtian forget his wife from a previous life; the woman before him bore the very likeness of "Lian’er." How could he remain calm?

Step by step, with heavy yet swift footsteps, Tongtian moved toward the woman before him.