Chapter 698: Attempting the Primordial Dao Fruit

Mount Liujia Summit!

Chen Mobai, the three women, and the ghost formed a circle around the Jade Phoenix Tree, positioned according to the angles of the Five Elements Formation.

Zhuo Ming introduced a drop of Myriad Transformation Thunderwater into the trunk of the Jade Phoenix Tree. This drop, combined with previous ones, finally triggered its advancement.

The spirit tree, over ten meters tall, began to tremble slightly. Its bark slowly cracked open, revealing the trunk. Waves of dense spiritual energy from heaven and earth surged forth, continuously absorbed by the verdant Jade Phoenix Tree, aiding it in refining the Myriad Transformation Thunderwater.

At this moment, Yin Qingmei, on Chen Mobai's right, had already closed her eyes, circulating the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture. Her spiritual consciousness left her body, merging with her vital spiritual plant, fully immersing herself in the advancement process.

Subsequently, through the circulation of spiritual energy in the Five Elements Mutual Generation, Chen Mobai also perceived this sensation using the Dual Cultivation technique.

However, for a cultivator of Chen Mobai's realm, this was merely like a slightly strenuous exercise. Although he felt some vibrations, it was far less profound than what the three women experienced.

After the Dual Cultivation technique completed the Five Elements cycle, Zhuo Ming and Luo Yixuan's consciousness also followed Yin Qingmei, transforming to become one with the advancing Jade Phoenix Tree.

The spiritual energy between heaven and earth, instinctively absorbed by the Jade Phoenix Tree, transformed into strands of multicolored rainbow light, illuminating its trunk, branches, and leaves.

However, this advancement of the Jade Phoenix Tree was forcibly induced by the Myriad Transformation Thunderwater. At a normal pace, it would likely not have been able to trigger a breakthrough on its own until Yin Qingmei achieved Core Formation.

As a result, they felt an uncomfortable sensation of being overly filled.

Soon, after the bark cracked, even the trunk couldn't withstand the pressure and began to split open with slight fissures.

This was a sign of insufficient accumulation within the spirit tree.

“Ming'er, guide the earth energy. Xuan'er, perform the rain-calling technique. Qingmei, help the tree body refine…”

Chen Mobai's voice suddenly resonated in the three women's minds. Soon, like marionettes, they began to act according to his instructions.

Then, the Jade Phoenix Tree, now imbued with Zhuo Ming's Earth Mother Art realm, caused the surging earth energy at Mount Liujia's summit to calm and soften. It actively helped the spirit tree neutralize the spiritual energy and refine the Myriad Transformation Thunderwater, which was gradually exerting its powerful effects.

Subsequently, dark clouds appeared in the sky. This was Luo Yixuan using the Jade Phoenix Tree to perform a rain-calling technique. Since she controlled it personally, the amount of rainfall was precisely what made the spirit tree most comfortable.

Meanwhile, without needing to worry about earth energy or moisture, Yin Qingmei fully dedicated herself to circulating the Azure Emperor Longevity Scripture, beginning to break through the bottleneck from the second to the third stage.

Chen Mobai perceived all of this within his mind. Seeing the three women achieve the perfect realm of Dual Cultivation so easily, he couldn't help but marvel.

“It is because you, Holy Son, are in the pivotal position; your realm determines theirs,” said Granny Ming.

Granny Ming, who was merely a participant in one corner, saw it most clearly.

During her lifetime, she had also performed the Dual Cultivation technique with other members of the Longevity Sect, but at most, it involved three co-cultivators.

This was because it entrusted spiritual power to the cultivator with the highest cultivation base. If the leading pivot wished, with a single thought, they could seize all the spiritual power from the other co-cultivators.

Within the Longevity Sect, the Dual Cultivation technique was only practiced by those who shared a bond of life and death.

Granny Ming felt Chen Mobai's central guidance and the three women's unreserved trust, and she couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

At this moment, Chen Mobai had also closed his eyes, beginning to verify his hypothesis regarding the Primordial Dao Fruit!

This cultivation method, after Zhou Ye taught it to the Formless Puppet, was swiftly delivered to Chen Mobai. He spent two days studying it, and with the aid of Enlightenment Tea, he quickly gained a thorough understanding.

After comprehending it, Chen Mobai felt it was quite simple.

This was because the cultivation method of the Primordial Dao Fruit involved using Earth element spiritual energy as the core, integrating and refining the spiritual energies of the other four elements, uniting the Five Elements to form Primordial True Qi!

However, the process of cultivating Primordial True Qi involved many methods and intricacies. Without Zhou Ye's complete instruction, Chen Mobai would never have figured it out.

But even with a thorough understanding, Chen Mobai couldn't practice it.

This was because it required spiritual energy condensed by a Heavenly Earth Spirit Root.

The detailed reasons were not written in the Primordial Dao Fruit's scriptures, but Chen Mobai, combining it with the Immortal Sect's knowledge, roughly arrived at a conclusion.

The spiritual energy cultivated by a Heavenly Earth Spirit Root contained the profundity of innate Earth element essence, which should be the key to cultivating the Primordial Dao Fruit.

This made him very frustrated!

He had finally obtained the Primordial Dao Fruit, only to find he could merely observe it, not cultivate it.

Even Zhuo Ming, over the years, had only found twenty-one wisps of Creation Qi. After refining them, she still couldn't synthesize a complete strand of innate Earth element essence.

In other words, even if her Earth Spirit Root was raised to 80 points, it wouldn't be enough.

The moment he comprehended the Primordial Dao Fruit with the aid of Enlightenment Tea, Chen Mobai felt disheartened, experiencing the frustration of decades of hard work seemingly going to waste.

However, in this situation, inspiration struck him, and he recalled the Primordial Stone that Mo Douguang had shown him back at Golden Radiance Cliff.

There were two methods for cultivating the Primordial Dao Fruit.

One was Zhou Ye's orthodox cultivation method, and the other was taught by Primordial Ancestor to Mo Douguang. However, due to a Dao-heart oath, the latter could not be passed on.

But Mo Douguang had already given very clear hints.

After obtaining the Primordial Dao Fruit from Zhou Ye, Chen Mobai began to carefully recall every detail of his earlier insights into the Primordial Stone.

Perhaps the accumulated merit from the convergence of the Two Rivers and the formation of the Eastern Wilderness Plateau had finally arrived. After three days of meditative seclusion, combining his insights with the orthodox Primordial Dao Fruit, he truly conceived of the other cultivation method for the Primordial Dao Fruit.

Primordial True Qi embodies the unity of the Five Elements!

If one didn't use Earth element spiritual energy as the core, but instead used Fire element as the central pivot, and similarly used the Five Elements Dual Cultivation technique to integrate and refine the spiritual energies of the other four elements, could one still achieve the unity of the Five Elements and cultivate Primordial True Qi?

Mo Douguang was close to possessing a Heavenly Metal Spirit Root, so Primordial Ancestor had him attempt to use Metal element spiritual energy as the core. However, due to the lack of innate Metal element essence, he toiled for nearly a century without being able to cultivate a wisp of Primordial True Qi.

But Chen Mobai was different. Although his Heavenly Fire Spirit Root was acquired, during his Foundation Establishment and Dao Comprehension, he gained an innate Fire Spirit Body, precisely containing a strand of innate Fire element essence within him.

In other words, as long as Chen Mobai's understanding of the Primordial Stone at Golden Radiance Cliff was correct, he could attempt to use his Pure Yang spiritual energy as the core, integrate and refine the spiritual energies of the other four elements, and cultivate the Primordial Dao Fruit.

Coincidentally, the Jade Phoenix Tree's advancement provided the complete Five Elements Dual Cultivation.

Chen Mobai decided to take this opportunity to verify his hypothesis.

He kept half of his attention on Yin Qingmei and the other two women, while with the remaining half, Chen Mobai drew a wisp of spiritual energy that they hadn't even noticed.

Only Granny Ming noticed this.

She saw that besides the original fiery red spiritual energy, four more wisps of golden, azure, black, and earthy yellow spiritual energy gleamed at Chen Mobai's twelve-story pagoda cultivation area.

This meant that the Five Elements spiritual energies had achieved a perfect balance and, with the Fire element spiritual energy as the pivot, began to circulate towards unity.

Chen Mobai had discussed the Primordial Dao Fruit with Granny Ming multiple times, so she knew what the Holy Son was cultivating.

Although Granny Ming had some reservations about the Holy Son not focusing on the Crimson Emperor's Illumination Scripture and wasting his talent, the Primordial Dao Fruit was, after all, left by the True Monarch of Unity, so she highly approved of Chen Mobai's cultivation of this divine ability.

After all, it was the most powerful divine ability left by the ascended cultivator who founded the Holy Land.

She understood the value of ascension; it was a realm coveted by generations of cultivators in the Longevity Sect!

Under Granny Ming's observation, she soon noticed that Chen Mobai seemed unable to control the Five Elements unification process. He consistently failed to unite the five types of spiritual energy to form Primordial True Qi.

After several repeated attempts, the wisp of spiritual energy he had drawn finally ran out.

Chen Mobai opened his eyes, a hint of regret on his face.

He felt his approach was correct, but he simply couldn't cultivate Primordial True Qi.

He meticulously recalled the Primordial Dao Fruit taught by Zhou Ye again, finding no issues with his cultivation steps. He had merely substituted the Earth element spiritual energy, which served as the core, with Pure Yang spiritual energy.

Could it be that after such a modification, the process of integrating and refining the spiritual energies of the other four elements also needed corresponding changes and adjustments?

But if that were the case, it would require extensive experimentation.

The thought of this made Chen Mobai furrow his brows.

On the Immortal Sect's side, synthesizing Earth Fiend Qi artificially, even altering a single wisp of Five Elements essence, required tens of thousands of experimental comparisons to confirm.

If he were to rely on himself to modify the Primordial Dao Fruit, using Fire element spiritual energy as the core, he might not even have enough Enlightenment Tea, even if he consumed the entire jar given by Wenren Xuewei.

He sighed.

Chen Mobai decided to set aside the Primordial Dao Fruit for now.

If only this were a divine ability from the Immortal Sect, he mused, then any problem could likely find a solution online.

It was regrettable that only Mo Douguang and Zhou Ye had cultivated this Primordial Dao Fruit in the entire Eastern Wilderness.

Among them, Mo Douguang was bound by a Dao-heart oath and thus unable to communicate with Chen Mobai.

As for Zhou Ye, he always cultivated using the orthodox method, so asking him about this would likely yield no answers. Nevertheless, he decided to try everything, even if it seemed futile. When he sends the Rage River jade pendant, he'll have the Formless Puppet inquire.

Just as Chen Mobai sighed, the dense spiritual energy, earth energy, moisture, and light at Mount Liujia's summit were suddenly and largely absorbed by the Jade Phoenix Tree.

This signified the successful advancement of the Jade Phoenix Tree.

Now at the third stage, its efficiency in absorbing and refining these energies far exceeded that of its second stage by more than tenfold.

At this moment, the sky suddenly darkened.

Wisps of chilling wind, imbued with a sharp edge, descended from the infinitely distant western sky, causing one's hair to stand on end.

The cold wind, like knives, carried faint golden gleams. As it swept past the Jade Phoenix Tree, leaves were instantly severed, and branches were carved with deep, visible gashes.

This was the most common heavenly tribulation for the advancement of spirit trees and plants.

The Golden Wind Tribulation!

Chen Mobai felt the awe and fear in the three women's hearts and immediately reassured them not to be afraid.

Then, at his command, Yin Qingmei immediately performed the diligently cultivated One-Leaf Blinding Technique.

Instantly, the heavenly tribulation dissipated!