12dz Chapter 37 Five Sacred Beasts, Nine Spiritual Origin Saints, and the Northern Sea Black Tortoise
Chapter 37 Five Sacred Beasts, Nine Spiritual Origin Saints, and the Northern Sea Black Tortoise
The meritorious deed was accomplished, and the pillar of light that pierced through heaven and earth completely disappeared, and the sky returned to its original state.
Zhen Yuanzi's peaceful yet dignified gaze once again fell upon the sentient beings below the stage who had not yet left, their eyes still filled with anticipation.
His powerful divine sense was like the finest sieve, meticulously observing and discerning the entire process of preaching over the past nine hundred years, as well as the expressions of all beings when they attained enlightenment and offered thanks.
At this moment, he had clearly identified among these thousands of living beings those who were of superior quality, temperament, and background, and who were also subtly connected to him and the fortune of Longevity Mountain, and had a special affinity with him.
He first turned his gaze to the cranes that maintained their elegant posture and refined Daoist aura, especially pointing to the leader among them, which was the most magnificent, possessed the purest and clearest aura, and had already reached the late stage of Golden Immortal cultivation. His voice was calm but carried an undeniable meaning:
"You cranes, with your distinguished origins and pure hearts, would you be willing to stay at my Wuzhuang Temple, to serve as greeters, messengers, and beautify the mountains and forests?"
Upon hearing this, the lead crane suddenly raised its long neck, its eyes first flashing with disbelief, then bursting with immense joy.
It stretched its neck and let out a clear, melodious cry, its voice filled with utmost respect and gratitude, nodding hurriedly: "We humbly obey the Immortal's decree! We are willing to serve the Immortal!"
Being able to stay in such a great source of the Dao and a great Luo Dao field, even if it is just to be responsible for some trivial matters of welcoming and seeing off people, is an unparalleled honor and opportunity for them. Being bathed in rich spiritual energy and Dao charm every day has immeasurable benefits for their cultivation.
The other cranes also chirped in unison, expressing their submission and joy.
Then, Zhen Yuanzi's gaze swept across the beasts on the platform, their auras ranging from majestic and ferocious to auspicious and pointed out:
A Vermilion Bird, its body ablaze with faint Southern Brightness Flame, majestic and extraordinary, its tail feathers shimmering with rosy light;
A pure-blooded Qilin, its feet treading on auspicious clouds, its scales gleaming, and its eyes filled with the light of benevolence;
A white tiger with a restrained yet naturally imposing aura, a clear royal marking on its forehead, and a majestic presence;
A majestic azure dragon, its azure scales shimmering, its horns forked like ancient trees, is beginning to display its power.
A black tortoise and snake coiled together, its aura heavy as a mountain, its shell naturally engraved with mysterious patterns.
These five spirit beasts all possess the purest and most authentic bloodlines of the Five Sacred Beasts, and their cultivation levels are all at the Taiyi Golden Immortal level. They have enormous potential and enduring fortune.
When Zhen Yuanzi called them out, they were first taken aback, seemingly not expecting to be chosen. Then they sensed the recognition, importance, and clear recruitment intent in Zhen Yuanzi's eyes.
Although they are of noble lineage, they are no match for this great being who has preached for nine hundred years, invoked the merits of the Heavenly Dao, and whose cultivation is unfathomable.
They all abandoned their usual arrogance, lowered their heads—whether majestic or elegant—and let out roars and cries that were clear, deep, or dignified, expressing their complete submission and willingness to stay in their own ways.
Then, Zhen Yuanzi's gaze passed over the conspicuous pure-blooded sacred beasts and landed on a somewhat aloof black Qilin, standing alone on the edge, its scales displaying an unusual dark and inky color, standing out from the other dazzling Qilins.
Because of a strange mutation in its bloodline, its color is ominous and its power attribute leans towards shadow and the depths of the earth. It is not tolerated by the main Qilin clan and is even ostracized. Although its cultivation has reached the Taiyi realm, its eyes often carry a trace of loneliness and tenacity.
Feeling Zhen Yuanzi's all-seeing gaze fall upon it, the massive body of the black Qilin trembled violently, its eyes revealing disbelief and immense excitement. It quickly stepped forward, bowing its head deeply, almost touching the ground, expressing its will in the most humble posture.
Finally, Zhen Yuanzi's gaze settled on an inconspicuous corner of the platform, where a massive, mountain-like Xuan Turtle lay crouching, its aura as deep and still as an abyss, almost merging with the earth.
This tortoise is an extremely rare innate Xuan Turtle that has attained enlightenment. Its origins are ancient and profound, far surpassing the vast majority of beings present. Its cultivation level has already reached the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal!
The immense magical power within it lay dormant like an abyss. However, it seemed to be trapped by some innate constraint or restriction of the Great Dao; though it possessed complete intelligence and profound cultivation, it had yet to successfully take human form.
In Zhen Yuanzi's memory, this tortoise had a tragic fate. It seemed that in later generations, it could never find a suitable method or opportunity to transform into human form. It had vast magical power and a powerful physical body that were close to the peak of the Quasi-Saint level, but it could not shed its original form. In the end, it suffered a calamity and had its four limbs cut off to support the heavens and the earth, which was extremely tragic.
But now that he has encountered it, the fate of this tortoise has a chance to change.
Zhen Yuanzi looked into the Xuan Turtle's huge and weathered eyes and spoke directly, his voice calm yet carrying a calming power, as if stating an established fact:
"Would you be willing to become my disciple, temporarily on the honorary basis? I can help you comprehend the profound mysteries and find your own path to human form."
The enormous head of the black tortoise slowly rose, its movements somewhat sluggish, as if bearing the weight of countless ages.
Its turbid, dusty tortoise eyes were initially blank, as if it could not believe what it was hearing. But once it confirmed that the voice had truly entered its mind and that the gaze had indeed fallen on it, its huge eyes suddenly burst forth with an unprecedented, dazzling light, as if the sun had broken through the clouds!
It had been trapped in this inescapable predicament for countless eons, searching the entire primordial world without finding a solution, and was almost in despair when it heard these words.
It was like seeing the brightest light in an endless abyss of darkness, like a person who had been drowning for millions of years finally grabbing onto a life-saving piece of driftwood!
It immediately transmitted its incredibly excited, even slightly trembling, thoughts through its divine sense, and a deep, ancient thunderous sound resounded above the platform:
"I am willing! Disciple Xuan Gui pays respects to Master! Thank you for your grace, Master! Thank you for your grace, Master!" The voice echoed, filled with sincere gratitude that was almost overflowing and unprecedented hope.
In addition, Zhen Yuanzi also selected a majestic and imposing lion with nine heads, each with a different expression.
This lion was also at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, its body radiating golden light and possessing extraordinary divine power. It was the very being known in later generations as the "Nine-Spirited Primordial Saint".
Zhen Yuanzi said to him, "You are upright and righteous, and possess great strength. You may stay and serve as a guard at the mountain gate, deterring evildoers."
The nine-headed lion turned its nine heads toward Zhen Yuanzi at the same time, and all eighteen eyes showed respect and obedience. It let out a deep and powerful roar, and the nine heads nodded in unison, indicating that it obeyed the decree.
After selecting these destined individuals, Zhen Yuanzi spoke gently to the remaining, still numerous, beings on the platform who had not yet been named, his voice resounding throughout the entire area:
"The sermon is finished, and the karmic connections have been established. You will all have your own destinies; now you may disperse and return to your respective caves to diligently cultivate and comprehend the teachings you have heard today. This is the proper way."
Upon hearing this, many sentient beings showed expressions of disappointment and envy, but they also knew that opportunities cannot be forced and that it was already a great fortune to hear the Great Dao.
They bowed deeply once more towards the high platform, chanting in unison, "We will humbly obey the teachings of the Immortal!"
Afterwards, each of them harnessed their escape light, using either supernatural powers or their physical bodies to transform into countless streams of light, rising from the Wanshou Mountain platform like a receding tide and spreading to the vast wilderness and all directions. They brought back to their respective worlds the great gains and sights and sounds they had seen and heard during this sermon, and at the same time spread the fame and benevolence of "Wanshou Mountain Zhenyuanzi".
Once all the other creatures had dispersed, the platform suddenly became much emptier, leaving only the chosen crane, the descendants of the five sacred beasts, the black qilin, the black tortoise, and the nine-headed lion.
Zhen Yuanzi looked at the group of beings before him, whose aptitude, background, and potential were all quite extraordinary, nodded slightly, and a hint of satisfaction appeared on his ancient face.
After this gathering, the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain was no longer just a few people including him, Hongyun, his clone, and the boy; it began to show signs of prosperity and growth.
These beings, if properly nurtured and taught according to their aptitude, can all become pillars supporting the lineage of Longevity Mountain in the future. They can manage the temple internally, display majesty externally, and serve as important cornerstones for realizing certain ideas in his heart in the future.
With a gentle wave of his sleeve, a soft yet irresistible force enveloped all the remaining creatures, and he said:
"Now that you have entered my monastery, you must abide by its rules. Follow me into the monastery, and I will arrange your duties and practices in detail."
Having said that, he turned and walked ahead towards the ancient and magnificent gate of Wuzhuang Temple, his steps steady and his Taoist robe fluttering. Hongyun and Wanshou Yuanjun exchanged a smile and followed him.
The two young Taoist disciples, Qingfeng and Mingyue, blinked curiously and excitedly examined these new "companions" of various shapes and powerful auras, and hurriedly followed.
With the addition of this new batch of talent, a new chapter for Longevity Hill has begun, and the future seems to have gained more possibilities and color as a result.