Qilin welcomed Nuwa, Fuxi, Hongyun, and Zhenyuanzi into Kunlun and led them to the Grand Pure Palace, offering them spiritual fruits and tea.
Fuxi and Nuwa learned from Hongyun that the Three Pure Ones had not yet returned.
Nuwa inquired, "We met three fellow Daoists on our way from the Treasure Distribution Rock to the Purple霄 Palace. They mentioned going to the Treasure Distribution Rock and should be back soon!"
The three nodded, knowing what Nuwa spoke of. Based on the timeline, something must have happened to delay them. They assumed the Three Pure Ones would return shortly.
After ensuring Nuwa and her companions were settled, Qilin, accompanied by Golden Horn and Silver Horn, went to the Upper Pure Peak to find Duobao. Golden Horn and Silver Horn were puzzled by Qilin's mysterious demeanor.
Upon reaching the Upper Pure Peak and finding Duobao, Qilin produced the Ginseng Fruit. The three were surprised by the small, fragrant object in Qilin's hand and asked, "Eldest Brother (Young Master Chen), what is this? It smells so good! It feels so comfortable!"
Qilin happily explained it was a gift he was reluctant to eat alone and wanted to share with them. All three looked at the Ginseng Fruit with longing. Without further ado, Qilin took out a wooden sword used for practicing sword forms, intending to divide the fruit into four portions for everyone to taste.
Just as Qilin's wooden sword was about to touch the Ginseng Fruit, he found he couldn't press it down. While Qilin was confused, Zhenyuanzi and his group appeared before them.
It turned out that after Qilin left the Grand Pure Palace, Zhenyuanzi had been observing him, wanting to gauge the character of the eldest disciple of the Three Pure Ones. Zhenyuanzi looked at Qilin with admiration. Most people, upon encountering his Ginseng Fruit, would be drawn in by its aroma. He hadn't expected this young one to resist its allure. Zhenyuanzi intervened just as Qilin was about to divide the fruit. Nuwa and the others, seeing Zhenyuanzi leave, assumed something had happened and followed him.
Zhenyuanzi, seeing Qilin's confused gaze, explained, "My Ginseng Fruit is also known as the Grass Returning Pill. A whiff of its scent prolongs life by three hundred and sixty years, and eating one grants forty-seven thousand years. However, this fruit is incompatible with the five elements."
"It falls upon contact with metal, withers upon contact with wood, dissolves in water, chars in fire, and burrows into earth."
Qilin, hearing this, looked at the wooden sword in his hand and realized with enlightenment, "Thank you, Senior!"
Zhenyuanzi smiled and shook his head. Seeing Qilin's thoughtfulness, he said, "There's no need to divide this fruit. I have a few more, so I'll give one to each of you."
With that, three more Ginseng Fruits flew towards Golden Horn, Silver Horn, and Duobao. The three gratefully thanked Zhenyuanzi upon receiving the fruits.
Nuwa and Fuxi, seeing the fruits in their hands were from the innate spiritual root, the Ginseng Fruit Tree, desired to taste them but hesitated, as they were gifts from Zhenyuanzi to the younger generation. Zhenyuanzi noticed this and produced four more fruits: one for himself, one for Hongyun, and one each for Nuwa and Fuxi. The four then joined Qilin and his companions, sharing the Ginseng Fruit.
Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi, accustomed to eating the Ginseng Fruit, felt nothing extraordinary. However, Nuwa and Fuxi found the fruit lived up to its reputation as one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots, its taste unlike any ordinary spiritual fruit. Qilin and his group, after eating the Ginseng Fruit, felt their spiritual energy surge, as if they were about to explode.
Nuwa and the others noticed the change in Qilin's group. Zhenyuanzi slapped his forehead and exclaimed, "I'd forgotten their cultivation is still low. This Ginseng Fruit not only extends lifespan but also contains a vast amount of spiritual energy!"
After speaking, Zhenyuanzi helped Qilin refine the excess spiritual energy within him. Hongyun, Nuwa, and Fuxi also lent a hand, with Hongyun assisting Duobao, Fuxi aiding Golden Horn, and Nuwa helping Silver Horn.
Once Qilin and his group recovered, they immediately bowed to the four, saying, "Thank you, four Seniors!"
Zhenyuanzi smiled and replied, "You are welcome. I hadn't considered your low cultivation." Hongyun chuckled and joked, "No need for pleasantries. If anything had happened to you, your three Daoist brothers would have never forgiven us!" Zhenyuanzi, Nuwa, and Fuxi burst into laughter.
Fuxi and Nuwa added, "We are the ones who benefited from your fortune, to taste the fruit of one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots!" After Nuwa and Fuxi spoke, everyone laughed again.
Qilin and his companions smiled shyly, finding these four seniors as amiable as their own masters and uncles. Seeing that Nuwa and her group were unpretentious, Qilin and the others began sharing amusing anecdotes from their time on Kunlun Mountain. Tales of Duobao stealing Tai Shang's spiritual medicine, Golden Horn and Silver Horn accidentally breaking and then reinserting Tai Shang's spiritual medicine, Tong Tian punishing Qilin for not practicing diligently, and the four of them raiding the spirit fruit gardens, all of which sent Zhenyuanzi and his group into fits of laughter. The scene was peaceful, like a family sharing stories. Nuwa and her companions found these youngsters incredibly entertaining.
As they were chatting, a massive mountain suddenly appeared above Kunlun. Simultaneously, Fusang and Gui Yue on the Jade Pure Peak's expression changed drastically, rushing to the peak's summit. Nuwa and her companions on the Upper Pure Peak also changed color and immediately ascended to the summit. Before Qilin and his group could react, Nuwa and the others had vanished.
Upon arriving at the Upper Pure Peak, Zhenyuanzi noticed Fusang and Gui Yue. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he murmured, "I didn't expect them to be here!" Hongyun, standing closest to Zhenyuanzi, heard his mutterings but couldn't make out the words. He asked, "What are you saying?" Zhenyuanzi shook his head and replied, "Nothing."
Nuwa and her group also noticed Fusang and Gui Yue but didn't recognize them. They mused, "I didn't realize there were such powerful beings on Kunlun Mountain!" Fusang and Gui Yue, observing Nuwa's group and seeing they could enter Kunlun, understood they were allies, not enemies. After exchanging glances, they all looked grimly at the mountain in the sky. Although Kunlun was protected by the formation set up by Tong Tian, they dared not be careless, their eyes fixed on the mountain. After all, whoever could levitate such a mountain was no ordinary being. Who knew how long it had been suspended. The mountain, dark and gleaming, was clearly no ordinary object.
However, Nuwa and her companions found the mountain strangely familiar. Hongyun looked at the three and asked, "My friends, does that mountain resemble the Treasure Distribution Rock?" Prompted by Hongyun, the three looked closely and found it did bear some resemblance. Yet, they shook their heads, knowing the Treasure Distribution Rock was in the chaos, and couldn't possibly be above Kunlun. Shaking their heads, they stood on high alert, watching the increasingly approaching black mountain.