Chapter 241: The Land of the Four Poles — The Vanished Four Holy Beasts

Watching Di Jun depart, the ten Little Golden Crows remained silent, then all descended toward the outer perimeter of the Undying Volcano.

Although their Imperial Father had not said much, their minds were sharp enough to have vaguely guessed a few things.

There was a high probability that Di Jun, like them, had also been captured and brought in by Tian Yuan.

Since their Imperial Father said there was a great opportunity within the Undying Volcano, there would naturally be no mistake.

During these years in the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space, although they cursed the Stone Man of Buzhou Mountain from time to time, their cultivation had indeed improved significantly.

Now that it appeared their Imperial Father did not intend to leave, they naturally ought to stay and cultivate diligently.

Seeing the actions of the ten Crown Princes, Baize swept his gaze over everyone and spoke softly: "If any of you wish to leave, you need only communicate your intent to Buzhou Mountain, and you may return to the Primordial Land."

The flames on the Southern Land had been cleared, and there was no need for them to repair the Earth Vein; Tian Yuan was no longer keeping the members of the Demon Court trapped.

The crowd was stunned in unison, looking at one another, with no one taking the initiative to speak.

The Demon Emperor had not left, and the ten Crown Princes had not gone either; even if they wanted to leave, they dared not be the first to speak up.

Changxi, who was nearby, stepped forward and said first: "Baize, we will not be going out; the affairs of the Demon Court still require you to return."

Since Di Jun and the ten Little Golden Crows had not left, she naturally would not depart from the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space either.

They had been captured by Tian Yuan for such a long time that they had no idea what the current situation of the Demon Court was.

Changxi was not clear on Di Jun's future plans, but the Demon Court still needed someone to return and preside over the big picture, and Baize was undoubtedly the best candidate.

"Very well!" Baize nodded, not at all surprised.

After all, the Demon Court had been established by the two Demon Emperors, and he, Baize, had also invested a great deal of heart and soul into it.

Although the Demon Court was no longer what it once was because of the Stone Man of Buzhou Mountain, it was, after all, the home of their Demon Race.

Even if Changxi had not given the instruction, Baize had intended to make a trip back.

Whether for the sake of the Demon Emperor or for the Demon Race, he needed to do this.

Baize's gaze swept over the many Demon Race figures and he spoke again: "Those who wish to leave, come with me!"

He understood Di Jun's mood, and he likewise understood the thoughts of the Demon Gods and Demon Saints all around.

Although this place was extraordinary, it was a place of bitter cultivation; how could it compare to the prosperity of the Primordial Land? Many of the Demon Race had long been suffering immensely.

Now that there was a chance to leave, they would likely fly away as if their hearts had taken wing.

As soon as his words fell, a faint will of Buzhou Mountain rose upon Baize's body.

And many of the surrounding Demon Race bowed to Changxi and the others, with the same will gradually enveloping their bodies as well.

Under the gaze of Changxi and the others, one figure after another vanished into the air, truly departing from this space.

After Changxi and Xihe paid their respects to Wangshu, they chased after the ten Little Golden Crows in the distance.

The remaining Demon Race who had not left also quickly followed behind.

They all cultivated the Fire Law, and since the Undying Volcano was beneficial to the ten Little Golden Crows, it was naturally very suitable for them as well.

The Sun True Fire in the Primordial Starry Sky was too terrifying, whereas here it was relatively better; the intensity of the flames had a gradual process, allowing them to cultivate on the outer perimeter first.

More importantly, since the Demon Emperor had said the Undying Volcano was extraordinary and had let the ten Crown Princes stay here to cultivate in peace, they naturally had even less reason to leave.

Watching the figures depart, Wangshu looked up at the firmament and darted straight toward the Eastern Land.

Having experienced the scene beneath the Undying Volcano, she was even more curious about this space.

The Eastern Earth Vein had long since recovered, and there were still many living beings remaining who had previously purified the Earth Vein; she intended to head there to take a look.

At this moment, east of Buzhou Mountain, Tian Yuan stood in the air, his face showing surprise: "Eh, these Innate Spiritual Roots are actually not on the Eastern Land."

Because of the matter of the Fusang Wood, he had come specifically to see the Bitter Bamboo and other Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots, but who would have thought there was no trace of them in the East at all.

Not only was the Bitter Bamboo nowhere to be seen, but even the Banana Tree and several other Innate Spiritual Roots were not on the Eastern Land either.

Filled with doubts, Tian Yuan slowly calmed his mind.

In an instant, he looked up at the firmament, his eyes revealing a strange expression.

From his perception of Buzhou Mountain, Tian Yuan already knew that the Bitter Bamboo and the other Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots had all fled toward the dark sky.

Although there were faint stars shining in the sky, most places remained pitch black; no wonder he had no sense of them.

After a slight hesitation, Tian Yuan leaped up and fled toward the space above his head.

Originally, he had only wanted to see the current state of these Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots, but now he had developed a keen interest.

The most intuitive manifestation of the Heavenly Dao was the recovery of the Starry Sky, which was why he had been refining stars for some time.

Now that the Fusang Wood seemed to be the first to manifest the Heavenly Dao, and the Bitter Bamboo and other Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots were having such movements, how could Tian Yuan not feel expectant?

It was possible that these Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots would bring him additional surprises.

The dark, profound void was boundless; relying on Tian Yuan alone would naturally be difficult to search, but this was a Consciousness Space, and Buzhou Mountain was still his avatar.

Just as he flew into the firmament, Tian Yuan felt several faint echoes; it was precisely those few Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots.

What made Tian Yuan somewhat puzzled was that they were not in one place, but were scattered across all corners of the world.

With expectation on his face, Tian Yuan strode toward the nearest Spiritual Root.

Before his eyes, there was no starlight shining; it was dark and pitch black, with shrill screams echoing from time to time.

A casual glance revealed those chaotic, Free-roaming Wills whistling and darting about in the air.

Yet, faced with Tian Yuan's appearance, they did not dare to approach at all.

Wherever Tian Yuan went, they wandered in the distance, emitting shrill roars.

"I wonder how these fellows are generated." Catching sight of the many wills in the distance, Tian Yuan frowned.

He had entered the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space for over a million years, but until now, he still knew little about these Free-roaming Wills.

The might of Buzhou Mountain was gradually increasing, the firmament had stars manifesting, and coupled with the previous methods of the Wu Clan, many chaotic wills had already been eliminated.

But at this very moment, throughout the entire firmament, these strange things were still everywhere.

This stretch of void had no stars, only endless Free-roaming Wills.

Not long after, Tian Yuan saw from afar a Spiritual Root swaying in the air; it was the Banana Tree.

Dense roots were deeply embedded into the void, and the enormous Banana Tree leaves were constantly flapping in the air.

Yet, surrounding those several massive leaves, there seemed to be a will, countless swarming chaotic wills. They emerged from the space around the Banana Tree and flew frantically in all directions.

The Banana Tree, towering in the air, swallowed them continuously, but it was merely a drop in the bucket.

"Could this be the source of the Free-roaming Will?" Tian Yuan flew closer, staring in astonishment at the violently shaking Banana Tree.

Strips of frantic, chaotic wills emerged, scattering and fleeing, escaping toward the deep firmament before him.

Some wills lunged at the Banana Tree, only to be easily swatted to pieces by its leaves and then completely absorbed.

But compared to the density of the surroundings, the Banana Tree's consumption was entirely a drop in the ocean. Tian Yuan strode forward and swung his large hand fiercely; instantly, endless wills shattered, yet a steady stream of wills continued to emerge from the void.

Seeing Tian Yuan's methods, many more wills roared and lunged at him, almost shrouding the entire space before him, as if a massive black cloud were pressing down.

Tian Yuan's formidable physical body plowed through, his figure appearing to pass through a layer of cotton, crushing endless wills in the blink of an eye.

Sensing Tian Yuan's extraordinary nature, the remaining numerous wills all fled frantically, no longer daring to approach.

And at this moment, Tian Yuan also saw clearly the space beneath the Banana Tree.

In the thick, dark void, it was like a spring, with countless dense wills emerging and rushing to every part of the firmament; it was truly the source of those strange wills!

No wonder there were always endless Free-roaming Wills in this space.

With a look of great shock, Tian Yuan hurriedly calmed his mind to sense them carefully; he did not discover where those wills came from, but Tian Yuan did learn what this place was: the East Pole of the Four Poles!

The Primordial World has four Saint Beasts: Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermilion Bird, and Black Tortoise.

They guard the four directions of the Primordial World, which are those Four Poles.

And that East Pole is guarded by the Saint Beast Azure Dragon.

Yet from beginning to end, Tian Yuan had never seen the figures of the four Saint Beasts in the Primordial World; even now that he had attained the Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal, he still had not sensed their aura.

Now that the Banana Tree had appeared at the East Pole, it was clear that the matter was not that simple.

With many thoughts turning in his mind, Tian Yuan reached out toward the space beneath the Banana Tree.

It was just like the surrounding void, no different, and the emerging wills did not weaken in the slightest because of his intervention.

Seeming to know of Tian Yuan's extraordinary nature, the numerous wandering wills accelerated their flight toward the surrounding space.

With a grim face, Tian Yuan hurriedly communicated with the Banana Tree before him, but unfortunately, he did not learn anything from the Banana Tree.

The other party only felt that there were many Free-roaming Wills here, which was very suitable for cultivation, so it had taken root in the air.

He had been in this space for some time, but the wills emerging from the void below had not weakened in the slightest.

As for where the East Pole connected, he was even less clear.

"The source is unknown, yet it is endless! What exactly are the four Saint Beasts suppressing?" Tian Yuan furrowed his brows tightly.

Tian Yuan suddenly realized that perhaps this was the greatest secret of the firmament.

It was precisely because of the chaotic wills gushing from these Four Poles that the manifestation of the Primordial Dao was blocked.

After observing carefully for a while longer, Tian Yuan flew toward the response coming from the north.

Not long after, he saw a lush bamboo forest, which rippled with layers of green waves in the void.

And between those dense bamboo leaves, dense chaotic wills were likewise gushing out.

Except for the different Spiritual Root, the scene before him was exactly the same as the East Pole.

After exchanging with the Bitter Bamboo, the other party was equally clueless, only cultivating here at the North Pole.

Carrying deep doubts, Tian Yuan went to the remaining two locations. Even the West Pole, which had already been cut off by a natural chasm, had countless wills emerging.

It was just that those chaotic wills had not fled toward the Western World, but had spread toward the other three directions.

"What secret does the Four Poles hold?" Tian Yuan furrowed his brows tightly, his eyes full of bewilderment.

Originally, he had only wanted to check on the situation of several Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots, never expecting such an unexpected discovery.

Tian Yuan was unsure if the Banana Tree and other Supreme Innate Spiritual Roots had gone to the Four Poles because they were attracted by the numerous Free-roaming Wills or due to other factors, but now he discovered that he had overlooked some very important things regarding the Primordial World.

Mount Buzhou stands tall and upright, serving as the Ancestral Vein of the Primordial World, but the four Saint Beasts guarding the four directions of the Primordial World were equally important.

Standing on Mount Buzhou, Tian Yuan pondered for a long time and temporarily dismissed the idea of going to the Abyss to investigate.

A faint consciousness rose within his body, and he appeared on Mount Buzhou in the Primordial World.

Having revealed his form, Tian Yuan headed straight for the east.

The Four Poles have a great connection with the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space, and he intended to thoroughly investigate the traces of the four Saint Beasts.

With Tian Yuan's Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivation, it did not take long for him to cross the Eastern Land and fly continuously toward the east.

Compared to his last visit to the East Sea, Tian Yuan clearly felt that the Primordial World had expanded quite a bit.

Following the direction in the Consciousness Space, Tian Yuan crossed the surface of the East Sea and stopped at the edge of the Chaos, his face full of disbelief.

Looking at the surging Earth Wind Water Fire in the distance, Tian Yuan's gaze narrowed: "How could it be like this?"

The Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space could be said to be a projection of the Primordial World; according to the distances within it, he should still be far from the East Pole, but before him was already the boundary of the Primordial World.

Could the East Pole be in the Chaos? This was simply impossible; there was only one possibility, and that was that the Primordial World had shrunk.

Because of the erosion of the Chaos, the former East Pole had fallen into the Chaos.

And at this moment, Tian Yuan also understood that the East Pole did not simply refer to the end of the east of the Primordial World, but had a specific location.

If the Four Poles had fallen into the Chaos, did that mean the four Saint Beasts were also lost within the Chaos?

The Primordial World is vast; many living beings struggle their whole lives to cross it, and most live on the land under their respective jurisdictions.

Therefore, before there were Saints or Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortals, no one knew exactly how large the Primordial World was.

Was the shrinking of the Primordial World in the past due to the Great Calamity, or was it man-made? "This familiar world truly hides more unknown things." With a whisper, Tian Yuan did not hesitate in the slightest and flew directly toward the Chaos.

Having already arrived at the edge of the Chaos, and given that the Four Poles might hide even greater secrets, there was no reason for Tian Yuan to stop.

Although he had seen the Chaos more than once, this was the first time Tian Yuan had stepped into the Chaos Sea.

With Earth Wind Water Fire gushing and chaotic thunder raging, he did not feel any discomfort.

Having no heart to marvel at his surroundings, he accelerated and fled into the Chaos, but after only a moment, Tian Yuan halted his steps.

Direction; he clearly remembered the position of the East Pole in his Consciousness Space, but as he delved deeper into Chaos, he discovered that location was gradually blurring.

He could clearly feel the Primordial World behind him, yet he could no longer clearly discern the specific orientation of the East Pole.

It turns out that Chaos is even more mysterious than imagined, even for a Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Tian Yuan, frowning, completely lost the position of the East Pole after flying for a while longer.

"It seems I can only start with the Consciousness Space!" Looking around, disappointment filled Tian Yuan's eyes.

The four Saint Beasts guard the Primordial World, yet the Four Poles have fallen into Chaos; it is truly incomparably strange.

Taking one last deep look at the Chaos before him, Tian Yuan turned and swept back toward the Primordial World.

Given the current situation, he could only first inquire within the Primordial World to see if he could learn all the information.

Following Tian Yuan's departure, Chaos became silent once more, save for the place where Tian Yuan had just been standing, where a mysterious whispering sound arose.

"The time is finally arriving."

(End of chapter)