Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

However, Li Xiuyuan, who used the Chaos Divine Eye to observe, discovered that the gourd vine had not died completely, and the gourd root was still alive.

Countless millennia passed, and the gourd vine sprouted again. During those tens of thousands of years, the gourd vine slowly moved underground. When it sprouted again after ten thousand years, it had moved to a different place and stopped sprouting.

Li Xiuyuan saw that this time, the gourd vine produced a total of seven gourds, each a different color: red, orange, yellow, green, cyan, blue, and purple.

Just as the seven gourds were about to ripen, a scorpion demon and a snake demon somehow learned about the gourd vine and wanted to destroy it.

Left with no other choice, the gourd vine used some unknown means to transform all seven gourds on its vine into children to fight the scorpion demon and the snake demon.

"So, this child is actually one of the Calabash Brothers?"

Having understood everything, Li Xiuyuan's gaze towards the Calabash Brother changed.

Clearly, based on the images just now, Li Xiuyuan could easily guess what the innate energy in this Calabash Brother was all about.

That gourd vine must have been a primordial being born from chaos before the creation of heaven and earth. Later, after the creation of heaven and earth, the gourd vine took root on Mount Kunlun and bore several gourds, but they were picked by Laozi and his companions.

Fearing that Laozi and his followers would discover something amiss, the gourd vine pretended to be dead and hid away.

Tens of thousands of years later, when the gourd vine blossomed and bore fruit again, it unexpectedly attracted the attention of several scorpion demons and snake demons. The scorpion demons and snake demons had likely noticed the gourd vine's unusual nature and wanted to dig it up.

To protect itself, the gourd vine transformed its seven gourds into seven gourd brothers to fight the scorpion demon and the snake demon.

The reason why the Calabash Brother in the deep pit had a trace of innate energy was definitely because the Calabash Immortal Vine was an innate being.

It's just that after the creation of heaven and earth, the world was filled with acquired energy, and the gourd vine also absorbed a lot of acquired energy.

Chapter 498 Purple Gourd

The gourd vine possesses innate energy, and consequently, the gourds that grow on it also possess innate spiritual energy. However, since the innate gourds absorb acquired spiritual energy daily, although their essence is innate, they are inevitably impure.

Having figured this out, Li Xiuyuan immediately understood why the Calabash Brothers possessed a trace of innate spiritual energy.

"These treasures, born of heaven and earth, can actually transform into human form. Their aptitude is generally extraordinary. If they were to cultivate, they would probably far surpass ordinary people." Li Xiuyuan stroked his chin, pondering to himself.

Faced with the Calabash Brothers, Li Xiuyuan had the idea of ​​taking them as disciples.

"Haha! It's the Calabash Brothers! What great luck today!"

Just as Li Xiuyuan was pondering whether or not to take the purple gourd boy as his apprentice, a shrill voice suddenly rang out.

The two scorpion demons and snake demons, carried by the purple stone and flying towards them, looked at the purple gourd boy with surprise in their eyes.

"Who are you two?" As soon as the purple gourd boy opened his eyes, he saw the ferocious scorpion demon and the snake demon with a human head and a snake body. He was filled with fear and asked timidly.

"This..., has he lost his memory?"

The scorpion demon and the snake demon exchanged a glance. Then, the snake demon's eyes flashed, her expression changed, and she said to the purple gourd boy in a gentle tone, "We... I am your older sister."

As she spoke, she walked towards the purple gourd boy. Hearing the snake demon say this, the purple gourd boy was stunned and stood there, not yet able to react.

The snake demon approached the purple gourd boy, its face flashing with a ferocious expression. A three-foot-long, incredibly sharp sword appeared in its hand, and it suddenly thrust it towards the purple gourd boy.

"what……"

The purple gourd brother screamed and, without thinking, dodged to the side.

The palm-sized gourd that accompanied the birth of the purple gourd brother quickly smashed down on the snake demon's head after seeing the snake demon attacking the purple gourd brother, trying to stop the snake demon's actions.

However, one person moved even faster than the snake demon. The moment the snake demon's murderous intent stirred, that figure appeared before it, clamping its fingers and firmly gripping the sword in the snake demon's hand. No matter how much force the snake demon used, it couldn't push it down even an inch.

"Break."

Li Xiuyuan spoke calmly, and as soon as he finished speaking, the sword in the snake demon's hand broke in two from the middle.

This scene left everyone speechless. The snake demon, in particular, was completely stunned.

Two or three seconds passed before the snake demon reacted, letting out a terrified scream. The sound was incredibly high-pitched, soaring straight into the sky.

"Who are you?" The snake demon looked at Li Xiuyuan with fear in its eyes.

The snake demon trembled violently, shaking like a sieve.

He truly hadn't expected that someone as formidable as Li Xiuyuan would appear out of nowhere. Not only could he catch his sword with just his bare hands, but he could also break it in two.

You must understand, his sword was a rare treasure, and its power was extraordinary. Relying on that sword, countless demons had died by its blade.

But now, it was broken so easily... so simply... that he couldn't even imagine it.

"You dare to obstruct us from doing our business?"

At this moment, the scorpion demon beside him suddenly reached out and a nine-linked broadsword appeared in his hand, which he then slashed fiercely at Li Xiuyuan.

"broken!"

Li Xiuyuan spoke calmly as usual, and suddenly the nine-linked steel knife in the scorpion demon's hand seemed to be squeezed by some unknown force, and it shattered into pieces and fell to the ground.

This bizarre move startled the scorpion demon. She glanced at the nine-linked steel sword in her hand, now only the hilt remained, then at Li Xiuyuan, and screamed in panic before turning tail and running away.

"Want to run?"

Li Xiuyuan moved swiftly, appearing before the fleeing scorpion demon. With a gentle reach, he caught the demon in his hand. The scene was incredibly bizarre; Li Xiuyuan's outstretched hand seemed to constantly change, growing larger and larger, while the scorpion demon's body appeared to shrink continuously. By the time it landed in Li Xiuyuan's hand, its entire body was only the size of an ant.

"Huh? You're running away too?"

While Li Xiuyuan was attacking the scorpion demon, the snake demon cautiously and stealthily slipped away to the side.

Faced with the snake demon trying to escape, Li Xiuyuan also stretched out his palm and caught the snake demon.

Li Xiuyuan asked, "Who are you two, and why are you attacking this purple gourd-shaped creature?"

The scorpion demon and the snake demon were captured by Li Xiuyuan. They were surrounded by mountains, and the space was very spacious. Just as they were wondering what was going on, a buzzing sound came from the sky. It was Li Xiuyuan's voice.

The scorpion demon said, "Great Immortal, Great Immortal, I am the scorpion demon, and the snake demon beside me is here on the orders of the Golden-Winged Roc King to capture the Calabash Brothers."

"The Golden-Winged Roc?" Li Xiuyuan's eyes showed a thoughtful expression. He remembered that when he was still the Arhat Subduing Dragon, the fat and thin immortal children mistakenly released the Golden-Winged Roc. The Buddha ordered him to subdue it.

It was the Sage Zhunti who subdued the Golden-Winged Roc and then sealed it away.

It seems that after such a long time, the Golden-Winged Roc has been sealed here, and may have already escaped the seal.

Li Xiuyuan pondered for a moment, then asked, "Do you know why the Golden-Winged Roc wanted to capture those purple Calabash Brothers?"

The scorpion demon said, "Great Immortal, I heard from the Golden-Winged Roc King that these gourds contain innate energy. If he were to devour them, his cultivation would be completely restored."

Chapter 499 Taking on a Disciple, Ziwa

"It seems that the Golden-Winged Roc has not yet recovered from its injuries after such a long time. Otherwise, it would not have thought of absorbing the innate energy on this gourd to heal itself."

The innate energy within this purple gourd-shaped creature is a treasure, capable of healing injuries. And that's exactly what the golden-winged roc was after.

With this in mind, Li Xiuyuan stopped asking questions and took the scorpion demon and snake demon into the world evolved from the twenty-four Sea-Stabilizing Pearls.

The scorpion demon and the snake demon weren't very powerful; killing them would only cause unnecessary trouble, while releasing them might lead to further harm. Li Xiuyuan's decision to store them in the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl was arguably the best course of action.

If the scorpion demon and the snake demon have a deep karmic connection, and can calm their minds and cultivate within the Sea-Stabilizing Pearl, their cultivation might even reach new heights.

Who are you?

At this moment, the purple gourd boy came to Li Xiuyuan's side, blinked his jewel-like eyes, and asked.

Beside him, the palm-sized, purple gourd that accompanied him was spinning rapidly, warily watching Li Xiuyuan. It seemed ready to attack him at any moment.

Li Xiuyuan lowered his head, reached out and gently patted the purple gourd boy's shoulder, saying, "I am your master, and I came here specifically to save you."

The purple gourd, seeing Li Xiuyuan reach out to slap the gourd boy, panicked and immediately tried to attack Li Xiuyuan. But for some reason, the moment he tried to strike, the air seemed to be compressed, becoming almost tangible, and his usually invincible movements were hindered, becoming incredibly difficult.

However, upon seeing that Li Xiuyuan had not harmed the purple gourd, the purple gourd immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

The purple gourd-shaped creature blinked its eyes and asked curiously, "Are you my master? What is a master?"

Li Xiuyuan chuckled softly and said gently, "Master is here to help you deal with bad guys, but you have to listen to Master, okay?"

This Calabash Brother has just been born, his mind is simple, he knows nothing, just like a blank sheet of paper.

Seeing that this Calabash Brother had good talent, he had the idea of ​​taking him as a disciple. However, this Calabash Brother didn't understand anything yet, so if he explained it in a complicated way, he might not be able to understand. Therefore, he chose to use the simplest words.

Anyway, as time goes on, the Calabash Brothers will definitely understand.

Li Xiuyuan smiled broadly, looking like a child trafficker, and said, "Come and call me Master."

The purple gourd-shaped baby said crisply, "Master!"

Li Xiuyuan nodded and said, "Good disciple, let's go."

"Master, where are we going?" asked the purple gourd boy.

Li Xiuyuan said, "Shall I take you to find your brother?"

Under the scrutiny of the Chaos Divine Eye, Li Xiuyuan had already discovered that besides the purple gourd boy, the gourd vine also bore six other gourds, all of which possessed remarkable talent. Since taking one was already an option, Li Xiuyuan intended to take them all.

Moreover, through the investigation just now, Li Xiuyuan had a vague guess in his mind.

Carrying the purple gourd-shaped figure, Li Xiuyuan walked slowly, step by step. Although it seemed very slow, a closer look would reveal that with just a light step, Li Xiuyuan had already covered dozens of feet. The gourd-shaped figure also covered dozens of feet with each step.

After traveling for a while, a wide lake appeared in front of Li Xiuyuan.

The lake stretched for dozens of miles, its waters calm and a uniform azure, resembling a giant sapphire. A gentle breeze stirred, rippling the surface. From afar, Li Xiuyuan could already smell the fishy odor of the water.

Dozens of houses were scattered on the flat land on both sides of the lake.

It was dusk, and the setting sun cast its last rays upon the lake, painting it with a reddish glow. Wisps of white smoke rose from the chimneys, and even before one approached, the barking of dogs could be heard. Yet, somehow, this place, which should have been a haven of tranquility and paradise, was permeated with an atmosphere of melancholy and desolation.

He took the purple gourd and entered the village.

The purple gourd-shaped gourd-shaped boy asked curiously, "Master, what are we doing here?"

Li Xiuyuan said, "I just used my divine eye to trace back to the source and unexpectedly discovered that you have an older brother who has been stranded here. So I brought you here to find him."