499: The two realms have been transported, and the two beings have met!

In Lu Jiuyuan's palm, the Earth Book had already transformed into a dense, earthy-yellow halo, within which faint images of undulating mountains, rushing rivers, and surging earthly fires could be seen, eventually condensing into an ancient seal that sank into his palm.

"I have understood your intentions, Fellow Daoist," Lu Jiuyuan said, looking at the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals. "Since your Dao Heart is firm, I shall fulfill your wish. Monkey King, Nezha, step back a little."

The Monkey King and little Nezha quickly retreated to the corner of the hall, watching with wide eyes. Breeze and Bright Moon also stood nervously behind the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals.

Lu Jiuyuan took a step and was already hovering in the air above the main hall of Wuzhuang Temple. He did not manifest any earth-shattering avatar; he simply raised his right hand slowly, palm facing downward, and pressed down lightly toward the Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain below.

"Rumble—!"

The entire Longevity Mountain, a massive range spanning thousands of miles, along with the countless living beings, structures, and the core Ginseng Fruit Tree and the Earth Vein Spiritual Pivot it supported, suddenly shook violently!

With Wuzhuang Temple as the center, a visible earthy-yellow halo rapidly expanded like ripples in water, instantly sweeping across the entire mountain range!

Wherever the halo passed, the Spiritual Qi of the mountains and earth veins seemed to hear a supreme command, rapidly "stripping" away from their original state of close connection with the earth.

They transformed into streams of spiritual light and earth Qi, thick or thin, of various colors, converging like a hundred rivers returning to the sea toward the back garden of Wuzhuang Temple, toward that towering Ginseng Fruit Tree!

The Ginseng Fruit Tree erupted with unprecedented emerald-green brilliance, its branches and leaves swaying, emitting a joyful rustling sound as if it were indulging in absorbing the essence of the earth veins that had gathered.

Its roots grew and intertwined crazily within the soil, firmly locking and wrapping around the core Spiritual Pivot of the entire Longevity Mountain earth vein!

Under the horrified gazes of the Monkey King, little Nezha, and Breeze and Bright Moon, the massive Longevity Mountain range began to shrink at a speed visible to the naked eye!

Mountains, rivers, forests, clouds... every piece of scenery was shrinking proportionally, yet the Spiritual Qi and structure of every blade of grass, every tree, every stone, and every drop of water remained completely intact!

Wuzhuang Temple sat steadily in the center of the shrunken mountain, and the three of them—the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals and his disciples—could clearly feel the stability of the ground beneath their feet and the subtle changes in the spatial Law around them.

In just a few breaths, the towering Longevity Mountain, which stretched for thousands of miles, along with the Wuzhuang Blessed Land upon it, had transformed into a miniature "mountain model" no larger than a palm, yet with every detail perfectly rendered and suffused with spiritual light, hovering three inches beneath Lu Jiuyuan's downward-pressing palm!

With a grasp of his huge hand, the miniature Wuzhuang Temple vanished.

In the Lotus Lantern World, in the territory of Longevity Mountain.

Above the original Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain, a purple rift opened silently.

A small Longevity Mountain, the size of a fist, flew out.

The small mountain grew as it encountered the wind!

Mountains, rivers, forests, clouds, pavilions, and towers... everything was rapidly "growing," and slowly connecting and merging with the earth veins of the Lotus Lantern World.

In just a moment, a new Longevity Mountain, almost identical to the original one beside it, stood toweringly!

Wuzhuang Temple sat on the mountainside, its gates wide open.

Inside the Wuzhuang Temple of this world, the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals (Lotus Lantern) who had been meditating, suddenly opened his eyes, flashed, and appeared outside the temple gate.

He stared in astonishment at the "twin" mountain range that had appeared out of thin air opposite him, whose aura was of the same origin as his own dojo but slightly different, as well as the figure above the mountain range.

At this moment, from the Wuzhuang Temple on the new Longevity Mountain, the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals (Later Story) walked out quickly with Breeze and Bright Moon, also unable to contain his excitement.

The two Ancestors of Earthly Immortals, whose appearances, temperaments, and Dao rhythms were very similar, with only slight differences in details and the implied meaning of the Laws flowing around them, stood a mere hundred feet apart, gazing at each other from afar.

Their eyes met, and time and space seemed to stand still.

In their eyes, there was first extreme astonishment and disbelief, followed by sudden realization and enlightenment, and finally, it transformed into an indescribable sense of excitement, joy, and... the warmth of meeting a fellow traveler on the same path.

"I, the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals, greet you... Fellow Daoist." The Ancestor of Earthly Immortals (Later Story) was the first to perform a Daoist salute, his voice trembling slightly.

"I, too, am the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals; I greet you... Fellow Daoist." The Ancestor of Earthly Immortals (Lotus Lantern) returned the salute, his eyes filled with brilliant colors.

There was no need for many words; the Dao rhythms of the same origin resonated naturally between them.

They could clearly feel that the path the other had walked and the Dao they had cultivated were so similar to their own, yet because of the differences in their worlds, they had blossomed into different flowers in the details.

Lu Jiuyuan stood on the clouds, watching this scene, and smiled slightly.

He flicked his sleeves, and an invisible barrier enveloped both Longevity Mountains, temporarily isolating them from outside prying eyes and providing a quiet environment for the first discussion of the Dao between the two Ancestors of Earthly Immortals.

As they spoke, their Qi naturally interacted.

Invisible ripples of Dao rhythm spread out from them, a subtle resonance and comparison born from the same Earth Immortal Dao, yet differing due to the subtle variations in the Laws of their worlds.

The earth veins of the two Longevity Mountains beneath their feet seemed to sense this strange connection, faintly emitting a low hum as the flow of Spiritual Qi quietly accelerated.

The Ancestor of Earthly Immortals (Later Story) took a deep breath, as if savoring the Spiritual Qi and Laws of this world, his eyes shining even brighter:

"This world... is vibrant and full of life, with active Laws, leaning toward the Dao, which is indeed different from the steady, heavy trend of my world, which leans toward Buddhism."

"It is not the world; it is the Great Heavenly Venerate who is different!" The Ancestor of Earthly Immortals (Lotus Lantern) shook his head. "The personality of the one who wields the Dao is different, so the path of the world naturally differs as well."

"I observe your aura, Fellow Daoist; amidst the great virtue of the earth, there is restrained sharpness and layers of fixed fate. Presumably, the evolution of the Heavenly Dao in your world also has its unique aspects, which has forged such a Dao rhythm in you."

"I wonder... if it would be possible to enter the temple for a chat, to taste tea and discuss the Dao, and speak of the details?"

"That is exactly what I wished for; I dared not ask!" The Ancestor of Earthly Immortals (Later Story) readily agreed.

The two Ancestors of Earthly Immortals smiled at each other, and that sense of intimacy stemming from their shared origin, along with their curiosity about each other's Dao paths, instantly diluted the slight strangeness and barrier of their first meeting.

They descended from the clouds side by side and walked toward the main gate of the Ancestor of Earthly Immortals' (Lotus Lantern) Wuzhuang Temple. Breeze and Bright Moon (Lotus Lantern) also quickly followed the Master, curiously and cautiously sizing up the Breeze and Bright Moon (Later Story) opposite them; the scene was quite amusing.

Lu Jiuyuan sat in the Longevity Mountain Blessed Land, which had now become a hollow, holding two small trays, each with three fruits on it.

"Come and taste the fruits, and compare what differences there are!"