The Method of Refining!

Had he not intended to make this place his future Daoist sanctuary, he would have truly dug three feet into the ground.

As for the spiritual herbs and fruits that were of little use to him, he unceremoniously pocketed them as well.

After all, his status was different now.

If an honored guest came calling someday and he couldn't even produce a single spiritual fruit to offer, wouldn't that be a laughingstock?

Time flew like a shuttle, and in the blink of an eye, Tongtian had spent two hundred years on the Three Immortal Islands.

These two hundred years were a bittersweet mix for him, hard to fully describe.

The sweet part was that the Three Immortal Islands truly lived up to their reputation—treasures were everywhere, only differing in grade.

The bitter part was that, despite the abundance of spiritual roots and rare plants, none could truly hold up the banner.

The top ten spiritual roots of the Primordial Wilderness? Not even a shadow of them!

If he hadn't already obtained the Primordial Measure-Heaven Ruler and this blessed land, he would have broken down long ago.

"What a scam! In my past life, those novels hyped up the Three Immortal Islands like crazy, and this is what I get?"

"I didn't even miss a single corner, and aside from the Primordial Measure-Heaven Ruler, I didn't snag anything decent. This is supposed to be the Three Immortal Islands?"

Muttering complaints under his breath, he turned his gaze to the last unexplored area.

His heart uneasy, he took a few deep breaths to steady his mind.

Then he stepped forward, walking slowly.

An hour later, a pool of water shimmering with strange light appeared before him, and Tongtian was overjoyed.

The gloom that had weighed on him for days was already replaced by a ruddy glow of excitement.

Because above that pool, the light of the Sun, Moon, and Stars flickered!

Beside the pool stood a giant tree hundreds of feet tall.

On the tree hung nine fruits, each bearing the two characters "Yellow Central" clearly visible.

"It's actually the Three Lights Divine Water and the Yellow Central Plum! This haul is a win, hahaha!"

Tongtian was so thrilled he forgot his dignity and laughed uproariously.

As a veteran fan of the Primordial Wilderness, he knew the effects of the Three Lights Divine Water like the back of his hand.

It was the top-tier healing divine medicine of the Primordial Wilderness. Below the Saint level, whether the physical body was shattered or the Primordial Spirit was damaged, as long as one hadn't completely perished, a single drop could bring them back from the brink of death.

Calling it "restoring the dead and regrowing flesh" was an understatement!

How precious it was could be seen from the fact that after the Investiture of the Gods, Guanyin never left home without it.

Of course, while the Three Lights Divine Water was rare, it wasn't impossible to obtain.

If a Quasi-Saint made the effort, they could refine it from the light of the Sun, Moon, and Stars—but it was time-consuming and laborious.

Moreover, although the Three Lights Divine Water was sought after by cultivators, it also intimidated many.

Once separated, the Sunlight Divine Water could corrode flesh and bones, the Moonlight Divine Water could erode the Primordial Spirit and soul, and the Starlight Divine Water could devour the true spirit and Spiritual Sense.

Its power was enough to send chills down one's spine.

As for the Yellow Central Plum, one of the ten innate spiritual roots, it left him thoroughly satisfied.

This tree bore fruit only once every thirty thousand years—blooming, fruiting, and ripening each taking ten thousand years—yielding a total of nine fruits.

Just breathing in a trace of its aroma could add ten thousand years of cultivation.

If one could taste a single fruit, they would instantly step into the realm of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.

Even though a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal achieved this way might be somewhat lacking in strength and find further progress nearly impossible, it was still the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal rank, placing one among the top combat forces of the Primordial Wilderness.

As long as they weren't slain and fell, their lifespan would match heaven and earth.

What was especially crucial was

that it gave cultivators of mediocre talent, who had no hope of reaching the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, A Glimmer of Hope.

Tongtian selected a spot to plant the top-grade spiritual roots and rare flowers he had gathered from the island, casually sprinkled a ladle of Three Lights Divine Water over the Yellow Central Plum tree, then waved his hand to collect all nine fruits into his pouch.

Next, he began setting up formations around the area.

After spending a considerable amount of time on that, he was in high spirits as he started large-scale construction on the island.

Before long, an exquisite and unique palace was completed.

Above the palace gate were written three large characters:

Biyou Palace.

He circled the palace, examining it carefully, nodded in satisfaction, and continued with his next building project.

This time, he planned to build the Divine Ability Hall, the Three Thousand Great Dao Tower, the Treasure Pavilion, and the Trial Tower.

The Divine Ability Hall, as its name suggested, was a place to store all kinds of divine abilities and secret techniques.

The Three Thousand Great Dao Tower, on the other hand, was a venue for disciples under him to select a path that resonated with their own nature.

The Treasure Pavilion, besides storing items for artifact refinement and alchemy, housed a greater collection of spiritual treasures and elixirs.

As for the Trial Tower, it was a crucial site for tempering disciples' combat prowess.

He envisioned that once someone stepped into the tower, they would be transported to an independent space, where a phantom identical to the entrant in cultivation, treasures, and divine abilities would appear.

Only by defeating the phantom could they leave.

Of course, beyond that, he also set up a ranking list, divided into four tiers: Heaven, Earth, Mystic, and Yellow, corresponding to Outer Disciples, Inner Disciples, True Inheritor Disciples, and Core Disciples.

The higher the rank on the list, the more abundant the cultivation resources obtained.

Additionally, there was a mission board, where disciples could take on various tasks.

Completing tasks earned contribution points, which could be used to exchange for spiritual treasures and elixirs, or to request elder assistance in artifact refinement and alchemy.

Surplus heavenly materials and earthly treasures could also be traded for contribution points through the Treasure Pavilion.

It sounded complicated, but in truth, Tongtian had simply copied the common sect systems from novels in his past life.

Compared to the loose management styles of other factions in the Primordial World, this system was clearly more structured and efficient.

It not only motivated disciples to strive actively but also strengthened overall power.

Of course, building all of this was no overnight feat.

Fortunately, in the Primordial World, time was the one thing never in short supply.

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

Around Biyou Palace, one magnificent, golden-and-splendid structure after another rose from the ground.

With the great work complete, Tongtian did not stop.

He sat cross-legged in the palace, a Yellow Central Plum clutched in his hand.

That's right—he planned to seize this opportunity to break through his realm.

Over these years, the continuous consumption and recovery of his mana had brought his cultivation to the threshold of a Quasi-Saint.

Breaking through was only a matter of time.

Now, with the aid of the Yellow Central Plum and the dense heaven and earth spiritual energy on the island, he naturally didn't want to miss this rare chance.

He swallowed the Yellow Central Plum in one gulp, closed his eyes to focus, and began circulating the Primordial Supreme Merit.

The heaven and earth spiritual energy for a million miles around, like birds returning to their nests, converged endlessly above his head.

Before long, a spiritual energy vortex spanning a million zhang slowly took shape.

As the power of the Yellow Central Plum and the spiritual energy poured in continuously, his aura climbed steadily.

Soon, he sensed a thick barrier lodged within his body.

Without hesitation, he mobilized all his mana and slammed fiercely against this obstruction.

Each impact brought excruciating pain.

He gritted his teeth, enduring the agony of what felt like his very soul being torn apart, and relentlessly drove the technique forward.

A terrifying aura erupted from within him.

If not for the Three Talents Grand Formation suppressing the island, such a commotion would have long alarmed the many Great Powers of the Primordial World.

Time slipped by quietly, and the barrier gradually loosened under repeated assaults.

"Break!"

Sensing the barrier nearly shattered, Tongtian roared, unleashing all his mana like a torrent, striking the final blow.

Pop—

A sound like a bubble bursting echoed inside him.

The next instant, under the relentless barrage of spiritual power, the barrier exploded apart.

"Roar—!"

With the breakthrough cry, Tongtian's already vast and majestic aura suddenly surged, multiplying several times over!

That overbearing might caused even the void of heaven and earth to tremble slightly.

The violent spiritual energy vortex, crushed under this earth-shaking force, scattered in all directions in an instant.

"I never expected that final step would cost me over three thousand years."

Estimating the time, Tongtian couldn't help but sigh softly.

Indeed, time in the Great Desolation was worthless.

He sensed his own cultivation level and immediately felt confident.

If he encountered East King Duke again, there would be no need to use the God-Slaying Spear.

A single finger would be enough to crush him to dust!

Shaking his head, he adjusted his breathing and stabilized his newly attained realm.

Then, he turned his gaze to the Primordial Measure-Heaven Ruler, the Twenty-Four Petaled Green Lotus of Creation, and the Chaos Gourd.

These were not Treasures granted by the system; they had to be refined by hand.

Since there was still time before the second sermon at Purple Heaven Palace, Tongtian decided to begin the refinement process.

However, while he was buried in refining his treasures, the Great Desolation Continent was already stirring with upheaval.

First, the brothers Dijun and Taiyi had recruited many subordinates.

They grouped all beings born from moisture and eggs, those with fur and horns, and spirits of grass and trees under the banner of the "Demon Race," proclaiming themselves Heavenly Emperor and Eastern Emperor.

In an instant, they attracted many wandering cultivators and spirits to their cause.

Then there was East King Duke.

Even with his Primordial Spirit wounded, he grew anxious upon sensing the brothers' movements.

Helpless, he only healed most of his physical injuries before using the name of Dao Ancestor Hongjun to recruit cultivators and win over Great Powers.

Those unwilling to submit even faced utter destruction.

Notably, without the opportunity of Penglai Immortal Island, East King Duke still settled on an island.

Though not a top-tier blessed land, it could be considered above average.

Thus, after gathering a group of followers, he founded the Purple Mansion lineage.

The only one who remained still was West Queen Mother.

Though appointed by the Dao Ancestor as the foremost female immortal of the Great Desolation, she never made a move.

She merely guarded her corner of West Kunlun.

She took in no disciples and established no faction.

It was Closed Door Meditation, and nothing else.

In cultivation, time passes silently.

Five thousand years slipped by in a blink.

Tongtian had mostly refined the three supreme Treasures, so he halted the process.

His cultivation level was still insufficient; forcing the refinement would only be a slow grind over time.

That was hardly what he wanted.

He stepped out of the Three Immortal Islands and sensed a faint Calamity Qi gathering across the Great Desolation Continent.

His heart jolted.

Though the Calamity Qi was still shallow, he understood what it signified.

It wouldn't be long before the Wu and Yao Races clashed for the first time.

And that meant the great calamity was about to begin.