Taiqing's sense of urgency suddenly surged.
The joy of attaining the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm and embarking on the Law Path to Sainthood...
Was instantly washed away by fear and urgency.
Taiqing did not dare gamble. He could not afford to gamble. If the Reincarnation Purple Lotus truly existed, he would surely devote everything he had to finding it.
Because he could not afford to lose. What he had to face was the Heavenly Dao that controlled the entire Primordial Wilderness, as well as Hongjun, who had merged with the Dao!
Once he lost, the Sanqing and the Twelve Ancestral Witches would face death and the dissolution of their Dao, or imprisonment by the Heavenly Dao.
With a wave of his hand, Taiqing put away the Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus.
The remaining nine-rank, sixth-grade, and third-grade lotus platforms were all stored within the Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus.
"That saves quite a bit of space."
Taiqing had originally been wondering how to collect the enormous number of low-grade white lotuses. He had not expected the problem to be resolved so easily.
After putting away the Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus, Taiqing looked at the lake.
"It's actually Weak Water."
After carefully examining it, Taiqing discovered that the lake was entirely filled with Weak Water.
Weak Water was said to be incapable of supporting even a feather.
Weak Water could serve as a rather effective means of attack. Even Grand Unity Golden Immortals could fall victim to it.
It was also considered an extremely precious treasure of heaven and earth in the Primordial Wilderness.
However, Taiqing knew that although Weak Water was precious, it was not so scarce.
The water of the Heavenly River in the not-yet-born Heavenly Court was Weak Water.
There was also a river of Weak Water north of Kunlun Mountain.
Just as Taiqing was considering whether to collect the Weak Water here...
The lake gradually shrank, eventually turning into a small cup.
Weak Water Cup—Capable of containing the Weak Water of a Lesser Thousand World. It can also continuously generate Weak Water, providing an inexhaustible supply.
A stream of information entered Taiqing's mind.
Seeing this, Taiqing beckoned with his hand, and the Weak Water Cup flew into his grasp of its own accord.
"It is actually a High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. What an unexpected delight.
"I never expected the summons I sensed by the Eastern Sea before to have come from this Weak Water Cup."
Taiqing looked at the Weak Water Cup in his hand and recalled the summons he had sensed by the Eastern Sea.
He had thought it was the call emitted by the Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus.
He had not expected it to be this Weak Water Cup.
After putting away the Weak Water Cup and confirming that there were no more Lingbao opportunities here, Taiqing finally left the Innate Great Formation.
"Let us go. Penglai Immortal Island no longer holds any opportunities for us. It is time to return to Kunlun Mountain."
After exploring Penglai Immortal Island further, Taiqing gained nothing more.
He immediately called Ao Jiang and Ink Jade Qilin and headed back to Kunlun Mountain.
They had been away long enough this time—more than ten Eons.
Of course, Taiqing's gains had also been substantial. Not only had his cultivation advanced to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm, allowing him to embark on the Law Path to Sainthood...
He had also obtained the Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus, the vast number of lotus platforms it had spawned, and the High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Weak Water Cup.
He had also earned favorable karma from the Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, and Qilin Clan.
And gained Ao Jiang and Ink Jade Qilin as mounts.
Now, Taiqing longed to return. He only wanted to go back and share this joy with his two younger brothers, Yuqing Yuanshi and Shangqing Lingbao.
Furthermore, he needed to return to stand guard for his two younger brothers, lest some petty villain make a move while they were being born.
"I grant these lotus platforms to you. They can purify evil and baleful qi, protect the Primordial Spirit, and suppress it.
"With these lotus platforms, your Primordial Spirits will become much more stable."
Taiqing took out two Sixth-grade White Lotus Platforms and bestowed them upon Ao Jiang and Ink Jade Qilin.
The reward he had promised earlier was immediately given to his two mounts.
"Thank you, Master."
The dragon and qilin excitedly accepted the Sixth-grade White Lotus Platforms and merged them with their Primordial Spirits.
Sure enough, after the lotus platforms fused with their Primordial Spirits, the dragon and qilin felt them become exceptionally stable.
Even if the Tribulation erupted again, Calamity Qi and baleful qi would not be able to easily taint their Primordial Spirits.
Taiqing had originally intended to reward his two mounts with Nine-Rank White Lotus Platforms.
But the moment that thought arose, an intense sense of danger emerged in his heart for no reason.
If he truly bestowed the Nine-petal Lotus Platforms upon his two mounts, great calamity might befall him in the future.
Taiqing investigated, yet found nothing. Only then did he grant his two mounts Sixth-grade White Lotus Platforms.
Once the thought of granting the Sixth-grade White Lotus Platforms arose, the sense of danger indeed did not return.
"Could it be that these Nine-Rank White Lotus Platforms have another destined purpose?"
Taiqing guessed as much, though he was not certain.
"So be it. When I encounter those fated for them in the future, their destined purpose will reveal itself."
Since he could not deduce anything, Taiqing stopped dwelling on it. He simply would not give away the Nine-Rank White Lotus Platforms.
With the dragon and qilin in tow, Taiqing rushed toward Kunlun Mountain at his fastest speed.
Kunlun Mountain was located on the Eastern Continent.
And Taiqing had already advanced to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm. Compared to when he was a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, his speed had increased by an unknown amount.
When he had set out from Buzhou Mountain, Taiqing had ridden Ink Jade Qilin and spent four or five Eons reaching the Eastern Sea.
Now, on his return journey, he no longer needed to travel to Buzhou Mountain. The distance had been cut by more than half, while his speed had increased by countless times.
In less than ten thousand years, Taiqing returned from the Eastern Sea to Kunlun Mountain.
"The Primordial Wilderness is truly vast. Yet there is nowhere I cannot go."
Feeling the changes brought by his increased cultivation, Taiqing's heart was filled with exhilaration.
But before Taiqing could head toward the place in Kunlun Mountain where he had been conceived...
A fiery red figure blocked his path ahead.
Upon seeing that fiery red figure, Taiqing faintly formed a guess.
After seeing Taiqing, the figure took the initiative to approach him.
The fiery red figure's words confirmed Taiqing's guess.
"Feng Jiu pays respects to Master. Master has shown kindness to my Phoenix Clan, so Old Ancestor specifically sent Feng Jiu to serve as Master's mount.
"I hope Master will grant the Phoenix Clan the opportunity to repay this favor."
That fiery red figure was Feng Jiu.
Among the phoenixes, feng were male and huang were female. Thus, their Dao names were naturally based on feng and huang.
And their names were reversed: feng bore huang surnames, while huang bore feng surnames.
This Feng Jiu was a huang.
Her cultivation had actually reached the mid-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
Her cultivation was even deeper than Ao Jiang's and Ink Jade Qilin's after their cultivation on Penglai Immortal Island.
"Feng Jiu, not bad. Follow me to Kunlun.
"I have already chosen Ink Jade Qilin as my mount.
"The Sanqing are three brothers and one entity. You may choose one of my two younger brothers to serve.
"That will also settle your Causality with me."
Taiqing had not expected the Phoenix Clan to directly send a junior to Kunlun Mountain to seek him out.
He had thought he would need to wait until he visited the Undying Volcano before obtaining a mount from the Phoenix Clan.
It was no wonder the Phoenix Clan was so anxious. The Dragon Clan and Qilin Clan had already arranged for members of their own clans to serve under Taiqing.
If the Phoenix Clan did not become more proactive, they feared Causality would backlash against them.
Feng Jiu naturally had no objections. Yuanfeng had already sent her a message, telling her to agree to Taiqing's terms.
Taiqing led the dragon, phoenix, and qilin swiftly toward the place in Kunlun Mountain where he had been conceived.
When he had left, Taiqing had been alone. Upon returning, he had reaped a full harvest.
"You shall wait here."
Upon arriving outside the Innate Great Formation, Ao Jiang, Ink Jade Qilin, and Feng Jiu naturally could not gain the Innate Great Formation's recognition and enter it.
Even if they had gained the Innate Great Formation's recognition, Taiqing would not have allowed the three of them to enter.
It was not that Taiqing did not trust the three little ones.
He simply had no choice but to be cautious.
What if the Heavenly Dao controlled the three of them and did something to Yuqing and Shangqing before they were born?
Before you continue