On Kunlun Mountain, Yuqing and Shangqing happily absorbed the pure qi, strengthening their Origin in hopes of transforming and entering the world soon.
Taiqing, however, sat cross-legged nearby, his brows tightly furrowed.
"Just as I thought, cultivation cannot advance during a Tribulation.
Or rather, is this the Heavenly Dao's doing? Suppressing all beings so they cannot break through.
Saving them for Hongjun's preaching, then harvesting their Destiny/Luck?"
Taiqing had already sat in meditation for an Eon. During this Eon, he cultivated the Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique inherited from Pangu Father God.
Yet after an entire Eon, his cultivation had not advanced in the slightest. When he first came into being, he had already been at the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
After healing for several Eons and cultivating bitterly for another Eon, he was still at the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
Whether it was his mana, Primordial Spirit, or laws, none had improved in the slightest.
He could sense a massive set of regulatory shackles throughout heaven and earth, restricting living beings from breaking through.
"No. I must break through to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm before Hongjun attains sainthood.
Otherwise, in the future, I truly will only be able to cultivate the Path of Three Corpses.
Cultivating the Path of Three Corpses would mean falling completely into the schemes of Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao."
Unable to break through, a sense of urgency and danger welled up in Taiqing's heart.
If he could not reach the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm before Hongjun attained sainthood,
then most likely, he would never again be able to break through to Hunyuan Golden Immortal or walk the path of Law Path to Sainthood.
Once Hongjun attained sainthood, he would collude with the Heavenly Dao and scheme against the entire Primordial Wilderness.
As Pangu's descendants, the Sanqing and Twelve Ancestral Witches would naturally bear the brunt of it.
The Sanqing were formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and possessed immense Destiny/Luck and fortune.
Especially the Merit of World Creation obtained by the Sanqing—it was even regarded by the Heavenly Dao as something already in its grasp.
By then, even if the three Sanqing did not go to the Purple Cloud Palace to hear Hongjun preach,
under the invisible influence of the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun, a Saint, they would still unknowingly go to hear his teachings.
Once they heard Hongjun preach, the path the Sanqing cultivated would no longer be theirs to control.
The power of the Heavenly Dao and a Saint was not something a mere Grand Unity Golden Immortal could contend against.
They could invisibly influence the thoughts and consciousness of every living being below Sainthood.
All beneath Saints were ants. Nothing more.
That saying was not merely reflected in offensive power.
As for the Path of Three Corpses, it was an even greater pitfall—a bottomless pit!
Looking across the history of the Primordial Wilderness, among those who cultivated the Path of Three Corpses, only Hongjun had achieved the unity of the Three Corpses.
And even he had only accomplished it with the Heavenly Dao's help.
No one else had ever achieved the unity of the Three Corpses.
Even Taiqing Lord of Morality, hailed as the strongest Saint, had merely severed the Three Corpses and could not unite them.
This was only one aspect of the trap within the Path of Three Corpses that Taiqing knew about.
There were others. For example, cultivating the Path of Three Corpses would allow that fellow Hongjun to continuously extract one's Destiny/Luck.
As the creator of the Path of Three Corpses, Hongjun naturally understood it best.
The creator of a path possessed the benefit of drawing upon the Destiny/Luck of those who came after.
This was information Taiqing had obtained from Pangu Father God's inherited memories.
Destiny/Luck was immensely important. The Sanqing would never go to the Purple Cloud Palace to hear the teachings and let Hongjun siphon away their Destiny/Luck.
Nor would they fall under the manipulation of Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao, only to end up imprisoned in the Purple Cloud Palace.
To change all of this, the most urgent matter was still to find a place that could evade the Heavenly Dao's suppression or the effects of the Tribulation.
Then he could advance to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm and embark upon the Law Path to Sainthood.
"Looks like it is time to travel through the Primordial Wilderness and seek a method to advance to Hunyuan Golden Immortal."
Taiqing opened his eyes and looked toward his two younger brothers.
Yuqing and Shangqing's Origins were now incomparably solid. At most, they would need ten Eons before transforming and entering the world.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, I must go out for a while to seek a method concerning the fate of us Three Brothers.
Cultivate well here and transform into the world as soon as possible. We Three Brothers are one; only then will we have the strength to protect ourselves in this Primordial Wilderness."
After telling his two younger brothers to absorb pure qi and cultivate properly, Taiqing immediately prepared to depart.
"Wait, Big Brother!"
Yuqing and Shangqing spoke in unison, stopping Taiqing.
Then, the golden Chaos Bell and the gray Pangu Banner drifted toward Taiqing.
"Big Brother, Third Brother and I cannot help you, so you must keep these two supreme treasures by your side.
Should you encounter danger, these treasures can protect you."
Yuqing Yuanshi's voice was filled with worry.
Though they had not yet entered the world, they still knew that the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Clans were currently vying for supremacy across the Primordial Wilderness.
The three clans fought until sun and moon lost their light, leaving the Primordial Wilderness scarred beyond recognition.
Their eldest brother was venturing out alone to seek a method concerning the fate of the Sanqing. They could not stop him, so they could only give him their Companion Treasures to protect himself.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, these are your Companion Treasures. They must remain by your sides to protect you both. How could I take them away?
Do not mention this again. I have the Taiji Diagram and Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda to protect me. Nothing will happen."
How could Taiqing possibly agree to take the Chaos Bell and Pangu Banner?
Those two supreme treasures had to protect Yuqing and Shangqing.
"Big Brother, just take them. Third Brother and I have the Innate Great Formation protecting us.
Besides, we Sanqing possess profound fortune and have inherited the Merit of World Creation.
Before we enter the world, no living being in the Primordial Wilderness can possibly harm us.
You are going out alone, Big Brother. Third Brother and I truly worry about you.
Let our Companion Treasures remain at your side."
"That's right, Big Brother. Second Brother is absolutely right.
If you refuse to take the Chaos Bell and Pangu Banner, Second Brother and I will insist on entering the world early and accompany you on your journey through the Primordial Wilderness."
With that, Yuqing and Shangqing prepared to forcibly transform and enter the world ahead of time.
Taiqing could only hurriedly stop his two younger brothers.
They absolutely could not let Yuqing and Shangqing enter the world prematurely and damage their Origin and Great Dao.
Otherwise, even if he found a method and walked the Law Path to Sainthood, breaking through to Hunyuan Golden Immortal,
they might never have another chance to defeat Old Ancestor Hongjun in the future, much less the Heavenly Dao.
Although he had previously absorbed some of his two brothers' Origin, he had also severed a portion of his own Origin and given it to them.
One offset the other, so there had effectively been no loss.
Entering the world prematurely was different. It would cause wounds to their Origin and Dao that would not be easily healed.
"Enough. Second Brother, Third Brother, stop at once. Do not be rash.
I will take the Chaos Bell and Pangu Banner with me. You must not act so impulsively again.
If you enter the world prematurely, we Sanqing will have no future.
Cultivate well, Second Brother and Third Brother. I am leaving."
Taiqing accepted the Chaos Bell and Pangu Banner, soothed his two younger brothers, and left the Innate Great Formation.
"Second Brother and Third Brother have the Innate Great Formation protecting them, as well as the Merit of World Creation.
Even the Heavenly Dao would not dare do anything to the Sanqing before they entered the world.
There should not be any problem."
He looked back at the Innate Great Formation.
As the place that nurtured the Sanqing, even a Hunyuan Golden Immortal could not hope to break through this Innate Great Formation.
Still, taking the Chaos Bell and Pangu Banner with him had been the most correct choice.
Not long after Taiqing left, a sneaky figure appeared on Kunlun Mountain.
The figure looked immortal and dignified, bearing the appearance of an elderly man.
Yet his furtive manner was completely incompatible with that immortal bearing.
This sneaky figure was none other than Daoist Hongjun.
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