The Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown

But now, all three islands had been stripped bare.

Not even a decent immortal herb remained.

How could he bear this?

If they obtained the opportunities of the three islands, the Immortal Court could truly rise.

With endless resources in hand, all immortals would come seeking refuge.

They would not be reduced to being humiliated and slapped away when trying to recruit Hong Yun.

But now, it was all gone.

"Ahhh! I refuse to accept this! Why, why is this happening..."

Eastern Prince Gong looked utterly deranged as he roared and wept.

The Queen Mother of the West seemed to have been shattered, collapsing limply to the ground.

Such an opportunity had been snatched away.

They did not even know who their opponent was.

It was unbearably stifling.

The two remained dejected for several months.

Then, one day.

"Brother, although the treasures of the three islands are gone, these three islands are rare grotto-heavens and blessed lands!"

The Queen Mother of the West looked toward Eastern Prince Gong.

Their cave abode was in Western Kunlun, in the Western Lands, where the terrain was barren.

How could it compare to these Three Immortal Islands?

Hearing this, Eastern Prince Gong's eyes lit up.

"Mother Queen, you're right! Building our dojo here would be far better than in Western Kunlun!"

He nodded repeatedly.

This was the only gain they had left.

Using these three islands as a foundation to build their dojo would give the Immortal Court a foothold, ensuring this trip would not be entirely in vain.

Afterward.

Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West busied themselves.

Building a dojo on the three islands was a massive undertaking.

They needed to set up island-protecting formations on Fangzhang, Penglai, and Yingzhou to strengthen their defenses.

They also needed to build teleportation arrays linking the three islands.

Otherwise, flying between the islands would take at least half a year.

With teleportation arrays, they could travel between them in the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

At the same time.

The great powers of the Great Desolation gradually arrived at the East Sea.

Soon, the Three Pure Ones found Penglai Island.

"Eldest Brother, this island is shrouded by a formation!"

Yuanshi gazed toward Penglai, overcome with excitement.

"Hahaha, this is an opportunity for the three of us! Quickly break the formation and go to the island to seek its treasures!"

Taishang Laojun laughed heartily.

Tongtian was also beaming with delight as he urged the Qingping Sword toward the island-protecting formation.

Elsewhere.

Dijun and Taiyi discovered Fangzhang Island.

The island was likewise enveloped by an island-protecting formation.

As Demon Emperors, they expected such a blessed land to be guarded by a powerful formation. It was only natural.

This meant the opportunity had yet to be taken.

Thus...

Boom!

Dijun and Taiyi joined forces to assault the formation, intending to enter Fangzhang Island and seek the legendary opportunity.

At the same time, Nuwa and Fuxi's gazes fell upon another immortal realm—Penglai Island.

At that moment, Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West were busy on the island, beginning to arrange its defensive formation.

Earlier, they had successfully set up protective formations for the other two immortal islands and established teleportation passages between the three islands.

Once the formation on Penglai Island was complete, their dojo could be declared finished.

By then, they would summon the immortals of the Great Desolation within the Immortal Court to gather here, and this place would become their foundation.

Yet at that very moment, a sudden tremendous crash shattered the peace—

Boom!

The unfinished island-protecting formation was struck violently by an external force.

"Who dares?"

"You're simply courting death!"

Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West shouted angrily in unison, their killing intent chilling.

Someone had actually been bold enough to attack their island-protecting formation.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

The formation split open, and the figures of Nuwa and Fuxi emerged from within.

When they saw Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West, they could not help but pause.

They had originally thought this was an undeveloped treasure island. Who would have expected it to have already been occupied by Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West?

"Nuwa, Fuxi, why did you destroy the Immortal Court's formation without cause?"

Eastern Prince Gong's face was filled with anger as he questioned Nuwa.

"Fellow Daoists, the treasures of the Great Desolation have always gone to those with the affinity to claim them. Although you arrived first, we likewise have the right to seek opportunities here!"

Nuwa's tone was calm, and she did not care in the slightest.

In her eyes, Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West were utterly insignificant.

Even if the two of them were the leaders of the Immortal Dao personally appointed by Dao Ancestor Hongjun, so what?

As members of the Demon Clan, she and Fuxi had never been bound by the Immortal Dao.

"If that's the case, then let's settle it with our hands!"

After hearing Nuwa's words, Eastern Prince Gong's fury grew even stronger.

Over the years, he had suffered setback after setback, and his temperament had already become somewhat twisted.

In the past, even when the great powers of the Great Desolation fought over treasures, they would not easily engage in all-out combat.

But now, Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West had undergone a drastic change in temperament after repeated blows.

Without hesitation, they brought out their treasures and attacked Nuwa and Fuxi.

Seeing their aggressive assault, Nuwa and Fuxi were hardly the sort to let others bully them. They immediately fought back, engaging Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West in fierce battle.

How could Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West stand against Nuwa, especially with Fuxi, whose strength was no weaker than theirs, at her side?

In mere moments, the two began to show signs of defeat.

At this point, their minds had cleared somewhat, and they wanted to stop. But Nuwa had no intention of letting them off so easily.

This was the perfect opportunity to drive Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West away and claim the opportunities of the entire immortal island for herself and Fuxi.

Seeing that he could not hold out, Eastern Prince Gong exchanged a glance with the Queen Mother of the West. The two transformed into streaks of light and fled into the depths of Penglai Island.

There was a teleportation array they had set up earlier inside the island.

They planned to retreat to the other two immortal islands first and avoid the enemy's edge.

In any case, this island had already been thoroughly looted. Even if Nuwa and Fuxi stayed here, they would gain nothing.

Whoosh!

With a flash of light, Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West instantly teleported away.

However—

When they arrived at another immortal island, misfortune struck once more.

First, they were harshly beaten by Dijun and Taiyi.

Afterward, they exhausted all their strength to flee through the teleportation array to Yingzhou Island.

Unexpectedly, they encountered the Three Pure Ones there.

The Three Pure Ones were no easy opponents. Each of them was a great power destined to become the leader of a sect in the future.

Their methods were ruthless and their minds exceptional. How could ordinary people compare?

Sure enough, Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West were beaten brutally by the Three Pure Ones once again.

By now, Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West were in a miserable state.

They had spent countless efforts laying protective formations and teleportation passages across the three immortal islands.

Yet now, they could not hold on to even one of them.

Not to mention that they had been beaten several times in succession.

"Ahhh—!"

Eastern Prince Gong completely descended into madness.

The Queen Mother of the West had also been beaten until she was covered in wounds. She stared at Eastern Prince Gong, a cold glint in her eyes.

Thinking back, ever since she had been named one of the leaders of the male and female immortals alongside him, she had not enjoyed a single peaceful day.

She had run around for the Immortal Court, yet could not even command a few immortals of the Great Desolation.

What was even more hateful was that she had been humiliated in turn by the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Dijun, and others.

How could she continue to establish herself in the Great Desolation from now on?

At this thought, the Queen Mother of the West no longer wished to associate with Eastern Prince Gong. She transformed into a streak of light and headed straight for Western Kunlun.

Eastern Prince Gong, meanwhile, left this place of trouble in a daze. He would never set foot on the immortal islands of the East Sea again in this lifetime.

The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa and Fuxi, Dijun and Taiyi, and the others searched the three immortal islands from top to bottom, yet failed to find even one decent treasure.

Whether immortal herbs and spiritual roots or immortal fruits and magical treasures, everything had already been carried away.

"It must have been Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West who took all the treasures!"

"We absolutely can't let those two off. They swallowed so many treasures on their own—they must hand them over!"

"Go settle accounts with Eastern Prince Gong! The treasures of the Great Desolation belong to everyone. How can they be allowed to keep them for themselves?"

Everyone had personally witnessed Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West appear on the Three Immortal Islands.

If they had not taken the great opportunity on the islands, who else could it have been?

After the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Dijun, and the others, Zhenyuanzi, Minghe, and other great powers of the Great Desolation also discovered the Three Immortal Islands.

But the islands were empty, so their expressions naturally became ugly.

Upon hearing that the opportunities of the three islands had all been obtained by Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West, the great powers decided one after another to demand their share of the treasures.

It went without saying that the days ahead for Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West would only become even more miserable.

At the same time.

Hong Yun, who was cultivating in seclusion at Fire Cloud Cave, suddenly stopped his cultivation.

"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have successfully harmed your target and obtained the system reward, Mythical Grand Unity Technique: External Incarnation!"

A cold, mechanical voice echoed in his mind.

"Hahaha, the system reward is here!"

Hearing this voice, Hong Yun grinned, his heart filled with delight.

This meant that Eastern Prince Gong and the Queen Mother of the West must have suffered terribly because of him.

Otherwise, how could the system have judged that he had successfully harmed them?

"Mythical Grand Unity Technique: External Incarnation?"

With a thought, Hong Yun sensed the system's reward.

This time, it was neither a cultivation method nor an immortal treasure or spiritual root, but a technique.

Yet the power of this technique was extraordinary. After all, it bore the name "Mythical Grand Unity," far surpassing ordinary Heaven's Mandate divine abilities.

Hong Yun studied it carefully. Three days later, he finally comprehended it completely.

It turned out that the Mythical Grand Unity Technique could refine an incarnation.

However, this incarnation was completely different from ordinary clone techniques.

Ordinary clone techniques in the Great Desolation were commonplace and not at all unusual.

Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun's Severing the Three Corpses technique was far inferior to this Mythical Grand Unity incarnation.

The benevolent corpse, evil corpse, and self corpse refined through Severing the Three Corpses all possessed independent consciousness.

This was its greatest flaw.

The incarnation created by the Mythical Grand Unity Technique was different. It had no self-awareness whatsoever.

Only when personally controlled by the true body could it act in the Great Desolation.

There would absolutely be no danger of the incarnation disputing primacy with the true body or even turning against it.

It was simply astonishing.

Such absurdities could never occur with an incarnation created by the Mythical Grand Unity Technique.

Moreover, the strength of clones refined through ordinary clone techniques varied.

Some possessed only thirty percent of the true body's combat power, while others had no more than half.

But an incarnation created by the Mythical Grand Unity Technique was identical to the true body in every way.

Not only was its strength exactly the same, even its aura was indistinguishable. Even a Saint would find it difficult to tell them apart.

In this respect, it was somewhat similar to Ancestor Minghe's Netherworld Blood Sea.

If Minghe were to fall outside, he could be reborn from the Netherworld Blood Sea.

His strength and aura after rebirth would be exactly the same as before.

It could even be said that he would be the same person.

The same was true of the Mythical Grand Unity Technique. His consciousness was attached to the avatar, and the avatar was Hong Yun.

When his consciousness returned to his true body, his true body was Hong Yun.

The two could not appear in the world at the same time.

If the avatar fell, his consciousness would return to his true body.

"Sure enough, this Mythical Grand Unity Technique suits me perfectly!"

Hong Yun was exceedingly satisfied.

"However, the cultivation requirements are truly harsh!"

He could not help sighing again.

Not just anyone could refine this avatar.

It required an incomparably vast amount of spiritual power to support it.

Fortunately, he controlled ninety percent of the Netherworld Blood Sea. With such abundant spiritual power, he had nothing to worry about.

"I'll break through to the first stage of foundation-building in the Mythical Grand Unity Method first!"

Hong Yun rose to his feet.

Although an external avatar was wonderful, if he could first reach the first stage of foundation-building, his cultivation would become twice as effective with half the effort.

Hong Yun had now brought every preparation to its peak.

Eighteen flowers of the fleshly body had bloomed, and eighteen flowers of the primordial spirit had bloomed as well. Both were complete and flawless.

Since returning from the East Sea, he had devoted himself to studying the laws of the Devouring Divine Ability. The flowers of law had increased from twelve to sixteen, a remarkable improvement.

With such a foundation, Hong Yun was brimming with confidence. He was certain he could break through the bottleneck of Mythical foundation-building in one stroke.

Rumble!

Hong Yun released every trace of aura within his body.

Inside Fire Cloud Cave, it was as if thunder were roaring and lightning flashing. The sight was extraordinarily shocking.

Boundless might spread from his body, and the pressure was suffocating.

Although his current realm was still the peak of Grand Unity, his combat strength was already no weaker than that of a Three Corpses expert who had just entered the Quasi-Saint realm.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

A moment later, three flowers of different colors appeared above Hong Yun's head.

The scarlet one was the flower of law, the deep-black one was the flower of the fleshly body, and the dazzling-white one was the flower of the primordial spirit.

In the blink of an eye, more than ten flowers of each type bloomed, dazzlingly resplendent.

But this was not yet the limit.

"Rise!"

Hong Yun let out a sharp shout as his bloodline, primordial spirit, and law power all surged to their peaks.

Half an hour later, the results appeared.

The flower of law settled at sixteen blossoms.

Eighteen flowers of the fleshly body bloomed.

The flower of the primordial spirit also reached eighteen blossoms, perfect and flawless.

"Gather!"

The three flowers above his head slowly converged.

"Condense!"

Hong Yun shouted again, his voice shaking the entire cave abode.

The Three Flowers Gathering at the Crown transformed into the embryonic form of a Grand Unity Dao Fruit.

Hiss, hiss, hiss!

The three types of flowers withered and faded at an astonishing speed.

Three days later, fifty-two withered flowers gave birth to a fruit the size of a baby.

The fruit was dazzlingly multicolored, its surface covered in intricate patterns. Dao imprints flowed through it, and it radiated a primordial aura.

This was the Mythical Grand Unity Dao Fruit!

Buzz!

At that moment, Hong Yun's aura suddenly soared.

The terrifying pressure nearly overturned Fire Cloud Cave.

Fortunately, he reined it in in time. Otherwise, the restrictions he had previously set up would have been completely unable to withstand this power.

"Success—the first stage of foundation-building!"

Hong Yun opened his eyes. Dao imprints flowed within their depths, profound and unfathomable.