Three Pure Ones Travel the World

The Prehistoric World was boundless, and heaven and earth had only recently settled into form.

Since the brutal end of the Dragon-Han Primordial Tribulation, when the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin clans had withdrawn from the stage in gloom, tens of thousands of years had quietly passed.

Though the Calamity Fiend Qi pervading heaven and earth had yet to fully disperse, much of it had settled.

The shattered mountains and rivers slowly healed under the self-restoring Dao Rules, nurturing new Vitality.

The Prehistoric World had entered a brief yet rare period of peace.

This day.

Above the auspicious clouds stretching for thousands of miles across Kunlun,

Three majestic, pure Immortal Lights containing supreme Dao intent leisurely roamed heaven and earth,

Taking in the sight of mountains and rivers being reforged after the great war.

They were the Three Pure Ones, transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, blessed with Heaven-Opening Merit and possessing foundations and fortunes that ranked among the very finest in the Prehistoric World.

The three traveled side by side, yet their bearing and thoughts differed greatly.

At the center was their eldest brother, Taiqing Laozi.

His face was handsome yet somewhat youthful. Yin-Yang Qi drifted around him like faint gray-white currents, winding through his hair and robes as they flowed freely.

His eyes were as clear as snowmelt from Kunlun Mountain's peak, reflecting the vast land below.

Mountains and rivers, vegetation and insects, even the circulation of Earth Veins and the rising of Spiritual Qi—all entered his eyes and were reflected in his heart.

His expression was calm and detached, neither joyful nor sorrowful.

He seemed like a mere passerby, quietly watching heaven and earth unfold their own Dao, watching all things live and perish of their own accord.

Whenever he saw Malevolent Qi still seeping from severed Earth Veins, he merely frowned slightly.

It was as though he were pondering the principles behind the waxing and waning of Yin and Yang, with no intention of intervening.

To him, ruin was also part of nature, and insight was cultivation.

Half a step behind him stood the second brother, Yuqing Yuanshi.

He wore a plain silver-gray Daoist robe.

Only simple Cloud Patterns adorned its collar and cuffs. A small azure jade crown rested atop his head, while an Innate Pure Qi Crystal flickered faintly between his brows.

His features were heroic, his brows sharp as blades, and he naturally exuded an imposing, inviolable air of nobility.

Yet at this moment, his handsome brows were slightly furrowed as his scrutinizing gaze swept across the land below.

The mountains and rivers were indeed healing.

Yet enormous claw marks, bottomless sword craters, wastelands scorched by true fire into a glassy state,

And faint Blood Fiend Qi that refused to dissipate could still be seen everywhere.

To Yuanshi, who was born to revere Order and despise chaos and filth,

Such scenes were like ink splashed across a scroll of pristine white silk, unbearably glaring.

"Though the tribulation has passed, its poison remains."

Yuanshi parted his thin lips. His voice was clear, yet it carried a trace of barely perceptible disgust.

"Heaven and earth are without Order, and all things are covered in dust. This is truly not the Path of Purity."

He subconsciously raised a hand and straightened his already immaculate sleeve, as though brushing away dust that did not exist.

He even felt the urge to straighten the twisted, broken mountain ranges below,

To purify the muddy pools, to gather every discordant thing beneath its proper Order.

Unfortunately, though his cultivation was high, he was still far from capable of reshaping mountains and rivers with a single thought.

He could only shake his head inwardly and suppress his displeasure.

The most lively of the three was Shangqing Tongtian, traveling on the other side.

His black hair had not yet reached his shoulders. He wore Black Martial Attire and carried an ordinary-looking Iron Sword at his waist.

He was like a walking flame, brimming with vigor and curiosity.

Unlike his two elder brothers, who observed the broader currents of the world, Tongtian's attention was entirely drawn to all manner of strange and interesting things along the way.

"Eldest Brother, Second Brother, look! A Two-headed Spirit Flood Dragon has actually appeared in that mountain ravine! Huh? They're fighting? I'll go break it up!"

Before his words had even faded, he turned into a streak of red light and shot downward.

Before long, a chaotic commotion arose below.

Tongtian's shouts mixed within it. "Harmony is precious! Stop fighting! If you keep fighting, I'm drawing my sword!"

A moment later,

He flew back looking slightly disheveled, a few blades of grass caught in his hair, yet his excitement was undiminished.

"Done! I beat those two stupid flood dragons down until they agreed to make peace! Though they still need to discuss how to divide the territory..."

After traveling a little farther, he suddenly pointed at a patch of ground below that shimmered with seven-colored phosphorescence.

"Wow! What's that? Could it be gemstones left behind from the Ancient Battlefield?"

Before Laozi or Yuanshi could respond,

He shot down again to investigate. After a long while, he returned clutching a muddy shard of glass with not a trace of Spiritual Qi, scratching his head with an awkward grin.

"Uh... Looks like it's a broken Glazed Tile..."

Laozi merely gave him a faint glance. The corner of his lips curved almost imperceptibly before he continued contemplating heaven and earth.

Yuanshi, however, frowned ever more deeply and could not help speaking up.

"Third Brother! Your words and actions must have restraint! How can you leap about like a childish fool and lose all decorum? When you encounter living beings in conflict, it is enough to guide them. Why involve yourself personally and taint yourself with karma? And those useless stones are even less worth bending down to pick up. You only dirty your hands and feet for nothing!"

Tongtian did not care in the least. He casually tossed away the broken glass and grinned.

"Second Brother, you're just too rigid! When traveling the world, you can't merely look with your eyes. You have to touch with your hands and measure with your feet! What's wrong with stepping in when you see injustice? Maybe those two stupid flood dragons will become the guardian beasts of my mountain someday! And this broken stone looks pretty bright. I can set it into my sword hilt later!"

"You!"

Yuanshi choked on his anger, feeling that communicating with this reckless younger brother was simply impossible.

Laozi spoke at the proper moment. His voice was gentle, yet it naturally possessed a power that calmed the heart.

"Second Brother, Third Brother's nature is free and genuine. Acting sincerely also accords with the Dao's natural way. Third Brother, you should still consider your actions carefully and avoid inviting needless trouble."

He reprimanded them both equally, then lightly let the matter pass and continued onward.

Tongtian made a face at Yuanshi. He did restrain himself somewhat and no longer suddenly darted off.

Yet his black eyes continued to dart about, filled with boundless curiosity toward all things in heaven and earth.

From time to time, he plucked a strange leaf or scooped up a handful of clear spring water, amusing himself.

Yuanshi shook his head helplessly and silently took out a smooth tortoiseshell from his robes.

His fingers moved across it as he silently carved and calculated,

Seemingly seeking the proper traces of Order hidden within the chaotic phenomena of heaven and earth.

But Heavenly Dao was obscure at present, and the Tribulation had only just passed.

The secrets of heaven were even more shrouded in Chaos. His deductions came with great difficulty and often yielded nothing.

He could only put the tortoiseshell away in frustration and continue observing.

Thus, the Three Pure Ones traveled onward, taking in the sights of the Prehistoric World's first peace after the war.

Laozi saw heaven and earth, Yuanshi saw disorder, and Tongtian saw excitement.

Their Dao Hearts differed, so naturally what they saw and thought also differed, yet they traveled together without conflict.

This day, the three arrived above the East Sea Shore on their Cloud Top.

Before them stretched an endless azure sea, its waves rolling for thousands of miles. Water vapor met the heavens, vast and boundless.

From time to time, Giant Turtles turned over in the sea, sending forth a thousand streams of auspicious radiance.

In the distance, Immortal Islands drifted indistinctly amid the clouds and mist, presenting one of the rare peaceful immortal scenes of the Prehistoric World.

Tongtian took a deep breath of the salty sea breeze, spread his arms wide, and beamed with excitement.

"Heh! This East Sea is truly spacious! It's far grander than the pond beneath Kunlun Mountain! They say there are many strange islands beyond the sea, hiding plenty of Treasures. Want to go look for some?"

He was already rubbing his hands together, his gaze sweeping over the vague outlines of those islands as he wondered which one looked most likely to contain an Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Laozi nodded slightly, his gaze distant as though he were contemplating the Dao of supreme softness and supreme strength contained within the boundless waters.

Just then.

Without any warning, it was as if a tiny stone had been dropped into Yuanshi's heart-lake, sending sudden ripples through it!

It was neither a warning of danger nor a sensing of opportunity.

Rather, it was an exceedingly strange, exceedingly faint feeling of... a Variable? One that carried an indescribable pull.

That sensation was incredibly ethereal, as though it came from infinitely far away, yet also seemed right before him.

It faintly resonated with the Dao intent he himself upheld, in an extraordinarily obscure yet incomparably fitting way.

The Jade Purity Immortal Light that had been circulating steadily around him suddenly stalled slightly beyond his control, and the Innate Pure Qi Crystal between his brows abruptly lit with a faint glow.

Yuanshi suddenly halted his Cloud Top.

Clear surprise and confusion appeared on his handsome face.

His deep gaze involuntarily turned toward the depths of the East Sea, where the clouds and mist were thickest and the secrets of heaven most shrouded in Chaos.

It was as though he wished to pierce through layer upon layer of space and see exactly what lay at the source that had stirred his heart.

"Second Brother, what is it?"

Seeing this, Tongtian also stopped and leaned closer curiously.

Following Yuanshi's gaze, he saw nothing but clouds and sea.

"Did you find something good?"

Laozi also slowly turned his head.

His clear gaze settled on Yuanshi, carrying a faint question.

Yuanshi's brows furrowed slightly.

His fingers once more began moving unconsciously as he attempted to deduce this sudden sensation.