The three immortal islands were mysterious and beautiful, ethereal and elusive, as if shrouded in immortal mist. They appeared and disappeared from view.
The island chain appeared in the Primordial World from time to time, then vanished again, its whereabouts impossible to pin down.
One day, Beichen's blessed paradise would appear openly in the Primordial World. When it did, it would cause an uproar and spark countless fierce struggles!
As Beichen understood it, only immortals with profound cultivation and a sound foundation could set foot on the Three Immortal Islands. After they appeared in the Primordial World, countless powerful beings landed there to seize treasures, resources, fortune, and opportunities. They had forcibly turned the three islands, once immensely wealthy, into "ruins."
Later, the Three Xiāo Fairies saw that the three islands suited the number of their trio. Though the islands had become ruins, they still held endless resources waiting to be unearthed. So they occupied them and made them their Dao Field.
The Three Immortal Islands in the East Sea were famous Dao Fields in the Primordial World, and they made the Three Xiāo Fairies renowned, their names familiar to countless cultivators.
Now, however, the Three Immortal Islands had become Beichen's Dao Field from the very beginning—and they were still in their original state, with exceptionally abundant resources. Their value and rank were immeasurably high.
In fact, in terms of blessed-paradise rank, they were no weaker than places like the Purple Heavens Palace and Buzhou Mountain. They were only slightly inferior to Mount Sumeru, the source of the Great Dao!
Beichen had long since seen through the Three Immortal Islands' potential. He had even considered establishing a sect here, founding a teaching and taking disciples, then standing as an equal to Hongjun's Purple Heavens Palace and making his mark on the Primordial World!
But everything had to be done step by step. Hongjun had taken more than ten thousand years to preach the Dao, establish his school, and divide up the teachings. If Beichen wanted to share the Primordial World with him, his own Dao Field would need time to develop as well.
Beichen wasn't impatient. He simply told Ling Cair and the other two to search for treasures, spiritual roots, and Primordial World materials, and to develop the islands' resources as much as possible, keeping them in hand for future needs.
In the days that followed, the three beasts worked diligently.
Ling Cair found countless Primordial World Purple Crystal Stones brimming with spiritual power. They were only a small grade below the Five-Colored Stone used in Mending the Heavens.
Yan Lie discovered a vast stretch of Chaos Soil and a spiritual root whose name he didn't know, but which looked extraordinary.
Mo Yuan, meanwhile, found nothing especially surprising. He did gather quite a lot of Primordial Qi Fiend Essence Gold and Chaos Fragment Innate Spirit Crystals—the same materials Beichen had once used to forge the Mysterious Sky Divine Dragon Pillar—as well as some other, less valuable metals for refining artifacts.
Yan Lie came to find Beichen, feeling a little excited. "Master, come with me and take a look at that soil and the spiritual-root seedling. What do you think they are?"
Guided by Yan Lie, Beichen left the main island of Penglai and went deep into Yingzhou Island. In a spot far below its center, he found soil of a purple-gold and crimson hue, wreathed in dense primordial Dao aura. It was indeed Chaos Soil, capable of nurturing the highest-grade innate spiritual plants.
Within that small patch of soil stood a foot-tall seedling, shrouded in Chaos Yuan Qi. Its colors alternated between gold and silver as it continually absorbed nourishment from the soil.
"Master, this Chaos Yuan Qi is extremely dangerous. Anyone who enters it will be torn to pieces in an instant!"
Yan Lie eyed the ten-zhang-wide patch of Chaos Soil warily. The Chaos Yuan Qi along its borders covered an area of about ten zhang as well!
"This is a spiritual root, the Yellow Middle Plum! It flowers once every Kalpa, bears fruit once every Kalpa, and ripens once every Kalpa. Only after a Kalpa can its fruit be eaten. Just one fruit is enough to reach the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm!"
"They say the Yellow Middle Plum grows on Kunlun Mountain. I never expected there to be one on Yingzhou Island, too!"
"Could this really be a Yellow Middle Plum seedling?"
Yan Lie was puzzled. How did Beichen know what it was?
Beichen stood before the seedling for a long time, his brow furrowed. "Strange. This Yellow Middle Plum seedling seems to have existed for countless years. Why hasn't it grown at all?"
Over the next three years, apart from cultivating, Beichen spent most of his time studying the seedling. But he still couldn't figure out why it had stopped growing!
Three years passed in a flash. One day, as Beichen meditated in a cave on Penglai Island, the system suddenly rang out with a clear chime.
"Ding! The system has detected that the final battle of the Dao-Devil War has begun. The Primordial World is shaken, and all races are gripped with unease!"
"Please choose."
"Option One: Leave the Three Immortal Islands and observe the Dao-Demon War. Reward: Great Dao Art of Evasion."
"Option Two: Stay hidden on the Three Immortal Islands and focus only on protecting yourself. Reward: Primordial World Innate Supreme Treasure, God-Slaying Spear!"
"What a setup. This system is really setting me up!"
Beichen muttered helplessly, "I choose option one!"
Option two was obviously out of the question. The God-Slaying Spear was a weapon of the netherworld, formed from the yin energy of the Creation Green Lotus's rhizome. It represented slaughter and the netherworld, and was one of the Demon Ancestor Luohu's most prized weapons. What would happen if he discovered the spear had suddenly flown away?
After making his choice, Beichen summoned the three beasts, gave them a few instructions, then slipped away from the islands and headed toward the dazzling golden light at the very center of the Primordial World.
"Ding! The host has left the Three Immortal Islands and entered the territory of Mount Sumeru. The host is about to observe the Dao-Devil War! Reward: Great Dao Art of Evasion!"
The secrets of an invisible Great Dao art entered Beichen's mind. He immediately began comprehending it, using its power to conceal himself atop a towering mountain.
From here, he could stay completely safe while watching the entire battle between Dao and Devil unfold.
"This Great Dao Art of Evasion really is miraculous. Even someone as powerful as the Demon Ancestor Luohu can't detect me watching from here!"
Beichen sat cross-legged on the mountaintop and gazed toward Mount Sumeru. There, a Immortal Slaying Sword hung from a ten-thousand-zhang peak in the east, an Immortal Slaughtering Sword from one in the south, an Immortal Trapping Sword in the west, and an Immortal Severing Sword in the north.
Four surging sword auras shot into the sky, joined together, and formed the Immortal Slaying Array.
At the center of the array stood gates and entrances. Killing intent filled the air, and a sinister wind howled.
The array's winds roared with terrifying force. Centered on Mount Sumeru, it shook the entire Primordial World.
As soon as the array appeared, countless powerful beings fled from it. Only four figures, accompanied by more than a dozen Grand Unity Golden Immortals of powerful lineage, swiftly approached.
A Daoist wrapped in black qi strode through the array, his body traced with swirling black patterns. His divine might was unmatched, and the killing aura around him was beyond comprehension. The sword qi parted around him, avoiding his side.
A song seemed to ring out from within the array:
"Neither bronze nor iron, nor steel, it lies hidden beneath Mount Sumeru. Why refine it by reversing yin and yang? Could fire not temper its edge? The Immortal Slaying Sword is deadly; the Immortal Slaughtering Sword brings doom. The Immortal Trapping Sword glows red in every direction. The Immortal Severing Sword's changes are boundless and wondrous—Grand Unity Immortals will stain their robes with blood."
Listening to the song, Beichen couldn't help letting his thoughts drift toward the array. As he watched, he began to comprehend it, thread by thread.
The array's image took shape in Beichen's mind, revealing countless mysteries. It was as if he were painting in his mind, gradually bringing the Immortal Slaying Array Diagram to life.
As the Primordial World's foremost killing array, the Immortal Slaying Array was terrifying. If he could grasp its secrets, it would greatly benefit him in his future battles across the Primordial World.
The Immortal Slaying Array Diagram was exceptionally rare, and Beichen naturally didn't want to pass up this opportunity. Although the four swords weren't in his hands, he still wanted to master the diagram first. If he ever obtained all four, setting up the array would then come naturally.
By contrast, even if he obtained the four Immortal Swords without the diagram, he wouldn't be able to unleash their full power.
Beichen spent half a month comprehending the array. On this day, four Daoists approached it. The one at their head summoned ten thousand clouds of auspicious light and thousands of streaks of radiant energy. Holding a bamboo staff, he shouted in anger, "Demon Ancestor Luohu, you set up this vile array on Mount Sumeru with sinister intentions. Your crimes deserve death—you are fated to face this calamity!"
The Daoist within the array shouted back, "Hongjun, you're talking nonsense! You're the one fated to face this calamity!"
"Today, I'll slaughter all of you and complete my path of killing, so I can attain sainthood!"
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