"Heh, I didn't know Junior Sister was so calculating!"
Grand Pure Lord of Morality muttered under his breath. They had blamed Mystic Turtle for their failure to gain merit today and treated him as an enemy. None of them had expected Nuwa to think of taking him as her disciple and tying herself to the cause and effect of the Heaven and Earth Great Dao.
It was indeed a clever idea!
Even Grand Pure felt ashamed. "Taking Mystic Turtle as a disciple would be much better than making an enemy of him. How did I not think of that?"
Yuanshi and Tongtian were also stunned. "Taking him as a disciple is a good idea!"
"Daoist Nuwa, Mystic Turtle isn't suited to be your disciple. Please give up on the idea!"
Beichen refused outright.
"Phew!"
The other three Destined Saints let out long sighs of relief, feeling much more at ease.
"Mystic Turtle Daoist, why won't you join my sect? Our master is Old Ancestor Hongjun, who will soon become a Saint! He'll find his Dao before long. With a Saint to guide me, how could I possibly begrudge you the benefits?"
Nuwa spoke sincerely. She wanted to take Beichen as her disciple to secure benefits for herself, but she also thought highly of him!
"Daoist Nuwa, forgive my bluntness, but you aren't qualified to be Mystic Turtle's master. In fact, Mystic Turtle might be able to offer you a bit of guidance on becoming a Saint!" Beichen wore a mischievous grin.
"What? Becoming a Saint?"
Nuwa froze. She was only at the late stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm and hadn't even entered the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm—becoming a Saint was something she hadn't yet considered.
"Mystic Turtle Daoist, do you know something of the heavenly secrets?"
Nuwa was perceptive and didn't dare let this matter pass. She hurriedly asked him.
"Heh, if it's a heavenly secret, then it can't be revealed. Please don't dwell on it, Daoist Nuwa!"
Nuwa was puzzled. After pondering for a long while, she nodded. "Very well. Since Mystic Turtle Daoist doesn't wish to take me as his master, let's leave it at that."
Beichen didn't let Nuwa leave. Instead, he drew her into a long chat. They talked for decades.
From Nuwa, Beichen learned that the Primordial World had already endured the Creation Tribulation and the Dragon-Phoenix Initial Tribulation, while the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation had yet to begin.
This time, the sky had collapsed and the earth had split because the world was unstable. It wasn't because Gonggong had broken Buzhou Mountain during the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation, causing the heavens to fall!
After thinking it over, Beichen found it reasonable. The version where Gonggong broke Buzhou Mountain and Nuwa mended the heavens came from the stories of his previous life and wasn't accurate at all.
That had only been a small-scale collapse of the heavens. It hadn't required Mystic Turtle's feet to support the Four Poles.
So the sky's collapse, the earth's splitting, and Nuwa's mending of the heavens had happened before the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation, not after it!
That meant the world Beichen faced would have to endure the Witch-Demon Tribulation!
This tribulation was terrifying. Beichen couldn't help but feel a chill in his heart. "Daoist Nuwa, you said your master hasn't become a Saint yet?"
"That's right. My master, Hongjun, is a Quasi-Saint."
"Heh, since the Dao Ancestor hasn't become a Saint, he hasn't begun preaching!" Beichen put on an air of mystery and revealed a heavenly secret. "When your master becomes a Saint, he'll open his palace and preach the Dao. Perhaps we'll be listening in the same hall then!"
"Oh? Is that so?" Doubt flickered in Nuwa's eyes, but she didn't dare contradict Beichen. "Then I'll wait for you in the Zixiao Palace, Daoist."
"We'll see when the time comes. You have the advantage of proximity, so it'll be easy for you to listen. We outsiders will have to cross countless stretches of Chaos Void and face thousands of trials to hear the Dao Ancestor preach. Whether Mystic Turtle can reach the Zixiao Palace is still uncertain!"
"Then you should work hard at your cultivation, Mystic Turtle Daoist. If you can reach the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, your chances of crossing the Chaos will increase greatly."
Nuwa understood as well. If he were only in the Golden Immortal Realm, he would be wiped out in the Chaos Turbulence. He wouldn't even qualify to reach the Zixiao Palace!
Afterward, Nuwa left this vast sea.
She had failed to take Beichen as her disciple and had instead received his guidance. She felt quite helpless.
"Senior Brothers, let's head back," Nuwa said calmly.
Primordial Lord of Heaven didn't answer her. He looked at Grand Pure Lord of Morality instead. "Senior Brother, should we make a move against this Mystic Turtle?"
Grand Pure pondered for a moment, then slowly shook his head. "Yuanshi, did you notice that the place he lives is an evolution of a Dao Fragment? The many causes and effects tied to him are connected to that island. If he doesn't leave it, there's nothing we can do to him!"
"The three of us aren't strong enough yet. We can't risk opposing the Chaos Great Dao protecting him. We should leave for now and reconsider this another day." Grand Pure narrowed his eyes. "If he ever leaves the Three Islands, we can kill him then!"
Unfortunately, Beichen had no intention of leaving the Three Islands.
The Three Islands were his safe haven. He'd have to be out of his mind to leave them.
Beichen also understood that before the Witch-Demon Tribulation began, demons and monsters would already be everywhere in the Primordial World. Countless beings there had reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, and some with powerful origins had even entered the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm before these four Destined Saints.
With his meager cultivation, he'd better lie low and focus on training. He absolutely couldn't wander around recklessly!
Otherwise, he might end up as someone else's "free meal" in an instant.
The four Saints traveled together, leaving the place and heading straight for the Zixiao Palace.
With a mere thought, Beichen concealed the Three Immortal Islands, making them vanish from sight. Even Saints could barely detect their existence!
However, in the current Primordial World, Hongjun had yet to prove his Dao. No Saint had appeared yet, unless some extraordinary power was concealing their presence.
"Time to cultivate properly. With these Three Great Paradise Lands at my back, I should make good use of them and advance quickly. Once I'm powerful enough, I can go out and stir things up! That'll be a lot of fun."
Beichen didn't want to stay here as a bored turtle. He was only lying low for now. Once he grew strong, he'd go out and have some fun.
There'd be plenty of fun in getting involved in other people's business, rescuing decent folks, and putting shameless bullies in their place.
Unfortunately, without strength, there was no point in thinking about it.
So Beichen settled down to cultivate. Every day, he absorbed spiritual energy, gathered Dao power, and comprehended the Dao principles of the Three Islands, along with the laws of Heaven and Earth hidden within them.
Three thousand years passed in a flash. Beichen successfully reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, but only its early stage. He was still quite weak.
However, as his realm advanced, the Universe Great Dao Mystic Turtle Shell bestowed by the system grew even harder. Its defensive power was tremendous.
His Boundless Immortal Body of the Great Dao was also a body of origin. It was several levels above his own cultivation and could stand against even someone in the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm.
"Keep cultivating!"
Another three thousand years passed. Beichen finally advanced to the middle stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal Realm, but he still hadn't heard that Hongjun had proved his Dao.
One day, Beichen looked out beyond the Three Immortal Islands and noticed that the sea seemed unfamiliar.
After examining it carefully, he realized that he was in the East Sea!
"The East Sea?" Beichen seemed to realize something. His gaze drifted farther east.
The Three Immortal Islands often drifted across the East Sea. They had appeared in the North Sea only because the system had bestowed them upon him. Now they had returned!
But Beichen knew they had only just come back. There had to be a reason for their return this time.
"Is that the Fusang Divine Tree?" Beichen's heart sank. "Those two Golden Crows are cultivating in the tree!"
Before you continue