Beichen led the cultivators through the Dao Fragment Domain and the Gale Domain.
Six-Eared Macaque was only at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, so Beichen used the light of the laws to shield him.
Mo Yuan and Yan Lie had already reached the peak of the late Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. This time, they passed through the two vast domains without suffering the slightest injury.
"Though our murderous karma should have kept us from listening to the Dao in the Violet Heaven Palace, we were fortunate to have our master's help. That's how we reached the peak of the late Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm in such a short time. We must always remember this kindness!"
Mo Yuan and Yan Lie followed behind, discussing it in low voices.
Ling Cair heard them and nodded slightly.
Since she had become Beichen's mount, the Heavenly Dao's karmic suppression had been offset, essentially restoring her freedom. She was even more grateful to Beichen.
However, as long as Mo Yuan and Yan Lie stayed on the Three Immortal Islands, surrounded by the endless fragments of the Great Dao's chaos, the Heavenly Dao's karmic suppression was extremely weak—if it existed at all!
After a hundred years of travel, Beichen finally returned the Ten Golden Crows and the Twelve Moon Maidens to the Sun Star. He also took Six-Eared Macaque on a tour of the Sun Star.
Seeing the magnificent sights on the Sun Star, Six-Eared Macaque repeatedly thanked Beichen. "Thank you, Mystic Turtle Daoist. I'd only heard of the Sun Star before and seen it from afar, but I'd never visited. Now that I've finally seen it, I can say it truly is extraordinary!"
Beichen opened the bottle and released all twenty-two living beings. There was no further movement inside it.
"Golden Crow, what happened to that aphid? Did you kill it?"
Beichen frowned, looking stern.
"No, Granduncle. That aphid was huge and very strong. Even our solar spirits couldn't kill him," the eldest Golden Crow replied. "He was incredibly nimble. With a quick whoosh, he disappeared. We don't know where he went!"
Only then did Beichen breathe a sigh of relief. "Good thing he didn't die! He probably hid among the magic treasures inside the bottle!"
The Universe Ruyi Bottle shimmered with divine light, and its interior seemed limitless. Even when Beichen activated the Divine Tortoise Eyes, he couldn't see everything inside, so he had no way of knowing what had become of the aphid.
"I'm returning to the Three Immortal Islands. Dijun, Xihe, keep a close eye on the Ten Golden Crows. Don't let them fly off the Sun Star on a whim!"
"Yes, as you command!"
"We, your four disciples, respectfully see you off, Master!"
The Ten Golden Crows chattered noisily nearby, while the moonlight around the Twelve Moon Maidens kept repelling the solar spirits on the Sun Star, throwing the place into some disorder. The four disciples had no choice but to bid Beichen farewell; they couldn't ask him to stay.
"Changxi, the Moon Maidens don't seem to be adapting well to the Sun Star's environment!"
Taiyi looked at the jubilant Ten Golden Crows, then at the Twelve Moon Maidens, who seemed utterly listless, and fell into thought.
"Little aunt, sisters, come play with us!" The Ten Golden Crows came over again to pester them. "Let's go bathe in the lake beneath the Fusang Tree. It's full of rolling waves of solar spirit water and abundant spiritual energy. It's a great place to cultivate!"
Seeing this, Changxi hurried to stop them. "Ten Golden Crows, go on without us. Don't bother your sisters!"
Scolded by their aunt, the Ten Golden Crows could only leave sheepishly. They all leaped into the lake beneath the Fusang Tree, bathing and playing in the water.
Changxi glanced at the lake and said, "Taiyi, the Sun Star is far too hot for the Moon Maidens. The Moon Star has been sealed by a great formation all these years, but no one lives there. Why don't we split up with my elder brother and sister and have our family live there?"
"Sure!" Taiyi glanced at the mischievous Golden Crows. "That's a good idea. Our whole family can move to the Moon Star!"
Afterward, Taiyi and Changxi discussed it with Dijun and Xihe, then went to the Moon Star. Both families were pleased with the arrangement.
Six-Eared Macaque followed Beichen onto the Three Immortal Islands, his monkey eyes darting everywhere in amazement. "What a blessed paradise!"
"This place is shrouded in Dao Fragments and tied to the source of Mystic Turtle Daoist's life. Within these islands, Mystic Turtle Daoist is the master!" Though Six-Eared Macaque's cultivation wasn't high, he saw through everything. "The Dao Fragments envelop this place, forming a strange world of its own. If Mystic Turtle Daoist conceals it, even a Saint won't be able to find this Dao Field!"
At this, Beichen activated the Dao laws and concealed the Three Immortal Islands. "That's why I left a Dao law for Old Ancestor Kunpeng. Only by following it can he find the Three Immortal Islands!"
By the time Hongjun's calculations indicated that Beichen should have returned to his Dao Field, Old Ancestor Hongjun made a divination to see where it was.
"It disappeared? Those Three Immortal Islands were Mystic Turtle's Dao Field, but now the islands have vanished from the world?"
Old Ancestor Hongjun was stunned.
"That Dao Field has slipped beyond the reach of Heaven's secrets. It can help Mystic Turtle evade the Witch-Demon Great Tribulation!" Old Ancestor Hongjun's brow remained furrowed. "The trouble is, now that the Dao Field has vanished, none of Mystic Turtle's actions are under my control!"
"I can't even find him. How can I kill him?"
"A variable—Mystic Turtle truly is a variable!"
This was the first time Old Ancestor Hongjun had ever felt so helpless. It was as if everything had suddenly slipped beyond his control. He was even more unsettled than he had been during the Dao-Demon War, when he killed Luohu.
"Heavenly Dao Eye!"
After pondering for a while, Hongjun conjured a Heavenly Dao Eye and suspended it high in the sky to watch over everything. The moment Beichen appeared, he would know.
"I refuse to believe you'll never show yourself. The moment you dare emerge, I'll immediately divine your whereabouts, uncover everything, and find a way to kill you!"
In the Chaos World lay an immense land steeped in the aura of antiquity, complete with mountains, rivers, and plains stretching as far as the eye could see.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches lived in this world, murderous auras swirling around them as they dreamed of ruling the entire Primordial World.
Houtu walked into a mountain hall. The other eleven turned their eyes to her. "Little sister, how was listening to Hongjun's lectures?"
Houtu shook her head. "I didn't understand any of it!"
"Hahaha! Little sister Houtu, we Twelve Ancestral Witches are true descendants of Great God Pangu. We were born between heaven and earth with mighty physical bodies. Dao Ancestor Hongjun cultivates the Dao of the primordial spirit. I told you there was no point listening to his lectures!"
Dijiang's body was yellow as a sack and red as cinnabar. He had six legs and four wings, and his face was a featureless blur of chaos. He laughed and vanished through space from time to time.
As the Ancestral Witch of space and speed, this was a habit of Dijiang's.
"Little sister Houtu, there's no need to listen to Hongjun's lectures anymore. Our eldest brother said that the Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin Tribes once ruled the Primordial World. What did Hongjun amount to back then?" Zhurong was somewhat hot-tempered. "We Twelve Ancestral Witches are Pangu's true descendants, so we should rule the Primordial World too. Soon, we brothers will go to war against the myriad races and seize control of the Primordial World!"
The other Ancestral Witches also spoke up, urging Houtu not to attend the lectures again.
"Brothers, in three thousand years, Old Ancestor Hongjun will lecture on the Quasi-Saint Dao. I plan to go and listen one last time! You can focus on your campaigns. Houtu will help from the sidelines as well!"
"Very well! That's fine too!"
The Twelve Ancestral Witches continued planning how to exterminate the countless Demon Race clans and bring the Primordial World to heel, saying no more on the subject.
A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. With the help of the tortoiseshell that accelerated his learning, Six-Eared Macaque listened to the lectures on the Three Immortal Islands. In just a thousand years, he absorbed three thousand years' worth of the Great Dao and advanced from the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm to its consummate stage, astonishing everyone.
Mo Yuan and Yan Lie also listened to the recordings of the Great Dao in the tortoiseshell and completed their cultivation of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
One day, Six-Eared Macaque found Beichen and said, "Mystic Turtle Daoist, words can't express my gratitude. I have a suggestion I'd like to share with you. Would you be willing to hear it?"
Before you continue