The Three Immortal Islands of the East Sea were Penglai, Yingzhou, and Mount Fang. Penglai Immortal Island was the foremost of the three, and also the largest of the three celestial islands sent down by Heaven. In later ages, it would become the famous Sacred Land for Honghuang Rogue Cultivators.
Each of the Three Immortal Islands had its own wonders, but all were first-rate celestial islands. Mount Fang Island was his personal Dao Field, and held treasures like Three Lights Divine Water and the Innate Yin-Yang Dao Lotus. Penglai might not give birth to treasures of such quality, owing to the island's nature, but there should still be plenty of opportunities there.
In fact, Penglai's emergence was itself an opportunity, and East King Duke didn't want to miss it.
So, even though he could have crushed Ao Lie, he held back and headed straight toward the place he sensed.
Though he already had a sense of its location, Penglai Immortal Island was quite far away. With his early-stage Great Luo cultivation, even traveling with the Flying Rainbow Technique would take a considerable amount of time.
Still, though he could sense it, Penglai was far from fully emerging, so there was no need to rush.
Several days later, East King Duke reached the place he had sensed: an enormous stretch of the East Sea. As expected, there was no island in sight yet. Only the spiritual energy nearby was in turmoil, while auspicious light descended from the Ninth Heaven, illuminating the entire sea.
The phenomenon was truly magnificent. The cultivators nearby had already been stirred, all believing that a rare treasure was about to emerge. East King Duke swept the area with his Spiritual Sense. Many cultivators had gathered within ten thousand miles, including several Great Luo Golden Immortals. However, most had auras about as strong as that of the Ink Flood Dragon Clan's Great Luo from before. None matched Ao Lie's strength.
And certainly none were as powerful as him, a top-tier Great Luo Golden Immortal.
East King Duke paid them no mind. He sat suspended atop the Yin-Yang Dao Lotus beneath him, refining spiritual energy to cultivate as he waited for the island to emerge.
Pure Yang Energy swirled around him, radiating a powerful Innate Artistic Conception. Anyone could tell at a glance that he was a Great Supernatural Being. The cultivators who had come in search of treasure didn't dare disturb him; many even deliberately kept their distance.
Several years later, the phenomena over the sea grew increasingly intense. The waters surged and churned, accompanied by an Enchanting Dao Sound, as if something were about to burst up through the sea from below.
More and more cultivators gathered nearby. Besides the East Sea rogues, the Dragon Clan, Hegemons of the Four Seas, naturally wouldn't miss out.
East King Duke also spotted the Dragon Clan elder, Ao Lie. This time, Ao Lie was following another high-ranking Dragon Clan member. The one at the head wore a red robe, his face full of malice, and his aura was astonishing. He was already a Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal.
Judging by his appearance, and the fact that very few members of the Dragon Clan had reached such a level of cultivation, East King Duke roughly guessed who he was.
The Dragon Clan members noticed him too. Ao Lie exchanged a few words with the red-robed Great Luo. The latter nodded repeatedly and gave East King Duke a long look, but didn't approach.
For now, the two sides remained at peace, just as East King Duke preferred.
Another ten years passed.
On this day, rays of rosy light blazed across the sky as clouds of auspiciousness descended, gathering in ever-greater numbers until they slowly blanketed a vast stretch of sea. All kinds of celestial music rang out from within.
The clouds gradually dissipated. Through the mist, an island could be faintly seen, vast beyond measure, with no edge in sight.
When the mist cleared, Penglai Immortal Island appeared before them, shrouded by an Innate Great Array. Celestial mountains rose within, and immortal energy filled the air. Dao Scripts appeared every ten miles, while treasure light shone every hundred. Fragrant scents drifted out from time to time, refreshing the spirit.
Penglai Immortal Island had officially emerged.
At the sight of the island, the cultivators present erupted in excitement. Someone soon stepped forward, attempting to break through the array. Where there was one, there were others. In an instant, spiritual treasures flashed everywhere, and under countless attacks, even the Innate Great Array began to ripple.
The Dragon Clan also began leading its people in an assault on the array. East King Duke knew it was time for him to act as well.
He lightly tapped the lotus seat beneath him. Yin-Yang Two Qi trembled, and East King Duke rose into the sky, sweeping out a hand.
"Buzzz!"
The Pure Yang Sword flew out, transforming into a sword of Sword Qi ten thousand zhang long. Wreathed in Pure Yang Energy, it hung in midair.
"Break!"
The Sword Qi struck the array with the force of a mountain-splitting blow. A ripping sound rang out as a hole was carved in the array. With a flash, East King Duke entered the island.
Penglai Immortal Island was rich in spiritual energy, no less than Mount Fang Island. After landing, East King Duke flew onward atop the Innate Yin-Yang Dao Lotus.
Several years passed in a flash. East King Duke explored Penglai Island at an unhurried pace, finding plenty of spiritual roots and Spiritual Items along the way. He collected some of the finest ones. As for Innate Spiritual Treasures, he found none, but he wasn't disappointed. Innate treasures depended entirely on Destined Affinity; they couldn't be forced.
One day, his Divine Essence, still as calm as a pool of water, suddenly trembled. East King Duke's face lit up with delight. In a mountain valley, he found an Innate Formation.
He broke through the array and went inside, where a sweet fragrance wafted around him. One sniff made his Dao Body feel refreshed, and even his magical power increased a little. His spirits lifted. Following the scent, he came upon a hundred-zhang-tall tree that glowed all over with a dark yellow hue. Distinct lines of Dao Script ran across its trunk.
Flowers bloomed on the tree, shaped like lotuses, and nine fruits had already formed. They gleamed brilliantly, with the two Dao Script characters "Yellow Middle" inscribed upon them.
"Yellow Middle Plum!"
It was indeed the Yellow Middle Plum, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots. This Spiritual Root bloomed once every ten thousand years, bore fruit after another ten thousand, and only ripened after a further ten thousand. It took thirty thousand years to produce nine fruits. An ordinary living being only needed to smell one to attain the Dao and become an immortal; eating one could instantly make them a Taiyi Golden Immortal.
East King Duke was overjoyed. Even for him, a Da Luo Cultivator, these fruits could refine his magical power. They were immensely useful—a true blessing.
After plucking the nine ripe fruits, he put the Spiritual Root into the Chaos Bead, intending to plant it in his own Supreme Yang Dao Field.
Besides the Yellow Middle Plum, there were no other treasures in the formation.
Over the next hundred years, East King Duke found only two more Innate Spiritual Treasures—one low-grade and one mid-grade—and nothing else.
Still, the Yellow Middle Plum alone was an immense haul, and he was content.
As a top-tier celestial island, Penglai Immortal Island had now officially appeared before the living beings of the Primordial World. It held many blessed lands and Grotto-Heavens, but as a Heaven-ordained Dao Field for rogues, no faction could claim it for itself. Even the Dragon Clan, mighty Hegemons of the Four Seas, couldn't defy Heaven's will.
There were many celestial islands in the East Sea, most of them occupied by the Dragon Clan. Now that Penglai had emerged, it was a blessing for rogue cultivators across the Four Seas, and even throughout the entire Primordial World, to have such a sacred place for cultivation.
As soon as Penglai Immortal Island emerged, many powerful rogue cultivators with profound cultivation arrived. Some came to explore and seek treasures; others planned to establish their own Dao Fields on the island.
East King Duke explored for a hundred years and encountered many celestial mountains and blessed lands, yet never once considered claiming any of them. Mount Fang Island was already one of the finest blessed lands, and he had it all to himself.
He had no designs on Penglai's celestial mountains, but others were all eager to claim them. Along the way, besides powerful cultivators who fought over a spiritual treasure or Spiritual Root, he encountered many more who were competing for Dao Fields.
However, East King Duke didn't encounter any of the famous Great Powers of the Primordial World from later ages. The reason was simple: the top-tier Innate Divine Demons were born with their own Innate Dao Fields, just like his Mount Fang Island. Most of them were secluded in their respective Dao Fields, practicing cultivation.
After nearly two hundred years, he had finished exploring Penglai Immortal Island. He didn't linger any longer, and flew away in a streak of rainbow light, heading back to his own Dao Field.
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