Refining the Origin, Opening the Altar to Preach the Dao

On the Sun Star, tens of thousands of miles away from the location of the Fusang Tree, within another Innate Formation, two massive Blood Cocoons enveloped two magnificent, divine three-legged giant birds.

Inside the giant birds, two primordial spirit phantoms floated.

Both primordial spirits were imbued with solar fire and possessed powerful auras. Although they were not yet fully solidified, their entire beings radiated an Imperial Aura, as if every gesture they made carried the intent to rule over the Primordial world.

Beside each Blood Cocoon hovered a trail of spiritual light—one a bell, the other a book—both being spiritual treasures.

These were none other than the masters of the Sun Star, whom East King Duke had searched for in vain: the future emperors of the Demon Race, Di Jun and Tai Yi.

"This Daoist has actually taken human form so early and possesses such cultivation; he has indeed stepped ahead of us brothers. Moreover, in the dark, I have a premonition that this person will surely be a formidable rival to us."

"Big Brother, we are practically the masters of the Sun Star. Perhaps we could have hidden the Fusang Tree so he wouldn't find it. Why didn't we do that, instead letting him gain the advantage for nothing?"

"If this Daoist didn't obtain something, he likely wouldn't have left easily. Our transformation is imminent, and we cannot afford any accidents. While an Innate Spiritual Root is precious, it is not something we cannot part with."

"Tai Yi, cultivate diligently. You must understand that successfully manifesting our Innate Dao Body is our top priority right now."

"Rest assured, Big Brother, Tai Yi understands. Once I have transformed and emerged in the future, I will certainly have a bout with this person."

East King Duke did not know that Di Jun and Tai Yi were hiding not far away. In fact, even if he had known, he would not have cared much. With his current combat power, he had no reason to fear two three-legged Golden Crows that had yet to take human form.

After leaving the Sun Star, he did not linger in the starry sky but descended directly onto the Primordial Continent.

He first arrived at his disciple's Daoist temple. When he arrived, Xuan Yang was still in the midst of cultivation. Seeing his Master, he emerged from seclusion to pay his respects.

"Late-stage Mysterious Immortal. Not bad; you have not been slack."

In a mere ten thousand years or so, Xuan Yang had broken through from the early-stage Mysterious Immortal realm to the late-stage, a full two realms. It was evident that he had been cultivating with great focus.

East King Duke was very satisfied with this.

"Thank you for the praise, Master."

"In that case, you shall return with me to Mount Fang Island in the East Sea."

East King Duke was eager to return and refine the origin of the Fusang Tree, so he did not stop along the way. Consequently, even with his disciple Xuan Yang in tow, the speed at which he returned to his Daoist temple was much faster than when he had arrived.

Tens of thousands of years had passed, and Mount Fang Island remained quietly hidden in the depths of the East Sea. However, since the immortal island had entered the world for so long, it was not entirely without change; many native creatures had been born on the island, though most had yet to take human form.

The propagation of living beings was a law of the Heavenly Dao, and East King Duke naturally would not interfere. Moreover, Mount Fang Island had indeed been a bit too desolate.

"Xuan Yang, you may establish a Cave Abode within Supreme Yang Mountain and cultivate well. A thousand years from now, I shall open an altar and preach the Dao for you."

"Yes, Master!"

After making arrangements for Xuan Yang, East King Duke returned to the Supreme Yang Dao Palace.

The Fusang Origin resided within his Primordial Spirit. As it concerned his path of the Dao, he did not want the slightest delay and prepared to refine it immediately.

With a thought, that fist-sized mass of Origin Qi appeared before him once more. It attempted to break free, but East King Duke cast several Magic Arts, instantly sealing it in place.

Next, he released strands of Pure Yang Energy, which swept toward the Fusang Origin like sharp blades, slicing and breaking down the mass of Origin Qi. Given East King Duke's current strength, he dared not attempt to merge such an external origin into his own all at once.

Especially with a top-tier spiritual root like the Fusang Tree, even though they shared the same Yang attribute, he dared not be the least bit careless. A single misstep could cause his own origin to collapse, leading to his death and the dissipation of his soul.

He slowly broke down the Fusang Origin, only then allowing it to merge bit by bit into his own Pure Yang Energy origin. Although there was some repulsion between the two origins, East King Duke's ability was sufficient to suppress it.

After one hundred days of effort, he had completely merged the mass of Fusang Origin into himself.

However, this was far from finished. The next step was the process of refinement—to refine this mass of Origin Qi and fuse it with his own origin, only then allowing his Pure Yang to transform into Supreme Yang.

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. East King Duke had been in seclusion the entire time, refining the origin. On this day, spiritual energy surged above the Supreme Yang Dao Palace, and a formidable pressure emanated outward, causing all living beings on Mount Fang Island to prostrate themselves.

Inside the Dao Palace, a smile appeared on East King Duke's face.

The Fusang Origin had been completely refined. His origin was now full and had reached the state of Supreme Yang. It was only because the Supreme Yang Power was overflowing that it had involuntarily released this aura, which suppressed the entirety of Mount Fang Island.

He reached out a hand and flicked a strand of magic power. The originally white Pure Yang Energy had turned a faint purple; in the span of a thousand years, the magic power within East King Duke's body had also finished its transformation.

"I am the Supreme Yang Dao Lord, East King Duke. Sensing that the living beings of Mount Fang Island are ignorant and do not understand the path of the Dao, I shall hold a lecture on the Great Dao in one hundred years' time. All living beings on Mount Fang Island may come to listen!"

The Dao Sound spread across the entire immortal island. The living beings, previously startled by the pressure from the Supreme Yang Palace, were now filled with joy upon hearing that East King Duke was about to preach the Dao.

Most of the beings on Mount Fang Island had not been born for long. They had only heard that there was a High Immortal's dojo atop the Divine Mountain in the center of the island, but none had ever seen it. From the aura that had just compelled them to worship, it was clear that the High Immortal on the mountaintop was undoubtedly a powerful senior expert.

Most of the beings on the island lacked innate inheritance; how could they miss the chance to hear a powerful expert preach?

"So the High Immortal on the Divine Mountain is called the Supreme Yang Dao Lord. With such power, he must be a great expert."

"Knowing we lack inheritance, he has specifically come out to preach the Dao. The Dao Lord is truly compassionate."

"We must hurry over; perhaps we might even be accepted as disciples under the Dao Lord..."

With a hundred years remaining until the lecture began, many beings had already set off toward Supreme Yang Mountain.

A hundred years passed in a flash. As the day of the lecture approached, the foot of the mountain was already filled with cultivators.

"Clang!"

The sound of the Dao bell rang out. Supreme Yang Mountain erupted with ten thousand zhang of light. At the entrance of the Supreme Yang Palace on the summit, East King Duke appeared upon the Dao Platform.

A ten-thousand-zhang phantom of his Primordial Spirit manifested above his head, looking down upon the beings at the foot of the mountain.

In an instant, pressure descended, and the crowd prostrated themselves on the ground.

"Greetings, Master."

"Greetings, Supreme Yang Dao Lord!"

"Rise and sit in silence. Listen to the Great Dao I am about to expound. You must contemplate it with your hearts. I shall begin at once."

The words of East King Duke reached the ears of every living being present, and all felt as if they were bathed in a gentle spring breeze.

"The Great Dao is formless, giving birth to Heaven and Earth; the Great Dao is emotionless, driving the sun and the moon; the Great Dao is nameless, nourishing all things. I do not know its name, so I force a name upon it: Dao. The Dao has purity and turbidity, movement and stillness; Heaven is clear and Earth is turbid, Heaven moves and Earth is still..."

East King Duke began with the interpretation of the Dao, moving from the shallow to the profound, from transcending the mortal to ascending to immortality. Every sentence was a golden pearl of wisdom, and every Dao Sound resonated in the ears of every living being present.

When a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal preaches, though it lacks the heaven-filling visions of the sages of later generations, it is still accompanied by ripples of immortal music, causing grass and trees to flourish.

As he spoke, the multitude gained their own insights. From time to time, creatures who had not yet attained a Dao body transformed into their true forms, and occasionally, cultivators entered a state of sudden enlightenment, breaking through their current realms.

From the mortal realm, entering the immortal realm, Earth Immortal, Heavenly Immortal...

The preaching gradually grew more profound, and the beings present slowly became bewildered. By the time he reached the True Immortal and Mysterious Immortal realms, few could understand; most only sensed the mystery without comprehending the meaning.

The preaching lasted for five hundred years, ending abruptly once the Golden Immortal realm was covered. The Dao Sound vanished, and the visions dissipated.

All the beings on Mount Fang Island had gained something. Seeing that his disciple Xuan Yang was already at the peak of the Mysterious Immortal realm and would soon break through to the Grand Unity Mysterious Immortal realm, East King Duke nodded in satisfaction.

"This preaching is now concluded. You must cultivate diligently. All beings of Mount Fang Island, remember: respect the heart of Heaven above and cultivate virtue below. Within this Daoist sanctuary, do not stir up unnecessary strife. Those who violate this shall be executed without mercy!"

"We respectfully obey the Dao Lord's decree!"

As the Lord of Mount Fang Island, East King Duke naturally set the rules for the immortal island. This murderous Dao Sound left all the cultivators present trembling with fear.