On the other side, after Jumang left, Donghua did not linger. Following his original plans, he continued his travels toward Buzhou Mountain, at the heart of the Primordial Continent.
The Primordial Wilderness was vast and boundless, and the long journey inevitably felt tedious.
The countless mountains and boundless marshes passing beneath his feet were, to him, no more than indistinct scenes flickering by across the world.
What truly brought a little color to this monotonous journey were the Innate Formations he encountered along the way.
Some were hidden in secluded valleys, others concealed among the clouds. Like riddles set by Heaven and Earth, they awaited those destined to solve them.
For Donghua, the process of deducing and breaking a formation, then entering to claim its treasures, was itself a fine way to seek enlightenment and pass the time.
It had to be said that the eastern Primordial Wilderness was rich in natural treasures and abundant in spiritual energy, with heavenly treasures seemingly everywhere.
Unrefined Innate Spirit Materials could be found almost anywhere among its mountains, rivers, and marshes, shimmering with a lustrous glow.
Every Innate Spirit Root and Spiritual Treasure was protected by an Innate Formation, waiting for someone fated to find it.
Though Donghua had not obtained any Top-grade Spiritual Treasures along the way, he had still gathered more than a dozen middle- and low-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures and Spirit Roots.
The most precious among them was the Fire Spirit Pearl, one of the Five Directions Spirit Pearls, like the Earth Spirit Pearl.
Donghua naturally felt no disappointment.
After all, most of the Top-grade Spiritual Treasures in the world had already fallen into the hands of Hongjun, the sole victor of the Dao-Devil War. The few that remained had long since been destined for others, mostly as treasures accompanying the various Innate Divine Beings from birth.
The unclaimed Top-grade Spiritual Treasures still in circulation were exceedingly rare, and without exception, they lay hidden within peerless deadly formations or Chaos restrictions. Only those with immense fortune and destiny could hope to find them.
Whether one encountered such a treasure depended entirely on a sliver of the unseen workings of fate.
Meanwhile, most of the Innate Divine Beings of Donghua's generation had also finished their secluded cultivation and entered the world, making their mark upon the vast stage of the Primordial Wilderness.
During his travels, Donghua had witnessed the Witch Clan expanding in all directions and establishing tribes in the wilderness. He had also heard much about the many races of the Primordial Wilderness.
The most widely circulated tales were of Di Jun and Tai Yi, who lived on the Sun Star.
Whenever the Witch Clan attacked weaker groups, the two often came to their aid, earning a reputation for righteousness among the Myriad Races.
Many groups, grateful for their kindness or awed by their power, willingly brought their people to join them and pledged allegiance, hoping to avoid the Witch Clan's attacks and find protection.
Donghua was not particularly surprised by this.
Di Jun had been born with the destiny of an emperor. His natural gift for leadership had been with him from the start, and even as his enemy, Donghua could not deny it.
Those who cultivated the Dao sought transcendence, not heartlessness.
In this turbulent, magnificent age, building a faction and gathering its fortune was a perilous undertaking, but it was also one path toward the Great Dao.
Some chose to keep to themselves, while others naturally chose the path of a hegemon.
Donghua's thoughts shifted. If events were following their original course,
East King Duke had probably already established a formidable faction in the East Sea, after the Dragon Clan's withdrawal.
After all, though the Four Seas were vast, they could not match the deep foundations of the Primordial Continent.
With East King Duke's Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivation, he ranked among the foremost of the Innate Divine Beings. Once the Dragon Clan withdrew, dominating the East Sea would be well within his reach.
And that was precisely the root cause of his death and dissolution in his original fate.
In the future, the Witch Clan would occupy the Primordial Continent, while Di Jun and Tai Yi could only use the Primordial Starry Sky as the foundation for their growth.
Looking across Heaven and Earth, beyond the continent and the starry sky, only the Four Seas would remain to be contested.
Kunpeng, who occupied the North Sea, would be confronted personally by Di Jun and Tai Yi, who would forcibly take a wisp of his true spirit and make him submit. No powerful figure ruled the West Sea or South Sea.
Thus, East King Duke, who had built a mighty faction in the East Sea, would become the final obstacle to the Demon Race's Heavenly Court unifying the Four Seas—and a thorn in its side that had to be removed.
His downfall had been fated from the moment he began building his faction.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Donghua.
Before he knew it, towering Kunlun stood before him.
Above the sea of clouds, the ancestral mountain range finally revealed its true form.
Rosy clouds encircled it like a sash, auspicious vapors streamed in countless strands, and its mighty Daoist aura surged through every inch of the void like a tide, inspiring awe.
Donghua stood with his hands behind his back atop the clouds, gazing at the ancient divine mountain before him, his heart stirred with longing.
Kunlun Mountain was already so towering. What kind of awe-inspiring sight would Buzhou Mountain be, the pillar that supported Heaven and Earth?
But he had something more important to do just then.
His gilded Daoist robes fluttered lightly as Donghua turned toward West Kunlun. Amid the clouds and rosy mists, jade towers and terraces appeared faintly, while pure yin energy streamed down like silk.
He had not come to pay a visit to the Three Pure Ones of East Kunlun. He had come to meet a fellow Daoist whose path aligned with his own: the mistress of West Kunlun, Queen Mother of the West.
Those who sought the Dao spoke of the four essentials: the Dao, companions, resources, and a place to cultivate.
The Dao was the foundation of the Great Dao, the vessel that carried one toward transcendence.
It meant the fundamental methods of cultivation, the Spiritual Powers and Techniques used to defend one's path, and an understanding of the Heaven and Earth Laws. Without the Dao, everything was like flowers reflected in a mirror or the moon in water: one would waste the years and never find the way in.
Companions were those who traveled the path together and shared in one another's fortune.
They were fellow cultivators who could compare insights and study the Great Dao together, and who were also bound to protect one another and face tribulations side by side. The Dao was not born in solitude, nor was the path walked alone; fate, too, did not arise in isolation.
Resources were the provisions of cultivation, the travel funds for seeking the Dao.
They meant everything required for cultivation, such as Spiritual Treasures, Spirit Roots, pills, and heavenly treasures. Without resources, one was like a boat without sails or oars: even with the ambition to reach the heavens, one could not cross the sea of suffering.
A place to cultivate was the foundation on which one established the Dao, a blessed realm in which to nurture it.
It meant a Daoist Ground or blessed land, affecting the abundance of spiritual energy, the presence of Daoist aura, and one's safety and fortune. Without a good place, one was like a tree without soil: however tall it might grow, it could never flourish.
With all four in place, each supporting the others, the path of the Dao could finally open wide.
Now, Donghua had clarified his Dao, secured sufficient resources, and settled on a place to cultivate. His foundation was firm as a rock.
All conditions were now met, and the Great Dao lay within reach. The only thing he lacked was a Dao Companion with whom he could walk side by side, share in one another's fortune, and cultivate the Great Dao together.
The best proof of this was Jieyin and Zhunti in the West. The two were fellow Daoists who stood by each other through life and death, binding their fortunes and even their paths to the Dao completely together.
It was through this united, selfless, and wholehearted support that they could make their great vow and, with immense resolve and wisdom, restore the impoverished West, ultimately becoming Saints side by side.
Queen Mother of the West had taken form from the innate source of pure yin. As yin and yang, she and East King Duke each represented one of the two paths, making them innately and perfectly suited to one another. She was the ideal choice for a Dao Companion.
Donghua rode the clouds to the borders of West Kunlun and was about to announce his arrival when a clear, ringing cry suddenly came from the Ninth Heaven.
Through the surging sea of clouds, the Three-legged Blue Birds emerged, scattering flecks of Clear Radiance as they spread their wings.
The Three-legged Blue Birds had red crowns and black eyes, and traced profound patterns through the air.
They gave a light beat of their wings. Countless strands of moonlight swirled in response, gathering before Donghua into a rainbow bridge that spanned the void.
"By Her Ladyship's decree, we welcome you, Senior, to West Kunlun."
The Azure Bird spoke with a celestial voice. The other two immediately took their places on either side, each carrying a branch of Kunlun jade, a leaf from a Flat Peach, and a Moon Laurel blossom in its beak. Together, they laid out a fragrant celestial path.
Before you continue