Sensing that he had advanced further within the Late Golden Immortal Stage, Yellow Dragon could not help thinking, A Sage's sermon is practically a cheat.
Each time Yuanshi preached, he laid countless laws bare and fed them to his disciples bit by bit. Laws that had once been difficult to comprehend now seemed theirs for the taking. They absorbed them into their cultivation, advanced rapidly, and built foundations without the slightest instability.
By the time all the disciples awoke from the sermon, several months had passed.
From his cloud couch, Yuanshi said calmly, "This is your first time hearing the teachings of the Sect of Elucidation. Cultivate diligently and strengthen your foundations."
"I hope you will soon gather the five qi within your chests and attain the immortality of a Golden Immortal!"
Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi was clearly pleased with his disciples. South Pole Immortal Elder had reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage, Guangchengzi was in the Taiyi Realm, and Yellow Dragon was at the Late Golden Immortal Stage. As for his newly accepted disciples, Yuding, Taiyi, and the others, each possessed extraordinary potential and abundant fortune. Once they comprehended the Yuanshi Golden Canon and transformed all their Magic Power, they could attain immortality through the teachings of the Sect of Elucidation. Every one of them had a chance of becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal.
His gaze swept over the disciples. It rested briefly on South Pole Immortal Elder before settling on Guangchengzi. "Nanji, you are already a Great Luo Golden Immortal. You should contemplate the Great Dao and attain the Quasi-Saint realm as soon as possible."
A lamp made entirely of glazed crystal appeared in Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi's hand. He addressed Nanji. "This Jade Void Glazed Lamp ranks among the finest innate treasures. When its wick is lit with the power of life, it resonates with the Great Dao of Life, which accords with your path. I grant it to you to safeguard your cultivation."
"Thank you for the gift, Master!"
Sensing the traces of Dao resonance drifting from the Jade Void Glazed Lamp, South Pole Immortal Elder bowed respectfully and reached out to accept it.
Yellow Dragon watched South Pole Immortal Elder with envy. The entire Dragon Race possessed only a handful of innate treasures of such quality. The Three Pure Ones truly were the wealthiest in the Primordial World; even the treasures they gave their disciples were top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Under the eager gazes of the disciples, Yuanshi turned to Guangchengzi. "You have followed me since you first came into being, cultivated my teachings, and inherited my legacy. From now on, you will be the senior disciple of the Sect of Elucidation and oversee its rules. When I am absent, you must take responsibility for guiding your junior brothers."
With the senior disciple appointed, two streaks of treasure light flew from Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi's sleeve toward Guangchengzi.
"These are the Male and Female Swords and the Purple Ribbon Immortal Robe. Both rank among the Innate Upper Grade. Cultivate diligently and study them well."
"Thank you for the treasures, Master! I will lead my junior brothers in diligent cultivation and never bring shame to your name!"
Guangchengzi accepted the two treasures in excitement and made his promise to Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi.
Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi nodded, then turned to Yellow Dragon. "You were born when the Earth Veins gained sentience, yet you took the form of a dragon and inherited the Dragon Race's Karmic Hindrance."
"Through great perseverance, however, you nurtured heaven and earth and earned the Heavenly Dao's reward. You used merit to dispel that hindrance, a path well suited to your Dao. From now on, you must work even harder to preserve the workings of heaven and earth and nurture all living things."
"I obtained this Creation Gourd from the Innate Gourd Vine on Mount Buzhou. It can refine all things and return them to their origins. I also gathered the Essence of the sun, moon, and Stars and refined it into the gourd, allowing it to absorb their power and condense Three Lights Divine Water. It will help you nurture all things."
"Thank you for the treasure, Master!"
Yellow Dragon accepted the Creation Gourd at once. Hesitating for even a ten-thousandth of a second would have been disrespectful to this treasure.
Three Lights Divine Water! It's the finest divine water in the Primordial World, whether for healing wounds or cultivating Spiritual Roots.
Yellow Dragon examined the Creation Gourd in his hand. Its ability to return things to their origins already placed it among the finest Spirit Treasures, and it could also condense Three Lights Divine Water. That water was the foremost divine water of the Primordial World, formed when heaven and earth first came into being. After several great tribulations, some had been used when Nuwa created humans. Following the Investiture of the Gods, it had all but vanished from the world.
According to legend, only Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi still possessed Three Lights Divine Water, and he had even bestowed some on his disciples. The sweet dew that Guanyin—now Cihang—used to save Zhenyuanzi's Ginseng Fruit Tree during the Journey to the West was actually Three Lights Divine Water.
Otherwise, Zhenyuanzi would never have let that monkey Sun overturn the Ginseng Fruit Tree so easily.
Yuanshi saw that Yellow Dragon was still examining the Creation Gourd. He shook his head and left him to it, then turned to the other disciples and bestowed several Innate Spiritual Treasures on them.
Finally, Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi addressed Taiyi and the others. "Now that you have received teachings and Spirit Treasures, you should establish your own places of cultivation on Kunlun Mountain. Cultivate the Great Dao and refine your treasures. You may each choose a place where Dao resonance gathers."
"Remember, Kunlun Mountain has many Spirit Mountains. Do not quarrel with your fellow disciples over them and damage your bonds."
He then instructed Guangchengzi and Yellow Dragon, "As their senior brothers, take your junior brothers to find places they favor, establish cave abodes, and cultivate in peace."
"We obey your decree, Master!" the disciples answered in unison.
When they left the Jade Pure Palace, they saw hundreds of Jie Sect Disciples emerging from the Upper Pure Palace and dispersing across Kunlun Mountain. Clearly, they had the same goal: to choose a Spirit Mountain for a place of cultivation.
As the senior disciple, Guangchengzi could hardly let his junior brothers fall behind. He summoned a streak of light, swept Taiyi and the others along with him, and sped into the mountains.
Seeing that Guangchengzi had taken all their junior brothers, Yellow Dragon was happy to be spared the trouble. He summoned an Auspicious Cloud and leisurely headed back to his own place of cultivation.
From above the clouds, Yellow Dragon surveyed Kunlun, home to three Sages. Its abundant spiritual energy had condensed into liquid and mist, and Dao resonance flowed through its peaks. Cultivating on any mountain here would be far better than cultivating on a Spirit Mountain elsewhere.
Rare flowers and grasses covered the slopes, breathing out rosy light and filling the air with medicinal fragrance. Immortal cranes soared overhead, spirit apes leaped across ravines, and strange beasts slipped through the undergrowth. It was a scene fit for immortals.
Yet Yellow Dragon watched Jie Sect Disciples who had taken human form from various beasts sweep through like locusts. They devoured Immortal Herbs and Medicines rich in spiritual energy, along with one Spirit Beast after another.
Yellow Dragon sighed. At this rate, Kunlun would soon become a foul mess, and its beautiful mountains would be lost.
He accelerated his Auspicious Cloud and passed everyone. Then he wielded his Magic Power, forming enormous hands that gathered the rarest medicinal plants and Spirit Beasts from the peaks, as well as some of the more common ones. He placed them in the Mysterious Yellow World to bring it a little more life.
At the same time, he left enough behind for Kunlun's native creatures to replenish their numbers. Once the Three Pure Ones parted ways and the Interception Sect moved away, he could let them return to Kunlun.
By the time Yellow Dragon had flown halfway around Kunlun, many peaks had been claimed, and he had gathered most of the mountain's living creatures. If he kept going,
a Jie Sect Disciple might see him and assume he was stealing their opportunities. That could spark a conflict between the two sects, and he would have no way to explain himself.
One day, as Yellow Dragon prepared to return to his place of cultivation, a conflict broke out among a cluster of peaks on Kunlun Mountain's northwestern slope.
Several peaks stood there amid curling spiritual mist. Their terrain was striking, with a faint pattern of dragons and tigers converging. Their Dao resonance was even a little stronger than that of Yellow Dragon's mountain before he had set up its formations.
"I found this place first! Why are you Jie Sect Disciples trying to take it?" A sharp voice broke the mountain's quiet, edged with anxiety.
The speaker was a handsome middle-aged Daoist in a spotless white robe. He held a horsetail whisk, and pure immortal light shone around him. It was Taiyi True Person, a disciple of the Sect of Elucidation.
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