Lu Xuan Enters the Eastern Sea, Tongtian Seeks to Attain the Dao

Lu Xuan's purpose in heading to the Eastern Sea was also to search for the Three Overseas Immortal Islands. As for whether he could find them, that would depend entirely on luck.

The place where Dongwang Gong had established the Immortal Court was not Penglai Immortal Island among the Three Overseas Immortal Islands, but Mount Fangzhu in the Eastern Sea. Therefore, the Three Overseas Immortal Islands should still be concealed within the Eastern Sea at this time.

As for when they would emerge, Lu Xuan did not know. He only knew that during the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, Penglai Immortal Island of the Three Overseas Immortal Islands was home to three Daoists: One-Energy Immortal Yu Yuan, Golden-Winged Roc Winged Immortal, and the ascetic Fajie.

From this, it could be determined that the Three Overseas Immortal Islands were not too far from Golden Ao Island. Unfortunately, Tongtian had yet to establish his Daoist venue on Golden Ao Island. Otherwise, Lu Xuan would have had a rough coordinate to work from.

Even so, Lu Xuan continued all the way toward the Eastern Sea. It took him several hundred years before he finally reached its shores.

The moment he saw the vast ocean, he could not help but feel immensely refreshed. Of course, Lu Xuan had no urge to compose poetry.

But as time passed, that pleasant mood slowly vanished. In its place came a face full of helplessness and frustration.

"With an Eastern Sea this huge, I'm supposed to find a single island. And it might even be hidden by a grand formation. How is that any different from searching for a needle in the ocean?"

If later Primordial World novels had not all claimed that the Three Overseas Immortal Islands possessed inexhaustible Three Lights Divine Water and possibly even the Twelfth-Grade Pure World White Lotus, Lu Xuan might have given up right then.

Even so, Lu Xuan could not help muttering inwardly, I'll search for ten thousand years at most. If I still can't find it after ten thousand years, then it means I have no fate with it. At that point, I can't force the matter any longer.

After saying that, Lu Xuan raised a water shield and began searching the entire Eastern Sea inch by inch while skimming across its surface.

Lu Xuan's method was clumsy, but practical. He would search for the Three Overseas Immortal Islands in the most direct manner possible.

Meanwhile, Tongtian of Kunlun Mountain finally opened his eyes, ending a closed-door cultivation session that had lasted more than ten thousand years.

Hearing laughter ring out from Shangqing Peak on Kunlun Mountain, Laozi and Primordial Heavenly Venerable vanished from their respective Daoist venues without prior agreement.

When they reappeared, they were already within Tongtian's Daoist venue. Primordial Heavenly Venerable then spoke to the smiling Tongtian.

"Your second brother knows that you wish to possess a Heaven-Opening Supreme Treasure to suppress the Karmic Fortune of the sect you establish. I even believe that the Chaos Bell should belong to you, Third Brother."

"But the Chaos Bell is, after all, Taiyi's natal spiritual treasure. Unless he willingly offers it up himself, no one can take it from him."

"However, you need not worry, Third Brother. Just establish your great sect. The Witch-Demon Clans have already begun their first war. Had Master not intervened, that battle would have caused both clans to decline."

"Even so, a great war between the Witch-Demon Clans will be unavoidable. When that time comes, both Demon Race emperors and the Twelve Ancestral Witches will fall in that battle."

"Then your eldest brother and I will certainly help you obtain the Chaos Bell. At that time, the three of us brothers will each possess an Innate Supreme Treasure to suppress our sects' Karmic Fortune."

Primordial Heavenly Venerable spoke from the bottom of his heart. After all, Tongtian had not yet accepted those furred, horned, egg-born, and damp-born beings as disciples.

Thus, Primordial Heavenly Venerable was still a qualified elder brother at this time. He truly doted on Tongtian.

As for why he would later go so far as to scheme against Tongtian, Tongtian's disciples were one reason, while the Heavenly Dao was likely also stirring trouble in secret.

Tongtian still wore a simple-minded grin. In the end, he directly said, "Eldest Brother, Second Brother, your third brother wishes to attain the Dao through the Zhu Xian Formation. I ask you two brothers to protect me."

Hearing that Tongtian was finally going to attain the Dao, Primordial Heavenly Venerable could not help letting out a long breath. Yet he quickly noticed something wrong in Tongtian's words.

He immediately said to Tongtian, "Third Brother, what did you say? You want to attain the Dao through the Zhu Xian Formation? Are you completely certain?"

Tongtian shook his head. "I'm not completely certain, but I have at least a fifty percent chance. So I think it is worth trying."

Primordial Heavenly Venerable's face turned cold as he glared at Tongtian. "Nonsense! You can clearly establish a great sect and attain Sagehood through the Merit of founding it. Why take such a detour?"

"Quickly abandon that unrealistic notion. Establish your great sect properly, use the Merit of founding it to unite the Three Corpses, and invoke the Primordial Purple Qi to attain Sagehood."

Tongtian nearly blurted out that Hongjun had deceived them.

But recalling Lu Xuan's instructions, Tongtian swallowed the words that had reached his lips, and that simple-minded smile appeared on his face again.

"Let me try first. If it doesn't work, I can establish a sect afterward." Tongtian's eyes were filled with utmost sincerity.

Laozi, standing nearby, also said, "Second Brother, at worst, you and I can use Sage methods to conceal the heavenly secrets. Even if Third Brother fails to attain the Dao, no one else will know."

Primordial Heavenly Venerable sighed. "Since that is the case, let Third Brother give it a try. To be honest, I also hope you can succeed."

In truth, Primordial Heavenly Venerable, Laozi, and even the Western Two Sages had already sensed that they had not truly attained Sagehood through Severing the Three Corpses, but had instead become Sages through Merit.

They simply did not wish to expose that truth. After all, apart from those who had personally experienced it, no one knew the details.

Therefore, Primordial Heavenly Venerable also hoped that Tongtian could forge his own path. After all, after attaining Sagehood through Merit, their need for Karmic Fortune was simply too great.

It could even be said that after attaining Sagehood through Merit, the only way to improve one's cultivation was through Karmic Fortune. All other cultivation and Dao comprehension were empty talk.

Seeing that his eldest and second brothers had agreed, Tongtian's smile became even brighter. The three brothers immediately headed for the summit of Kunlun Mountain.

Laozi then raised the Taiji Diagram, while Primordial Heavenly Venerable raised the Pangu Banner, concealing all heavenly secrets within ten thousand li of Kunlun Mountain.

Then they both nodded at Tongtian, signaling that he could begin.

Tongtian likewise nodded heavily. With a thought, the Zhuxian Formation Diagram slowly descended from above his head to beneath his feet, finally merging with the earth.

As the diagram merged with the ground, four streams of baleful aura suddenly surged into the sky from the east, south, west, and north. They quickly condensed into four formation gates overflowing with terrifying baleful aura.

Immediately afterward, Tongtian pointed forward. Immortal-Slaying, Immortal-Killing, Immortal-Severing, and Immortal-Trapping Sword flew out from behind him at the same time.

The Four Swords of Zhu Xian spun rapidly three times above the formation diagram before hanging separately over the eastern, southern, western, and northern gates.

An even more majestic baleful aura then shot toward the heavens. Without the Taiji Diagram and Pangu Banner concealing the heavenly secrets, this disturbance would likely have alarmed half the Primordial World.

At the same time, Tongtian took a single step and arrived directly above the Zhu Xian Formation. He simply hovered there quietly above the grand formation.