Beyond Purple Star, Hongjun Visits

Stepping out of the Netherworld, as the light of the Primordial World reappeared before them, the smile on Qing Xuan's face gradually faded.

Having crossed only a few stretches of mountains and rivers near the Netherworld, Qing Xuan had already seen three battlefields where fighting had only just ended.

Mountain ranges that had once stretched for countless miles had been broken through the middle. Rivers had changed course, while lingering Dragon aura and Phoenix fire had turned vast tracts of land into scorched earth.

There were no living beings left on the battlefields.

Qing Xuan did not stop to inspect them.

There would only be more and more places like this across the Primordial World. Seeing one more would change nothing.

This time, the two did not visit any other places in the Primordial World.

Several thousand years later, amidst the celestial stars, two figures passed through the great formation outside the Purple Emperor Star and returned to the recently established dojo.

The valley that had been empty when they departed was now covered in lush greenery from the spiritual roots transplanted from the Three Isles.

The Twelfth-Grade World-Cleansing White Lotus stood in the central Lotus Pond, its petals shimmering with golden, silver, and violet waterlight.

Sensing Qing Yi's return, the White Lotus swayed without wind, spreading a swath of pure Dao light.

Qing Yi raised her hand, and the Twelve-Petaled Karmic Fire Red Lotus flew from her Dao Domain.

The moment the crimson lotus throne approached the Lotus Pond, the formerly gentle and tranquil Purifying World White Light brightened.

Transparent karmic fire rose along the twelve lotus petals. The two utterly different powers met above the pond, briefly locking in a stalemate without truly clashing.

A thread of azure creation Dao essence fell from Qing Yi's fingertips.

The Purifying World White Light and the red lotus's karmic fire converged along that strand of azure light.

The Three Lights Divine Water in the pond silently parted to either side. One side remained clear and immaculate, while the other reflected crimson firelight, yet the deepest water veins still remained connected.

The Twelve-Petaled Karmic Fire Red Lotus slowly descended into the pond.

The two lotus thrones, born from the same source, each occupied one side. Their flowers and leaves gently swayed, and their Dao auras gradually settled through repeated exchanges.

After settling the Karma Fire Red Lotus, the two did not leave the Purple Emperor Star again.

Until one day, a visitor appeared outside the dojo.

That aura was not powerful, yet it carried an extremely familiar Dao essence.

Wherever it passed, the surrounding starlight shifted its course of its own accord.

Qing Xuan stopped, surprise appearing in his eyes.

He exchanged a glance with Qing Yi, then stepped into the starry sky with her.

Layer upon layer of great formations opened before them, and violet starlight spread outward to form a long road.

At the end of that road, an elderly man in plain Daoist robes stood quietly among the stars, holding a whisk.

Several Epoch Cycles had passed since they last met, yet Hongjun had not changed much.

As the young Daoist watched the two approach along the star road, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

"It has been a long time. The two of you have advanced yet again."

"Are you not the same, Fellow Daoist?"

Even though he had now reached the twentieth heaven of Great Luo, Qing Xuan still could not see through just how far Hongjun had progressed.

However, he could sense that Hongjun had become vastly stronger than when they had discussed the Dao on Buzhou Mountain.

Hongjun smiled at that and did not compare their cultivation further.

Nor did Qing Xuan leave him standing outside the formation.

With a thought, the violet starlight beneath their feet extended onward, carrying them back down toward the Purple Emperor Star.

Hongjun did not walk quickly along the way.

His gaze swept across the many spiritual roots before the Purple Emperor Palace, then lifted toward the vast sea of stars slowly revolving around Purple Star.

"The center of all stars, where all phenomena converge."

"Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan follows the world as his Dao. Choosing this place as your dojo truly could not be more fitting."

Qing Xuan smiled. "It took us many years to find a place where we could settle for the long term. Had you come a few Epoch Cycles earlier, Fellow Daoist, you might have had to look for us within the great formation on Buzhou Mountain."

"I have already been there."

Hongjun's answer slightly surprised Qing Xuan.

"There was no one inside the formation. Then I sensed the traces left by the two of you among the celestial stars, so I followed them all the way to Purple Star."

As the three spoke, they happened to pass the Lotus Pond in the valley.

The Twelve-Petaled Karmic Fire Red Lotus had only just been settled there, and transparent flames still flickered faintly between its petals.

Hongjun's gaze paused briefly upon the red and white lotus thrones. He quickly recognized the newly arrived spiritual treasure.

"The Karma Fire Red Lotus."

"We just brought it back from the Blood Sea," Qing Yi said.

Hongjun glanced again at the lingering Blood Sea aura that had yet to fully disperse from them. "It seems the two of you encountered more than a single spiritual treasure during this visit to the Blood Sea."

"We also met Minghe," Qing Xuan said casually. "One could say that everyone gained something."

"The Innate Divine Being nurtured by the Blood Sea has already taken form as well?"

Hongjun seemed thoughtful, but did not continue asking about what had happened.

The three finally took their seats beneath the Five-Needle Pine.

Qing Yi brought out several spiritual fruits Hong Yun had once given her, then placed freshly brewed tea before each of them.

Hongjun picked up one of the fruits and examined it for a moment. He seemed to recognize where it came from, and a trace of amusement entered his eyes.

"It seems the two of you have made quite a few Fellow Daoists over the years."

"Hong Yun is mainly just rather outgoing."

Hongjun had likely heard of that red-robed Daoist's temperament. He chuckled at the remark.

After a few casual exchanges, the slight unfamiliarity from their long separation quickly faded.

Only then did Qing Xuan set the teacup in his hand back onto the table.

"You first went to Buzhou Mountain, then sought us out all the way to Purple Star. You did not come merely to see our new dojo, did you, Fellow Daoist?"

"I came both to see old friends and to discuss something with the two of you."

Hongjun no longer beat around the bush.

He raised a hand and lightly swept it between the three of them. Several threads of Dao aura condensed into three rays of different-colored light.

Crimson-gold Dragon aura coiled in the east. Southern Bright Fire spread northward from the south, while dense earthen-yellow aura occupied the center of the Primordial World.

The three currents of aura pressed against one another. At their boundaries, countless tiny points of light continued to extinguish.

Yet compared to the last time Qing Xuan had seen the Fate Aura of the three clans, the pace of their outward expansion had visibly slowed.

Those scattered minor branches across the Primordial World were returning to their respective ancestral lands one after another.

Qing Xuan understood the meaning after only watching for a moment.

"They are consolidating their clans."

Hongjun nodded. "Over these years, I have traveled through the East Sea and visited the south and the center of the Primordial World. All three clans are abandoning their unimportant outer territories and summoning back the forces truly capable of participating in the final battle."

Qing Yi watched the three increasingly condensed currents of aura, her voice cool. "It seems the final battle is not far away."

Qing Xuan nodded slightly.

In the myths he had heard in his previous life, the Dragon-Han Tribulation had ultimately been reduced to only a few simple records.

Yet several Epoch Cycles ago, Qiuniu had already given him part of the answer.

Qing Xuan looked toward Hongjun.

"I saw Qiuniu in the East Sea not long ago. He said the three clans have no other path left, only the choice to stake everything on one final gamble."

Hongjun raised his teacup in surprise. "He even told you that?"

Qing Xuan considered it. "I had some earlier suspicions, and I verified them with him once."

"But there is still one thing I have never understood. Even if Ancestor Dragon ultimately unifies the three clans and monopolizes the Fate Aura of the Primordial World, how would he use that to cross beyond the end of the thirty-six heavens?"