Four-Colored Divine Light, Landing on an Immortal Island

However, Dao Xuan had not truly made up his mind about whether to take the path of World-Proving Dao.

After all, while World-Proving Dao sounded impressive, it was not without flaws. The first issue was resources. To attain the Dao through a world meant relying on the world's advancement and evolution to increase one's own strength.

This also meant that he would be completely bound to that world. Without sufficient resources, the evolution and advancement of the entire world would become extremely slow.

Accordingly, it would also be difficult for his strength to improve.

Secondly, although World-Proving Dao did not require Primordial Purple Qi and freed one from the constraints of Hongjun and the Great Desolate Heavenly Dao, from another perspective, was it not simply binding oneself within another world?

At that point, everything about himself would merge into that world. As the world grew, his strength would naturally grow as well.

But if powerful enemies discovered it before the world reached completion, one could imagine just how tempting the origin of that world would be to others.

Therefore, though World-Proving Dao had many benefits, Dao Xuan would not immediately decide to take that path.

He had to consider it carefully.

After all, once a decision was made on the path to proving the Dao, there would be no turning back.

Time was not counted in the Primordial World. Who knew how long had passed before Dao Xuan finally arrived at the shores of the Eastern Sea. Gazing at the boundless ocean, he could not help but sigh.

Ah, ocean, you were all water.

Ocean, ah, you were all water.

The vast, magnificent sea seemed to blend into the blue sky. Sea and sky were the same color, its waves immense and boundless. Standing within it, one could only feel endlessly insignificant.

Compared to the infinite heavens and earth, an individual was ultimately too small to be worth mentioning.

"Little Crane, Little Crane, now that you have brought me here, our fate has come to an end. I shall set you free. Go!"

Dao Xuan said to the white crane.

Along the way, he had taught the white crane quite a bit, which could be considered settling their karmic bond.

Upon hearing this, the white crane was reluctant to leave and let out pleading cries. Yet Dao Xuan remained unmoved. In the end, the white crane could only circle a few times before flying away.

Watching the white crane disappear into the distance, Dao Xuan turned around and took a step into the Eastern Sea, beginning his aimless search for the Three Immortal Islands.

Legend had it that the Three Immortal Islands—Penglai Island, Yingzhou Island, and Fangzhang Island—were formed when three incompletely transformed fragments of chaos fell into the Eastern Sea of the Primordial World during the great god Pangu's creation of heaven and earth.

As a result, the three immortal islands naturally concealed themselves from the Great Desolate Heavenly Dao. They could not be sensed by it and were absent from the workings of fate.

Dao Xuan did not know whether he could find them.

But he still had to try his luck. After all, the Three Immortal Islands had formed from fragments of chaos, while he had taken form from an Innate Spiritual Root. No matter how one put it, both were related to "chaos."

What if, by some coincidence, he really found them?

Yet Dao Xuan searched the Eastern Sea for a full hundred thousand years without finding any trace of the Three Immortal Islands.

Just as he was disheartened and preparing to give up, the Gourd Vine, which he had temporarily placed inside the Four Symbols Treasure Fan, unexpectedly sent him information.

The vine had sensed something.

It was worth mentioning that the Four Symbols Treasure Fan, a Supreme-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, contained an Inner World. It was not large, possessing only the scale of a Lesser Thousand World.

Dao Xuan had temporarily planted the Gourd Vine inside it, intending to move it out only after finding a settled Daoist abode.

Moreover, only after bringing the Gourd Vine away from Mount Buzhou did Dao Xuan discover that it had developed consciousness.

However, that consciousness was still extremely hazy and far from forming true intelligence.

Back on Mount Buzhou, rather than Dao Xuan sensing the Gourd Vine, it was more accurate to say that the Gourd Vine had sensed Dao Xuan. Because both were Innate Spiritual Roots, the Gourd Vine had exposed a trace of its aura.

That, in turn, allowed Dao Xuan to find it.

When Dao Xuan first discovered that an Innate Spiritual Root had begun to develop its own consciousness, he had nearly hardened his heart and erased that consciousness.

After all, an Innate Spiritual Root without intelligence was his possession. If it truly developed intelligence, it might very well run away someday.

But Dao Xuan ultimately softened his heart.

Only an Innate Spiritual Root could understand another Innate Spiritual Root. It had been so difficult for the Gourd Vine to develop its own consciousness; erasing it just like that would be far too tragic.

"Fine. Since you have your own consciousness, I shall treat you as a fellow Daoist. If you wish to leave in the future, I will not stop you. But as payment for bringing you out of Mount Buzhou, these gourds of yours are all mine."

Thus, Dao Xuan brought the Gourd Vine with him all the way from Mount Buzhou to the Eastern Sea.

What Dao Xuan had not expected was that, in the end, it was the Gourd Vine that found the Three Immortal Islands.

Of course, it had not found all three immortal islands at once.

It was likewise protected by an innate formation that concealed the entire immortal island. Moreover, compared to the innate formation that had concealed the Gourd Vine, this island's formation was even more powerful.

Fortunately, Dao Xuan had gained more methods over the years and had become stronger as well.

After summoning the Four Symbols Treasure Fan and attacking dozens of times in succession, the island formation finally revealed a flaw.

However, Dao Xuan did not continue attacking until he shattered the formation this time. Seizing that fleeting opportunity, his figure flickered, transforming into a streak of azure light. In an instant, he slipped through the flaw in the formation.

This was another highly practical divine ability Dao Xuan had cultivated.

It was not for offense, nor was it for defense, but an escape technique! Its name was simple: Wind Release!

But this Wind Release was not like ordinary Wind Release. Ordinary Wind Release merely manipulated the fierce winds between heaven and earth. Dao Xuan's Wind Release, however, comprehended the "nature of movement and transformation" of wind. He transformed himself into flowing origin essence and could merge into all flowing void.

Anywhere wind flowed or the void trembled in this world became an open path for travel.

Using Wind Release to enter the formation, Dao Xuan found a vast world within. Upon one of the Three Immortal Islands, wisps of wind converged from all directions. Soon, Dao Xuan's figure condensed once more, the hems of his Daoist robe fluttering slightly.

Taking a deep breath, he inhaled dense and pure innate spiritual qi. It made his entire body feel at ease and greatly invigorated his spirit.

"I wonder which island this is!"

Dao Xuan suppressed the excitement in his heart. Before long, he found a stone stele nearby. Upon it were two characters written in innate divine script: "Yingzhou."

So this was Yingzhou Island!

He had found Yingzhou Island, one of the Three Immortal Islands.