Primordial Era: The Three Senior Brothers of the Taiqing Clan

The Creation Lotus before us, whether it inherited more of the original essence of the Creation Lotus or was nourished by the chaotic energy for a long time in the chaos, actually blossomed into twenty-four petals in one go, transforming into a supreme innate treasure.

A glint flashed in Chen Qing's eyes as he pondered to himself: If this is the reason, does it mean that those scattered 12-petaled lotus platforms in the prehistoric world, if properly nurtured, also have the potential to advance into innate treasures?

However, the thought only flashed through my mind; there were more important things to do right now.

The Three Pure Ones gazed upon the twenty-four-petaled Creation Lotus before them, a sudden inspiration striking them, as if some unseen force was guiding them.

Lao Tzu spoke calmly, uttering two words: "Red Flower!"

Yuan Shi followed closely behind, saying in a deep voice, "White lotus root!"

A glint flashed in Tongtian's eyes, and he proclaimed loudly, "Azure Lotus Leaf!"

As the words fell, the azure lotus of creation, which had drifted in the chaos for countless years, trembled violently, its azure light intensifying, and then it split into three—

An object transformed into a flat walking stick, its entire body a bluish-yellow, ancient and heavy. Lao Tzu reached out and grasped it, finding it warm and smooth to the touch, with a faint aura of the Great Dao flowing within it.

One object transformed into a three-jeweled jade ruyi, its precious light shining brightly. Three precious pearls were inlaid on the head of the ruyi, corresponding to heaven, earth, and man respectively. It was taken into the hands of Yuanshi, who looked very satisfied.

An object transformed into the Qingping Sword, its blade long and slender, its azure light like water, and lotus patterns faintly visible on its edge. Tongtian held it in his hand, cherishing it dearly.

The three examined their respective spiritual treasures, lost in thought. Although these three treasures originated from innate supreme treasures and were each reduced to top-grade innate spiritual treasures, the Daoist essence they contained was perfectly in harmony with the aura of the Three Pure Ones, as if they were tailor-made for them.

Seeing this from behind, Chen Qing smiled slightly, stepped forward, and cupped his hands, saying, "Red flowers, white lotus roots, and green lotus leaves—it seems that Heaven has also felt the connection between Master and the two senior uncles as one and of the same lineage, and has specially bestowed such treasures to show that the Three Pure Ones are originally one family."

Tongtian snapped out of his daze, stroking the blade of the Qingping Sword with obvious affection, and muttered, "Little Qingzi, that's not how it works. That lotus platform was originally a supreme innate treasure, but it was split into three. The quantity has increased, but the grade has decreased. No matter how you look at it, it's a loss!"

He said that, but he gripped the Qingping Sword tightly in his hand, showing no sign of disdain whatsoever.

Upon hearing this, Laozi said with a sigh, "Third Brother, don't be silly. Chen Qing makes a lot of sense. We, the Three Pure Ones, were originally transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, and split into three. Over the years, we have supported each other and cultivated the Great Dao together. We are originally one and of the same origin. Red flower, white lotus root, and green lotus leaf—the Three Pure Ones were originally one family! It's a good transformation, a truly wonderful transformation!"

Yuanshi nodded slightly, a rare expression of agreement on his face: "What you say is absolutely right, elder brother. The division of this treasure is exactly in line with the way of the three of us."

Chen Qing stood aside, looking at the three elders in front of him, and secretly made up his mind: In this life, he must protect the friendship between the Three Pure Ones and never let them repeat the fate of broken relationships and estrangement in later generations, nor let those two guys in the West reap the benefits.

Afterwards, the Three Pure Ones, having obtained the spiritual treasure, led Chen Qing and rushed back to Kunlun Mountain without stopping. Upon returning to the mountain, the three of them went into seclusion, refining the newly acquired spiritual treasure while digesting what they had learned from listening to the Dao at Zixiao Palace, striving with all their might to break through to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm.

After returning to the mountain, Chen Qing diligently cultivated for a period of time. Once his cultivation at the mid-stage of the Celestial Immortal realm was fully stabilized, he became restless.

He left a jade slip in the cave to explain his whereabouts to his master and two uncles, and then turned and went down the mountain.

At this time, the primordial land was at peace—all the great powers were in seclusion digesting the teachings and striving to break through to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm as soon as possible. Who would have the leisure to wander around outside?

So Chen Qing didn't encounter any major trouble along the way. Occasionally, a few ignorant little demons would jump out and block his path, but he easily dealt with them.

He headed eastward, towards the East China Sea.

Chen Qing had his own plans: he would eventually have to leave his master and establish his own dojo. Since most of the famous mountains and immortal islands in the prehistoric world were still unclaimed, he might as well strike first and occupy one as his future dojo.

His first target was the legendary Penglai, Yingzhou, and Fangzhang, three overseas fairy islands.

These three immortal islands have existed since the beginning of chaos and the separation of heaven and earth. During the ancient period of the three races vying for supremacy, the powerful beings of the dragon race, the overlords of the sea, searched the entire four seas, but could not even find a trace of these three islands.

Legend has it that these three islands were formed from fragments of chaos scattered when Pangu created the world. They are protected by a primordial array that can isolate them from all worldly calculations. Therefore, the name of the Three Immortal Islands is known to almost everyone in the primordial world, but no one has ever actually seen them.

Chen Qing knew that these three immortal islands were hidden in the East Sea. In later generations, they became a gathering place for rogue cultivators in the primordial world, where countless unaffiliated cultivators practiced. But this time, he had come—so those rogue cultivators had nothing to do with it.

Standing on the east coast, gazing at the vast, boundless sea before him, its waves surging and the sky merging into one, Chen Qing felt a moment of bewilderment. The East China Sea was so vast, where should he even begin his search?

After thinking for a moment, he simply chose a direction at random and started walking on the waves.

A century has passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Chen Qing stopped on the sea. Mist swirled around him, obscuring his vision to no more than a hundred feet. The sea was strangely calm, without even a ripple. And before him, there was nothing—only a vast expanse of mist.

Chen Qing smiled slightly.

This innate grand formation is indeed powerful. The previous times he passed through this sea area, he did not notice anything unusual. It was only this time that a strange feeling suddenly arose in his heart. Following that feeling, he finally found the place.

However, the three immortal islands are all shrouded in a primordial array, so getting inside will probably not be so easy.

With Chen Qing's current magical power, coupled with the supreme power of the Qiankun Cauldron, it wouldn't be impossible for him to forcefully break through this unattended formation. However, doing so would create too much of a commotion and inevitably attract the covetous eyes of others. After thinking it over, he abandoned his plan to break the formation by force.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged, hovering above the sea, closed his eyes, and began to circulate his supernatural powers to comprehend the innate grand formation before him.

There are usually only two ways to break this kind of innate grand formation.

Firstly, force can overcome skill. This involves using power far exceeding the formation's limits to forcibly break through. However, innate formations are extremely powerful and align with the great principles of heaven and earth. Ordinary attacks are like mud oxen sinking into the sea; without the cultivation of a Great Luo Golden Immortal or higher, coupled with the power of a supreme treasure, it's unthinkable.

Secondly, what Chen Qing is doing now is comprehending and refining. He integrates his primordial spirit into the great formation, analyzing its structure and core layer by layer. Once he has fully comprehended it and refined the formation into his own, the great formation will become a part of him, allowing him to enter and exit freely.

This path is time-consuming, but it is safe and reliable. Moreover, after refining it, an additional innate array will be added to protect the Daoist temple, achieving two goals at once.

Most importantly, he has a cheat code! He can directly use supernatural powers to evolve, making the deduction speed very fast, and he can also advance to a higher level of formation. Why not take advantage of it?

Time passed slowly.

Chen Qing sat cross-legged on the sea, like a sculpture, unmoved by the wind and waves.

His primordial spirit had already sunk into the grand formation, entangled with its profound and intricate patterns. This innate grand formation was formed from fragments of chaos, containing the profound principles of heaven and earth from the beginning of chaos, which were obscure and difficult to understand. If it weren't for his supernatural abilities to aid him, he probably wouldn't have even scratched the surface in a hundred years.

After an unknown amount of time—perhaps decades, perhaps centuries—Chen Qing finally slowly opened his eyes.

Countless array patterns were reflected in his eyes, twinkling like stars. He gazed at the empty sea before him, and suddenly roared:

"open!"

As soon as the words were spoken, the space in front of them suddenly trembled violently, like ripples spreading out of water after a pebble has been thrown in. Immediately afterwards, a portal appeared out of thin air in the void, within which one could vaguely see green mountains and clear waters, and a misty spiritual atmosphere.

Chen Qing's figure flashed, transforming into a streak of light and disappearing into the portal.

The moment they passed through the great formation, a bright and clear view opened up before them.

Three enormous islands appeared before him, lined up in a row, silently floating on the sea.

Chen Qing was on the central and largest island. The island was so rich in innate spiritual energy that it was almost like mist. Taking a deep breath, he felt refreshed and his magical power even subtly increased.

The mountains and plains were covered with all kinds of spiritual herbs—ten-thousand-year-old Ganoderma lucidum, thousand-year-old Vermilion Fruit, nine-leaf Scrophularia ningpoensis… Chen Qing couldn’t even name many of the varieties of spiritual herbs. Just by looking at the misty light and the rich fragrance, he knew that this was definitely a top-level innate blessed land.