Chapter Seventy-Three: The Azure Palace of the Eastern Sea

Because the ascension of Lady Nuwa to sainthood had placed immense pressure on the Three Pure Ones and the others. As the orthodox successors of Pangu, it was indeed troubling for them to be surpassed by a great saint of the demon race. In truth, Tongtian himself was deeply frustrated. When he had read novels about the Great Desolation in his previous life, hadn’t it always been said that not long after “Nuwa Creates Humanity,” the Three Pure Ones and the Western Sages all established their own sects and attained sainthood? Yet Tongtian had waited and waited; even with his cultivation, he had only reached the middle stage of the Golden Immortal of the Great Luo, which was equivalent to the mid-stage of the Void God realm, unable to advance any further.

Whenever he thought of this, Tongtian would console himself that such opportunities were fated and could not be forced. Therefore, unlike Jieyin and Zhunti, he was not so anxious; laying a solid foundation was most important, for only with deep accumulation could one achieve a mighty breakthrough.

After comforting himself, Tongtian fell into another troubling dilemma. He had already distanced himself from the Grand Supreme Elder Lord and the Primeval Heavenly Lord, but returning this time would inevitably bring sorrow. Yet it was unavoidable; his disciples and many affairs still required his attention, so he had to go back.

Kunlun Mountain was a legendary celestial abode, renowned throughout the Great Desolation. Its strength was formidable; aside from the Three Pure Ones themselves, even among the second generation of disciples, many powerful figures had emerged. Kunlun Mountain was still as enchanting as ever, with verdant peaks, emerald waters, and colorful clouds drifting in the sky, making one reluctant to leave. At this moment, Tongtian suddenly heard a quarrel: “I am the eldest disciple of the Three Pure Ones. Who are you to impersonate and take this title? Do you even realize that my master is one of the Three Pure Ones?”

“I don’t care who you are! I am the eldest disciple of the Jade Pure Heavenly Lord, and you are merely a disciple of Uncle Shangqing. Does that not make you by arrangement the senior disciple of the Three Pure Ones?” The speaker was a white-haired youth with a prominent forehead—none other than his nephew, the Elder of the South Pole!

“What is going on here? Instead of cultivating, why are you all gathered here? Do you intend to rebel?” Clearly, these words were addressed to the little demons gathered to watch the commotion.

Soon, the little demons all scattered in embarrassment.

Tongtian looked at the Daoist Duobao and the Elder of the South Pole, then addressed Duobao: “Is it fitting for a cultivator to quarrel over fame and fortune?”

“Master, your disciple knows his mistake.” Seeing his master’s sternness, Duobao replied meekly, and when he glanced at the Elder of the South Pole, his gaze became much gentler. “This dispute over reputation is a violation of the precept against delusion. I ask for your forgiveness, brother.”

“Indeed, indeed. If only we had known, we wouldn’t have come to this! Little junior brother, you’d better remain the second disciple. Ha ha ha!” Seeing his uncle take his side, the Elder of the South Pole was quite pleased with himself, paying no heed to Tongtian’s feelings. After a cursory apology to Tongtian, he swaggered back to Qilin Cliff.

At that moment, Daoist Duobao, seeing the Elder of the South Pole’s attitude, raised his hand, wanting to slap him, but was stopped by Tongtian. Shaking his head, Tongtian’s face was dark with displeasure. Daoist Duobao ground his teeth in hatred, and seeing his expression, Tongtian could not help but smile to himself; with rivalry comes motivation.

Tongtian then said to Duobao, “Have you made all the preparations?”

Upon hearing his master’s words, Duobao’s face lit up with joy. “Everything is ready, just awaiting your command.”

“Very well, then summon them to see me.” Tongtian then turned suddenly and gazed at his home of countless millennia—Qilin Cliff.

“Your disciple obeys.” Duobao produced a small bell, and as he shook it with a crisp “ding-ding-ding,” the sound spread out in all directions. All the creatures who heard it made their way toward where Tongtian was standing.

“What a clever boy, to have secretly learned the properties of the Chaos Bell,” Tongtian thought to himself as he watched Duobao’s small bell.

The scene was truly spectacular. Nearly all the living beings of Kunlun Mountain gathered there, and Tongtian, without another word, performed a “Universe Within the Sleeve” technique and collected them all at once.

Having reached this point, Tongtian no longer had any reason to linger. He gazed around nostalgically, and tears of genuine affection for his two elder brothers welled silently in his eyes. Tongtian knew that once he departed this day, the Three Pure Ones would be entirely divided from then on.

Turning away, Tongtian vanished from Kunlun Mountain, heading for the shores of the Eastern Sea. Not long after his departure, two sighs echoed from Qilin Cliff, as if lamenting the decision Tongtian had made.

Previously, when Tongtian was troubled about where to settle after leaving Kunlun Mountain, the little turtle had pointed him in the right direction: the Three Isles of Penglai.

There were many tales about Penglai, the immortal isles—not least that it was the very place where Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han sought immortality.

But Tongtian himself had never known the exact location of Penglai, so he had not considered it as a potential abode. Even with his mid-stage Great Luo Golden Immortal cultivation, he could not pinpoint the isle’s location in the Eastern Sea, yet the little turtle claimed to know not only its whereabouts, but also that the island itself would come forth to meet Tongtian.

This left Tongtian quite bewildered—what was going on?

When he finally arrived at the shore of the Eastern Sea, Tongtian was startled by the sight before him. Three enormous turtles lay there, seemingly awaiting someone.

The little turtle then said, “Master, do you believe me now? These are my elder brothers.”

Tongtian was delighted. The location of one’s abode was crucial for one’s fortune and for the prosperity of one’s sect. With these three great islands able to roam freely upon the sea, and with a grand formation in place to connect to the spiritual veins beneath the ocean, not to mention the ability to shield the islands in times of danger and teach after battle, this was truly a magnificent residence.

Tongtian gave the command, and the three giant turtles swam into the depths of the sea.

He carefully considered how to allocate the three islands: the largest would hold the main palace, the next would be for storage and the cultivation of spiritual treasures—the rear court—and the last would be for the disciples to live and cultivate.

As for the palace’s name, there was no need to deliberate—it would be called “Biyou Palace.” The storeroom would be “Ten Thousand Treasures Pavilion,” and the disciples’ quarters would be “Yixuan Pavilion.”

Tongtian knew that during the era of the Investiture of the Gods, the five sages would target his sect, so he constructed a pagoda around Biyou Palace to temper his disciples. But even this was not enough; Tongtian had already begun to consider how to face the coming catastrophe.

Since I, Tongtian, have been reborn, I shall never again allow the fate of the Sect of Severance to repeat!

Today is Brother Hao’s wedding day. Because of work, Buyi couldn’t return home. For now, I offer my heartfelt wishes here: may my brother and sister-in-law grow old together, remaining side by side wherever life may take them.