Chapter 16: The Sixth Stage of Mystic Arts

“Eldest brother, I observe that Minghe’s Dao aura is complete; he is only one breakthrough away from becoming a Quasi-Saint,” transmitted Yuanshi Tianzun.

“No, second brother, you are mistaken. Minghe is already capable of severing corpses. Look closely—his Dao aura not only is complete but seems to be overflowing. Were it not for the emergence of the Penglai Immortal Island, Minghe would have already severed corpses,” Laozi responded with a nod.

“He has surpassed both the third brother and me by half a step?” Yuanshi Tianzun asked in surprise.

Laozi nodded again.

“The third brother is contending with him… Eldest brother, shall we intervene?”

“No need. He hasn’t taken that crucial step yet; the third brother will not lose.”

Seeing Laozi’s calm verdict, Yuanshi Tianzun refrained from further comment and instead turned his gaze to the fierce battle between Tongtian and Minghe.

“Fellow Daoists, why are Tongtian and Minghe fighting?” Zhenyuanzi, who had good relations with the Three Purities, approached and inquired.

Beside him, Hongyun added, “Everyone is here at the Purple Cloud Palace to listen to the Dao; we are essentially comrades. If possible, we should turn our swords into plowshares.”

Hongyun’s well-meaning words caused Yuanshi to grow slightly impatient, but out of respect for Zhenyuanzi, he restrained himself and replied blandly, “A treasure belongs to the capable. Both my third brother and Minghe have set their sights on this spiritual root. This is the best solution.”

Upon hearing this, Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun looked at the intermediate-grade innate spiritual root before them.

“This root is indeed extraordinary! It is suffused with the energy of metal, and carries a certain edge of killing intent. Even the leaves resemble sword blades,” Hongyun marveled.

“Indeed! No wonder these two Daoists are fighting over it!”

The other powerful beings, learning that the dispute was over such a spiritual root, lost interest immediately. They were not practitioners of the sword Dao, so this root was of no use to them.

Bai Jing was unaware when the battle between Minghe and Tongtian ended, only knowing that the root ultimately fell into Tongtian’s hands.

About a century later, the great powers led by the Three Purities departed from Penglai Immortal Island, and Bai Jing left with them.

Since Bai Jing’s goal had been achieved—securing seventy percent of the island’s immortal materials and ores—these resources were enough for him to break through to the Mixed-Origin Golden Immortal level during the Purple Cloud Palace’s lectures.

Afterward, Bai Jing returned to Yingzhou Immortal Island to seclude himself.

Upon arriving, Bai Jing took out fragments of the Creation Jade Disc and uncontaminated immortal materials and ores and began consuming them directly.

While consuming, he circulated the “Soul Devouring Art,” using the innate purifying properties of the Pure World White Lotus to eliminate impurities from the materials, retaining only the essence that could strengthen his body. Assisted by the Creation Jade Disc fragments, he started to comprehend the Devouring Principle.

Thus, Bai Jing persisted without pause for over twenty thousand years.

Quantitative changes brought about qualitative transformation. One day, after swallowing a piece of ore, Bai Jing felt his body swell with power. Overjoyed, he realized his mastery of the Devouring Dao had reached thirty percent; what remained was augmenting his physical strength.

He then swallowed hundreds of ores contaminated with chaotic energy all at once.

Previously, Bai Jing dared not consume ores tainted by chaotic energy because this energy was a level beyond the primal spiritual energy of the ancient times and contained violent power. Only after saints transformed and subdued this ferocity could it become spiritual energy suitable for absorption by beings of the ancient world.

Directly consuming ores infused with chaotic energy without sufficient physical strength would cause backlash.

Now, Bai Jing was but one step from breaking through to the Mixed-Origin Golden Immortal realm. His body was already brimming with power; consuming chaotic-energy ores at this point would hasten transformation.

As the chaotic energy entered his body, Bai Jing felt immense pain, as if his body would burst.

He immediately closed his eyes, circulated the “Nine Revolutions Profound Skill,” and integrated his comprehension of the Devouring Dao with his body, gradually eroding the chaotic energy through the Devouring Dao until he completed his metamorphosis.

Fifty thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

After meditating for fifty thousand years, Bai Jing suddenly opened his eyes. A terrifying suction force radiated from him, sweeping across Yingzhou Immortal Island, relentlessly absorbing the spiritual energy accumulated over countless years.

This process lasted a century before ceasing. Having achieved the sixth level of the Profound Skill, Bai Jing’s body officially broke into the Mixed-Origin Golden Immortal realm!

Since Bai Jing’s transformation, barely two cycles of the Two Origins Era had passed. In that era, even a Great Dao Golden Immortal breaking through a minor boundary would quietly rejoice.

Yet Bai Jing had stepped into the Mixed-Origin Golden Immortal realm—albeit solely in body cultivation—a feat of considerable terror.

Assessing himself, Bai Jing now commanded thirty-five percent mastery of the Devouring Dao. Coupled with his early-stage Mixed-Origin Golden Immortal body, and wielding treasures such as the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Measuring Rod—an ultimate offensive weapon—and the Source Yang Cauldron, a supreme innate defensive treasure, he possessed strength rivaling the top powers of the Purple Cloud Palace led by the Three Purities.

With such cultivation, Bai Jing was brimming with confidence to later contend for the treasure-splitting cliff and repair his own primordial source treasure.

Atop the treasure-splitting cliff, there should be three to five flags: the central Wuxi apricot-yellow flag, the southern Flame Light flag, and the eastern Azure Lotus treasure-hued flag.

The central Wuxi apricot-yellow flag was likely claimed by Yuanshi Tianzun.

The southern Flame Light flag had gone to Laozi.

The eastern Azure Lotus treasure-hued flag had fallen into the hands of the Western Two Sages.

The plain cloud-colored flag of the West would later be bestowed by Hongjun upon the Queen Mother of the Jade Pool.

The northern Profound Origins Water Control flag was probably on Fangzhang Island.

Bai Jing did not wish to confront the Three Purities directly at present, so his first choice was the eastern Azure Lotus treasure-hued flag in the West.

Confident in his current strength, combined with the Primordial Chaos Heavenly Measuring Rod, Bai Jing believed he could easily defeat one of the Western duo—especially Zhunti. However, if they attacked together, he would be disadvantaged.

At that moment, a reliable ally was necessary.

The first ally that came to Bai Jing’s mind was the Wu Clan, though he was unsure whether the Wu Clan was currently at war with the Yao Clan.

Though millet had resolved the Wu Clan’s food issues, the conflict between the Wu and Yao Clans was not merely one of predator and prey; they vied for the role of the world’s protagonist—that is, the struggle for destiny.

This struggle for destiny between the two clans was an irreconcilable conflict. The Wu Clan no longer worried about food and would not conduct large-scale hunts on the Yao Clan, removing one trigger for war. Without that trigger, other sparks might ignite conflict; the advent of millet only postponed, not ended, the Wu-Yao war.

If the Wu-Yao war had already begun, enlisting the Wu Clan might cause Dijun and Taiyi to side with the Western duo.

The adage “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” was not lost on Dijun and Taiyi.

With these thoughts, Bai Jing decided to visit the Wu Clan first to ascertain the situation.