When the Thirty-Six Ranked Jade Lotus of Chaos shattered, it bore six lotus seeds. Of the six, Tongtian only knew of the Twelfth-Ranked Green Lotus of Good Fortune, Twelfth-Ranked Red Lotus of Karma, Twelfth-Ranked Black Lotus of Destruction, Twelfth-Ranked Gold Lotus of Merit, and Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification. All of these lotuses were cardinal treasures since they were born during the birth of heaven and earth.
The lotus seeds born of these twelfth-ranked lotuses could not become cardinal, but they were connate. If they were refined into artifacts, they would be innate spiritual artifacts. In other words, they were perfect for severing Corpses!
Minghe stared at the Sixth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification in Tongtian's hand for a moment. He shook his head. “It's not enough. Once my red lotus bears three seeds, its vitality will be damaged."
"Then what if I add two Third-Ranked White Lotuses of Purification?"
Minghe's face struggled, but he still rejected Tongtian's offer, but Tongtian wasn't mad. "Unless Daoist Tongtian can offer an innate spiritual artifact, I can't part with any lotus seeds."
Tongtian could feel Yuanshi about to burst behind her, so she turned and glared at him. Yuanshi stopped and drooped his head like a kicked puppy.
She ignored him.
"Then what if I tell Daoist Minghe a method to make the Three Corpse Merging smoother?"
Minghe froze, as did Laozi and Yuanshi. If it related to proving their way, Minghe could even trade the Twelfth-Ranked Red Lotus of Karma if the price was high enough. "You aren't lying to me, are you?"
Tongtian smiled. "It's just my conjecture, but I can guarantee that my guess is ninety-percent correct."
"Tell me," Minghe demanded.
"Don't be so impatient. Let's trade my three white lotuses for three red lotus seeds first," Tongtian chided. Seeing Minghe hesitate, she added. "I can vow on my identity as the Supreme Purity, I will not lie to you."
Minghe stared at Tongtian for a moment, ignoring Yuanshi's killing intent, and nodded. Blood clouds appeared behind, and a red lotus flew out of them and into his hand. The Twelfth-Ranked Red Lotus of Karma shuddered for a moment and produced three seeds.
After exchanging the white lotuses for the seeds, Tongtian smiled. "Fellow Daoist made a wise choice. Recall that the Dao Ancestor said we must cut off the Three Corpses with a spiritual artifact."
Minghe nodded. "Get on with it."
"Patience," Tongtian said. "After cutting them, you must merge them again. Once a Corpse is severed, it will take on the spiritual artifact's source. If all three Corpses are severed from the same source, won't the merging process be simpler?"
It was simple logic, but it thundered in Minghe's mind. Not just him, but Laozi and Yuanshi felt as if Tongtian's words had exploded in their heads too.
There was a fiery gaze in Minghe's eyes. He thanked Tongtian and flew back into the Blood Sea. The Sixth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification and the two Third-Ranked White Lotuses of Purification gave him a chance to produce a Ninth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification.
"Third Sister, is what you said true?" Laozi asked.
"It's just my conjecture, but it should be true. I actually suspect that if you used three spiritual artifacts with different sources, you might not be able to merge them in the end," Tongtian said.
Yuanshi sighed. "Third Sister is wise."
Tongtian smiled mischievously, "Brothers, do you still not want the two Ninth-Ranked White Lotuses of Purification?"
Hearing this, Laozi and Yuanshi were stymied. Laozi recovered first. "No need. With my abilities, I can nurture it to the ninth rank."
"But are you better off investing the resources into the red and green lotus seeds? We need all three, after all," Tongtian said.
Laozi paused. "Then I'll thank Third Sister for this grace."
"Haha, what's the courtesy for? Aren't we siblings? We also need your help to nurture the lotus seeds. Isn't that right, Second Brother?" Tongtian asked, looking at Yuanshi.
Yuanshi nodded. "Then I can only indebt myself to Third Sister and Eldest Brother for now. In the future, I will definitely repay it."
The three siblings smiled and flew towards the East Sea, where Fangzhang Immortal Island was located. Once there, Laozi prepared to plant three red lotus seeds and three green lotus seeds.
As for Tongtian, she prepared to cut off her evil thoughts into her Evil Corpse. For others, it might be difficult to sense their evil thoughts, but for Tongtian, it was easy.
Dong Wanggong led Xi Wangmu and several other gods who wanted to join him to his residence. They didn't join Dong Wanggong because of his personal strength but because the Dao Ancestor was backing him.
Compared to Di Jun, Dong Wanggong had a brighter future.
Di Jun took all this in. A hint of ruthlessness flashed through his eyes as he led his followers back to Buzhou Mountain. Still, a few of the Violet Heaven Palace guests followed Di Jun. Since the Dao Ancestor acquiesced to Di Jun's rule, didn't this mean that the Dao Ancestor supported Di Jun too?
It was simply a difference between ruling the Great Desolation or immortals.
When Di Jun returned to Buzhou Mountain, he found that the Demon Clan's headquarters was half-demolished. Taking a deep breath, he curbed the urge to seek revenge and asked for the casualties. Luckily, it looked worse than it appeared. Di Jun had already been on guard for the Titan Tribe's attack while the Demon Clan's most powerful force was away listening to the Dao Ancestor's sermon.
Still, this situation could not remain. He summoned the Ten Demon Sages, the top ten most powerful demons of the Demon Clan.
"Tell me, where should the Demon Clan migrate to? We need a better location for the Demon Clan to live in. But more importantly, defendable," Di Jun said.
The Ten Demon Sages looked at another, not knowing what to say. Finally, it was Bai Ze, the wisest of them all, that came forward. "Answering Your Majesty, why not search for one of the three immortal islands? I heard that Daoist Tongtian discovered Fangzhang Immortal Island. Why don't we search for Penglai or Yinzhou Immortal Island?"
"Your suggestion is feasible, but I heard that Fanzhang Immortal Island is less than a thousand li large. It's impossible to fit all the demons in such a small piece of land," Di Jun said.
At this, Bai Ze, for all his wisdom, could not solve the demon emperor's problem. Di Jun sighed and waved his hand. "Go back and inform the Demon Clan to search for suitable land to inhabit. Oh, and summon Fuxi."
"As Your Majesty commands," Bai Zei said as he and the other demon sages retreated.
Not long later, Fuxi arrived. Although Fuxi and Nuwa both possessed strength that exceeded the Ten Demon Sages, Di Jun had yet to give them an official position. Not because he didn't want to, but because the time wasn't right.
"Your Majesty summoned me?" Fuxi respectfully asked.
Di Jun nodded. "If I recall correctly, Daoist Fuxi is most skilled in formations."
"I have some minor achievements, but I have heard that Daoist Tongtian of the Three Purities has even higher achievements," Fuxi said.
"You don't have to be so humble. In the near future, I believe you will surpass her," Di Jun said, much to Fuxi's confusion. Majestic purple clouds appeared behind Di Jun, and he pulled out the Celestial River Diagram.
Di Jun caressed his lifebound artifact. When he was born, he had two lifebound artifacts, the Gold Sun Wheel, a top-grade innate spiritual artifact, but the Celestial River Diagram was a cardinal spiritual artifact, so he always placed more attention on it.
"This is my lifebound artifact, and I have always kept it close. I noticed that there seems to be an embryonic formation hidden within, linked to the stars in the Starry Sky," Di Jun said. Then, he offered it to Fuxi. "I want you to decipher the formation within. I believe that it won't be inferior to the Ten Thousand Immortals Array spoken about by the Dao Ancestor."
"Your Majesty, you mustn't," Fuxi said. "This is Your Majesty's lifebound weapon. You must not hand it over to others."
"But the Demon Clan needs the formations as soon as possible. I cannot selfishly hoard it," Di Jun said.
"Your Majesty can ruminate on the formation yourself," Fuxi said.
"I said that it's for the future of the Demon Clan. I have confidence in your formation attainments. And I believe Daoist Fuxi's character," Di Jun said.
Fuxi's eyes widened as he felt his emotions move. He no longer pushed the Celestial River Diagram back and accepted it. "I won't let Your Majesty down."
Di Jun smiled and began cultivating. He didn't need to micromanage the Demon Clan with the aid of the Ten Demon Sages. He planned to enter the Quasi-Saint Realm by severing his corpse using his Golden Sun Wheel.
However, a hundred years later, his expression darkened. The Demon Clan found traces of Penglai Immortal Island, but it already had an owner, and that owner was Dong Wanggong!
When Jiuyin and Houtu returned to the Titan Tribe and brought the news of the Quasi-Saint Realm, Di Jiang had a headache. The original high spirits from raiding the Demon Clan's territory disappeared.
"Let's use the Pangu Genesis Formation and exterminate those three-legged crows," Zhurong, the war hawk, immediately suggested.
For once, Gonggong didn't contradict him, causing the Titan of Fire to shoot furtive glances at the Titan of Water, waiting for the inevitable conflict. But when Gonggong stayed silent, Zhurong felt a strange sense of loss.
In fact, it wasn't just Zhurong but many of the titans who held the same opinion. As the suggestion became more and more optimistic, Di Jiang opened his mouth. "After we destroy the Demon Clan, can we continue to use the Pangu Genesis to Destroy all the other Quasi-Saints?"
At this, everyone fell silent.
"Rather than delaying the inevitable, we must find a method to strengthen ourselves," Di Jiang said. "The Dao Ancestor said we cultivate the Strength Path, and there must be a method to break into the Quasi-Saint Realm. If we don't know it, then there is only one place that holds the answer."
All of the titans knew what Di Jiang was talking about, the blood pool inside Pangu Temple that birthed them, and the giants of the Titan Tribe. After creating the twelve titans and the giants, the blood pool had lost much of its energy, so Di Jiang ordered the Titan Tribe to hunt for creatures of flesh to restore the pool's vitality.
Without the blood pool, the Titan Tribe's reproduction speed was too slow. Di Jiang could resonate with the blood pool to create more giants, but they would only be at the Profound Immortal level.
When the twelve titans entered Pangu Temple, they returned to their original forms as a sign of respect to their Father God. They sat around the blood pool and began to think of ways to break through the limit of their body.
"I heard that Fangzhang Immortal Island fell into the Three Purities' hands, but I didn't expect Daoist Dong Wanggong to also possess one of the three immortal islands," Xi Wangmu said as she landed on Penglai Immortal Island.
Dong Wanggong laughed jovially. "I wasn't born on a blessed land like Kunlun Mountain like the Three Purities, but I had the good fortune of finding Penglai Island."
He led Xi Wangmu and the other guests from Violet Heaven Palace to the heart of the island. Within the first eon after he had found it, Dong Wanggong had already mastered all the formations on Penglai Immortal Island.
When Xi Wangmu entered the core area, she saw a violet mansion. Beside the violet mansion were two connate spiritual roots. One of them was a top-grade connate spiritual root, the Fusang Tree. However, it was the other one that caught her eye.
The tree split into five branches, and each branch exuded an aura of fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. This was one of the top ten connate spiritual roots of the Great Desolation, the Five Element Tree!
"Daoist Dong Wanggong's fortune makes one envious," Xi Wangmu said.
Dong Wanggong laughed. Pleased with himself, he invited all the gods and immortals into his abode, an artifact he had refined known as the Violet Manor. From there, he spread the news of the Dao Ancestor's decree and began mass recruiting immortals.
Gods and immortals who refrained from secular struggles came out to join Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu like moths to a flame. Many of them included the reborn remnants of chaos fiendgods.
A hundred years later, Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu officially announced the birth of Violet Manor, the home of ten thousand immortals.
When the Thirty-Six Ranked Jade Lotus of Chaos shattered, it bore six lotus seeds. Of the six, Tongtian only knew of the Twelfth-Ranked Green Lotus of Good Fortune, Twelfth-Ranked Red Lotus of Karma, Twelfth-Ranked Black Lotus of Destruction, Twelfth-Ranked Gold Lotus of Merit, and Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification. All of these lotuses were cardinal treasures since they were born during the birth of heaven and earth.
The lotus seeds born of these twelfth-ranked lotuses could not become cardinal, but they were connate. If they were refined into artifacts, they would be innate spiritual artifacts. In other words, they were perfect for severing Corpses!
Minghe stared at the Sixth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification in Tongtian's hand for a moment. He shook his head. “It's not enough. Once my red lotus bears three seeds, its vitality will be damaged."
"Then what if I add two Third-Ranked White Lotuses of Purification?"
Minghe's face struggled, but he still rejected Tongtian's offer, but Tongtian wasn't mad. "Unless Daoist Tongtian can offer an innate spiritual artifact, I can't part with any lotus seeds."
Tongtian could feel Yuanshi about to burst behind her, so she turned and glared at him. Yuanshi stopped and drooped his head like a kicked puppy.
She ignored him.
"Then what if I tell Daoist Minghe a method to make the Three Corpse Merging smoother?"
Minghe froze, as did Laozi and Yuanshi. If it related to proving their way, Minghe could even trade the Twelfth-Ranked Red Lotus of Karma if the price was high enough. "You aren't lying to me, are you?"
Tongtian smiled. "It's just my conjecture, but I can guarantee that my guess is ninety-percent correct."
"Tell me," Minghe demanded.
"Don't be so impatient. Let's trade my three white lotuses for three red lotus seeds first," Tongtian chided. Seeing Minghe hesitate, she added. "I can vow on my identity as the Supreme Purity, I will not lie to you."
Minghe stared at Tongtian for a moment, ignoring Yuanshi's killing intent, and nodded. Blood clouds appeared behind, and a red lotus flew out of them and into his hand. The Twelfth-Ranked Red Lotus of Karma shuddered for a moment and produced three seeds.
After exchanging the white lotuses for the seeds, Tongtian smiled. "Fellow Daoist made a wise choice. Recall that the Dao Ancestor said we must cut off the Three Corpses with a spiritual artifact."
Minghe nodded. "Get on with it."
"Patience," Tongtian said. "After cutting them, you must merge them again. Once a Corpse is severed, it will take on the spiritual artifact's source. If all three Corpses are severed from the same source, won't the merging process be simpler?"
It was simple logic, but it thundered in Minghe's mind. Not just him, but Laozi and Yuanshi felt as if Tongtian's words had exploded in their heads too.
There was a fiery gaze in Minghe's eyes. He thanked Tongtian and flew back into the Blood Sea. The Sixth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification and the two Third-Ranked White Lotuses of Purification gave him a chance to produce a Ninth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification.
"Third Sister, is what you said true?" Laozi asked.
"It's just my conjecture, but it should be true. I actually suspect that if you used three spiritual artifacts with different sources, you might not be able to merge them in the end," Tongtian said.
Yuanshi sighed. "Third Sister is wise."
Tongtian smiled mischievously, "Brothers, do you still not want the two Ninth-Ranked White Lotuses of Purification?"
Hearing this, Laozi and Yuanshi were stymied. Laozi recovered first. "No need. With my abilities, I can nurture it to the ninth rank."
"But are you better off investing the resources into the red and green lotus seeds? We need all three, after all," Tongtian said.
Laozi paused. "Then I'll thank Third Sister for this grace."
"Haha, what's the courtesy for? Aren't we siblings? We also need your help to nurture the lotus seeds. Isn't that right, Second Brother?" Tongtian asked, looking at Yuanshi.
Yuanshi nodded. "Then I can only indebt myself to Third Sister and Eldest Brother for now. In the future, I will definitely repay it."
The three siblings smiled and flew towards the East Sea, where Fangzhang Immortal Island was located. Once there, Laozi prepared to plant three red lotus seeds and three green lotus seeds.
As for Tongtian, she prepared to cut off her evil thoughts into her Evil Corpse. For others, it might be difficult to sense their evil thoughts, but for Tongtian, it was easy.
Dong Wanggong led Xi Wangmu and several other gods who wanted to join him to his residence. They didn't join Dong Wanggong because of his personal strength but because the Dao Ancestor was backing him.
Compared to Di Jun, Dong Wanggong had a brighter future.
Di Jun took all this in. A hint of ruthlessness flashed through his eyes as he led his followers back to Buzhou Mountain. Still, a few of the Violet Heaven Palace guests followed Di Jun. Since the Dao Ancestor acquiesced to Di Jun's rule, didn't this mean that the Dao Ancestor supported Di Jun too?
It was simply a difference between ruling the Great Desolation or immortals.
When Di Jun returned to Buzhou Mountain, he found that the Demon Clan's headquarters was half-demolished. Taking a deep breath, he curbed the urge to seek revenge and asked for the casualties. Luckily, it looked worse than it appeared. Di Jun had already been on guard for the Titan Tribe's attack while the Demon Clan's most powerful force was away listening to the Dao Ancestor's sermon.
Still, this situation could not remain. He summoned the Ten Demon Sages, the top ten most powerful demons of the Demon Clan.
"Tell me, where should the Demon Clan migrate to? We need a better location for the Demon Clan to live in. But more importantly, defendable," Di Jun said.
The Ten Demon Sages looked at another, not knowing what to say. Finally, it was Bai Ze, the wisest of them all, that came forward. "Answering Your Majesty, why not search for one of the three immortal islands? I heard that Daoist Tongtian discovered Fangzhang Immortal Island. Why don't we search for Penglai or Yinzhou Immortal Island?"
"Your suggestion is feasible, but I heard that Fanzhang Immortal Island is less than a thousand li large. It's impossible to fit all the demons in such a small piece of land," Di Jun said.
At this, Bai Ze, for all his wisdom, could not solve the demon emperor's problem. Di Jun sighed and waved his hand. "Go back and inform the Demon Clan to search for suitable land to inhabit. Oh, and summon Fuxi."
"As Your Majesty commands," Bai Zei said as he and the other demon sages retreated.
Not long later, Fuxi arrived. Although Fuxi and Nuwa both possessed strength that exceeded the Ten Demon Sages, Di Jun had yet to give them an official position. Not because he didn't want to, but because the time wasn't right.
"Your Majesty summoned me?" Fuxi respectfully asked.
Di Jun nodded. "If I recall correctly, Daoist Fuxi is most skilled in formations."
"I have some minor achievements, but I have heard that Daoist Tongtian of the Three Purities has even higher achievements," Fuxi said.
"You don't have to be so humble. In the near future, I believe you will surpass her," Di Jun said, much to Fuxi's confusion. Majestic purple clouds appeared behind Di Jun, and he pulled out the Celestial River Diagram.
Di Jun caressed his lifebound artifact. When he was born, he had two lifebound artifacts, the Gold Sun Wheel, a top-grade innate spiritual artifact, but the Celestial River Diagram was a cardinal spiritual artifact, so he always placed more attention on it.
"This is my lifebound artifact, and I have always kept it close. I noticed that there seems to be an embryonic formation hidden within, linked to the stars in the Starry Sky," Di Jun said. Then, he offered it to Fuxi. "I want you to decipher the formation within. I believe that it won't be inferior to the Ten Thousand Immortals Array spoken about by the Dao Ancestor."
"Your Majesty, you mustn't," Fuxi said. "This is Your Majesty's lifebound weapon. You must not hand it over to others."
"But the Demon Clan needs the formations as soon as possible. I cannot selfishly hoard it," Di Jun said.
"Your Majesty can ruminate on the formation yourself," Fuxi said.
"I said that it's for the future of the Demon Clan. I have confidence in your formation attainments. And I believe Daoist Fuxi's character," Di Jun said.
Fuxi's eyes widened as he felt his emotions move. He no longer pushed the Celestial River Diagram back and accepted it. "I won't let Your Majesty down."
Di Jun smiled and began cultivating. He didn't need to micromanage the Demon Clan with the aid of the Ten Demon Sages. He planned to enter the Quasi-Saint Realm by severing his corpse using his Golden Sun Wheel.
However, a hundred years later, his expression darkened. The Demon Clan found traces of Penglai Immortal Island, but it already had an owner, and that owner was Dong Wanggong!
When Jiuyin and Houtu returned to the Titan Tribe and brought the news of the Quasi-Saint Realm, Di Jiang had a headache. The original high spirits from raiding the Demon Clan's territory disappeared.
"Let's use the Pangu Genesis Formation and exterminate those three-legged crows," Zhurong, the war hawk, immediately suggested.
For once, Gonggong didn't contradict him, causing the Titan of Fire to shoot furtive glances at the Titan of Water, waiting for the inevitable conflict. But when Gonggong stayed silent, Zhurong felt a strange sense of loss.
In fact, it wasn't just Zhurong but many of the titans who held the same opinion. As the suggestion became more and more optimistic, Di Jiang opened his mouth. "After we destroy the Demon Clan, can we continue to use the Pangu Genesis to Destroy all the other Quasi-Saints?"
At this, everyone fell silent.
"Rather than delaying the inevitable, we must find a method to strengthen ourselves," Di Jiang said. "The Dao Ancestor said we cultivate the Strength Path, and there must be a method to break into the Quasi-Saint Realm. If we don't know it, then there is only one place that holds the answer."
All of the titans knew what Di Jiang was talking about, the blood pool inside Pangu Temple that birthed them, and the giants of the Titan Tribe. After creating the twelve titans and the giants, the blood pool had lost much of its energy, so Di Jiang ordered the Titan Tribe to hunt for creatures of flesh to restore the pool's vitality.
Without the blood pool, the Titan Tribe's reproduction speed was too slow. Di Jiang could resonate with the blood pool to create more giants, but they would only be at the Profound Immortal level.
When the twelve titans entered Pangu Temple, they returned to their original forms as a sign of respect to their Father God. They sat around the blood pool and began to think of ways to break through the limit of their body.
"I heard that Fangzhang Immortal Island fell into the Three Purities' hands, but I didn't expect Daoist Dong Wanggong to also possess one of the three immortal islands," Xi Wangmu said as she landed on Penglai Immortal Island.
Dong Wanggong laughed jovially. "I wasn't born on a blessed land like Kunlun Mountain like the Three Purities, but I had the good fortune of finding Penglai Island."
He led Xi Wangmu and the other guests from Violet Heaven Palace to the heart of the island. Within the first eon after he had found it, Dong Wanggong had already mastered all the formations on Penglai Immortal Island.
When Xi Wangmu entered the core area, she saw a violet mansion. Beside the violet mansion were two connate spiritual roots. One of them was a top-grade connate spiritual root, the Fusang Tree. However, it was the other one that caught her eye.
The tree split into five branches, and each branch exuded an aura of fire, water, earth, wood, and metal. This was one of the top ten connate spiritual roots of the Great Desolation, the Five Element Tree!
"Daoist Dong Wanggong's fortune makes one envious," Xi Wangmu said.
Dong Wanggong laughed. Pleased with himself, he invited all the gods and immortals into his abode, an artifact he had refined known as the Violet Manor. From there, he spread the news of the Dao Ancestor's decree and began mass recruiting immortals.
Gods and immortals who refrained from secular struggles came out to join Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu like moths to a flame. Many of them included the reborn remnants of chaos fiendgods.
A hundred years later, Dong Wanggong and Xi Wangmu officially announced the birth of Violet Manor, the home of ten thousand immortals.
