Chapter 18

The leisurely cultivation life had somewhat intoxicated Ding Yue. He tidied up his own training ground and herb garden, admired his collection, and enjoyed the occasional visits from Princess Ao Lan, who would chat and discuss the Dao with him. This truly made Ding Yue experience the joy of cultivation and find the purpose of his own practice.

Leisure!

Speaking of which, Ao Lan had clearly developed a fondness for the taste of Da Hongpao tea. She would come over for a couple of cups whenever she had the chance, and with the abundance of spirit fruits here, she found herself reluctant to leave!

"Ao Lan is here, Daoist friend Ding." From a distance, Ao Lan's clear voice echoed over.

This time, Ao Lan was clearly well-prepared. After several visits, she had taken quite a bit of food and drink, which made her feel a bit embarrassed.

With a casual toss, a plant appeared on the ground. Upon closer inspection, it was a peach tree, but it was rather delicate, with small leaves and faint golden threads. The peach blossoms had yet to bloom.

Ding Yue stepped forward and identified it as a lower-grade spirit root, known as the Red Jade Golden Peach. It took five hundred years to mature, and the first batch of peaches could be planted again, but the subsequent plants would no longer be considered spirit roots, only innate materials.

Ding Yue hurriedly asked where it came from.

Ao Lan said indifferently, "It was originally in the Crystal Palace's treasure vault. Since it couldn't be planted underwater, it was just left there. I took it casually, and now it can be planted here for you to enjoy."

Apart from marveling at the wealth of the Dragon Palace, where even innate spirit roots were casually stored, Ding Yue quickly called the child guarding the orchard to carefully plant the peach tree on a small hill.

After finishing, he invited Ao Lan to a pavilion built outside the Tidesound Cave. Ding Yue skillfully took out a set of professional tea-making tools and began brewing Da Hongpao.

"Speaking of which, I don't have much tea left. The leaves from that tea tree are limited, and I've consumed most of them over the years. The grafted tea trees grow quickly, but the taste is much worse. It will take another three hundred years for the next batch to mature!" Ding Yue said.

Ao Lan felt a bit embarrassed. The tea leaves took a thousand years to mature, and each batch only produced a few hundred leaves. She had taken quite a bit over the years to offer to her father.

"Then drink less," Ao Lan said, embarrassed, not wanting to admit that she had come this time because her father wanted some tea.

The two sat opposite each other, sipping tea, eating spirit fruits, and discussing the Dao. Ao Lan's realm was much higher than Ding Yue's, and the dragon clan's heritage and cultivation techniques were among the best in the primordial chaos. Ao Lan also had no shortage of masters to guide her, so her cultivation was smooth. In fact, Ao Lan was a few hundred years younger than Ding Yue!

In their discussions, Ding Yue mostly listened, and when he spoke, it was usually about arrays, which he was skilled in. He felt a bit embarrassed to discuss other topics.

At that moment, they both felt the world become still, and a clear, calm voice echoed.

"I am the Great Purity Daoist, now a sage, known as the Great Purity Supreme Heavenly Venerable, and I will enforce the order of heaven and earth on behalf of heaven!"

Even with the array blocking the view, Ding Yue could still see the vast expanse of purple qi stretching for countless miles over the primordial chaos, rolling like a great river!

Immediately, the scenes of Nüwa's ascension to sagehood reappeared. Traces of the Dao appeared in the void, mysterious and profound.

Seizing this rare opportunity, Ding Yue stared intently at the manifestation of the Dao, carefully comprehending it.

However, the phenomena of the Great Purity Sage's ascension only lasted a few breaths. As soon as his voice faded, the Dao retreated, leaving behind only golden lotuses and drops of divine dew!

Ding Yue's gains were significant. In just a few breaths, he made more progress than in the past two hundred years of cultivation. His Daoist arts advanced greatly, and he was not far from the peak of the Celestial Immortal realm.

However, he soon realized that Laozi had not established a religion to become a sage, which did not match his knowledge of the future. It seemed that the legends of the future were not entirely reliable!

But with the senior becoming a sage, how far could the juniors be?

Ding Yue looked forward to the scene of all the sages emerging.

Ao Lan returned, clearly feeling a bit disheartened by the news of Laozi's ascension. The dragon clan's glory was not without its challenges!

As expected, over the next three hundred years, one person ascended to sagehood every hundred years. First was the Jade Purity Original Heavenly Venerable, then the Supreme Purity Spirit Treasure Heavenly Venerable. None of the Three Purities established a religion to become sages, and their ascensions were all grand.

Next were the two from the West, whose ascensions were much less impressive. They had to make great vows to invoke the Dao, which bestowed boundless merit, allowing them to ascend together, far less impressive than the previous powerful sages!

This matched the legends!

Seeing that all who were supposed to become sages had done so, Ding Yue gained a great opportunity and directly entered the Mystic Immortal realm, his body filled with a mysterious and profound aura!

The Mystic Immortal realm was not much different from the Celestial Immortal realm. There was no significant change in his magical power or combat strength. This was a process of comprehending the Dao, a foundation for future growth.

Advancing to the Golden Immortal realm would mean moving mountains and overturning seas, while failing could mean stagnation for tens of thousands of years, leading to a life of mediocrity.

There were no early, middle, or late stages in this realm. Some might advance in a few years, while others might take tens of thousands of years!

After tidying up his cave, Ding Yue left the obedient golden dragons to guard it and leisurely mounted the dragon whisker beast, returning to the primordial chaos.

The primordial chaos was becoming increasingly unstable, even in the south where the witch and demon races were sparse. Frequent battles and duels could be seen, with life and death hanging in the balance. The powerful demon kings and great witches left a deep impression on Ding Yue, making him feel like he was facing an insurmountable mountain, forcing him to stay far away!

Looking at the desolate land, Ding Yue slowly transplanted some rare flowers and herbs, unwilling to let these species be destroyed by the witches and demons. After all, there was still time!

A thousand years passed, and Ding Yue remained in the Mystic Immortal realm, still having no clue about advancing to the Golden Immortal realm. He could only go with the flow. During this time, he wandered in the southern primordial chaos, occasionally using the treasure basin to find treasures and collect spirit beasts.

One day, Ding Yue finally returned to Wuyi Mountain.

Wuyi Mountain looked the same as when he left, with no significant changes. However, a group of golden bears had moved in. These were special bears, standing three zhang tall when fully grown, with immense strength and a third eye that could emit a powerful golden light.

These bears had been displaced by the witch-demon war and somehow ended up in Ding Yue's array, where they were trapped for hundreds of years before escaping into the mountains. Not seeing the expected owner, they settled down in the mountains.

After some effort, Ding Yue subdued these bears. He needed guards for Wuyi Mountain, so he entrusted them with the responsibility of protecting his cave, which they had occupied for hundreds of years.

Thus, Ding Yue began cultivating in Wuyi Mountain, not venturing out. The outside world was unsafe, and even he had once suffered an unexpected disaster, being pursued for millions of miles by a powerful witch until he returned to the east.

This made Ding Yue realize that in this era, apart from the witch and demon races and the powerful sages, everyone else was like an ant. He was no exception. Even as a Mystic Immortal, he was just a stronger ant.

The eastern primordial chaos had even more witches and demons, and the wars were more frequent, making Ding Yue even less willing to leave.

Hundreds of years later, one day, the heavens rumbled.

"I am the Supreme Heavenly Venerable, now establishing the Human Teachings to civilize the world!"

Hearing this in Wuyi Mountain, Ding Yue immediately closed the mountain gate, left the bears to guard it, and set out for Kunlun Mountain in the east.

As expected, before reaching Kunlun Mountain, Ding Yue heard about the establishment of the Orthodox Teachings, the Complete Teachings, and the Western Teachings, all of which were grand and influential!

Rushing to Kunlun Mountain, Ding Yue easily found the entrance to the Three Purities' mountain. However, the child at the gate informed him that he needed to pass a test.

Ding Yue was unsure. The Original Heavenly Venerable was said to value lineage and potential. Could he meet his standards? But if he didn't join the Original Heavenly Venerable, he would face great calamities in the future!

What to do?

With great tension, Ding Yue entered the test array set by the Original Heavenly Venerable. Everything turned white, and he lost all his senses!

Before he could decide what to do, Ding Yue felt something envelop him, and then everything went dark. When he regained his sight, he was back where he started.

He had failed. He was thrown out before he could react.

Reflecting on it, although Ding Yue's cultivation was not weak, he had practiced for thousands of years. His body had been improved several times but was still a mortal body, inferior to the humans born in the primordial chaos. If not for the many opportunities and his own efforts, it would have taken him much longer to reach his current level!

Ding Yue's potential was poor, far inferior to the natives of the primordial chaos, and his lineage was even worse, just a mortal human!

In short, he had failed!

Since the Original Heavenly Venerable did not accept him, he would have to see what the future held. Orthodox Teachings! Hmph!

Ding Yue left the Original Heavenly Venerable's test in a rage and approached the test set by the self-proclaimed Supreme Heavenly Venerable.

The Supreme Heavenly Venerable was truly a good person! The test was not complicated. After a few days, Ding Yue was easily notified that he had passed and was sent to the mountain where the Three Purities resided.

His easy success was partly due to his deep knowledge of arrays.

Perhaps he had come early, as the Three Purities had just established their teachings. When he took the test, there were only a few others.

Upon entering the palace, there were not many people present.

Daring not to look around, he bowed deeply to the Three Purities, who sat high above.

(Seeking votes, seeking collection! Thank you)

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