World of Desolate Era.
After sending his master off to reincarnate, Wu Yun remained in the tribe, focused entirely on cultivation. He had opened up his own small world and rarely left it.
The small world was filled with mountains and rivers, lush and vibrant, shrouded in drifting immortal mist. Gradually, life began to emerge within it. Most days, Wu Yun simply sat at the mountain peak, watching clouds rise and fall, observing the evolution of the world itself.
The Dao exists within all things under heaven and earth.
"I began comprehending the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth when I was still at the Void Returning Earth Immortal stage, but even now I still cannot fully grasp it." Wu Yun murmured to himself. "It feels like I am still working in isolation. I need a master of a higher realm."
There were many Loose Immortals and Earth Immortals who studied the Dao of Heaven and Earth. However, those who fully comprehended a Great Dao were almost always True Immortals. Once one fully comprehended a Dao and condensed the Five Qi in the chest, they could become a Pure Yang True Immortal.
His master, Elder Dongyan, was also a Pure Yang True Immortal. However, he kept a low profile and rarely revealed his strength. When guiding disciples, he never went beyond the Heavenly Immortal level.
People naturally move upward like water flowing downhill. Wu Yun wanted to find a master at the level of a True God or a peak Heavenly God True Immortal. Someone like Patriarch Lu was already extremely close to the Dao Ancestor level.
Relying on himself, he might eventually comprehend a complete Dao, but it would take an extremely long time. Millions of years, even hundreds of millions of years were possible.
Although he had become a Heavenly Immortal in a very short time, it was not easy to become a disciple of a Dao Ancestor.
Whoosh.
Wu Yun left his small world and instantly arrived at Shangshui Prefecture. Deep within the Dongyan Mountain Range lay the Dongyan Clan's base, heavily fortified with numerous formations.
Without permission, even a Heavenly Immortal who trespassed would be annihilated.
Elder Dongyan sat by a gently flowing stream, fishing. He rarely appeared in the outside world and spent most of his time here. Sometimes, he would sit for over a hundred million years without moving.
"Master." Wu Yun cupped his hands in greeting.
Elder Dongyan gave a slight nod and said, "I already know why you have come. In our region, the Crimsonbright Dao Ancestor often accepts Heavenly Immortals as disciples. You may go and try your luck there."
He kept his eyes on the stream the entire time, not even glancing at Wu Yun, yet he had already seen through his intentions.
"Master, how did you know?" Wu Yun asked in shock. "Was it fate perception? I had not even spoken yet."
"You are unsettled. It shows on your face. Or rather, your desire for the Dao is too strong," Elder Dongyan replied calmly. As a Pure Yang True Immortal, his realm was on the same level as a True God.
Wu Yun felt slightly ashamed and nodded. "You are right. My heart is indeed not calm."
"Go then. After you become a disciple of a Dao Ancestor, come back to see me." Elder Dongyan continued fishing, unchanged.
"Yes."
...
After leaving Shangshui Prefecture, Wu Yun did not head directly to the Crimsonbright Great World.
If he was going to take a master, he would naturally aim for the best. The Crimsonbright Dao Ancestor seemed to only be at the peak True God level, still far from the level of a true leader among Dao Ancestors.
More importantly, his ability to teach disciples was average.
"In the Three Realms, among the True Gods and Dao Ancestors, the one most skilled in teaching disciples is likely Patriarch Bodhi. But becoming his disciple depends entirely on fate and whether he chooses you."
Wu Yun pondered his options.
The Three Realms were currently peaceful, with the Seamless Gate and Nuwa Faction coexisting. Great beings did not discriminate based on origin when accepting disciples, but Wu Yun still had no intention of heading toward the Crimsonbright faction.
Within the Nuwa faction, the leaders of the Daoist and Buddhist schools were the strongest.
After some thought, Wu Yun decided to try the Daoist school first.
Whoosh.
With a single step, he broke through the barrier and left the Great Xia World.
"My disciple is not heading toward the Crimsonbright Great World."
Elder Dongyan suddenly raised his head, gazing into the void. "He wants to seek the Daoist school? That will not be easy."
Wu Yun executed several consecutive spatial shifts. After crossing countless billions of miles, he arrived in the Heavenly Realm of the Three Realms. The Daoist palace was located in the eastern region of the Heavenly Realm, the core territory of the Daoist lineage.
Aside from the Three Pure Ones, many True Gods and Dao Ancestors also resided there permanently.
"The energy here in the Heavenly Realm is indeed much denser." Wu Yun sighed. "If I had been born here as a mortal, my Body Refining progress would likely have been much faster."
Although he focused primarily on the Dao, he also cultivated Body Refining techniques. Truly powerful cultivators were always dual cultivators.
Pure Qi Refining alone, even with a first-grade Golden Core, was slightly inferior to Body Refining at the same level.
"Daoist Wu Yun, we have been waiting for you."
A young man in a blue Daoist robe suddenly appeared, stepping through space. He had refined features and carried a fly whisk in his hand.
"Fellow Daoist, may I ask who you are?" Wu Yun cupped his hands.
The young man smiled. "I am Bi Ling. I have been sent to receive you. My ancestor has already calculated that you would come to seek a master, so I have been instructed to bring you to Three Pure Mountain."
"Three Pure Mountain?"
Wu Yun was not unfamiliar with this name. It was a world personally created by the Three Pure Ones, vast enough to rival an ordinary great world.
He was delighted. He had long heard that those who came to the Daoist school and were fortunate enough to enter Three Pure Mountain had a chance of becoming disciples of the Three Pure Ones themselves.
In terms of strength, the Three Pure Ones were even above Patriarch Bodhi.
"Daoist Wu Yun, please follow me," Bi Ling said.
Together, they traveled eastward. After crossing an unknown distance, they arrived at a distorted region of space.
Space contained infinite layers of dimensions. Many small worlds, and even worlds like the Crescent Moon Great World, existed in different dimensional layers. This distorted space was merely a gateway connecting similar spatial levels.
Following Bi Ling, Wu Yun finally arrived at the legendary Three Pure Mountain.
"This is the cultivation ground created by our ancestor," Bi Ling explained. "He has ordered me to bring you to the Daoqing Pavilion. There, you will find all kinds of scriptures prepared for you. Once you meet the requirements, you may become his disciple."
Even Bi Ling felt envious when speaking of this.
Most Heavenly Immortals could only take True Gods or True Immortals as masters.
"Requirements?" Wu Yun thought.
For someone like him, whose cultivation time was still short, the Three Pure Ones were clearly giving him a chance.
Compared to most Heavenly Immortals in the Three Realms, his cultivation speed was already considered very fast, despite having no proper guidance and only ordinary techniques.
His Qi Refining method was only at the Pure Yang level, not even the Great Luo level.
Bi Ling continued, "Within a thousand years, if you fully comprehend a Dao and become a Pure Yang True Immortal, you may become an inner disciple. If you can reach near-Pure Yang combat strength as a Heavenly Immortal, you may become a registered disciple."
Even Bi Ling felt the difficulty was absurd.
A thousand years to fully comprehend a Dao and become a Pure Yang True Immortal?
Or to reach near-Pure Yang combat power as a Heavenly Immortal?
"I can try," Wu Yun said with determination. "After all, I have never truly been guided by a True God or True Immortal before. Now that I have access to higher-level scriptures, I may still be able to improve further."
He clasped his hands. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist Bi Ling. I will do my best to become a disciple of the Dao Ancestor."