Dao Equaling the Heavens
Chapter 228 - 162 Three Pure Daoist

Chapter 228: Chapter 162 Three Pure Daoist

Subsequently, Gu Wen and his companions found a rather scenic valley and riverbank to rest and recuperate.

Gu Wen consumed five Spirit Fruits and swallowed the shell of the Earth Core Crystal he had just obtained.

[Taking the Earth Core Crystal, the Golden Core is nearly perfect at 80%.]

[Heavenly Marrow of one hundred and eighty years.]

Perhaps it was because of the Heavenly Marrow analyzing the Eighth-Transition Golden Core, the Earth Core Crystal proved twice as effective in replenishing the Golden Core than before.

Just one more step.

Gu Wen felt invigorated. He opened his eyes and saw Chi Yu Zi attempting to smell flowers, trying all sorts of ways to regain his sense of smell.

Nearby, Yu Hua and Ao Tang seemed to be having an argument.

He couldn’t help but approach, and upon his arrival, they both abruptly fell silent. After asking, he quickly got an answer.

"Things have been quite urgent lately, I sent a message to the sect and the Daoist, hoping he could come over and help, but I never thought the Daoist had run into trouble with his cultivation,"

Ao Tang sighed and said dejectedly. "The method of ’One Qi to Three Pure Ones’ created three completely independent entities, even resulting in a female incarnation that only retained partial memories, which led her to run away."

Normally, by using the method of Divine Union, one could ensure the stability of the initial split of the Three Pure Ones, and having three Daoist-level incarnations would be beneficial for the Daoist Sect.

If they could all come over to help, they would be unmatched below the level of Venerable, and after some time, Gu Wen’s growth meant surpassing the Venerable wouldn’t be a problem.

But at this crucial juncture, complications emerged in the Daoist’s cultivation, leading to infighting among the incarnations.

It was over.

This was Gu Wen’s first reaction.

Based on the cultivation method of One Qi to Three Pure Ones, the divisions created by a millennium of separation were already fatal. With initial divisions appearing now, reconciliation among them in the future was nearly impossible.

This meant that the real Three Pure Daoist, the senior brother he had never met, was gone.

He felt a hint of regret as he said, "The world is impermanent, but doesn’t the Upper Pure Sect have any measures for improvements?"

"For the Immortal Skill, the best improvement is not to practice it. The Divine Union of the Upper Pure is fundamentally flawed, trying to prevent infighting among incarnations with a union of Yin and Yang, but it only treats the symptoms, not the root cause—eventually, they still cannot merge back into one Dao."

Yu Hua appeared indifferent. She was naturally quite detached, concerned about few external affairs and isolated like an island.

But once she took something to heart, she proved to be warm-hearted jade.

Besides, Yu Hua had never met the Three Pure Daoist. With hundreds of thousands of disciples and millions of mortals in the Daoist Sect, the Spiritual Mountains, and Spirit Veins extending over thousands of miles, the situation was different from other smaller sects, requiring focus on a specific branch to maintain relations like other sects.

"But the problem is that some people in the Upper Pure Sect are blaming us,"

Ao Tang was very distressed, and Gu Wen, puzzled, asked, "What does this have to do with us? We have not even met face to face."

Accusing others should involve some proximity. This baseless accusation was somewhat excessive.

Gu Wen’s warming impression of the Upper Pure Sect plummeted back to freezing.

Ao Tang responded, "Remember when Yu Hua gave you the Immortality Pill roots? Those were originally intended for the Daoist...."

"I have the authority to decide the disposition of the Immortality Pill roots, and before this realm, there has never been a case where the Daoist needed an Immortality Pill,"

Yu Hua interjected before he could finish, her tone intense, which made Gu Wen doubt whether the initial situation had been as mild as she described.

The internal politics of the Daoist Sect were also filled with verbal sparring and confrontations.

Ao Tang said, "That’s the principle, but some in the Upper Pure Sect don’t care, they even believe that if the Daoist had the Immortality Pill roots initially, there wouldn’t have been any problem."

Some things he couldn’t state outright; the way Yu Hua handled it was seen as unfair by most people in the Daoist Sect. She had the right to decide the use of the roots, but choosing an outsider over their own Daoist—an elder of their sect, plunged her into a valley of public opinion.

Ao Tang, knowing Gu Wen’s potential, would definitely choose him, but how would other disciples and elders in the sect view it?

Their Three Pure Daoist was considered the foremost prodigy of the era, topping both celestial and terrestrial lists, with many disciples and elders accustomed to hearing various rumors about the Daoist for decades as if it was his divine right.

Gu Wen, a suddenly emergent country boy, regardless of his high talent, still couldn’t compare to the Three Pure Daoist.

Not giving the Immortality Pill to the Daoist but to an outsider?

Now, numerous people were cursing Yu Hua, having heard that her residence within the sect was even overturned by some extreme disciples using Daoist Skills. It remained unescalated merely because they were in the Immortal Land, with Yun Miao and Huayang overseeing the situation.

"If they don’t accept it, they can come down and debate with me."

Yu Hua maintained her apathy.

She never cared about how she was perceived within the sect; her every action complied with the rules, and if not, then the rules of the sect were unreasonable.

"In the end, it still boils down to not giving him the true transmission identity earlier; otherwise, they wouldn’t have had any leverage. If the Second Ancestor were an elder, at least the disciples wouldn’t dare openly criticize."

Ao Tang sighed again, his approach differing from Yu Hua’s; as a Divine Beast, he was deeply involved in the internal relationships of the Daoist Sect.

Old friends pointing fingers and cursing one’s own self, Ao Tang certainly wouldn’t take it well.

On hearing this, Yu Hua realized and said, "That’s true, I’ll have the elder uncles pass the title of Yuqing Heavenly Venerate to Gu Wen."

One must not insult a master; Daoist Sect disciples could not openly insult an elder, and an elder could not scold a Venerable.

"How could you just give it away like that, do you think it’s cabbage?" Ao Tang said incredulously, "At least start by transitioning from true transmission to elder, then to a branch sect peak master, before qualifying to become a Venerable."

Then he looked at Gu Wen, noticing that he seemed indifferent and calm.

"What do you think?"

"Stand and watch."

Gu Wen shrugged nonchalantly, saying, "Do they really think they can come to the Immortal Land and scold me? The hearts of people are like a mountain, not everyone wants to be a pangolin."

Most of the time, reasons are hard to explain clearly; as long as he benefited, that was enough.

"But how does one go from true transmission to elder?"

Gu Wen suddenly asked, showing great interest.

Because identity and status were also profitable, each level of identity enjoying corresponding authority.

Ao Tang then provided Gu Wen with a rough explanation of the Daoist Sect’s power structure, which was divided into disciples and elders as two different strata. Disciples were the executors of power, while elders were the holders of power.

The elders of the Daoist Sect varied by location, with some famous Spirit Mountain resident elders needing at least Mahayana cultivation, while others only needed True Monarch cultivation or to be at the Returning to Void Stage.

The elders were further divided into five ranks: ordinary elders, teaching elders, Branch Sect Masters, Main Sect Masters, and Three Pure Venerable.

True disciples could directly ascend to the position of Branch Sect Master, but they needed at least True Monarch cultivation.

"Now that you are in Immortal Land, it cannot be generalized. A Sixth Level Daoist foundation should qualify you to apply for the status of Branch Sect Master."

Gu Wen noted this down, planning to become a Branch Sect Master once he broke through to the Sixth Level Daoist foundation. It seemed like a casual affair, and who knew, perhaps after leaving Immortal Land he might become a Venerable.

Some opportunities aren’t to be missed, for if you don’t take them, someone else will. It’s always best to pocket them regardless of their immediate usefulness.

"Red Dust, it’s time to go."

Chi Yu Zi beckoned from a distance, urging, "The next Grotto Heaven’s location is determined. Let’s quickly gather the remaining one soul and two spirits so we can move on to Fire Cloud Cave."

"It’s not that easy, your sister might pop up at any time and cause trouble."

As Gu Wen walked towards Chi Yu Zi, a strand of Divine Thought flew from the east, its dim and gradually brightening silk-like presence landing on his shoulder.

A deep and magnetic voice came through.

"Red Dust, it’s me."

Gu Wen, surprised, responded, "Jun Yan, your Divine Thought can extend so far now?"

It was well known that continuous long-distance Divine Thought communication required extremely high cultivation, or at least a special artifact if one wasn’t at the Heavenly Venerate Level.

"Recently, I broke through to the Seventh Level fulfilled stage, and my Primordial Spirit reached the Venerable level."

Jun Yan briefly explained before moving to the main point.

"Back to business, the Dragon clan’s Saint Heir has entered Nanshui, and I heard he fought an unknown prodigy. Moreover, the Saint Heirs and Saint Daughters of the Vermilion Bird, Xuanwu, White Tiger, and other Four Symbols clans have all entered Nanshui."

"The only good news is probably the message you guys released earlier, which has caused a self-authentication storm within the Daoist doors; now, no one dares to target you all anymore."

The aftermath of the fact that the Yin Yang Sect’s Venerable head was the Devil Emperor continued, and those shameless old creatures planning to seek benefits at Fire Cloud Cave all hid away.

"I plan to return to Nanshui soon, otherwise you may not be able to handle it."

"That’s good when can you come back?"

"I am in the Devil Clan’s Earth Realm, three days fast, six days slow."

"What are you doing in the Devil Clan’s Earth Realm?"

Gu Wen was puzzled, meaning Jun Yan had left Fire Cloud Cave long ago, not only had he not returned, but he had plunged straight into the enemy’s camp.

Was it perhaps a ploy to surround Wei to save Zhao?

Jun Yan chuckled lightly, his voice laced with jest, "Guess."

"Get lost, just tell me."

Gu Wen’s face darkened, even at this time he was still playing the jester.

"Sorry, I cannot reveal this matter."

Jun Yan dropped his frivolous demeanor, his voice chilling a few degrees.

"Some things are better left unsaid. You have your bottom lines, I have my principles. If you align with me, then no words are needed; otherwise, no need to ask."

"You just need to know we’re tied to the same string, and I will be your staunchest ally. There’s no one else under the heavens who wants you to live more than I do."

-----------------

Outside Nanshui, beyond the borders.

The murky air swarmed with flies, rivers floated a thin layer of blood, and mounds of countless corpses piled up.

Jun Yan stood atop a Devil corpse, the Barbarian tribe of one hundred thousand people below already empty.

Countless bodies turned into blood energy, gathering into a Blood Burst Pearl, suspended quietly in Jun Yan’s palm, while his waist pouch quietly laid with dozens of Blood Burst Pearls.

One pearl, ten thousand lives, hundreds of thousands of lives bagged.

"Blood Burst Pearl, wondering how many it would take to kill one of the Four Symbols’ Saint Heirs."

-----------------

The seventh Sword Control Sect Grotto Heaven.

The entrance to Grotto Heaven was located at the mountaintop, the entrance opening with divine lights shooting into the sky, attracting attention from all quarters.

As everyone looked at Gu Wen, he walked in with his usual expression, asking, "Chi Yu Zi, is the Earth Core Crystal well-nurtured?"

Chi Yu Zi stepped up to the Heavenly Altar, and soon her Divine Thought came through.

"Still six days left."

"Let’s go to another Grotto Heaven."

Gu Wen decisively made a decision.

Now there are three more Grotto Heavens left, with the Heaven Soul being the last to open, but no particular order for the Grotto Heavens storing the seven spirits.

Ao Tang turned into a large orange cat and whisked everyone away, just as they flew out of the entrance, an extremely powerful attack erupted, turning half a mountain into magma with a falling fireball.

High in the sky, to the left a White Tiger stepped on clouds and to the right a thousand-meter wide Vermilion Bird circled.

Gu Wen looked from afar and then, Ao Tang turned into a streak of light and flew away, with the White Tiger and Vermilion Bird in pursuit.

In just three breaths, both their figures vanished, completely lost by Ao Tang and their presence concealed.

Chi Yu Zi’s expression turned grim, saying, "That Grotto Heaven will definitely be guarded by them."

Gu Wen reassured, "It doesn’t matter, clashes are inevitable, enhancing one’s own strength is fundamental."

The entrance to the eighth Grotto Heaven, relatively concealed, waited four days to obtain the Earth Core Crystal.