Every great being was lost in their own reflection, seeing something unknown to others.
An old man descended to the earth, frail and ancient, his hair white as snow, clad in a rare yellow Daoist robe.
The old man walked into this place, not towards the Yellow Springs River, but into the shore-blooms.
With each step he took, the shore-blooms parted to let him pass, as if by chance, yet not a single flower was trampled.
"Old man Cang Wu, greetings, young friend."
The elder smiled gently, greeting him with composure.
Qing Ling rose and looked at the elder before him, saying indifferently, "Daoist friend Cang Wu, to what do you owe this visit?"
Cang Wu's smile diminished by a third. "Naturally, I am here for the Earth Dao's fortuitous opportunity. And to request your company on a journey."
Qing Ling paid no mind to the first half, only the latter. "A journey? Where are we to journey?"
"Heh heh, naturally to my clan's Qilin Divine Cliff." Cang Wu's smile vanished completely, replaced by a hint of pressure.
"Qilin Cliff? Why would I go there? I will not."
Qing Ling asked, then casually refused.
"Hmph, that is not for you to decide!" Cang Wu raised his voice slightly. "I, from the Twenty-Fourth Heaven, have personally come. Do you still refuse to be moved?"
"This, I cannot decide," Qing Ling said with a helpless wave of his hand, pointing towards the deep waters of the Yellow Springs River, and with a smile, he added, "just as who controls the Earth Dao is not for me to say."
Cang Wu sneered. "Do you truly believe the Earth Dao will choose a Grand Unity of the Fifth Heaven like you?
The Heavenly trend against the Earthly trend, the Earth Dao corresponding to the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun Supreme's Heavenly Dao, though only a part of the Heavenly trend, is enough to be among the ten Supremes of the Primordial Era. This Earth Dao, when compared to the Heavenly Dao, is not something you can hope for."
Qing Ling inquired, "Then does the Earth Dao have no peak Grand Unity beings? Though you are from the Twenty-Fourth Heaven, you are not a peak Grand Unity yourself."
Cang Wu's face darkened. "While there are few peak Grand Unity beings for the Earth Dao, there are several. My clan's Twin Kings have already stepped into Half-Step Hunyuan, acting on behalf of the Qilin Dao. Naturally, they will not grasp the Earth Dao.
Xuanwu Supreme governs the paths of water, earth, and cold, but he leans towards solitude rather than controlling a Dao for enlightenment.
Xuan Gui Progenitor remains in the Northern Lands, thus he will not contend for this Earth Dao.
Apart from these few, I, Cang Wu, am the undisputed choice for the Earth Dao."
Qing Ling nodded, understanding dawning in his mind. The other mighty beings had their own Daos and no interest in this one, so Cang Wu believed he was the most suitable candidate amongst the less qualified.
It was a pity that Zhen Yuanzi might not have been born yet. Otherwise, with his Dao, he would have been the most fitting choice.
However, no matter what, this Earth Element Qilin could not be allowed to grasp the Earth Dao. If the Qilin Dao merged with the Earth Dao, their combined strength would greatly increase the Qilin clan's power!
"Daoist friend, feel free to try. I will not stop you."
Qing Ling smiled at him, clearing the way and stepping aside harmlessly.
Cang Wu paused but did not think much of it, walking past the sea of flowers and directly towards the Yellow Springs. This stemmed from his confidence in his own strength.
Cang Wu looked at the Yellow Springs, releasing eight thousand acres of auspicious clouds from above. They were heavy with the color of Xuan Huang, one mountain stacking upon another, resembling a vast continent.
Qing Ling's heart gave a jolt, and he exclaimed in praise, "Daoist friend, your bearing is remarkable. Eight thousand acres of auspicious clouds, truly rare."
Although Cang Wu did not respond, his lips curved upward.
For ordinary Grand Unity beings, a hundred acres of auspicious clouds in the first heaven was rare. A thousand acres in the tenth heaven was seldom seen. Breaking through to the eleventh heaven and entering the realm of Heavenly and Earthly Grand Beings, one would barely reach three thousand acres. After that, an additional three hundred acres per heaven would be considered good.
Typical Grand Beings in the Twenty-Fourth Heaven would only possess around six thousand acres of auspicious clouds.
Therefore, even with Qing Ling's extraordinary origins, he currently had only eight hundred acres of auspicious clouds, more than ten times less than the elder!
The eight thousand acres of auspicious clouds manifested as ten thousand layers of mountains, the Great Dao of Earth manifesting as divine mountains, towering as if reaching the heavens.
The divine mountains descended into the Yellow Springs, seeking to merge with the Earth Dao.
However, the Yellow Springs River flowed turbulantly, clearly unwilling to comply. The surging waters corroded the void, swirling around the base of the divine mountains.
For a time, the mountains and rivers flowed, creating a strange spectacle in the earth's core.
Qing Ling was not worried at all. If the Earth Dao were truly emerging, it would not only be with the Yellow Springs River, but also with other manifestations of the Earth Dao.
Indeed, as the Yellow Springs River flowed, the water gradually descended, slowly flowing back towards the edge of the shore-bloom land, then turning eastward towards the earth's core, completing a circle and returning to its origin, forming a great ring-shaped river.
The beginning and end of the great river met at the shore-blooms, giving birth to a point of faint light.
The emergence of this faint light sent a tremor through the souls of all the great beings present.
On the banks of the Yellow Springs River, separated from the sea of blood by the shore-blooms, at this moment, all the souls from the sea of blood were drawn into the river, forming a soul river that flowed endlessly eastward.
The origin of the Yellow Springs River gave birth to the River of Oblivion.
The waters of the sea of blood, the waters of the Yellow Springs, and the waters of Oblivion converged at the northern edge of the shore-blooms, and then each returned to its own flow.
The Yellow Springs River flowed around the core of the earth, while the River of Oblivion carried the waters of the sea of blood from west to east.
At the origin of both rivers, on the northern land of the shore-blooms, a divine stone emerged from the water.
Upon this divine stone, the will of the Earth Dao truly manifested. Formed from the core of Pangu Great God's skull, it was the will of the earth.
On the stone, two Dao patterns grew.
These were innate Dao patterns, not inscribed upon it.
The patterns read: "Three Lives."
The Stone of Three Lives appeared, its vast, faint light illuminating the earth. The divine mountain floating in the sky was instantly absorbed into the will of the Earth Dao.
Cang Wu's face immediately turned pale, his primordial spirit weakened, and he vomited blood three times.
The more than ten great beings who had long been lost in their souls were even more unstable in their physical bodies, falling into the Yellow Springs River.
But fortunately, they were all great beings, and the physical bodies of Grand Unity Golden Immortals were indestructible, otherwise, they might have perished then and there.
On the Stone of Three Lives, light flickered again.
As this light shone, the great beings of the seventeen clans of the Blood Sea and the Blood Worm clan dared not cross the shore-blooms, and could only watch from beside them.
The light of the Stone of Three Lives shone upon Qing Ling and Cang Wu, the only two great beings who remained conscious.
Both of them sensed the will of the Earth Dao.
The will of the Earth Dao merged into their bodies simultaneously, and they looked towards the Stone of Three Lives.
Cang Wu looked at it for just a moment before becoming so engrossed that he could not extricate himself.
Qing Ling, too, could not tear his eyes away after a single glance.
For, on the Stone of Three Lives, he truly saw his three lives.
In a city of towering buildings and roaring automobiles, amidst the hazy glow of colorful lights, on a deserted street, under the dim yellow streetlights, two figures walked side by side.
One was him, the other a youth.
In his blank memories, fragmented words appeared.
"Shangguan Ling...
Chen... Bei Mo"
On the Stone of Three Lives, faint light flowed, and the scene shifted to the Jianmu tree of the Eastern Wilderness supporting the sky. He stood beneath the Jianmu, where Duguan was perpetually spring-like, filled with fragrant flowers and verdant grass.
The faint light moved again, and on the Stone of Three Lives, a scene appeared. Five high mountains enclosed five directions, forming a valley in the center. The valley had a lake, and on the lake was an island with five trees.
On one tree, green plums grew, and among the green plum trees, a firefly rested.
Beneath the tree, a youth with a striking resemblance to Qing Ling, an elder with white hair, and a young woman in a blue robe sat discussing the Dao, drinking tea leisurely, enjoying the tranquility of nature.