Flood: I, the Nine Turns of the Golden Pillar, all want to eat me!
Chapter 12 - Condensing the Dan Dao, Golden Immortal Realm

Chapter 12: Condensing the Dan Dao, Golden Immortal Realm

In the blink of an eye, Xuan Qing’s group had returned to Kunlun.

The first thing Xuan Qing did upon his return was to plant the gourd vine. With the nourishment of the Kunlun Spirit Spring, the gourd vine regained a trace of vitality, but fully restoring it was no simple matter.

According to what Laozi had said, the gourd vine’s origin had been damaged, and to recover, it had to repair its very essence. The best method was to find a spiritual root of creation and integrate its origin into the gourd vine. Unfortunately, spiritual roots containing creation were exceedingly rare, and using them to save the gourd vine would be an enormous waste.

With no other choice, Xuan Qing could only rely on the Kunlun Spirit Spring to temporarily maintain the gourd vine’s condition. After all, this vine would one day transform into a Man-Making Whip and contain boundless merit.

Reflecting on his recent journey, Xuan Qing fully understood the dangers he had faced. His reckless path across the Flood had been perilous. The great gods had all gazed at him with covetous eyes as if they wanted nothing more than to consume him. If the Longevity Monk’s flesh in Journey to the West was desired by all, then Xuan Qing, the first elixir of heaven and earth, was even more sought after. His very being was more precious than the Longevity Monk’s flesh.

A single bite of the Longevity Monk’s flesh grants immortality. A bite of my flesh… would likely grant even greater fortune.

For this reason, he had to protect himself and accumulate as much merit as possible. Once merit and virtue were added to his body, he would see who dared to offend him.

Laozi and the others entered seclusion to refine the gourds they had obtained. Meanwhile, Xuan Qing continued his cultivation, contemplating his path to stepping into the Golden Immortal Realm.

“Zi Yun… I have decided to cultivate the Great Dao of Dan. Let me enter the Great Dao Treasure Pearl and comprehend the Dao of Dan.” Xuan Qing was well aware of his strengths—while others struggled to grasp the Dao, he could understand it with ease.

After all, most cultivators had to comprehend the Great Dao slowly from within the Flood. The Great Dao Treasure Pearl, however, had already transformed and branded the Dao within its space, allowing him to observe it freely.

“That is naturally feasible. However, have you truly decided on the Dao of Dan?” Zi Yun asked again, aware of the significance of this choice.

“I have decided. Cultivating the Dao of Dan is dangerous, but it suits me best. Furthermore, the Dao of Dan’s ability to transform all paths, paired with the characteristics of your branded Dao, will be like adding wings to a tiger. With such conditions, it would be a waste not to choose the Dao of Dan. Besides, my master is a Heavenly Dao Saint, and my master’s ancestor is a Hongjun Dao Ancestor. As long as I do not perish, my safety is assured. At most, I will keep a low profile until my master’s father becomes a saint.” Xuan Qing smiled, well aware of the implications of his choice.

“That is also true. With my ability to brand the Great Dao, your comprehension of all Daos will be accelerated. By relying on the Dao of Dan, you will evolve the Three Thousand Great Daos. This is equivalent to cultivating all three thousand Daos alone. Such an achievement is rare within the Flood.” Zi Yun acknowledged his reasoning before pulling Xuan Qing into the Great Dao Treasure Pearl.

Currently, the Great Dao Treasure Pearl contains several branded Great Daos: the Dao of Force, the Dao of Dan, the Dao of Change, the Dao of Weaponry, the Dao of Formation, and the Dao of Sword.

Six powerful Daos.

Xuan Qing focused on the Dao of Dan and entered a state of cultivation.

In the blink of an eye, thousands of years had passed.

Xuan Qing had remained immersed in enlightenment, envisioning the Great Dao of Dan. Using visualization techniques, he observed the Dao’s transformations. Whenever his mind became fatigued, he would try to recover before resuming his comprehension.

Gradually, the Dao Rhythms molded and integrated into the Nine Transformation Golden Dan within his body. As the Dao Rhythms fused, the original Nine Transformation Golden Dan underwent profound changes. Unique Dao imprints surfaced, intertwining and spreading, fusing into his mind and soul.

As his physical body transformed, so too did his Yuan Shen, repeatedly refining itself and resonating with the Dao.

“Is this the realm of the Golden Immortal? The integration of the Dao and its evolution?” Xuan Qing murmured, feeling the qualitative shift in his being.

It was undeniable—integrating into the Great Dao was vastly different from remaining separate from it. Mana which had merged with the Dao was at least several times stronger than before.

“Congratulations, Master, on stepping into the Golden Immortal Realm. The next step is to condense your Origin Qi and continue comprehending the Great Dao until the two merge and achieve Golden Immortal Immortality,” Zi Yun transmitted her congratulations.

Xuan Qing nodded thoughtfully. “I understand. By the way, to what level can the branded Dao of Dan allow me to cultivate?”

“The Great Luo Realm. Once Master fully comprehends the branded Dao of Dan, reaching the Great Luo Realm will be achievable.” Zi Yun revealed without hesitation.

“The Great Luo Realm?” Xuan Qing considered it, knowing that such a realm was still far beyond his reach.

“Yes. The Dao of Dan inherited from Laozi is incomplete. Comprehending it will allow cultivation up to the Great Luo Realm, but progressing further will require either independent comprehension or finding an external Dao of Dan tome with new divine abilities.” Zi Yun explained.

“For now, the Great Luo Realm is still distant. Besides, when Ancestor Hongjun preaches, he will likely mention the Dao of Dan.” Xuan Qing decided to put aside concerns for future breakthroughs.

“That is true. At the very least, Master will not encounter bottlenecks while cultivating the Great Luo Realm. Most cultivators in the Flood face bottlenecks when their comprehension of the Great Dao is insufficient. If they force a breakthrough, their foundations become unstable. In contrast, Master, with my assistance, can break through naturally without such obstacles.” Zi Yun’s tone was serious, emphasizing her greatest advantage.

Indeed, Xuan Qing knew that Zi Yun’s branded Dao was his greatest boon. As long as the branded Dao had not reached its limits, he could advance without hindrance.

A few hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.

Laozi and the others finally emerged from seclusion, and with nothing pressing to do, they continued teaching Xuan Qing.

On this day, Xuan Qing’s Nine Transformation Xuan Gong underwent a minor breakthrough, drawing Tongtian’s attention.

“Good, good… Little Xuan Qing’s Nine Transformation Xuan Gong has reached the second turn of the sixth stage.”

“Senior Uncle, are you going to teach me formations again?” Xuan Qing looked at Tongtian warily. Over the years, he had benefited from all of Three Qing’s teachings, but formations remained his weak point.

Whenever Tongtian had spare time, he would seek out Xuan Qing for additional lessons, making Xuan Qing dread their training sessions.

However, this time, Tongtian stroked his beard and smiled. “No, I will not be teaching today. We are going out.”

“Going out again? Is there another great opportunity?” Xuan Qing asked curiously. On his last outing, he had obtained the gourd vine. Perhaps this time, he would gain something just as extraordinary.

At that moment, Laozi also approached. “Disciple, this time, I will take you to my master’s dojo. When we arrive, you must address him as Master Ancestor.”