Yellow Court Daoist

Ten hours later.

Lu Qingfeng stepped out of his cave abode.

With a sweep of his wide sleeves, a formation covered the inside and outside of the dwelling.

Within its faint outline, one could discern a petite figure seated cross-legged, surrounded by waves of mysterious aura. Spiritual Energy gathered, condensed in the air, and turned into spirit rain. From beneath the earth, blossoms of Golden Lotus surged upwards.

Unfolding layer upon layer of mystical phenomena.

Lu Qingfeng summoned clouds and sat outside the cave, not moving an inch.

As time passed,

the marvels in the mountains grew ever more astounding.

Luckily, the area beyond Desolate Cold Stream was deserted, rarely traversed by cultivators – hence, no one noticed for a while.

As the Dao Fruit condensed and the Qi Mechanism of Refining Dao within the Mahayana peaked, it radiated flickers of Pure Yang qi like starfire.

One day.

Two days.

Three days.

On the fifth day, heaven and earth trembled mightily. The Pure Yang Qi mechanism, like a sprout emerging from the ground, broke through the earth's constraints.

In that instant, there was immense joy, immense freedom.

Unbound by anything, the Pure Yang Qi mechanism spread unimpeded, crossing the vastness in a flash.

Between heaven and earth, every Earth Immortal felt the resonance—

"Someone has achieved the Dao!"

"Desolate Cold Stream?!"

Across the vast Four Saints Immortal Domain, streams of Qi soared to the heavens. Ordinary cultivators didn't notice, even Mahayana True Immortals could hardly sense these flows of Qi.

Lu Qingfeng, seated on a cloud, gazed into the distance.

He saw that from the north and south two streams of Qi approached closest; they rose swiftly and reached first, landing and taking stand against the sky beyond the mountain.

One was a middle-aged Daoist, upright as a pine tree reaching for the skies, dressed in an Eight Sceneries Daoist robe and holding a horsetail whisk.

The other wore a lotus seed headband, resembling a Buddhist monk, dressed in black, with a rather ferocious face.

Upon their arrival,

they first looked into the mountain, glanced at the Desolate Cold Stream not far away, and their expressions shifted, "So it's not the work of some demon from the Desolate Cold Stream."

They both sighed with relief.

They then turned to the young Daoist who had stood up on the cloud edge.

Lu Qingfeng was no pretender, and while his aura was contained, it coalesced into a force rising three feet above his head. One look was enough to tell he was no ordinary mortal, not to be trifled with.

The two who arrived first, feeling puzzled by this unfamiliar face, did not dare to neglect him; the Daoist in the Eight Sceneries robe was the first to speak, "I am Daoist Zhong Qiu from Jiya Mountain, greetings Fellow Daoist."

The monk-like figure also called out loudly, "I am Pan Ji from Spring and Autumn Mountain, greetings Fellow Daoist."

Jiya Mountain.

Spring and Autumn Mountain.

Lu Qingfeng stood up, acknowledging the two with their extraordinary bearing, both established beings of longevity, having already achieved the Earth Immortal Dao Fruit, he responded with a smile, "I am the Qingjing Daoist, greetings two Fellow Daoists."

Without saying much, these two must be among the Earth Immortals of the Four Saints Immortal Domain. And being so close to the Desolate Cold Stream, perhaps they knew the particulars around here.

"So it's Qingjing Daoist."

Daoists Zhong Qiu and Pan Ji exchanged a glance, skepticism flickering in their eyes, clearly having never heard of this personage. Pan Ji, ever outspoken, couldn't help but inquire, "Fellow Daoist looks unfamiliar, may I ask from which Immortal Domain you hail?"

The Earth Immortals of the Four Saints Immortal Domain were well-counted.

It couldn't be helped that they were curious and cautious about an Earth Immortal whose background was not known to them.

"I am originally a Qi Cultivator from Yellow Wind Ridge in the Southern Continent of the Earth Immortal World, wandering here to guide a few unworthy disciples back to the mountains," Lu Qingfeng did not conceal and spoke outright.

"Turns out to be a being from the Earth Immortal World!"

Zhong Qiu and Pan Ji were first enlightened.

If he belonged to the Southern Continent of the Earth Immortal World, it was no wonder they found him unfamiliar.

After their realization, they were again taken aback.

Ascending to the Earth Immortal World and then descending was no simple matter.

Aside from the gods of the Heavenly Court and the immortals of Spiritual Mountain, ordinary Earth Immortals could in no way break through the spatial barriers of the Earth Immortal World, nor roam the vast Void.

Both Daoists immediately became even more cordial.

Zhong Qiu glanced at the nascent Pure Yang Dao Fruit in the mountain and couldn't help but ask curiously, "May I inquire, Fellow Daoist, as to who is cultivating within the mountain?"

The path of the Immortal Dao is difficult.

Longevity is hard to come by.

It's not easy to become an Earth Immortal.

Even within the Four Saints Immortal Domain, with numerous Immortal Sects and legions of cultivators advancing together, it could take tens of thousands of years before an Earth Immortal emerges. Now, unexpectedly someone was on the verge of achieving the Dao, which was truly astonishing.

Considering this Qingjing Daoist was from the Earth Immortal World and had ventured to Nanhua, it would be unreasonable for him to have brought along a Mahayana True Immortal close to achieving the Dao, right?

"You two Fellow Daoists bring me too much honor. The one within the mountain is indeed one of my few unworthy disciples," Lu Qingfeng humbly said.

Yet his mood was splendid.

How hard is it to obtain longevity – how rare is it to become an Earth Immortal?

In Primordial, countless talented True Immortals ultimately couldn't escape a mere handful of yellow earth as their fate. Even the mighty gods of the Heavenly Court and the celestial beings aspired to help their disciples become Earth Immortals, yet found it arduous.

Many who regrettably entered the cycle of reincarnation, lost to its whirl, were countless.

Like those Reincarnated True Immortals Lu Qingfeng once met in the Changqing Realm and the Barbarian God Realm – boasting mightiness in the mortal realm, calling themselves 'Exiled Immortals', yet, in truth, were nothing but those who failed to achieve longevity.

And Lu Qingfeng,

had already seen his disciple Zheng Chi achieve the Dao of an Earth Immortal, henceforth living freely in immortality. And now, Lin Ye was on the brink of obtaining the Dao, with longevity in sight.

Lu Qingfeng's heart was filled with joy.

For one,

having deep affection for these disciples, being able to aid them in achieving the Dao, thus freeing them from the sorrows of life, death, and the tortures of the Six Paths, brought Lu Qingfeng great contentment.

Secondly,

In the Primordial, assisting one disciple after another in attaining Earth Immortal status not only garners experience. In the future reality, Qing Mountain and Qingyu too cannot bypass this threshold. The more ample the experience, the more thorough the preparation, the stronger the confidence that Qing Mountain and Qingyu can also achieve enduring longevity.

At present, Lin Ye is about to refine his Dao, and a dual joy overfills his heart.

Zhong Qiu and Pan Ji's inquiry hits right at Lu Qingfeng's core concerns.

"So it turns out they are Fellow Daoist's disciples."

"Such good fortune."

"Such good fortune."

The pair of Immortals, upon hearing this, cannot help but be startled once more.

To have instructed disciples to the extent of reaching Earth Immortal status demonstrates considerable capabilities. For the two, having achieved Earth Immortal status themselves after many years, and taking in disciples who are the top talents from their respective Immortal Sects or even throughout the entire Four Saints Immortal Realm,

And yet.

Over tens of thousands of years, some hundred thousands of years, disciples after disciples attaining Primordial Spirit and True Immortal status, only a very few manage to reach the pinnacle of True Immortality. Among these rare few at the peak, not a single one has refined the Dao to become an Earth Immortal.

All of them blocked from entering the gates of the Longevity Immortal Sect.

Seeing that Lu Qingfeng actually has a disciple about to refine his Dao to Earth Immortal-status, the pair of Immortals felt both surprised and envious.

Lu Qingfeng, observing the envious expressions on the faces of the two Immortals, immediately felt a sense of goodwill, and began to engage in conversation with them.

This conversation, however, took an odd turn.

As for Pan Ji, there's not much to speak of.

This Buddhist monk-styled Earth Immortal is an elderly ancestor from the Earth Splitting Immortal Sect.

Among the Four Saints Immortal Realm, the most prosperous are those from the legacy of the Four Saints Grand Marshals left behind by the Palace of Polestar.

Hence the Four Saints Immortal Realm has inherited its name.

And the Earth Splitting Immortal Sect is one of those Four Saint Immortal Sects, a lineage passed down from Great Marshal Yang Sen, quite extraordinary.

But it has little to do with Lu Qingfeng.

This other Daoist Zhong Qiu, on the other hand, bears a significant relationship.

"Upper Origin Palace?"

Lu Qingfeng glanced at Daoist Zhong Qiu, his heart filled with murmurs.

Seeing this, Daoist Zhong Qiu smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist hails from the Earth Immortal World, perhaps unaware that our Upper Origin Palace isn't as renowned as the Four Saint Immortal Sects within the Primordial. However, in the Nanhua Realm, it has carried on for over two million years. If Fellow Daoist has time to spare, feel free to visit Jiya Mountain."

"Certainly, certainly."

Lu Qingfeng smiled in reply.

His mind couldn't help but recall: "This return to Fengyue Star, I had not thought to inquire about the current state of the three sects from old times."

In the past, Lu Qingfeng was cultivating in the Black Star Realm, rising unrivaled on Fengyue Star.

He suppressed the three dominant sects of Fengyue Star, including the Upper Origin Palace, to such an extent that they couldn't lift their heads, startling the three lineages into continuously offering their supreme treasures as tribute.

Long before he left Fengyue Star, under the subtle oppression of the Guangyuan Immortal Sect, the three sects were gradually declining.

Over a lengthy period.

This return to Fengyue Star, Lu Qingfeng hadn't remembered this matter at all. Yet unexpectedly, he encountered Upper Origin Palace once again in the Four Saints Immortal Realm.

"I wonder what relation this Nanhua Upper Origin Palace has with the Upper Origin Palace of the Black Star Realm prior to the Great Destruction."

It's possible the two are both Upper Origin Palaces from the Earth Immortal World, carrying on the lineage passed by their Ancestor Masters.

Or it could be that this Upper Origin Palace is one formed by ascended cultivators from the Black Star Realm in the Nanhua Realm.

Or perhaps,

The Nanhua Upper Origin Palace is the Upper Origin Palace relocated from the Black Star Realm, much like how the Golden Silkworm Immortal Sect in the Five Directions Realm ventures from the Golden Silkworm Immortal Sect of the Sky Witch Realm.

Lu Qingfeng multitasks with a single-minded focus.

Serving as a protector for Lin Ye,

Engaging in conversation with Zhong Qiu and Pan Ji,

And simultaneously, his mind buzzes about Upper Origin Palace.

However, at his level, he wasn't much concerned about this matter.

Let alone that the Upper Origin Palace of Fengyue Star was merely reconstructed after the Great Destruction, continuing the lineage without establishing any solid connection to the previous Upper Origin Palace.

Specifically regarding Fengyue Star,

His conflict with Upper Origin Palace was minimal, and he didn't severe their lineage with a heavy hand.

It's not worth much mention.

Besides, the 'Upper Origin Eight Sceneries Tower' acquired from Upper Origin Palace feels somewhat uncomfortable.

But it seems like no big deal.

Currently in the hands of Lin Feng, once Lin Ye becomes an Immortal, and after saving Lin Feng from the Desolate Cold Stream, Lu Qingfeng won't linger much longer in the Four Saints Immortal Realm.

Without encounter,

The awkwardness would naturally dissolve.

The trio's conversation continues.

After several days, a few more Earth Immortals arrive, all of them among the top figures of the Four Saints Immortal Realm. This includes Earth Immortals from the other three Saintly lineages within the Four Saint Immortal Sects.

In addition, there are two more Earth Immortals, one from the Purple Extreme Immortal Sect, status similar to Upper Origin Palace, and the other the only unaffiliated Earth Immortal in the Four Saints Immortal Realm, unrestrained and unattached.

These represent all the Righteous Earth Immortals of the entire Four Saints Immortal Realm.

At least openly so.

Including Evil Path and Demons, the Earth Immortals of the Four Saints Immortal Realm are scarcely more than a handful but the righteous prominently display, whereas Fiends stay concealed, rarely seen.

With the convergence of the righteous Earth Immortals this time, Demons dare not risk transgression.

Lu Qingfeng engages in discussion and exchanges Dao with the other Earth Immortals, who learn this young Daoist comes from the Earth Immortal World, show considerable warmth. Their words are full of inquiries about the tales of the Immortal Realm.

Lu Qingfeng casually speaks of the landscapes of Yellow Wind Ridge, Dragon Mountain, the ambiance of cultivation, and then mentions a few iconic figures from the Earth Immortal World, eliciting looks of yearning from Zhong Qiu, Pan Ji, and the others.

Alas.

As grand as an Immortal Sect must be to have an Earth Immortal preside over it, their glory in the Four Saints Immortal Realm is indeed prestigious. Yet, if they wish to ascend to the Immortal Realm and witness the splendor of the Four Great Continents, they must cultivate another Earth Immortal from within their ranks.

It is difficult to testify to Earth Immortal status.

The ascension of Zhong Qiu and the other Immortals hence remains a distant prospect.