For the past ten thousand years, Zhou Chen turned a blind eye to the outside world, secluding himself within his own cave dwelling to focus entirely on condensing his Dao body.
After ten thousand years of refinement, Zhou Chen's Dao body was on the verge of taking form.
Above Zhou Chen's head floated his Longevity Dao Fruit, while eight hundred and forty million stellar particles continuously poured magic power into it. As the magic power surged in, the Dao Fruit slowly transformed into a human shape.
This human form was identical to Zhou Chen in every way, matching him completely in aura and appearance. If an outsider were to look at it—once the Dao body fully solidified rather than remaining somewhat illusory—it would be utterly impossible to tell which was the Dao body and which was the original physical form!
This was Zhou Chen's Dao body. Once the Dao body solidified and stepped into the dimension of space-time, he would effectively possess two lives. While this did not make him truly immortal and indestructible, killing him would be no easy feat.
For a Daluo Golden Immortal to kill him, it would be utterly impossible unless they employed a special Xiantian Spiritual Treasure. Moreover, he was not a fool; he would hardly stand in place waiting for someone to kill him—he would certainly fight back!
With magic power refined to the absolute extreme, alongside his immensely vast and specialized magic power, the outcome of a clash with a Daluo Golden Immortal remained anyone's guess. Besides, if he couldn't beat them, couldn't he just run? Thus, the only things that could threaten his life were Quasi-Sages. To kill him, they would first have to know of his Dao body's existence, track it down, and destroy it alongside his main body—only then could he be completely slain.
Furthermore, there was a prerequisite: whoever attempted this would have to endure the wrath of Shangqing Tongtian, for Zhou Chen was a disciple of Jiejiao. Therefore, once Zhou Chen's Dao body stepped into the space-time dimension, his safety would be basically guaranteed, leaving him virtually free of danger in the current Primordial World.
During this same period, however, Mount Kunlun had become a place of turmoil. Because the majority of Jiejiao disciples originated from the Demon Clan, it was in their nature to relish flesh and blood; they hunted spirit beasts everywhere within Mount Kunlun to satisfy their gluttony, disrupting the mountain's tranquil and auspicious atmosphere.
Furthermore, Yuqing Yuanshi had never favored the Demon Clan. The disciples of Chanjiao followed suit, looking down upon the Jiejiao disciples and deeming these creatures of fur, feathers, horns, and scales unworthy of being disciples of a Sage, which naturally bred minor conflicts.
The Jiejiao disciples, witnessing the arrogant demeanor of the Chanjiao disciples, also felt a degree of resentment. Yet, out of regard for the Sages' prestige, they kept their grievances suppressed. At first, matters went no further than a few bitter arguments that ultimately ended on bad terms.
As time accumulated, the friction grew ever greater. To be fair, because Shangqing Tongtian practiced open enrollment without discrimination, the disciples he accepted were indeed of mixed quality, including many with problematic character. As these ill-natured disciples continuously stirred up trouble, the rift between Chanjiao and Jiejiao expanded until it finally erupted into a full-scale brawl. Due to their superior numbers, the Chanjiao disciples suffered a slight disadvantage, though out of lingering respect for the Sages, neither side struck with lethal intent, resulting in nothing more than minor injuries.
Yuqing Yuanshi, whose nature was notoriously protective of his own, reprimanded Shangqing Tongtian over the incident. Shangqing Tongtian, being a man of straightforward disposition, instantly blew his top, and the two engaged in a massive quarrel.
Taishang Laojun watched the scene in silence. He knew that from the very moment the two great sects were established, the conflict between them had become irreconcilable—it was merely a matter of when, not if, it would erupt. After all, one sect expounded the Heavenly Dao and acted in accordance with heaven, whereas the other intercepted the Dao of heaven to defy fate and alter destiny; how could the two possibly coexist?
Taishang Laojun looked at Yuqing Yuanshi and Shangqing Tongtian as they wrangled, and let out a helpless sigh.
"Alas!"
"Enough, enough!"
"I leave this Mount Kunlun to the two of you. This older brother shall go to the Primordial World to re-establish a dao field. Splendid though Kunlun is as a blessed land, it cannot bear the orthodox teachings of three Sages."
With those words, Taishang Laojun glanced at the pair and departed Mount Kunlun, taking Grandmaster Xuandu with him.
As they watched Taishang Laojun leave, expressions of sorrow surfaced in the eyes of both Yuqing Yuanshi and Shangqing Tongtian.
"Second Brother, you may keep Kunlun for yourself."
Having spoken, Shangqing Tongtian left Mount Kunlun with his Jiejiao disciples, heading out into the vast expanses of the Primordial World to seek a new dao field. Yet, when he departed, whether intentional or accidental, he failed to notify Zhou Chen, who was currently in seclusion.
The departure of Taishang Laojun and Shangqing Tongtian from Mount Kunlun also marked the formal division of the Three Pure Ones.
Ultimately, Taishang Laojun established his dao field, the Palace of Eight Views, at Mount Shouyang, and became known as the Human Teachings Sage, Taishang Laojun.
Shangqing Tongtian established his dao field, Biyou Palace, upon Mount Jinao in the East Sea, and became known as the Jiejiao Master Tongtian.
Yuqing Yuanshi renamed the Palace of the Three Pure Ones to Yuxu Palace, and became known as the Chanjiao Yuanshi Tianzun.
At Mount Sumeru in the West, Sage Jieyin and Sage Zhunti learned the news of the division of the Three Pure Ones, and smiles bloomed in their eyes.
"Junior Brother, it seems the Three Pure Ones have split. This being the case, the opportunity for the two of us has arrived."
"Had the Three Pure Ones remained united, the general trend of the Primordial world would have forever been controlled by the three of them. Now that they have parted ways, the future of our Western Teachings finally has a way out."
With these words, Sage Zhunti gazed toward the eastern lands, a thoughtful expression crossing his face.
Sage Jieyin nodded in agreement upon hearing this, though he added no further words.
In the Heavenly Court of the Primordial World, Dijun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Fuxi, Kunpeng, and other high-ranking leaders of the Demon Clan were conferring on matters of state. Upon receiving the news, they wore expressions of bewilderment.
"Though the division of the Three Pure Ones is not a crisis for our Demon Clan, it is nonetheless of utmost importance. Now that they have each established their own dao fields, our Demon Clan cannot afford not to send congratulations."
Having said this, Dijun fell into deep thought before making arrangements, dispatching Fuxi, Kunpeng, and Bai Ze respectively to the domains of the Three Pure Ones to offer congratulations on their newly established dao fields.
Within the Ancestral Witch Hall of the Wu Clan, the Twelve Ancestral Witches felt no particular sentiment regarding the split of the Three Pure Ones. Considering themselves the descendants of Pangu, they held little affection for the three of them; at present, their minds remained far more focused on the Demon Clan.
Even so, proper courtesies still had to be observed. Regardless of anything else, the Three Pure Ones were Sages, and furthermore transformed from the primordial spirit of Pangu, bearing a certain connection to the Wu Clan. It was still necessary to send envoys to offer congratulations.
As the eldest of the Ancestral Witches, Dijiang pondered the matter carefully and dispatched three Ancestral Witches to the respective dao fields of the three to congratulate them on their independent establishments: Zhujiuyin was sent to Mount Shouyang for Taishang Laojun; Houtu was sent to Yuqing Yuanshi at Kunlun; and Jumang was sent to Master Tongtian at Mount Jinao. Dijiang's arrangement was the result of thorough deliberation. These three Ancestral Witches possessed the mildest tempers and were somewhat calmer in character than the rest, making them perfectly suited for the task. After all, they were going to offer congratulations, not to make enemies; if reckless brutes like Zhurong or Gonggong had been sent, the congratulatory visit might well have erupted into a brawl. Dijiang truly exhausted himself worrying over the Wu Clan.
Countless Great Divine Powerholders throughout the Primordial World were somewhat shocked upon hearing the news, but following their initial astonishment, they hurriedly set about preparing gifts to offer their congratulations to the three Sages.
As for our protagonist? He remained entirely oblivious to these events. At this very moment, he had fully condensed his Dao body and was stepping into the dimension of space-time.
His Dao body exerted its utmost strength, channeling magic power brimming with the breath of space-time to directly summon the River of Space-Time.
The Dao body turned to cast a glance back at Zhou Chen, then without a moment's hesitation, stepped forward into the torrent.
As the Dao body entered the River of Space-Time, the river instantly erupted into chaos. Waves of space-time storms whipped up towering billows within the River of Space-Time, crashing wave after wave in suppression against the Dao body. Yet, a shift in the Dao body's unique space-time magic power effortlessly suppressed these giant waves composed of space-time forces.
Once the River of Space-Time stabilized, the Dao body proceeded directly toward the spatial-temporal latitude where the river resided, quickly vanishing from sight as the River of Space-Time disappeared from before Zhou Chen's eyes.
Zhou Chen could clearly perceive that his Dao body had reached the space-time dimension. The space-time dimension was fraught with the power of space-time, frequently churning with space-time storms and titanic waves—it was a place brimming with peril. Yet, these hazards posed no harm whatsoever to Zhou Chen's Dao body. The Dao body crossed its legs in meditation and began absorbing the power of space-time to cultivate.
Witnessing this, a trace of relaxed relief appeared in Zhou Chen's eyes. By now, his Dao body had successfully stepped into the dimension of space-time, and he himself had reached the Peak Earth Immortal Realm, bringing his self-created cultivation method for the mythical Earth Immortal Realm to absolute perfection.