The Three Xiao sisters didn’t hide anything from Yuan Yi. He not only learned about the treasure they had obtained but also got a very personal taste of its power almost immediately.
Before Yuan Yi could even react, Qiongxiao, without saying a word, suddenly summoned a spiritual treasure.
Yuan Yi had no guard up—he never imagined that this troublemaker would actually use him to test the treasure’s power.
Of course, what truly annoyed Yuan Yi was that the spiritual treasure they obtained seemed to have a natural restraining effect on him.
Even after he reacted, he couldn’t dodge in time and was bound tightly by a golden rope.
In an instant, his soul was suppressed, his magical power became sluggish, and even his formidable physical body was restrained. He couldn’t exert his strength and was completely unable to break free.
Yuan Yi’s mouth twitched as he looked down at the thing wrapped around him. It turned out to be a top-grade innate spiritual treasure.
Even though it hadn’t been fully refined, its power was nothing to scoff at. The aura it emitted particularly irritated and repulsed him.
“Hehe, Senior Brother, what do you think of this treasure we got? Can you help us evaluate it?”
Bixiao giggled as she leaned in, looking very proud.
But her pride only lasted a moment—Yunxiao immediately raised her hand and knocked her on the head, making her clutch her head and stop giggling.
Qiongxiao, the main culprit, didn’t escape either. The two sisters stood off to the side rubbing their foreheads, looking sheepish and not daring to speak.
Yunxiao was quick to act, removing the restraint on Yuan Yi and apologizing repeatedly while handing him the treasure.
Yuan Yi shot Qiongxiao and Bixiao a glare before turning his attention to the spiritual treasure they had obtained. What the heck was this? The Immortal-Binding Rope?
Didn’t really look like it. It wasn’t meant for offense, but its power to bind someone was undeniably strong—its suppressive force was formidable.
“This item is called the Dragon-Binding Rope. The three of us were fortunate to obtain it. My younger sisters were out of line—please don’t be angry, Senior Brother. I’ll make sure to teach them properly,” Yunxiao said.
Upon hearing this, the other two sisters stiffened and started sending pleading glances at Yuan Yi—hoping the victim himself would plead their case.
Yuan Yi gave them a “friendly yet confused” smile, pretending not to understand their expressions, then ignored them entirely.
Unbelievable. Testing a treasure on him like that—complete disregard for seniority.
Yuan Yi searched through his memory. Dragon-Binding Rope… the name rang a bell. Anything he remembered by name wasn’t likely to be ordinary.
He hadn’t expected it to be a top-grade innate treasure.
People really shouldn’t be compared… but now that he thought about it, it did make some sense.
They were three sisters, linked by fate and fortune, sharing one another’s luck. How could he, a single individual, compete with that?
Truthfully, Yuan Yi didn’t think his luck was bad—after all, he had encountered two innate spiritual treasures.
But his baleful aura always seemed to throw things off just enough for him to miss out.
What he really didn’t get now was—so what if it’s the Dragon-Binding Rope? Why did its aura specifically seem to target him?
Outrageous.
I’m an Innate Yin-Yang Flood Dragon, a trueborn being of heaven and earth—not some descendant of the dragon clan!
The world always says “flood dragon, flood dragon,” treating it as just a transitional phase on the path to becoming a true dragon—a lower-ranked offshoot of the dragon race.
But Yuan Yi was completely different from those who became flood dragons through the path of dragon transformation. He belonged to an independent race.
Ordinary flood dragons are of mixed dragon blood, but he was a pure flood dragon.
This useless spiritual treasure—was it blind? It actually targeted him as if he were a dragon? Yuan Yi was beyond frustrated.
No wonder that reckless brat Qiongxiao used him to test the treasure. Why was it that every item the Three Xiao Sisters got their hands on seemed to have a special effect against him?
Still, on second thought, it wasn’t entirely a bad thing. If this treasure ended up in the hands of the Three Xiao Sisters, it was at least better than falling into someone else’s hands.
Though they liked to mess around, it was unlikely they’d ever truly harm him. That meant the Dragon-Binding Rope’s effect against him wasn’t such a serious threat. In fact, it could be considered a hidden danger now neutralized.
Besides, it seemed this treasure was destined for the Three Xiao Sisters from the beginning. Even without his presence, they would’ve obtained it regardless, which meant it wasn’t really “targeting” him specifically.
Since the sisters had been so open and honest, Yuan Yi couldn’t act all reserved either. He raised his hand and tapped the jade crown binding his hair. The Crown of Dustlessness fell lightly, radiating the light of the Five Elements. The five energies circulated, generating and overcoming one another, protecting his body, and evolving profound mysteries.
The Dao of the Five Elements and the Dao of Yin and Yang shared deep connections. Contemplating their Dao marks would greatly benefit Yuan Yi’s cultivation.
Even though his Dao of Yin and Yang had been twisted toward extremes by his baleful aura, it was still fundamentally rooted in Yin and Yang.
As Yuan Yi looked at the Three Xiao Sisters, a thought popped into his mind—Could I even beat all three of them if they joined forces?
Probably not that bad. His cultivation realm was higher, and he possessed innate Yin-Yang energy—an advantage in itself.
Besides, if the three of them really got together, Yunxiao could just discipline the other two on her own. He wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.
He’d definitely have to borrow the Dragon-Binding Rope in the future to study it closely—see if he could figure out a way to counter it.
They probably wouldn’t refuse. Still, a spiritual treasure with a built-in “restraint function” like that was seriously annoying.
The Three Xiao Sisters left and returned to their Golden glove Cave to begin closed-door cultivation, refining the treasure and studying the Dao contained within it.
Yuan Yi also needed to begin his own seclusion to refine the Crown of Dustlessness, a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure. Only after refining it could he truly command it. Only through deep understanding of the Dao it embodied could he unleash its full power.
The compatibility between a spiritual treasure and one’s own Dao was more important than the treasure’s grade.
Well, unless it was something like a Supreme Treasure—in that case, the quality spoke for itself.
Now that the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) had returned, each held a Supreme Treasure: the Grand Elder Taishang had obtained the Taiji Diagram, the Second Master had claimed the Pangu Banner, and his own master had taken control of the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.
All of them had now entered closed-door cultivation to refine their treasures and comprehend the Great Dao. None had the time to meet with disciples.
Aside from the three supreme treasures, the Three Pure Ones (Sanqing) also acquired a large number of innate spiritual treasures and spiritual roots—this much Yuan Yi was aware of.
In fact, Yuan Yi had been somewhat envious of a certain spiritual treasure held by his Second Master Uncle. It was called the Mirror of Yin and Yang, and it seemed to resonate even more strongly with his own Dao.
However, he wasn’t thick-skinned enough to covet it openly, nor did he dare to harbor such thoughts. He didn’t even know if his own master possessed a spiritual treasure aligned with the Dao of Yin and Yang.
Currently, Yuan Yi’s offensive means relied on the refined innate Yin-Yang dual energies, while for defense, he had the Crown of Dustlessness, a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure.
Within his cave dwelling, Yuan Yi sat in meditation. Dressed in simple Daoist robes, his hair bound with a jade crown, he was enveloped in the glow of the Five Elements. Yin and Yang energies flowed around him. His golden flood dragon true form remained hidden within mist and cloud, coiled in the void, radiating intense pressure—a calm surface concealing violent energy beneath.
The Five Elements gave birth to each other, Yin and Yang turned in cycles, and with the passage of time, countless profound mysteries evolved.
While Mount Kunlun remained peaceful and serene, the outside world was far from tranquil.
The three major clans had withdrawn from the struggle for dominance in the Great Desolation, and the world had enjoyed a long era of relative peace—an age of rest and recovery, especially in contrast to the previous chaos.
The innate divine beings were now striving along the path of sainthood. Ordinary innate lifeforms had long emerged into the world, forming various clans and lineages. Even spirits and monsters from the wilderness were being taught the Dao by powerful beings, beginning their own journeys of cultivation.
The world had become populated with more and more living beings, flourishing with prosperity.
But with such growth came an increase in conflict—disputes were becoming more frequent and on a much larger scale.
The Dao Ancestor Hongjun had closed the Zixiao Palace and merged with the Heavenly Dao, no longer appearing in the world.
Though the positions of Saints had been established, the Saints themselves had not yet emerged.
How could the innate divine beings, born for the Dao, be content to remain stagnant when they clearly saw a path forward?
Unlike the officially recognized Saints who sat safely atop the mountain, the Great Desolation was now filled with undercurrents and hidden strife.
Those with keen eyes could already see that two major factions had emerged among the innate divine beings. One was led by the Golden Crow brothers—Di Jun and Tai Yi—born of the Sun Star. The other was led by the head of the male immortals, Dongwang Gong (Lord of the East).
Dongwang Gong had received Dao Ancestor Hongjun’s approval, earning the title of Lord of the East and head of the male immortals. His female counterpart, dwelling west of Kunlun in the Jade Pool, was none other than Xi Wangmu (Queen Mother of the West).
Although Xi Wangmu remained low-key, few dared to underestimate her.
Despite being the head of female immortals, she kept to her Daoist abode and rarely appeared in public, unlike Dongwang Gong, who actively formed alliances and plotted great ambitions. The two seemed not to be particularly close.
As for Di Jun and Tai Yi’s faction, Tai Yi actually wielded the Chaos Bell, an innate supreme treasure. In terms of cultivation and strength alone, he was among the most powerful of all innate divine beings.
In fact, in the past, only Taiqing of the Three Pure Ones had been able to counter him, using the acquired merit-based supreme treasure Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda. No one else could withstand the power of the Chaos Bell.
Even then, Taiqing’s treasure was more suited for defense than offense—it could keep him from defeat, but not guarantee victory.
Tai Yi was unmatched in presence and strength—absolutely dominant.
Especially since his elder brother Di Jun was no ordinary figure either, possessing the River Diagram and Luo Book. The two brothers, working together, had no rivals other than the Three Pure Ones.
However, the paths taken by the Three Pure Ones were entirely different. They had no intention of building power bases, and now, they showed no interest in competing with others at all.
What concerned others more than Tai Yi’s power was that Di Jun’s faction had a designated Saint among them—Nuwa.
No one had expected that this divine woman, recruited into their faction before the Zixiao Palace teachings, would later be accepted by the Dao Ancestor as a disciple, granted the Primordial Purple Qi and numerous treasures, and confirmed as one of the future Saints.
Even Nuwa herself likely hadn’t seen it coming. Had she known, she might not have accepted the Golden Crow brothers’ invitation so readily.
Now, each faction had amassed a large following of innate divine beings. One side had Dongwang Gong, recognized by the Dao Ancestor as the leader of the male immortals; the other had Nuwa, a disciple of the Dao Ancestor himself. Things were getting complicated.
Many began to speculate on Dao Ancestor Hongjun’s stance—but the Dao Ancestor showed no interest in interfering and gave no sign of involvement.
And beyond these two emerging factions among the innate divine beings, there was another force that no one could ignore:
The Wu Tribe.
Led by the Twelve Ancestor Witches, the Wu Tribe had taken control of the lands south of Mount Buzhou and was expanding rapidly.
Though the Twelve Witches did not cultivate the path of the primordial spirit, they were born with mastery over the Great Dao. Their physical forms were practically indestructible—tough-skinned, fierce, and battle-hardened. Even top-tier innate divine beings would avoid fighting them.
With the Twelve Ancestor Witches, countless powerful warriors, and hundreds of millions of tribe members, the Wu Tribe respected no one. Not even the divine beings wanted to deal with them, and the Wu Tribe returned the sentiment.
Thus, the situation in the Great Desolation was beginning to shift… becoming increasingly delicate.
Rate and review this novel on NU to help people find this novel. Bonus chapters on reaching milestones.
Happy reading!