On a small, unremarkable island, Yuan Yi had set up a barrier to conceal his presence. From his sleeve, three clouds floated out.
The yellow and green clouds immediately hid behind the white one, keeping a cautious distance from Yuan Yi.
“Thank you, Dao Brother, for lending your aid. Yunxiao is deeply grateful. The kindness you’ve shown—my sisters and I will surely repay it someday.”
The gentle voice was pleasant to the ear, her words formal and sincere.
“Think nothing of it. When one sees injustice on the road, one ought to lend a hand. We’re all innate beings—it’s only right. No need to take it to heart,” Yuan Yi replied casually.
His eyes swept over the three clouds before him. Should he say—typical of innate beings? Even without humanoid forms, they somehow looked… refined and elegant in their own way. They seemed like they’d be quite tasty…
Yuan Yi quickly looked away and scanned the surroundings with his divine sense, letting out a breath of relief.
His surprise attack and the fact that his opponents were only at the Fellow Daoist realm had allowed him to escape quite easily.
Seems like I’m pretty good at fleeing after all, he mused.
Then again—would it be smarter to act as if he’d exhausted himself in battle? That might make the three sisters remember his favor more deeply, Yuan Yi pondered.
His current goal was simple: stick close to the Three Xiao Sisters, wait until they eventually meet the future Saint Tongtian, and try to blend in, get a proper identity, receive teachings of the Great Dao, and most importantly—avoid a gruesome death.
Having a life-saving favor to his name would certainly make it easier to grow close. After all, the classic hero-saves-beauty story never goes out of style.
Yuan Yi sat cross-legged on a green rock, munching on some spiritual fruits he’d picked. Tasted pretty good.
Not far away, the three colorful clouds floated gently.
The white cloud, Yunxiao, was gentle, graceful, and dignified—easy to talk to.
Qiongxiao, who said little, seemed quiet—but Yuan Yi couldn’t shake the feeling she had a bit of a scheming streak.
The youngest, Bixiao, chirped noisily and talked non-stop, but her lack of a filter made her the easiest to get information from.
Thanks to her, Yuan Yi soon understood the full situation.
The three sisters had already reached the Golden Immortal realm, otherwise they wouldn’t have been able to flee their pursuers so effectively.
However, they wanted to reach their peak condition before fully transforming, which is why they delayed taking human form.
But just before they could, someone discovered their birthplace. A group had come trying to capture them, forcing them to flee.
From what the Three Xiao Sisters said, their experience wasn’t unique.
Across this land, many other innate beings had also been targeted and hunted down—especially those like the sisters, born of pure innate origin.
They claimed they wanted to teach them the Dao and pass on cultivation techniques, but refusal wasn’t an option—their methods were quite domineering.
The Three Xiao Sisters suspected that more than one Primordial Deity was behind it all. It seemed like an organized effort to gather all the living beings of this region, and their true intentions were suspicious.
Although Yunxiao didn’t directly name anyone, Yuan Yi had his own guesses.
This is the East Sea—who else could be pulling strings on such a scale? Most likely those Primordial Deities like Dongmu Gong (Lord of the Eastern Wood).
Could they be preparing to establish the Celestial Court? Trying to raise a group of underlings?
Otherwise, why go to such lengths? Don’t tell me they really plan to give all these beings free public education?
Yuan Yi didn’t buy it. Primordial Deities shouldn’t have that much free time.
“Looks like we can’t stay in the East Sea any longer,” Yuan Yi said. “Where are you three planning to go?”
After a brief hesitation, Yunxiao replied:
“We sisters wish to find a quiet place first and complete our transformation. Just as you said, we can’t remain in the East Sea, so we plan to head west, into the lands of the Great Wilderness, to lie low.”
Yuan Yi nodded. Yunxiao clearly felt something was off about this “preaching the Dao” business and didn’t want to get caught up in it—a wise decision.
The ones who start trouble are always the first to get crushed.
“What about you, Dao Brother?” Yunxiao asked.
“Well,” Yuan Yi replied, “now that I’ve learned all this—and even offended those people in the process—plus, I had some run-ins with the Dragon Clan earlier too, I really have no choice but to relocate.”
Then, with complete sincerity, he made his proposal:
“If the three of you don’t mind, how about we travel together? That way, we can look out for one another.”
Running away was absolutely necessary, especially since the first great battle of the future would most likely break out in the East Sea. Even the aftermath could be enough to obliterate him completely.
“Then we shall trouble Dao Brother to look after us,” Yunxiao replied without much hesitation.
Yuan Yi was very satisfied with this result. He felt like he had taken a big step closer to avoiding his destined calamity.
“By the way, have you come across any other fellow Daoists?” Yuan Yi asked again.
He still wanted to confirm the whereabouts of Zhao Gongming, but his indirect probing only confirmed his original suspicion:
The three sisters had not yet met Zhao Gongming—that man like the wind.
Oh well, having these three as navigation beacons should be more than enough.
Just then, as Yuan Yi was lost in thought, a green-hued cloud floated up and cheerfully handed him a “Good Guy Card.”
“I didn’t expect it. You look fierce, but you’re actually a good guy.”
It was Bixiao, who hovered playfully as if examining him from head to toe, her voice bright and casual.
“Do I look fierce?” Yuan Yi wasn’t too pleased with this assessment.
He had been trying so hard to present a gentle, easygoing image—and yet this green puffball just declared that he didn’t look like a good person at all.
“Yeah, I mean… the killing aura around you is really intense and pure. Kinda scary.”
“…”
He had no rebuttal, Frustrating.
His carefully crafted image of a friendly and righteous person collapsed before it was even built.
“This killing aura wasn’t caused by bloodshed,” Yuan Yi explained helplessly. “It’s not something I chose. Just my nature—can’t be helped.”
The green cloud only laughed in reply—her laughter clear and cheerful, clearly the type to warm up to others quickly.
Yuan Yi only got some peace and quiet after Yunxiao called her away.
From his exchange with the Three Xiao Sisters, not only did he learn more about the current situation in the East Sea, but he also gained a deeper understanding of the Dao.
Is this what it means to have Dao companions?
Discussing the Dao really can help each other validate insights and improve together.
No wonder so many in the Great Desolation engaged in Dao discussions—this tradition truly had value.
Of course, they didn’t have time for a full discussion now. They had only exchanged a few words—it wasn’t enough to be called a proper Dao debate.
But if they did have one, Yuan Yi was sure he would gain even more from it.
What had always bothered him was how slow his cultivation progress felt.
He put in effort to comprehend the Dao and accumulate his cultivation, yet it felt like a turtle crawl—even stalled at times.
It was said that Primordial Deities were born with innate knowledge—beings who emerged already at the Da Luo level, born wielding the Dao itself. How enviable.
Now, with even the Dao Ancestor teaching the Dao, guiding others along the path, the idea that a road lay ahead while he himself couldn’t even see —was extremely frustrating.
What he needed was a lamp to light the way forward.
He realized more than ever: he needed a patron—someone to guide him and teach him the Dao. Just relying on himself? Practically impossible.
He simply didn’t have the aptitude or insight to pioneer a path of the Dao on his own.
He hadn’t even fully understood the basics.
Luckily, he wasn’t alone in this predicament. This was the norm for most living beings.
Yuan Yi lay back on a stone slab and closed his eyes. Faint traces of Dao aura flowed around him. The innate Yin-Yang energies swirled as he entered a state of cultivation and Dao comprehension.
Not far away, the three colorful clouds were doing the same. Their forms shimmered and shifted, and within their light, one could vaguely see their Primordial Dao Bodies rapidly taking shape.
They were only one final step away from full transformation. As innate beings born of Heaven and Earth—not quite Primordial Deities but still nature’s chosen children—the transformation was never meant to be a difficult task.
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