522: Three-step Taoist

Ten thousand years of Dao lectures, a magnificent spectacle!

As the last note of the Dao sound faded, the Great Dao of the entire Qiankun Dao World let out a joyful cry.

Those who gained the most were the ten Supreme True Monarchs; at this moment, a Great Dao treasure wheel appeared behind each of their heads, a symbol of the Dominator-level Great Dao!

"Only today do I know what Dao is."

A newly promoted Half-Ancestor prostrated himself before Ancestor Mountain, unable to rise.

Xu Qing's gaze swept over the ten True Monarchs; their Great Daos had already touched the threshold of a Dao Ancestor.

"Go."

With a wave of Xu Qing's sleeve, all who were reluctant left the Qiankun Continent.

Three hundred and sixty thousand years flowed by like a babbling brook.

On this day, ripples suddenly appeared in the sky of the Qiankun Dao World.

At first, it was just an imperceptible tremor, like the muffled rumble before spring thunder arrives.

The World Tree's branches and leaves swayed without wind, and every vein on every leaf lit up with brilliant Dao patterns.

"Dong—"

A muffled thud, like a heartbeat, echoed throughout the four poles and eight desolations.

"This is..."

Countless Cultivators looked up in astonishment, only to see the sky gradually receding, revealing the surging Chaos Sea behind it.

And within the Chaos, a majestic figure was walking, treading upon the long river of the Great Dao—it was True Lord Xuan Huang, who had been in seclusion, striving to Break through to the Dao Ancestor Realm!

"The extreme of strength, Breaking all Laws!"

With this long cry, True Lord Xuan Huang's body suddenly swelled.

One hundred thousand feet... one million feet... finally transforming into a giant whose head touched the sky and whose feet trod the nine netherworlds!

His muscles coiled like Dragons and snakes, and every inch of his skin was branded with the most primitive patterns of the Great Dao of Strength.

"Crack!"

A clear sound of shattering echoed in the hearts of all living beings.

True Lord Xuan Huang punched the Void Realm, and the Heavenly Dao barrier of the Qiankun Dao World was actually smashed open, creating a crack!

In an instant—

Mysterious yellow Karma Qi descended from the nine heavens, pouring into True Lord Xuan Huang's spiritual mind like a waterfall; the Innate Origin power surged from the depths of the earth, flowing from his feet through all his limbs and bones; the World Tree swayed and shone, scattering thirty-six thousand golden Dao-patterned leaves to crown him!

Most astonishingly, the originally ethereal will of the heavenly dao now manifested a blurry face in the sky, a smile playing on its lips, and it uttered the Great Dao's profound sound:

"Good!"

This Heavenly Dao's praise caused the Myriad Daos to resonate.

All Cultivators who Cultivated strength-based Cultivation Techniques, no matter where they were, found their cultivation increasing by a segment out of thin air.

And the other few among the ten True Monarchs felt the Bottleneck that had troubled them for years subtly loosening.

True Lord Xuan Huang slowly contracted his form, eventually returning to normal size.

He trod upon a mysterious yellow auspicious cloud, and behind him appeared a giant phantom of creation—this was the Origin manifestation of the Great Dao of Strength!

"Greetings, Dao Ancestor Xuan Huang!"

All beings in Qiankun, regardless of their cultivation level, now bowed respectfully and sincerely.

Even the mountains and rivers bent, and the grass, trees, bamboo, and stones bowed in the wind.

Xu Qing, who had been in seclusion, finally opened his eyes, a gratified smile on his lips.

A Chaos talisman flew out from his sleeve, transforming into a golden light and merging into True Lord Xuan Huang's glabella:

"From this day forward, you shall be the Dao Protector Dominator of the Cosmos World."

As this appointment was made, the entire Qiankun Dao World vibrated with a rumble.

"We obey the Dao Ancestor's decree!"

True Lord Xuan Huang bowed towards Xu Qing.

And at the moment the Qiankun Dao World gave birth to its first native Dao Ancestor, the entire world's Origin seemed to be infused with endless vitality!

Above the sky, the Great Dao Laws reorganized themselves, each one thickening several times; deep within the earth, Spiritual Veins turned over like giant Dragons, spewing out even purer Heaven and Earth Origin Qi; the waters of the four seas rippled with Dao charm, and every drop of seawater became heavy as a thousand jun.

But the most astonishing change occurred at the core of the world—

"Rumble!"

The World Tree's roots suddenly surged, penetrating thirty-six layers of the Void Realm, drawing energy from the Chaos Sea like a whale devouring the ocean.

Profound Innate Dao patterns appeared on the trunk, each pattern corresponding to a complete Great Dao Law.

Xu Qing, sitting beneath the tree, trembled violently at this moment!

He clearly felt that the Qiankun Dao World was feeding back vast World Origin to him through the World Tree.

His Qiankun cultivation, which had been stagnant for a long time, now melted like spring snow, beginning to impact the Realm of a three-step Dao Ancestor!

"Come!"

With a soft cry from Xu Qing, the illusory Great Dao Tree appeared above his head.

This tree reached to the heavens and touched the earth, its branches coiling like powerful Dragons; originally, it only had two Dao leaves, but at this moment, one Dao leaf after another appeared, each leaf a manifestation of a Great Dao—

There were sword Dao leaves clanging, demonstrating the sharpness of creation;

There were fire Dao leaves burning fiercely, reflecting the scorching heat that incinerated all directions;

There were space Dao leaves, crystal clear, containing the profound mystery of folding myriad worlds... Although these leaves had not yet fully solidified, this was the nascent form of the Great Dao manifestation!

"Whoosh—"

As the World Origin continued to pour in, the phantom of the Great Dao Tree became clearer.

Xu Qing's aura soared, and a roar like surging rivers emanated from within him—that was the Dao Laws reorganizing, sublimating!

"Condense!"

Xu Qing suddenly opened his eyes, his pupils reflecting the scenes of creation and destruction.

The Great Dao Tree behind him rumbled, and thousands of leaves simultaneously lit up with brilliant light!

"Clang—"

The sword Dao leaf was the first to solidify, emitting a clear sword cry;

"Boom!"

The fire Dao leaf solidified next, igniting an undying Dao flame;

"Whoosh~"

The water Dao leaf rippled with Innate true charm... When the one thousandth leaf completely solidified, a pillar of light that pierced through ancient and modern times erupted from around Xu Qing!

All living beings in the Qiankun Dao World witnessed a shocking scene—

A crack appeared in the sky, vaguely revealing the surging river of time behind it;

Ancient Dao sounds echoed from the depths of the earth, seemingly congratulating the birth of a new Ancestor;

Even Dao Ancestor Xuan Huang, who had just Broken through, felt the sensation and bowed solemnly towards Ancestor Mountain!

Xu Qing slowly rose, and golden Great Dao lotuses automatically grew beneath his feet.

With each step he took, a new Dao leaf solidified behind him.

When the ninth step fell—

"Three-step Dao Ancestor, achieved!"

As the Dao sound reverberated, the entire Qiankun Dao World suddenly contracted and then expanded, completing an astonishing leap.

Profound Dao patterns appeared on the world barrier, its defensive power sufficient to resist the attacks of a three-step Peak Dao Ancestor!

Xu Qing stood at the Peak of Ancestor Mountain, feeling the immense feedback brought by the Qiankun Dao World after his Breakthrough to a three-step Dao Ancestor.

The Great Dao Origin of the entire Dao Realm surged into his body like a joyful river, transforming into a brilliant Dao Law galaxy in his Meridians.

He closed his eyes slightly, his consciousness resonating with the Qiankun Heavenly Dao, instantly understanding the conditions for the next stage of advancement—

It required one two-step Dao Ancestor and nine one-step Dao Ancestors to be present to further sublimate the Qiankun Dao World.

When he opened his eyes, Xu Qing's eyes held neither joy nor sorrow.

His gaze swept across the four directions of the Dao Realm, lingering briefly on the nine Supreme True Monarchs who had already touched the threshold of a Dao Ancestor.

These Innate deities who had once listened to his lectures now each possessed soaring Luck.

"One-step Dao Ancestor, a matter of course," Xu Qing murmured softly.

What truly required time was cultivating a two-step Dao Ancestor.

However—

He looked up at True Lord Xuan Huang, a profound smile playing on his lips.

Having Cultivated until now, the one thing he never lacked was patience.

Xu Qing stood with his hands behind his back, watching the bustling beings of the Dao Realm.

He was not in a hurry.

He left the Qiankun Dao World; he was not in a hurry to condense his past self, because in this world, apart from his present life, he had no past, and thus no past self to condense.

He was going to find that person...