Laozi moved first. He waved his hand, and the horsetail whisk's fine hairs elongated and struck four of the qilins. Once struck, the four qilins immediately froze mid-air. They tried to struggle, but the light in their eyes dimmed.

He was in the Advanced Great Firmament Realm, not to mention his deep foundations. Ordinary Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament were not his opponent at all, much less these qilins still in the Early Great Firmament Realm.

"As expected of Eldest Brother," Yuanshi said. However, he wasn't willing to admit inferiority and sent out his Three-Treasured Jade Scepter.

The jade scepter flew out and sent one of the qilins crashing into the ground. Then, two lights shot out of its jewels and struck the other two qilins.

"Don't forget about me!"

Holding the scabbard in her left hand, Tongtian appeared in front of the last three qilins. She grasped the Qingping Sword's handle, and a flash later, the qilin in front of her split into two halves.

But before Tongtian had the chance to slay the other two qilins, a powerful pressure shrouded the entire area.

"Three brats, you dare kill the members of my Qilin Clan!"

'Goddammit. Who do you think you are, some xianxia miniboss? After you defeat one, a more powerful one comes out. Oh wait, aren't I the future Heavenly Venerable of Numinous Treasures, aren't I one of the biggest bosses?'

Despite her gripes, Tongtian immediately retreated next to her two elder brothers. Laozi and Yuanshi also stopped their attack and observed the newly arrived qilin with caution.

Compared to all the other qilins they had seen, this wasn't the largest, but it was the noblest. Furthermore, the Three Purities were all Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament. Logically, even a Peak Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament could not pressure them so.

This could only mean that the qilin in front of them had exceeded the Great Firmament Realm.

"You are Qilin Ancestor?"

"At least you aren't blind," the first qilin in the world replied.

Hearing this, Tongtian sighed. No wonder the Qilin Clan could become one of the three overlords of the Great Desolation. With such strength, it was enough to carve out a chunk of territory. The Dragon Ancestor and Phoenix Ancestor should possess similar or greater strength.

"Now, die obediently!" Qilin Ancestor said and attacked. He directly charged at the two of them with his body.

Tongtian was stunned for a moment by Qilin Ancestor's direct brutish method but then commanded the Qingping Sword to fly at him. Yuanshi also covered his Three-Treasured Jade Scepter in three different-colored lights and sent it flying at Qilin Ancestor.

Laozi wasn't idle either. He flicked his whisk, and the white hairs grew and wrapped around Qilin Ancestor. Thanks to his move, Qilin Ancestor lost his momentum for a second and allowed Tongtian and Yuanshi's artifacts to land.

The Qingping Sword only left a shallow, white mark on Qilin Ancestor's black scales. The Three-Treasured Jade Scepter didn't fare much better as it only cracked a few scales and didn't even make Qilin Ancestor bleed.

Tongtian and Yuanshi recalled their artifacts with shaken hearts. Although those weren’t their most powerful attacks, they were not far off, but they only scratched Qilin Ancestor's scales. A second later, Qilin Ancestor broke the horsetail binding him and resumed his charge.

Unknown to the Three Purities, Qilin Ancestor's heart also shook. Aside from Dragon Ancestor and Phoenix Ancestor, no one had injured him ever since he broke through the limits of the Great Firmament Realm.

This only reinforced Qilin Ancestor's will to kill the Three Purities.

At this time, a pagoda flew out of Laozi's mouth. The pagoda had thirty-three levels and shone with gold-black brilliance. It enlarged itself and hid the Three Purities within itself.

Upon seeing the Heaven and Earth Pagoda, Qilin Ancestor's eyes lit up with greed. Even among the Qilin Clan's treasury, no, all of the Great Desolation, perhaps only Dragon Ancestor's Dragon Pearl could compete with it.

"Break for me!" Qilin Ancestor roared and smashed his horn into the Heaven and Earth Pagoda.

The Heaven and Earth Pagoda shivered under Qilin Ancestor's attack, but there was nary a scratch on it. In fact, Qilin Ancestor's attack only sent it flying into the distance.

"Want to escape? Dream on!"

As Qilin Ancestor flew after the Heaven and Earth Pagoda, a rainbow-colored aurora appeared above the pagoda. The aurora sent streams of light at Qilin Ancestor. The Qilin Ancestor dodged, but they still struck him.

The streams of light didn't harm Qilin Ancestor, but Qilin Ancestor felt as if he was stuck in a quagmire. Every movement took a tremendous amount of effort, and he only moved little by little. With unwilling eyes, he could only watch as the Heaven and Earth Pagoda flew farther and farther away.

With a dark face, Qilin Ancestor returned to the foot of Buzhou Mountain. Upon landing, his face darkened further when he realized the Karmic Merits he attained from becoming the lord of all furred creatures had decreased. Even part of his Karmic Luck disappeared!

Karmic Luck was ephemeral and seemingly useless, but Qilin Ancestor knew that Karmic Luck was important for every creature. Karmic Luck represented the blessing of the world. Without any Karmic Luck, it was a constant struggle to fend off death.

He recalled the battle and couldn't think of why his merits and luck decreased. Was it due to the three people who attacked him? Qilin Ancestor shook his head. If they had such methods, Qilin Ancestor would have discovered it with his superior realm.

Then, the problem would only be the Way of Heaven or himself. Did his luck decrease because he attacked them? Or did the Way of Heaven punish him for attacking them?

Either way was not good news for him. He wondered what identity the three of them possessed.

---

In the distance, Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian did not look pleased. Although Laozi put on an air of indifference and was mild-mannered, the pride in his bones was not one bit less than Yuanshi's.

Yuanshi himself had a belly full of anger. Forget the fact that they were the orthodox lineage of Pangu, all three had been defeated by a beast! A beast! Nothing more than the fleas on Pangu! Yuanshi vowed that he would get revenge one day.

As for Tongtian, she sighed at how low her vision had been. She thought the qilin at the Great Unity Realm had been a frog in the well, but she was one too. There are always heavens above heavens. Even if she was one of the Three Purities, she shouldn't underestimate others.

The Heaven and Earth Pagoda soared through the sky at its fastest speed. Laozi didn't immediately return to Kunlun Mountain but made a detour in case Qilin Ancestor chased after them.

When they reached the East Sea, they finally stopped, and Laozi stored the Heaven and Earth Pagoda. "We should return. I've already divined that the tribulation should begin in less than an eon."

"Just like this?" Tongtian asked. "We're at the East Sea. Should we take a look? Maybe we'll find some treasures."

"Didn't you say it yourself? What's ours will eventually return to us. What's the use of seeking it out?" Laozi returned.

"Grr." Tongtian pouted. "I don't care, I'm going to look around first. If you two don't want to explore, you can return first. Don't worry, I'll return before the tribulation begins."

"Third Sister, stop being immature. The East Sea is under the control of the Dragon Clan. Their Dragon Ancestor isn’t any weaker than Qilin Ancestor," Yuanshi persuaded.

"I'll just avoid the Dragon Clan then," Tongtian said with a flippant shake of her hand. "You can't change my mind."

Yuanshi and Laozi shared a helpless look. "Alright, make sure to prioritize your safety."

"I got it, I got it," Tongtian said as she flew off.

After Tongtian's figure disappeared into the distance, Laozi and Yuanshi flew back to Kunlun Mountain.

As for Tongtian, she continued to venture deeper into the East Sea, but she restrained the sword aura on her body to prevent future conflicts.

'If I recall correctly, in the future, when the Three Purities separated, the Heavenly Venerable of Numinous Treasure went to the East Sea and settled on Jin'ao Island. Should I go looking for it now?' Tongtian thought. 'Or I could search for the Three Immortal Islands?'

Tongtian continued to explore the East, but after several thousands of years, she found nothing. Of course, she didn't enter the sea, which would have raised her chances, but that would also increase the risk of the Dragon Clan discovering her.

She reached the edge of the Great Desolation. If she went any further, she would leave the world and enter the chaotic boundary. As a Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament, she could survive the chaos, but not forever.

Tongtian was about to turn around, but she felt the green lotus seeds on her resonate with something. She paused and stopped. After a brief search, Tongtian still didn't discover anything, but she wasn't willing to give up.

She used the green lotus seeds as a sonar and tested out which direction gave the biggest reaction. Finally, she reached the immediate edge. Any further, and she would leave the Great Desolation.

'I'll just check it out. If I expend thirty percent of my essence, I'll immediately return.' Tongtian thought and stepped into the chaos.

Immediately, her face paled as the chaotic corrosion buffeted her. She held nothing back, and a sword aura burst out of her body, deflecting the corrosion.

"It's a bit hard to fly," Tongtian muttered, but she quickly adjusted. She was on a time limit since she couldn't absorb the essence of heaven and earth to replenish her spent energy.

She had underestimated the danger of the chaotic boundary. Even if her energy could repel the chaotic energy, her body wouldn't last long against the corrosion. However, Tongtian wasn't willing to give up and soldiered on.

Just as Tongtian felt her energy dwindle to about eighty-five percent, the chaotic energy weakened. Not just that, but she could feel the essence of heaven and earth, however faint it was.

Eyes lighting up, Tongtian flew forward. As she flew, she discovered the green lotus seed resonated even more. After flying some more, she saw a giant floating island.

Tongtian smiled and flew forward. The further she flew, the more essence she felt, and the chaotic energy also dwindled. At the edge of the landmass, an array blocked her path. Formations were her forte, so she immediately began to work. After a thousand years, Tongtian opened an entrance into the island. She would have liked to further her study on the array, but she had promised that she would return before the tribulation started.

Upon stepping on the island, Tongtian felt the abundant essence of heaven and earth. Although there were no animals, it was filled with numerous immortal herbs and spiritual roots. Compared to Kunlun Mountain, it was not inferior at all, maybe even superior.

After walking for a little while, she saw a stele with the word Fangzhang carved onto it.

'This is Fangzhang Immortal Island?' She was disappointed that it wasn't the most famous Penglai Immortal Island, but that was only a minor nitpick. Tongtian continued on her way; she wanted to know what made the green lotus seeds so excited.

When she reached the center of the island, she saw a black pond. The pond exuded a sinful aura. Anyone who entered would drown in evil thoughts. This was the Abyssal Sinwater, one of the top ten truewaters, like the Threelight Divinewater.

More eye-catching than the black water was the unsullied flower growing out of the pond. It had twelve white petals and exuded a pure, soothing aura. Just by being near it, Tongtian’s unnecessary thoughts eased.

To others, the Abyssal Sinwater might be the greatest poison, but for the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification, it was the best source of nutrients.