After a period of travel, Ling Xiao, Di Jun, and Tai Yi finally arrived at the Three Immortals Island.
"Such dense Celestial Spiritual Qi..."
Standing outside the island's barrier, Di Jun took a deep breath, looking positively intoxicated. Over the tens of thousands of years, the Chaos Spiritual Qi of the island had not fully dissipated; it remained incredibly thick, standing in stark, majestic contrast to the world around it.
The three immortal islands sat upon the East Sea like a "Kunlun of the Waves"—immeasurably high, hidden from the common eye, and seemingly boundless. They were grand and mysterious, shrouded in vast banks of mist that were, in reality, liquefied Immortal Qi.
"Comfortable. It is not a shred inferior to our Sun Star," Tai Yi remarked. Cultivating on such an island would be significantly faster than in the outside world.
"It feels right. I'll settle here for seclusion later," Ling Xiao laughed, stepping forward to enter the island's bounds.
They landed upon Penglai Immortal Island, entering a region of monumental spiritual resonance. The flora was lush, and the ponds were deep and tranquil—a scene of peerless beauty.
"So many years away, and so many immortal materials have matured."
Ling Xiao reached out and plucked a branch of golden divine wood—a material saturated with the element of Metal, tougher than most immortal ores.
"Good water!"
Di Jun opened his mouth and drew a stream of emerald-green spring water from a nearby pool into his throat. He looked like a man savoring a cup of ancient, exquisite wine, offering an exaggerated compliment.
"Brother, why do you drink any water you find? Careful it isn't poisoned!" Tai Yi joked. At their Realm, being "poisoned" to death was a physical impossibility.
"He has a point. In some places, drinking the wrong spring can lead to a pregnancy," Ling Xiao added, recalling the Child-Mother River from the legends of the Woman Realm. For a man, that was far more terrifying than any poison.
"Third Brother, don't scare me. What kind of water allows for reproduction?" Di Jun asked, half-skeptical. The idea was absurd, yet coming from Ling Xiao's mouth, he felt a strange urge to believe it.
Ling Xiao laughed heartily, neither confirming nor denying the claim. The three then split up, each taking one island to sweep for matured Heaven and Earth Treasures.
As this was their personal "back garden," they did not act with greed. They harvested only what was mature and useful, leaving the rest undisturbed to continue growing.
Ling Xiao strolled through his Penglai garden, collecting treasures into his Chaos Pearl and feeding them to the Sky-Swallowing Gourd. As the gourd consumed the materials, it fed back Innate Spirit Liquid, which Ling Xiao used to nourish the Chaos Green Lotus.
The lotus, which had previously been a mere seedling, bloomed with Chaos Qi upon receiving the liquid. Its Innate Indestructible Spiritual Light shimmered, and it grew a visible amount before his very eyes.
Ling Xiao then fed a portion of the liquid to the Yellow Core Plum tree. Under the influence of the essence, the fruits on the branches seemed to take on a more vibrant, brilliant hue.
"If I use Innate Spirit Liquid to water the treasures on the island... would that create an infinite loop?"
Ling Xiao mused, amused by his own whimsical thought.
"Hmm? There are people on the island?"
Suddenly, Ling Xiao's expression shifted as he looked in a specific direction. There, the scenery was laid bare before him; in his eyes, no secret could be kept.
Three silhouettes were walking toward his position. They were female Living Beings, distinct in appearance, chatting and laughing in voices as melodic as birdsong.
At that moment, they also spotted Ling Xiao. The one who appeared the youngest, dressed in a turquoise-blue dress, asked in surprise:
"Who are you? Did you just transform into human form as well?"
"Eldest Sister, look quickly!"
Before he could answer, she turned to the woman in the center, who was dressed in white. The girl seemed lively and mischievous by nature.
The woman in white was elegant and dignified, clearly the most composed of the three. She looked at Ling Xiao and offered a small, apologetic smile.
"Fellow Daoist, we also transformed not long ago. My younger sister is ignorant of the world's ways; if she has offended you, I ask for your forgiveness."
Ling Xiao wore a peculiar expression as he nodded slightly. "Those who do not know are not to be blamed."
Combining their appearance with the location, he could already guess their identities.
Three female immortals on the Three Immortals Island at this specific point in time? It could be none other than the Sanxiao sisters.
Ling Xiao appraised them. The one in white was likely Yunxiao, currently at the Golden Immortal Middle Stage. The other two—one in purple and one in blue—were Qiongxiao and Bixiao, both at the Golden Immortal Early Stage.
At this stage, they lacked the gravitas of the legendary "Goddesses of the Sanxiao" from later eras.
"You are a new transformation, aren't you? I feel like you're a bit... wooden?" Bixiao skipped closer, asking with a cheerful, familiar grin.
Since their transformation, they had never left the island and remained blissfully unaware of the world's dangers or social complexities.
Ling Xiao let out a faint laugh. "I transformed a very long time ago."
"Bixiao! Behave yourself!"
Qiongxiao, dressed in purple, pulled her sister back, her face darkened with embarrassment.
Yunxiao looked at her sisters helplessly, shaking her head with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, you must excuse them. My name is Yunxiao. These are my sisters, Qiongxiao and Bixiao. Might I ask how we should address you?"
Ling Xiao froze for a second. He suddenly realized how strikingly similar his name was to theirs.
What was going on? Was he supposed to form a "Four Xiao" group?
Pah!
"Fellow Daoist? You... you don't have a name yet because you just transformed, do you?"
Seeing his silence, Bixiao laughed, her eyes shimmering with mischief as she pivoted the conversation.
"Speaking of names, do you know how our names came to be?"
Ling Xiao shook his head.
"It's good that you don't. I'll tell you, but you mustn't tell anyone else."
"Legend has it that countless millennia ago, when these three immortal islands first emerged, they were filled with treasures that drew the attention of countless great powers. A world-shaking battle ensued."
"In the end, a supreme existence defeated every rival and stood at the peak of these islands, claiming them as his own. That great god had the word 'Xiao' in his name. Therefore, we named ourselves after him to honor that legacy."
"If you don't have a name yet, you might want to consider choosing something from that as well."
Bixiao spoke as if recounting a sacred scripture, her large eyes filled with the light of pure admiration.
"Where... where did you hear this?" Ling Xiao was a bit dazed. He hadn't expected the Sanxiao's names to be born because of him.
The coincidence was too immense. The original legends never mentioned this. And yet, it fit perfectly—it was harmonious, without a shred of contradiction.
It was truly a case of "Absurdity's mother opening the door for Absurdity"—absurdity had come home.
"The surviving Living Beings on the island told us. What is with that look? You don't think I'm lying, do you?" Bixiao looked at him suspiciously, feeling that this Fellow Daoist had a head full of stories and a very strange expression.
Ling Xiao shook his head helplessly and replied:
"My name is Ling Xiao."