A Crafty Schemer Faces a Little Schemer / Yuanshi Tianzun Reports to the Primordial Purple Palace

When Primordial Heavenly Venerate saw Li Xiao's smug face, he itched to step forward and tear it apart. He shouted in a deep voice.

"Deceiving?"

Li Xiao froze, then looked at Primordial Heavenly Venerate and asked, "Oh, Second Martial Uncle, don't put it so harshly. How was that deception? Junior Brother Yunzhongzi, Senior Brother Nanji, and I were making a wager—a wager with the Heavenly Dao. I put up the Nine Revolutions Arcane Arts, while they put up the Jade Void Artifact Refining Manual. They lost, so they had to accept the outcome. It was perfectly fair!"

Old schemer against young schemer

"Hmph, enough nonsense. Hand over the Jade Purity Artifact Refining Manual, and this humble Taoist may spare your life!"

Primordial Heavenly Venerate's face darkened as he said coldly.

Li Xiao rolled his eyes. With a flick of his hand, he produced the Jade Purity Artifact Refining Manual and used his mana to send it toward Primordial Heavenly Venerate.

It was not because Li Xiao was scared!

Rather, during this time, Li Xiao had already memorized every word of the Jade Purity Artifact Refining Manual. He had even known, given Primordial Heavenly Venerate's temperament, that he would surely come to demand it. To be safe, Li Xiao had copied several versions of the Jade Purity Artifact Refining Manual.

In other words, whether he gave the Jade Purity Artifact Refining Manual to Primordial Heavenly Venerate or not no longer mattered to him!

With a sweep of his sleeve, Primordial Heavenly Venerate collected the Jade Purity Artifact Refining Manual. He glared at Li Xiao through gritted teeth and said in a deep voice, "Hmph, Li Xiao, you harmed this humble Taoist's disciples and secretly read the untransmitted secrets of my Chan School. Hand over the Nine Revolutions Arcane Arts as well, and this humble Taoist will spare your life!"

"Hmph, Second Senior Brother, you are pushing your luck!"

At that moment, a cold snort rang out.

The void rippled like water, and Tongtian Cult Master slowly emerged from within on Kui Niu. His aged face was dark as he looked at Primordial Heavenly Venerate.

"Teacher, you finally came! And you still rode a bull here? If you had come one step later, Second Martial Uncle would have bullied your disciple to death. Teacher, you were right—Second Martial Uncle is really pushing his luck. He even wants the Nine Revolutions Arcane Arts. Why doesn't he ask you for the Four Immortal Slaying Swords instead..."

The moment Li Xiao saw Tongtian Cult Master appear, his confidence surged. He threw back his head and shouted.

Tongtian Cult Master's face instantly darkened. He turned back and shot Li Xiao an annoyed glare before looking toward Primordial Heavenly Venerate. "Second Senior Brother, you are a Saint, yet you repeatedly bully a junior and demand his possessions. Your skin truly is thick. This humble Taoist is ashamed to be your equal, ashamed indeed..."

Primordial Heavenly Venerate cared most about his reputation. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

At once, Primordial Heavenly Venerate trembled with rage. He glared furiously at Tongtian Cult Master and Li Xiao, gritting his teeth. "Pah! Tongtian, stop speaking so sarcastically before this humble Taoist. Li Xiao plotted against Nanji and Yunzhongzi this time. Do you dare say you had no part in it?"

Since Li Xiao had been so certain that Yunzhongzi and Immortal Elder Nanji would not become members of the Twelve Golden Immortals, Primordial Heavenly Venerate naturally assumed that Tongtian Cult Master, a Saint, had calculated it.

Tongtian Cult Master's aged face twitched violently, and he turned to glare at Li Xiao.

In truth, he was puzzled too!

How had Li Xiao learned of the Chan School's hidden secrets—that Immortal Elder Nanji and Yunzhongzi would not be among the Twelve Golden Immortals? Immortal Elder Nanji was the First Senior Brother of the Chan School, while Yunzhongzi was a Virtuous Immortal blessed with great fortune. That neither of them would join the Twelve Golden Immortals had even surprised Tongtian Cult Master, making him secretly marvel at Primordial Heavenly Venerate's deep and calculating mind.

Yet Li Xiao had known it all!

That made the matter impossible not to ponder!

But this matter was far too mysterious. If outsiders learned that Li Xiao possessed such ability, Li Xiao would likely become a target!

Fine! This humble Taoist would have to take the blame again... Tongtian Cult Master looked helpless. To protect his disciple, he neither admitted nor denied it. He merely looked at Primordial Heavenly Venerate and curled his lip. "Second Senior Brother, if you lack the skill, then you lack the skill. Stop making noise here. If you truly cannot accept it, then enter this humble Taoist's Immortal Slaying Sword Formation and take a walk!"

Tongtian Cult Master began acting shamelessly as well!

The Immortal Slaying Sword Formation could not be broken without the Four Saints. As long as the Four Saints did not gather, I would be invincible!

As for the lost fortune of the Jie School, that could be dealt with later!

As he spoke, Tongtian Cult Master shook both arms. A vast celebration cloud burst forth behind his head. Within it stretched a great formation diagram, with four immortal swords arranged side by side, releasing boundless sword intent. The sword intent alone shattered the Primordial Stars in the void one after another.

Damn it, the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation again... Primordial Heavenly Venerate's head hurt whenever he saw the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation now.

Indeed, though he could not break the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation, he could still enter it briefly. But he could not remain inside for long. If he went in, he would inevitably lose face again!

Primordial Heavenly Venerate had no way whatsoever to deal with the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation. He could only tremble with rage, glare at Tongtian Cult Master, and grit out, "Tongtian, you... you have gone too far, too far..."

Tongtian Cult Master snorted coldly, looking like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water as he stared back at Primordial Heavenly Venerate. His expression seemed to say, I know you cannot break the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation alone. So what?

The two Saints stood on the verge of battle, and the atmosphere was oppressive to the extreme!

Boom! Boom! Boom...

The space was crushed by the powerful auras of the two Saints and exploded continuously. Deafening rumbles echoed without end as waves of turbulent air rolled through the area, sending chills down one's spine.

At that moment, space rippled like water, and Taishang Laojun emerged from it riding Green Ox. Looking at Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Tongtian Cult Master, he frowned. "Enough. You two argue and fight all day long. Are you not afraid of being laughed at by the younger generation? By everyone in the Primordial World?"

Primordial Heavenly Venerate glared viciously at Tongtian Cult Master and said in a deep voice, "Hmph, Tongtian, this is not over!"

With that, Primordial Heavenly Venerate turned and vanished into the void.

Taishang Laojun glanced at Tongtian Cult Master and sighed. Then his gaze fell upon Li Xiao as he smiled. "Martial Nephew Li Xiao, when you have time, come visit my Shouyang Mountain."

Fine! This old schemer was still eyeing my Nine Revolutions Arcane Arts. He deliberately came here to make his presence known... Li Xiao understood perfectly well, but he revealed nothing on the surface. Putting on a flattered expression, he cupped his hands to Taishang Laojun. "Yes, Grand Uncle-Master. This disciple will definitely visit another day!"

Fine! Taishang was an old schemer, and Li Xiao was a young schemer—schemer against schemer... At the side, Tongtian Cult Master rolled his eyes repeatedly. He understood perfectly well too. He knew why Taishang Laojun had invited Li Xiao to Shouyang Mountain, and he also knew that Li Xiao was aware that, in the future, the Four Saints would destroy the Jie School—and Taishang Laojun was among those Four Saints. Li Xiao's flattered appearance was clearly an act.

They were both schemers!

Eh? Then was this humble Taoist also one?

Should this humble Taoist put on an act too?

For a moment, Tongtian Cult Master tangled himself up in the matter. While laughing at the others in his heart, he seemed to have become an old schemer himself.

"Third Junior Brother, then this humble Taoist shall take his leave!"

Taishang Laojun glanced at the dazed Tongtian Cult Master, then at Li Xiao. Riding Green Ox, he vanished into the void.

"Teacher..."

Li Xiao did not know why Tongtian Cult Master was spacing out, so he called out cautiously.

Tongtian Cult Master felt that he had taken the blame for Li Xiao once already. He shot Li Xiao a fierce glare and said irritably, "Hmph, rebellious disciple! You never settle down for even a day. All you do is cause trouble for this humble Taoist!"

With that, Tongtian Cult Master turned, rode Kui Niu into the void, and returned to Golden Ao Island.

"Teacher, next time you come save me, remember to hurry up. Stop thinking about showing off by riding a bull..."

Li Xiao's voice drifted out from the void.

"Rebellious disciple! Rebellious disciple! Rebellious disciple..."

Tongtian Cult Master staggered upon hearing it and nearly fell headfirst from Kui Niu's back. He trembled with rage and roared again and again.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate Went to Purple Cloud Palace to Tattle

Elsewhere, after leaving Penglai Immortal Island, Primordial Heavenly Venerate did not return to Mount Kunlun. Instead, he went directly to Purple Cloud Palace.

Within Purple Cloud Palace, Primordial Heavenly Venerate met the Dao Ancestor, who reclined high upon a cloud bed.

Profound Light swirled around the Dao Ancestor's body, purple qi stretched endlessly behind him, and radiant clouds shone in every direction. Supreme Dao sounds lingered around him, making the Dao Ancestor appear unfathomable, like the vast and mighty Heavenly Dao itself.

The teacher's cultivation is truly unfathomable... Primordial Heavenly Venerate was secretly shocked. He hurriedly knelt on the ground and bowed. "Greetings, Teacher!"

The Dao Ancestor opened his eyes. Purple qi swirled within them, endlessly mysterious. He looked calmly at Primordial Heavenly Venerate and asked, "Yuanshi, why have you come to Purple Cloud Palace?"

Primordial Heavenly Venerate dared not meet the Dao Ancestor's gaze. Still kneeling, he cried out, "Teacher, please uphold justice for your disciple!"

It turned out that, on his way back to Mount Kunlun, Primordial Heavenly Venerate grew angrier the more he thought about it. Tongtian Cult Master had repeatedly bullied him with the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation, yet he had no solution.

In a fit of rage, Primordial Heavenly Venerate came to Purple Cloud Palace to ask the Dao Ancestor to uphold justice for him!

The Dao Ancestor looked at Primordial Heavenly Venerate and asked, "What happened?"

Primordial Heavenly Venerate recounted the entire matter.

The Dao Ancestor slowly closed his eyes and began calculating.

Through the vast sea of the Heavenly Dao and the River of Time, the Dao Ancestor calculated that Tongtian Cult Master truly had not known about this matter.

"Eh? Strange, strange..."

The Dao Ancestor opened his eyes, deeply puzzled.

Then the Dao Ancestor closed his eyes again and calculated once more. This time, he calculated Li Xiao's fate.

But when it came to Li Xiao, the heavenly secrets became a chaotic blur. Even using the power of the Heavenly Dao, the Dao Ancestor could not calculate a single thing.

"Eh? This... This child is truly extraordinary. He can actually evade this humble Taoist's calculations!"

The Dao Ancestor slowly opened his eyes, deeply shocked.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate looked at the Dao Ancestor and cried, "Teacher, please uphold justice for your disciple!"

The Dao Ancestor lowered his head and looked at Primordial Heavenly Venerate. "Yuanshi, Tongtian truly did not know of this matter beforehand. You should return for now."

What? Tongtian did not know? In other words, Li Xiao had planned that scheme?

How did Li Xiao know that this humble Taoist would not appoint Nanji and Yunzhongzi as members of the Twelve Golden Immortals?

Could it be that he could perceive this humble Taoist's thoughts?

Primordial Heavenly Venerate was deeply shaken. His Dao Heart, tranquil for countless years, surged like a raging sea. After steadying himself, he quickly cupped his hands to the Dao Ancestor. "Teacher, then this disciple shall take his leave!"

The Dao Ancestor had already said that Tongtian had not known about it beforehand!

In other words, it was not Tongtian who had plotted against him, but Li Xiao who had plotted against his Chan School. If Tongtian had plotted against him, Primordial Heavenly Venerate could still have said something. But now, a mere disciple of the Jie School had plotted against the Chan School.

If he continued complaining to the Dao Ancestor, he would appear rather shameless!

After all, what elder complained about a junior?

Primordial Heavenly Venerate turned around, looking as though he had swallowed a fly. His aged face instantly turned red with embarrassment, and he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into. He hurriedly returned to Mount Kunlun in disgrace.

After Primordial Heavenly Venerate left, the Dao Ancestor's gaze deepened as he looked toward Penglai Immortal Island. He muttered, "This child can actually conceal himself from the Heavenly Dao. Why is that?"

"Of the fifty paths of the Heavenly Dao, one escapes. Could this child be that one which escapes? Perhaps this is also this humble Taoist's single chance of survival..."

The Dao Ancestor's murmurs faintly echoed through Purple Cloud Palace.

The world only knew that the Dao Ancestor stood high above all others, but it did not know the suffering in his heart!

The Dao Ancestor's former self had been a Chaos Demon God. Yet when he joined the siege against Great God Pangu, Great God Pangu nearly destroyed both his body and soul with a single axe strike, leaving only a remnant soul to flee.

Later, Great God Pangu opened heaven and earth, and living beings gradually came into existence throughout the Primordial World!

The Dao Ancestor attached himself to the first earthworm between heaven and earth. Left with no choice, he transformed from a Chaos Demon God into an Innate Deity!

Though he was an Innate Deity, he was still within the Heavenly Dao!

That was also why the Dao Ancestor later had no choice but to merge with the Dao!

Originally, after merging with the Dao, the Dao Ancestor believed that he could gradually take control of the Heavenly Dao through his own strength!