Laozi took a deep breath, his fingers tapping continuously against the desk as though he were deep in thought.
"Since Li Yuan knows some things, it would be best to go with the flow and wait to see what happens."
"If things truly turn out as Li Yuan said, it will not be too late to react then."
Meanwhile, Yuanshi's sermon in Jade Void Palace had become somewhat absentminded.
"No, someone still needs to make contact with this boy. Xuandu has interacted with this daoist before; he is honest by nature and could never say such things."
"The one writing the Diary must be junior martial nephew Li Yuan. Why not have Guangchengzi make contact with him?"
Inside Jade Azure Palace, Tongtian took several deep breaths, put away the Four Swords of Immortal Execution, and let out a cold snort.
"Should I just go strangle this junior martial nephew? No, that would not be right. If he were an Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon in disguise, Eldest Brother would definitely be able to tell."
"Could this boy truly possess something extraordinary?"
Tongtian pondered for a moment but came up with nothing, leaving him thoroughly irritated.
"Duobao! Duobao! Come to Jade Azure Palace and see your master at once!"
Inside his cave abode, Li Yuan sensed the temperature gradually dropping and broke into a delighted smile.
After five hundred years, he had finally begun refining the Source of the Fire Law. Only begun, of course.
He could feel the surging power within him, and his cultivation had already stabilized at the late True Immortal stage.
Li Yuan grinned broadly and said cheerfully.
"My progress has been incredibly fast. This feels strangely good."
"It is not proper to stay shut inside my cave abode all day, working behind closed doors. I should go out for a walk."
"When you wake up in the morning, the most important thing is to embrace the sun, of course."
"Right, right, I also need to go build some goodwill with Master and Eldest Senior Brother."
With that, Li Yuan raised his hand slightly, and the stone door boomed open.
Before he could step outside, three figures surged in.
Li Yuan immediately became vigilant and summoned a wisp of Primordial Chaos Divine Fire.
"Who dares cause trouble within the Humanity Sect's grounds?!"
"Let me tell you, my master is Laozi, leader of the Humanity Sect and foremost of the Mysterious Gate, the Taiqing Saint! My eldest senior brother is the future light of the Human Race, Xuandu, a grandmaster of alchemy!"
"No one would dare cause trouble on the Humanity Sect's grounds. And Junior Brother, I have only just begun on the path of alchemy. Do not call me a grandmaster so casually."
Xuandu walked in with a beaming smile, unable to conceal the delight in his eyes.
Clearly, he was extremely pleased by Li Yuan's earlier words, "grandmaster of alchemy."
Li Yuan came back to his senses and raised an eyebrow.
"Eldest Senior Brother, these two are...?"
His gaze moved over the other two unfamiliar faces.
The two stepped forward in turn and cupped their hands in greeting.
"Greetings, Senior Brother. This daoist is Guangchengzi of the Exposition Sect."
"Greetings, Senior Brother. This daoist is Duobao of the Interception Sect."
Guangchengzi wore the Nine Heavens Cloud Pattern Crown and the purple-ribboned immortal robes specially made by Jade Void Palace. His face was as handsome as polished jade, yet he carried a faintly murderous air.
Duobao was slightly plump and wore a seemingly plain Black Daoist Robe. Upon closer inspection, however, it had been woven from meteorite sand from beyond the Thirty-Third Heaven. Every gesture he made exuded extravagance beyond all reason.
Li Yuan's face immediately lit up with a smile as he hurriedly invited them inside.
"So they are my two junior brothers. Please, come in quickly."
As he spoke, he sized them up and thought to himself.
"Both of them would shine brilliantly during the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation. Seeing them like this, they really do match the images in my mind."
Guangchengzi and Duobao were also studying Li Yuan, both rather puzzled.
They could not understand what their masters were thinking, insisting that they come visit Li Yuan.
Although it was only proper for junior brothers to visit their senior brother.
Making them wait outside his cave abode, though? That was going too far!
At the same time, the divine senses of Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian had already focused on them.
Yuanshi and Tongtian were mainly investigating through a trace of aura left on their disciples.
After all, Eldest Brother had set up an array here, and neither of them could see through it.
If they forced their way into observing, it would seem far too deliberate.
Tongtian narrowed his eyes slightly and murmured softly.
"This boy is Li Yuan. If there is the slightest trace of an Outer-Realm Heavenly Demon on him, I will go over there and stab him to death with the Four Swords of Immortal Execution!"
The four had only just taken their seats when Li Yuan suddenly felt a chill sweep across his back.
What was going on?
Xuandu suddenly took out a flag radiating dazzling treasure light.
"Junior Brother, this is a treasure Master asked me to pass on to you. He said it is a reward for your breakthrough to the Celestial Immortal stage."
In an instant, the flag attracted the attention of the other three.
Duobao's study of magical treasures had reached the pinnacle. He recognized the treasure's origins at a glance and cried out in surprise.
"A Top-Grade Primordial Spiritual Treasure—the Southern Earth Detaching Flame Light Flag, one of the Primordial Five Directional Flags!"
He looked at Li Yuan with a hint of envy.
"Eldest Martial Uncle really is generous. He gives away a Top-Grade Primordial Spiritual Treasure just like that. Unlike me, I only have a few dozen Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasures on me."
The other three all raised their brows slightly at those words.
A few dozen Post-Heaven Spiritual Treasures?
Listen to that. Was that even something a person should say?
Li Yuan secretly thought to himself.
"If Yellow Dragon, that Four-Nothing True Man, heard this, he would probably cripple his own cultivation and jump off Kunlun Mountain."
Hearing the envy in his personal disciple's voice, Tongtian immediately gritted his teeth.
"Fine, fine, you are that envious, are you? When you return, I will grant you a Top-Grade Primordial Spiritual Treasure too! You make it sound as though this daoist is stingy!"
Li Yuan came back to his senses. Rather than immediately accepting the treasure, he asked his eldest senior brother.
"Senior Brother, Master gave me a treasure. Did you get one too?"
Xuandu froze slightly, warmth filling his heart. He had not expected his junior brother to resist the temptation and worry about him first.
"Do not worry, Junior Brother. Master has already bestowed the Heaven and Earth Exquisite Pagoda upon me."
"What?!" ×3
Guangchengzi wore a strange expression, even stumbling over his words.
"The Heaven and Earth Exquisite Pagoda? That is the only Top-Grade Primordial Merit Treasure in the Primordial World today. Eldest Martial Uncle is that generous?!"
Duobao shook his head and sighed.
"If I had known, I would have joined the Humanity Sect!"
The moment the words left his mouth, he suddenly frowned.
Hiss—just now, it seemed a flash of killing intent had swept past.
Inside Biyou Palace, Tongtian was already hopping mad.
"Wicked disciple, rebellious disciple, unfilial disciple, harmful disciple! Aaargh... I am furious!"
Inside Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi lowered his eyelids and considered the matter briefly.
"Hmm... once Guangchengzi returns, I should grant him a few treasures. He has already reached the True Immortal realm, so he ought to have a few treasures to maintain appearances."
"But this Li Yuan... he has only been at Kunlun Mountain for a short time, yet he went from Half-Immortal to the middle True Immortal stage. Could it be that Eldest Brother's Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir assisted him?"
He knew Xuandu's cultivation had risen so quickly because Laozi continually refined Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs.
Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs, treasures Quasi-Sages could scarcely obtain, were like candy beans to Xuandu.
Duobao's words startled Li Yuan, and he hurriedly said.
"Actually, Junior Brother is doing quite well in the Interception Sect. Third Martial Uncle must think very highly of you."
Inside Biyou Palace, Tongtian snorted coldly.
"Hmph, at least you said something human for once!"
Li Yuan put away the Southern Earth Detaching Flame Light Flag, then suddenly frowned as he examined the three of them and cried out in surprise.
"You... have all reached the peak of the Mystic Immortal realm?"
Guangchengzi and Duobao exchanged a glance, then said somewhat awkwardly.
"We... were already at the early Mystic Immortal stage when we took form..."
Li Yuan clutched his chest in pain, then turned to Xuandu.
"Eldest Senior Brother, what about you?"
Xuandu replied with a smile.
"Master gave me Nine Revolutions Golden Elixirs. I cannot finish them. I simply cannot finish them."
Li Yuan immediately looked up at the heavens in helplessness and let out a despairing howl.
"No—"
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