The Calm Before the Storm

"Jieyin, Zhunti, why haven't you two left yet?" Hongjun asked displeasedly.

Zhunti raised his head, his face filled with grief and grievance. "Reporting to my teacher!"

It is not that I am unwilling to leave, but I have a great grievance that I have no choice but to tell my teacher!

Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun joined forces to severely injure me and the world, and forcibly seized the spiritual treasure!

How are these two men any different from bandits? Your disciple begs, Master, to uphold justice for my Western Regions!

After saying this, Zhunti into tears, as if he had suffered a great injustice.

Hongjun glanced at Zhunti indifferently, then with a flick of his right finger, he instantly understood the secrets of the Heavenly secrets.

Immediately, a cold snort echoed in the empty Purple Heavens Palace.

"Nonsense!"

Hongjun rebuked, "Your skills are inferior, and you were defeated in a magical duel by Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun. Now you dare to distort the truth and spread rumors in front of me? Do you really think I can't figure out the cause and effect?"

Zhunti's crying stopped abruptly, his face instantly turning bright red. Hongjun's words had exposed his Heavenly secrets, leaving him utterly embarrassed.

After being speechless for a moment, Zhunti immediately put on a fawning smile, kowtowed deeply, and began to flatter him:

"Teacher is wise! Teacher's divine eye is infallible, seeing through the three realms and six paths!"

The past and the future are both in your hands; how could your humble thoughts possibly escape your notice, Master?

This disciple knows his mistake! The reason this disciple dared to speak so presumptuously was not for his own sake, but truly for the sake of my impoverished West!

Teacher, who are you? You are the first sage since the beginning of time, the head of the Xuanmen (Daoist school), and the teacher of all immortals!

Wisdom is like a vast starry sea, its power unfathomable; its words carry the weight of law, and heaven and earth must move at its command.

The teacher is the Way, and the Way is you, teacher!

With compassion for Primordial World living beings, preaching the Dao at the Purple Heavens Palace —this is an immense act of merit!

This disciple humbly begs the Dao Ancestor to have mercy on the poverty of the Western Paradise. The Lingbao treasure is merely icing on the cake for Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun.

For us in the West, this is a timely help, and we hope that our teacher will grant their request to return the treasure.

Your disciple and senior sister will forever be grateful for your kindness, and will pray for the Dao Ancestor day and night!

These words were eloquent and sincere, elevating Hongjun to a supreme position. The earnestness of the words and the humility of the posture were astonishing.

However, Hongjun completely ignored Zhunti's flattery and coldly rebuked him, saying, "Fate and destiny are predetermined; they cannot be forced!"

Before he finished speaking, Hongjun waved his sleeve, and an irresistible force swept up Jieyin and Zhunti.

The two felt a blur before their eyes, and when they came to their senses, they were already outside the Purple Heavens Palace.

The palace gates were tightly shut, and there was no more sound.

Jieyin sighed, looking at Zhunti: "Junior Sister, why are you doing this to yourself?"

The Zhunti smile on Zhunti's face had vanished, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "Senior Sister, we can only return to Mount Sumeru and discuss this further!"

Meanwhile, on Golden Ao Island, Jade Pure Palace.

A beam of golden light descended, revealing Zhao Gongming's figure.

After her journey through the Primordial World, her cultivation had become even more profound, and she was in a very good mood. She went straight to the cave dwelling of the Three Xiao Sisters.

Before she even got close, her expression changed, and she showed an extremely shocked look.

She sensed the auras of her three younger sisters, who had all simultaneously reached the mid-stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm!

"This... how is this possible?"

Zhao Gongming was shocked and quickly entered the cave. He saw the three fairies, Yunxiao, Qiongxiao, Bixiao, meditating and regulating their breathing. Their bodies were filled with Daoist charm and their aura was profound, far beyond what they used to be.

"Big sister, you're back!"

Bixiao, being the most lively of them all, was the first to open her eyes and exclaimed joyfully.

Yunxiao and Qiongxiao also finished their practice and rose to greet them.

"My three younger sisters, you..."

Zhao Gongming looked at them, both surprised and delighted, "Congratulations, sisters, on your great progress in cultivation!"

"But what kind of Heavenly secrets did you all obtain to break through to the mid-stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm together?"

Yunxiao smiled gently, a hint of gratitude in her eyes, and said to Zhao Gongming, "Elder sister, we have indeed received some tremendous opportunities."

"Oh? Tell your older sister quickly!"

Zhao Gongming's curiosity was piqued, and he also wanted to know what kind of opportunity they had obtained.

Yunxiao said softly, "It is thanks to the opportunity bestowed upon us by Senior Chu that we have achieved our current level of cultivation."

"Senior Chu?"

Zhao Gongming frowned, searching his mind for all the well-known powerful figures in the Primordial World. "Which Senior Chu? I've never heard of him before?"

Qiongxiao, standing to the side, explained with a smile, "Elder sister, Senior Chu is a good friend of our master, a true reclusive master."

"Master's friend?"

Zhao Gongming suddenly realized the meaning, recalling the name he had heard during his travels through the Primordial World, and all doubts vanished.

At this moment, Yunxiao, who was in charge, took out a jade box and handed it to Zhao Gongming: "Eldest sister, if we hadn't been sent to Golden Ao Island back then, we would probably have turned into bones in the dog-eat-dog world of the Primordial World."

We will always remember this kindness.

As the jade box was opened, three distinct yet deeply refreshing Daoist auras wafted out.

A golden plum with its fragrance forming Dao patterns, a Immortal Fruit shaped like an infant and radiating spiritual energy, and a Immortal Apricot containing Innate Geng Metal Qi lay quietly among them.

"These are... the Innate Spiritual Root Yellow Middle Plum, the Ginseng Fruit, and the Immortal Apricot!"

Zhao Gongming gasped, waving his hands repeatedly, "No, no, no, sister, this is too precious! I was merely doing what an elder sister should do, I absolutely cannot accept it!"

"Eldest sister, this was bestowed by Senior Chu. The three of us sisters have already used it, and our cultivation has greatly improved."

"These were specially reserved for you. If you don't accept them, you'll be disrespecting us sisters," Bixiao urged from the side.

Seeing the resolute looks in his three younger sisters' eyes, Zhao Gongming felt a surge of warmth in his heart. He no longer refused and solemnly accepted the jade box. "Very well, then I shall accept it without hesitation."

Zhao Gongming is currently only at the Mid-stage Taiyi Golden Immortal, and the Yellow Middle Plum is an immense opportunity for her, so naturally she wouldn't refuse it.

"Big sister, take it quickly, we'll protect you!" Yunxiao urged.

Zhao Gongming nodded, no longer hesitating, picked up the Yellow Middle Plum and swallowed it.

In an instant, a vast and boundless innate wood energy and pure magical power exploded within her body!

It washed over her entire body, and her magical power surged wildly like a river bursting its banks!

A powerful aura emanated from Zhao Gongming, causing his cultivation to rise steadily until he reached the peak of the Perfected Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm before slowly subsiding.

Zhao Gongming opened his eyes, which shone brightly. Feeling the unprecedented power within his body, he clasped his hands in gratitude to the Sanxiao of Sanxiao and said:

"Thank you, my three sisters! With the help of Yellow Middle Plum, I am now fully confident that within a hundred years I will be able to break through the Xuan Guan and attain the Daluo Golden Immortal!"

At the same time, Bai Ze personally led an army of hundreds of millions of demons, sweeping across Human Race like locusts.

Countless demon soldiers and generals brandished their butcher knives, wantonly slaughtering the remaining Human Race.

The souls of the Human Race were collected by the Soul-Summoning Banner, their essence and blood flowing into a river. The mournful screams echoed through the heavens and the stench of blood Yunxiao.

The Human Race suffered heavy losses under the iron hooves of the demon race, with corpses strewn across the fields.

The surviving Human Race scattered in terror and despair.

After enduring countless hardships, some of them escaped to the foot of Shouyang Mountain, where they knelt in unison before the Immortal Mountain, crying out, "Human Race beg to see the Sage! We, the demon race, have been slaughtered; we beg the Sage's protection!"