When the three ancestors—Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Primordial Kirin—personally named each treasure, enough to make even Grand Unity Golden Immortals jealous, and declared that they were giving them to Lin Shen,
The atmosphere atop Kunlun Mountain Peak instantly became subtle.
Tongtian Jiaozhu had originally worn a stern face and held little goodwill toward these three troublemakers.
But the moment he heard that these treasures were for his precious disciple, his expression immediately changed.
Stroking his chin, he eyed the gift boxes from the corner of his eye and thought smugly, At least these three old fools know what's good for them! They know that if they want to get through this, they have to butter up our little treasure first!
Yuanshi Tianzun remained imposing and solemn, but the slight upward curve of his lips betrayed his mood.
He secretly thought, Hmph, they finally understand the rules. They know they need to show sincerity after making a mistake. These things may not be worth much in my eyes, but they'll do as toys for my disciple.
Taiqing Laozi stroked his beard and smiled without speaking.
Everything was under control.
Meanwhile, Lin Shen, the protagonist of this tale, was squatting on the ground, using the "Gengjin Dao Mark Sword" that he had blown into an Innate Spiritual Treasure to seriously draw little turtles in the dirt.
He had no idea what a "Myriad Dragons Paying Homage Chart," "Phoenix Tree Heart," or "Earth Fetal Membrane" was.
But when he saw the elders holding gift boxes blazing with treasure light and radiant multicolored glows, his eyes instantly lit up.
Wow!
So many shiny things!
They looked super fun!
He tossed aside the little branch in his hand, spread his short little legs, and ran toward the pile of gifts with a patter of footsteps.
The hearts of the three ancestors instantly leaped into their throats.
They nervously stared at the tiny figure, afraid that if he was displeased, he would reject all these gifts outright.
Lin Shen ran up to the pile, curiously stood on tiptoe, and poked the box containing ten thousand Sea Calming Divine Pearls with his chubby little finger.
"Eeya?"
He turned to look at Ancestral Dragon, his big eyes filled with curiosity.
Were these shiny beads marbles? Could he play with them?
Ancestral Dragon had no idea what he was thinking. He only saw that the little fellow was interested in his gift, and his heart immediately blossomed with joy.
"If Little Junior Brother likes them, then all these divine pearls are yours!"
Lin Shen was overjoyed when he heard that.
He directly picked up the enormous treasure box, but failed to hold it steady—
Crash!
All ten thousand Sea Calming Divine Pearls, each containing pure water laws, rolled out.
The entire Kunlun Mountain Peak was instantly covered in blue, glittering "glass marbles."
Seeing the marbles scattered all over the ground, Lin Shen danced with delight.
He plopped down right in the middle of them, grabbed two handfuls, and clashed them together like he was playing with sand, producing crisp clinking sounds.
At this sight, the corners of Ancestral Dragon's and the Dragon Clan elders' eyes twitched wildly.
Good heavens!
Those were Sea Calming Divine Pearls! Every single one was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, accumulated by the Dragon Clan over countless years!
And now they were being used as marbles?
Ancestral Dragon felt as though his heart was bleeding.
Yet he still had to force a smile more painful than crying onto his face.
"Hehe... As long as Little Junior Brother likes them. As long as he likes them..."
After playing with the marbles for a while, Lin Shen was drawn to the box containing the Phoenix Tree Heart beside him.
Inside lay a fist-sized, heart-shaped crystal quietly radiating emerald light.
An extremely rich fragrance of Yimu Essence wafted from it.
Lin Shen's true form was an innate ginseng spirit root, so he naturally felt close to the aura of Yimu Essence.
He leaned closer and took a deep sniff with his little nose.
It smelled so good!
It even smelled like it might be tasty!
He stuck out his little tongue and licked the Phoenix Tree Heart.
Yuanfeng and the Phoenix Clan elders behind her felt their hearts leap into their throats.
That was the heartwood of the sacred phoenix tree! It was the foundation of the Phoenix Clan's habitat!
And he had just licked it?
After licking it, Lin Shen smacked his lips and found the taste rather nice—sweet, even.
So he opened his little mouth, intending to bite into the Phoenix Tree Heart as if it were candy.
"You mustn't!"
Yuanfeng's lovely face went pale with fright, and she nearly blurted it out.
The Phoenix Tree Heart contained such immense energy that even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal would not dare swallow it whole, much less a nursing child!
However, before she could say it, Yuanshi Tianzun silenced her with a cold glare.
Yuanshi Tianzun said icily, "If my disciple wishes to eat it, then he may eat it. Why mustn't he?"
His tone was incomparably domineering.
It was as though he were saying that even if it were not merely a Phoenix Tree Heart, but Yuanfeng herself, if his disciple wanted to eat her, she would have to wash herself clean and lie down obediently!
Yuanfeng was left speechless. She could only watch helplessly as Lin Shen hugged the Phoenix Tree Heart, which was larger than his head, and bit into it like an apple, leaving behind a row of tiny tooth marks.
After two bites, Lin Shen found it too hard and not very tasty.
So he casually tossed the supreme treasure that could drive every Plant Spirit Monster in the primordial world mad aside.
Then he ran off to examine the Earth Fetal Membrane gifted by Primordial Kirin.
The Earth Fetal Membrane looked like a thick yellow blanket. It felt soft and comfortable to the touch.
Lin Shen directly rolled around on it, then wrapped himself up in it and began playing hide-and-seek.
Primordial Kirin and the Kirin Clan elders behind him were dumbfounded.
That was the Earth Fetal Membrane! A supreme treasure that suppressed the fortune of an entire clan!
And now it had become a child's bedsheet?
The three ancestors watched as their clans' sacred treasures were freely played with like toys by Lin Shen, their emotions a tangled mess.
Did it hurt?
It hurt like hell!
But did they dare say no?
They did not!
They even had to force smiles, afraid that this Little Ancestor might not be having enough fun.
"Hahaha! Good! Very good!"
Seeing how happy Lin Shen was, Tongtian Jiaozhu clapped his hands and laughed heartily.
He walked over to the pile of gifts and swept them all away with a wave of his hand.
Then he patted the three ancestors on the shoulders, wearing an expression that said, "At least you know what's good for you."
"Not bad! Seeing how sincere you are, we'll let that little mess from before slide!"
"Behave yourselves from now on, and stop causing trouble! Otherwise, a few toys won't be enough to settle things next time!"
Tongtian Jiaozhu spoke without the slightest politeness.
Yet upon hearing him, the three ancestors felt as though they had been granted a pardon, hurriedly nodding and bowing.
"Yes! We shall heed Dao Brother's instruction!"
"From now on, we shall certainly restrain our clansmen and never again dare to recklessly start conflict!"
A mountain-visiting apology that could have overturned the balance of the primordial world came to an end in such a slightly comical atmosphere.
The Three Clan Ancestors left Kunlun Mountain in a daze with their elders.
When they came, they had been the overlords of the primordial world.
When they left, they had become little underlings beneath Kunlun Mountain.
They knew that from this day onward, the heavens of the primordial world had completely changed.
It was no longer an era where the three clans vied for supremacy.
It was now an era in which Kunlun Mountain stood unrivaled!
And all of it stemmed from that nursing child still playing with marbles.
After the Three Clan Ancestors left, Tongtian Jiaozhu dumped all the treasures he had collected in front of Lin Shen.
"Beloved Disciple, look! These will all be your toys from now on!"
"Play with whichever one you like! If you break one, Master will go to their homes and snatch another for you!"
Tongtian Jiaozhu declared grandly.
Yuanshi Tianzun frowned at the side and corrected him, "Third Brother, do not speak nonsense. How can all these spiritual treasures be treated as toys?"
He stepped forward and sorted the spiritual treasures into different categories.
"This Myriad Dragons Paying Homage Chart can manifest a water world. It will be perfect for your palace as a scenic pool."
"This Phoenix Tree Heart contains Yimu Essence that is far too concentrated. Eating it directly would not be good for you. Once I refine it and integrate it into your Hundred Herbs Garden, it can increase the age of the spiritual herbs in your garden by a hundred thousand years."
"This Earth Fetal Membrane can be spread across your little bed. It will soothe your mind as you sleep and stabilize your Dao foundation."
Yuanshi Tianzun arranged the use of every treasure with perfect clarity.
Though he said they could not be treated as toys, in truth, everything revolved around Lin Shen.
Watching his Masters bustle around for him, Lin Shen's heart felt warm.
Having Masters felt so wonderful!
Just then, Taiqing Laozi, who had remained silent the entire time, lightly furrowed his brow.
He raised his head, his deep gaze turning toward the endless void beyond Kunlun Mountain.
"Hmm?"
"Another guest has arrived."
"This guest carries far more weight than those three combined."
For the first time, Taiqing Laozi's voice carried a note of gravity.
(PS: The Earth Fetal Membrane here is not the Earth Book in Zhen Yuanzi's possession. This book is mainly for entertainment; if you want orthodox primordial-world fiction, please look elsewhere. Thank you.)
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