A Fake Disciple?

"No matter what, since the invitation came from Fellow Daoist Tongtian, we should visit his dojo in a thousand years to offer our congratulations."

Dijiang pondered for a moment before finally making up his mind.

"What should we bring as a gift?" Gonggong asked.

"This..."

Dijiang frowned slightly, finding himself at a loss for the moment.

Houtu, standing nearby, let out a soft laugh and slowly said,

"How about choosing some Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and spiritual treasures from the Witch Race treasury as congratulatory gifts? We do not use them much anyway."

"Mm... Fine, it is settled then."

After giving it some thought, Dijiang nodded in agreement.

Within the Purple Mansion.

"Ah, how had I not thought of that!"

After reading the jade talisman and invitation, East King Duke suddenly slapped his thigh, his face full of regret.

Seeing the elder beside him looking confused, he smiled and explained,

"Tongtian may be somewhat irritating, but I have to admit that this invitation of his was quite cleverly designed!"

"I estimate that any powerful expert who received one would not dare skip the ceremony."

"But if they went, they could not exactly arrive empty-handed, could they?"

"Even if Tongtian did not mind, if every other great expert brought a congratulatory gift while you alone came empty-handed, you would not be able to save face."

Upon hearing this, the elder immediately understood the deeper meaning.

Then an idea flashed through his mind, and he suggested,

"Then could we also hold a ceremony to establish our Purple Mansion?"

"After all, we did not notify anyone when we established it before, so there should not be a problem."

East King Duke stroked his beard and slowly said,

"Set this matter aside for now. We will discuss it carefully after attending the Interception Sect ceremony."

"Yes."

Netherworld Blood Sea.

"Should I go or not?"

Ancestor Minghe held the invitation in his hand, his expression shifting as his brows knitted tightly.

For a time, he could not make up his mind.

He knew perfectly well that his relationship with Tongtian had not been harmonious before.

Although Tongtian had not caused trouble for him after the Purple Heaven Palace lecture,

the matter at Buzhou Mountain had ultimately remained a thorn between them.

After thinking for a long while, Minghe finally made up his mind.

Go!

Not only would he go, but he would also bring a generous gift!

He would consider it a settlement for what had happened before.

Although he claimed to be immortal and indestructible, he was not truly unharmed.

Each time he died, even if he was reborn through the power of the Blood Sea, his vitality would be greatly damaged.

After several dozen or even a hundred such deaths, who knew whether he would still survive?

Therefore, if he could ease their relationship, that would naturally be for the best.

On the Sun Star.

"Big Brother, Tongtian has gone too far!"

"He already seized so many resources from our Demon Race, and now he has even sent us an invitation."

"Is he not obviously trying to fleece us again?"

Eastern Emperor Taiyi's face was full of anger, and his tone brimmed with indignation.

In his agitation, even the aura around him became somewhat unstable.

It was clear that this matter had infuriated him greatly.

"Whether he has ulterior motives or is sincerely inviting us,"

"we must make this trip."

Dijun's gaze darkened, his tone resolute.

Though unwilling, as the leader of the Demon Race, he naturally could not act on impulse.

He understood clearly that if they did not attend the banquet, they would instead be giving Tongtian an excuse.

If Tongtian came to plunder them again, the Demon Race truly would not be able to endure it!

Moreover, even if they went, they had to prepare a respectable congratulatory gift.

After all, the Demon Race was now the greatest race in the Primordial Wilderness, standing evenly against the Witch Race.

If their gift was too modest and people gossiped about it behind their backs, it might trigger a dispute.

Although the Demon Race had suffered many losses recently, they still had to maintain the proper appearances.

With a sigh, Dijun realized for the first time just how important strength was.

If the Demon Race had been strong enough, why would they be left in such a dilemma by a single invitation?

In the end, strength was supreme.

As long as one's fists were hard enough, even if one did not go, others would still have to show some respect!

"I never expected Yellow Central Plum to mature so quickly after being planted beside the Three Lights Divine Water."

Seeing that Yellow Central Plum had already borne fruits the size of soybeans, Tongtian was somewhat delighted.

How long had it been?

Only a few thousand years!

At this rate, its maturation time would likely be only a third of what it had been before.

"Not bad, not bad."

Nodding with satisfaction, Tongtian casually waved a hand, scooped some Three Lights Divine Water from the pool, and watered the roots of the Yellow Central Plum.

It was readily available anyway, so he did not feel any regret using it.

Just after watering it, his brows suddenly rose. His gaze sharpened as he looked toward the southwest.

Another spur-of-the-moment impulse!

The instant his gaze turned toward the distance,

the East Sea, billions of miles away from the Three Immortal Islands, suddenly churned with terrifying waves hundreds of thousands of zhang high.

Tribulation clouds slowly gathered in the void, rolling endlessly.

From time to time, Lightning Dragons tens of thousands of zhang long darted through the tribulation clouds, roaring with deafening fury.

The scene was so immense that every living being within billions of miles could clearly sense it.

Because the Three Immortal Islands had recently become the center of attention due to establishing a sect, accepting disciples, and spreading teachings,

the moment this disturbance appeared, countless great experts immediately extended their Spiritual Sense to investigate.

"This is... a divine spirit transformation tribulation! An innate divine spirit is about to transform!"

"Judging from the might of those tribulation clouds, it is probably at least at the Golden Immortal level!"

"Is that not Fellow Daoist Tongtian? Those few are truly blessed by fate, to catch Fellow Daoist Tongtian's attention the instant they transformed."

"Alas, fortune is also part of strength.

While others are still cultivating bitterly to break through, these few have been directly noticed by Fellow Daoist Tongtian."

"One can only say that transforming at the right time is better than transforming early.

If they had transformed elsewhere, how could they have attracted so much attention, much less the attention of a great expert as busy as Fellow Daoist Tongtian?"

Three clouds? It seems it should be them.

Tongtian stood with his hands behind his back, suspended in the air as he watched the scene before him, the corners of his mouth unconsciously curving upward.

Their true forms were clouds, they possessed the aptitude of innate divine spirits, and they were bound to him by karma.

There was no need to think further. Tongtian already understood.

They had to be the San Xiao, who had furiously cut away the Three Flowers and Five Qis of Chan Teachings disciples during the War of Investiture of the Gods and directly confronted Heavenly Lord Yuanshi!

Tongtian had greatly admired these three in his previous life.

Unfortunately, as the Interception Sect declined, their fates became exceedingly tragic as well.

They were bestowed the title "Three Immortal Maidens Who Respond to the World," which sounded impressive, yet they were actually placed in charge of the filthiest place in the mortal world—the toilet.

The Primordial Golden Dou was even mockingly called a chamber pot by later generations.

Such outstanding disciples of the Interception Sect, with such extraordinary cultivation, had actually met such an end. How could that not be infuriating?

At this thought, Tongtian's gaze involuntarily turned cold.

His heart was filled with even greater contempt for the coming Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.

In this life, he swore to rewrite the Mandate of Heaven!

And the foundation for all of it was his current effort to widely accept disciples and establish a sect.

The more numerous and powerful his disciples became, the greater the aid they would provide him!

He refused to believe that, with his current momentum, the Interception Sect would still repeat its past mistakes!

As the tribulation clouds fully condensed, a terrifying aura locked onto the three auspicious clouds trembling in midair.

Boom!

A lightning serpent tens of thousands of zhang long descended violently amid a thunderous blast.

"Let me lend you a hand."

Seeing San Xiao's panicked appearance, Tongtian could not help shaking his head with a soft laugh.

They were far too different from the bold figures who had dared to confront even Heavenly Lord Yuanshi during the Investiture of the Gods tribulation.

With a thought, he summoned the Heaven and Earth Mystic Yellow Exquisite Pagoda he had just obtained and casually tossed it above San Xiao's heads.

Sensing the descending tribulation lightning, the pagoda trembled lightly. Strands of Mystic Yellow Qi flowed out, forming a golden barrier that protected the three women within.

The lightning serpent descended and struck the pagoda.

Without stirring even a ripple, it silently dissipated.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

As if sensing that its attack had failed, the tribulation clouds surged violently, as though enraged.

Six Lightning Dragons, each hundreds of thousands of zhang long, struck down in succession.

Wherever they passed, space trembled, and even the spiritual energy of heaven and earth was torn apart.

Though the display was magnificent, it was not worth mentioning before the Heaven and Earth Mystic Yellow Exquisite Pagoda.

If it could not even block this little Thunder Tribulation, it would not deserve its reputation of being comparable to an Innate Supreme Treasure.

As expected.

The six Lightning Dragons descended, yet the pagoda was not shaken in the slightest. It did not even tremble once.

Ten strikes!

Twenty strikes!

Forty strikes!

After a full forty-nine bolts of tribulation lightning descended, the tribulation clouds finally let out an unwilling rumble and slowly dispersed.

Once the tribulation clouds vanished, auspicious light spread across a million miles like a cascading waterfall, falling upon San Xiao.

As the radiance faded, three graceful figures appeared before everyone's eyes.

The woman in front wore blue robes, her sleeves fluttering elegantly. Her expression was gentle, and she appeared slightly older than the others. She should be the eldest of the three—Yunxiao.

The woman in the middle wore emerald-green robes and had a pure, delicate face. She was undoubtedly Qiongxiao.

As for the last one...

There was no need to see her face. That fiery red dress alone revealed her fierce temperament. Who else could she be but Bixiao?

"Thank you, Senior, for helping us three sisters escape our beast forms. If Senior does not find us unworthy, we sincerely ask that you accept us as disciples."

The three women exchanged delighted glances, rode the clouds to Tongtian, and respectfully bowed.

"You have reached the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm immediately after transforming. Your aptitude is not bad."

"Accepting you as disciples is not impossible, but you must first pass my test."

Tongtian's gaze darkened slightly as he examined the three women from head to toe. He nodded faintly, then waved his sleeve and gently raised them up. He did not lose his composure simply because of their outstanding beauty.

When reading those Primordial Wilderness novels in his previous life, what puzzled him most was this—there were actually ugly women in the Primordial World?

Why did those transmigrators treat every female cultivator they encountered as a peerless beauty?

Did they not know that once female cultivators reached this level, beauty was practically standard equipment?

If there truly had to be a comparison, it would depend on temperament and cultivation.

As for appearance, they merely had their own distinctive charms; it was difficult to distinguish superiority or inferiority.

As he spoke, he casually set up a grand formation.

As a master of formations, setting up a formation to test one's character and will was as easy as lifting a hand for him.

Upon hearing this, determination flashed in the three women's eyes. Without saying anything further, they entered the formation directly.

As he watched them step into the formation, a strange feeling suddenly arose in Tongtian's heart, though he could not sort out its source for the moment.

It was not until quite a while later that realization suddenly struck him.

—Duobao was only at the Mysterious Immortal realm now?

That was only because he had swiped several Ginseng Fruits from Zhenyuanzi to raise Duobao's cultivation!

Could it be that he had accepted a fake disciple?