Bloodline Transformation Pill!

"It didn't matter. We could kill with a borrowed blade.

"I believed Dijun and Taiyi would be more than willing to take part."

Jieyin waved his hand, having long since made his plans.

With the status of himself and his junior brother as future Saints, trading it for Hong Yun's life was something Dijun would surely weigh carefully.

Besides, there was also the Witch Race, a sword hanging over their heads.

"Senior Brother truly is brilliant. Then let us make a trip to the Heavenly Court at once."

After pondering for a moment, Zhunti could not help clapping in delight.

"There is no rush. Our most urgent priority is to improve our strength first."

"Only when we are strong enough will we have the confidence to negotiate with Dijun and avoid being passive at every turn."

Jieyin smiled faintly and rejected the suggestion.

In the Primordial World, fists were the only hard truth.

Strength was the foundation of one's right to speak.

Wuzhuang Temple.

"Fellow Daoist, have you considered it?"

Zhenyuanzi looked at Hong Yun beside him and asked softly.

Having personally witnessed Dao Ancestor Hongjun treat Sect Master Tongtian as an equal, he became even more convinced of the Interception Sect's strength.

He had long since begun entertaining thoughts of joining.

"To be honest, I have always enjoyed freedom. If I joined the Interception Sect, I fear I would struggle to adapt to all those rules."

"If I ended up dragging you down because of it, that would be no good."

Hong Yun explained as he revealed a somewhat fortunate smile.

He still clung to his own belief—he had always been kind to others and had never offended anyone. Even if the calamity descended, it should have nothing to do with him.

Hearing this, Zhenyuanzi frowned slightly.

His words made sense, but relying on luck to preserve one's life was ultimately far too unreliable.

Betting one's entire fortune and life on an illusory possibility looked like nothing more than child's play.

Moreover, the calamity was no laughing matter.

With even the slightest misstep, billions of years of bitter cultivation could turn to foam in an instant.

"Old friend, stop trying to persuade me. I know you mean well."

"But you also know that I truly am not suited to joining any sect."

"After this third lecture ends, I intend to return to Huoyun Cave for Closed Door Meditation."

"If you wish to join the Interception Sect, go ahead. If I change my mind someday, it will not be too late to seek you out."

After hearing this, Zhenyuanzi fell silent for a long while.

It sounded reasonable, but upon careful thought, how could one simply join whenever one wished?

If Tongtian learned of it, he would likely only sneer.

Who did you, Hong Yun, think you were?

Did you really think you were some great figure?

Zhenyuanzi knew that once his old friend made up his mind, not even nine oxen could pull him back. He simply stopped speaking.

With a long sigh, he rose and headed for the Three Immortal Islands.

Hong Yun did not try to stop him and soon left Wuzhuang Temple as well.

Time flowed on.

Three thousand years slipped away quietly like running water.

Over these three thousand years, the Primordial World had been unusually peaceful.

There had been no great wars and no disturbances.

Yet everyone knew this was merely the calm before the storm.

Once Calamity Qi accumulated to its limit, the calamity would descend with a thunderous crash.

Because the Dao Ancestor had generously bestowed opportunities at Treasure Distribution Rock back then, quite a few newly advanced Quasi-Saint experts had emerged throughout the Primordial Wilderness over the years.

On this day.

A solemn and resounding voice suddenly echoed across the entire Great Desolation Continent.

"I am Hongjun. Today, I merge myself with the Dao and complete the heavenly secrets."

"Heavenly Dao, return as one!"

Rumble!

At once, peals of thunder rang out between heaven and earth. Boundless pressure spread in every direction, intimidating all living beings.

Immediately afterward, celebratory clouds filled the sky, countless streams of purple qi stretched across the nine heavens, and auspicious signs blanketed heaven and earth.

The Primordial Wilderness was shaken!

This was the Heavenly Dao's response, bestowing endless auspicious omens!

Inside a secret chamber.

Tongtian's aura surged and roiled without end.

It was only because his cultivation had risen too violently.

The surrounding void had already begun to twist and tremble.

Such might was countless times more terrifying than before.

An unfathomably profound aura also coiled around him.

Even from a distant glance, one felt as if one's soul would lose control and one's mind would fall into ruin.

Feeling his own power soar, Tongtian's lips curved upward slightly.

Though he had merely crossed a small threshold in cultivation.

The difference in strength was already as vast as heaven and earth.

If his former self had been a river, then his current self was an ocean.

Even Hongjun, who had only recently attained the Dao, would be nothing more than a junior who had just crossed the threshold if he stood before him now.

"Hunyuan Twelve Heavens. As expected, every level is another heaven."

With a soft sigh, Tongtian withdrew his aura and stepped out of the secret chamber.

With a thought, his Divine Sense swept across the Three Immortal Islands, placing everything on the islands within his grasp.

What pleased him greatly was that

the Interception Sect's overall strength was now far beyond what it had been when it was first established.

The once enormous number of Menial Disciples had fallen by ninety percent, leaving only a little over ten thousand.

These were only able to remain because they had deliberately suppressed their cultivation.

Otherwise, they would have all advanced to formal disciples long ago.

On reflection, this was only natural.

Over such a long span of time, even those with mediocre aptitude could attain the Golden Immortal realm through accumulated cultivation, perhaps even the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

Not to mention that the entry formation Tongtian had established back then had not been excessively demanding of talent.

Anyone capable of passing it had stood out among countless cultivators. How could their aptitude possibly be poor?

As for Outer Disciples, there were now only around four hundred thousand left, less than thirty percent of the entire sect.

The branch with the most disciples was the inner sect.

It had nearly eight hundred thousand members, all possessing Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation.

What kind of concept was that?

Looking across the entire Primordial Wilderness, aside from the Witch Race and Demon Race, there were likely few forces capable of matching them.

Once these people emerged from seclusion, they would surely stir up monstrous waves throughout the Primordial Wilderness.

The number of True Inheritor Disciples, meanwhile, was relatively small, numbering only a little over twenty thousand.

Among them were Zhao Gongming, San Xiao, Duobao, Wudang, Guiling, the Six Attendant Immortals, and others.

But that was not the most eye-catching part.

What truly deserved attention was that these more than twenty thousand Grand Unity Golden Immortals, even though most had only just crossed the threshold, were still enough to sweep through countless sects and factions in the Primordial Wilderness.

Only when facing the Witch and Demon Races did they appear somewhat inferior.

As for Core Disciples, there was currently only Kong Xuan.

As the son of the Phoenix Ancestor, Kong Xuan had lived up to his title as the strongest below Saints.

Whether in foundation or potential, he stood at the very peak.

With sufficient resources, he had broken through to the early Quasi-Saint realm in less than ten thousand years, demonstrating his extraordinary talent.

In the original work, he had not reached the peak Quasi-Saint realm until the War of Investiture of the Gods. That was likely due to a lack of resources.

Otherwise, whether Zhunti could have converted him was still uncertain.

However, the one who truly surprised Tongtian was the Six-Eared Macaque.

Within the same period, he had leapt from the mere early Mysterious Immortal realm all the way to the early Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, leaving more than a million fellow disciples far behind.

Such speed was even more astonishing than Kong Xuan's breakthrough into the Quasi-Saint realm.

A trace of curiosity rose in his heart, and he casually deduced the heavenly secrets.

Countless pieces of information instantly surfaced.

In merely half a breath, he took in every detail.

It turned out that the Six-Eared Macaque had relied on his innate divine ability and years of accumulation to exchange for a Bloodline Transformation Pill in the Treasure Pavilion.

It was precisely this pill that awakened the Chaos Demon Ape's original bloodline within him.

His foundation immediately rose to the level of top-tier innate deities, and his cultivation speed naturally surged.

Coupled with his diligent cultivation and ample supply of resources, breaking through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm had become only natural.

"If he cultivates until the era of Journey to the West, forget the true and false Monkey King—even Rulai would probably have to bow his head in submission!"

The moment the words left his mouth, Tongtian immediately sensed something wrong.

Given the current situation, how could Buddhism possibly still have Duobao Rulai?

Even if he himself did not mind, no matter how much Zhunti and Jieyin begged, Duobao might not be willing to enter Buddhism.

Thinking of this, he could not help wondering who would hold the position of Buddha Patriarch in the future after Buddhism lost Duobao.

Randeng? Lu Ya?

Or perhaps Maitreya?

"Reporting to Sect Master, Immortal Zhenyuanzi of Wuzhuang Temple has been waiting outside the palace for quite some time."

At that moment, a strand of Grand Elder Qing Xuanzi's Spiritual Sense spoke up to report.

"Invite him in." Tongtian's tone was calm.

"As you command!"

Before the words had fully faded, Zhenyuanzi entered the palace at an unhurried pace moments later and bowed respectfully.

"Greetings, Saint."

"There is no need for such ceremony. I already know the purpose of your visit, Fellow Daoist."

"My Interception Sect still lacks a Grand Elder. Would you be willing to take the position?"

Tongtian casually handed him a cup of clear tea and spoke with a smile.

At a time when the calamity was in turmoil, his arrival clearly showed that he intended to join the Interception Sect.

However, Tongtian did not see Hong Yun, which left him somewhat displeased.

Though it had only been a passing joke, and he had merely wanted to see whether Hong Yun could be cultivated into a hidden expert, it did not truly matter whether he came or not.

But since he had already been invited, he should at least have personally sent a reply.

"Thank you for Sect Master's favor. Zhenyuanzi is willing to join the Interception Sect. Greetings, Sect Master."

Zhenyuanzi naturally understood Tongtian's displeasure. He gave a bitter smile, yet did not know how to explain it.

As Hong Yun's friend, he also wished to say a few words in his defense.

But he was facing a Saint. What use was there in lying?

The truth could be seen through at a glance.

By then, he might even incur the Saint's displeasure.

[Congratulations to the host for successfully recruiting a Quasi-Saint expert. You have obtained one Jade Plate of Creation fragment.]

Hearing the system's voice, Tongtian raised an eyebrow slightly.

It seemed the system intended for him to collect Jade Plate of Creation fragments.

This was already the second time he had received a fragment as a reward.

After a few more times, he would likely gather every fragment except the one in Hongjun's possession.

"This is one of the ten great innate spiritual roots—the Ginseng Fruit Tree. I offer it to Sect Master and hope it pleases you."

Zhenyuanzi took out the fruit tree he had prepared long ago from his sleeve, a trace of reluctance on his face.

"You truly value loyalty and friendship."

Tongtian gave him a meaningful glance, then smiled and waved his sleeve, planting the fruit tree beside the Yellow Central Plum and watering it with some Three Lights Divine Water.

As for Zhenyuanzi's little scheme, Tongtian had long understood it clearly.

He merely wished to curry favor with him so that he would no longer pursue the matter of Hong Yun.

Such loyalty and righteousness truly made him one of the most loyal figures in the Primordial Wilderness.

If not for his formidable strength and spiritual treasures protecting him, he would likely have been targeted long ago.