Zhunti suddenly stepped forward, fell to his knees, and pleaded through tears.
"Seeing that the Western spiritual veins have all been destroyed and its lands lie barren, I beg the Sage to take my brother and me as disciples!"
After speaking, Jie Yin and Zhunti knelt beneath the Dao Platform, awaiting Hongjun's response.
Hongjun looked at Jie Yin and Zhunti. He knew that these two would one day betray the Daoist Sect, but for now, he could only grant their request. After all, he still owed the Western Continent Karma.
"Very well. I shall take you as registered disciples."
"Thank you, Master!" Jie Yin and Zhunti were overjoyed. They had only intended to try their luck, never expecting to actually succeed.
The others around them cast envious looks at the pair. Had they known, they would have stepped forward to try as well.
Hongjun then took out two more Spiritual Treasures—the Twelve-grade Merit Golden Lotus and the Blessing Vajra—and bestowed them upon the two.
The two had not expected to receive Spiritual Treasures as well. Ecstatic, they hurriedly accepted them.
Hongjun then said,
"Now, the Primordial Wilderness is plagued by war and lacks order. Dong Wang Gong shall be appointed Head of Male Immortals, while Queen Mother of the West shall be appointed Head of Female Immortals, to govern the Primordial Wilderness."
After saying this, Hongjun took out two High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures and bestowed them upon the pair before vanishing.
"We shall obey the Sage's command!"
Everyone was inwardly shocked, but the words of a Sage could not be defied, so they could only accept the arrangement. Dong Wang Gong beamed with delight and began making friends, yet he failed to notice two gazes tinged with killing intent watching him from afar.
"Big Brother, once we return to the Primordial Continent, I'll kill him!" Tai Yi said murderously.
Di Jun considered it, then said, "Do not act rashly. This man is the Sage-appointed Head of Male Immortals. Even if we are to kill him, we must wait until after the third sermon and see the Sage's attitude."
"Hmph, then let him be happy a little longer!" Tai Yi looked at Dong Wang Gong disdainfully. In his view, the position of Head of Male Immortals should have belonged to his elder brother, not some petty rat like him.
The crowd gradually departed. Seeing the Three Pure Ones rise to prominence, Hong Yun said with slight concern,
"I never expected them to become disciples of the Sage. If they come seeking revenge against us, should we fight them or not?"
Qing Xuan smiled at his words.
"Don't worry. If they come knocking, we'll fight them without hesitation. Senior Hongjun will not interfere."
After leaving the great hall, Qing Xuan spotted a beautiful woman walking ahead with a troubled expression. His eyes lit up, and he quickly approached her.
"Would you happen to be Ancestral Witch Empress Houtu?"
Houtu had been worrying over the future of the Wu Clan. When she suddenly heard someone call out to her, she turned around in confusion and saw Qing Xuan approaching.
"Why do you call me Empress?" She had only heard that form of address within the Wu Clan, yet this person was clearly not from the Wu Clan.
Oh no, it slipped out. Qing Xuan thought, then pretended it had been a verbal mistake.
"Hahaha, it simply rolled off the tongue, so I called you that. Please do not take offense, Ancestral Witch Houtu. I am Qing Xuan of Three Immortal Islands. Greetings, fellow Daoist."
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan. May I ask what you need of me?" Houtu asked curiously. After all, this man had never had any dealings with the Wu Clan.
"I came to offer my thanks. If your Wu Clan had not helped stop Di Jun and Tai Yi before, my brothers and I certainly would not have gained so much!" Qing Xuan said with a smile.
"There is no need for this. Those two Three-legged Birds were already locked in a life-and-death struggle with our Wu Clan. Besides, the Wu Clan does not cultivate the primordial spirit, so Spiritual Treasures are useless to us," Houtu said blandly. In her eyes, he was making far too much of it.
"Even so, I still owe you a favor. I am about to return to Three Immortal Islands for closed-door cultivation. May I visit you another day?"
"Our Wu Clan resides at the foot of Buzhou Mountain. Come whenever you wish. I still have matters to attend to today, so I shall take my leave first." Houtu did not wish to continue entangling herself with him. She still needed to look for a way to make the Wu Clan stronger.
Qing Xuan watched Houtu leave. There was no rush to visit the Wu Clan; the Wu Clan was currently at the height of its power and would not listen to his advice.
Qing Xuan said goodbye to Zhen Yuanzi and the others, then flew toward the East Sea Three Immortal Islands.
Above the East Sea, just as Qing Xuan was about to return to Three Immortal Islands, the sounds of battle suddenly rang out in the distance.
Hmph, who dares cause trouble at my doorstep? Seeing this, Qing Xuan hurried over to investigate.
He saw two flood dragons, one white and one black, besieging four people. The four were in grave danger, and one of the men shouted,
"Sister Yun Xiao, take the other two sisters and go first! See if you can find someone to subdue these demons!"
"No! If we leave, you will surely be unable to withstand them alone!" the woman in white cried.
Qing Xuan's expression turned somewhat strange when he heard this. Yun Xiao? Could these be Zhao Gongming and San Xiao? Why are they in the East Sea?
Though Qing Xuan was puzzled, he still decided to help. He appeared above the four and unleashed World in the Palm. The Yin Yang Flood Dragons were captured in an instant.
The four were greatly shocked and hurriedly bowed.
"Greetings, Senior! Thank you, Senior, for saving us!"
"Who are you? What business do you have coming to my Three Immortal Islands?" Qing Xuan asked.
Looking at the dignified, transcendent senior before him, Zhao Gongming had a guess in his heart.
"Reporting to Senior, the four of us siblings came to Three Immortal Islands to seek a master and learn cultivation. This junior boldly guesses that you are Daojun Qing Xuan, Lord of Three Immortal Islands!"
"Oh? You have heard of me?" Qing Xuan was slightly surprised. Though he was fairly renowned throughout the Primordial Wilderness, his reputation circulated mainly among Grand Unity Golden Immortals. Zhao Gongming, the strongest among the four, was merely at the Golden Immortal Peak, so how could he know Qing Xuan's name?
"It truly is you! Reporting to Daojun, it was Brother Kong Xuan who instructed us siblings to come seek you as our master!" Zhao Gongming was overjoyed. He had not expected this journey to go so smoothly and to meet Daojun Qing Xuan.
"Oh, so Kong Xuan is involved as well. In that case, follow me first." Upon hearing that Kong Xuan had sent them, Qing Xuan became quite interested. He led them into Penglai Immortal Palace, intending to hear the full story.
Once Zhao Gongming and the other three entered Penglai Immortal Island, they were utterly stunned. They thought to themselves that it was indeed worthy of being the residence of Daojun Qing Xuan.
"Tell me, what exactly happened?" Qing Xuan sat in his seat within the main hall of Penglai Immortal Palace, took out several Ginseng Fruits to eat, and indicated for Zhao Gongming to begin his story.
Seeing this, Zhao Gongming explained the entire sequence of events clearly.
It turned out that while Kong Xuan had been traveling through the Primordial Wilderness, he encountered several people over the South Sea. At the time, they had been cultivating, and upon seeing Kong Xuan, they wished to take him as their master.
After examining their cultivation talent, Kong Xuan said,
"You siblings possess decent cultivation talent and good foundations. However, I have yet to complete my own apprenticeship, so I cannot accept disciples."
The four siblings were deeply disappointed upon hearing this, but what Kong Xuan said next filled them with wild joy. Kong Xuan continued,
"My master is Daojun Qing Xuan, Lord of the East Sea Three Immortal Islands. If you are willing, you may go there to seek him as your master. I can give you a token; when my master sees it, he will understand."
Before you continue