Taiyi Comes Again, Wanting to Steal a Disciple

Inside the General's Mansion, the atmosphere was in a delicate balance.

Li Jing and his wife were still immersed in the immense shock of Nezha's birth and the subsequent turn of events where father and son became fellow disciples. Their minds were a complete mess.

Li Jing, in particular, looked at the pink, tender baby in Qin Feng's arms, curiously tugging at a strand of Qin Feng's hair and playing with it with great delight. His expression was more colorful than a painter's palette.

Should he call him "Senior Brother" from now on, or not?

If he did, where would his dignity as a father go?

If he didn't, what if this terrifying "Master," who was as unpredictable as he was moody, became displeased...

Li Jing shivered, not daring to think further.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng completely ignored Li Jing's internal turmoil, which was practically smoking with anxiety, and was instead looking down, playing with his First Disciple.

Nezha, as expected of someone whose Origin had been reshaped by the Chaos Origin, was able to perfectly control his own power right after birth. He blinked his large, dark eyes and asked in a milky voice, "Master, what is a 'cheap dad'?"

"It's a dad you picked up for free, who isn't very useful."

Qin Feng explained casually.

"Oh..."

Nezha nodded as if he understood, then glanced dismissively at Li Jing not far away.

"He really doesn't seem very useful."

Poof.

Li Jing felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart, shot by his own son.

His face instantly turned the color of liver, but he didn't dare to retaliate. He could only suppress it, looking utterly ridiculous.

Shi Ji, standing beside him, couldn't help but chuckle. She covered her mouth with a handkerchief, her phoenix eyes full of amusement.

Not long ago, she too had considered Li Jing, the Governor of Chentang Pass and a disciple of the Chan Sect, to be quite a significant figure.

But now, in front of Qin Feng, this Governor looked like a bullied little wife.

This was the gap in their strength.

However, just as this atmosphere of eerie harmony mixed with warmth was settling in, something unexpected happened.

Boom--!

Outside the mansion, the clear sky, devoid of clouds for thousands of miles, was suddenly engulfed by a dazzling golden light without any warning.

Rolling auspicious clouds surged from the eastern horizon, with myriad rays of auspicious energy and resonant immortal music, as if a supreme noble was arriving.

A vast and distinctly angry pressure, like a celestial river bursting its banks, instantly poured down, firmly enveloping the entire Chen Tang Pass Governor's Mansion.

Under this pressure, all the mortals within the mansion, whether they were household guards or maids, had their legs buckle, and they all collapsed to the ground with thuds, trembling and not daring to even lift their heads.

Li Jing's entire body trembled violently, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

This aura... he was too familiar with it!

This was the Jade Purity Immortal Light unique to the Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect! And, he even recognized the owner of this aura!

"It's... it's Senior Brother Taiyi!"

Li Jing's voice trembled, his eyes filled with terror and unease.

He's here!

He's finally here!

For the Spirit Pearl, this Senior Brother, known for his protectiveness and fiery temper, had finally come all the way from Kunlun Mountain to attack!

Under Li Jing's horrified gaze, the golden light and auspicious clouds converged into a single point, eventually transforming into an extraordinary immortal crane.

Standing atop the immortal crane was a Daoist with an ethereal demeanor, dressed in a apricot-yellow Daoist robe.

The Daoist had a youthful appearance despite his white hair, held a fly whisk, and was surrounded by a swirling aura of immortality, looking the part. However, his face, which should have been tranquil and detached, was now filled with suppressed rage and haughty arrogance.

It was Taiyi Zhenren, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi Tianzun of the Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain.

The immortal crane slowly descended, hovering above the courtyard of the General's Mansion.

Taiyi Zhenren looked down from above, his gaze like lightning, directly locking onto Li Jing and his wife. He didn't even glance at Qin Feng and Shi Ji, who stood calmly beside them.

In his eyes, an unknown wild immortal and a stone goblin whose demonic energy had not yet dissipated were simply not worthy of his attention.

His target was only the disciple chosen by destiny!

"Li Jing!"

Taiyi Zhenren finally spoke. His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable authority, like a decree from the Heavenly Dao, resounding through the courtyard.

"I am Taiyi Zhenren, a disciple of Primal Beginning Saint from the Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain!"

"The son born to your wife, Lady Yin, is the reincarnation of the Spirit Pearl chosen by destiny and has a great affinity with my Chan Sect. He is destined to become my disciple!"

Every word he spoke was imbued with the pressure of a Golden Immortal, and every phrase invoked the "Saint," the hardest golden signboard in the Primordial World.

The innate sense of superiority and oppression belonging to a Saint's disciple washed over Li Jing and his wife like a tangible tide.

Lady Yin, already weak, let out a muffled groan under the pressure. A trickle of blood seeped from the corner of her mouth. If Shi Ji hadn't quickly caught her, she would have fainted.

Li Jing, meanwhile, was drenched in cold sweat, his Dao Heart trembling violently, almost forcing him to his knees.

Taiyi Zhenren completely ignored their reactions, as if all of this were to be expected.

With an arrogant expression, he declared in a tone of condescension, as if it were only natural.

"Today, this humble Daoist is here specifically to take him as a disciple and bring him back to Kunlun Mountain to cultivate. Why don't you quickly bring your child here to pay respects to your master!"

There was not the slightest room for negotiation in his words.

It wasn't a question, nor a request, but a notification, a command.

In his eyes, as a dignified Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect and a disciple of a Saint, his willingness to take a mortal's son as a disciple was a stroke of immense luck for the Li family, a colossal favor.

As for whether Li Jing and his wife agreed?

What right did a mortal general have to disagree?

In the face of the golden signboard of the "Chan Sect," under the shadow of the supreme existence that was "Yuanshi Tianzun," any mortal, any living being, could only bow their heads and obey!

He had even already thought about how to report to his Master after taking Spirit Pearl away. He would say that some ignorant demon had caused trouble but had been easily dealt with by him, and that destiny still belonged to the Chan Sect.

However.

One second passed.

Three seconds passed.

Ten seconds passed.

In the courtyard, apart from the heavy gasps of Li Jing and his wife and the chattering teeth of the household guards, there was dead silence.

The scene he had envisioned, of the mortal couple gratefully embracing their child and kneeling in kowtow, did not materialize at all.

Taiyi Zhenren's brow finally furrowed.

His gaze shifted from Li Jing and his wife for the first time, landing on the young man who, from beginning to end, had treated him as if he were air.

The man remained as calm and composed as ever, not even lifting his eyelids.

He held the exquisitely carved doll in his arms, extending a finger to slowly tease it, a faint, playful smile on his lips.

It was as if his arrival, as a dignified Golden Immortal of the Chan Sect, was less interesting to the man than playing with a doll.

It was as if the golden light filling the sky, the pressure of a Saint's disciple, were merely a boring joke.

This was a complete and utter disregard, stemming from the very core of his being!

Taiyi Zhenren's expression instantly turned so grim it seemed he could wring water from it.

And Shi Ji, standing behind Qin Feng, looked at this Chan Sect Golden Immortal who had once brought her endless fear and despair, but now felt no fear whatsoever in her heart.

The scene of her own powerlessness and trembling when facing Taiyi Zhenren on Skeleton Mountain involuntarily surfaced in her mind.

Back then, in her eyes, Taiyi Zhenren was an unreachable heaven, a supreme being who dictated her life and death.

But now?

Looking at this esteemed Golden Immortal now, at his distorted expression, furious from being ignored yet desperately trying to maintain his dignified demeanor.

Shi Ji suddenly found it somewhat laughable, even... pitiful.

With Qin Feng by her side, the sky wouldn't fall.

With this man as her backing, the so-called Chan Sect Golden Immortal, the so-called Saint's disciple, seemed to be nothing special.

This drastic reversal of status, this huge drop from prey to bystander, stirred an unprecedented, peculiar pleasure in Shi Ji's heart.

Her gaze towards Taiyi Zhenren, without her realizing it, had taken on a hint of pity.

It was like watching a clown, desperately performing a one-man show that no one applauded.