Great Sage Arrives at Biyou Palace

His Dharma Eye saw it clearly.

The short figure running toward them was actually a little monkey!

Duobao was puzzled: "Could the honorable guest Master mentioned be this little monkey?"

The monkey did not hide his cultivation level at all; he was also a Quasi-Saint, just a hair's breadth away from the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm.

His foundation of the Dao was even more perfect than that of the Eight Immortals.

But so what?

His own Master was a great Sage at the Peak Dao Integration Realm!

Huh?

Were there Quasi-Saints in the Primordial Era that he didn't know about?

As Duobao looked at the monkey, he suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

His mind turned quickly, and he realized it in an instant.

Wasn't this the monkey that had just been born a short while ago?

To have the cultivation of a Quasi-Saint right after birth was truly impressive.

But, that was all there was to it!

Could the truly honorable guest be coming later?

Was this little monkey just a scout?

If so, that guest must have a massive background.

In the current Primordial Era, there were not many Quasi-Saints!

The monkey arrived before them in the blink of an eye.

Duobao watched coldly; even as the head disciple of Biyou Palace, he could not figure out the monkey's origin.

Welcoming guests was supposed to be his duty.

However, he had no idea who the guest was.

Duobao could only stand behind Tongtian, quietly awaiting his Master's instructions.

Without waiting for the monkey to speak, Tongtian bowed low and offered a salute:

"Daoist Lingbao of Biyou Palace greets Fellow Daoist Wukong!"

Hiss!

Duobao was horrified!

What was happening?!

His own Master was actually bowing first?

Was there some mistake?

This little monkey really was an honored guest!

He wasn't a scout at all!

This was completely beyond their expectations.

The Primordial Era was a world with strict hierarchies, and the higher the cultivation level, the stricter the rules.

Tongtian could be considered the head of all current Sages.

His cultivation realm was at the eleventh heaven of the Dao Integration Realm.

He was only a step and a half away from the Peak Dao Integration Realm!

When he took the initiative to salute someone else, how many in the Primordial Era could actually bear it?

If one's virtue does not match their position, disaster is sure to follow!

Such thoughts flooded Duobao's Primordial Spirit Sea of Consciousness.

But since Tongtian had already bowed, as his disciples, how could they not follow suit?

Duobao and the Eight Immortals all bowed toward the short monkey.

Deep down, they were truly afraid that the little monkey would not be able to withstand Tongtian's gesture.

That would be a case of good intentions leading to a bad outcome!

The monkey was full of joy. He straightened his clothes—fearing he might lose face for his own Master.

Sun Wukong loudly returned the greeting: "Greetings, Daoist Lingbao. On the orders of my Master, I have come specifically to pay a visit to you."

"My Master said that besides bringing you a letter, I have a tribulation to face, and I must stay here with you for a while."

Hmm?!

The mouths of Duobao and the Eight Immortals hung slightly open—this monkey had truly withstood the salute of a great Sage at the eleventh heaven of the Dao Integration Realm!

He was completely unharmed!

Conversely, he was calling him "Fellow Daoist" with such delight!

When had the rules in the Primordial Era become so gentle?

Tongtian was even more delighted upon hearing the Monkey's words.

"Since Great God Lin Dong has given the order, this junior shall naturally comply."

"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, you may treat my Biyou Palace as your own home!"

He glared at Duobao and the Eight Immortals and instructed, "What are you all standing there for? Come and pay your respects to Martial Uncle Wukong!"

Hiss!

Duobao and the Eight Immortals instantly understood the origin of this monkey.

This monkey, no!

This Martial Uncle Wukong was actually a disciple of Great God Lin Dong from Penglai Immortal Island.

An honored guest, definitely an honored guest!

Duobao and the Eight Immortals willingly and respectfully bowed, saying in unison: "Greetings, Martial Uncle!"

Tongtian had once taken them to Penglai Immortal Island.

It was just that the cultivation of Duobao and the Eight Immortals was too low; the moment they entered Penglai Immortal Island, they were guided into an epiphany by the Dao aura emanating from Great God Lin Dong.

They hadn't even seen the true face of Great God Lin Dong.

But this did not affect the immense benefits they had received in the slightest.

On that trip, the cultivation of Duobao and the others had jumped directly from the peak of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm to the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm.

They had even obtained boundless Merit, as well as supreme magical treasures!

That the Eight Immortals were able to calmly shatter the Dao Heart of a generation of the Western Teachings within the Immortal Slaying Sword Array was all thanks to the casual actions of Great God Lin Dong.

In fact, Duobao had even used that Earth Splitting Chisel to directly destroy the willow tree avatar of the Great Immortal Yang Mei, an expert at the peak of the Dao Integration Realm!

Was there anything wrong with them calling a disciple of Great God Lin Dong "Martial Uncle"?

There was absolutely nothing wrong with it!

Duobao sighed in his heart, "No wonder Master said this was an honored guest!"

"He truly is an honored guest!"

The Eight Immortals had fervent eyes and loud, sincere voices, which gave Sun Wukong a start.

On Penglai Immortal Island, where had he ever seen so many cultivators?

Not to mention having them respectfully call him Martial Uncle.

Sun Wukong was so happy he danced about, and after thinking for a moment, he hurriedly dug into his pockets.

Tongtian asked curiously:

"Fellow Daoist Wukong, what are you looking for?"

Sun Wukong looked full of shame, ...

"Old Sun has lost face for my master."

"Coming out of the island this time, I actually forgot to bring gifts,"

"Oh dear! I will definitely remember next time."

Tongtian was just about to say it wasn't necessary—he was a Great Sage at the eleventh level of the Dao Integration Realm, What treasures had he not seen in the Primordial Era?

But then he saw Sun Wukong actually pull out a handful of items, And the words that had reached Tongtian's lips were forcibly swallowed back!

That's right!

A Great Sage at the eleventh level of the Dao Integration Realm had directly swallowed back his refusal!!

Sun Wukong felt a bit embarrassed, "I left the island in a bit of a rush; these are just the fruits I usually like to eat and the tea I like to drink..."

"You few martial nephews should split them up!"

Duobao and the others looked at each other, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

So this Junior Uncle-Master was actually a man of the world!

They were just about to politely refuse—Biyou Palace was the number one holy land of the Mystic Gate in the Primordial Era, second only to Zixiao Palace; would they really be lacking those few fruits?

Just as Duobao was searching for the right words, he heard Tongtian say joyfully, "Fellow Daoist, you must be joking. These treasures are rarely seen in the Primordial Era!"

"This is truly their good fortune!"

Tongtian quickly barked, "Why haven't you come over to accept these treasures and thank your Martial Uncle?"

Duobao was stunned.

He looked up and saw that Tongtian was actually beaming with immense delight.

Duobao's heart skipped a beat...

These fruits must really be incredible treasures!

Otherwise, how could Master have such an expression?

Duobao understood Tongtian's personality all too well.

Even when facing the other Sages, Tongtian always spoke his mind and was never one to put on airs!

Therefore...

These really were treasures!!

Duobao looked closely, his heart pounding violently.

He couldn't even name the vast majority of the fruits in that pile.

The only one he could identify was—Enlightenment Tea!!

This was one of the top ten spiritual roots of the Primordial Era, the legendary leaves of the Enlightenment Tree.

Even if a Sage consumed them, there was a chance they would enter a state of sudden enlightenment.

It was a Primordial Era supreme treasure in every sense of the word!

Duobao no longer had any other thoughts; he hurriedly stepped forward respectfully, took the fruits from Sun Wukong's hands with both hands, and carefully placed them into a magic artifact.

Only then did he bow again, "This Martial Nephew thanks Martial Uncle for the gift!"

Jinling and the other seven immortals immediately realized that their Master and Senior Brother had received a great treasure.

Naturally, they dared not be negligent and quickly bowed to express their gratitude.

Coming to their senses, Duobao and the other seven immortals cursed themselves inwardly: "How could an expert from Penglai Immortal Island not carry treasures?"

Just think of the magic artifacts they treated as their own lives;

those were merely trinkets casually refined by Great God Lin Dong!

Would Penglai Immortal Island ever lack supreme treasures?

Perhaps to the experts of Penglai Immortal Island, these fruits were common sights, but in the Primordial Era, they were all top-tier supreme treasures.

This Martial Uncle was incredibly generous!

Tongtian personally led Sun Wukong to the main hall of Biyou Palace, dismissed the crowd of disciples, and left only the eight true-transmission immortals to keep them company.

Tongtian asked for guidance, "Fellow Daoist, I wonder what instructions Great God Lin Dong has?"

The Monkey took out a beam of light containing a message and solemnly handed it to Tongtian:

"Fellow Daoist Lingbao, please take a look. Master only said that a great change in heaven and earth is imminent and that shocking shifts will occur in the Primordial Era; he didn't say anything else."

Sun Wukong said with a self-deprecating laugh, "Old Sun has just been born and my cultivation is insufficient. Master said to let me stay here and wait until the Journey to the West Calamity is completed before returning to the mountain."

Tongtian quickly agreed, "Rest assured, Fellow Daoist, just treat this place as your own home!"

He tapped the ball of light and immediately received the information within.

Tongtian smiled, "Great God Lin Dong has instructed that my disciples should keep you well-entertained."

Sun Wukong was overjoyed and quickly said, "Then what are we waiting for? Please, Martial Nephews, show me around!"

Duobao naturally obeyed Tongtian's instructions.

After they left, Tongtian's expression changed drastically: "The Lord of Seven Kills has returned from the void? I must inform the fellow Daoists of the Mystic Gate!"

The Sages arrived upon invitation.

Yuanshi was quite puzzled: "Junior Brother Tongtian, why aren't Duobao and your other disciples here to keep us company?"

He was truly envious of Tongtian's eight true-transmission disciples.

After the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, Yuanshi had kept his word, and had severely reorganized Jade Void Palace.

Every single one of the surviving Golden Immortals of Chan Jiao had been demoted by Yuanshi!

During the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, the performance of the various immortals of Chan Jiao had left Yuanshi deeply disappointed.

Cultivators in the Primordial Era must possess self-awareness.

Your cultivation level may not be high, but you must understand your own standing.

Take Lingzhuzi of the Wa Imperial Palace, for example; his cultivation had not yet reached Daluo, yet he never grew arrogant or conceited because of his status as a disciple of a Sage.

He followed behind the Eight Great Disciples of Biyou Palace throughout the entire ordeal, avoiding even the slightest danger, not only surviving the calamity unscathed and successfully obtaining Merit from the Investiture of the Gods, but even forging friendships with the true disciples of Biyou Palace.

But look at the performance of his own disciples.

The reputation of the Twelve Golden Immortals had caused them to lose their way, and even Randeng, once one of the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao Palace, could not recognize his own position.

How tactful were the tasks Duobao had arranged for them?

He simply wanted them to stay safely in the rear and not move about recklessly.

He was terrified they would encounter danger.

Yet these immortals did the exact opposite, actually daring to clash head-on with Minghe!!

That Minghe was a Peak Quasi-Saint, one of the three great Quasi-Saints of the Primordial Era;

was that reputation just for show?

Good heavens, this single battle cost him Randeng, Manjushri, Samantabhadra, Cihang, and Juliusun!

Duobao couldn't have reached them in time to provide reinforcements even if he wanted to!

He, Yuanshi, was a man who cared about his reputation; how could he endure such humiliation?

It was simply disgraceful!

As Yuanshi looked at these Golden Immortals of his, he found them increasingly repulsive.

Therefore, after the Investiture of the Gods ended, he directly assigned them intensive coursework.

If they did not break through to the Quasi-Saint realm, they were not to return!

However...

Looking through the Dharma Eye of Yuanshi, the probability of these Golden Immortals ascending to the Quasi-Saint realm was extremely low!

He did not hold high expectations.

But the orthodoxy of Jade Void Palace needed to be passed down!

Could he really let Yun Zhongzi take charge of Jade Void Palace?

That Yun Zhongzi was merely a Peak Daluo!

Compared to the Eight Immortals of Biyou Palace, he was lacking by more than just a small margin.

Yuanshi truly wished to have one of the Eight Immortals of Biyou Palace join his Chan Jiao!

Duobao... he dared not even consider it.

If he were to truly bring up the name of Duobao, Tongtian might very well insist on a duel with him.

But if Duobao was out of the question, Jinling would also suffice!

Among the Eight Immortals of Biyou Palace, only Duobao and Jinling were suitable for his Chan Jiao.

Of the others, only Zhao Gongming was barely acceptable.

It was not that the other immortals lacked talent;

Yuanshi could see that

Duobao possessed the supreme treasure known as the Earth Splitting Chisel, and the other seven immortals likely possessed treasures of similar caliber.

Because their Luck was actually comparable to that of a Sage of the Primordial Era like himself!

Aside from the protection of a Sage like Tongtian, this could only be explained by the augmentation of their own treasures.

And these treasures had to be at the level of a Chaos Spirit Treasure!

It was just like the great sects of the Mystic Gate.

Although the Human Sect and Chan Jiao had suffered impacts during this calamity, their foundations remained completely undamaged.

Conversely, Jiejiao was directly annihilated.

Regardless of whether Tongtian had voluntarily disbanded Jiejiao, it had ultimately perished.

This was because the Human Sect and Chan Jiao had the Taiji Diagram and the Pangu Banner, respectively, to suppress the Luck of their great sects.

And what of Jiejiao at that time?

The supreme treasure used to suppress Luck was none other than the Innate Spiritual Treasure-level Immortal Slaying Sword Array!

Of course, if the Immortal Slaying Sword Array were to undergo a transformation like it did during the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, rising in one fell swoop from an Innate Spiritual Treasure to a Chaos Spirit Treasure, then Jiejiao would absolutely never have disbanded, nor would it have been destroyed.

The doctrine of Yuanshi was Chan, to clarify the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, and to expound upon the righteous theories of the universe.

This was his doctrine, and it was also the code of conduct for the cultivators of Chan Jiao.

Whenever a cultivator of Chan Jiao opened their mouth, it was always grand principles and moral high ground; they were simply carrying out the Dao of Chan Jiao.

Placed in the human world, this feeling was exactly that of—a ruler!

Only those in power would speak with such a tone.

In other words, Chan Jiao was the aristocracy among the Sage-led sects.

They were born to control power, or rather, the right to speak.

Otherwise, it would have been impossible for Chan Jiao to develop at all!

His successor had to be a True Immortal of Fortune and Virtue with unfathomable Daoist attainment and unparalleled Merit.

Only then would people listen to what he had to say!

Yuanshi appreciated the eight personal disciples of Tongtian, as each of them had formed their own unique Dao.

But in all honesty, only Duobao and Jinling were suited to his own Dao, while the others, like Old Mother Wudang, Guiling, and the Sanxiao, were better suited for the grassroots; they were far too common.

In another space-time, Old Mother Wudang retreated into the mountains and forests, and as the namesake of Old Mother Wudang, she possessed immense faith among the common folk.

The Sanxiao fairies were even revered as Fairy Gandeng, and because they were linked to the livelihoods of thousands of households, no one could do without them.

Naturally, their followers were vast in number.

As for Zhao Gongming, his Dao actually possessed very strong universal applicability.

It was a pity that he was the head of the outer sect disciples.

Just like with Duobao, Tongtian would never let him go.

Although Zhao Gongming held the title of an outer sect disciple, Yuanshi knew that he was being groomed as a leader of a faction.

The outer sect disciples also needed someone to manage them specifically.

Among the two hundred-plus disciples in Biyou Palace, only eight had received true personal instruction.

Zhao Gongming was the leader who managed those two hundred-plus people.

Tongtian truly understood the thoughts of Yuanshi, and he couldn't help but laugh, "Senior Brother, why do you always keep staring at my disciples?"

"Do you really not intend to cultivate a new disciple?"

Yuanshi shook his head, looking quite serious, "I know exactly what kind of character my disciples have!"

"If they could even reach half the level of your eight Martial Nephews, that would be good enough."

He sighed, "For my eight Martial Nephews, the Daoist attainment of a Peak Quasi-Saint is merely a starting point."

"But for my disciples, I fear it is not just a matter of it being their end point."

Tongtian fell silent.

Do not be misled by the fact that during every Immeasurable Calamity, Quasi-Saints and Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals seem to run rampant, leading one to mistakenly believe that the realms of Quasi-Saint and Zenith Heaven are nothing in the Primordial Era.

This is a grave misunderstanding.

There are hundreds of millions of cultivators in the Primordial Era, and anyone who can cultivate to the level of a Primordial Unity Golden Immortal is already a major power.

Those who can cultivate to the level of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal belong to the absolute titans.

Otherwise, would Chan Jiao have been able to rely solely on the Twelve Golden Immortals to hold up its reputation?

And that is with Jade Void Palace having a Sage presiding over it!

Even for a disciple of a Sage, reaching the level of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal is an extraordinary display of talent.

If one were able to make a breakthrough beyond the level of the Twelve Golden Immortals, they would become a Quasi-Saint renowned throughout the Primordial Era, a founder of their own sect.

The three top-tier Quasi-Saints recognized by the Primordial Era—Zhen Yuanzi, Minghe, and Kunpeng—are figures to whom even the Sages grant a measure of respect.

Yuanshi sees it clearly; among the disciples of Chan Jiao, apart from the possibility of Yun Zhongzi achieving this, none of the other disciples can reach such a level.