Qiongxiao Has Been Taken Away by Ancestor Master Again!

"What did you say?"

Tongtian listened to Nan Ji in disbelief.

Nan Ji did not mind repeating himself. "Four!"

Unable to contain his joy, Tongtian's eyebrows curved with laughter. "Haha, good! Little Nan Ji, among the disciples of the Three Pure Ones, you are the one your uncle master values most!"

Nan Ji: ...

Upon hearing the news, Tongtian suddenly became the one dragging Nan Ji toward Changsheng Hall in great strides.

If he had not remembered that his master Hongjun was inside, he would have flown there directly.

When he brought Nan Ji to Changsheng Hall, he pushed open the doors and shouted, "Where are they?!"

Then Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and Qiongxiao came into view.

With just one look, Tongtian saw that they were extraordinary. Not only did they have good innate foundations, but no karmic sin clung to them.

For independent cultivators, that was already exceedingly rare.

"Good, good disciples. One, two, three..."

Tongtian carefully counted the people before him, then said, "That's not right."

Looking again at Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and Bixiao, he found their expressions extremely ugly.

"Fellow Daoist Nan Ji..." eldest sister Yunxiao began.

But Tongtian cut her off in dissatisfaction. "Why call him Fellow Daoist? Call him Senior Brother."

Then he glanced at the three again and asked doubtfully, "Little Nan Ji, you said there were four. Why are there only three?"

Yunxiao looked at the Daoist before her, utterly anxious and completely failing to notice what Tongtian had just said.

Nor did she know that the Daoist before her was Tongtian, her future master.

"Fellow Daoist Nan Ji—Senior Brother, my third sister..."

"Silence!" Tongtian instinctively interrupted Yunxiao.

Then he seemed to recall something. This woman's third sister, was she not his fourth disciple? He asked, "Tell me, where is your third sister?"

"My third sister vanished in an instant. It seemed like someone took her away." Yunxiao was so anxious that she was nearly crying.

But Tongtian looked at the anxious Yunxiao before him and pondered in secret.

He had just been with Laozi, Yuanshi, and Nan Ji. So on Xuanqing Peak...

He assumed it was the work of his seven troublesome attendant boys again.

Of course, it was not that he had not considered Dao Ancestor Hongjun, but the thought was dismissed as soon as it arose.

How could just anyone meet the Dao Ancestor?

Since it was the work of the seven attendant boys, Tongtian instantly felt assured.

Thus, Tongtian clasped his hands behind his back and said in a dignified manner, "From now on, when you enter my sect, remember not to be anxious over anything. It does not matter who takes you away."

It was Tongtian's first time being a master, and he kept recalling the teachings his eldest and second brothers had given him.

Hearing Tongtian say this, Bixiao pointed at him in astonishment. "Y-you, you're one of the Three Pure Ones..."

"Yes. Your master is Tongtian, the Supreme Pure One among the Three Pure Ones. Are you willing to enter my sect?"

Though he appeared calm and unconcerned, Tongtian was ecstatic inside.

So this is what taking disciples feels like. It's great.

Upon hearing Tongtian's introduction, and with his assurance that Qiongxiao was fine, Yunxiao finally relaxed. Joy rising in her brows, she knelt on the ground. "This disciple Yunxiao pays respects to Master."

Zhao Gongming and Bixiao were likewise full of delight and hurriedly performed the ceremony to acknowledge Tongtian as their master.

But after pondering for a moment, Nan Ji still felt that something was wrong.

Sweeping his divine sense over Biyu Palace, Nan Ji was startled. Oh no, something happened again.

Without bothering to watch Tongtian take disciples, Nan Ji hurried to the rear hall and saw that the offering table had indeed been disturbed.

Meanwhile, Tongtian was thoroughly enjoying the feeling. Narrowing his eyes slightly, he said, "Well, since my eldest brother—your Eldest Martial Uncle—has yet to take any disciples, I shall accept you as registered disciples. From now on, I hope you..."

Too anxious to explain anything to Tongtian and the others, Nan Ji hurriedly knelt before the statue of Dao Ancestor Hongjun. "Granddisciple Nan Ji requests an audience with Ancestor Master."

As Nan Ji's words fell...

Whoosh~

Nan Ji vanished as well.

Yunxiao had already been watching Nan Ji closely. Seeing him disappear before the offering table, she hurriedly opened her mouth wide and said, "M-Master, Senior Brother, he..."

"Oh, he went to offer incense."

After answering, Tongtian once again clasped his hands behind his back and slowly paced about. "This must be mentioned. Your Senior Brother respects his master and honors the Dao. The one enshrined inside is your Ancestor Master, Dao Ancestor Hongjun."

"Your Senior Brother is filial and often offers incense to your Ancestor Master. You should all learn well from him..."

Tongtian spoke slowly as he walked.

Yet inwardly, he thought, No wonder Second Brother always enjoys discussing the Dao with me. This feeling is wonderful too.

Tongtian then continued talking at length on his own. Only when his mouth seemed a little dry did he ask, "Have you remembered what your master has said?"

It was very quiet.

Silent as a graveyard.

Tongtian turned around, only to discover that the people kneeling behind him had long since disappeared.

"Very good!" Tongtian was so furious that he laughed instead. Sweeping out his divine sense, he found that his three disciples had all run to the rear hall.

"Just wait until your master properly..."

Tongtian moved as if to rush into the rear hall, but midway through his sentence, he remembered that Nan Ji's rear hall contained his master's—the Dao Ancestor's—divine sense.

Thus, Tongtian did not dare act recklessly before the Dao Ancestor's statue and changed his words. "Just wait until your master properly dotes on you."

When he reached the Dao Ancestor's offering table, Tongtian looked at the three anxious onlookers and took a deep breath before saying, "Why have you come here?"

However, after saying that, Tongtian still cautiously glanced at the Dao Ancestor before continuing, "Very well, then pay your respects to your Ancestor Master here."

As he spoke, Tongtian took a stick of incense from the offering table. "Follow your master's example."

After speaking, Tongtian lit the incense, respectfully bowed once to Hongjun's statue, and inserted the incense into the jade censer.

After rising, Tongtian asked the three, "Did you understand?"

"But, Master, Senior Brother, he disappeared..." Zhao Gongming said anxiously as well.

"Oh, no matter. Your Ancestor Master took him away for a chat." Tongtian immediately beamed with joy.

He still remembered the experience of being taken away by Hongjun last time, so he explained to them, "It is nothing. Your Ancestor Master thinks highly of your Senior Brother."

Hearing Tongtian say this, the unease in their hearts eased somewhat.

Tongtian continued, "This is also what your master wishes to tell you. Your Senior Brother..."

After a long while, Tongtian finally finished speaking again.

At this moment, he looked nothing like he usually did after discussing the Dao with Yuanshi.

Instead, he was full of vigor and radiant with energy. Tongtian said again, "Do you understand what your master has said?"

Now that Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao knew where Nan Ji had gone, they listened earnestly to Tongtian's teachings.

Naturally, they respectfully replied to Tongtian, "This disciple remembers."

Seeing that Tongtian had finally finished, Bixiao softly said, "But, Master, Third Sister... it seems she was taken away by the Dao Ancestor too."

Elsewhere, in Purple Sky Palace.

With a flash, Nan Ji found himself before Ancestor Master.

Qiongxiao, the youngest of the Three Xiao sisters, was also in Purple Sky Palace at this moment.