The Heavenly Dao's Grand Pure One Laozi

Li Peng's figure moved, and he had already arrived outside Three Immortal Island. He said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, you've come a long way. Please come inside for a chat."

"Thank you, Golden Peng Saint," Houtu said with a bow.

"No need for formalities," Li Peng waved his hand.

After speaking, he led Houtu into the island.

As soon as Li Peng left, the beings outside immediately erupted in discussion.

"Was that Houtu, the Ancestor Witch of the Witch Clan, who just went in?"

"That's right! I didn't expect the Witch Clan to have any connection with the Golden Peng Saint. It won't be easy for the Demon Clan to grow stronger now."

"Indeed, if the Witch Clan has the support of the Golden Peng Saint, it would be as if they have three Saints behind them. Their strength will far surpass the Demon Clan!"

For a time, the beings outside speculated endlessly.

Many from the Demon Clan's faction hurriedly left and rushed back to the Heavenly Court, clearly intending to report this matter to Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Tai Yi.

Li Peng led Houtu into the newly refined great hall and asked, "May I ask, Fellow Daoist Houtu, what brings you here?"

"I have come to resolve the karma between my three elder brothers and the Golden Peng Saint," Houtu replied solemnly.

Upon hearing this, Li Peng's eyes showed surprise, as if he didn't understand why Houtu was suddenly acting this way.

Seeing his expression, Houtu could only force a bitter smile.

After all, the Witch Clan's image of being reckless and stubborn wasn't formed in a day or two; it was the result of her elder brothers' actions accumulating over time.

Li Peng, realizing his loss of composure, changed the subject: "Then how does Fellow Daoist Houtu plan to settle this karma?"

Seeing that he had returned to the main topic, Houtu's expression softened slightly.

"This is a token of our Witch Clan's sincerity."

As she spoke, she took out over a hundred Innate Spiritual Treasures from her storage space and threw them out as if they were discarded junk.

Li Peng's feet were piled high with spiritual treasures.

Houtu's attitude towards these Innate Spiritual Treasures made Li Peng's mouth twitch involuntarily.

He released his divine sense to scan these spiritual treasures and was immediately astonished.

He had originally thought that the treasures casually disposed of by Houtu wouldn't be of high grade. Who knew that the first one was a Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure.

Li Peng excitedly began to examine the grades of these spiritual treasures.

"High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, not bad!"

"Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, also acceptable!"

"Another Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure!"

But what surprised Li Peng the most was discovering two Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure level pearls.

"Finally found them!" Li Peng exclaimed in his heart.

These two pearls were precisely the Taiyin Pearl and the Taiyang Pearl he urgently needed, belonging to the Four Symbols Pearl.

Li Peng had already collected thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Beads and the Five Elements Pearl, only lacking the Four Symbols Pearl to complete his collection.

Now, to find two of them among the treasures Houtu had sent, he couldn't help but be overjoyed.

As long as he found the Shaoyin Pearl and the Shaoyang Pearl, he could complete the System's mission and obtain the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Hunsu Pearl.

Thinking of this, Li Peng was inwardly excited, but with Houtu still in front of him, he could only force himself to remain calm.

He steadied himself and continued to inventory the treasures.

A moment later, Li Peng finished the inventory: two Top-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures, several High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures, one hundred thousand Mid-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, and the rest were Low-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. Not a single Acquired Spiritual Treasure was found.

The wealth of the Witch Clan was evident.

As one of the two overlords of the Primordial Era, the Witch Clan had naturally accumulated vast resources.

Furthermore, since they couldn't refine Innate Spiritual Treasures, it was not surprising that their warehouses were piled high.

If it weren't for preventing the Demon Clan from obtaining these spiritual treasures, the Witch Clan probably wouldn't even have had the interest to collect them.

Li Peng waved his hand, collecting all the spiritual treasures into his System space, and then said to Houtu, "Good!"

"Thus, the karma between me and your three elder brothers is settled."

"Thank you, Golden Peng Saint," Houtu said respectfully.

Just as Li Peng was about to respond, a grand voice suddenly interrupted him: "Heavenly Dao above, I am the Grand Pure One Laozi of the Three Pure Ones. Today, having attained enlightenment, I establish Daoism to enlighten all beings in the Primordial Era, with the Taiji Diagram as the treasure to guard the sect, continuing the destiny of Daoism."

"Daoism, established!"

As the voice fell, a vast pressure swept across the Primordial Era, causing countless beings to prostrate themselves and unable to rise.

However, within Three Immortal Island, Li Peng and the others were almost unaffected.

First, their cultivation was profound enough to withstand such pressure. Second, the island was protected by the Hunyuan Three Talents Great Formation, so the pressure transmitted inward was less than one or two percent, which even a Grand Unity Golden Immortal could easily endure.

Li Peng was not surprised to sense Laozi achieving sainthood. This was destined by the Heavenly Dao and could not be changed.

However, upon hearing that Laozi intended to enlighten all beings, he couldn't help but scoff. According to the old tales of the Primordial Era, Laozi's so-called "enlightenment" was merely going through the motions, perhaps even only accepting one disciple and then paying no further attention.

But these were not the important matters Li Peng cared about.

What he truly cared about was how to improve his cultivation and break free from the shackles of the Heavenly Dao.

Just then, Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi flew over from a distance, clearly having also heard of Houtu's arrival and coming to meet her.

Houtu quickly bowed, "Greetings, Saintess Nuwa, Fellow Daoist Xihe, Fellow Daoist Changxi."

Nuwa said with a smile, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, there's no need for such formality. Since you've come to Three Immortal Island, why not join us for a stroll?"

Although Nuwa, Xihe, and Changxi greeted her with smiles, a hint of undisguised wariness still lingered in their eyes.

Houtu found it inconvenient to refuse. After all, Nuwa was a Saint, and her personal invitation was a great show of respect.

To refuse outright would be to offend a Saint and create a formidable enemy for the Witch Clan.

Houtu nodded, "Excellent!"

Upon hearing Houtu's words, Nuwa, along with Qi Sheng, Changxi, and Xihe, departed.

Seeing this scene, Li Peng was utterly bewildered and muttered to himself, "When did Nuwa and the others become so close to Houtu?"

Above the Heavenly Court, Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Tai Yi showed expressions of surprise and doubt after hearing the report from a minor demon.

Eastern Emperor Tai Yi said incredulously, "The Witch Clan's Houtu is actually visiting Golden Peng Saint? Could it be that she wants to use the Saint's power to destroy my Demon Clan?"

Di Jun shook his head, "Impossible. Ancestor Dao Hongjun has decreed that Saints shall not disrupt the order of the Primordial Era. How could Golden Peng Saint interfere in the struggle for dominance in the Primordial Era?"

Eastern Emperor Tai Yi pressed further, "Then why did Houtu go to see Golden Peng Saint?"

Di Jun was momentarily speechless.

Seeing this, Bai Ze stepped forward and suggested, "If you wish to know whether the Witch Clan has gained the support of Golden Peng Saint, it is simple. Just find an excuse to invite the great powers of the Primordial Era to gather at the Heavenly Court. If Golden Peng Saint does not come, then the Witch Clan has already received the Saint's support. If the Saint comes, then Houtu's visit was merely a social call."

Eastern Emperor Tai Yi burst into laughter, "A brilliant plan! As expected of my Demon Clan's strategist!"

Di Jun pondered, "However, under what pretext should we invite them? Inviting them for a trivial matter might be disrespectful to the Saints."

Bai Ze smiled, "This matter is easily resolved. The Heavenly Emperor's wedding is the perfect opportunity. At that time, Your Majesty can legitimately invite all the Saints of the Primordial Era."

Di Jun was stunned, "Me? A wedding?"

"Precisely," Bai Ze nodded. "Now that the Demon Clan is one of the two major powers in the Primordial Era, Your Majesty should establish an Empress to rule the world and continue the bloodline. This move can also gauge the attitude of the Saints towards the Demon Clan, achieving two goals with one action."

Di Jun pondered for a moment and said, "Agreed. However, has the candidate for Empress been chosen?"

Bai Ze said solemnly, "The clan leader of the Fox Clan, Hu Mei, has been chosen. This woman is a Nine-tailed Demon Fox with a noble bloodline. Her cultivation has reached the mid-stage Quasi-Saint realm, and she possesses peerless beauty, making her the best choice for Empress."

Di Jun nodded, "Leave this matter to you."

After Di Jun agreed, the entire Demon Clan began to bustle with activity.

In an instant, invitations were sent out from the Heavenly Court to the renowned great powers throughout the Primordial Era.

The Three Pure Ones, the Western Second Saints, Li Peng, Fuxi, Nuwa, and other Saints were naturally among those invited.

However, the invitations to the Saints were not delivered by ordinary demon soldiers or generals, but by high-ranking members of the Demon Clan themselves.

Eastern Emperor Tai Yi was responsible for delivering the invitation to the Three Pure Ones, while Di Jun personally went to Three Immortal Island to deliver his.

As for the Western Second Saints, Bai Ze was dispatched.

This also revealed the Demon Clan's implicit ranking of the Saints' strength.

Time flowed by, and more and more beings from the Primordial Era gathered outside Three Immortal Island.

However, there were still over a hundred years until Li Peng's disciple-accepting ceremony, and many beings waiting there were already showing signs of anxiety.

But in order to become a disciple of a Saint, they could only suppress their emotions and continue to wait.

A stream of light streaked across the sky above the crowd, heading straight for the formation outside Three Immortal Island.

A figure exuding a majestic kingly aura appeared before everyone.

A few well-informed beings from the Primordial Era recognized him and exclaimed in surprise:

"Di Jun!"

This exclamation immediately made all the beings present aware of the visitor's identity – the Emperor of the Demon Clan, Di Jun.

A wave of clamor followed.

"Fellow Daoist Li Peng, Di Jun has come to visit!"

His clear voice echoed, resounding for millions of miles around.

Li Peng, who was counting his spoils on Penglai Island, heard the voice and couldn't help but whisper:

"Strange... I don't seem to have any acquaintance with him."

Puzzled, he began to divine the secrets of heaven with his fingers.

A moment later, Li Peng understood Di Jun's intention.

"So, Di Jun is getting married."

"I didn't expect that even without Xihe, Di Jun would still get married," he mused inwardly.

Thinking of the Ten Golden Crows, he couldn't help but recall the scene from the Primordial Era's old tales: ten suns in the sky, causing devastation and suffering to all living beings.

"I must have my clone prepare early. If the Ten Golden Crows appear in Human Race territory in the future and are shot down by a Great Power of the Human Race, leading to an irreconcilable hatred between the Yao and Human races, it will not be worth the effort," Li Peng murmured softly.

Immediately, he appeared before Di Jun.

"I am aware of your request. I will attend the banquet with Fuxi and Nuwa at that time," Li Peng stated calmly.

With that, his figure quietly vanished.

"Thank you, Golden Peng Saint!" Di Jun bowed to the void.

After speaking, he also used the Golden Crow Transcending Rainbow Technique and turned to leave.

Di Jun's heart was filled with rage at this moment.

However, the situation was pressing, and Li Peng's strength far surpassed his.

This was the Primordial Era, a world where the strong reigned supreme.

The numerous beings of the Primordial Era below witnessed the dominance Li Peng displayed when facing the Heavenly Court of the Yao Clan, and their resolve to join his tutelage was strengthened.

Li Peng was only accepting disciples to hasten the separation of the Three Pure Ones.

Therefore, the number of disciples accepted this time would inevitably be limited.

Meanwhile, Great Powers from all corners of the Primordial Era received invitations from the Heavenly Court.

The entire Primordial Era erupted in excitement.

Inside the Ancestor Witch Hall

Di Jiang surveyed the other Ancestor Witches and asked gravely, "Di Jun's wedding is imminent, how should we respond?"

"We must let them see our might!" Zhu Rong declared first.

"Indeed, we cannot let them continue to grow stronger," Gonggong immediately agreed.

Di Jiang did not commit to an answer and turned to look at the other Ancestor Witches.

Although Houtu wished to prevent war, she also understood that they could not allow the Yao Clan to grow unchecked.

Otherwise, the Witch Clan's future would be fraught with difficulties.

Thus, Houtu and Xuan Ming remained silent.

After a moment, Zhu Jiuyin spoke, "Not only must we fight this battle, but we must also heavily cripple the Yao Clan."

"Why?" Di Jiang inquired.

"Di Jun has invited almost all the Great Powers of the Primordial Era to his wedding. Many strong individuals will undoubtedly be swayed to his side."

"We should take this opportunity to deliver a heavy blow to the Yao Clan and let them understand who the strongest race in the Primordial Era is," Zhu Jiuyin analyzed.

"This course of action is not ideal. A great war will inevitably lead to the sacrifice of countless warriors. Why don't we, the Twelve Ancestor Witches, launch a surprise attack on the Yao Clan?" Houtu suggested.

"Witch Clan warriors never fear death!" Zhu Rong shouted.

Houtu furrowed her brow. "How difficult is it to train a qualified warrior? In contrast, the Yao Clan not only has far more troops than us, but every moment, new beings in the Primordial Era awaken their sentience and can become their reserve forces."

"If we engage in a war of attrition with the Yao Clan, we have no chance of winning."

This insight was not something Houtu had come up with on her own; it was obtained from a previous conversation with Li Peng.

Now, with the opportune moment, it was ready to be put to use.

After hearing Houtu's analysis, the Ancestor Witches present fell into silence.

Finally, Di Jiang broke the quiet.

Hearing this, Houtu bit her lip before speaking, "I believe this operation should be swift and decisive, strike and retreat! Or, we could simply gather the full might of the Witch Clan, launch a surprise attack on the Yao Clan, and crush them in one fell swoop."

Given her usual disposition, she would not have proposed such a desperate strategy. This was actually something she had learned from seeking advice from Li Peng on Penglai Island.

Upon hearing Houtu finish speaking, Di Jiang couldn't help but laugh heartily. "Sister Houtu's considerations are indeed thorough! If we bring the elites of Zhu Rong and Gonggong's tribes, we will surely be able to completely annihilate the Yao Clan!"

The other Ancestor Witches exchanged glances for a moment, and then nodded in agreement.