Upper Pure Tongtian raised his sword-like brows slightly.
Having just done the Queen Mother of the West a favor, he felt much more at ease. When she asked him, he considered his words before finally speaking.
"Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West, I came to Western Kunlun for no other reason than the Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag in your possession."
"We Three Pure Ones have taken a disciple whose origin is the 24-Petal Creation Azure Lotus. Her cultivation is now stuck at the Golden Immortal realm, and she needs the flags formed from its lotus leaves to condense the five qi."
Huh?
Zhou Qingqing had thought her third master had really come just to watch the show. She had never expected him to be here to seek a spiritual treasure for her.
So her master had already seen through the bottleneck she faced and even devised a way to overcome it.
Her third master truly deserved to be the most handsome of the Three Pure Ones.
Tongtian could not help feeling pleased with himself.
Luckily, his eldest and second brothers were absent, giving him the chance to steal the spotlight first. As long as he maintained his image, he would surely become the most favored of the three brothers.
The Queen Mother of the West raised her head in surprise.
The 24-Petal Creation Azure Lotus was an innate supreme treasure.
Throughout the Primordial World, spiritual treasures like that almost never developed spiritual awareness. Even if one did by chance, that awareness would usually be erased so the treasure could be claimed for personal use.
Yet the Three Pure Ones next door had not erased its spiritual awareness. They had even accepted her as their disciple.
That alone was surprising enough.
But now, to ensure that this disciple could continue cultivating smoothly, they were actually collecting spiritual treasures to pave her way.
That was an enormous investment.
It really is touching that Third Master is asking for the Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag for me.
But expecting the Queen Mother of the West to hand over a top-grade innate spiritual treasure in return for a single favor—isn't that a little rash?
Imperceptible beads of cold sweat formed at Tongtian's temples.
Of course he knew it was incredibly presumptuous to seek the Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag in exchange for a single favor.
Had his eldest and second brothers been here, this would never have happened.
Back at the Purple Cloud Palace...
His eldest brother had, in fact, discussed this very matter.
But the Queen Mother of the West had happened to ask him now.
He had always been straightforward and was not good at concealing such things, so he could only state his objective first.
As for whether the Queen Mother of the West would get angry, that was another matter.
A single favor really isn't enough.
If you ask me, to obtain a top-grade innate spiritual treasure bestowed by the Dao Ancestor, he would have to help the Queen Mother of the West resolve the hidden danger in her karmic office as Head of Female Immortals.
Tongtian discreetly shifted his gaze toward the lotus pattern attached to his Daoist robe.
That was exactly what his eldest brother had said.
But he lacked his eldest brother Supreme Pure Laozi's powers of divination and could not work out how to resolve the danger facing the Queen Mother of the West.
Judging by Zhou Qingqing's thoughts...
She seemed to have some ideas.
Tongtian could only pin his hopes on Zhou Qingqing now. Otherwise, if the Queen Mother of the West refused him in a moment, he would lose far too much face.
Zhou Qingqing had no idea that the third master she had praised was only now realizing how important his dignity was.
The simplest way to remove the hidden danger of a supreme karmic office would, of course, be to wait for my three masters to attain sainthood and surpass Hongjun in cultivation.
Ha!
If she relied on that approach, the Queen Mother of the West would be waiting until the flowers had all withered. Better not even mention it.
If the backlash can't be eliminated, the only option is to delay it.
I remember that after Nuwa became a Saint, the Queen Mother of the West all but vanished, disappearing from public view in the Primordial World.
And each time she appeared again, she had a new legend and wielded the authority of another karmic office.
In other words, if the Queen Mother of the West obtained supreme karmic offices of her own, she should be able to offset the backlash from a Saint's fortune.
Zhou Qingqing recalled the many later legends of the Queen Mother of the West.
I remember the Golden Mother Primordial Sovereign, the Nine-Spirited Marvelous Turtle Mountain Golden Mother, the Great Numinous Nine Radiances Turtle Terrace Golden Mother, the Lord of Cave Yin, the Unborn Venerable Mother... These karmic offices would surely help the Queen Mother of the West greatly reduce the backlash from fortune.
But even though I know all this, I can't tell Third Master. I can't even hint at it. How could a mere Golden Immortal like me possibly comprehend the mysteries of karmic offices?
Tongtian's gaze deepened.
This disciple of his truly was extraordinary. She had directly found a solution that even his eldest brother could not divine.
And he...
Would take that solution and use it outright.
Even if it was a little shameless.
It was all to help Zhou Qingqing herself obtain the Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag.
Upper Pure Tongtian felt no qualms whatsoever.
Without blushing or missing a beat, he continued.
"Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West, I will not take your Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag for nothing."
"You have yet to refine this treasure. I imagine you are concerned about how the karmic office of Head of Female Immortals will affect you."
The Queen Mother of the West's expression shifted slightly, and she looked at Tongtian in surprise.
She had never expected Tongtian to point out so directly the scant information she had only managed to uncover through the Kunlun Mirror.
In every timeline, the Kunlun Mirror had shown that her position as Head of Female Immortals brought calamity rather than good fortune.
In the future, a female cultivator bearing supreme fortune would inevitably rise above her, making her title of Head of Female Immortals a joke.
But this karmic office had, after all, been conferred by Dao Ancestor Hongjun. She could only accept it.
Her desperate desire to find a solution had driven her to use the Kunlun Mirror repeatedly, bringing disaster upon herself.
If Tongtian truly knew a solution, then handing over the Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag would be nothing at all.
"If you wish to resolve your current predicament, you must not establish an Immortal Court as Dong Wanggong has."
"Beyond that, you must seek supreme karmic offices suited to your own Great Dao. Offices such as the Lord of Cave Yin, the Golden Mother Primordial Sovereign, and the Unborn Venerable Mother can help you offset the backlash from fortune."
"Once I attain sainthood and possess the ability to remove the decree, I promise to do so personally and eliminate all your troubles for good!"
Oh, I worried for nothing. Third Master already had a plan.
He should have said so sooner, instead of leaving me fretting for no reason.
Could it be that in the original course of events, Third Master was the one who guided the Queen Mother of the West, but later failed to gain the ability to remove the decree?
Hearing his disciple begin to misunderstand him as a case of "less power, less responsibility," Tongtian was speechless.
He was merely copying what she had supplied. What the hell did he know about the future?
The Queen Mother of the West lowered her gaze and swept her sleeve, producing a flag wreathed in misty radiance.
"Even if Fellow Daoist Upper Clarity never removes the decree for me, this advice is already worth enough to exchange for my Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag."
However precious the Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag might be, it was ultimately only a top-grade spiritual treasure.
Upper Pure Tongtian's advice, however, would directly help secure her future path of cultivation.
Was this not precisely the answer she had risked injuring her Dao to seek through the Kunlun Mirror?
Thus, without the slightest hesitation, the Queen Mother of the West handed over the Western Plain White Cloud Boundary Flag.
Before you continue