"What did you say? That old fellow Shi Qilin left Kirin Cliff, went to Thunder Marsh, and then vanished for fifty thousand years?" Upon hearing the True Dragon's report, Ancestral Dragon's draconic face showed a thoughtful expression. Light flickered in his eyes as though he were pondering the deeper meaning hidden behind this.
"Tribe Chief, it is absolutely true! The dragons we dispatched spent nearly ten thousand years investigating before finally confirming that Shi Qilin waited outside Thunder Marsh for a full ten thousand years. After entering Thunder Marsh, he never came out again." The True Dragon below answered cautiously, his voice carrying a trace of reverence.
Ancestral Dragon was incomparably domineering. Though he did not punish his clansmen casually, there were few True Dragons in the Dragon Clan who did not fear him.
Now, faced with Ancestral Dragon's questioning, this True Dragon scarcely dared breathe, his heart filled with tension and unease.
"Enough, I understand. You may leave." Ancestral Dragon casually waved a dragon claw, his attention still immersed in thoughts of Shi Qilin's affairs.
"Thank you, Tribe Chief!" The True Dragon immediately felt as though a burden had been lifted. He let out a long breath, then hurried away, afraid that lingering another second might anger Ancestral Dragon.
After the True Dragon departed, Ancestral Dragon paid him no further mind. His thoughts were wholly occupied by Shi Qilin's unusual behavior.
"Shi Qilin has always cared greatly about appearances. For him to wait outside Thunder Marsh for ten thousand years, there must be something within it worth such trouble.
But in this Primordial World, even fellow Daoists like Hongjun do not have enough standing to make Shi Qilin value them so highly. Could some rare treasure have been born within Thunder Marsh?" Ancestral Dragon muttered, his enormous dragon eyes filled with doubt.
"No! The Heavenly Dao suddenly sent down a message before, mentioning a mysterious Dao Venerable. Could that mysterious existence within Thunder Marsh be the Dao Venerable who has always remained behind the scenes?" At this thought, Ancestral Dragon's draconic face became even more puzzled. His whiskers trembled faintly, as though searching the air for clues.
"No matter why Shi Qilin has remained in Thunder Marsh for so long, I must go there myself. I cannot let Shi Qilin get his wish so easily!" Having made up his mind, Ancestral Dragon flashed away, vanishing from the East Sea as he sped toward Thunder Marsh.
At the same time, Yuanfeng of the Phoenix Clan also learned that Shi Qilin was in Thunder Marsh and hurried there.
"Ancestral Dragon!"
"Yuanfeng!"
Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng sensed each other's aura outside Thunder Marsh almost simultaneously.
Back before the Fierce Beast Tribulation, Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Shi Qilin had been inseparable close friends. They often traveled the Primordial Wilderness together, discussing the Dao and debating its principles, their bond profound.
However, after the Fierce Beast Tribulation, their Three Clans all set foot upon the path of dominating the Primordial Wilderness.
As their ambitions swelled, a Dao Struggle gradually arose between them.
In the Primordial World, a Dao Struggle was a root cause that easily gave rise to contradictions and conflict between living beings.
Once one fell into a Dao Struggle, it often meant that neither side would rest until the other was dead.
Now, the three of them had not escaped it either.
To achieve their own Dao, each believed that the other two clans had to perish or submit.
Conflict between the Three Clans continued without end, and their hatred deepened by the day. That once-profound friendship gradually vanished without a trace amid the erosion of time and endless strife.
Soon, Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng met outside Thunder Marsh.
When enemies met, their eyes burned red with hatred.
Their gazes met, and they snorted coldly at the same time before speaking in unison. "Why are you, of all irritating people, here too?"
"Ancestral Dragon, I believe we came here for the same purpose. Shall we go in together?" Yuanfeng looked at Ancestral Dragon and made her suggestion, a trace of probing in her gaze.
But how could Ancestral Dragon's overbearing and arrogant nature accept that? He snorted disdainfully. "Hmph, there is nowhere in the Primordial Wilderness that I, Ancestral Dragon, cannot go. Why would I need to enter with you? I alone am enough!"
With that, Ancestral Dragon swaggered straight into Thunder Marsh.
Having been rejected so bluntly by Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng's expression immediately darkened, her heart filled with displeasure. This fellow is still just as irritating, no matter how much time has passed. I truly do not understand how I was ever so close to him.
"Hmph, then we will not go together. Perfect. Let this fool scout the way for me." Yuanfeng muttered softly. Looking toward the direction in which Ancestral Dragon had vanished, she then stepped into Thunder Marsh as well.
The instant the two entered Thunder Marsh, Xuanxiao keenly noticed them.
Xuanxiao looked at Shi Qilin before him and smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist, it seems that after you disappeared for so long, some living beings have already grown restless."
Hearing Xuanxiao's words, Shi Qilin pondered briefly before asking, "Dao Venerable, could it be that those two fellows, Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng, have arrived?"
Just as Yuanfeng and Ancestral Dragon knew Shi Qilin's temperament like the backs of their hands, Shi Qilin understood their dispositions extremely well. Thus, when Xuanxiao told him that someone had come looking for him, Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng were the first people to come to mind.
"It is indeed the two of them." Xuanxiao nodded, confirming Shi Qilin's guess.
"Sure enough, I have only been gone for a few tens of thousands of years, and they could no longer sit still." Shi Qilin thought to himself, a faint smile appearing on his face.
"Does the Dao Venerable intend to let them enter as well?" Shi Qilin looked curiously at Xuanxiao, his eyes gleaming with inquiry.
Mo Yuan, meanwhile, paid no attention whatsoever to the events around him. His gaze was fixed tightly on the spirit fruits laid out on the table as he kept muttering, "I need to eat more, or I will not receive treatment this good once I leave."
Hearing Mo Yuan mutter, Shi Qilin shot him a displeased glare.
Mo Yuan, however, did not care in the slightest and continued staring at the spirit fruits.
"Since they have already come, how could I turn them away? However, they trespassed without my permission, which greatly displeases me. They should still be taught a lesson." As Xuanxiao spoke, he lightly pointed into the void.
With that motion from Xuanxiao, the lightning throughout Thunder Marsh seemed to be given life, instantly becoming agile and animated.
Thunder Marsh had already been fraught with danger, but now the might of its lightning surged dramatically. Thunder rumbled in waves, and flashing bolts illuminated the entire space as brightly as day.
At this moment, Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng, who had already reached the outskirts of Thunder Marsh's core region, clearly sensed its unusual changes.
"What is going on? Why does the lightning suddenly feel so much more powerful?" Ancestral Dragon frowned, his heart full of confusion.
"Could it be that the master of Thunder Marsh has discovered that we entered, and this is an expression of his displeasure?" Yuanfeng also noticed the anomaly. Before long, the two roughly guessed the reason.
"Fellow Daoist, Poor Daoist means no offense. I came to Thunder Marsh this time in hopes of paying you a visit." Ancestral Dragon shouted into the void, his voice echoing through Thunder Marsh with a touch of sincerity.
"Come in!" After hearing Ancestral Dragon's words, Xuanxiao no longer deliberately obstructed them.
As Xuanxiao's voice fell, the lightning before Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng scattered as though it had received an order, opening a passage.
Seeing the lightning retreat, the two finally sighed in relief.
Looking up, they saw the faint phantom of a palace emerge at the center of Thunder Marsh.
The two hurried toward the palace phantom.
Before long, they arrived before it.
They exchanged a glance, then reached out together to push open the palace doors and slowly walked inside.
"This is not Thunder Marsh!"
"How is that possible? Why did a spatial change occur when I sensed no spatial fluctuations at all?" The moment they entered, they were struck by the same doubts Shi Qilin had once felt, astonishment appearing on their faces.
Yet they remained composed on the surface, merely studying this mysterious Primordial Hall with curious eyes.
The longer they looked, the stronger the surprise in their hearts became.
They had always considered their own Dao fields grand and magnificent, yet compared to the Primordial Hall before them, they inexplicably felt shabby.
As the first to enter, Shi Qilin naturally understood what the two were thinking.
Shi Qilin secretly felt smug, chuckling inwardly. Hahaha, you two finally understand how I felt before.
"Why are you two standing there? Come and sit." Xuanxiao smiled at Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng, who stood blankly at the entrance. With a light wave of his hand, two seats appeared beside Shi Qilin out of thin air.
Hearing Xuanxiao's voice, Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng finally came back to their senses.
"Then we thank you, Fellow Daoist." After speaking, Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng walked over and sat beside Shi Qilin.
Seeing Shi Qilin beside them, the two snorted coldly in unison. Shi Qilin returned equally displeased looks, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.
Mo Yuan quietly drew himself in at this moment, having no intention at all of involving himself in the affairs between the three.
"The three of you have gathered here by fate, and I heard that you were once inseparable friends. Why be so distant?" Xuanxiao smiled at the three, whose faces were cold, trying to ease the tense atmosphere.
"Then we shall give the Dao Venerable some face." Hearing Xuanxiao's words, Shi Qilin looked at Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng and spoke with a cold snort.
However, after saying so, his expression gradually softened.
Upon hearing Shi Qilin's words, Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng suddenly understood. So this is the Dao Venerable. They had previously suspected as much but had not been certain. Shi Qilin's words now confirmed their thoughts.
"So Fellow Daoist is the Dao Venerable. Please forgive our disrespect." Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng smiled at Xuanxiao, their eyes filled with reverence.
Xuanxiao smiled faintly and waved his hand. A pile of spirit fruits appeared before Ancestral Dragon and Yuanfeng, while a cup of tea emitting a curling fragrance appeared before each of them and Shi Qilin.
"This is Tai Xuan Gui Zhen Tea, which only recently ripened. Please have a taste, Fellow Daoists," Xuanxiao introduced.
This Tai Xuan Gui Zhen Tea had not been left behind for him by Pangu, but had instead been acquired by Xuanxiao in the Primordial Wilderness. Though it could not compare to the ten Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Roots of the Primordial Wilderness, it was still a Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Root.
The Tai Xuan Gui Zhen Tea before them was a warm amber color, and an enticing fragrance wafted toward their noses, refreshing their minds and spirits.
"Hiss, there truly are surprises at every turn here with the Dao Venerable. Look, another Supreme Grade Innate Spirit Root has appeared." Mo Yuan looked at the Tai Xuan Gui Zhen Tea before him, picked it up without ceremony, and drank it in one gulp.
The moment Mo Yuan finished the tea, his aura began rising sharply, clearly a sign that he was about to break through.
"Mo Yuan's breakthrough should have required quite some time, yet he broke through after drinking just one cup of tea?" Shi Qilin, Ancestral Dragon, and Yuanfeng stared at Mo Yuan, who was breaking through, their eyes full of disbelief and shock.
Afterward, Shi Qilin and the other two also picked up the Tai Xuan Gui Zhen Tea before them, gently brought it to their noses, and praised in unison, "Truly fine tea."
Then, the three simultaneously took a light sip.
In an instant, all their eyes lit up.
They could clearly feel that their comprehension of the Great Dao had become closer.
Moreover, they faintly sensed that their cultivation had loosened slightly. At this rate, finishing this cup of tea would save them at least an Eon of cultivation time.
They finally understood why Mo Yuan had been able to break through after drinking the tea.
The three no longer hesitated. They lifted their cups and drained the tea in one gulp.
"Dao Venerable, if this tea were to appear in the Primordial Wilderness, countless living beings would surely fight to seize it," Shi Qilin said with feeling after finishing his tea.
"If you enjoy it, you may drink more. However, the first cup has the best effect, and the effects will grow weaker afterward. After roughly ten cups, it will basically have no effect on Primordial Origin Golden Immortals." As Xuanxiao spoke, he refilled their cups with tea.
"Then we thank the Dao Venerable." Ancestral Dragon, Yuanfeng, and Shi Qilin respectfully thanked Xuanxiao, their hearts full of gratitude for his generosity.
Xuanxiao smiled and waved his hand. "No matter. It is only some tea leaves, nothing particularly precious."
Hearing this, the three could not help but sigh inwardly. Only this Dao Venerable would dare say that a Top-tier Innate Spirit Root is not precious.
Before you continue