Opportunities and Schemes

On the vast and boundless sea, the blue waves surge and roll.

In the Qingyang waters of the Eastern Sea.

The rolling Thunderclouds exuded a terrifying aura.

Within the Thunderclouds, a black light flashed and instantly transformed into an old man dressed in a black robe and wearing a nine-dragon crown.

The old man had a gaunt face and sparse hair. He staggered out of the Grand Void, his once moist appearance now gone, making him look quite disheveled.

His face was covered in blood, his eyes filled with terror, his upper robe was torn to shreds, and his chest was covered with crisscrossing bloodstains. He pleaded as he coughed up blood:

"Two young masters."

"I am convinced."

"I will never dare to do it again."

Please forgive me.

"In consideration of my years of diligent service to the patriarch, please spare my lowly life so that I may atone for my sins and contribute to the lineage of Daoism in the future!"

He cried out, his tone filled with fear and humility, showing no trace of the triumphant spirit of attaining the Dao Fruit and the Dao Lord status.

The instant his words fell.

Heavenly Light gathered, the Thunderclouds grew even denser.

Amidst the radiant dawn, two figures shrouded in dazzling colors emerged from the Grand Void.

In an instant, dazzling light rippled, and amidst the flow of supernatural powers, a cold laugh rang out:

"You're convinced?"

"I'm only afraid now that I see you're about to die!"

"Master has already issued Imperial Decree."

"Those belonging to the Wuyi Mountain Dao Lineage must not consume blood or food in order to pursue Heterodox Path."

"Qingyang, you were originally one of the most powerful sea gods under the Dao lineage, and your prestige extended over a region."

"Within the next cycle of rebirth, you will have your opportunity to attain enlightenment."

At this point, the voice from the Grand Void paused, its tone now tinged with anger:

"But you can't even wait a single cycle."

"How dare they harbor such malicious intentions, sacrificing the blood of a sect under the protection of the Dao lineage in order to seek an opportunity to attain enlightenment."

"Now they even want to take control of a region of the sea and submit to the Demon Clan Heavenly Court."

"Attempting to overturn the foundation of my lineage."

"He truly deserves to die!"

The sound from the Grand Void was like the rumble of thunder.

A chilling killing intent swept across the area.

Upon hearing this, the gaunt old man surprisingly abandoned the humility and fear in his eyes. He slowly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and sneered coldly:

"These immortal cultivators are the bloodline of the Xuanmen)."

"If the Demon Clan can eat it, Witch Clan can eat it, why can't I?"

"The witches are causing chaos, and the patriarchs of the Ancestral Court of Mystic Gate are turning a blind eye."

"But when it comes to me, I strike with full force."

"That's outrageous!"

This deity, filled with resentment, roared angrily:

"You dwell in your celestial caves, enjoying peace and tranquility. How could you possibly know the suffering of us Water Essence?"

"Since the patriarch closed his grotto, he has never appeared in the world again."

"We are all alone and helpless outside."

Although the powerful figures of the Water Element Black Emperor Witch and Demon Clans could not forcibly interfere with the Authority of Water Element due to the status of their ancestor, the Primordial World was still the domain of the Witch and Demon Clans for the next twelve epochs.

"The venomous demon comes knocking every day."

"The evil demons are vicious and often oppress people."

"When I was a Taiyi, even when I met a demon king with the cultivation of a Golden Immortal, I could only address him as a brother."

"An old demon of the same realm is an honored guest."

"If one offends a powerful figure from the Witch and Demon Clans, one's life will be in danger in an instant."

"All this hard work and humility, isn't it all for the sake of circulating the Water Essence and accumulating fortune and merit for the Daoist lineage?"

"Now, just because of a momentary inner demon, for the sake of the path, he greedily consumed a mountain of blood offerings and is now shouting for war and killing."

"It's truly chilling."

The deity spoke eloquently, every word a gem, making himself sound utterly aggrieved.

Liu Xuan and Wu Zhiqi, standing high in the sky, remained completely unmoved.

Although the Water Spirits did not have an easy time living outside.

However, the Daoist lineage did not force them to live in the outside world.

The master had already said that if one did not wish to go outside the cave to take charge of the Authority of Water Element, one could also enter the Seventy-two Caves to cultivate.

Not to mention, the Daoist tradition has never mistreated these Water Essence who accumulate merit outside, and they are given cultivation resources every year.

Within each Yuanhui (元会).

The Wuyi Mountain Dao Lineage will select a person of Great Merit and bestow upon them a great fortune in their Daoist lineage and a golden elixir of merit, helping them achieve the position of Daluo Golden Immortal.

Over the course of eleven cycles, a total of eleven Great Luo Dao Lords who attained the Dao Fruit were born in the four streams and eight rivers.

Even within this Yuanhui (a specific epoch), new Daluo Golden Immortals will emerge.

The Azure Sun Divine Lord before us is the seed of the next Yuanhui Dao Lord.

However, this fiend was consumed by greed and anger, to the point that he couldn't even wait for a mere one-year cycle. He impatiently entered the Heterodox Path and began to devour blood.

"Junior brother."

Why waste words with him?

"Let's kill this scoundrel so we can go and submit the Imperial Decree to our teacher."

Wu Zhiqi's golden eyes gleamed, shining like the sun.

The Seven-Colored Primordial Spirit Daoist robe he wore shimmered with a sense of purity, and even with his pointed mouth and monkey-like face, he exuded an air of high moral cultivation.

Because he frequently recited Daoist scriptures and attained the Great Luo Fruit rank, his temperament had been tempered considerably over the years.

In the past, this rebellious god would probably have been smashed into mincemeat with a single blow.

Upon seeing this, Qingyang Divine Lord knew that he could not escape this Tribulation of Slaughter.

A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes the instant he lowered his head.

Two streaks of blood-red light, carrying two divine blades, slashed through the Grand Void with lightning speed, heading straight for Liu Xuan and Wu Zhiqi.

"How dare you!"

Wu Zhiqi's expression changed. The blood-red blade was surrounded by endless resentment and Karmic Debt. The moment it appeared, it was as if mountains of corpses Blood Sea flashed before his eyes, and the stench of blood seemed to solidify.

This monster must have taken countless lives and slaughtered countless cultivators to forge these two vicious blood weapons.

This thought flashed through my mind.

A murderous intent flashed in Wu Zhiqi's golden eyes, and surging baleful energy condensed into a dragon and tiger. He raised the [Primordial Chaos One Qi Staff], cleared the sky, and smashed it down.

This [Primordial Chaos One Qi Staff] is a supreme treasure forged by Ancestor Taiyuan from the Primordial Chaos Stone and the Innate Yin and Yang Qi. After being refined by Wu Zhiqi for many years, it has long been integrated with his Primordial Qi.

Now that it has been unleashed, it has truly turned the Qiankun upside down and caused the sun and moon to lose their color; it is far beyond what Dao Lord could handle.

After a dozen or so rounds...

Before Qingyang Dao Lord could even beg for mercy, he was smashed into dust along with his primordial spirit by a single blow.

Seeing this, Liu Xuan made a hand seal to cover up the traces at the scene.

Then he laughed and said:

"Senior brother."

"This mission has finally been successfully completed."

"Let's hurry back to Wuyi Mountain, lest our teacher get impatient."

Wu Zhiqi put away his [Primordial Chaos One Qi Staff], dressed as a Daoist priest, and nodded repeatedly upon hearing this.

"Absolutely, absolutely."

"The twelve-year cycle is approaching, and another turbulent time is upon us."

"I was worried that the master's disciples might cause trouble, so I suddenly remembered something and there's no one to serve me!"

That's all.

The two brothers immediately used their escape techniques to return to the mountain gate.

Just then...

Suddenly, layers of thin mist rose above the Eastern Sea, and within that hazy mist, an island shrouded in primordial chaos and imbued with boundless Innate Spiritual Energy appeared and disappeared.

The island seemed to emerge from another dimension, and the moment it collided with the sea, it caused the surrounding Grand Void to tremble.

Then a faint crack appeared in the void.

"An overseas fairy island?!"

Liu Xuan and Wu Zhiqi were initially startled, but then overjoyed.

They came from the Wuyi Mountain Dao Lineage and successively cultivated themselves into Daluo Golden Immortals.

Very few things in this world can be kept from them.

Liu Xuan and Wu Zhiqi had naturally heard of the name of the Three Immortal Islands Overseas.

"These three islands were three continents that floated from the Boundless Chaos Sea when the Pangu Ancestral God World Creation."

"It exists in endless dimensions, and it also possesses the characteristic of concealing the secrets of Heavenly Secrets and cause and effect."

Therefore, few people are able to find it.

"These three immortal islands existed before heaven and earth, and naturally, there are Innate Spiritual Object on them."

"In the past, the East King Duke found Innate Spiritual Treasures and Innate Spiritual Roots on [Penglai Immortal Island]."

Wu Zhiqi said excitedly:

"Junior brother, the immortal island has now manifested."

"It must be something we are destined to meet."

"After entering the immortal island, we will search it thoroughly."

"Do not waste such a great opportunity."

Having said that, Wu Zhiqi transformed into a ray of light and flew straight into the immortal island through the crack in the Grand Void.

Upon seeing this, Liu Xuan shook his head slightly.

"Senior brother."

"Wait for me."

After speaking, he transformed into a divine light, following closely behind Wu Zhiqi.

He and Wu Zhiqi relied on Dao Cultivation profound Daoist skills, great supernatural powers, and the precious treasure bestowed upon them by their master for protection.

High skill breeds boldness.

They are not afraid of any risks.

The two entered the space-time rift.

The mist in the Grand Void suddenly dispersed.

In an instant, the sea returned to calm.

Not long after.

A gust of demonic wind blew by, and above the dark green Demonic Clouds, several Yao Qi, their auras swirling and stirring the Taiyi Demon King, released their divine senses, searching everywhere, but found no clues whatsoever.

Their training ground is located near this sea area.

Therefore, upon learning of the turmoil in the sea, they rushed here.

"Strangeness."

"I clearly felt the ground within the dojo just now shaking."

"How come we arrived here, only to find the place so calm and peaceful?"

Something's fishy!

He said that.

The Demon King tried to calculate with his fingers, but still couldn't come up with a solution.

Suddenly, he saw a dragon prince on patrol beyond the vast ocean.

His eyes lit up.

Then he conjured a demonic wind and swept the dragon prince over.

"Little Dragon."

"I ask you now, what major event did you just witness in the sea?"

The dragon prince was trembling with fear when he saw that it was the Demon King who was taking people away.

He said, trembling:

"Your Majesties, please allow me to report."

"Little Dragon..."

"Little Dragon just left the Dragon Palace on an errand; how would he know anything important?"

The Demon King glanced at the dragon seed, took a deep sniff, and felt a rich spiritual energy emanating from it, which made his stomach rumble with hunger.

Saliva dripped from his mouth, emitting a foul odor.

He pondered to himself:

'This sea area is remote.'

'I secretly ate this dragon seed with my brothers without anyone knowing.'

'Because of the Heavenly Court, even the Dragon Kings of the Four Seas dare not provoke me.'

'Since birth, I've lived in the Eastern Sea and have never tasted dragon meat!'

Thinking this, the Demon King's gaze toward the dragon race grew even more intense and greedy.

Just then...

The sea surface was turbulent.

A huge dragon turtle carrying an island on its back walks from afar.

"My lords."

What brings you here?

He is a sea god in the nearby waters.

Even before these Demon Kings had mastered the Taiyi Cultivation Fruit, they had already reached the cultivation level of a half-step Dao Lord.

Therefore, even these Demon Kings were somewhat wary of him.

They saw the old tortoise approaching.

The Demon King had no choice but to suppress his greedy gaze and simply said:

A gift is offered every hundred years.

"Don't forget."

"Otherwise, we won't be able to do anything to you."

"We can't explain this to the Heavenly Court's Patrol Division either."

The dragon turtle transformed into a hunchbacked old man.

With a smile, he offered several portions of spiritual materials to the demon Demon Kings.

Heshan said:

"Absolutely, absolutely."

"Thank you for your guidance, Your Majesties."

"I was prepared long ago!"

"We're just waiting for the Heavenly Court's envoys from the Hunting Bureau to come and collect it!"

The Demon Kings, having reaped the benefits, relaxed their expressions slightly.

Finally, he took one last, reluctant look at the dragon seed before summoning his demonic wind and returning to his mountain gate and dojo.

After they left.

The old dragon turtle looked at the dragon prince, whose expression had returned to its usual coldness, and said calmly:

"Let them run rampant for a while longer."

"Wait until another day... Hmph..."

Let's go.

"This old man will take you to the Wuyi Mountain Grotto to become a disciple of Ao Lin and cultivate the Dao."

The dragon prince respectfully replied, "Yes."

He turned back and gave Grand Void a deep look.

That direction was exactly where the Demon Kings had just left.

'I am not yet old.'

When things reach a certain point, change is inevitable.

'I will remember this grudge!'

Just as Wu Zhiqi and Liu Xuan entered the space-time rift and arrived at the immortal island...

Wuyi Mountain.

Palace of Hearing the Dao.

Zhou Yuan, who was sitting upright on the altar, suddenly opened his eyes.

With a slight thought...

Above, amidst the Auspicious Clouds, streaks of precious light flashed, and ripples were stirred up as the Innate Spiritual Energy collided and interacted.

Black and white chessboard spans the universe and time, connected by threads of cause and effect.

With a flick of the fingers, the secrets of Heavenly Secrets are at work.

After a long while.

Zhou Yuan then spoke softly:

How strange!

"Liu Xuan and Wu Zhiqi are connected to my destiny."

"Even with the [Heavenly Machine Chessboard], I still can't figure out where they are?"

"It was a close call, but a very fortunate opportunity."

He had calculated that his two disciples were not in mortal danger, but would instead receive a great fortune.

Zhou Yuan then put the matter aside and ignored it.

"The twelve-year cycle is approaching."

"The fellow cultivators from the ancestral court are all eager to make their move."

He thought of the messages coming from Kunlun Mountain and Mount Sumeru, urging him to prepare for the creation of the Human Race as soon as possible.

Zhou Yuan then made up his mind.

"It seems..."

"Fellow Three Pure Ones and those two from the West have probably already secretly exerted their influence and made their plans."

"Since that's the case..."

"It's time for this humble Daoist priest to make preparations as well."

Zhou Yuan's mind stirred.

Two jade plates appeared in front of him.

On the jade plate to the left lies the [Nine Heavens Breathing Soil].

On the jade plate to the right lies a Glazed Bottle containing [Three Lights Divine Water].

Zhou Yuan stared at the bottle of [Three Lights Divine Water].

His eyes flickered.

His aura was intertwined, obscuring the secrets of Heavenly Secrets and cause and effect.

Then, he cut a wisp of his primordial spirit from his mind and nurtured it in the [Three Lights Divine Water].

After doing all that.

Zhou Yuan waved his sleeve and accepted the item in front of him.

He slowly closed his eyes.

The Palace of Hearing the Dao fell silent once more.