Kan Palace Doumu, Rank Suppression

"Damn!"

Xuan Yin directly unleashed the Tai Xiao Divine Thunder, manifesting boundless killing intent as it struck toward the Wangshu Immortal Sword. Utmost destructive intent erupted in an instant.

Bathed in endless lightning, bolts flashed around him like entwining dragons and serpents, expounding the transformations of Yinyang. He resembled an ancient thunder god wielding the combined authority of life and death.

Rumble!

Silver serpents danced wildly, golden dragons roared, and purple lightning sprang forth. Countless arcs of electricity flickered across his True Immortal Dao Fruit, descending with unparalleled might.

"Fellow Daoist!"

Wangshu's Divine Soul still wanted to say something, but Xuan Yin gave her no chance to speak. He only wished to forcibly erase her from this world.

She had set him up!

If he took this Wangshu Immortal Sword, he would become entangled in karma and have his Fortune-Tide Dao siphoned away until Wangshu True Body returned from the Calamity of Self-Loss.

Yet if he did not take it, leaving an Upper-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure here would be a terrible waste!

Although the Wangshu Immortal Sword had been forged after the dawn of creation, its primary material was a branch of the Osmanthus Tree, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots of the Primordial World. It contained Innate Origin, and under that Innate Origin's influence, the Houtian Restrictions imprinted upon the immortal sword had gradually begun transforming into Innate Restrictions!

Just like the Water-Fire Gourd!

The difference between Innate Spiritual Treasures and Houtian Spiritual Treasures was that Innate Spiritual Treasures contained Innate Undying Spiritual Light and could slowly recover even after being damaged. If a spiritual treasure were forged using materials rich in Innate Origin, it was possible for its Houtian Restrictions to transform into Innate Restrictions!

An Innate Spiritual Treasure forged this way was no different from one naturally nurtured by heaven and earth, or one formed after an Ancient Grand Unity underwent Dao Integration.

It might even be better suited to its owner!

For example, the Three Pure Ones' Dao-attaining treasures—the Coiled Dragon Crutch, Three Treasures Jade Ruyi Scepter, and Green Ping Sword—had all been shaped by the Three Pure Ones according to their own ideas and Great Dao, using the Innate Origin of the Twenty-Four-Petal Creation Green Lotus!

Daoist Zhunti's Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree was the same. It had been refined from the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Root, the Bodhi Tree, together with seven supreme immortal treasures.

The Wangshu Immortal Sword was no exception.

Its compatibility with Wangshu's Great Dao was likely no less than that of her Companion Spirit Treasure Moon Essence Wheel.

"Fellow Daoist, why must you be angry?"

A moment later, Wangshu's Divine Soul appeared once again. She possessed the rank of Divine Path Grand Unity, and the vessel carrying her was an Upper-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. With Xuan Yin's cultivation, it was naturally impossible for him to truly harm her.

Although Divine Path Grand Unity and Immortal Dao Taiyi were both Taiyi, there was an enormous difference between them.

Immortal Dao Taiyi involved consolidating one's own timeline and preparing for the final leap into Grand Unity. It was a transitional realm between Golden Immortal and Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

Divine Path Grand Unity, on the other hand, emphasized the unity of deity and Dao. So long as one's true heart had not fallen, one could wield the corresponding authority over the laws of the Primordial True Realm.

As the Moon Goddess, Wangshu had continuously held authority over the Great Dao of Taiyin ever since attaining Taiyi.

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yin withdrew his thunder, though his attitude remained cold. "If Fellow Daoist's Divine Soul is willing to leave this immortal sword voluntarily, then I can have a proper talk with you!"

"Sigh!"

"I had no choice!"

Wangshu's Divine Soul let out a soft sigh, revealing a trace of resentment. She looked utterly pitiful, but Xuan Yin did not care about her actions in the slightest.

Seeing that Xuan Yin remained unmoved, she continued, "Without someone's help, my True Body will likely find it difficult to return from the Calamity of Grand Unity's Lost Self. As a saint's disciple, Fellow Daoist, why begrudge a little Fortune-Tide Dao? Once my True Body returns, she will certainly repay Fellow Daoist for the kindness of your guidance!"

Xuan Yin shook his head. "Who can say for certain what the future holds? I think that handing this Wangshu Immortal Sword to Xihe might allow me to trade it for something useful."

Wangshu's Divine Soul showed no fear. She merely sighed. "In the Primordial True Realm, playing both sides is not a wise course of action! Fellow Daoist has already wronged Xihe once. Even if you hand me over to Xihe, would she truly be grateful for your kindness?"

"No!"

She spoke with absolute certainty. "She will only resent Fellow Daoist. If not for you, how could she have ended up in her current state?"

As the Empress of the Demon Clan, her Evil Corpse had been erased on her own territory, and Tianwu had exposed what she had done to Wangshu. Both her cultivation and reputation had suffered an immense blow!

And the root of it all was simply that Xuan Yin had suddenly conceived of a bold idea and delivered Wangshu's resentment to the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

Wangshu continued, "Fellow Daoist, we are grasshoppers tied to the same rope now! Since that is the case, why not see the matter through to the end?"

Judging from her haughty tone, it was as though she had already seized Xuan Yin's weakness.

"Oh?"

Xuan Yin immediately sneered. "You think you can truly control me? Believe it or not, I'll throw you straight into the Nether Blood Sea!"

"An Upper-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure may be valuable, and it may carry Moon Authority, but do you think a saint's disciple lacks a single Innate Spiritual Treasure?"

The Nether Blood Sea had been formed from Pangu's polluted blood. It was the foulest and filthiest place in the Primordial True Realm. Even ordinary Innate Spiritual Treasures would suffer a severe loss of spirituality upon falling into its aura and might even drop in grade after being washed by its polluted blood.

Only Daoist Nether River, who had been born from the Nether Blood Sea, possessed several Innate Spiritual Treasures tainted with a portion of the Blood Sea's origin aura. Only then could they survive within the Blood Sea without fearing its corrupting filth.

Xuan Yin wanted the Wangshu Immortal Sword, but he understood the importance of restraint. He could not let it control him, much less let immediate benefits cloud his mind and deepen his karma, thereby affecting his future Dao path.

An Innate Spiritual Treasure was precious, but it was not something he absolutely had to keep in his hands.

Let go!

Let go!

Only by giving up could one gain!

Upon hearing this, Wangshu's Divine Soul immediately panicked, no longer possessing her former arrogance. "Fellow Daoist, can you truly bear to watch me suffer calamity?"

"Why couldn't I?"

Xuan Yin said disdainfully, "A plucked phoenix is no better than a chicken. Do you still think you are Wangshu, who held the Lunar Star and stood above all the stars?"

Karma was something that could neither be severed nor untangled. If it was not cut away in time, accumulated karma might even drag him into a great calamity!

He had no desire to get involved in any of this!

"Actually, I have a good idea!"

At that moment, Xuan Shuang suddenly spoke. "That Senior Sister Jin Ling of yours inherited Lady Ziguang's legacy and possesses the rank of Kan Palace Doumu, the Mother of All Stars. It is only that her cultivation is still shallow, and she has not yet attained the position of Doumu! But Wangshu is no longer at her peak. With Jin Ling's rank, she should be able to suppress Wangshu's Divine Soul by a measure!"

"You could perhaps use Wangshu's Divine Soul to obtain some benefits from your senior sister!"

Dou Mu Yuan Jun was the Mother of All Stars, and her rank naturally suppressed Zhou Tian Xing Dou. Not to mention the Lunar Star, even the Ziwei Emperor Star had to submit to her control.

Now that the first Doumu, Lady Ziguang, had undergone Dao Integration, Jin Ling had inherited her legacy and could become the second Dou Mu Yuan Jun. She simply did not yet have the qualifications to preside over Kan Palace.

To become the second Doumu, either her own strength had to be sufficient to suppress all Star Gods of the heavens, or she had to wait for the Imperial Edict of the Primordial World Heavenly Dao!

The latter was the Investiture of the Gods!

The former was more difficult, but its benefits were also beyond imagination. If Jin Ling could turn Wangshu's Divine Soul into part of her own faction, she would face fewer obstacles when she presided over Kan Palace in the future.

"That is indeed a good idea!"

Upon hearing this, Xuan Yin immediately cupped his hands toward Xuan Shuang and Yan Lin. "Then I must trouble you two seniors to help me suppress Wangshu's Divine Soul for a time!"

With his strength, he could not suppress Wangshu's Divine Soul. However, as a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Water-Fire Gourd possessed a rank above the Wangshu Immortal Sword.

Moreover, Xuan Shuang and Yan Lin both possessed cultivation at the Peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. Suppressing a Wangshu's Divine Soul with only Taiyi characteristics was as easy as turning over a hand.

"Agreed!"

The two immediately nodded.