In the courtyard.
Zhang Yifan was in high spirits when he saw that his son had finally called him Father.
Meanwhile, Taibai Jinxing, who had broken out in a cold sweat at the thought of being sent to the Platform of Extermination after watching the Jade Emperor kneel and call a mortal Father, had failed to help at all. Regardless of who stood before him, he only wanted to show his devotion to protecting his master, so he climbed back up and prepared to strike again.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
But just as he got up, Taibai Jinxing heard a burst of barking. It was as though he had been struck by lightning, and he dropped to his knees, his face deathly pale.
Looking at the Big Black Dog running over from the backyard, Taibai Jinxing was horrified, his face filled with terror.
That bark had struck his primordial spirit like a vast heavenly tribulation. His cultivation had dropped by at least a major realm. This was too damn terrifying, too horrifying.
And the cultivation of the Big Black Dog before him was unfathomable. He could not see through it at all!
The Jade Emperor was also startled by the barking and saw the Big Black Dog.
The instant he saw the Big Black Dog, the Jade Emperor's heart churned wildly!
What Big Black Dog? This was clearly Old Ancestor Qilin, the Primordial Ancestor of the Qilin Clan.
That was right, absolutely right. This was the Qilin Ancestor!
The first qilin in the Primordial Era World!
As a former attendant by Dao Ancestor Hongjun's side, the Jade Emperor was no stranger to Old Ancestor Qilin!
What was going on?
The ancestor of the Qilin Clan, who had supposedly fallen during the Dragon-Han Initial Tribulation, had actually appeared here!
This, this, this!
"Ugly dog, what are you barking for? Keep it up, and I'll stew you this winter." Seeing the ugly dog he kept barking wildly, Zhang Yifan glared at him.
"Whimper, whimper, whimper..."
Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog looked pitiful and wronged. Wagging his tail, he rubbed against Zhang Yifan's leg with a fawning expression, his face practically begging not to be slaughtered.
"Don't let it happen again. Guard the house properly."
"Woof, woof, woof~" Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog barked a few times, then happily jumped up and spun in circles before running to lie down at the courtyard entrance.
What the hell!
The Jade Emperor was dumbfounded. The mighty Old Ancestor Qilin, one of the foremost great powers of the Primordial Era, an unrivaled genius and a legendary figure of his era, had fallen to such a state that he had become a dog.
And he still had to keep currying favor with this mortal.
This...
At least he was becoming this man's son, not a dog. That actually seemed... not bad?!
Pah, pah, pah!
The Jade Emperor drove that bizarre thought from his mind. What the hell am I thinking?
"You servant, what were you trying to do just now?" Zhang Yifan glanced at Taibai Jinxing, who was kneeling nearby.
His son's attendant—wasn't that just a servant?
"Servant... this servant begs the old master's forgiveness! I offended the old master just now. Please forgive me, old master." Taibai Jinxing dropped to his knees, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He could not exactly say that he had wanted to kill him!
"Since you were only eager to protect your master, I'll spare you this time." Zhang Yifan waved his hand.
"Thank you, Grandfather!" Taibai Jinxing secretly let out a breath. Fortunately, he had escaped disaster. I really am clever! He quietly rejoiced.
"Alright, it's getting late. It's already noon. You came back at just the right time. Sit down first. I'll stir-fry a few dishes, and at noon, the two of us can have a drink and chat about your twenty years of adventures outside."
Zhang Yifan waved for the Jade Emperor and the others to make themselves comfortable, then went to the kitchen to cook.
His son had returned, and he really was happy.
In the courtyard, the Jade Emperor's expression instantly turned imposing after Zhang Yifan entered the kitchen.
Taibai Jinxing immediately knelt on the ground, pressing his forehead to the earth.
"If a third person learns of what happened today..." The Jade Emperor's gaze was icy.
"This minister understands." Taibai Jinxing was drenched in sweat from fright.
"Mm. There is something strange about this old man. Even Old Ancestor Qilin is willing to be a dog here. This person must be a reclusive supreme expert. Let us play along for now. We will observe the situation first and make further plans later."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
It was more than strange—it was strange beyond belief.
The fact that their cultivation vanished upon entering the house was already terrifying enough.
The fact that Old Ancestor Qilin was willing to become a dog was even more horrifying.
Before long.
Zhang Yifan had cooked several dishes and brought them to the table in the courtyard. He also brought out a jug of good wine and called the Jade Emperor and Taibai Jinxing over to sit.
Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog also came trotting over with his tail wagging. He squatted beside the table, his eyes shining brightly.
Seeing that his son had become a grown man in his thirties or forties, Zhang Yifan felt a little sentimental.
"Ah, my son has become a middle-aged man too. You can finally drink with your old man now. Come, come, have a drink with Father."
"Father, how about we drink my wine instead?"
Seeing the ordinary-looking wine Zhang Yifan had poured, the Jade Emperor looked down on a mortal's wine. He took the gourd from his waist and poured some wine for Zhang Yifan.
"Oh? You think your old man's wine isn't good enough?"
"No, no. I simply wanted you to taste the Jade Nectar I brought back for you."
Seeing Zhang Yifan's displeased gaze, the Jade Emperor hurriedly came up with an excuse and poured him a bowl.
"Hahaha, Jade Nectar? Fine, I'll taste this Jade Nectar of yours." Zhang Yifan laughed. Brewing wine was a skill he had already mastered to the highest level.
"Drink slowly. Not only is this wine delicious, but it is also very strong."
The Jade Emperor was smug. Of course it was Jade Nectar!
Today, he would show him what truly counted as fine wine—the kind of heavenly wine only the Heavenly Emperor could drink.
"Pfft!"
Zhang Yifan spat it out after taking one sip.
"Blech..." Zhang Yifan retched. "You little bastard, are you deliberately trying to piss me off? You call this wine?"
"Ah?"
The Jade Emperor froze. Could he have taken the wrong one?
Impossible.
The Jade Emperor picked up the gourd, poured himself a bowl, and took a sip.
That was right. This was Jade Nectar, supreme throughout the Primordial Three Realms, specially supplied to the Jade Emperor.
Why had the old man spat it out?
It was not leftover soup from yesterday.
What was going on?
Taibai Jinxing, standing nearby, secretly thought it was a pity. The Jade Emperor's wine was not something just anyone could drink. Spitting out that mouthful was such a waste.
"Come, drink the wine your old man brewed. This is what you call wine."
Zhang Yifan rolled his eyes, poured a bowl of his own brewed wine, and placed it before the Jade Emperor.
"Alright, this son will taste Father's wine."
The Jade Emperor refused to believe it. In this Primordial Era World, could there really be any wine better than his?
"Gulp~"
Boom!
A large mouthful of wine went down his throat, like a dragon of wine carrying vast power as it surged from his stomach through his blood vessels and meridians, cleansing the Jade Emperor's body.
The overwhelming energy nearly exceeded what the Jade Emperor could bear, and his face turned crimson from holding it in.
Yet the energy in the wine caused his cultivation, which had been stuck at the Mid Quasi-Saint realm for hundreds of thousands of years, to loosen. He was faintly on the verge of a breakthrough!
This!
The Jade Emperor was overjoyed. His cultivation had not budged for hundreds of thousands of years, yet a sip of wine was about to make him break through?
No, this wine actually contained a vast number of Fragments of Great Dao Laws. Things he had not understood during cultivation suddenly became much clearer!
Fragments of Great Dao Laws?!
There were only three thousand Heavenly Dao Laws on the Primordial Continent. When had Great Dao Laws ever existed?
These were supreme treasures that even Saints longed for but could not obtain!
Treasures so precious that even Dao Ancestor Hongjun would covet and fight over them!
Yet today, he had encountered them in a cup of wine in this humble farm courtyard!
This was too damn astonishing!
"Drink slowly. Your father's wine is very strong!"
Seeing the Jade Emperor's face flushed red, Zhang Yifan could not help but laugh.
"Hahahaha, good wine! Good wine indeed! Father, your wine is the finest wine in heaven and earth!"
The Jade Emperor laughed loudly and could not help praising it. Calling him Father was becoming smoother and smoother.
Really?
Was there actually wine better than the Jade Emperor's specially supplied Jade Nectar?
Taibai Jinxing did not believe it, but he could not resist lifting the bowl and taking a sip.
Boom, boom, boom!
That sip was no small matter. The immense energy nearly blew Taibai Jinxing apart.
Fortunately, while the wine's energy was enormous, it was also relatively gentle. Taibai Jinxing finally stabilized himself and guided the energy through his body.
Ding. Ding. Ding.
Taibai Jinxing's cultivation broke through three realms in rapid succession!
Not only had he regained the Golden Immortal realm that Qilin Old Ancestor Big Black Dog's barking had knocked him down from, but he had also leaped from the late Golden Immortal realm straight to the mid Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm!
Taibai Jinxing was so excited that his face flushed deep red.
"Drink slowly. Don't choke." Zhang Yifan waved his hand at Taibai Jinxing as well.
"Thank you, Grandfather, for bestowing this wine!"
With a thud, Taibai Jinxing knelt before Zhang Yifan and knocked his head on the ground three times.
"Drink if you're drinking. Why do you keep kneeling at every turn? From now on, just protect my son and your master properly."
"Yes, Grandfather. Even if I am smashed to pieces, I will protect Master."
Taibai Jinxing was utterly thrilled. After tens of thousands of years, he had finally become a Grand Unity Golden Immortal—and a mid Grand Unity Golden Immortal at that!
Only upon reaching the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm could one truly be considered accomplished in the Primordial Era World, truly be considered an expert!
Today, Old Bai had finally become a Grand Unity Golden Immortal too—and one who had absorbed and comprehended some Great Dao Laws!
His future was limitless!
Forget three kowtows—even a hundred would have been worth it.
He now regarded Zhang Yifan as being even more important than the Jade Emperor. He addressed the Jade Emperor as Master, while calling Zhang Yifan Grandfather.
Then Taibai Jinxing stared at the dishes on the table with shining eyes.
If even the wine was this incredible, would these dishes be even more miraculous?
Before you continue