"You..."
Xuanyuan's words sent the Demon Clan into a blazing fury.
Yet they could do nothing to him.
With the Dao Ancestor right there in Zixiao Palace, they didn't dare lay a hand on him. All they could do was glare at Xuanyuan through gritted teeth.
"Tch!"
Xuanyuan couldn't care less.
He was a modern man who'd received nine years of compulsory education and been steeped in countless internet memes. When it came to trading barbs, how could he lose to these natives from the Demon Clan?
"Silence!"
At Hongjun's signal, Haotian raised his voice.
At once, Zixiao Palace fell quiet again.
Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and the others were unwilling, but they didn't dare defy Hongjun's orders.
They could only force themselves to calm down. Still, they couldn't settle their minds or steady their breathing.
Seeing Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, Fuxi, and the others return to their state of enlightenment one by one, the Demon Clan seethed with anger. They had nowhere to vent it, and their hatred of Xuanyuan only grew.
Who knew how much time had passed?
At last, they'd regained their focus and were on the verge of entering that elusive state of enlightenment.
Just then—
"Sever!"
A booming shout rang out, jolting Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and the others back to reality.
"Are you ever going to stop?"
Donghuang Taiyi could no longer contain his anger. He rolled up his sleeves, ready to fight Xuanyuan.
"Are you sick? We weren't the ones who shouted!"
Xuanyuan gave him a look as if he were an idiot. Donghuang Taiyi's fury only grew. He snapped, "If it wasn't you, you barbarian, who else could it be? Do you think everyone's as childish as you?"
After shouting, Donghuang Taiyi turned to look at Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, Fuxi, and the others. Surely, this time they'd had enough and would join him in denouncing Xuanyuan.
Everyone had a temper, after all. They couldn't keep letting Xuanyuan disrupt the place.
To his surprise, Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, and the others remained completely unmoved, staring blankly in another direction.
"What's going on? How can they be so patient?"
Donghuang Taiyi could hardly believe it.
Didn't they think Xuanyuan was absolutely infuriating?
Only when a wave of excited chatter rose around him did he understand.
"Impressive!"
"He actually succeeded in severing his corpse and broke through to the Quasi-Saint realm!"
"Taiqing Laozi must be the second person in the Primordial World, after the Dao Ancestor, to reach the Quasi-Saint realm!"
"A Nine-Petal Bloom—what immeasurable potential! As expected of the foremost of the Sanqing. I'm in awe!"
Only then did Donghuang Taiyi realize that Xuanyuan hadn't deliberately caused a disturbance this time. Taiqing Laozi had truly succeeded in severing his corpse and become the first to reach the Quasi-Saint realm.
Awkwardness and speechlessness washed over him.
Donghuang Taiyi wished he could find a crack in the floor to crawl into.
Unfortunately, Zixiao Palace was a Chaos Spiritual Treasure. He searched the floor for ages, but couldn't find so much as a crack.
He could only slink back.
"What a rude fellow. You accuse someone wrongly and can't even apologize!"
Xuanyuan's quiet taunt came from behind him. Donghuang Taiyi pretended not to hear, lowered his head, and returned to Dijun's side.
"Second Brother, don't be so impulsive next time!"
Dijun sighed, his face full of helplessness.
His younger brother was practically being driven mad by Xuanyuan.
As he sighed, Dijun glanced at the Good Corpse standing beside Taiqing Laozi, his eyes full of envy.
When would he succeed in severing his corpse and become a Quasi-Saint?
The Witch Clan's strength was growing by the day.
By contrast, Fuxi and Nuwa refused to join the Demon Clan under his leadership, and the Demon Master Kunpeng was disloyal. On top of that, the matter of the Chaos Demon God's remnant spirit had ruined the Demon Clan's reputation. It would be difficult to recruit any more powerful figures.
The whole thing was a mess. It gave him a splitting headache.
Dijun felt the weight on his shoulders growing heavier and heavier.
The only one he could trust completely was his younger brother, Donghuang Taiyi. His talent and strength were beyond question, but he didn't seem to have much sense.
Whenever Xuanyuan was involved, he'd make a fool of himself, and no one could stop him.
What a struggle!
It was truly a struggle!
By contrast, Xuanyuan was in excellent spirits.
After Taiqing Laozi succeeded in severing his corpse and breaking through to the Quasi-Saint realm, everyone's attention shifted from Xuanyuan to Taiqing Laozi.
With no one watching or bothering him, Xuanyuan enjoyed the peace and quiet.
He chatted and exchanged thoughts with Houtu, the Six-Eared Macaque, and the others while keeping an eye on everyone's progress inside Zixiao Palace.
Taiqing Laozi had been the first to succeed in severing his corpse. Houtu and Xuanyuan could do the same at any moment.
Among the others, Shangqing Tongtian and Nuwa had the best chance of proving the Dao by severing their corpses in the near future.
Next came Yuqing Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti. Hongjun was secretly drawing on the Innate Spiritual Qi inside Zixiao Palace and funneling it into their enlightenment cushions. Xuanyuan didn't enjoy any special treatment, but he could still sense some of it.
After them would come Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, Minghe, Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, Fuxi, and the rest.
Their origins, talent, and potential were all excellent. They were no worse than the Sanqing, Nuwa, Jieyin, or Zhunti. In fact, in terms of those qualities, Dijun and Donghuang Taiyi were even slightly superior to Jieyin and Zhunti.
Unfortunately, they hadn't been favored or aided by Hongjun and Heaven's Will.
Their own foundations alone weren't quite enough. They would need at least another thousand years of tempering to succeed in severing their corpses and reach the Quasi-Saint realm.
They had almost no chance of breaking through inside Zixiao Palace this time.
Sure enough, things unfolded just as Xuanyuan had expected.
Ten years after Taiqing Laozi proved the Dao by severing his corpse, Shangqing Tongtian successfully manifested his Evil Corpse and reached the Quasi-Saint realm.
Two years later, Nuwa manifested her Good Corpse and likewise advanced to the Quasi-Saint realm.
Fifty years after that, Yuqing Yuanshi succeeded in severing his Good Corpse and proving the Dao.
The first thing he did after succeeding was look at Shangqing Tongtian. When he saw the Evil Corpse standing beside Shangqing Tongtian, dressed in a black Daoist robe and wearing a gloomy expression, his smile vanished. He immediately put away his Good Corpse and closed his eyes to meditate.
His behavior instantly dampened Shangqing Tongtian's enthusiasm. He'd been about to congratulate Yuqing Yuanshi on succeeding in severing his corpse, but instead he put away his own Evil Corpse and closed his eyes too, whether to cultivate or sulk.
Taiqing Laozi saw this and shook his head slightly, but said nothing.
Xuanyuan, who had been watching the Sanqing all along, let the corners of his mouth curl up. A silent smile spread across his face.
Good. The Sanqing might seem like one body, but there were conflicts between them too.
Taiqing Laozi cultivated the Dao of Nonaction. Nonaction, in the end, meant putting his own interests first and remaining indifferent to everything else.
Yuqing Yuanshi, on the other hand, was far too proud—more so even than Donghuang Taiyi. He had to compare himself with others in everything, and he especially couldn't stand seeing Shangqing Tongtian surpass him, his second brother.
As for Shangqing Tongtian, he was somewhat solitary and devoted himself entirely to the Dao. Like the sword Dao he cultivated, he was sharp, fierce, and overbearing. He never went out of his way to befriend anyone, and even when conflicts arose, he never bothered to explain himself.
As things stood, the Sanqing would only drift further apart.
That would give Xuanyuan the chance to separate the Sanqing and persuade Tongtian to join his side.
Before you continue