"Have you heard? The Senior Disciple Brother of the Interception Sect failed to achieve Dao and is now on the brink of death!"
"Huh? That can't be..."
"I heard it was because he committed countless wicked deeds, and the Great Dao struck back at him."
"I also heard he's a cold-blooded fiend who kills without blinking—even his own junior brothers..."
"Damn! Isn't that cause for celebration?"
On a deserted island in the Eastern Sea, two Golden Immortal demons were gossiping.
But a rumor repeated often enough became the truth, and by now, their version was who knew how many iterations removed from the original.
In their telling, Ye Changqing had become a fiend punished by Heaven.
The Heavenly Dao punished evil—this was exactly the kind of positive energy the world needed!
Even if Ye Changqing had heard it without knowing they were talking about him, he might have clapped in approval.
Of course, this was nothing more than idle chatter among minor demons. Those who truly knew the facts were the great powers of the Primordial World.
Before Ye Changqing tried to achieve Dao, the Jie Sect Disciples had boldly proclaimed, "Our Senior Disciple Brother will surely achieve Primordial Unity and become the Ninth Saint of the Primordial World!"
Their ambitious words still rang in people's ears, yet now they had been thoroughly proven wrong.
The many great powers of the Primordial World couldn't help sighing, mourning the fall of a peerless prodigy.
In the Netherworld Underworld, Houtu Ancestral Witch—no, she should be called Empress Pingxin—sighed.
In the end, he still couldn't overcome the Heavenly Dao's schemes?
If she had the chance, she planned to help Ye Changqing, at least giving him the chance to be reincarnated.
In the Chaos Wa Huang Palace, Empress Nuwa gazed toward the Primordial World, that figure surfacing in her mind.
If she could, she wanted to repay him for the favor he'd done her.
Within Wuzhuang Temple in the Primordial World, Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi was also filled with sorrow.
Back then, his friend, Ancestor Hong Yun, had died over this very Saint's seat.
Now Ye Changqing had followed in his footsteps.
But they soon came to terms with it.
How many astonishing talents had been hailed as First in all ages on the path to sainthood, yet only a handful had left their names in the River of Time?
Most were like Ye Changqing now: appearing as brilliantly and briefly as a comet before leaving no trace.
Just like Eastern Emperor Taiyi of the Demon Race and Dijiang Ancestral Shaman of the Witch Race in those days—by now, no one even mentioned them.
Of course, only a small handful felt sorry for Ye Changqing.
Most were a bunch of people gloating over his misfortune.
Their masters had often held Ye Changqing up as an example to teach them.
Now that he'd fallen, who wouldn't take the chance to kick him while he was down?
Especially the Saint's disciples who had been suffocating under his shadow—they were overjoyed to the point of tears.
Tens of thousands of years!
At last, the man looming over them had fallen from his lofty perch.
The Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect, Pangu Orthodox Lineage disciples under the Three Pure Ones just like him, were especially elated.
Their lofty ambitions swelled once more, and one after another, they exclaimed, "Ye Changqing wasn't all that impressive after all."
The old Quasi-Saints of the Primordial World also breathed a sigh of relief at having one less powerful opponent.
In the Netherworld Blood Sea, Ancestor Minghe was smug, no longer holding back.
"Ye Changqing, Ye Changqing... Let's see how you're going to come after me for revenge now!"
In the Northern Darkness Sea, towering waves surged as a Great Fish leapt up and swallowed a hundred thousand li of seawater, devouring countless sea creatures.
With all that flesh to replenish him, Demon Master Kunpeng condensed a new body.
He transformed into a sinister-looking man with a hooked nose and gazed toward Golden Ao Island, his eyes filled with hatred.
Unfortunately, Ye Changqing had a Saint protecting him, so Demon Master Kunpeng couldn't grind his bones to dust and vent his hatred.
Rumble!
Suddenly, a streak of light shot across the Eastern Sea like a rainbow piercing the sun, its sound like thunder. The two minor Golden Immortal demons discussing Ye Changqing felt their chests tighten and their throats grow sweet. They spat out mouthfuls of blood.
"Yikes..."
"A Grand Unity Golden Immortal demon king..."
Their faces darkened, and they were about to demand an explanation. But once they saw the ferocious beast, they sucked in a breath and immediately abandoned all thoughts of revenge.
A Grand Unity Golden Immortal demon was a demon king who could dominate a corner of the Primordial World. They couldn't afford to offend one.
Besides, it was only someone else's mount...
"Those are the Three Fairies of Sanxiao from the Interception Sect..."
They recognized the three beauties riding the beast at a glance and called out their illustrious names.
They were Saint's disciples!
Forget them—even if their backers, the Dragon Clan, were here, they would still have to defer to the fairies.
At the thought of what they'd just said about Ye Changqing, their expressions changed, and they clapped both hands over their mouths.
Ye Changqing was their Senior Disciple Brother...
Whoosh!
A graceful figure descended from the sky, taking the form of a young girl.
Who else could it be but Bixiao?
Her little face was full of anger, and her chest heaved with fury.
Thump!
The two demon immortals immediately dropped to their knees before her, slapping themselves and begging her for mercy.
Though Bixiao looked young, she had already reached the Grand Luo Golden Immortal realm. Even from tens of thousands of li away, she had heard their conversation.
In her heart, Senior Disciple Brother Ye Changqing was a godlike presence, beyond reproach!
No one could insult her Senior Disciple Brother!
Wham!
She swept her sleeve across the two Golden Immortals' faces, sending them flying into several mountains and smashing them down.
She knew they weren't bad people, so she'd only given them a small lesson.
After the Three Fairies of Sanxiao had gone far away, the two demons, their faces swollen like pig heads, crawled out of the dirt.
Today, they'd learned what it meant to bring trouble on themselves with careless words.
After the Three Fairies of Sanxiao, streaks of light continued to fly over their heads.
Some rode mounts, some rode flying swords, and some traveled on dark clouds...
"Heavens! What in the world is going on?"
Seeing so many Interception Sect Disciples in a single day left the two demons utterly bewildered.
Naturally, this also attracted the attention of the other factions, especially the Dragon Clan, Lord of the Four Seas.
In the East Sea Crystal Palace, the Old Dragon King kept receiving reports from the Shrimp Soldiers and Crab Generals and the Sea Patrol Yakshas.
Across the Eastern Sea, the ten thousand immortals of the Interception Sect were searching everywhere for Immortal Herbs and Spirit Medicines.
The Dragon Clan had fallen into decline and now relied on the Heavenly Court. Word of this soon reached Haotian Shangdi.
Haotian Shangdi began discussing with the Holy Mother of Yaochi how to make a move against the Interception Sect.
They had only just received orders from Old Ancestor Hongjun to rebuild the Heavenly Court, and they had practically no one at their disposal.
As it happened, the Holy Mother of Yaochi had an Innate Spiritual Root, the Peach Tree, bestowed upon her by the Dao Ancestor.
There were three thousand six hundred Peach Trees in the Peach Garden. The first twelve hundred bloomed with tiny flowers and bore small fruit, ripening once every three thousand years. Whoever ate them would attain immortality, their bodies growing strong and light;
the middle twelve hundred bore sweet fruit among their many blossoms, ripening once every six thousand years. Whoever ate them would ascend amid rosy clouds and live forever;
the final twelve hundred bore purple-veined fruit with yellowish pits, ripening once every nine thousand years. Whoever ate them would live as long as Heaven and Earth, sharing the lifespan of the sun and moon.
With Ye Changqing's life force fading and his lifespan nearly spent, this was the perfect opportunity to use Flat Peaches to win over the Interception Sect!
Before you continue