Arriving at Kunlun

"Wow..."

"This place is way too lively."

Looking at the bustling scene before her, Bixiao was full of astonishment. Her little mouth had formed a perfect O.

Zhao Gongming smiled faintly. "Two Sages are opening their mountains and widely accepting disciples. This is an unprecedented grand event since the creation of the world. Any cultivator in the Prehistoric World who seeks the Dao and believes they have a chance would want to come and fight for it. Naturally, it's lively."

Li Qingxu swept his gaze across the seemingly endless "sea of people." After a brief look, he understood.

This gathering might seem chaotic, but in truth, an unspoken order had already taken shape, with a clear distinction between the strong and the weak.

The weakest rogue cultivators and Lesser Demons were mostly gathered at the outskirts. Heavenly Immortals and True Immortals were closer to the front.

And the closer they were to the towering Kunlun Mountain, which rose into the clouds and swirled with the Dao's aura, the sparser the figures became. Yet the aura each one gave off was increasingly concentrated and powerful. They were at least Golden Immortals.

The law of the jungle and the rule of strength were on full display here.

"Fellow Daoist Qingxu, I'll take my leave here."

Zhao Gongming spoke to Li Qingxu.

With the four siblings' Golden Immortal cultivation, they might not be able to enter the innermost circle, but it shouldn't be difficult to establish themselves in the inner area.

The closer they got to the foot of the mountain, the more likely they were to be swept by a Sage's Spiritual Sense and gain an advantage in the trials to come.

At this, Li Qingxu cupped his hands solemnly and said sincerely, "I'm deeply grateful for the care you four fellow Daoists have shown me along the way."

"I'll remember this kindness. If fate allows, I'll repay you in the future."

If he hadn't met Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao, he could never have reached Kunlun Mountain so quickly and smoothly.

"You're too kind, fellow Daoist. Traveling together was fate." Zhao Gongming waved his hand and looked toward Kunlun Mountain. "I hope we can all get what we wish for and become disciples of the Sages. Perhaps someday we'll listen to the Dao together in the same hall."

Just as Zhao Gongming was about to leave with the Three Xiao, Bixiao tugged at his sleeve.

"Brother, why don't we see this through and take Fellow Daoist Qingxu into the inner area with us?"

Bixiao guessed that Li Qingxu had traveled countless miles and braved great danger to come to Kunlun Mountain to seek a master, surely carrying the hopes of the entire Human Race.

So, being kindhearted, she wanted to help him as much as she could.

Zhao Gongming's brows knitted slightly at her words. He was clearly in a difficult position.

Although he was straightforward and loyal, he wasn't willing to let a chance meeting jeopardize something as important as becoming disciples of a Sage—something that concerned him and the Three Xiao.

"Thank you for your kindness, Fellow Daoist Bixiao. I'll remember it."

"But my cultivation is inadequate. If I rely on your protection to force my way into the inner area, I'm afraid I'll cause trouble for you four and bring you needless problems. That's not what I want."

He paused, looking at Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, and Qiongxiao, then continued frankly:

"With your own cultivation, it's only right that you enter the inner area."

"I know my place. Being able to reach the mountain safely is already a blessing. The outer area may be far away, but there may still be a chance to become a Sage's disciple."

"I wish you four a smooth journey and hope you find favor with the Sages soon."

Seeing Bixiao go to such lengths for him warmed Li Qingxu's heart.

But he also knew that Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao had only just arrived, and their strength wasn't among the very best. If bringing him into the inner area caused them to break the "rules," they might be attacked by everyone around them.

They had already done more than enough by bringing him to Kunlun Mountain. He naturally wouldn't push his luck and hinder their path to the Dao.

"All right."

After hearing Li Qingxu's words, Bixiao realized that her suggestion would put her brother and sisters in a difficult position. She could only withdraw her hand sheepishly.

Zhao Gongming had been a little worried that Li Qingxu might take advantage of Bixiao's kindness and "morally pressure" them into bringing him into the inner area.

He hadn't expected Li Qingxu, despite his modest cultivation, to be so measured and considerate of the bigger picture.

For a moment, he felt somewhat ashamed of having judged a gentleman by his own petty standards.

Yunxiao and Qiongxiao also looked at Li Qingxu with a little more admiration.

Zhao Gongming cupped his hands to Li Qingxu once more, said no more, and turned to fly toward the inner area with the Three Xiao. The Human Immortals and Earth Immortals at the edge of the crowd willingly stepped aside to make way for them.

After watching Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao leave, Li Qingxu found a quieter corner and sat down cross-legged, sending a wisp of consciousness into the Myriad Worlds Chat Group.

As soon as his consciousness entered the Chat Group interface, he saw that Ye Hei had just tagged him.

[Ye Hei: @Qingxu Daojun, Senior, have you reached Kunlun Mountain yet?]

[Xiao Yan: Same question.]

[Qingxu Daojun: I just arrived at the foot of Kunlun Mountain.]

[Ye Hei: You're incredible, big shot! You traveled countless miles and still got there so quickly.]

[Xiao Yan: I've heard Senior say that Kunlun Mountain is the second-largest mountain in the Prehistoric World. I'd love to see it with my own eyes.]

[Emperor Yongle: Same here.]

Li Qingxu saw that all three of them were very curious about Kunlun Mountain. He immediately opened the system's photo function and sent a picture of the mountain to the group.

[Qingxu Daojun: Kunlun Mountain.jpg]

As soon as the photo appeared, Ye Hei, Xiao Yan, and Emperor Yongle eagerly opened it.

[Ye Hei: Good heavens!!]

[Ye Hei: Is this a Sage's Dao Field? It feels countless times bigger than even the Burial Emperor Star I'm on!]

[Xiao Yan: Just looking at it, I can feel an indescribably vast aura rushing toward me. It makes my soul tremble.]

[Emperor Yongle: How can a divine mountain this incredible exist in the world? It's breathtaking!]

After seeing Kunlun Mountain in the Prehistoric World with their own eyes through the photo, Xiao Yan, Ye Hei, and Zhu Di had their understanding and horizons broadened once more. They deeply felt how insignificant they—and the worlds they lived in—were.

Great Ming World.

With Zhu Zhanji supporting him, Zhu Di finally recovered enough to climb down from the imperial carriage.

"Phew..."

Zhu Di let out a long breath.

Kunlun Mountain had shocked him beyond measure. If he hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he couldn't have imagined that such a magnificent divine mountain existed in the world.

"Grandfather... are you all right?"

Zhu Zhanji asked nervously from beside him. He had no idea what had happened to make his grandfather, already a Land Immortal, lose his composure like this.

"I'm fine."

"Come on, let's go see your father."

Zhu Di patted Zhu Zhanji's shoulder and strode impatiently toward Qinan Hall. Zhu Zhanji followed close behind.

Meanwhile, when Zhu Gaochi heard that Zhu Di had returned to the palace, he hurriedly changed into his formal court robes and went to the entrance to welcome his father.

However, because he had been overworked, his health was already very poor. After a short jog, he was gasping for breath, bent over with his hands on his knees.

"The Emperor has arrived..."

A loud announcement soon rang out. Zhu Gaochi quickly raised his head, only to see Zhu Di, looking vigorous and in his prime, striding toward him.

"Father???"