Taiyuan's voice wasn't loud. It carried the languidness of someone who had just woken up, yet it rang clearly through the void. "Oh, I heard you're in charge of all the male immortals who don't belong to an organization. But, Daoist, don't you think you're sticking your nose a little too far into other people's business?"
"We three brothers are the Lords of Western Enlightenment. We're scholars who run our own affairs."
"We don't belong to your Purple Mansion Continent, nor are we subjects of the Heavenly Court. We're just passing through."
"Besides..." Taiyuan stopped what he was doing and leaned forward slightly, a smile full of modern-day sarcasm on his face. "You say you're the Head of Male Immortals. Then why don't you show us the official Employment Letter issued by the Dao Ancestor? Or flash your credentials? Do you have a contract specifying the scope of your authority?"
"Just waving a cane around and demanding a toll without a shred of proof—if you didn't know better, you'd think they'd turned the entrance to Purple Heaven Palace into a begging post."
That rapid-fire barrage of questions left East King Duke completely dumbfounded.
Credentials? A contract? An Employment Letter?
What were those?
East King Duke hadn't understood those strange words, but he'd understood the last bit about a "begging post."
The man was plainly calling him a beggar!
"You... insolent!"
East King Duke's face instantly flushed purple-red with humiliation and fury. He felt the shame of having his authority trampled in public.
"Sharp tongue! If I don't teach you a lesson today, how can I command the immortals?"
Boom!
East King Duke was furious. He truly meant to kill.
The Dragon Head Cane was not only a symbol of authority but also a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. As he poured his magic power into it, it instantly transformed into a massive golden dragon phantom, hurtling toward Taiyuan's carriage with the power to destroy heaven and earth.
He wasn't trying to kill anyone with this strike. He only wanted to smash the flashy carriage that made him jealous and humiliate Taiyuan.
A murderous glint flashed in Zhunti's eyes. He was just about to strike back.
"Clang—!"
A clear, stirring sword cry suddenly rang out through the void.
A streak of icy, azure sword energy seemed to cleave through primordial time itself. Though it had been unleashed later, it arrived first, forcibly blocking the golden dragon phantom.
Terrifying shockwaves surged, slicing through the Chaos Airflow across a hundred miles.
East King Duke felt his wrist jolt, and his palm went numb. The cane nearly flew from his grip. He looked up in shock and saw a young Daoist with sword-shaped brows and bright eyes, a long sword on his back, strolling out of the void.
Sovereign of Heaven.
He still held a half-eaten Star Spirit Fruit in his left hand, while his right rested casually on the sword hilt behind him. His gaze was both amused and sharp.
"Well, isn't this the newly appointed Lord East?"
Sovereign of Heaven spat out a bit of fruit peel and gave East King Duke a faintly mocking look. "What, you think that cane makes you the boss? This is outside Purple Heaven Palace, not your Purple Mansion Continent. How about you discuss the matter with my Qingping Sword first?"
"Tongtian?!"
East King Duke's expression changed drastically.
He was one of the Pangu Three Pure Ones, and famously not someone to trifle with.
"This is my duty to bring order to the male immortals. What does it have to do with you?" East King Duke shouted, his bluster masking his fear.
"How does it not concern me?"
Sovereign of Heaven pointed at the empty pot still steaming inside Taiyuan's carriage, his expression entirely self-righteous. "I was having a wonderful meal and a fine drink right there. You're the new official, yet instead of treating everyone to a meal, you've come to trouble my drinking buddy. Isn't that a slap in my face?"
Before he could say more,
another voice rang out, gentle yet firm.
"Taiyuan did me a kindness. East King Duke, watch yourself."
Nuwa appeared slowly, surrounded by a cloud of five-colored auspicious light. Though her expression was cool, her position beside Taiyuan's carriage said everything.
Nuwa, who was destined to become a Saint, carried even more weight than Sovereign of Heaven.
Before East King Duke could process this shocking turn of events,
two more streaks of Escape Light descended.
"Heh-heh, East King Duke, you ought to be reasonable." Ancestor Hong Yun's chubby face wore his trademark smile, but he too stood in front of the carriage. Beside him, Zhen Yuanzi held the Earth Book. He said nothing, but his aura of earth—renowned for its invincible defense and backed by his cultivation as a late-stage Grand Luo Golden Immortal—locked firmly onto East King Duke.
The entrance to Purple Heaven Palace erupted into chaos.
The scattered cultivators who hadn't left yet were all left with their jaws hanging open.
Just look at that lineup!
Sovereign of Heaven, one of the Three Pure Ones; Nuwa, a future Saint; Zhen Yuanzi, Ancestor of Earth Immortals; and Hong Yun, the foremost good-natured immortal.
At this very moment, a handful of the Primordial World's most powerful figures had all taken a stand for a Western Daoist, joining forces against the newly appointed Head of Male Immortals.
All this, just because they'd shared a hotpot meal?
East King Duke had none of the arrogance he'd shown moments ago.
The Dragon Head Cane in his hand was trembling.
Cold sweat poured down his forehead. The terrible pressure of being targeted by several figures of equal or greater strength made him want to turn and run.
He'd picked a fight with the wrong person.
This wasn't just a steel plate—it was a whole mountain made of Chaos Divine Iron!
Taiyuan looked at East King Duke, pale-faced and caught between retreating and standing his ground, but made no further taunts.
At a time like this, the more he said, the more beneath him he'd look.
Ignoring him was the greatest form of contempt.
"Come on, second and third brother. Let's not keep the flowers and plants at home waiting."
Taiyuan didn't even look at East King Duke again. He simply rolled up the carriage window, as if the man who'd blocked their way had been no more than an insignificant obstacle.
"Right away!"
Zhunti laughed heartily, feeling better than ever.
Roar—!!
The Nine Dragon Agarwood Carriage let out another earth-shaking dragon cry.
The nine golden dragons, who had been chafing at the bit, deliberately swished their enormous tails, stirring up the countless dust particles and waste gases that had accumulated in the chaos and turning them into a murky gray storm.
Pfft—!
With precise control, the great cloud of "exhaust" sprayed East King Duke from head to toe.
His golden imperial robe was instantly covered in grime, and even the cane that symbolized his authority was coated in dust.
Rumble.
Amid everyone's laughter, the carriage rolled through the void and sped away, leaving behind a dazzling trail of golden light.
East King Duke stood rooted to the spot, filthy from head to toe. The mocking looks from Sovereign of Heaven and the others pricked at him like needles.
He clenched his fists so tightly that his nails pierced his palms, and blood dripped down. The venom in his eyes was almost palpable.
"Taiyuan... Western Sect..."
"I'll remember this humiliation! Once I've united the immortals of the Primordial World, I'll raze Mount Sumeru to the ground!"
The Nine Dragon Carriage raced onward, soon leaving that trouble behind completely.
The atmosphere inside the carriage was relaxed and cheerful.
"Elder Brother, that was so satisfying!" Zhunti said excitedly as he wiped the dust off his Magic Treasure. "East King Duke's face turned green. I can't believe one meal got so many people to back us up."
Jieyin sighed with feeling. "So this is what Elder Brother meant by 'connections'? Without drawing a weapon, they can still surpass a thousand troops. That hotpot... was worth cooking."
Taiyuan leaned against the soft cushions, listening to the pleasant reward chime from the system.
[ DING! The host has successfully used 'personal connections' to thwart East King Duke's first attempt to make trouble.] [Reward: Special Building Blueprint—Innate Chaos Spirit Spring Pool, Advanced Edition (includes the Great Dao Spirit Gathering Array).]
"Connections are certainly useful, but you still need strength of your own."
A flash of clarity passed through Taiyuan's eyes as he tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Someone like East King Duke, ambitious but incompetent, is doomed sooner or later. He's not worth worrying about. But the greed in his eyes just now served as a reminder."
"Our Western Lands may have some assets now, but they're not substantial enough, and they're not secure enough."
"Once we get back, it'll be time to renovate that little patch of 'farmland' we call home."
As he spoke, Taiyuan turned his palm upward.
The Chaos Green Lotus Seed he'd obtained from checking in at Purple Heaven Palace lay quietly in his palm, its restriction patterns shimmering. Waves of vitality radiated from it, making the surrounding space tremble faintly.
This was the true trump card that would let them establish themselves—and, one day, even challenge the Heavenly Dao.
"Hold on tight."
"Let's head back to Mount Sumeru and get construction underway!"
Before you continue