After hearing Nuwa's words, Qing Xuan suddenly thought of his Purple-Black Gourd. He turned to her and asked, "That sounds a lot like your Purple-Black Gourd. I wonder which one is stronger?"
Qing Xuan said, "It's a shame that this Innate Secrecy Great Array will gradually disappear as Fangzhang Island rises above the sea."
"By then, Fangzhang Island will have taken root in the Primordial Wilderness completely. It'll be connected to the ley lines and become a true Blessed Land."
"So what we need to do now is find a suitable stretch of sea for Fangzhang Island to take root."
Nuwa thought for a moment, then said, "Let's return it to the seabed first. After we get back from Zixiao Palace, we can take our time looking for a suitable place."
Qing Xuan agreed that Nuwa's suggestion was a good one. He nodded, then planted the Qing Lian Seed in the Three Lights Divine Water Pool with her.
Only then did he put an arm around Nuwa's waist, and the two of them disappeared from Fangzhang Island together.
Qing Xuan then manipulated Fangzhang Island, sending it back beneath the sea. After he returned from Zixiao Palace, he would only need a thought to bring it back to the surface.
Once everything was done, Qing Xuan took Nuwa with him and used an escape technique to head toward Phoenix Perch Mountain. After all, less than a thousand years remained until Hong Jun's sermon.
When Qing Xuan and Nuwa returned to Phoenix Perch Mountain, Fu Xi had already been pacing anxiously. At last, he saw the two little troublemakers return and let out a long breath of relief.
But when he remembered how they'd left without a word, his anger flared. He didn't even bother to hide his displeasure. "So you do remember how to come home?"
Nuwa went straight over and hooked her arm around Fu Xi's, then said with a smile, "Brother, I went with Little Gourd Vine to look for a new cultivation ground for us!"
Nuwa gave Fu Xi a general account of what Qing Xuan had said: that Buzhou Mountain would become a place of trouble in the future and wasn't suitable as a cultivation ground.
Fu Xi nodded after hearing her out. "Qing Xuan really does have foresight. After we return from Zixiao Palace, I'll go with you to see Fangzhang Island."
After saying that, Fu Xi prepared to set up an array around Phoenix Perch Mountain. After all, once they left, they couldn't let anyone else break in.
This wasn't merely their cultivation ground. Qing Xuan's true form, the Gourd Vine, was growing there too. They couldn't allow anything to happen to it.
But Qing Xuan said to Fu Xi, "Daoist Fu Xi, wait a moment. You can set up the array after I take my true form with me."
As he spoke, Qing Xuan had already started toward the Gourd Vine. When he reached it, he opened the Folding Fan in his hand.
In the next instant, a mighty Creation Power rose from the fan, enveloping the entire Gourd Vine.
The Gourd Vine before them vanished completely. On the fan, however, the image of the Gourd Vine had gained even more vitality.
As it turned out, while refining Fangzhang Island, Qing Xuan had gained a whole new level of insight into the Great Dao Space Law.
Though his understanding hadn't reached the level of the Great Dao Creation Law, it was already far beyond that of the other Six Dao Laws.
This had also deepened his understanding of the Folding Fan. He now knew that each scene depicted on it was a world of its own.
That was why he'd stored his true form inside the fan. Only by keeping his vital weakness with him could he truly ensure nothing went wrong.
Seeing Qing Xuan store his true form inside the fan, Fu Xi was greatly shocked. "It seems I was right. Your Folding Fan really is an Innate Supreme Treasure, Daoist Qing Xuan."
"Though Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures can contain spaces of their own, and can even be used to nurture Spiritual Roots, that's no use for your true form. You're a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root. A Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure simply couldn't nourish you."
Qing Xuan thought Fu Xi had a point. He sighed and said, "It's a shame I realized it too late. Otherwise, Azure Lotus might not have perished beneath the heavenly tribulation."
Hearing Qing Xuan mention Azure Lotus again, Fu Xi couldn't help growing curious. As he sealed off his cultivation ground, he asked Nuwa about what they'd been through during their time away.
Along the way, Nuwa told Fu Xi everything they'd experienced. She got especially animated when she described how Qing Xuan had beaten the Three Pure Ones.
At last, Fu Xi said with a deeply aggrieved look, "This time, I have to stay behind and guard Daoist Qing Xuan's true form. But you'd better not leave me behind next time."
The three chatted and laughed as they reached the boundary between Chaos and the Primordial Wilderness. One more step would take them into the Chaos World.
Fu Xi brought out the Fu Xi Qin, held it in his arms, and plucked its strings. Then he was the first to step into Chaos.
The Chaos Gale rushed toward Fu Xi, but the sound of his qin shattered it completely. In the blink of an eye, he'd opened up a safe passage for Qing Xuan and Nuwa.
Only then did he let Qing Xuan and Nuwa enter the Chaos World. "Stay close to me. I'll use the Fu Xi Qin to clear the way."
Neither Qing Xuan nor Nuwa objected. Neither of them feared the Chaos Gale, but since Fu Xi was willing to do the work, they were happy to let him.
The three traveled through Chaos for five hundred years. At last, they saw a Golden Bridge appear ahead and knew it had come from Zixiao Palace to bring them there.
As soon as the three stepped onto the Golden Bridge, the Chaos Gale vanished entirely. In the next instant, they were standing outside Zixiao Palace.
Quite a few people had already gathered outside the palace, but no one made a sound—not even a quiet whisper.
Another three hundred years passed. Around three thousand people had gathered outside Zixiao Palace, but its doors remained firmly shut.
Qing Xuan swept his gaze over the crowd. It seemed that almost everyone who was supposed to come had arrived. The only ones still missing were probably the Two Sages of the West, still wandering in circles through Chaos.
What puzzled Qing Xuan was that he couldn't see any of the Twelve Ancestral Witches. Houtu hadn't appeared outside Zixiao Palace either.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches only cultivate their Physical Bodies and don't cultivate their Nascent Souls, so it makes sense that they wouldn't come listen to Hong Jun's sermon. But Houtu already has a Nascent Soul. Why isn't she here?
Qing Xuan looked over the waiting crowd again. This time, he noticed that the Three Pure Ones were missing too. That puzzled him even more.
Just then, the doors of Zixiao Palace began to open slowly. A young boy and a young girl stepped out.
They stood on either side of the entrance and told everyone who had come to listen to the sermon to wait below the stone steps. Then they spoke.
"Our master has set out three thousand meditation cushions in Zixiao Palace for this sermon. Who gets which cushion will depend entirely on your own fate."
"After a hundred years, you may enter Zixiao Palace in an orderly manner and choose the meditation cushion destined for you."
Looking at the young boy and girl, Qing Xuan thought, So these are the future rulers of the Heavenly Court, Haotian Shangdi and Yaochi Jinmu.
I didn't expect the two of them to be so young and already stirring up discord. I guess people really do learn from whoever they follow.
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