"I've met the Ancestral Witches. I am Xuanqing, a disciple of Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain. I came to Mount Buzhou to travel through Honghuang and behold the legacy of Great God Pangu. I mean no harm."
"Jade Void Palace? One of Yuanshi's disciples?"
Zhurong and the others immediately recognized him. Wasn't this the little brat who had sat behind Yuanshi Tianzun while listening to the Dao?
The thought only made them angrier.
After all, Xuanqing had been quite close to Houtu earlier, though he hadn't been the one to initiate it.
At that moment, Houtu stood behind her brothers and sisters, curiously studying Xuanqing.
"Hmph. You people from the Mysterious Gate are all hypocrites. Do you think you can covet Father God's legacy?"
Xuanqing grumbled inwardly, I'm just looking. I never said I wanted to take anything. What are you getting so worked up about?
"Brother Zhurong, he's only an outsider. Please don't go too far."
Houtu spoke softly. Her voice was gentle, yet it calmed the irascible Zhurong.
Houtu turned to Xuanqing and asked warmly, "Daoist Xuanqing, Mount Buzhou is a sacred place of the Witch Clan, and we're currently at war with the Yao Clan. Your presence here right now could easily lead to a misunderstanding."
Xuanqing quickly nodded. "I was thoughtless. I'll leave at once and won't disturb you, Ancestral Witches."
With that, he turned and tried to make a quick escape.
"Wait!"
Dijiang spoke again, blocking his way.
"Since you're here, explain yourself before you leave. Where did you come from?" Dijiang's gaze was piercing. Like Dijun, he was a leader of one of the two clans. There was no way he'd let Xuanqing leave without an explanation.
Xuanqing's heart tightened. He couldn't very well say he'd just come down from the summit of Mount Buzhou, could he? Not even the Three Pure Ones had made it up there. If he told them, these Ancestral Witches might tear him apart on the spot just to study him.
As he considered what excuse he could use to get out of this, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense.
The auras of the nine Ancestral Witches faintly locked onto him. The immense pressure made it difficult to breathe.
At that tense moment, a clear, holy radiance descended from the sky and suddenly flared beside Xuanqing.
When the light faded, a transcendent Daoist in a blue robe stood before them. His face was exactly like Yuanshi Tianzun's.
As soon as the Daoist appeared, he shielded Xuanqing behind him, cutting off all the pressure from the Ancestral Witches.
Xuanqing was stunned for a moment, then elated.
That appearance, that aura... Though he felt different, this was unquestionably his master! It seemed to be one of his master's Three Corpses incarnations.
As expected, Master does care about me!
"Who are you?" Dijiang asked, his eyes narrowing warily at the Daoist who had appeared out of nowhere.
The Daoist remained calm and gave Dijiang and the others a slight bow. "I am Yuqing. Greetings, Ancestral Witches."
Without paying any attention to their reactions, he turned to Xuanqing and sharply scolded him.
"You good-for-nothing disciple! I told you to stay on Kunlun Mountain and devote yourself to cultivation, yet you ran off to a place rife with trouble! Come back with me at once!"
The reprimand sounded stern, but Xuanqing heard a trace of concern in it.
His master was helping him distance himself from the situation and giving him a way out.
Xuanqing understood immediately. He lowered his head and put on the obedient look of a disciple who had done wrong.
"This disciple knows he was wrong. I beg Master to punish me."
Yuqing Daoist gave a cold snort and said nothing more. With a sweep of his sleeve, a streak of clear light enveloped Xuanqing, and he was about to whisk him away.
"Stop!"
Zhurong roared. Flames surged around him as he prepared to intervene.
"Zhurong!" Dijiang stopped him in time.
Dijiang gave Yuqing Daoist a long look, then glanced at Xuanqing behind him.
He knew the Daoist who had just appeared was one of Yuanshi's Three Corpses, with unfathomable strength. And the other party was only taking his disciple away; he hadn't interfered in the war between the Witches and Yao. His intentions were clear.
It would be unwise to incur Karma with the Three Pure Ones of the Mysterious Gate over such a minor matter.
"Let them go," Dijiang finally decided.
Yuqing Daoist didn't spare them another glance. He turned into a streak of light and vanished with Xuanqing.
Watching them disappear, Zhurong said indignantly, "Big Brother, we're just letting them go? That brat was acting suspiciously. He must have had bad intentions!"
Dijiang shook his head, his gaze profound.
"Our true enemy is the Yao Clan."
Time and space shifted; the stars wheeled overhead.
When Xuanqing came to himself again, he was already in the familiar main hall of Jade Void Palace.
At the far end of the hall, three future Sages—Taishang Laojun, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian Cult Leader—sat side by side on Cloud Beds.
The "Yuqing Daoist" who had brought him back had turned into a wisp of Clear Qi and merged into Yuanshi Tianzun.
Xuanqing hurried forward and bowed respectfully.
"This disciple, Xuanqing, greets Master and my two martial uncles."
Taishang Laojun nodded with a smile, as tranquil and unconcerned as ever.
Yuanshi Tianzun looked majestic and merely gave a faint "Mm," revealing no sign of his feelings.
Only Tongtian Cult Leader gave Xuanqing a knowing, amused look.
"Well, Xuanqing, you've got some nerve! You dared to go to Mount Buzhou alone and nearly ran right into the Twelve Ancestral Witches. When Second Brother used his Magic Treasure to watch you just now, you gave all of us quite a scare!"
Xuanqing was curious. Used a Magic Treasure to watch me?
Following Tongtian Cult Leader's gaze, he saw an ancient mirror floating in front of Yuanshi Tianzun.
Its surface was smooth as water, clearly reflecting the fierce battle between Jumang and Jimeng at the foot of Mount Buzhou. The fighting between the Demon Soldiers and the Witch Clan's warriors was shown in the tiniest detail, as though they were watching it unfold in person.
Is that... the Kunlun Mirror? Xuanqing wondered.
Yuanshi Tianzun looked at him and slowly explained, "This is my companion spirit treasure, the Kunlun Mirror. It can observe the heavens and see into the Nether."
Xuanqing understood.
No wonder his master's incarnation had arrived so quickly. The three mighty figures had been sitting here watching the whole thing live!
Thinking back to how carefully he'd acted on Mount Buzhou, believing that no one knew what he was doing, only to realize that his every move had been under his master and the others' watchful eyes, Xuanqing felt his face grow warm.
It felt like getting caught skipping class by the homeroom teacher.
Seeing his disciple's embarrassed expression, Yuanshi Tianzun softened his tone.
"Your trip down the mountain was somewhat reckless, but you gained no small opportunity and improved your cultivation. I'll let you off without punishment this time."
"But remember: the Dragon-Han Initial Calamity has just passed, and the fortunes of the Wu and Yao clans are flourishing. Their struggle for supremacy is already underway. This Tribulation is a quagmire you can't wade into yet. In the future, watch your words and actions, focus on cultivation, and don't get involved in Karma lightly."
Xuanqing felt a warmth in his heart and replied respectfully, "This disciple will remember Master's teachings."
He knew his master was protecting him.
Though Double Merit Fortune shielded him, his cultivation was still shallow. In a great calamity sweeping across all of Honghuang, like the conflict between the Wu and Yao clans, any individual's power was simply too insignificant.
Just as the hall fell silent, there was a sudden thump as Xiao Hei fell out of Xuanqing's sleeve.
The three future Sages immediately looked down at Xuanqing's feet.
"What's this?"
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