Laozi is Confused, Chasing to Golden Ao Island!

Atop Shouyang Mountain, within Tushita Palace.

Cloud mist coiled, and the rhythm of the Dao permeated the air.

Grand Pure Sage Laozi sat quietly on his cattail cushion, his aura harmonizing with the Heavenly Dao, effortless and natural.

He slowly opened his eyes.

In those eyes that had seen through Ancient Vicissitudes, a faint trace of surprise and puzzlement flickered.

His mind stirred slightly, and the Heavenly Secret revealed itself.

"He left?"

Laozi murmured in a Low Voice, a ripple stirring in his Dao Heart, Calm as an Old Well.

He had long calculated that the Human Race youth named Xuandu at the mountain's foot was fated to be his disciple.

This Child had a resolute nature, kneeling and begging to be his master for ten years.

Laozi had intended to temper his character for a few more decades, waiting until he was like Uncarved Jade, before taking him as a disciple and passing on the Great Dao.

It was the perfect way to hone Xuandu's Dao Heart.

But why...

After only ten years, had This Child left?

This defied reason.

What surprised him even more was that Xuandu was clearly just a Mortal with no cultivation at all—how, in his perception, had he vanished from the range of Shouyang Mountain in an instant?

His aura was completely gone, and his Karma had become blurred and indistinct.

It was as if an invisible great hand had erased him from existence.

This matter reeked of strangeness.

Laozi's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

He sank his mind into the Heavenly Dao, deducing Xuandu's whereabouts.

But the Heavenly Secret was like looking at flowers through mist—utter Chaos.

An External Force had interfered, obscuring part of the fate connected to This Child.

"How intriguing."

Laozi lifted his gaze slightly, looking out at the boundless Great Wilderness beyond the palace.

In that case, he would see for himself.

The next instant.

A vast, boundless Spiritual Sense surged silently from the peak of Shouyang Mountain.

In a flash, it covered the entire Great Wilderness Heaven and Earth.

This Spiritual Sense was not an intentional pressure, yet it carried the unique, aloof majesty of a Heavenly Dao Sage, towering above All Things.

"The Sage is angered!"

Across the Great Wilderness Land, countless Living Beings, regardless of their cultivation level, were struck with fear.

Numerous cultivators jolted awake from seclusion, cold sweat pouring down.

The Dao fields of Great Powers lit up with the glow of protective formations, but the moment they touched that Spiritual Sense, they quietly faded, daring not the slightest offense.

In the forests and mountains, Demon Beasts lay prostrate, trembling.

In the rivers and seas, water tribes dove into the abyss, not daring to surface.

Countless Living Beings knelt in terror toward the source of that Spiritual Sense, not knowing why the Sage had stirred, fearing only that disaster was upon them.

The Saint Heart was unfathomable; a single thought could decide the life and death of All Beings.

This sudden sweep of Spiritual Sense plunged the entire Great Wilderness into a brief Deathly Stillness and terror.

Laozi's Spiritual Sense passed indifferently over endless mountains and rivers, over the battlefield of the Sorcerer and Demon conflict, over the caves of Great Powers in seclusion.

Neither Sad nor Happy, without thought or intention.

At last.

The Spiritual Sense reached the East Sea.

It crossed the vast Waves, passed through the innate maze formations.

Golden Ao Island, hidden deep within the East Sea, unfolded like a painting before his "eyes."

On the island, mountains rose and fell, spiritual energy Soaring to the Heavens, palaces stood in rows, and Myriad Immortals gathered.

What a flourishing scene of Myriad Immortals Come to Court!

Laozi's Spiritual Sense swept through it in an instant.

Then, it fixed on an inconspicuous stretch of coast beside a reef outside the island.

There, a youth who had just steadied himself, his face still carrying bewilderment and joy—who else could it be but Xuandu?

Such perception caused the first clear ripple to appear on Laozi's ordinarily calm and unruffled face.

It was genuine surprise.

"Golden Ao Island?"

Xuandu, a mere mortal, had truly appeared on Golden Ao Island in the East Sea, billions of miles away!

Such means were by no means ordinary.

In an instant, crossing endless space while evading the faint perception he had previously laid down—

This was absolutely not something Xuandu could accomplish on his own.

Then...

Laozi's gaze seemed to pierce through the boundless void, landing on the majestic and ever-changing Golden Ao Island.

Was it Tongtian?

Cannot Find by Searching Book Title, you can try searching the author—perhaps it's just been renamed!

Had he used his great divine power to teleport Xuandu away?

Intent on snatching the disciple first?

With this thought, a trace of displeasure rose in Laozi's heart.

Though the Three Pure Ones had parted ways and established their own lineages, they ultimately shared the same origin.

This move by Tongtian was somewhat overstepping.

Xuandu and he were fated to be master and disciple—this was Heaven's Decree. How could Tongtian not know?

What did he mean by acting this way now?

Contending over disciples was not in the spirit of the Three Pure Ones' bond.

Moreover, the Human Sect had just been established, its fortune tied to the Human Race. Xuandu, being human, was meant to enter his sect.

Tongtian's Jie Sect had Myriad Immortals Come to Court—why did he need to vie for this one disciple?

Non-action did not mean non-contention.

When it came to the Dao lineage and matters of face, Laozi could not Stand By and Watch.

He slowly rose from his meditation mat.

His aura remained faint and indifferent, but his gaze was as deep as an abyss.

If so, then he would have to make a personal trip.

With a single step from Laozi—

The next moment, he had vanished from Tushita Palace.

Silent and soundless, as if he had never existed.

Only the empty palace remained, along with the lingering, faint resonance of the Dao.

Meanwhile.

Outside Golden Ao Island, East Sea.

Xuandu felt the World Spun and Tilted, his surroundings shifting.

The moment he opened his eyes, he was struck speechless by the scene before him.

Ahead lay an island so vast it defied description.

Myriad Immortal Lights, Thousand Auspicious Qi.

Amid swirling Cloud Mist, jade towers and immortal palaces could be glimpsed, half-hidden.

Exotic Flowers and Grasses carpeted the ground; spirit beasts and Immortal Birds leaped and soared.

Countless auras—some strong, some weak, but all brimming with life and sharp intent—rose from the island, weaving into a vast, vibrant field of existence.

Even more striking was the Sword Qi Soaring to the Heavens, Sharp and Unmatched, as if it would cleave the sky itself, exuding a resolute and free-spirited determination to Seize a Thread of Life.

"Golden Ao Island... This is Golden Ao Island!"

Seeing this, Xuandu's heart surged with wild joy.

It worked!

The Teleportation Talisman had truly sent him to the doorstep of the Jie Sect's dojo!

From Shouyang Mountain to Golden Ao Island, spanning most of the Great Wilderness—a chasm that, as a Mortal, he could never have crossed in a lifetime.

Yet now, with the talisman granted by the system, he had arrived in a single step!

He gazed at the majestic Immortal Island, his eyes filled with excitement and longing.

This was the starting point of his rise!

Here lay the Jie Sect, where Myriad Immortals Come to Court!

As long as he successfully joined, with the Total Sum System, he could instantly gain unimaginable Cultivation Feedback!

What Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, what Killing Tribulation looming overhead—before absolute power, all could be broken with a single sword strike!

Safety? The Human Sect was safe, but it was the safety of a stagnant pool, the safety of blending into the crowd.

What he wanted was the safety of controlling his own fate, even the fate of others!

That was the safety brought by absolute power!

Xuandu took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

The urgent task at hand was to find a way onto Golden Ao Island and join the Jie Sect.

Sect Leader Tongtian taught without discrimination; as long as one was sincere or had a karmic connection, there might still be a chance.

He straightened his robes, slightly disheveled from the teleportation, and gazed firmly at the path leading to the Immortal Island.

Hope was right before his eyes.

He took a step forward, ready to advance.

But just then—

An indescribable pressure descended without warning.

The sky seemed to suddenly sink low.

The wind stopped, the waves stilled.

Even the faint Immortal Music drifting from the island seemed to freeze in an instant.

An old man appeared silently not far in front of him.

The old man wore a simple Daoist robe, with an ancient, unadorned face. His figure seemed ordinary, yet he appeared to merge completely with the heavens and the earth.

Standing there, he was the manifestation of the Dao, the source of all rules.

He simply stood calmly, without any movement, without releasing any aura.

It was none other than the Grand Pure Sage—Laozi!