Primordial Heavenly Venerate stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze first sweeping coldly over Sect Leader Tongtian, his displeasure utterly undisguised.
Then he looked to Laozi and gave a slight nod in greeting, his voice steady and cold:
"Elder Brother."
"Such an earth-shattering phenomenon, Chaos Qi soaring to the heavens and stirring the vicissitudes of the Great Wilderness—and yet you intend to leave quietly?"
"Could it be that you mean to swallow this insult?"
Every word he spoke was pointed at Tongtian, revealing his dissatisfaction.
Upon hearing this, Sect Leader Tongtian let out a cold snort. Sword Qi surged around him, soaring into the heavens and tearing apart the oppressive order Yuanshi had brought.
"What do you mean by that, Second Brother?"
"One of my disciples happened upon an opportunity. That is his own fortune. What dissatisfaction is there to speak of?"
"Could it be that Second Brother cannot bear to see my Jie Sect disciples achieve something?"
His words were sharp, yielding not an inch.
Hearing this, Primordial Heavenly Venerate's gaze remained indifferent as it swept over Golden Ao Island below.
Within the island, Myriad Immortals Come to Court. Though the aura was flourishing, when his Spiritual Sense swept over them, most were hairy horned, wet born egg hatched creatures.
Some were wreathed in Demonic Qi, some had yet to shed their malevolent qi, while others possessed muddled foundations.
In his eyes, they were all unbearable to look upon, unworthy of entering refined society.
"An opportunity?"
A trace of undisguised mockery curled across Primordial Heavenly Venerate's lips.
"Petty hairy horned, wet born egg hatched creatures with shallow roots, ignorant of the Heavenly Dao and scant in fortune—what earth-shattering opportunity could they possibly obtain?"
His voice was not loud, yet it clearly rang in the ears of every Jie Sect disciple.
"Even if there were some anomaly, it would likely be nothing more than a side gate trick that luckily stirred a trace of lingering Chaos resonance. And they dare claim to possess Chaos Pedigree?"
"How laughable!"
On Golden Ao Island, countless Jie Sect disciples revealed furious expressions. Yet awed by a Sage's might, they dared not voice their anger.
Daoist Duobao's face was solemn, while anger smoldered in Saint Mother Jinling's eyes.
Zhao Gongming clenched the Golden Whip at his waist, and the Three Goddesses of Xiao wore frosty expressions.
Even Kong Xuan, who had only recently joined, furrowed his brow tightly as Five-Colored Radiance flickered in his eyes.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate had always been arrogant. Upholding the mandate of Heaven, he valued pedigree and origin above all else.
He had always regarded living beings that were not born with innate Dao bodies and possessed crude roots as mere weeds, despising them to the utmost.
Now, seeing that Tongtian's disciples were full of such beings, his displeasure only deepened.
Sword Qi erupted around Sect Leader Tongtian, and fierce Sword Intent shot straight at Yuanshi as he said coldly:
"Second Brother, mind your words!"
"My Jie Sect teaches without discrimination. Any who possess the heart to seek the Dao may hear the Dao!"
"Before the Great Dao, all beings are equal!"
"For Second Brother to speak thus is beneath a Sage's station!"
The auras of the Three Sages collided once more. The void trembled, and the laws of the world wailed.
At that moment, several incomparably powerful Spiritual Senses quietly swept through the endless void around them, carrying investigation and bewilderment.
Clearly, the earth-shattering Chaos Anomaly on Golden Ao Island had alarmed many reclusive great powers throughout the Great Wilderness.
Yet when those Spiritual Senses touched the three Sage auras here, which stood above all things.
The overwhelming majority withdrew like a tide at once, not daring to linger in the slightest.
Only two Spiritual Senses, carrying a unique Dao Charm of extinction and compassion, still lingered in the distance, observing cautiously.
They belonged to the two Sages of the western Spirit Mountain—Zhunti and Jieyin!
The Three Pure Ones had gathered, their Saintly Might in confrontation. Such a scene was rare through the ages; how could they possibly miss it?
Within Golden Ao Island, inside a desolate cave mansion.
Through the cave mansion's restrictions, Xuandu clearly sensed the suffocating confrontation of the Three Sages outside the island, as well as Primordial Heavenly Venerate's merciless mockery.
His heart immediately tightened.
"Damn it!"
"I never expected that Condensing Three Flowers would draw the Three Pure Ones together, or even provoke Martial Uncle Yuanshi into mocking Master!"
Xuandu's expression changed slightly.
This matter had begun because of him and had even intensified the conflict between the Three Pure Ones.
What was more, Primordial Heavenly Venerate's words did not conceal his contempt for the Jie Sect Myriad Immortals in the slightest.
Xuandu was now a member of the Jie Sect as well. How could he stand by and watch?
Having made up his mind, Xuandu no longer hesitated.
He took a step, and his figure vanished from within the cave mansion in an instant.
The next moment, he appeared outside Golden Ao Island, not far behind Sect Leader Tongtian.
The instant he appeared, the vast and mighty pressure of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak leaked out involuntarily.
Though it was not even one part in a hundred million of a Sage's might, it was still an imposing aura that drew attention.
Fortunately, Sect Leader Tongtian's towering figure stood before him, invisibly blocking most of the Sage's Pressure.
Otherwise, with Xuandu's current cultivation, directly facing the auras of the Three Sages would likely have injured him at once.
He was just about to speak.
Yet before Xuandu could say anything.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's indifferent and majestic gaze had already fallen upon him in an instant!
That gaze held scrutiny, investigation, and an undisguised trace of astonishment!
"It's you?"
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's pupils contracted imperceptibly.
He recognized Xuandu.
That day, when Laozi's Spiritual Sense had swept across the Great Wilderness, he had already taken notice of this child.
A Human Race member with shallow roots, whose fate had originally been clear: he should have entered the Human Sect.
At the time, he had merely thought that this child had willingly debased himself by associating with egg born wet hatched beings. His future was destined to fade into obscurity, so Yuanshi had paid him little attention.
But that aura from before, which had stirred a Chaos Anomaly and seemingly carried the pedigree of a Chaos God Demon...
Had actually come from this child?
How was that possible?!
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's gaze flashed like lightning, instantly piercing through every falsehood around Xuandu and reaching deep into his origin!
That was no longer the weak foundation of an acquired Human Race member!
It was... Chaos God Demon Pedigree!
And not only that!
Within his Purple Mansion, Three Flowers faintly emerged. Their Dao Charm was naturally formed, petals unfurling layer by layer. They were unmistakably... an eight-petal manifestation!
The magical power surrounding him was vast and mighty, flawless and complete. He had actually reached... Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak!
Even with Primordial Heavenly Venerate's firm Saint Heart, unbreakable through ten thousand calamities, his mind shook violently at this moment, as though Chaos Divine Thunder had exploded within his Dao Heart!
Human Race roots?
Chaos God Demon?
A mortal body?
Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak?
These utterly different, even mutually contradictory terms had now gathered perfectly upon one person!
It had only been a few days?
Absurd!
Absolutely impossible!
Yet the ironclad facts before him left him no choice but to believe!
This child must possess a heaven-defying secret that even a Sage found difficult to see through!
Seeing Yuanshi staring intensely at Xuandu, Sect Leader Tongtian felt displeased.
He immediately took a step forward, his fierce Sword Intent cutting off Yuanshi's probing as he said coldly:
"Why is Second Brother staring at a junior like this?"
Laozi also frowned slightly and spoke calmly:
"Second Brother."
Primordial Heavenly Venerate seemed not to hear him. His gaze remained locked tightly on Xuandu, as though he intended to see through him completely, inside and out.
The majesty and arrogance that had remained unchanged on his face for ten thousand years had now been replaced by disbelief.
"Chaos God Demon Pedigree... Eight-Petal Three Flowers... Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak..."
"You... what kind of roots do you possess? What opportunity did you obtain?"
There was a trace of urgency in his voice that even he himself had failed to notice.
Xuandu did not answer Yuanshi's question.
Facing that Sage's gaze without humility or arrogance, he bowed once more and spoke in a clear, steady voice:
"This junior dares to ask Second Martial Uncle..."
He paused slightly, looking directly at Primordial Heavenly Venerate's imposing face as he asked, word by word:
"Just now, my second martial uncle said that most of the Jie Sect's disciples were born of moisture or hatched from eggs, covered in fur and bearing horns, with shallow roots and unworthy of attaining the Dao."
"This junior wishes to ask: whom exactly do the wet born egg hatched, hairy horned beings in Second Martial Uncle's words refer to?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the entire scene fell silent.
It was not only Primordial Heavenly Venerate who was stunned.
Even Laozi and Sect Leader Tongtian, standing nearby, both showed a trace of surprise and confusion in their eyes.
Tongtian's swordlike brows furrowed slightly as he looked at Xuandu, unsure why he had suddenly steered the topic back to this.
Laozi's gaze remained calm, yet deep within it was an exceedingly faint trace of deduction.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate was momentarily stymied by this unexpected question.
He had not expected that a mere junior would dare, in the midst of his fury, to answer a question with another question and seize upon his earlier remarks.
His face sank, and his Saintly Might condensed slightly. Even the surrounding void seemed to grow several degrees heavier.
"Humph!"
Primordial Heavenly Venerate let out a cold snort. Though he found the question somewhat baffling, with his pride, he could not be bothered to deny his own words.
"So what if it is?"
His gaze swept across Golden Ao Island below, the contempt in his tone undiminished.
"They do not possess innate Dao bodies, do not inherit Pangu's legacy, and have crude roots and shallow fortune."
"Even if such living beings obtain an opportunity and take form, they can hardly escape their savage natures. They know not the Heavenly Dao, nor understand the subtleties of the Great Dao."
"To stand side by side with you is already lowering my own status!"
His words showed no mercy.
Sword Qi surged around Sect Leader Tongtian once more, his face icy cold.
Just as he was about to speak again.
Xuandu suddenly laughed.
His smile was faint, yet it carried an indescribable meaning.
He cupped his hands again, his voice remaining steady:
"In that case, this junior dares to ask Second Martial Uncle one more thing."
He raised his head. His gaze was clear, yet sharp as a sword as it pierced straight toward Primordial Heavenly Venerate:
"May I ask Second Martial Uncle: Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who stands above all living beings, taught the Dao to the Great Wilderness within Purple Heaven Palace, and is the ancestor of all Daos and teacher of the Sages—what kind of roots does he possess?"
Boom!!!
As soon as these words were spoken, it was as if Chaos Divine Thunder had detonated in utter silence!
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's majestic face, unchanged for ten thousand years, changed drastically in an instant!
His pupils suddenly contracted, and for the first time, clear astonishment and unimaginable shock appeared on his face!
"You..."
The word nearly burst from his mouth, but after uttering only that single syllable, he could say no more.
Even the grand and solemn Jade Purity Immortal Light around him fell into momentary disorder because of those words!
And not only him!
Laozi, who had stood silently watching all along, was also deeply moved for the first time. His face, calm as an old well, changed dramatically!
Unprecedented brilliance burst from his tranquil eyes as he abruptly looked at Xuandu!
Even Sect Leader Tongtian's body shook, and the fierce Sword Intent in his eyes stalled for a moment.
Then it turned into intense astonishment and delight!
The way he looked at Xuandu became incomparably complicated in an instant, mixed with undisguised admiration!
Good lad!
He actually dared to ask such a heart-piercing question at a moment like this!
Before you continue