Danger!

Imperial City Square.

Zhou Hao was communicating with Ji Ning telepathically.

When Kong Fang Fangtianxian and Five Mad Immortal got together, it was like a turtle seeing a green bean—well, they appreciated each other and hit it off.

Although one was a celestial being and the other was Loose Immortal had lived for nearly 300,000 years, there was a difference in their strength.

He was always slovenly, dressed like Delia.

Since their beloved disciples had all become disciples of the Dao Ancestor, they had a lot in common.

The fact that the Slovenly True Person was accepted as a disciple by the Xuanwu Great Emperor and left the Great Xia World with the Overturning Sea Great Sage was something Ji Ning only mentioned to the Five Mad Immortal via telepathy after leaving the main hall in Anchan Prefecture; no one else knew about it.

The Five Mad Immortal also understood that this matter was of great importance and could not be easily spread.

Even if you're excited and want to show off, you have to hold it in for now.

They happened to run into Kong Fang, who had the same experience. The two old fellows huddled together, exchanging compliments, and seemed to feel like they had known each other for a long time.

"Uncle, Aunt."

A familiar voice came from behind.

Zhou Hao turned his head and saw two figures walking towards him from a distance: a young man in fine clothes and a young nobleman with an elegant and refined demeanor.

"Jinle, brother-in-law," Liu Yu said happily.

The visitors were none other than Ji Jingling, the Marquis of Guangling, and his son, who were also the husband and son of Liu Yu's sister.

"Uncle, you're amazing!" Ji Jinle ran over excitedly, saying, "In the Moon Landscape Painting, you killed hundreds of Myriad Phenomena True Person all by yourself! Even Xia Mang Zishan and Cangwu Jiu, who are on the Myriad Phenomena Windcloud Ranking, were completely overwhelmed by you... But why did you disappear at the end?"

There was something else he didn't say, because Ji Ning was right there beside him.

In Ji Jinle's opinion, if her uncle-in-law continued to participate in the subsequent one-on-one duels, Ji Ning, the first place winner of the Immortal Fate Assembly, would have no chance.

Even if the last ninety-six extraordinary Myriad Phenomena attacked together, it would be in vain.

"Zhou Hao, I heard that you were taken away by your sect midway. What exactly happened?" Ji Jingling asked with concern via telepathy.

No celestial beings from the Ji Clan came this time, and they only vaguely knew about what happened in the main hall of the Heavenly Brilliance Hall by inquiring from other clans, but even that was unclear and inaccurate.

"It was a Dao Ancestor who took a liking to me and took me away to become his disciple midway through my journey," Zhou Hao transmitted his voice. "After becoming a disciple, I stayed in the Heavenly Realm for a year. This time, I came back to pick up Yu'er and go to the Heavenly Realm with me."

"He really is the Dao Ancestor." Ji Jingling exclaimed excitedly.

He was, after all, a regional lord, and his family had a Celestial Ancestor. He knew far more about the Three Realms than other ordinary sects and forces, and he understood what being a 'disciple of the Dao Ancestor' meant.

In fact, he already had a guess based on the vague information he had gathered.

After all, it was the Immortal Fate Assembly personally presided over by the Xia Emperor. The ruler of a great world was a dominant figure even among True Immortals and Heavenly Gods.

What sect could possibly take Zhou Hao away midway through the conference? Only the Dao Ancestor could do that.

But that was just speculation. Now that Zhou Hao has confirmed it, Ji Jingling is extremely excited.

This is fantastic news!

The disciples of the Dao Ancestor are almost all destined to be Celestial Immortals, or even Pure Yang True Immortal, and will surely become great figures who will be famous Three Realms!

As the saying goes, "When one person attains enlightenment, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Let alone their close relatives.

"It's good that you, your sister, Jinle know about this," Zhou Hao reminded her. "I've just entered the Heavenly Realm, and although I have my master's guidance, I still don't have a solid foundation. Once things settle down, we can arrange for some young members of the Ji Clan like Jinle to go to the Heavenly Realm. With my guidance, they can earn a better future."

He had no tribe of his own; his only close relatives were the Iron Ox Tribe and the Ji Clan clan.

The Iron Ox Tribe is too small and its foundation too shallow. The Ji Clan is not among the top of the 3,600 vassal tribes in the Great Xia World, but it is still a tribe that has been passed down since the ancient era of gods and demons, so it still has some foundation.

A hero needs three helpers; those who can roam freely and become famous throughout the Three Realms all have a large number of powerful figures assisting them.

Like his senior brother Lü Dongbin, the Eight Immortals of Upper Cavern were eight Pure Yang True Immortal.

Like the Xia Emperor.

With the assistance of the Xia Mang Clan's celestial beings, the Yinglong Guard, the Empress Luo Clan, the Mysterious Heaven Sect, and other tribal sects, and even the support of the Ancient Imperial Clan Xia Clan.

No matter how strong you are, you can't always fight alone; you need to start cultivating your own loyal followers as early as possible.

Otherwise, the only capable servant he could offer to help with trivial matters was the divine demon Zhurong Ying. He would have to do most of the work himself, which would be too troublesome.

"I understand." Ji Jingling nodded, his excitement only increasing.

Back then, their Ji Clan ancestor followed the Xia Emperor, broke out of a prefecture and was granted a title, bringing blessings to the tribe for countless years to this day...

Now, perhaps another tremendous opportunity has arrived!

Imperial City Square is definitely not a place for reminiscing.

Ji Jingling was the Marquis of Guangling, and he was leading the Guangling Prefecture troops back. After finding out about Zhou Hao's matter, he excitedly led his troops away.

Ji Ning went to the King Yan's Manor, to her cousin Yuchi Xiyue, because the Xia Emperor had asked her to wait in the capital for three days.

A majestic warship sailed away from the capital and flew over the endless wilderness.

On the deck of the warship.

Kong Fang Fangtianxian and Five Mad Immortal sat on the ground, with bowls and plates in front of them, filled with all kinds of delicious food.

"Here." Kong Fang Fangtianxian flipped his hand and took out two bronze wine jugs, handing one to Five Mad Immortal. "I took quite a bit of this royal wine when I left. Drink as much as you like, don't be shy."

The two of them didn't use chopsticks; they simply used their greasy hands to grab the meat and eat heartily, while using their other hands to hold the wine jug and gulp it down.

"Disciple, would you like some?" Kong Fang asked his disciple while eating and drinking.

"No, Master. You two eat." Zhou Hao shook his head, flipped his hand and took out two white jade wine pots, placing them in front of the two elders.

"Immortal wine from the True Immortal's seat?" Kong Fang's eyes lit up. "As expected of my good disciple, haha."

"I just didn't want to waste it," Zhou Hao explained with a smile.

Because of the Overturning Sea Great Sage, Xia Emperor ended up giving each True Immortal seat several extra jugs of immortal wine.

Adhering to the principle of thrift and recognizing waste as shameful, Zhou Hao naturally put the items away before leaving.

As I walked to the deck viewing platform, I heard Beishan Baiwei's voice coming from below.

"Jinle, the Carefree Cave in my Anchan City is absolutely the most luxurious place for pleasure, no less than Tianbao Mountain. When the Changsheng first arrived in Anchan City, it was I who entertained him in the Carefree Cave..."

Zhou Hao looked down and saw Beishan Baiwei and Ji Jinle chatting together about where to go for some leisure time.

Ji Jingling returned to Guangling Prefecture, while Ji Jinle went with Zhou Hao Liu Yu to Anchan City for a few days before returning home after they left the Great Xia World.

One was a young marquis, and the other's father was a favorite to become the next Marquis of Anchan. They were from similar family backgrounds and naturally hit it off immediately.

From the hall on the second floor of the warship, the faint sounds of women laughing could still be heard.

Those were the voices of Liu Yu, Yun Yuchan, and Lin Xia'er.

Lin Xia'er and Mu Zishuo have confirmed their relationship as Daoist partners. Mu Zishuo will accompany Ji Ning to wait for the final news of his apprenticeship. Lin Xia'er heard that her senior brothers and sisters will also be leaving the Great Xia World in a few days, so she will return to Anchan Prefecture with everyone to see them off.

Listening to the laughter and chatter of his familiar and close friends, and looking down at the endless, vast mountains and rivers outside the warship, Zhou Hao couldn't help but smile.

Peaceful, tranquil, and carefree.

With close friends and family by my side, and a confidante by my side...

That's life!

"Hmm?" Just as Zhou Hao's sense of satisfaction began to rise, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

"A peaceful, tranquil, Xiaoyao life cannot exist without strength."

Only when you are strong enough can you protect your most important family and loved ones.

"Only those with great strength can control their own destiny and attain true Xiaoyao and liberation..."

Zhou Hao immediately reflected on himself and strengthened his resolve to follow the Tao.

A glint of sword light flashed in his eyes, severing the sense of ease and satisfaction that had just risen in his heart.

Both Buddhism and Dao Sect have the saying "the sword of wisdom severs the threads of affection."

It refers to using wisdom as a sword to cut through all afflictions and sweep away the defilements that obscure one's spiritual heart.

"That was close." Zhou Hao said, still shaken.

For cultivators embarking on the path to immortality, every step is fraught with peril.

The more powerful and magically capable someone is, the more easily they are influenced by various subtle emotions.

Even powerful Dao Ancestors would feel joy and excitement after forging a Chaos Treasure or having a great adventure in the Chaos, let alone ordinary cultivators.

This is the nature of living beings, and it cannot be eliminated.

Many emotions are not only harmful to cultivation, but also extremely difficult to detect.

Just like Zhou Hao's rising sense of satisfaction with life and ability.

If he hadn't discovered it in time and eliminated it immediately, it might have been slowly corrupted from his ambition.

Many cultivators who have achieved the status of Celestial Immortal or True Immortal have struggled to make any further progress after countless years of arduous cultivation. Besides a lack of natural talent and comprehension, it's hard to say that they are also limited by this sense of satisfaction.

After all, for ordinary cultivators, becoming a celestial immortal is the ultimate goal in life.

"I have lived two lives. In my first life, I sought Changsheng. But can celestial beings and gods also achieve Changsheng?"

Even if there's no lifespan limit, if faced with an even stronger opponent, death is still the only outcome!

"The path to immortality should be filled with lofty goals!"

"Above the Heavenly Gods are the True Gods, above the True Gods are the Ancestor God, and above the Ancestor God are the realms of Nuwa Empress and God Pangu!"

Above Nuwa Empress and Pangu?

"Could this be the end of the path to immortality?"

"Only those with soaring ambitions can go further."

"My only goal in this life is to reach the summit! No matter how far ahead I am, I will never turn back!"

Zhou Hao looked at the distant horizon and felt his mind become clear.

Within the Mud Pill Palace, the black and white energy surging within the Taiji Divine Soul became increasingly solid, faintly emitting a radiant glow, and becoming even more in harmony with the Taiji origin of heaven and earth.

"Huh?"

Kong Fang seemed to sense something and looked up at his disciple standing on the bow platform.

The path to immortality places the greatest emphasis on one's character, or Dao heart.

Although Zhou Hao appeared to have changed little, the subtle sharpness emanating from him was still sensed by Kong Fang, who possessed the highest cultivation level.

"This kid seems a bit different from before," Kong Fang Fangtian muttered, continuing to eat and drink with his head down.

This monstrous disciple has now surpassed me in the realm of Dao.

Yes, yes, the student surpasses the teacher—that's the greatest joy in life!

The majestic warships sailed into Anchan City.

"Hmm?" Zhou Hao, who was standing on the bow deck, suddenly frowned.

In his subconscious perception, it seemed that a terrible danger was approaching him.

"Something's not right," Zhou Hao transmitted a warning to everyone. "I sense danger approaching."

"Is there danger?" Kong Fang and Five Mad came to the bow of the ship and looked down at the city below.

Looking at the bustling, peaceful city, Five Mad asked in confusion, "We've already entered Anchan City, how could there be any danger?"

This is a city of the Great Xia Dynasty, the main city of a prefecture, and the stronghold of Marquis of Anchan, the Beishan Clan.

With the deterrent power of the Great Xia Dynasty and the Beishan Clan, even a Celestial wouldn't dare to make a move within Anchan City.

"Can you sense where the danger is coming from?" Kong Fang looked around warily.

He had no idea how accurate a cultivator's intuition could be.

Those with profound spiritual attainments can even clearly sense their own destiny.

"I don't know," Zhou Hao shook his head. "It doesn't seem to be coming from outside, but from within the city. And as we entered the city, the sense of threat became clearer and clearer."

After saying that, Zhou Hao could hardly believe it.

You should know that I have cultivated the Eight-Nine Arcane Art, mastered the Taiji Power, and possess two innate spiritual treasures. Logically speaking, even a celestial being would find it difficult to pose a threat to me.

However, even he himself felt threatened, and his Second Primordial Spirit avatar was in the mansion in the city, yet he had not noticed it at all.

This shocked Zhou Hao.

"Could there be a large group of celestial beings lying in ambush inside the city?"

You must be kidding.

Who would dare to do such a thing? Even Shaoyan Clan, who had the deepest grudge against him, wouldn't dare to do this.

Even if Shaoyan Clan had truly lost his mind and wasn't afraid of his own sect, sending celestial beings to ambush and kill him, it shouldn't have happened within Anchan City.

This is tantamount to openly provoking the Great Xia Dynasty and the Xia Emperor. Only if Shao Yan Poison Ugly and all the Celestial Immortals were completely out of their minds would they resort to such a 'ultimate move'.

As for why Zhou Hao didn't believe the hidden enemy was a true immortal or god.

This is because of the existence of someone with that level of strength; if they truly intended to ambush and assassinate him.

Either I won't sense anything at all, or the danger I sense will be ten or a hundred times stronger than it is now.

Furthermore, how noble are true immortals and celestial gods? Even with the power of the Dao Ancestor, they are still at the highest level. How could they dare to personally take action when they already know that he has become a disciple of the Three Pure Ones?

Wow~~~

Zhou Hao's consciousness immediately enveloped all directions of Antan City.

"Is that Fellow Daoist Zhou Hao?" A familiar voice drifted from afar.

Those below the Celestial Immortal level, whose souls have not yet developed consciousness, cannot sense Zhou Hao's mental probing. However, the Heavenly Immortal Tuoshan, who was stationed in the City Lord's Mansion's Mansion, was alerted immediately.

A hunchbacked old man flew out of the City Lord's Mansion and strode to the front of the warship. He cupped his hands towards Zhou Hao on board and said, "I haven't yet congratulated you on becoming a disciple of the Three Pure Ones Daoist. What has caused you to go to such lengths, even requiring your consciousness to cover the entire city?"

Although the Heavenly Immortal Tuoshan did not go to the imperial city this time, his information network was extremely efficient. He had already learned from his friend in the Heavenly Brilliance Hall that Zhou Hao had been taken away by Xuandu Grand Mage to become his disciple.

"Mountain Bearer." Zhou Hao had just spoken when his senses detected a warship bearing the banner of Marquis of Anchan of the Beishan Clan entering the city from another direction.

At that very moment, a strong surge of energy suddenly erupted within the city.

At least a hundred figures soared into the sky and instantly pounced on the Beishan Clan's warship.

"Kill!"

"Kill Marquis of Anchan!"

Hearing the deafening shouts of battle, Zhou Hao was taken aback.

Was it aimed at Marquis of Anchan?

The people on that Beishan Clan warship were none other than Marquis Antan, who had just returned from the capital, and some of the younger members of the Beishan Clan.

"How dare you!" the Heavenly Immortal Tuoshan roared in fury. "You dare to make a move within the Anchan City!"

Brush!

The Heavenly Immortal Tuoshan was already charging towards Marquis of Anchan's warship.