At that moment.
Di Jun and Tai Yi's words made Yang Hui, riding on the Cloud Treasure with Tianlu, furrow her brow. A surge of intense displeasure welled up inside her.
The two of them had referred only to the three fellow Daoists, both in what they said and how they said it. They had clearly ignored her, Yang Hui, entirely!
She was the dignified master of West Kunlun, the first wisp of Primordial Yin Qi to take form, and a top-tier divine being at the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
In the eyes of these Golden Crow brothers, was she fit only to be this shameless Pixiu's underling?
Did she not even qualify to sit with them and discuss the grand scheme?
Yang Hui gritted her teeth in secret. If a wisp of her soul were not still in Tianlu's grasp, she would have lost her temper long ago.
In response to Di Jun and Tai Yi's attempt to keep him, Tianlu didn't even raise an eyelid.
He yawned, lazily swished his golden tail, and answered without the slightest courtesy.
"Fellow Daoists, I'm busy."
The blunt refusal made the smile on Di Jun's face falter, while Tai Yi's expression darkened at once.
Tianlu couldn't be bothered to care what the two Golden Crows were thinking. He turned his gaze to Nuwa and Fuxi beside him and asked,
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa, Fellow Daoist Fuxi, what do you think? Shall we go join in the fun with them, or return to our abode?"
Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged a glance, looking somewhat hesitant.
The siblings were mild-tempered and had always been kind to others. Di Jun and Tai Yi were renowned powerhouses in the Primordial World, after all, and they had lowered themselves so much to invite them that it would be difficult to turn them down outright.
Fuxi smiled with gentle elegance and cupped his hands toward Tianlu.
"Daoist Brother Tianlu, please go on ahead. Don't worry about us siblings. We don't mind having a chat with Fellow Daoists Di Jun and Tai Yi."
Nuwa gave a slight nod as well.
Seeing that the siblings were willing to stay and socialize, Tianlu didn't say anything more.
"Fine, then. You two chat. I have a big deal to take care of."
With that, Tianlu moved his thoughts and controlled the cloud beneath him—a mid-grade Innate Numinous Treasure—to carry himself and Yang Hui straight toward another side hall of the Purple Heaven Palace.
Watching Tianlu turn and leave without a second thought, a flash of anger crossed Tai Yi's eyes. He was just about to erupt.
But Di Jun had always been magnanimous. Sensing Tai Yi's anger, he immediately sent a secret message to stop his younger brother before he could blow up.
"Don't be impatient, Second Brother. Tianlu is an Auspicious Beast, and his strength is formidable. There's no need to rush."
"Besides, Fellow Daoists Nuwa and Fuxi are here. As long as we build a good relationship with them, we may still be able to win over Fellow Daoist Tianlu through their help."
Only then did Tai Yi's anger subside.
After calming Tai Yi, Di Jun gestured for Nuwa and Fuxi to proceed.
Then Di Jun, Tai Yi, and the others set off with Nuwa and Fuxi, flying toward the Primordial World as they discussed its situation.
Meanwhile.
Tianlu rode the Cloud Treasure at a leisurely pace to the front hall of the Purple Heaven Palace.
This was not the grand hall where Hongjun had just given his lecture. Instead, it was especially quiet and secluded, with faint streams of Chaos Qi drifting all around.
Once they arrived, Tianlu seemed to suddenly remember something. He stopped the cloud and turned toward Yang Hui, who was still sulking beside him.
"Get down."
Yang Hui was taken aback, her face full of confusion. For a moment, she didn't understand what he meant.
Tianlu impatiently continued,
"You can return to the Primordial World now. You don't have to follow me anymore."
Yang Hui's eyes widened instantly, and a rush of joy surged through her heart.
Could there really be such a good thing?!
Being stuck beside this greedy, overbearing, shameless Pixiu had made every day feel like a year.
The things she'd been made to do were a grave affront to the supreme dignity of the master of West Kunlun.
But she had been powerless to do anything about it. Her life and a wisp of her soul were firmly under Tianlu's control.
Now that Tianlu had offered to let her go, how could she possibly hesitate?
"Then I'll return to West Kunlun first!"
Afraid Tianlu might change his mind, Yang Hui didn't even bother with another word of courtesy. She transformed into a streak of light and sped toward the Primordial World without looking back.
Watching Yang Hui flee as if for her life, Tianlu grinned and couldn't be bothered to pay her any mind.
Just then, two exquisitely delicate figures hurried out of the hall. They were Haotian and Yaochi.
The two respectfully bowed to Tianlu, and Haotian said,
"Daoist Brother Tianlu, Master has been waiting for you in the rear hall for some time."
Tianlu nodded in satisfaction. He thought that the old Hongjun knew better than to renege on his promise.
"Lead the way."
Lying on the Cloud Treasure, Tianlu gave the order lazily.
Guided by Haotian and Yaochi, the Cloud Treasure passed through layer upon layer of restrictions. A short while later, it arrived at the rear hall of the Purple Heaven Palace.
As soon as he entered the rear hall, Tianlu bellowed at the top of his lungs,
"Sage Hongjun! Where are you? Where's the thing you promised me? Hurry up and hand it over. I'm busy!"
Hongjun was seated cross-legged in the center of the rear hall. Hearing Tianlu's utterly discourteous shouting, the corners of his mouth twitched in helplessness.
Looking at the glittering golden Pixiu, whose eyes brimmed with greed, he felt a deep sense of helplessness.
As the Heavenly Dao's appointed spokesman and the forefather of the Immortal Dao, who would dare behave so outrageously in front of him?
And yet this Pixiu was the Pet of the Great Dao. Even the Heavenly Dao couldn't do anything about him. What could Hongjun do?
"Quiet down."
Hongjun spoke, and when Tianlu heard his voice, he immediately turned to look.
Hongjun didn't waste words. He swept his wide sleeve.
A dazzling golden light flew from within it and hovered in midair.
It was a magical treasure gleaming all over with gold. It had a peculiar shape, like a square dipper broad at the top and narrow at the bottom, with four square sides. A terrifying aura of a Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure radiated from it.
Tianlu didn't bother to think twice. The moment he saw a treasure, he opened his cavernous maw.
Whoosh!
The Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure had no chance to resist before Tianlu swallowed it whole into his Abdominal Space.
After swallowing it, Tianlu smacked his lips as if savoring the taste. Only then did he ask casually,
"Old man, what kind of Numinous Treasure did you just give me?"
Watching Tianlu's performance, Hongjun felt utterly helpless.
What kind of bizarre Pixiu was this?!
He hadn't even checked what the Numinous Treasure was before swallowing it?
Wasn't he afraid it might disagree with his stomach?
Hongjun took a deep breath, forcing down his frustration, then calmly explained,
"This is the Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure, the Primordial Golden Dipper."
"It contains the mysteries of the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation. It can hold all things between heaven and earth, strip away the Three Flowers atop one's head, and seal the Five Qis within one's chest. Its power is truly boundless."
Tianlu's eyes lit up at once.
So it was this treasure!
This was the famous magical treasure of the Three Xiao Goddesses of the Interception Sect during the later Investiture of the Gods. It had once displayed its full brilliance in the Nine-Bend Yellow River Array, stripping the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect of the Three Flowers atop their heads and earning an illustrious reputation.
He hadn't expected this fearsome weapon to end up in his hands now.
Tianlu nodded in satisfaction, then held out a claw and spread it open, entirely unabashed.
"I've accepted the Numinous Treasure. What about the spiritual root?"
"We agreed on this: the Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure and the Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Root. Neither can be left out."
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