With a scream, Taiyi plummeted straight down from the sky.
Di Jun was horrified. He hurriedly urged the River Map and Luo Scroll to transform into a streak of light and rush forward, catching the grievously wounded Taiyi.
Seeing how faint his second brother's aura had become, Di Jun's heart ached. He quickly drew on his own Sun Origin Mana and poured it into Taiyi without pause, healing his injuries and stabilizing his Dao foundation.
At that moment.
The Three Pure Ones, Hong Yun, Kunpeng, and the other great powers present couldn't help sucking in a sharp breath at Taiyi's sorry state. Their scalps went numb.
How could they not understand? Anyone who dared attack Tianlu, this Pixiu, would immediately be punished by the Heavenly Dao!
But they were utterly baffled.
Wasn't the Heavenly Dao supposed to be utterly impartial?!
Why was it that Tianlu, this Pixiu, could snatch their opportunity, and they weren't even allowed to take it back? The moment they made a move, the Heavenly Dao sent down Purple Heaven Divine Lightning to strike them.
Why the special treatment?
If the Heavenly Dao knew how aggrieved they felt right now, it could only helplessly reply:
If you've got what it takes, go argue your case with the Great Dao!
In truth, the Heavenly Dao itself was at the end of its tether.
The Heavenly Dao was in motion. It knew full well that the Xiantian Gourd Vine wasn't Tianlu's opportunity at all, but rather the destined lot of the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the others. Still, there was nothing it could do.
The rules dictated it. Tianlu was the Pet of the Great Dao, blessed with the Law of Fortune of the Great Dao. Any living being who harbored malice toward him would automatically suffer the backlash of the Rules of the Heavenly Dao. No matter how unwilling it was, the Heavenly Dao had to grit its teeth, obey the rules, and protect this shameless Pixiu.
Seeing Taiyi, who'd been struck until he was a dreadful mess, Tianlu took the opportunity to withdraw his ten-thousand-zhang Pixiu form and return to the size of a tiger.
Instead of stepping on Cloud Treasure, he stood atop the Twenty-Four Petal Creation Green Lotus and looked down at the disheveled immortals around him, laughing scornfully without the slightest restraint.
"Fellow Daoists, it seems even the Heavenly Dao thinks the opportunity of the Xiantian Gourd Vine belongs to me."
"You insisted on defying Heaven and taking it by force. Getting struck by Purple Heaven Divine Lightning is what you deserve!"
Hearing Tianlu mock them after getting what he wanted, the Three Pure Ones and the others flew into a rage.
But seeing the dark purple Tribulation Clouds still churning faintly in the sky, they forced themselves to swallow their anger.
The situation was now clear. With the Heavenly Dao showing such unreasonable favoritism, the Xiantian Gourd Vine was never going to be theirs.
Staying any longer would only bring further humiliation—and perhaps another bolt of lightning. The Three Pure Ones and the other immortals exchanged glances.
They could only sigh helplessly, use their escape techniques, and return to their respective sanctuaries as streaks of light.
In the blink of an eye, the once-bustling mountainside of Mount Buzhou was left with only Tianlu, along with Nuwa and Fuxi, who had never made a move.
Fuxi, dressed in a dark Daoist robe and carrying himself with gentle refinement, exchanged a glance with Nuwa, who wore a gorgeous seven-colored gown and possessed an elegant, peerless beauty. The two stepped forward.
Looking at Tianlu, they seemed to want to speak but hesitated. They truly couldn't understand why the Heavenly Dao would protect Tianlu without the slightest restraint.
Seeing their expressions, Tianlu immediately guessed what they were thinking and burst into hearty laughter.
"I, Tianlu, am the Child of the Great Dao, the Pet of the Great Dao!"
"I command the blessings of the world and control the Law of Fortune. Across the Primordial World, I can go wherever I please, unhindered! Every opportunity and every Creation follows my will!"
As Tianlu spoke, wisps of dazzling, radiant yellow-black Law of Merit spilled uncontrollably from between his parted lips.
Nuwa and Fuxi had already been shaken by Tianlu's domineering words. Now that they saw radiant yellow-black Law of Merit pouring from between his lips, they were completely stunned.
Nuwa's eyes were full of confusion and shock. She couldn't help asking:
"Fellow Daoist Tianlu, what earth-shattering deed have you done to earn so much merit?"
Fuxi stared intently at Tianlu and secretly tried to divine his fate, only to find it obscured by a boundless haze. He couldn't glimpse a thing.
Tianlu merely waved a hand, unconcerned. He didn't mind revealing the secret of his heaven-defying divine ability.
"I only ate the fruit of a Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Root. My Innate Divine Ability lets me breathe out boundless merit as long as I devour the fruit of a Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Root."
At these words, Nuwa and Fuxi were too shocked to speak.
Eating Xiantian fruit could produce radiant yellow-black Law of Merit out of thin air?!
This completely shattered the ironclad rule of the Primordial World: that one had to make a great contribution to gain merit. A divine ability that ignored the rules was simply too heaven-defying.
But then they thought again. Tianlu had just said that he was the Child of the Great Dao, the Pet of the Great Dao.
Since even the Heavenly Dao had to obey the rules of the Great Dao and grit its teeth as it protected him, perhaps it really wasn't so strange that he possessed a divine ability that broke all convention.
Nuwa calmed her turbulent emotions and spoke with heartfelt admiration.
"As expected of the Child of the Great Dao after Great God Pangu. Such fortune and Creation are truly beyond anything we could hope to match."
Tianlu laughed and waved a hand modestly.
"You flatter me, you flatter me."
After a chuckle, Tianlu suddenly activated the divine power of his Abdominal Space and opened his mouth to spit.
A brilliant immortal light flashed, and a Xiantian Gourd, its entire surface gleaming gold and engraved with natural patterns of the laws, appeared suspended steadily before Nuwa.
Nuwa and Fuxi both looked puzzled and turned to Tianlu.
"What do you mean by this, Fellow Daoist?"
Tianlu's expression turned serious as he looked at them.
"You two are on good terms with me. This is Fellow Daoist Nuwa's opportunity. How could I seize it by force?"
Warmth flooded Nuwa's heart. Her eyes filled with gratitude, and she bowed solemnly.
"Thank you for bestowing this treasure, Fellow Daoist Tianlu."
If the Three Pure Ones, Di Jun, Taiyi, Hong Yun, and the others, already back at their sanctuaries, had heard Tianlu's righteous words just then, they would surely have spat blood on the spot and denounced him as shameless.
You swallowed up all our opportunities. Why didn't you give them back?!
If Tianlu knew what they were thinking, he would only chuckle.
What are you to me, and what is Nuwa to me? Do you think you deserve to make me spit out treasures I've already swallowed?
After accepting the Xiantian Gourd, Nuwa carefully put the treasure away, then exchanged a glance with Fuxi.
Fuxi smiled and extended a warm invitation.
"Fellow Daoist Tianlu, now that matters on Mount Buzhou are settled, what do you plan to do next? If you have no pressing business, why not join us at Phoenix Perch Mountain?"
Tianlu lightly shook his head and politely declined.
"I appreciate your kindness, but my sanctuary is in the East Sea. I still need to return and enter seclusion to break through."
Hearing this, Nuwa and Fuxi didn't press him. They bowed slightly.
"If you have other plans, we won't insist. Take care on your journey, Fellow Daoist."
"Until we meet again, fellow Daoists."
"Until we meet again."
Before you continue