The Ten Suns Across the Sky

Although it was just an ordinary Houtian Spiritual Treasure, the secrets hidden within the painting were unknown. Seeing Jieyin nod slightly, he solemnly accepted it.

"To be frank," Changxi gently stroked the teacup, "I've come for the Enlightenment Tea Leaves. I heard that the Spiritual Roots now belong to you, so I've shamelessly come to ask for them."

Her eyes flickered slightly, "I wonder if you'd be willing to part with them? The price is up to you."

Lu Tian immediately offered a hundred tea leaves, "Senior, you bestowed a treasure upon me first; consider this a return gift."

Changxi did not take them. She suddenly stood up and saluted, "I am expecting to give birth soon. These tea leaves... are for the child in my womb." She looked towards the Two Sages of the West, "I hope the two Sages will grant my wish."

"Giving birth?!"

Lu Tian's heart trembled violently.

The one about to be born must be those ten Golden Crows!

Thinking of the legend in later generations about the Ten Suns Across the Sky and the tragic fate of Da Yi Shoots the Suns, he glanced at Jieyin and Zhunti, who had kind faces beside him. The hand holding the teacup couldn't help but tighten.

In the eyes of the beings in the East, they were utterly ** disciples, shamelessly ** plundering Eastern resources to fill the Western coffers.

The decisive battle between the Witch and Demon races was about to unfold.

Lu Tian understood.

Seeing Changxi's stance, he took out another one hundred and twenty-six tea leaves.

"Senior, this is all I have in stock."

Such a precise number made it inconvenient for Changxi to ask for more.

After putting away the tea leaves, Changxi said cheerfully, "I've accepted them. Feel free to ask for anything you need."

"When you have time, feel free to visit the Demon Race. I'll have someone guide you through the sights of the Demon Realm."

Her eyes flowed with a hint of playfulness, "I heard you don't have a Dao companion yet. Our Demon Race has many outstanding female cultivators; perhaps you'd like to get to know some."

This was clearly an attempt to recruit him.

Other than Lu Tian, no one knew the final outcome of the Witch-Demon conflict.

If he could be brought into the Demon Race's camp and use this opportunity to connect with the Western Teachings, the Demon Race's chances of victory would greatly increase!

Lu Tian smiled amiably, "Your kindness is overwhelming, Senior. I wouldn't dare refuse."

"Although I don't have any urgent needs right now, I've long heard that the Demon Race's treasury is the most abundant in the Primordial World. If I could have a look, it would truly be a fortunate event."

Swish! Several gazes shot towards him.

Jieyin, Zhunti, Changxi, and Xihe all stared at Lu Tian.

"Good boy..."

"He truly has the demeanor of his Master back then!"

"Setting his sights on the Demon Race's treasury, truly worthy of being one of us **!"

Jieyin and Zhunti almost burst out laughing.

Changxi was stunned for a moment, then coughed lightly, "Granted. I'll have someone escort you there at the time."

Lu Tian bowed with a smile.

The value of the Enlightenment Tea Leaves was immeasurable; it all depended on how he played his cards.

"These items..."

"They're not enough to exchange for a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, but if I encounter a suitable treasure, it's not impossible to make a deal."

"Since I'm here, why would I leave empty-handed?"

"If all else fails, I'll add some more chips."

"This opportunity to enter the Demon Race's treasury is the most crucial!"

After a brief chat.

Changxi and Xihe gracefully departed.

"Your performance this time was excellent!"

"He truly has the spirit of his Master back then!"

Jieyin and Zhunti praised him one after another.

After venting his pent-up emotions, Lu Tian had indeed grown considerably.

Looking at the retreating figures of the two women, Lu Tian's gaze slightly condensed.

He was naturally not a lecherous person...

He was just savoring the events that had just transpired.

Although the Enlightenment Tea Leaves were precious, they were not essential to the Demon Race, let alone asking for them twice in a row.

There must be a hidden reason behind this.

The first time Changxi gifted Lu Tian a Magic Treasure, although its grade was ordinary, it was a special item whose true value was difficult to estimate. This move was intended to proactively establish a connection with Lu Tian and sow the seeds of Karma.

Lu Tian immediately returned a hundred Enlightenment Tea Leaves, intending to repay the favor of the gifted treasure and sever this Karma. If he had deliberately raised the value of his return gift, it would have only entangled the two parties further.

Sensing Lu Tian's reluctance to get too involved with the Demon Race, Changxi used the impending birth of the Imperial Son as an excuse to test him again. Lu Tian proposed visiting the Demon Race's treasure vault, not only to search for treasures worth forming a connection with, but also to keep the initiative in his own hands.

When selecting items in the treasure vault, he could choose valuable objects or ordinary ones. Thus, whether this karma would continue or not was entirely up to his own decision. This ability to advance or retreat freely impressed Changxi, Xihe, and even their two Masters.

In the Primordial World, mere brute strength was far from enough. Besides absolute power, one also needed strategy and maneuvering; a slight misstep could lead to falling into someone else's trap!

The power struggles between the Great Powers of the Primordial World... were truly taxing. Lu Tian sighed inwardly. This world placed the utmost importance on karmic ties. Even a peak existence like Hongyun had fallen due to karmic backlash. If he hadn't glimpsed some of the Law of Karma when he advanced to Taiyi Golden Immortal, he would have likely fallen into a trap this time.

He repeatedly declined, truly unwilling to get entangled with the Demon Race. Not only because the Demon Race was destined to be annihilated in the Witch-Demon War, but also because the Witch Race had someone he truly wished to befriend—Houtu.

This future Empress Pingxin would transform into the Six Paths of Reincarnation and become an Earthly Sage. Her esteemed status and extraordinary achievements were unmatched among both the Witch and Demon Races. If he could draw her into the Western Teachings' camp, it would be a great help to the West. If he could manifest the Path of Reincarnation in the West...

This thought flashed through Lu Tian's mind and vanished. If he were to voice it now, he would surely be seen as a madman dreaming. Those brutish witches could actually evolve reincarnation? It was absurd! But Lu Tian knew this would come to pass. Since he had foreknowledge, he could plan accordingly.

At the peak of Kunlun, the Sages arrived as scheduled, gathering in Dao De Tianzun's Eight Sceneries Palace, which was enveloped in rosy cloud glow.

Jieyin and Zhunti arrived with Lu Tian and other Western Teachings disciples, treading on clouds. Inside the palace, lotus platforms were scattered like chess pieces. Lu Tian sat at the back with his Senior Brothers, as still as a pine tree. This discussion of the Dao was a clash of profound mysteries among the top Great Powers of the Primordial World. For someone of his shallow cultivation, he could only gather his breath, focus his mind, and listen intently to every word, which sounded like heavenly sounds.

Outside the palace, golden lotuses broke through the earth, and cranes carried auspicious mist, dyeing the Kunlun Mountain Range with auspicious radiance. Inside the palace, Dao Charm surged, sometimes showing the Milky Way hanging upside down, sometimes depicting the chaos first opening. Lu Tian sat with his eyes closed, and suddenly a faint light emanated from his body—though it was nowhere near the wondrous phenomena of the Sages, it shone like a single firefly among his peers.

Beneath Tongtian's seat, Duobao and Zhao Gongming suddenly opened their eyes. They saw that the Western Teachings disciple had already entered a state of roaming the Great Void and were inwardly shocked: The Sages' discussion of the Dao was as abstruse as heavenly script, how could this child enter such a state of meditation in an instant? As they were lost in thought, they heard their Master's light reprimand: "If your Dao heart is like water, why chase the waves?" The two felt ashamed and quickly focused their minds.

The sound of the Dao grew louder within the palace, but Lu Tian, with the halo around his brow flowing, seemed not to hear.

The two, who were also exceptionally gifted, found themselves unable to calm their minds and comprehend the Dao today.

The Three Maidens of Sanxiao had long been immersed in comprehension, yet they spent a considerable amount of time before gaining even a little.

Similar to their situation was Taiyi Zhenren, under Yuanshi Tianzun.

He was restless, his gaze occasionally flicking towards Lu Tian, a bitter feeling rising in his heart.

Ever since his defeat at Lu Tian's hands, he had cultivated day and night, even requesting Yuanshi to reverse time and frantically hone himself in accelerated years.

All for the sake of defeating Lu Tian openly at the Mystic Gate Grand Gathering!

But now, he had lost even the courage to make a move—witnessing Lu Tian consecutively defeat Zhao Gongming and Duobao Daoist, he had completely lost the will to challenge him.

Taiyi Zhenren sighed inwardly.

As a legitimate disciple of the Mystic Gate, he knew that Lu Tian had become his Inner Demon.

And Lu Tian, who was being watched by everyone, was currently frowning, desperately trying to comprehend the profound Dao Charm of the Great Powers.

The supreme principles expounded by these supreme beings were too profound; he could only grasp scattered fragments, yet he had already benefited greatly.

The Law of the Five Elements, the Path of Space-Time... the many laws he had originally mastered revealed new profound meanings under the guidance of the Great Powers.

As his comprehension deepened, his understanding of the laws far surpassed his current realm, and this accumulation finally triggered a qualitative change.

A thousand years... five thousand years... eight thousand years...

Time flew by, and the discussion of the Dao gradually entered its prime.

When ten thousand years had passed, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy began to gather around Lu Tian spontaneously, his aura rising steadily.

This phenomenon attracted the attention of the Great Powers—

Is this child about to break through?

It's only been a little over ten thousand years since he advanced to Taiyi Golden Immortal, right?

The surrounding powerhouses tacitly made way for the Spiritual Energy, and the abundant Saint Realm spiritual aura of the Eight Sceneries Palace surged towards Lu Tian.

As the last restraint quietly shattered, the eyes Lu Tian opened were filled with the light of enlightenment.

This breakthrough, though seemingly ordinary, was extraordinarily significant—ten thousand years of not cultivating, yet achieving it naturally through comprehension!

Lu Tian now had a thorough understanding of the Laws of the Five Elements and Space-Time, his realm far exceeding his previous one.

Most crucially, three thousand years ago, he finally touched upon the threshold of the Laws of Creation and Destruction, comprehending a trace of their profound mystery.

As soon as this sliver of enlightenment appeared, it was like finding a treasure, and his cultivation progressed by leaps and bounds.

These two laws were in harmony with his origin, making comprehension twice as effective. In just three thousand years, he had caught up to his attainments in the Five Elements and Space-Time.

The gains from ten thousand years of listening to the Dao surpassed twenty thousand years of solitary cultivation!

The Great Powers' discussion of the Dao did not stop because of his breakthrough.

The fierce clash of Dao techniques continued.

Another three thousand years passed, and this protracted discussion of the Dao finally came to an end.

The Great Powers bid farewell to each other, all departing with their gains.

As Lu Tian and his two Masters stepped out of the Eight Sceneries Palace, they suddenly heard a clear voice from behind:

"Little friend Lu Tian, would you be willing to accompany my sisters to the Demon Race Heavenly Court?"

Turning back, they saw the Demon Race Empress Changxi and Xihe smiling and inviting him.

A trip to the Heavenly Court?

Lu Tian had no plans for the moment, so he agreed to accompany them. After bidding farewell to Jieyin and Zhunti, he left Kunlun with the two Empresses.

As soon as they left the mountain range, Xihe conjured a flying boat in her palm.

With a slight parting of her red lips, the flying boat grew into a hundred-zhang spirit ship in the wind, with hundreds of Grand Unity Demon Soldiers standing at attention on either side.

"Welcome, Empress, to our humble abode!"

Amidst the earth-shattering shouts, the disciples of the Western Teachings inwardly marveled—this was the true power of the Demon Race, the force that commanded the heavens!

"Lu, please, come aboard," Xihe invited calmly, long accustomed to such grand displays.

Zhunti lightly patted his shoulder, channeling a stream of spiritual energy into him. "Return to the West soon."

As Lu Tian stepped onto the flying boat, the two Empresses also bowed in farewell to the Sages.

With the combined effort of the assembled Demon Sages, the flying boat soared into the sky, disappearing into the void for a spatial jump in the blink of an eye.

Lu Tian was shown to a guest cabin to rest.

The cabin was a world unto itself, filled with blooming flowers as if it were early spring.

At times, he would discuss the Dao and spar with Changxi and Xihe.

While called sparring, it was more accurately the two seniors guiding him through his confusion.

More often, he spent his time in solitary meditation and comprehension.

The Mystic Gate Grand Gathering was a rare opportunity; ultimately, cultivation depended on slow and steady effort.

The insights he had accumulated over the years were enough to digest, and now he needed to transform them into actual cultivation.

Midway through the journey, the flying boat quietly changed course to pick up a member of the Demon Race on their way to the Heavenly Court.

After hundreds of years of travel, they finally arrived beyond the Thirty-Third Heaven.

Lu Tian emerged from his seclusion upon hearing the news and stepped off the flying boat.

Before him stood the magnificent and resplendent South Heaven Gate, its plaque hung high—a Houtian Spiritual Treasure in itself.

The moment his gaze fell upon the calligraphy on the plaque, his spiritual sense throbbed painfully—

It must have been personally inscribed by a Great Power of the Demon Race.

[Ding! Detected Blessed Land Heavenly Court]

[Reward: Formless Immeasurable Formation Diagram]

A Buddhist formation?

Lu Tian's spirit stirred. Upon closer inspection, he realized this formation could transform its casters into formation spirits, and with the combined power, it could temporarily trap a Sage!

Though slightly inferior to formations like the Zhou Tian Star Dou, it surpassed the Myriad Immortals Great Formation.

Its greatest merit was its use as a mountain-protecting formation, gathering power like grains of sand to unleash super-tier combat power.

Excellent!

Ever since his encounter with Zhao Gongming, he had longed to learn the formations of the Intercepting Sect.

Now, he had finally obtained a treasure.