Another stretch of time slipped by in Purple Cloud Palace, amid Xiao Kuang's salted-fish routine and everyone's subtle unease.
That day, Xiao Kuang was sprawled carelessly across his "Internet Cafe VIP Supreme Recliner," directing Chang Xi to chill spirit fruits with the power of moonlight while Xi He stood beside him expressionlessly reading out Heavenly Dao's "complaint letter" demanding more updates—more lectures, that was.
"Heavenly Dao says that if the Dao Ancestor keeps slacking off, the next Purple Cloud Divine Thunder it sends down won't be a warning anymore. It'll be Chaos Tribulation Thunder containing the laws of '996 blessings'..." As Xi He read the latter half, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. Heavenly Dao's wording was becoming more and more like that of a certain unscrupulous Dao Ancestor.
"Tsk, who's it trying to scare?" Xiao Kuang waved dismissively, a spirit fruit clamped between his teeth. "Let it strike! It can give Purple Cloud Palace some free electrotherapy. Maybe the internet speed will even improve."
The moment he finished speaking, all of Purple Cloud Palace suddenly trembled faintly.
It was not a violent quake, but an exceedingly subtle chill that seemed to seep into the depths of one's soul. It was as though an incomparably ancient block of ice had gently touched the outer walls of the palace.
Every living being in the hall—whether it was the Three Pure Ones soaking in the hot springs, with Primordial Lord of Heaven's face as black as the bottom of a pot; Jieyin and Zhunti howling like ghosts in the KTV; or the rare birds and exotic beasts napping in the backyard zoo—stiffened abruptly at that moment, overcome by instinctive awe and dread.
Xi He and Chang Xi, in particular, went deathly pale. Their movements came to a complete halt as they stared in panic toward the palace gates.
That aura... cold, pure, ancient, vast... It was the Taiyin Origin! It was their master!
She... had really come!
"Hm?" Xiao Kuang sensed the unusual chill as well. He sat up and scratched his head. "Did the air conditioning break? No, that can't be right. Mine uses a dual temperature-control system with an earth-vein furnace and Solar True Fire... Could the cold air from the 'Chilled Watermelon' section next door be leaking over?"
At that moment, a layer of crystalline frost silently appeared over the gates of Purple Cloud Palace, which had been formed from the laws of Heavenly Dao.
A female voice, so cold and devoid of emotion that it seemed to contain the power of moonlight accumulated across endless ages, passed through layer after layer of restrictions and rang clearly in the ears of every living being in the hall:
"Taiyin, Wangshu."
"I request an audience with the master of this place."
Her voice was calm, yet carried supreme authority. Every great power present tensed inwardly, stopping their absurd activities and staring uncertainly at the gates.
Taiyin Wangshu! She was an existence even more ancient than Dao Ancestor Hongjun! Legend said that she had long since transformed into the Taiyin and fallen into eternal slumber. Why had she appeared of her own accord today, and why had she come to this bizarrely styled Purple Cloud Palace?
Sect Master Tongtian instinctively put away his mahjong tiles. Laozi's hand froze as he stroked his beard. Empress Nuwa poked her head out of the hot spring, her eyes full of curiosity. Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance, secretly rejoicing that they had not stubbornly fought this Dao Ancestor to the bitter end. Xiao Kuang's talent for causing trouble was simply beyond imagination—he had even drawn such an ancient divine being here!
Jieyin and Zhunti shrank their necks even further. Purple Cloud Palace was becoming more and more dangerous, but at the same time... it also seemed to hold more opportunities?
Xi He and Chang Xi were nearly suffocating. They instinctively wanted to rush toward the gates to welcome their master, yet they looked fearfully at Xiao Kuang.
Xiao Kuang blinked blankly for several seconds, then suddenly slapped his thigh!
"Holy shit! She really came?!" Not only was he not nervous, he wore an expression of extreme excitement and... lecherous delight. "Miss Wangshu is pretty efficient! How long has it been since we hung up that 'call'? And she's already here for 'after-sales service'? Now that's what I call service!"
He completely ignored the coldness and majesty in her voice. His mind was filled with labels like "Primordial Chaos's number-one shut-in girl + veteran mature beauty + top-tier goddess." He sprang from the recliner and began straightening his Daoist robe, which did not have a single wrinkle to begin with—though it was actually still that lazy-man's T-shirt and beach shorts in disguise—while shouting to those around him:
"Quick, quick, quick! Xi He, Chang Xi, what are you standing around for? Open the door and welcome our guest! You there... Ao Qingxin, bring out the best chilled jade marrow! Feng Wanxia, turn on the heating... no, turn up the ambient lights! Qi Yao, arrange those flowers and plants you grew so they look nicer!"
"The spirit of Purple Cloud Palace must make the customer... ah, no, the honored guest feel the warmth of spring! Though she herself might prefer winter..."
The beings of Purple Cloud Palace: "..." (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻ Dao Ancestor! An ancient divine being is paying us a visit! This is not some grand-opening promotion for a pleasure house!
Heavenly Dao (core code fluctuating violently): Alert! An unknown ancient variable has intervened! Prediction of agent behavioral pattern: extremely dangerous! May result in a social-death incident on the scale of a fracture in Primordial Chaos's ancient history! Initiating emergency protocol... protocol loading failed... no relevant data... recommendation: format agent... insufficient permissions... [Heavenly Dao.exe has once again entered a sluggish response state].
Under Xiao Kuang's noisy commands, the frost on Purple Cloud Palace's gates slowly melted away. The bizarre palace doors, combining internet-cafe neon lights, foot-massage parlor lighting effects, and KTV disco-ball effects, slowly opened to a cheerful electronic "Welcome"—recorded by Xiao Kuang himself.
The Chaos Qi outside parted to either side, revealing a peerlessly cold and beautiful figure.
Wangshu wore a plain white palace gown, her body shrouded in hazy moonlight. Her silver hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her features were exquisitely beautiful, yet so cold that she did not seem like a living person. Her tranquil gaze swept over the bizarre sights within the palace. When she saw her two disciples, looking as though they had something to say but were too uneasy to speak, yet had clearly advanced in cultivation and reduced their karmic burdens, an almost imperceptible ripple flickered in her eyes.
At last, her gaze settled upon the young man dressed strangely, his face plastered with an enthusiastic—and highly punchable—smile as he rubbed his hands and approached her.
Xiao Kuang grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth. "Miss Wangshu, you've come from afar. You must be tired, you must be tired! Please, come inside! Purple Cloud Palace has just launched a new SPA wellness package. Twenty percent off across the board, guaranteed satisfaction! Oh, right, would you like a membership card? Sign up now and get a Primordial Violet Qi trial coupon!"
Wangshu: "...?" (A crack called "bewilderment" appeared on her icy face.)
The great powers of Purple Cloud Palace: (;￣д￣) It's over... The Dao Ancestor is courting death again!
At that moment, a massive question mark surfaced in everyone's heart: would this ancient divine being slap this unreliable Dao Ancestor to death, or... would she be dragged down into the gutter by him?
As for Xiao Kuang, as he looked at Wangshu's breathtakingly beautiful iceberg face, he was thinking, With this aura... she'd definitely make an incredible spokesperson for a 'Purple Cloud Palace Ice and Snow Goddess Theme Pavilion'! Should I have her make an appearance at the next lecture? Hmm... she seems far more reliable than me teaching it myself!
The salted-fish Dao Ancestor had already begun considering how to drag this newly arrived ancient divine being into the water so they could happily slack off together.
Before you continue