"Before we had even met the cultivator below, Immortal Elder, you were already trying to drive a wedge between him and me?"
Qing Yun Zi smiled, but a trace of coldness surfaced in his eyes.
Setting aside how important Divine Weapons were to cultivators, rashly asking to study another's divine artifact could easily be taken as provocation. Besides, the reason he had been unable to advance any further all these years was not because the Emperor's faction had been blocking him?
Cosmic Immortal Elder seemed not to notice Qing Yun Zi's anger and continued in his own manner. "If this old man is not mistaken, the one below is not a cultivator from our universe. The treasure pot he forged contains not only such mysteries as the sun, moon, stars, earth, life and death, heaven and earth, yin and yang, Cosmic Light, and the universe. It also bears the transformations of purity and turbidity from other heavens and earths. If you obtained some of its essence, your Qing Yun Immortal Gourd might perhaps transform into a Clear Cloud Immortal Gourd."
"Transforming from mere clouds and mist into pure qi, it may form another heavenly realm. If fortune favors you in the future, you may even elevate your divine artifact to the ninth rank."
Qing Yun Zi cut him off. "And then become an incarnation of your master?"
"That is not quite right."
Cosmic Immortal Elder shook his head and spoke unhurriedly. "In our universe, most seventh- and eighth-rank heavenly divine artifacts point toward the Emperor. Even those without a direct subordinate relationship maintain some degree of connection."
"Back then, your Qing Yun Immortal Gourd was able to rise independently to the eighth rank and condense fifty-eight layers of dharma restrictions because of True Lord Taiyi's... protection. Otherwise, when you attained