Playing Along and Going with the Flow

The every move on Qilin Cliff had been watched by the Three Pure Ones. Though they appeared not to interfere in the disputes between the disciples of the two schools, they had been keeping a close eye on things in secret.

If matters truly got out of hand, they would naturally step in. They would never simply watch the disciples of the two schools fight to the death.

Yet whenever things reached a critical point, Burning Lamp Daoist always appeared with impeccable timing. He would never allow the disciples of the two schools to truly cross the line.

On the surface, Burning Lamp Daoist was defusing the conflict and preventing it from escalating. Unbeknownst to him, however, he had already aroused the suspicions of the Three Pure Ones.

After all, before Burning Lamp Daoist joined the Chan School, the Twelve Golden Immortals and Duobao had gotten along quite harmoniously.

If not for Lu Xuan's warning, the Three Pure Ones would likely have long since dealt with that ill-intentioned Burning Lamp Daoist.

Even so, the Three Pure Ones were now wary of Burning Lamp Daoist at every turn. The moment he revealed a flaw, Primordial Heavenly Venerable would not hesitate to expel him from the Chan School.

Just before the Three Pure Ones withdrew their gazes, Primordial Heavenly Venerable unexpectedly spotted Lu Xuan in a corner of Qilin Cliff, munching on snacks and watching the show.

He immediately said, "Eldest Brother, Third Brother, look at that spectator. Isn't that Brother Lu Xuan?"

Following the direction Primordial Heavenly Venerable pointed, Laozi and Master Tongtian both turned to look. Sure enough, they saw Lu Xuan shaking his head and sighing.

The Three Pure Ones were instantly overjoyed. Without hesitation, they headed for Qilin Cliff, determined to personally welcome their elder brother.

At this time, the Interception Sect disciples had yet to leave Qilin Cliff. When they suddenly saw the Three Pure Ones arrive together, they assumed Burning Lamp Daoist had gone to complain about them.

Jinling immediately stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Master, two Martial Uncles, today's matter began because of Jinling. Jinling is willing to accept all punishment."

Before Golden Spirit Holy Mother had even finished speaking, Zhao Gongming rushed forward and said, "Master, two Martial Uncles, this is not Second Senior Sister's fault. This disciple..."

For a moment, the Interception Sect disciples all stepped forward to take responsibility. Master Tongtian, who valued loyalty and righteousness, dearly wanted to give each of them a hard slap.

With a wave of his hand, he pushed everyone aside, then walked toward Lu Xuan. He cupped his fists in greeting and addressed him as Elder Brother.

After returning the greeting, Lu Xuan said, "Sure enough, once I came to your territory, you found me the moment I arrived."

The Three Pure Ones could not help looking embarrassed. If we hadn't been observing the commotion on Qilin Cliff, how could we possibly have discovered Lu Xuan?

Still, they knew Lu Xuan possessed the Pangu World-Opening Map, which could conceal the aura of the Heavenly Dao. It was only normal that they, as Heavenly Dao Sages, had failed to detect him.

They immediately invited Lu Xuan to Taiqing Peak. After all, Qilin Cliff was not a suitable place to sit around and talk.

Watching the Three Pure Ones respectfully escort Lu Xuan toward Taiqing Peak, the Interception Sect disciples began whispering among themselves.

Bixiao directly asked Golden Spirit Holy Mother, "Second Senior Sister, who exactly is he? Why are Master and the two Martial Uncles treating him with such respect? Could he also be a Sage?"

Golden Spirit Holy Mother shook her head. "He is Martial Uncle Lu Xuan, the one who gave you the Purifying World White Lotus. As for whether he is a Sage now, even I do not know."

Upon hearing that the man was Lu Xuan, Zhao Gongming's eyes immediately lit up. "So this is Martial Uncle Lu Xuan. No matter what, I must bring my three younger sisters to thank Martial Uncle in person this time."

Golden Spirit Holy Mother smiled. "If Martial Uncle stays on Kunlun Mountain for a few days, you will naturally have the chance to see him."

After saying that, she led the Interception Sect disciples toward Shangqing Peak.

Once they arrived at Laozi's dojo on Taiqing Peak and took their respective seats, Laozi had various spiritual fruits prepared to entertain Lu Xuan.

"Last time, Third Brother said Elder Brother was cultivating the Heaven and Earth Mystical Technique. I wonder how many transformations you have reached now?" Primordial Heavenly Venerable asked Lu Xuan.

Lu Xuan did not hide it and directly answered, "My cultivation had already reached the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, so cultivating it was simply a natural progression. I have now reached the early stage of the sixth transformation."

Though Lu Xuan spoke as if it were nothing, his words struck the Three Pure Ones like a bomb, filling them with silent shock.

Not to mention the Heaven and Earth Mystical Technique—even their revised Eight-Nine Mystical Technique could not be cultivated by a single disciple of either the Chan School or the Interception Sect.

Moreover, which of their disciples had not already reached the Taiyi Realm? Yet none of them found cultivation as effortless as Lu Xuan made it sound.

But when they recalled how heaven-defying their elder brother was, the Three Pure Ones found it only natural. Without such ability, how could he qualify to be their elder brother?

Laozi then set up restrictions within the Eight Scenic Palace, ensuring there was no one else on all of Shangqing Peak, before speaking to Lu Xuan.

"Elder Brother, after observing for some time, we have discovered that Burning Lamp Daoist's entry into the Chan School was definitely driven by ulterior motives."

"It could even be said that the hostility between the disciples of the Chan School and the Interception Sect was entirely caused by Burning Lamp Daoist. I even suspect he may have acted under that person's orders."

Lu Xuan also felt that this was highly likely. He immediately said, "Hongjun is worried that you Three Pure Ones will remain united, so naturally he must send someone to sow discord among you in secret."

"After all, even the Twelve Ancestral Witches can use the Twelve Heavenly Gods Baleful Formation to summon the phantom of Pangu's physical body and have it fight for them. The three of you are an even greater concern."

"If you find a suitable medium and the Three Pure Ones join forces, it is highly possible that you could temporarily summon Pangu Will back to the Primordial World."

"Just think about it. Pangu's will is an existence comparable to the will of the Great Dao. If you brothers were to gain control of it, how could Hongjun continue arranging the Primordial World?"

Lu Xuan's words left the Three Pure Ones frozen on the spot. They had never imagined, even in their dreams, that joining forces could allow them to summon Pangu Will back.

Tongtian immediately asked Lu Xuan, "Elder Brother, do you know what formation we brothers should set up to summon Father God's will back?"

Lu Xuan shook his head. "It is not that I do not wish to tell you. I simply do not know either. After all, Pangu's bloodline inheritance lies within your bodies."

"However, even if you do this, it must be done in secret. You must even make Hongjun believe that the Three Pure Ones have never gathered together."

"How about this? Doesn't Hongjun want to drive a wedge between you Three Pure Ones? Then use today's matter to put on a show for him and split the Three Pure Ones apart."

Tongtian looked utterly confused. "But if we split apart, wouldn't we be even less able to gather together and comprehend the formation?"

Primordial Heavenly Venerable directly struck Tongtian on the head with the Three Treasures Ruyi, then said in exasperation.

"We are all Sages. Is it difficult to open a spatial tunnel? As long as we connect our dojos with Elder Brother's Abbot Island, wouldn't we be able to deceive everyone?"

Only then did Tongtian snap out of it. Rubbing his head, he nodded and said, "You two are still the more cunning ones."