The Power of the Primordial Golden Dipper

Seeing the state of Three Immortal Islands, Tongtian had actually divined it long ago. Yet the heavenly secrets had been shrouded in chaos, clearly obscured by someone.

Thus, if Tongtian wanted to learn what had happened here, he could only ask Zhao Gongming and the others.

Zhao Gongming did not think much of it. When Tongtian asked, he immediately gave him a brief account of what had happened.

"So another great power got here before me? And even took away the Innate Spiritual Treasure that had emerged?" Tongtian pondered for a moment, but he could not determine the other party's strength.

"Did you see that person's appearance clearly?" Tongtian asked again.

Zhao Gongming shook his head. "We could not see clearly. When that senior appeared, his figure was concealed by a dazzling light."

"Hmph!"

Before Tongtian could speak, Bixiao said, "Big Brother, why are you still calling him senior? He hid his head and showed his tail. One look tells you he was no good person."

"Little Sister!" Yunxiao rebuked her. "Do not be disrespectful."

Zhao Gongming also said, "Little Sister, that person was a powerhouse like our teacher. We must show him respect."

Seeing her elder brother and elder sister both scolding her, Bixiao said aggrievedly, "I know. I was just angry, wasn't I? After all, he took that Innate Spiritual Treasure."

"Ah, if only Teacher had arrived a little sooner."

"Uh..."

Tongtian had originally wanted to comfort Bixiao when he saw her grievance, but he had not expected her to blame him for this? Still, Tongtian was not angry. Instead, he rather liked Bixiao's temperament.

Thus, Tongtian smiled and said, "All right, all right, stop talking. Although that person took the Innate Spiritual Treasure, he did not harm any of you. That is still a good outcome."

"As for an Innate Spiritual Treasure..."

Tongtian hesitated. Thinking over what he possessed, aside from the Green Duckweed Sword, he only had two Innate Spiritual Treasures: the Fishing Drum and the Purple Lightning Hammer.

He had obtained these two Innate Spiritual Treasures when he first traveled through the Primordial World. Though he rarely used them now, he cherished them deeply and was reluctant to give them away.

Moreover, during this second visit to Zixiao Palace to hear the Dao, Patriarch Hongjun had passed down the Three Corpses Severing Method. This method strictly required three Innate Spiritual Treasures.

He only had three Innate Spiritual Treasures in total...

Thus, Tongtian could only change his words. "When your teacher finds other Innate Spiritual Treasures in the future, I will make it up to you with one."

"Thank you, Teacher."

"Teacher is the best."

Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao hurriedly said.

As Tongtian looked at his four disciples, Bixiao's words in particular pleased him greatly, and his heart filled with satisfaction.

He thought to himself, That person truly has no eye for talent. What is one Innate Spiritual Treasure? I have gained four disciples of exceptional aptitude all at once, far better than any Innate Spiritual Treasure.

However, Tongtian did not know that although Dao Xuan had arrived before him and taken away the Primordial Golden Dipper, Dao Xuan had only done so because he sensed Tongtian's arrival and deliberately avoided him.

Dao Xuan had also left behind a strand of divine sense on Three Immortal Islands. It was hidden well, quietly observing what happened afterward.

When he saw that Tongtian had indeed accepted Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao as disciples, Dao Xuan, who was already close to returning to his own cultivation ground, smiled calmly.

He truly did not want to take disciples, especially not Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao. Although all of them possessed fine aptitude, Zhao Gongming valued loyalty, but what about the Three Xiao?

Yunxiao was steady and did not cause trouble, while Qiongxiao was fairly all right. But Bixiao? Only Tongtian could like that temperament of hers. Her mouth never stopped chattering.

She also had no manners whatsoever. She could not even manage the most basic respect for the strong. No wonder she later dared to defy Yuanshi and was killed by him, ending up on the Investiture List.

Therefore, disciples like these were better left to Tongtian!

He had obtained the Primordial Golden Dipper, a top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure, while Tongtian had gained four disciples perfectly to his liking. What could be a more perfect ending than this?

It was also worth mentioning that Dao Xuan's actions had left behind a hidden possibility.

That was, after Zhao Gongming became Tongtian's disciple, if Tongtian still bestowed twenty-four Sea-Calming Divine Pearls upon him as before—

Then Dao Xuan could make another move.

He could truly gather all thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls together.

However, this was hard to say. After all, due to Dao Xuan's intervention, things seemed somewhat different from before.

Originally, although Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao were also Tongtian's disciples, they seemed to have only been accepted as outer disciples. Now, however, all four had become personal disciples.

They now received the same treatment as Duobao Daoist.

Would the Interception Sect's Four Great Personal Disciples become Eight Great Personal Disciples in the future?

Dao Xuan silently controlled the divine sense he had left behind on Three Immortal Islands and let it dissipate. This matter thus came to an end.

The Primordial Golden Dipper belonged to him, while Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao belonged to Tongtian. As for the two Innate Flood Dragons, Dao Xuan had killed them but had not taken them away.

It was not that Dao Xuan failed to recognize their value. Rather, his craftsmanship was lacking. After all, in the original course of events, these two Innate Flood Dragons had been refined into the notorious Golden Flood Dragon Scissors!

A supreme Acquired Spiritual Treasure!

Naturally, Tongtian could not have refined them. Rather, Tongtian had taken the two Innate Flood Dragons back and handed them to Yuanshi to refine.

Among the Three Pure Ones, Laozi excelled at alchemy, Yuanshi at artifact refinement, and Tongtian at formations. Though this was not absolute, Yuanshi was likely the only one who could refine two Innate Flood Dragons into a supreme Acquired Spiritual Treasure.

Dao Xuan knew he did not have such ability, nor did he wish to ruin the two Innate Flood Dragons and prevent the notorious Golden Flood Dragon Scissors from ever being born.

Thus, he left the two flood dragons behind.

This was also to preserve the original course of events as much as possible.

After all, Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao had lost the Primordial Golden Dipper. The Golden Flood Dragon Scissors could at least serve as some compensation!

Otherwise, when the Investiture War came, it would not be Zhao Gongming and the Three Xiao chasing after the Expounding Sect's disciples and beating them up, but them rushing over to offer up their heads.

Returning to Chaos Island.

Within Chaos Palace, Dao Xuan stirred his thoughts and took out the Primordial Golden Dipper he had collected.

This famous top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasure was merely a palm-sized square dipper in appearance. Its entire body was a gentle pale gold, and its surface was plain, without a single decorative pattern. It looked utterly unremarkable.

However, as Dao Xuan injected a thread of mana into it and slowly refined it, the Primordial Golden Dipper immediately emitted a dazzling radiance. Wherever its golden light shone, Dao Xuan could seemingly collect any object with but a thought.

It could contain heaven and earth and the four seas, gathering any treasure within.

This was merely the most basic ability of the Primordial Golden Dipper. Yet its most sinister and ruthless aspect was its ability to weaken a person's cultivation.

This dipper grew from the opening of heaven, containing heaven and earth arranged by the Three Talents. Personally taught within Biyou Palace, it brought disaster upon all disciples of the Expounding Sect.

In the original course of events, the Three Xiao used the Primordial Golden Dipper to set up the Nine-Curved Yellow River Formation, sweeping up every disciple of the Expounding Sect, whether second or third generation, in one fell swoop.

Among them, the Twelve Golden Immortals even had the Three Flowers atop their heads and the Five Qi within their chests severed away, leaving them devoid of all mana. This was the work of the Primordial Golden Dipper.