The thunder gradually faded.
The immortal tree formed from lightning rose to uphold the heavens. Purple and white bolts spread and grew freely across the sky, their fierce radiance blazing to the horizon. Both men below looked up.
"Upper Successive Union relied on this nature to succeed, yet because his golden rank was incomplete, he fell after three hundred years. If I wish to perfect this rank, I fear I will still need taboo wood."
Xu Xuan's eyes burned. He had already told Tiantuo what he had seen in the Southern Sea back then: the Heavenly Successive Star shining, the dense, coiled pattern manifesting in the world-all those changes had arisen because of the rank of interflowing union.
Tiantuo remained calm and offered little opinion on the matter. He merely said:
"Only at Golden Core can you plan such a thing. Your shock thunder divine abilities are already fixed. Rashly cultivating a taboo wood ability would likely leave you dead on the spot. We do not even know whether a great one currently occupies taboo wood's rank. We can only plan for it slowly in the future."
Clear qi surged back and forth like a tide as the two walked slowly downward. Just then, two streaks of light flew toward them from the distant boundary of the Dao realm, one surging with Gen light, the other gleaming with starlight.
Xu Xuan had already changed his attire. Dressed in black with a dark ceremonial crown, he rode the Ink Qilin, holding a gray immortal edge level before him. Lightning coiled around it, and its cold gleam was piercing.
Tiantuo understood at once. With a shake of his body, he too transformed, donning gold-and-white Daoist robes. Lesser yang immortal splendor circled him like a rainbow as he rode a white crane, his