At this moment, Qiong Xiao had already merged with the entire scroll. Every stroke Hong Ze made was as though it had been painted across the Extraordinary Meridians throughout her body.
Moreover, every line Hong Ze drew was a trajectory of the Great Dao, perfectly merging with the Extraordinary Meridians within Qiong Xiao's body.
Gradually, countless Dao Patterns appeared before Qiong Xiao's eyes, compelling her to circulate her magical power along their paths.
Her cultivation, which had originally been only at the early Taiyi Golden Immortal stage, also began to undergo a subtle change at this moment.
As her cultivation continued to rise, Law Power began to condense within Qiong Xiao's sea of consciousness.
As the Law Power slowly emerged, Qiong Xiao fully realized its extraordinary nature.
At this moment, Qiong Xiao seemed capable of merging into all things, for the Law Power she had comprehended was precisely the Fusion Law.
Through the Fusion Law, Qiong Xiao could sense everything around her and merge it into her own use.
In the end, Qiong Xiao slowly closed her beautiful eyes and entered the Enlightenment Realm, a state beyond the reach of countless cultivators.
However, Hong Ze failed to notice this and continued wielding his brush, making the Carp Playing with Lotus Picture vividly lifelike.
As Hong Ze completed the final stroke, the Carp Playing with Lotus Picture was finally finished.
Yet Hong Ze sighed and shook his head, for he always felt that something seemed to be missing from the painting.
After briefly recalling the famous paintings of later generations, Hong Ze finally found what was wrong.
It had no seal. No matter how exquisite a painting was, without a seal, it was incomplete.
This reminded Hong Ze that before he had taken Master Tongtian as his master, he seemed to have obtained a seal.
Thus, he took it from his Cosmos Sack and, without hesitation, stamped it onto the Carp Playing with Lotus Picture.
With the seal in place, the entire scroll finally became complete.
At the same time, Hong Ze clearly saw the words on the seal. They were unexpectedly the two characters "Kongtong."
If the word Kongtong stood alone, it would likely refer only to a blessed land and cave heaven.
But when those two characters were combined with a seal, a name that shocked Hong Ze naturally came to mind.
"Kongtong... A seal that can stamp the words 'Kongtong'—could this be the legendary human race fortune treasure, the Kongtong Seal?"
The Kongtong Seal was known as the Fountain of Eternal Youth and possessed the power to depose and enthrone human emperors. It was the human race's true fortune treasure.
As the words "Kongtong Seal" left Hong Ze's mouth, he stood frozen in place.
Only after a long while did he slowly raise his hand and carefully examine the seal he held.
Just as Hong Ze still dared not determine whether the object in his hand truly was the Kongtong Seal,
a dignified voice rang out. "Do not doubt it. This is the human race fortune treasure, the Kongtong Seal."
Immediately afterward, a young man dressed in Daoist robes appeared before Hong Ze.
There was no need to turn around. Hong Ze could identify him from his voice alone. This person was none other than his master, Master Tongtian.
Hong Ze promptly turned around, bowed to Master Tongtian, and said, "Disciple Hong Ze greets Master."
Master Tongtian casually waved his hand and directly helped Hong Ze to his feet.
At the same time, Master Tongtian helplessly shook his head. "I originally thought you had become a different man, but I never expected you to still be merely a Heavenly Immortal."
The moment Master Tongtian said this, Hong Ze felt so ashamed that he wished he could find a crack in the ground to crawl into rather than remain here making a fool of himself.
Helplessly, he could only speak to Master Tongtian with an embarrassed expression.
"Master, it is not that this disciple has failed to work hard. Over these tens of thousands of years, this disciple has thoroughly mastered and memorized all that Master taught me.
"Unfortunately, I do not know where the problem lies. This disciple's cultivation has never improved, not even by a single minor realm.
"Perhaps this disciple's comprehension is simply too poor, and my aptitude cannot compare with my fellow disciples of the Jie Sect. I am destined to remain a Heavenly Immortal for the rest of my life."
Master Tongtian naturally knew how hard Hong Ze had worked. In fact, Master Tongtian believed Hong Ze was absolutely the most diligent person in the Jie Sect.
Several thousand years ago, Hong Ze had already thoroughly mastered and memorized every cultivation technique and scripture of the Jie Sect.
There were even things Master Tongtian could not remember that Hong Ze never forgot.
To put it plainly, Hong Ze was a living library of the Jie Sect. With him present, the Jie Sect's cultivation techniques and scriptures would never be lost.
Seeing Hong Ze's despondent expression, Master Tongtian could not help but comfort him.
"Cultivation does not represent everything. As your master, I believe that once you find your own opportunity, you will surely soar into the heavens."
As he spoke, Master Tongtian's gaze fell upon the Carp Playing with Lotus Picture before Hong Ze.
It would have been better had he not looked. Once he did, he could not help but be greatly shocked. "An Acquired Supreme Treasure? This is an Acquired Supreme Treasure?
"No wonder it allowed that girl Qiong Xiao to enter a state of enlightenment. It seems this is the opportunity destined for her."
Master Tongtian's words left Hong Ze standing there in a daze.
Only after a long while did he say, "Master, how could this be an Acquired Supreme Treasure? This was clearly just painted by this disciple."
Master Tongtian ignored Hong Ze and directly reached out to pick up the Carp Playing with Lotus Picture.
He turned it over and examined it carefully again and again, then finally nodded with a deeply furrowed brow.
"It truly is not an Acquired Supreme Treasure. I did not expect that even I would misjudge it."
Hong Ze could not help but let out a sigh of relief. "That is what I thought. How could this disciple possibly paint an Acquired Supreme Treasure?"
But Master Tongtian's next words made Hong Ze's jaw drop.
"This has clearly returned from the acquired to the innate. It is undoubtedly an Innate Spiritual Treasure. Compared to Junior Sister Nüwa's Mountain and Rivers State Diagram, it likely does not fall short by much."
Hong Ze was dumbfounded, and a trace of suspicion inevitably appeared in his eyes as he looked at Master Tongtian.
"Master, when you went to Zixiao Palace to see Patriarch this time, could it be that you suffered some sort of shock?"
Master Tongtian glared fiercely at Hong Ze, then casually placed the Carp Playing with Lotus Picture back on the table.
"What shock could your master possibly have suffered? I simply feel somewhat unwilling to accept the outcome of this trip.
"Your patriarch intends to rebuild the Heavenly Court. Your master originally wanted you to serve as the Heavenly Emperor, but in the end, the position fell to Haotian."
After hearing this, Hong Ze thought for a moment before speaking to Master Tongtian. "Master, did you not see it?
"Patriarch only summoned all of you to discuss this matter as a formality.
"In Patriarch's heart, he had long since chosen candidates for the Heavenly Emperor and Empress of Heaven. They were Haotian and Yaochi.
"After all, Patriarch has now merged with the Dao and no longer requires Haotian and Yaochi to attend him.
"They have followed the Dao Ancestor for countless Yuanhu i. How could the Dao Ancestor possibly not make plans for their future?"
The moment Hong Ze said this, Master Tongtian's face instantly revealed an expression of sudden realization.
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