Holy Mother Gui Ling stuck out her tongue at Hong Ze. "Gui Ling remembers. I'll knock next time."
Looking at the adorably foolish Holy Mother Gui Ling, Hong Ze simply could not bring himself to blame her.
He merely shot her a fierce glare. "What are you doing here again today?"
"Eldest Senior Brother, the rosy clouds just shot straight into the Bull and Dipper constellations. Did you refine some supreme spiritual treasure?"
Among Master Tongtian's Direct Disciples, only Holy Mother Gui Ling was particularly close to Hong Ze.
Whenever she had nothing to do, she would come running over to Hong Ze's place, and when she left, she would take one or two of his little trinkets with her.
Hong Ze had never understood why things that were clearly useless to Holy Mother Gui Ling could delight her so endlessly.
Although Hong Ze was close to Holy Mother Gui Ling, he could not let her know that he had already attained the Great Dao and become one of the Nine Saints.
He immediately picked up the brush on the table and wrote the character for sword on the paper.
"I was writing just now when the sky suddenly filled with rosy clouds. I was about to ask you whether you caused it."
Holy Mother Gui Ling did not answer Hong Ze. Instead, her gaze fell directly upon the character for sword that he had written.
In Holy Mother Gui Ling's eyes, that character seemed to possess life itself, vividly alive.
Every stroke contained boundless Sword Intent, and there was even a trace of Great Dao Essence within it.
"Eldest Senior Brother, Gui Ling really likes the painting you drew. Can you give it to Gui Ling?"
"How many times have I told you? This is writing, words used to record information. It isn't some painting."
On the same sheet of paper, Hong Ze drew a treasured sword and pointed at it.
"This is called a painting. You can't even tell the difference between words and pictures. I'm truly impressed."
This time, Holy Mother Gui Ling did not bicker with Hong Ze as she usually did. Instead, she nodded obediently.
"Alright, Gui Ling remembers."
"Then how about Eldest Senior Brother gives this paper to Gui Ling? Gui Ling can take it back and properly study what words are and what pictures are, so I won't make Eldest Senior Brother unhappy again next time."
Hong Ze could not help but freeze. What's gotten into this girl today? She's actually taking what I say seriously?
Just as Hong Ze was about to praise Holy Mother Gui Ling, she had already snatched up the sheet containing both the drawing and the character. Then she turned and ran out of the Thatched Cottage.
As she ran, she shouted back to Hong Ze, "Eldest Senior Brother, go on with your work. Gui Ling will come see you again when she has time."
Watching Holy Mother Gui Ling's retreating figure, Hong Ze helplessly shook his head again.
The human race had yet to produce the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, so writing naturally had not yet appeared.
The most widespread script in the prehistoric world was Demon Script, used among cultivators and created by Kunpeng, Teacher of the Demon Race.
It was mostly carved onto tortoise shells with engraving knives; brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones had yet to appear.
But who was Hong Ze? He was a transmigrator with the thoughts of later generations, so naturally he would not use such clumsy things.
Thus, Hong Ze had naturally made brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones. After all, this was no difficult task for a Celestial Immortal.
Holding Hong Ze's calligraphy and painting, Holy Mother Gui Ling hurried all the way back to her cave dwelling.
Without another word, she unfolded it. With a wave of her hand, she suspended it in midair.
Holy Mother Gui Ling then sat before the calligraphy and painting and began comprehending the Sword Intent and Great Dao Essence contained within.
Gradually, Holy Mother Gui Ling actually floated into the air, while countless phantoms separated from her body.
Each phantom held a treasured sword, yet the sword techniques they performed were all different.
Then the phantoms connected into a line in midair and slowly overlapped, forming the image of a beauty practicing swordsmanship.
In the blink of an eye, five hundred years passed.
During those five hundred years, no one had seen the normally lively and active Holy Mother Gui Ling.
Even Golden Spirit Mother, whom she usually pestered constantly, felt somewhat unaccustomed to it.
One day, Mother Wu Dang came to visit Golden Spirit Mother, and as the two chatted, they brought up Holy Mother Gui Ling.
"Senior Sister Jin Ling, Junior Sister Gui Ling has been unusually quiet these past five hundred years. That doesn't seem like her at all."
"Yes. She usually came to make trouble here every few days. It's been five hundred years since I last saw her, and I'm a little unaccustomed to it."
Just as Mother Wu Dang and Golden Spirit Mother were chatting, a beam of sword light shot into the sky from Holy Mother Gui Ling's cave dwelling, making Golden Turtle Island tremble.
In the next moment, Holy Mother Gui Ling appeared directly in midair.
Her phantom pointed its sword toward the heavens, and the imposing expression on her face inspired surrender in all who saw it.
As the longsword in her hand swept out, a burst of Sword Intent suddenly rose and formed the character for sword in midair.
The character then slowly descended and directly merged with Holy Mother Gui Ling.
Looking at Holy Mother Gui Ling again, the Three Flowers atop her head had bloomed, and the Five Qi within her body revolved to the origin.
She had astonishingly broken through into the Great Luo Golden Immortal Realm and attained the eternal, indestructible Grand Luo Dao Fruit.
Not only could Golden Spirit Mother scarcely believe it, but even Mother Wu Dang beside her could not believe what she was seeing.
Among Master Tongtian's five Direct Disciples, aside from Eldest Senior Brother Hong Ze, the other four had long since reached the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm.
However, Holy Mother Gui Ling had possessed the lowest cultivation, only at the middle stage of the Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm.
The strongest was Duobao Daoren, who had already reached the Peak Stage Taiyi Golden Immortal Realm. With only a trace of opportunity, he could attain the Grand Luo Dao Fruit.
Yet now, it was Holy Mother Gui Ling, who had possessed the lowest cultivation, who had taken the lead in becoming a Great Luo Golden Immortal.
She had become the foremost among the many Jie Sect disciples. How could this not shock her two senior sisters?
Holy Mother Gui Ling's breakthrough had been so high-profile that it naturally alerted Duobao Daoren and the other immortals on Golden Turtle Island.
Before long, the Jie Sect disciples had all gathered outside Holy Mother Gui Ling's cave dwelling.
Upon learning that Holy Mother Gui Ling had attained the Grand Luo Dao Fruit, the expressions on the faces of the Jie Sect disciples varied greatly.
Some were envious, some jealous, some unconvinced, and some simply did not dare believe it...
In short, no one had expected that the first Great Luo Golden Immortal of the Jie Sect would not be Duobao Daoren.
For a time, whispers filled the air.
"How is this possible? Senior Brother Duo Bao was actually surpassed by Senior Sister Gui Ling..."
"So Senior Sister Gui Ling is actually the strongest in our Jie Sect, not Senior Brother Duo Bao..."
"Senior Brother Duo Bao has really lost face this time..."
"Do you all have a death wish? You dare discuss Senior Brother Duo Bao behind his back..."
Some even turned their gazes toward Duobao Daoren, their eyes filled with questions.
This made Duobao Daoren's expression turn exceedingly ugly. He cupped his hands toward Holy Mother Gui Ling in salute.
"Congratulations, Junior Sister Gui Ling, on attaining the Grand Luo Dao Fruit." With that, he turned and returned to his cave dwelling.
Seeing Duobao Daoren leave, the Jie Sect disciples also offered Holy Mother Gui Ling their congratulations before returning to their own Cave Dwellings to cultivate.
In the end, only Golden Spirit Mother and Mother Wu Dang remained in Holy Mother Gui Ling's cave dwelling.
At that moment, Holy Mother Gui Ling's face once again returned to that adorably foolish expression.
Before you continue