Even Old Friends Keep a Hand on Their Swords; Those Behind Vermilion Gates Laugh as Others Dust Off Their Caps!

Hearing those words, the Queen Mother of the West froze.

"The King Father of the East? Why has he come here?"

The Queen Mother of the West was puzzled.

The King Father of the East was a powerful cultivator of her generation.

They had once listened to the Dao together in Zixiao Palace.

Moreover, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had personally appointed them Head of Male Immortals and Head of Female Immortals.

But the Queen Mother of the West had never taken that to heart.

After all, there were countless trillions of cultivators in the world, each proud and unwilling to fall behind anyone else.

Few people paid any reverence to these so-called heads of immortals, so what meaning did the titles hold?

Beside her, Gu Changqing paused upon hearing that the visitor was the King Father of the East, then revealed a meaningful smile.

Some of his drunken air seemed to fade as he murmured to himself:

"Oh? So he's finally going to establish the Purple Mansion Continent."

"And he's come here to win over an ally..."

Though Gu Changqing spoke softly, the words "Purple Mansion Continent" and "ally" still reached the Queen Mother of the West's ears.

She paid them no mind, however. She had never heard of this supposed Purple Mansion Continent and merely took his words for meaningless drunken rambling.

Still puzzled, the Queen Mother of the West opened West Kunlun's innate formation and ushered the King Father of the East into her cultivation grounds.

Upon entering, the King Father of the East also saw Gu Changqing and Ji Ren.

He immediately cupped his hands in a courteous greeting.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal!"

Gu Changqing thought little of it.

Ji Ren, however, watched from the side with excitement surging through him.

His master truly commanded respect.

No matter which mighty figure appeared, they all had to treat him courteously.

This only strengthened Ji Ren's resolve to become his disciple.

Meanwhile, on the other side...

"Fellow Daoist King Father of the East, what brings you here?"

The Queen Mother of the West wasted no words and asked directly why he had come.

He cultivated on Penglai Island, beyond the East Sea.

There was no way he had merely been passing through.

Sure enough!

Hearing her question, the King Father of the East immediately replied:

"Hehe, I've come because there is something I wish to discuss with you, Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West!"

"Fellow Daoist, Dao Ancestor Hongjun personally appointed us the heads of male and female immortals."

"Thus, I have divined the Heavenly Mandate and sensed that we should establish a lineage to govern the cultivators of the world."

"What do you think, Fellow Daoist?"

At those words, the Queen Mother of the West was shaken.

Establish a lineage?

Her beautiful eyes turned toward Gu Changqing in astonishment.

Yet he seemed to be paying no attention to their conversation.

Without the slightest hesitation, Gu Changqing tossed all three Ginseng Fruits into the Wine Gourd.

He unleashed streams of mighty power, clearly already beginning to brew wine.

The Queen Mother of the West's eyelid twitched violently.

Ginseng Fruits?!

Immortal Divine Spring Water?!

Even a Saint's disciple couldn't afford to squander treasures like this, could he?

But this was clearly not the time to dwell on that.

Towering waves surged through the Queen Mother of the West's heart, yet her expression remained composed. She continued looking at the King Father of the East and asked softly:

"Oh? What sort of lineage do you intend to establish, Fellow Daoist?"

The King Father of the East had anticipated this question and answered with a smile:

"Haha, I already have a plan!"

"This power shall be named the Purple Mansion Continent, and its ancestral seat shall be on my Penglai Island."

"Once you join forces with me, Fellow Daoist, we can recruit all the cultivators in the world..."

The King Father of the East continued describing his vision, his words impassioned and his spirit soaring.

But the Queen Mother of the West no longer had the presence of mind to listen to what followed.

The Purple Mansion Continent!

That name exploded in her heart like a thunderclap.

How was this possible?

Everything matched what Gu Changqing had said earlier.

In other words, before the King Father of the East had even entered, Gu Changqing had already foretold his purpose?!

He had even spoken the name "Purple Mansion Continent" with perfect accuracy.

For a moment, the Queen Mother of the West was overwhelmed with shock and awe.

Knowing the future without divination!

Seeing through the Heavenly Mandate!

These were by no means abilities a Daluo Golden Immortal could possess.

What was more, the King Father of the East, whose intentions he had foretold, was a Quasi-Saint.

Or was this what made the twelfth-grade supreme Great Luo so heaven-defying?

For an instant, the Queen Mother of the West even vaguely sensed that Gu Changqing's appearance here today held some deeper meaning.

Just then, a remark from the King Father of the East brought her back to reality.

"Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West, will you join forces with me and accomplish something truly great together?!"

"In time, the might of our Purple Mansion Continent will be no less than that of the Witch and Demon Clans."

The King Father of the East was brimming with confidence, to the point that it could even be called arrogance.

Yet upon hearing this, the Queen Mother of the West knitted her delicate brows.

"Well... Fellow Daoist King Father of the East, please forgive me!"

"I have no interest in worldly fame or profit, nor do I wish to stand high above all living beings and rule over them."

"I ask only to cultivate in peace here in West Kunlun. That is enough for me..."

Unexpectedly, the Queen Mother of the West had expressed her refusal.

These were her heartfelt words.

Perhaps because she was a woman, the Queen Mother of the West did not harbor ambitions as grand as the King Father of the East's.

She would be perfectly content to safeguard West Kunlun and remain uninvolved in worldly affairs.

At her words, the King Father of the East's expression suddenly darkened.

"Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West, this is not merely a matter of worldly fame and profit."

"It is also the responsibility Dao Ancestor Hongjun entrusted to us."

"Back in Zixiao Palace, the Dao Ancestor said that, as the heads of the world's immortals, we should govern its cultivators and maintain order throughout heaven and earth."

The King Father of the East's words were both persuasion and intimidation.

Once the name "Dao Ancestor Hongjun" was invoked, no one dared disobey.

The Queen Mother of the West was no exception. Her expression shifted uncertainly, and she found it difficult to decide.

But at some point, Gu Changqing had already finished brewing his wine.

Unable to wait, he took several deep swigs and smacked his lips in delight.

Then, as though merely voicing his feelings, he recited:

"Haha... Fine wine, fine wine!"

"Even friends who have known each other till their hair turns white still keep a hand on their swords; those who have risen behind vermilion gates laugh as others dust off their caps!"

"In this world, one must guard against everyone and everything. Only fine wine will never let me down."

Hearing this, the Queen Mother of the West's expression grew solemn.

For some reason, she vaguely felt that Gu Changqing's words were meant for her.

Even friends who had known each other until their hair turned white still needed to guard against one another.

Was he reminding her to beware of the King Father of the East before her?

Clearly, the Queen Mother of the West was not the only one who had thought of this.

Beside her, the King Father of the East's expression immediately turned displeased.

"Fellow Daoist Wine Sword Immortal, what do you mean by that?!"

"Are you questioning me, and questioning Dao Ancestor Hongjun's intentions?"

Gu Changqing remained unconcerned despite the accusatory tone of the King Father of the East's words.

"Hehe, question the Dao Ancestor? How would I dare?"

"I simply obtained some fine wine today, and it stirred a few thoughts..."

"You should know that disaster lies hidden within fortune, and fortune rests upon disaster."

"One may seem to stand high above all, looking down upon the universe, but who can say it won't ultimately become an abyss of eternal ruin?"

At those words, the expressions of both the King Father of the East and the Queen Mother of the West changed despite themselves.