The Seventh Ancestor of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty Visits the Li Lineage for Talks; Li Xunyuan Appears at the Emergence Banquet!

As the emergence banquet was in full swing,

Elsewhere, within a picturesque Ancient Realm belonging to the Li Lineage,

Two figures sat facing each other.

One wore coarse cloth robes and had timeworn eyes and a profound presence. He was none other than the Ninth Ancestor of the Li Lineage.

Opposite him sat a gaunt, gray-robed elder.

The elder was steeped in the air of decay, like a frail candle flame flickering in the wind, liable to go out at any moment.

He was the seventh ancestor of the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty, an old undying existence who had lived for several epochs.

"Have some tea."

The Ninth Ancestor of the Li Lineage said little more. With a sweep of his sleeve, he conjured a cup of clear tea before each of them.

The fragrance of the tea curled upward, stirring the surrounding Great Dao of heaven and earth into resonance.

"Excellent tea! Enlightenment tea like this is a rare sight!"

The Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor lifted his cup and drank, lavishing praise on it in a raspy voice.

"I'm a little surprised that an old fellow like you would emerge from seclusion at the cost of so many Immortal Crystals."

The Ninth Ancestor of the Li Lineage sipped his enlightenment tea as he spoke mildly.

"I've been buried underground for too long. It's time these old arms and legs got some exercise. I was afraid that if I came out any later, who knows what enormous hole those unfilial descendants would have dug for this old man!"

The Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor set down his cup and gave a wrinkled smile. "I came here with only one small request."

"What is it?"

The Ninth Ancestor of the Li Lineage frowned slightly, his hand pausing as he looked at the other man.

"Lay down arms!"

The Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor got straight to the point, wasting no words. His position was perfectly clear.

He had personally broken his seal and come out into the world, then traveled alone to the Li Lineage. That was enough to show the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty's sincerity.

"How do you propose we lay down arms?" the Ninth Ancestor of the Li Lineage asked.

"The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty does not wish to be enemies with the Li Lineage. I came to resolve our past grievances and form an alliance with you."

"Unlike the Great Void Dragon Court and Xuanming Divine Mountain, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty has never crossed swords with the Li Lineage in a fight to the death. Our past conflicts were nothing more than petty squabbles between the younger generation."

The Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor spoke gravely, his withered voice as piercing as coffin boards scraping and knocking together.

After a moment's silence, the Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor continued, "The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty can marry both Princess Huang Wu and Princess Huang Yaoyao to your divine son as a show of sincerity."

Huang Wu possessed the Phoenix Divine Physique and had opened nine Life Palaces. Recently, she had evolved her phoenix dharma form into a single Life Palace and successfully entered the Emperor Forbidden Domain.

Huang Yaoyao's talent was even more monstrous. She had awakened the Ancient Heavenly Demon Physique, inherited an immemorial divine ability, and fused with a phoenix bone from her clan. She showed signs of being able to break through to eleven Life Palaces.

"That's not enough sincerity."

The Ninth Ancestor of the Li Lineage raised his cup in invitation and silently savored his tea. His voice was calm and indifferent, without a ripple, like an ancient well.

"A prosperous epoch and a golden age are upon us. The Primordial Dao Domain may be reshuffled as a result. One more ally would give the Li Lineage a better chance of victory!"

The Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor likewise raised his cup, a trace of struggle appearing on his aged face.

In the end, he gritted his teeth and made a promise that clearly pained him. "I can allow your divine son to enter the Phoenix Mausoleum of my Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty and comprehend the remains left behind by our forebears!"

At those words, the Ninth Ancestor of the Li Lineage narrowed his eyes slightly, and ripples appeared on the surface of the tea in his cup.

At last, a genial smile appeared on his face. He nodded and said, "At least you know what's good for you, old fellow. It's settled!"

"A gentleman's word cannot be caught by a team of four horses. My words, once spoken, are like water poured on the ground. When the Phoenix Mausoleum opens, just have the little fellow come straight over."

The Seventh Heavenly Demon Ancestor's aged face darkened. Though the concession pained him, he also breathed a sigh of relief.

The Li Lineage showed signs of producing an immortal in the current epoch, which meant its fortune could break through the shackles of the Heavenly Dao.

If they could form an alliance with it, the Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty could bask in some of its reflected glory. Even if they could not, they must not provoke it.

Now that they had succeeded halfway, the half of Old Eleven's life spent on divination had not been in vain.

It was only half his life because an undying medicine was keeping him alive.

Even so, Old Eleven had suffered backlash from the Great Dao and did not have long to live.

The backlash from divining karma was far too severe and could cost a Supreme his life.

After all, not every faction had the resolve to do such a thing.

"On this expedition to the Emperor's Tomb, Xuanming Divine Mountain intends to ally with the Great Void Dragon Court and my Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty."

"When the time comes, I can have the dynasty's younger generation cooperate with your Li Lineage and stab them in the back."

"You old fellow, your heart is rotten to the core!"

"The Heavenly Demon Phoenix Dynasty hardly knows them. Isn't it perfectly normal to stab them in the back?"

"If I don't stab them, they'll stab me. It's called striking first to gain the advantage!"

The outside world knew nothing of what had happened in the Ancient Realm, and the banquet remained in full swing.

At the banquet, a white-robed figure took his seat.

Li Cangtian, Li Qingshu, and the other prodigies present all grew solemn.

The youth's red hair hung over his shoulders. His pupils, one black and one white, flowed with ancient Dao truths and manifested all things in the universe.

He was Li Zhixing, the third holy son of the Li Lineage.

"It's that madman from the Li Lineage!"

"At the Heavenfall Ancient Land in Black Tortoise Heaven, this fellow fought Xuan Yi head-on without falling behind. He's a bona fide heaven-defying ruthless character. His combat power is a bit overpowered!"

After seeing the red-haired youth take his seat, the prodigies of many major factions looked solemn.

The scene from the Heavenfall Ancient Land a few days earlier involuntarily surfaced in their minds.

The youth had invited an immortal into his spirit palace and fought Xuan Ming with a saber.

The sight of that mad immortal turning demonic was enough to make their scalps tingle just thinking about it.

"Li Zhixing, the Indestructible Dao Body!"

Even Zi Tianque, who had already obtained the supreme inheritance of immortal fire, murmured solemnly.

The third holy son of the Li Lineage possessed the Indestructible Dao Body, had mastered the Mad Immortal Art, and also had a pair of Yin-Yang Dao Pupils. He was an exceptionally fearsome figure.

He had almost no equal among the younger generation.

What shocked Zi Tianque even more was that he had fought Xuan Yi, the leader of Xuanming Divine Mountain, to a draw.

That was a little terrifying!

Just as everyone grew solemn at Li Zhixing's arrival, the doors of the divine hall not far away finally opened.

A red-robed figure of peerless grace strolled out.

At that moment, countless gazes at the banquet turned as one and settled on the figure in red.

Li Xunyuan was peerlessly handsome, his figure tall and straight. His golden immortal pupils shone brilliantly, as though they contained the origin of the Great Dao, drawing people into their depths before they knew it.

Chaotic immortal radiance wreathed him, and his body seemed carved from immortal jade, suffused with divine splendor.

His every movement accorded with the Great Dao of heaven and earth. It was as though a supreme immortal melody played and echoed between heaven and earth. He looked like an immortal from a painting descending into the mortal world.

The word "immortal" alone placed him above all under heaven!

Even the princesses of ancient kingdoms and holy maidens of sacred lands who had already met Li Xunyuan once stared at him in a daze.

The women felt their breath catch, their breasts rising and falling as though they had stopped breathing altogether.

Such beauty should exist only in heaven; how often could it be heard of in the mortal world!