Yuanchu, Set Out at Once

Li Yunjing, Huangfu Chenyin, and Tie Shan also bowed.

"Li Yunjing of the Luozhen Sect greets Senior."

"Huangfu Chenyin, Head of the Law Enforcement Hall of the Immortal Alliance, greets Senior."

"Black Iron Sect Tie Shan greets Senior."

The boy looked at them, tilted his head, as if recalling something.

"Zhenyangzi... Taiyi Immortal Sect..." he murmured, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes, "I remember... Fellow Daoist Taiyi... he saved me."

"Yes!" Zhenyangzi exclaimed excitedly, "He is indeed the founding patriarch of our Taiyi Immortal Sect! Ten thousand years ago, during the Battle of Dao Fruit, the leader perished, and the patriarch collected the remnants of the Dao Embryo's soul twenty thousand years ago, bringing them back to the Divine Mountain to nurture them. In the blink of an eye, twenty thousand years have passed."

The boy fell silent.

He stood on the water, looking down at his reflection in the pool, his gaze distant, as if traversing ten thousand years of time.

"My name is... Yuanchu," he suddenly said. "Ten thousand years ago, they all called me Leader Yuanchu."

He was the leader of the righteous path during the great war between good and evil 100,000 years ago, and the entire righteous path revered him.

"Yuanchu." Zhenyangzi murmured the name, nodding repeatedly. "Good, good name. Chief, from now on we will call you Senior Yuanchu."

Yuanchu raised his head and looked at Li Yunjing, his gaze lingering on him for a few seconds.

"You have the aura of Taiyi on you," he said, "And a very familiar primordial scent."

Li Yunjing smiled slightly, "I received the inheritance of the Taiyi Immortal Sect, and I have an Immortal Artifact within me called the Five Aggregates Cauldron. Perhaps it is its aura."

"The Five Aggregates Cauldron." A look of understanding flashed in Yuanchu's eyes. "So that's it. No wonder I felt a sense of familiarity with it."

He lifted his foot and walked slowly across the water, his steps light as if he were on flat ground.

Reaching the edge of the pond, he looked at Zhenyangzi and said softly, "You've had a tough time these past years."

One sentence brought tears to Zhenyangzi instantly.

"It's no hardship, no hardship at all," the old man choked back tears. "If I could wait until Yuanchu Yuan Chu awakens, I could die in peace."

Yuanchu shook his head slightly, stretched out his hand, and a point of white light from his fingertip landed on Zhenyangzi.

The gentle primordial energy flowed into Zhenyangzi's body, nourishing his damaged soul and parched body.

Zhenyangzi's pale face regained its color at a visible speed, and her hunched back straightened up a bit.

"This is..." Zhenyangzi exclaimed in surprise.

"A little bit of primordial energy to help you recover," Yuanchu said calmly. "You've protected me for twenty thousand years; this little bit of repayment is nothing."

Li Yunjing watched this scene, and his heart stirred slightly.

As expected of the Origin Dao Physique, even a casual wisp of primordial energy has such miraculous effects.

Huangfu Chenyin and Tie Shan were also dumbfounded.

Zhenyangzi was practically on her last legs, and in just one move, she's almost fully recovered?

This is amazing.

Yuanchu withdrew his hand and looked out of the mountain's belly, seemingly able to penetrate the thick layers of rock and see the distant Chaos Abyss.

"The Dao Fruit... it's almost ripe, isn't it?" he said softly, his tone tinged with complexity. "Ten thousand years... is it about to begin again?"

Li Yunjing stepped forward and said solemnly, "Yuanchu, the righteous and demonic paths are now gathered in the Chaos Abyss, waiting for their Dao Fruit to ripen."

The leader of the Immortal Alliance sent us to fetch you, hoping you can lend a helping hand to the righteous path and protect the Dao Fruit from falling into the hands of the demonic path.

Yuanchu withdrew his gaze, looked at Li Yunjing, and remained silent for a few seconds.

"I know." He nodded slightly. "This is my mission."

When are you leaving?

Li Yunjing and Zhenyangzi exchanged a glance and both breathed a sigh of relief.

They were worried that Yuanchu would resist, but they didn't expect him to agree so readily.

"There's no time to lose, let's set off immediately," Li Yunjing said. "I'll contact the alliance leader first and have them prepare for our rendezvous."

There was no objection at the Yuanchu.

Li Yunjing took out the Immortal Alliance Token, infused it with spiritual power, and sent out the message that his Dao Embryo had awakened and he was returning immediately.

After finishing all this, everyone began packing their belongings and preparing to set off.

Looking at the mountain belly where he had lived for 20,000 years, and watching the Origin Pool gradually dry up, Zhenyangzi's eyes were filled with reluctance, yet also with a sense of relief.

The mission is accomplished.

The responsibilities of the Taiyi Immortal Sect can finally be handed over.

He turned around, looked at Yuanchu and Li Yunjing, and straightened his back.

"I will go with you," he said in a deep voice. "Twenty thousand years ago, I failed to die alongside our patriarch. This time, I will witness the return of the Dao Fruit and the defeat of the demonic path."

Li Yunjing nodded. "It would be best if you would like to accompany me, senior."

After everyone had finished packing, they left the mountainside and arrived at the main peak.

Yuanchu stood atop the mountain, gazing at the distant sea of clouds, the wind whipping his white robes in the wind.

A cycle of ten thousand years.

He's back.

Will the outcome be different this time?

Chaos Abyss, the main camp of the righteous path.

Zhang Jianchen was discussing tactics with two Loose Immortal immortals after their Dao Fruit matured when suddenly, the Immortal Alliance Token on the table lit up with a pale blue light.

"Um?"

Zhang Jianchen picked up the Immortal Alliance Token and scanned it with his divine sense.

The next second, an uncontrollable look of joy appeared on his face.

"Great! That's wonderful!"

Xuanjizi raised an eyebrow. "Alliance Leader, what makes you so happy?"

"Li Yunjing has sent word," Zhang Jianchen said with a smile, "The Origin Dao Embryo has awakened and successfully taken form, named Yuanchu. They will set off immediately to return to the Chaos Abyss."

"Oh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Yunyouzi's eyes. "So fast? Several days earlier than expected!"

"Exactly." Zhang Jianchen nodded. "With the Origin Dao Physique, our chances of seizing the fruit have increased by at least 40%."

But as he laughed, his expression turned serious again.

"No," he shook his head. "We can't let them come back in such a grand manner."

Xuanjizi nodded slightly. "Is the Alliance Leader worried about an internal traitor?"

"Not bad," Zhang Jianchen said in a deep voice. "Although three traitors have been identified, Lu Tianji's suspicion has not been cleared yet, and there may be other hidden lines."

If news of Senior Yuanchu's arrival leaks out, the demonic path will surely ambush him on the way. If anything goes wrong, the losses will outweigh the gains.

Yunyouzi frowned. "Then what should we do? Send a large force to pick them up? That would be too much of a commotion and make us more likely to be exposed."

Zhang Jianchen looked at the two Loose Immortal with a solemn expression. "I would like to invite you two patriarchs to make the trip in person."

"Us?" Xuanjizi was taken aback.

"Exactly." Zhang Jianchen nodded. "The two patriarchs personally went to pick us up. Firstly, it's safer. With the strength of the Loose Immortal Realm, even if the Demon Emperor himself came, we could still hold our own."

Secondly, it's discreet. The two patriarchs Divine Ability extraordinary abilities, making it incredibly easy for them to conceal their whereabouts; they would never be detected.

He paused, then added, "Besides myself and the two patriarchs, I will never let a fourth person know anything about Senior Yuanchu."

"Once the Dao Fruit matures, at the decisive battle, we'll have Senior Yuanchu suddenly strike, catching the demonic path completely off guard."

The two Loose Immortal exchanged a glance.

Xuanjizi stroked his beard and laughed, "Alliance Leader's plan is brilliant, taking them by surprise and catching them off guard. This old man and I will go."

Yunyouzi also said coldly, "It's a good opportunity to stretch our muscles and bones. Old Devil Yan thinks his Origin Dao Physique is still a thousand miles away. Let's give him a fright when he sees us."

"Then I will trouble you two venerable ancestors." Zhang Jianchen bowed respectfully. "There is no time to lose, let's set off immediately."

Li Yunjing and his group set off from Supreme Unity Divine Mountain, heading southeast. You will meet them along the way, and then take a detour back to camp via the secret passage on the south side.

"Good."

The two Loose Immortal didn't linger and left as soon as they said they would.