Celestial Venerable Yuanshi Appears! Jinling Reveals Her Trump Card
"Senior Sister Jinling, I plan to return to Skull Mountain, take Caiyun Tongzi, and then leave this land of Nine Provinces."
In mid-air, Shiji gazed down at the Human Race lands of the Nine Provinces, a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
Although it is suppressed by the Human Race's Nine Provinces Barrier within these Nine Provinces.
But for a cultivator like her who is devoted to quiet cultivation, the land of Nine Provinces is absolutely the most suitable place for quiet cultivation.
"Yes, it's good to leave Nine Provinces as soon as possible. The chaos in Nine Provinces will probably come much sooner than I expected."
Jinling also gazed down at the vast land of Nine Provinces, sighed softly, and murmured.
Regardless of True Person Taiyi's previous attitude of desperately dragging her into the Jie Sect, or the gradually chaotic Heavenly Secrets, this is evident.
The time for this Immortal Slaughter Tribulation to arrive is probably not far off.
Jinling desperately wished that this great calamity would come later, so that she would have a chance to find more reincarnated star gods.
And now...
Jinling could only find slightly more than half of the Star Gods.
Although they are destined by the Unseen, most of the reincarnations of the star gods will rise to fame quickly during this great calamity.
But...
In the Primordial World, miracles and unexpected events are never lacking.
For example...
An unexpected turn of events!
In mid-air, Jinling and Shiji, who were flying, froze, staring incredulously at the figure blocking their way.
Wearing Yuqing lotus crown and a robe embroidered with jade and gold threads, the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi sat cross-legged on an eight-treasure cloud throne, his face serene yet exuding an imposing aura.
A mysterious and profound aura emanated from its body.
Even though Shiji had never met a cultivator who Celestial Venerable Yuanshi before, she could immediately recognize the Sage and Celestial Venerable Yuanshi at a glance, and she stood there dumbfounded.
Although Shiji had seen Sage before, she had also seen the Cult Master Tongtian when she listened to the teachings on Golden Turtle Island.
However, things were different back then compared to now.
At that time, the entire Golden Turtle Island was teeming with life, and the Cult Master Tongtian preached and expounded the Dharma from his lofty position.
As an outer disciple, Shiji joined the Jie Sect and became a disciple of Cult Master Tongtian, but to be honest, she never even had close contact with Cult Master Tongtian Shiji.
Not to mention, at this moment, she was alone... no, she didn't appear alone in front of the Sage, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi.
Besides...
Shiji wanted to turn and look at Jinling, but...
But she couldn't do it.
Before the Sage Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, even without Yuanshi using any Divine Ability powers or pressure, Shiji, a mere Taiyi Golden Immortal, was already stiff and unable to move, simply by watching him quietly.
Meanwhile, Jinling, who was also facing Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, was not having an easy time either.
Although Jinling's cultivation level far surpassed Shiji's, and was even second only to Quasi-Sage Sage, he was not as shocked as Shiji was when she was in front of Sage.
In Jinling's heart, there was still a little secret that Celestial Venerable Yuanshi didn't want her, or her master Cult Master Tongtian, to know.
"In the end, they couldn't hide it any longer; they were found out after all?"
Jinling gave a bitter laugh to herself, a sense of powerlessness spreading throughout her body.
"Sage... are his Divine Ability really that strong? He can even detect thoughts that haven't fully surfaced in my mind."
Jinling found it hard to accept. She had gone to great lengths to seal away each and every inappropriate thought, and she was certain that she hadn't revealed a single flaw from beginning to end.
In the end... they still couldn't hide it.
"What... you don't even know to bow to me? Is this how Junior Brother Tongtian taught you?"
The Celestial Venerable Yuanshi gazed at the two people before him... no, he should only be gazing at the Holy Mother Jinling.
As for Shiji, she was merely a Taiyi Golden Immortal who had transformed from a stubborn rock. From beginning to end, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi never took Shiji seriously.
Although Jinling was caught red-handed by Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, which made her very frightened, Jinling forcibly controlled her expression and said respectfully.
"Jinling, Jie Sect, greets Master Yuanshi! May I ask what instructions Master Yuanshi has given us, my fellow disciple and I, for stopping us here?"
"My good-for-nothing junior brother has surprisingly taken on a good disciple..."
Looking at Jinling, who had quickly recovered to normal, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi praised him, but his expression remained unchanged.
"Master has many outstanding disciples; Jinling is nothing special." Jinling replied softly to Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's 'praise'.
Although Celestial Venerable Yuanshi is Sage, it doesn't mean that Jinling would truly grovel before him.
Not to mention that Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's words were directly aimed at Cult Master Tongtian, so how could Jinling possibly remain silent?
Upon hearing Jinling's words, the gaze of the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi towards Jinling suddenly became incredibly profound, but it vanished in an instant and quickly returned to its usual indifference.
Celestial Venerable Yuanshi naturally knew that Jinling's words were intended to belittle himself and highlight the other disciples of the Jie Sect, but this was not entirely unfounded.
In the Jie Sect, there was absolutely no disciple more outstanding than Jinling in the eyes of Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, but... there were quite a few disciples who were slightly inferior.
Several of them even surpassed his disciples in the Chan Sect.
This was quite a blow to Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, who always believed that his disciples in the Chan Sect were all blessed with good fortune and had excellent backgrounds and aptitudes.
After all, in the eyes of Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, the disciples of the Chan Sect far surpassed those of the Jie Sect in terms of aptitude, background, and fortune.
But now, the disciples of the Jie Sect have actually surpassed the disciples of the Chan Sect.
Doesn't this imply that Celestial Venerable Yuanshi) is incapable of teaching his disciples?
As for admitting that the disciples of the Jie Sect were superior to those of his Chan Sect, this was something that Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, who had always looked down on the disciples of the Jie Sect and even the Jie Sect, would find difficult to accept.
This was something that even the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi could not accept.
In the past, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi could comfort himself by saying that his disciples of the Chan Sect had not yet fully matured, after all, in Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's view...
All of his disciples possessed the potential to become Quasi-Sage.
Once all his disciples have grown up, with over a dozen Quasi-Sage disciples under his tutelage, how could the Jie Sect possibly compare?
But now...
Looking at the Jinling before him, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi couldn't help but feel a slight sense of defeat.
He could see that Jinling was still at the Late-Stage Quasi-Sage level, but her combat power had undoubtedly reached the invincible realm of Quasi-Sage.
Even if he had great confidence in his disciples, this realm was not something that could be entered simply by having talent.
That requires fortuitous opportunity, a very big fortuitous opportunity!
For example, the Heavenly Emperor Haotian's status as Heavenly Emperor, and the Guiling's luxurious set of Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, as well as her identity as the reincarnation of the Heaven-Supporting Black Tortoise.
If... True Person Taiyi's plan hadn't been disrupted.
True Person Taiyi successfully seized the Karmic Luck of Lingzhuzi, and with Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's slight arrangement, True Person Taiyi may still have a chance to enter this realm.
But now...
Rather than hoping to achieve this invincible Quasi-Sage realm, it would be more reliable to expect his disciple to sever the Three Corpses and become Sub-Sage.
"Jinling..." Celestial Venerable Yuanshi softly uttered Jinling's name, looking at Jinling calmly.
Although Jinling felt a little uneasy, she looked at Celestial Venerable Yuanshi in front of her without backing down.
"You are truly intelligent. With just a few clues, you discovered the secret I don't want others to know," Celestial Venerable Yuanshi said softly.
Jinling, standing to the side, subtly changed her expression.
Although Jinling knew she had been discovered when she saw Celestial Venerable Yuanshi appear, she still held a very faint glimmer of hope.
What if, what if the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi didn't discover it!
But...
At this moment, Jinling's last shred of hope was completely shattered.
Shiji, standing to the side, was even more bewildered.
What does it mean to discover a secret that the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi did not want outsiders to know from the slightest clues?
It's important to know that although they weren't always together after Jinling devised her plan on Skull Mountain.
But they probably know about the same things!
How come she didn't see any secret in this matter that the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi didn't want others to know?
Although she was confused, Shiji knew one thing: the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi before them was after Jinling.
As for Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, she, a mere Taiyi Golden Immortal, would probably not be taken seriously.
If she chooses to leave now, then...
Before this thought could fully form in Shiji's mind, Shiji cut it off, replacing it with unwavering determination.
Although this incident arose from True Person Taiyi's scheming, the reason Jinling would get involved ultimately Shiji.
At this time, it was naturally time for Shiji to step forward.
"Jinling, run! I'll hold them off..."
But before Shiji could finish speaking, Jinling's hand had already landed on Shiji's head.
Without any resistance, Shiji fainted and collapsed onto the cloud bed.
The junior sister sacrificed herself to hold off the enemy so her senior sister could escape, but the senior sister, unwilling to put her junior sister in a desperate situation because of her own actions, knocked her junior sister unconscious...
This was supposed to be a very moving script, but...
Jinling, who had knocked Shiji unconscious, looked at Shiji with a completely different expression than expected, lacking any hint of relief. Instead, there was...
A deep look of pity crossed his face.
"Facing the might of Sage, Shiji ultimately couldn't withstand the pressure and went mad?" Jinling breathed a long sigh of relief.
Although this is not the time to do so.
But Jinling knew that if she didn't knock Shiji unconscious and allowed Shiji to continue to bear the Sage's power from Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, Shiji's future would probably be ruined.
Even now, Jinling can't guarantee that Shiji is safe and sound, after all...
Shiji even went so far as to spout nonsense like telling the Sage Celestial Venerable Yuanshi to run away.
"Yuanshi, Shiji was unaware of the situation. We beg you, Yuanshi, to spare Shiji."
Jinling turned around, bowed slightly to Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, and made a request.
However...
Celestial Venerable Yuanshi shook his head slightly, looking at Jinling expressionlessly, and said, "Although Shiji doesn't know the truth, she still knows what happened before."
"Just as you discerned my scheme from those subtle clues, she knows enough to make the same guesses as you."
As soon as Celestial Venerable Yuanshi finished speaking softly, Jinling's expression immediately changed, and she stared at Celestial Venerable Yuanshi with a grim look.
Celestial Venerable Yuanshi is right. Although Shiji doesn't know the details, Shiji has all the clues.
If someone got a clue from Shiji, it wouldn't be difficult for them to make the same guess as her.
(A certain Daoist Randeng, who knows all the clues but also not the truth, has something to say.)
But in that case...
Jinling slowly produced her only Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi, in her hand. As for the other Innate Spirit Treasure, Jinling did not take them out.
After all, even High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure is no longer qualified to intervene in this kind of battle.
"You want to fight me?"
Celestial Venerable Yuanshi gazed at the Jinling before him, his expression questioning, yet his tone remained remarkably calm and composed. However...
In his heart, his opinion of Jinling rose even higher.
After all, not everyone has the guts to attack Sage.
"Since my master is unwilling to let go of junior sister Shiji, then Jinling has no choice but to offend him!" Jinling looked at Celestial Venerable Yuanshi with an extremely solemn expression.
At this moment, she dared not hold back in the slightest. Within her body, the acupoints corresponding to the Primordial World stars lit up.
Good.
It is the acupoint, the kind of acupoint that only exists in the Human Race body.
Although these acupoints were created by the Lady Nüwa for the Human Race, the Holy Mother Jinling personally activated them for hundreds of Human Race, which involved the Primordial World ancient stars.
As the queen of all stars, how could the Holy Mother Jinling possibly ignore it?
As the acupoints within the Holy Mother Jinling's body lit up, the ancient stars in the Primordial World also lit up.
Stars in broad daylight!
Three hundred and sixty-five ancient stars have reappeared in the Primordial World.
Boundless power surged into Jinling's body, including her Quasi-Sage body, Quasi-Sage Law Power, Quasi-Sage Primordial Spirit, and even everything about the Great Dao of the Stars and all that Holy Mother Jinling.
With the blessing of this ancient star power, they rapidly ascended to an incredible level.
The Star Sacred Body —no, the Holy Mother Jinling cannot yet be called the true Star Sacred Body, but... calling it a pseudo- Star Sacred Body is more than enough.
When that day comes, when the Holy Mother Jinling is able to draw upon the Power of Stars in the sky, even if she does not attain sainthood, she will likely be able to shed the false label and transform into a true Star Sacred Body.
Meanwhile, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi quietly watched Holy Mother Jinling's actions.
As Sage, he wouldn't stoop to interrupting a junior when they're using their skills.
However... as the Holy Mother Jinling made her movements, a hint of surprise gradually appeared in the eyes of the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi.
"This is... the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation!"
Enveloped in brilliant yet gentle starlight, the Holy Mother Jinling suddenly looked up and gazed in the direction of the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi.
"Senior Uncle, please forgive me!"
Before Jinling could finish speaking, she instantly appeared beside Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, the Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure, the Dragon-Tiger Jade Ruyi, in her hand also shimmering with dazzling starlight.
The power of the stars condensed upon it, and at this moment, facing the attack of the Jinling, the Celestial Venerable Yuanshi actually felt as if he were facing three hundred and sixty-five ancient stars.
If it were anyone else, even Haotian, who was also invincible in the Quasi-Sage realm, they would probably need to be on high alert.
However, the one directly facing Jinling at this moment is Celestial Venerable Yuanshi, a Sage.
Faced with this attack, Celestial Venerable Yuanshi's face remained completely calm. He simply raised his right hand, without displaying any surprising phenomenon.
The Celestial Venerable Yuanshi effortlessly blocked the attack, without even causing the slightest aftershock.
"No... it's not the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation!"
Celestial Venerable Yuanshi looked closely at the Jinling before him, paused for a moment, and then continued, "It is even more profound than the Zhou Tian Star Dou Great Formation, but... it is not perfect yet!"