Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

Shouyang Mountain.

Eight Views Palace.

Purple clouds swirled, and cranes cried out.

Deep within the palace, Laozi sat cross-legged on a cloud bed, his purple-purple Dao light dim as mist, his withered face filled with desolation.

He looked up and gazed in the direction of Kunlun Mountain.

Those once tranquil and indifferent eyes are now filled with complexity.

Xuandu went to Kunlun Mountain.

He sensed it.

Although that aura was concealed, it could not be hidden from him, who was also a saint.

Now, Yuanshi is heading towards Shouyang Mountain.

It must be related to Xuandu.

It is related to the causal settlement.

Lao Tzu slowly closed his eyes.

He didn't know what conditions Xuandu had proposed.

But he could tell that it was definitely not simple.

The conditions that could make Yuanshi personally come to Shouyang Mountain to find him must be related to him.

"Buzz".

The void rippled slightly.

A figure stepped out from the ripples and landed in front of the Eight Views Palace.

Jade Purity Immortal's light flickered unpredictably, and his face was ashen.

The beginning of time.

Lao Tzu opened his eyes, looked at the figure outside the palace gate, and slowly spoke:

"Second brother, come in."

Yuan Shi took a deep breath and stepped into the palace.

He stood before the cloud bed, gazing at Lao Tzu's ashen face, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.

"Brother."

He spoke, his voice hoarse.

Lao Tzu looked at him without saying a word.

Just wait quietly.

Waiting for Yuanshi to speak.

After a moment of silence, Yuanshi finally spoke:

"Xuandu has been here."

Lao Tzu nodded:

"I know."

The Primordial Way:

"He set conditions."

Lao Tzu's eyes flickered slightly:

"What are the conditions?"

Yuanshi looked at him and said, slowly and deliberately:

"The Apricot Yellow Flag of Wuji and the Flame Flag Off the Ground".

As soon as he finished speaking, the Eight Views Palace fell silent.

Lao Tzu's pupils contracted slightly.

He looked at Yuanshi, at those eyes filled with resentment, and his mind raced with thoughts.

The apricot-yellow flag of the Wuji period.

Flame-lit flag off the ground.

The second of the Five Banners of the Primordial Heaven.

What does Xuandu need these two flags for?

Lao Tzu frowned.

A moment later, he suddenly thought of something, and his expression changed drastically.

"He's going to collect all five primordial flags!"

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi was startled.

He stared at Lao Tzu, his eyes filled with disbelief:

"Collect all five flags? Elder brother means..."

Lao Tzu said in a deep voice:

"The Five Banners of the Primordial Heaven were transformed from the essence of the five internal organs of the Great God Pangu. They were divided to guard the five directions, each with its own power."

"The Central Plains Apricot Yellow Flag is in your hands."

"The Southern Flame Banner is in my hands."

"The Western Blue Lotus Banner is in the hands of the Guide."

"The plain-colored cloud banner of the East is in the hands of the Queen Mother of the West."

"The Northern Mystic Water Control Flag is in the hands of the Styx River."

He paused, his voice turning deep:

"The five banners are scattered, and no one has ever been able to gather them all together."

"If we can gather all five flags, we can set up the Primordial Five Elements Grand Array."

"That great formation contains the essence of Pangu's five internal organs; it can evolve heaven and earth, suppress chaos, and..."

He looked at Yuanshi and spoke slowly and deliberately:

"It can reshape a world."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shi's expression turned completely somber.

He finally understood what Xuandu was trying to do.

Gather the five flags and set up the Five Elements Grand Array.

At that time, the great formation will be able to suppress the world within the Chaos Pearl, making it more stable and perfect.

It could even... allow that world to evolve into a true primordial world.

"This boy..." Yuanshi gritted his teeth, "His ambition is so great!"

Lao Tzu remained silent.

Ambition?

Xuan Du's ambitions extend far beyond this.

What he wanted was never a city or a battle, or a single day or night.

What he wants is a foundation for all ages.

It is the rise of humanity.

It is the balance of the three paths of Heaven, Earth, and Man.

It is the supreme and unsurpassed Great Dao.

Lao Tzu slowly closed his eyes.

When she opened her eyes again, there was a bottomless weariness deep within those gray and lifeless eyes.

"Did you agree to his conditions?"

Yuanshi nodded:

"I have no choice but to comply."

He said that he wanted to see these two flags after returning from Mount Sumeru.

Upon hearing this, Lao Tzu frowned slightly:

"Mount Sumeru?"

The Primordial Way:

"He still needs to find Jieyin and Zhunti."

"Continue the liquidation."

Lao Tzu remained silent.

He naturally understood what Xuandu meant.

one by one.

None of them can escape.

Yuanshi looked at Laozi and said in a deep voice:

"Elder brother, the Flame Banner is in your hands."

"What do you want?"

Lao Tzu did not answer immediately.

He simply lowered his eyes, gazing at the precious flag that slowly appeared in his palm.

The flag was crimson, with flames swirling across its surface, and the essence of the Southern Palace lingered within it, emanating a fiery aura.

Flame-lit flag off the ground.

A top-grade innate spiritual treasure.

One of the five innate flags that accompany his multi-million dollar club.

He spoke slowly, his voice hoarse:

"Give it to him."

Yuan Shi was taken aback:

"Brother..."

Lao Tzu raised his hand and interrupted him.

"What else can we do if we don't give it to him?"

He gazed at Yuanshi, his eyes filled with bitterness:

"The Humanistic Teachings have been abolished, the Holy Foundation has been damaged, and the Kongtong Seal has been seized."

"What else do I have?"

"What right do we have to bargain with him?"

The Primordial One remained silent.

He knew Lao Tzu was right.

The Xuandu regime has already established its dominance, the Jie Sect is at its peak, and it is also suppressed by the Chaos Bell.

Even if the four saints joined forces, they might not be a match for them.

Moreover, Nuwa has already perished.

The four saints have joined forces and become the three saints.

Meanwhile, in Xuandu, there are Tongtian, Houtu, and the soon-to-be-born Earthly Saint.

The disparity in strength is too great.

"Give it to me."

Lao Tzu slowly raised his hand.

In his palm, the flaming banner that was off the ground trembled slightly, as if sensing its master's intentions, and emitted a low hum.

In that buzzing sound, there was lingering affection and reluctance to part.

But more than anything, there is helplessness.

Lao Tzu gazed at it, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

"Go."

He spoke softly, his voice barely audible:

"Go and find a new master."

"Don't follow me anymore, you useless master."

The sound faded.

His palm trembled.

The Flame Banner, which had been lifted off the ground, transformed into a streak of crimson light and fell into the hands of Yuanshi.

Yuanshi took the treasure flag and looked at the precious treasure with flowing crimson flames in his palm, his eyes filled with complex emotions.

Flame-lit flag off the ground.

A treasure of the South.

Now, it has also returned to Xuandu.

He tucked the precious flag into his sleeve and looked up at Laozi:

"Elder brother, I will go to Xikunlun to find the Queen Mother of the West."

"As for the Azure Lotus Banner on the side of reception, and the Profound Origin Water Control Banner on the River Styx..."

Lao Tzu waved his hand:

"That's Xuandu's business."

"Since he has gone to Mount Sumeru, he will find a way to make Jieyin hand him over."

"As for the River Styx..."

He paused, his gaze deepening slightly:

"The Styx River had already joined the Jie Sect and was a disciple of Xuandu."

"That Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag originally belonged to him."

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi's expression changed slightly.

Yes.

Styx had already joined the Jie Sect.

The Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag was originally an item from the Styx River.

If Xuandu wants to use it, he only needs to speak.

He has already obtained two of the five flags.

The Central Wuji Apricot Yellow Banner, which was in Yuanshi's hands, was about to be handed over.

The Southern Flame Banner, which flies off the ground, has already been handed over to his elder brother.

The Western Azure Lotus Banner is in Jieyin's hands; Xuandu will retrieve it himself.

The plain-colored cloud banner of the East is in the hands of the Queen Mother of the West.

The Northern Xuan Yuan Water Control Flag is in the hands of the Styx River.

Of the five flags, Xuandu has already obtained three.

Only the plain-colored cloud banner of the Queen Mother of the West and the blue lotus banner of the Guide were missing.

On the other side of the Queen Mother of the West...

Yuan Shi's eyes gleamed.

The Queen Mother of the West is the head of all female immortals, in charge of the Western Kunlun Mountains. She is detached from worldly strife and does not get involved in conflicts.

If Xuandu demands that she hand over the Plain Cloud Banner, will she give it to him?

meeting.

Yuan Shi suddenly had an idea.

Because the Queen Mother of the West had no enmity with Xuandu.

She didn't need to offend the powerful Vice Leader of the Jie Sect for the sake of this flag.

She would definitely give it to Xuan Du if he asked.

As for the guidance...

That's another matter.

Yuanshi took a deep breath, suppressed the surging thoughts in his heart, and turned to look at Laozi.

"Elder brother, I'm off."

Lao Tzu nodded slightly and said nothing.

He simply sat quietly on the cloud bed, his purple-purple light around him dim as mist, and his withered face was full of desolation.

Yuan Shi looked at him, and a feeling he couldn't quite describe welled up inside him.

That was tragic.

It's out of helplessness.

They share the same plight.

He turned around and took a step forward.

The void rippled silently.

The figure enveloped in the pure and ethereal light vanished from the Eight Views Palace in an instant.

Inside the Eight Views Palace, deathly silence returned.

Lao Tzu sat alone on his cloud bed, gazing at the empty void and at the long-vanished Flame Banner.

a long time.

He spoke slowly, his voice barely audible:

"A clever plan."

"What a magnificent Xuandu."

The sound faded, returning to nothingness.

Purple clouds still lingered in the Eight Views Palace.

But on that cloud bed, the withered figure seemed to have aged even more.