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

Yuan Shi was filled with indescribable emotions.

Shock, fear, and frustration.

There was also a hint of...despair that was hard to explain.

He recalled those days.

I recall that figure in green robes standing with his hands behind his back in the Purple Cloud Palace.

I recall that figure in green robes climbing the steps on Kunlun Mountain.

I recall the moment when the Investiture of the Gods was signed, and that figure in green stood in the void.

They proceeded step by step, leaving no stone unturned.

Every step is part of the game.

Every piece was placed in a crucial position.

Now, even the king of ferocious beasts has joined the Jie Sect.

What can Yuan Shi use to fight?

What can the Chan sect possibly use to fight against them?

What can we use to maintain what is predetermined by fate?

Yuan Shi slowly closed his eyes.

On that majestic face, the light of Jade Purity Immortal shone intermittently.

Beneath that radiance lay an exhaustion unlike anything he had ever experienced before.

He is a Heavenly Saint of the Seventh Heaven.

He was the leader of the Chan Sect.

It is the authentic Pangu lineage.

But in front of Xuandu, in front of the Jie Sect, in front of the human path and the earth path.

He is nothing.

We can't win.

You can't win if you try.

It's impossible to calculate; you can't win.

They could only watch helplessly as the Jie Sect grew in power.

They could only watch helplessly as Xuandu subdued the four ferocious beasts.

They could only watch helplessly as the Nine Sages of Humanity returned to their positions.

They could only watch helplessly as Shen Ni entered the Jie Sect.

There's nothing we can do.

Nothing can be changed.

Nothing can stop it.

Yuan Shi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

He opened his eyes and looked down.

Inside the Jade Void Palace, the Twelve Golden Immortals sat cross-legged.

Guangchengzi, Chijingzi, Yunzhongzi, Taiyi Zhenren, Yuding Zhenren...

All twelve were quasi-saints.

After Guang Chengzi and Yu Ding Zhenren were knocked down from their cultivation levels by Xuandu in the East, no one in the Chan Sect dared to step out of Kunlun Mountain.

They were scared.

It's not that I'm afraid of dying.

They were afraid of causing trouble for the Chan Sect.

It was because they were afraid of embarrassing their master.

They were afraid that the man in blue would come again.

Yuanshi gazed at the twelve figures, at their faces that were trying to remain calm but could not hide their fear.

A chill ran through me.

His disciples were afraid.

The Chan sect was afraid.

Even he himself was afraid.

It was at this moment.

"Buzz".

A voice came from the heavens above.

Ancient, indifferent, devoid of sorrow or joy.

It carries an aura of authority that has remained unchanged despite the billions of dollars involved.

"Yuanshi, come to Zixiao Palace."

Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor.

Yuan Shi was startled.

A sudden burst of celestial light shone from those eyes.

The Dao Ancestor transmitted his voice.

Send him to Zixiao Palace.

Why?

Yuanshi's mind raced, yet he dared not hesitate.

He rose and stood with his hands behind his back before the cloud bed.

Jade Purity Immortal Light surged like a tide, and his majestic face was now filled with solemnity.

"I'm going to Zixiao Palace."

"You wait here and do not go out."

The twelve Golden Immortals bowed in unison:

"Your disciple obeys."

Yuan Shi nodded.

He took a step forward.

The void rippled silently.

The golden figure vanished from the Jade Void Palace in an instant.

......

Zixiao Palace

The palace gates stood majestically, and wisps of chaotic energy seeped slowly from the cracks in the doors.

That aura was ancient and vast, carrying a pressure that could weigh billions of dollars.

Yuanshi stood before the palace gate, his Taoist robe golden, his face solemn.

He looked up at the tightly closed palace gate.

Above the door, innate Dao patterns flowed endlessly, with the Three Thousand Great Daos hidden within.

Zixiao Palace.

He has come here countless times.

When the time comes to preach at Zixiao Palace, when the time comes to distribute treasures at Fenbao Cliff, and when the time comes to sign the Investiture of the Gods.

But never before have I felt so uneasy.

Because this time, he didn't know why the Dao Ancestor had summoned him.

Because this time, the fortune of the Jie Sect has surged again.

This time, Shen Ni entered the Jie Sect.

Dao Ancestor, do you know?

Or... is there something else important?

Yuan Shi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging thoughts in his heart.

He raised his hand.

Push the door open.

"Squeak..."

The palace gates slowly opened.

Behind the door, chaotic air surged like a tide.

The gray figure stood with his hands behind his back in the depths of chaos, his back to the palace gate, his gray Taoist robe hanging down.

Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor.

There was no one beside him.

Lao Tzu is gone, Jieyin is gone, Zhunti is gone, Nuwa is gone.

He was the only one.

Yuan Shi felt a chill run down his spine.

Did the Daoist patriarch summon him alone?

Why?

He stepped into the palace.

His steps were steady and unhurried.

The chaotic energy around him automatically parted, as if it dared not obstruct the golden figure.

He walked up behind Hongjun and bowed slightly.

"Disciple Yuanshi pays respects to the Dao Ancestor."

After the sound faded, silence fell over the Purple Cloud Palace.

The chaotic airflow flowed slowly.

The gray figure slowly turned around.

Hongjun looked at him, his gaze calm as still water.

Beneath that calm surface lies a profound depth that could accumulate over hundreds of millions of dollars.

Get up.

Yuanshi straightened up and stood beside Hongjun.

He bowed slightly, not daring to raise his head.

"Dao Ancestor, why have you summoned your disciple?"

Hongjun looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he slowly began to speak:

"Shen Ni has entered the Jie Sect."

The five words fell like the sound of a morning bell and an evening drum.

Yuan Shi was startled.

The Dao Ancestor knew.

I knew it as expected.

And so calm.

It was as if they had expected it all along.

"This disciple... has also sensed it."

Yuanshi spoke, his voice low and deep.

"The aura of Shen Ni has appeared within the destiny of the Jie Sect."

"Peak of the Ninth Heaven of the Primordial Grand Luo Realm".

"King of Ferocious Beasts"

"He joined the Jie Sect."

He paused, a hint of undisguised bitterness in his voice:

"Dao Ancestor, the fortune of the Jie Sect has surged again."

"Xuandu has gained another great general."

"In the Investiture of the Gods, the chances of victory for the Jie Sect have increased even further."

"This disciple...does not know how to respond."

Hongjun looked at him, his gaze still calm.

Beneath that calm exterior lies a profound understanding of the ways of the world.

"Of course you don't know."

"Because you were afraid from the very beginning."

Yuan Shi was taken aback.

Hongjun continued:

"You are afraid of Xuandu, afraid of the Jie Sect, and afraid of that man in green."

"You are afraid he will come knocking on your door, afraid he will take your precious treasure, afraid he will ruin your path."

"The more you fear him, the stronger he becomes."

"The more you retreat, the more he advances."

"The more you give in, the more he will bully you."

"Yuanshi, don't you understand?"

The sound fell like an ancient, frozen ice.

Yuan Shi trembled violently.

He looked at Hongjun, at those indifferent yet sharp eyes.

An indescribable emotion surged within me.

The Daoist Ancestor was right.

He was afraid.

From the moment Xuandu publicly revealed the secret of severing the three corpses in Zixiao Palace, he was afraid.

From the moment Xuandu stepped up the steps of Kunlun Mountain and forced him to hand over the apricot-yellow flag, he was afraid.

From the moment Xuandu stood in the void, confronting the Dao Ancestor, when the Investiture of the Gods was signed, he was afraid.

He was afraid of Xuandu.

I'm afraid of that figure in green.

I fear those younger generations who are meticulous and cunning.

I'm afraid of that madman who dares to challenge even the Dao Ancestor.

"Dao Ancestor...disciple..."

Yuanshi spoke, his voice hoarse.

Hongjun raised his hand to interrupt him.

No explanation needed.

"I called you here not to hear your complaints."

"There is something I need you to do."

Yuanshi shuddered and looked up.

"Please give your instructions, Dao Ancestor."

Hongjun raised his hand.

A golden light quietly appeared in the palm of his hand.

The light was initially very faint, but in just a moment it became as intense as the blazing sun.

Amidst the radiance, a list and a whip slowly materialized.

The list was golden in color, its length and width unknown.

On the list, three thousand Dao patterns flowed endlessly.

Each Dao pattern has a name.

Tongtian, Laozi, Yuanshi, Jieyin, Zhunti, Nuwa.

Six names, gleaming with gold.

Conferred God list.

The whip is purplish-gold in color, three feet six and a half inches long, and has twenty-one sections.

Each section has innate Dao patterns flowing within it, radiating a terrifying pressure.

The God-Slaying Whip.

The ultimate treasure of the Investiture of the Gods, specifically designed to strike those listed on the Investiture of the Gods list.

The two treasures hung in the void, shimmering with golden light, their imposing presence as powerful as a mountain.

Yuan Shi stared at the list and the whip, his pupils shrinking slightly.

Conferred God list.

The God-Slaying Whip.

The Dao Ancestor intends to entrust these two supreme treasures to him?

"Dao Ancestor, what do you mean...?"