This is the true immortal of the Taoist sect.

Zhu Jiu's heart skipped a beat; he immediately understood that his senior sister had encountered a bottleneck in her cultivation.

He had encountered this situation before, when he was crushed by the Heavenly Might and later enlightened by his master to guard the Ancestral Dragon Temple.

They could neither cultivate nor return to Qingxu Mountain to see their fellow disciples.

Every day, he could only sit on the altar and watch the people who came to the temple to burn incense tell him their many prayers.

At first, Zhu Jiu, who only had the dragon soul and a remnant body left, was also confused, not knowing what the future held.

As time went on, he gradually accepted this reality.

Do what needs to be done, adjust the feng shui of the four seasons, and protect the peace of the region.

Until Wang Jingshu triggered a heavenly tribulation, she underwent another tribulation and ascended to immortality.

It seems that my senior sister has also encountered such a bottleneck.

As someone who had been through this before, Zhu Jiu knew very well what needed to be done at this time, but he couldn't say it.

Once it's spoken, it could interfere with Wang Jingshu's own judgment, and even disrupt her destiny and karma.

Zhu Jiu was silent for a moment before saying:

"Senior sister, wait a minute..."

After saying that, he vanished in a flash.

When he returned, he was carrying a breastplate.

Judging from the style of the female features, it was clearly made by Zhu Jiu specifically for Wang Jingshu.

"Senior sister, this is for you..."

Zhu Jiu looked delighted, as if he were presenting a treasure.

Wang Jingshu took the breastplate and immediately recognized what material it was made of.

"This is... dragon scales? Xiao Jiu, you... you used your own dragon scales to make armor for me? How could you..."

Wang Jingshu suddenly stood up, her face filled with shock and anger.

Zhu Jiu quickly explained:

"Senior sister, you misunderstood. I didn't peel it off on purpose. It just fell off naturally during my cultivation transformation."

"Thinking it would be a waste to just leave it lying around, I used it to forge several sets of armor. My eldest brother and second sister each have some..."

Wang Jingshu breathed a sigh of relief after hearing the explanation.

My heart was filled with emotion. Although Zhu Jiu was not human, his feelings were even purer than those of humans.

Wang Jingshu knew that if she refused this kindness, Zhu Jiu would be heartbroken for a long time.

So he accepted it with peace of mind, and patted Zhu Jiu's head, saying:

"Xiao Jiu, thank you."

After saying that, Wang Jingshu also produced a jade talisman, on which was engraved her title of "Jinghong Daojun".

He handed the jade talisman to Zhu Jiu and said:

"This is my natal jade talisman. If you need anything, you can send me a message through the talisman. If the talisman shows any unusual activity or is even damaged, then it means..."

As a fellow disciple of Li Daoxuan, how could Zhu Jiu not know the function of the jade talisman?

She interrupted him before he could finish speaking:

"Senior Sister is a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor, and is naturally protected by Heaven. Even if she encounters danger, she will turn misfortune into good fortune."

After saying that, he glanced at the jade talisman and smiled:

"If Senior Sister is in danger, even if I'm thousands of miles away, I will definitely come to her aid..."

Wang Jingshu couldn't help but tear up, and nodded with a soft laugh:

"Your kind thought is enough..."

After calming down a bit, Wang Jingshu continued:

"By the way, Master sent a message a while ago saying that he has taken on a new junior brother named Gu Jiantang."

"He will arrive at Tianshui Marsh soon, and with him will come a strange beast, a tiger. Junior brother, please take the time to enlighten him."

Zhu Jiu nodded and smiled:

"That's great! We have new fellow disciples. Don't worry, Senior Sister, with me here, everything at home will be fine."

Wang Jingshu stood up and said softly:

"Alright, that's enough for now. I'm leaving. Xiao Jiu, you can focus on your cultivation..."

Zhu Jiu pouted, somewhat reluctant to part.

But in the end, he took a step back, bowed deeply, and said:

"May my senior sister's journey to the mortal realm be filled with success, peace, and tranquility..."

Wang Jingshu bowed in return and then left the Dragon Palace without saying a word.

A beam of sword light shot up from Tianshui Marsh and disappeared into the horizon.

Zhu Jiu stood in front of the Dragon Palace, looking up at the sky, his eyes filled with melancholy and loneliness.

The further you progress in your spiritual practice, the more desolate and lonely you become.

This is an unavoidable fact.

"Sigh, I should just go back to sleep. A long, dreamlike life is a carefree existence..."

Just as Zhu Jiu turned around to go back to sleep, the water in front of him suddenly rippled, as if some enormous creature was pushing the water towards him.

Zhu Jiu frowned slightly, glancing sideways with a sharp, piercing gaze.

A giant crocodile, over ten zhang long, swam towards them from the water ahead. Sensing Zhu Jiu's gaze, a deep fear flashed in its eyes.

Then he immediately lay down on the lakebed and kept kowtowing.

Zhu Jiu said somewhat impatiently:

"Why is it you again?"

The crocodile tried to move forward two steps, then continued to kowtow.

Zhu Jiu said coldly:

"I've already said it, you ate too many people in your early years, and your body is filled with resentment, malevolence, and hatred, making you unable to enter my Taoist sect."

"Considering that you have now repented and will no longer harm others, I have taken pity on you and spared your life."

"How dare you come here time and again to bother me? Begging for Taoist magic and immortal techniques? Aren't you afraid I'll skin you alive and beat your soul to smithereens?"

The dragon's might was overwhelming, and in an instant, the surface of the Tianshui Marsh began to surge wildly.

Although the crocodile was terrified, it still kept pleading, hoping that Zhu Jiu could enlighten it.

Seeing its piety, the coldness on Zhu Jiu's face unconsciously faded a bit.

Perhaps it was because he remembered that he was once just an ordinary snake in the mountains and fields, and felt a sense of empathy.

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Jiu pointed to the steps at the entrance of the Dragon Palace and said:

"Very well, considering your perseverance, you can stay at the entrance of the Dragon Palace as a gatekeeper and guard from now on."

"If you are fortunate enough to absorb some dragon energy to cleanse this body of malevolent resentment, I might be able to guide you onto the path of cultivation..."

After saying this, Zhu Jiu turned and entered the Dragon Palace, and the huge dragon gate closed instantly.

The crocodile was overjoyed and couldn't help but jump for joy, his whole body trembling with excitement.

Although Zhu Jiu had already gone inside, it still knelt down in front of the door and kowtowed repeatedly.

Only then did it feel at ease to lie cross-legged in front of the Dragon Palace gate and dutifully take on the role of guard.

Zhu Jiu chuckled as he watched this scene, and couldn't help but recall a line of poetry that his master had once read.

"All things under the frosty sky compete freely..."

All living beings in heaven and earth, through a lifetime of arduous cultivation, are they not striving for that word 'freedom'?

He is like that, and so is this crocodile.

His senior classmates were the same.

Even Li Daoxuan, the master of the Dao Ancestor, was like this...