Before the mountain gate of the Xiu family in Zhongxuan Heaven.
Two figures, one black and one white, appeared successively, hovering and looking down upon the entire mountain range.
A vast pressure descended!
In an instant, several black dots emerged from the mountain range, and over a dozen white-haired old men with beards soared into the sky.
They were the foundation of the Xiu family, each at least at the Tribulation Stage!
Although not yet in the Mahayana stage, nor titled as Emperors, each of them was only one step away from that Emperor realm, practically pseudo-emperors!
They dared not attempt it rashly due to their limited lifespan.
The Xiu family had been passed down for thousands of years, and their direct descendants all possessed spatial spiritual roots, naturally giving them such a foundation.
They also recognized Xiu Litian.
These individuals had, to varying degrees, participated in the expulsion of Xiu Litian's lineage from the family.
However, with their current status, position, and cultivation, they still had to show him deference.
One of the elders stepped forward, cupped his fists towards Xiu Litian, and said, "We, the elders, greet the Demon Lord."
Xiu Litian did not respond, nor did he even glance at these individuals. He didn't even deign to give a cold snort.
In his eyes, these people were nothing but parasites!
Wasting the abundant spiritual energy of heaven and earth, only adhering to outdated rules, cowardly and useless!
"Demon Lord, please wait a moment."
Seeing that Xiu Litian remained silent, Xiu Qitian, not wanting him to linger, flew towards a corner of the mountain range.
He was going to find Xiu Long!
Could the person who became the head of the Xiu family be a fool?
When Bu Bu planned to enter the Zhutian Secret Realm, he had learned of this plan from Xiu Long and had played along, expending a great deal of resources to create a clone for Xiu Long!
This clone contained only a wisp of Xiu Long's primordial spirit. While its loss would be regrettable, it would not be fatal.
This way, he could investigate the secret of Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment in the Zhutian Secret Realm, uncover the mystery behind the deaths of the Xiu family members who had entered the Zhutian Secret Realm, and even use this opportunity to get closer to Bu Bu and probe her origins.
If the opportunity arose, he might even be able to eliminate Xiu Yun!
It was a plan that killed four birds with one stone!
Xiu Qitian had no reason not to gamble.
Now that the gamble had failed, it was time for him to wrap things up.
He found Xiu Long's secluded cultivation place and, after a brief spatial traversal, brought him out.
But just as he was about to take Xiu Long to confront Xiu Litian, a sense of crisis suddenly struck!
Xiu Qitian's pupils trembled, and as he pushed Xiu Long into a spatial rift, he instinctively roared at the sky!
"Xiu Litian, how dare you!"
Roar!
Accompanied by a dragon's roar, a sword light descended from the sky!
Blood splattered all over Xiu Qitian.
Xiu Long was truly dead!
"Xiu Litian!"
Xiu Qitian roared, teleported in front of Xiu Litian, and just as he was about to attack, he was stunned by the eyes of the silver-gray raven on Xiu Litian's shoulder.
Soul Devourer.
This bird specialized in devouring Nascent Souls. Once devoured, one could not even reincarnate!
A son could be reborn, but if the Nascent Soul was gone... then everything was truly gone.
He suppressed the humiliation in his heart and stared at Xiu Litian, asking, "Are you trying to start a war?"
"War? Hahaha!"
Xiu Litian retorted, then leaned towards Xiu Qitian and said with a smile, "With you lot, do you dare?"
Xiu Qitian remained silent, and the elders and ancestors behind him also said nothing!
In terms of individual cultivation, they were all at the peak of the Tribulation Stage, pseudo-emperors!
But this one step difference was like a chasm, an insurmountable barrier!
In terms of power...
That was the Demon Lair!
Ninety percent of the world's demon cultivators were under his control. If Xiu Litian gave the order, unless the Immortal Mansion sent troops, the Xiu family would be annihilated!
"You dare not!"
Xiu Litian said with a smile, then his smile instantly froze, his eyes sharpening, "But I dare!"
He casually took out a blood-red token and dropped it from the sky!
Hum!
A resonant hum exploded!
Beneath the nine heavens, all demon cultivators belonging to the Demon Lair felt a tremor in the tokens they carried!
The Demon Lord's Token!
Even the Demon Lord could only use this token three times in his lifetime.
Once the Demon Lord used it, all demon cultivators in the world, no matter what they were doing, had to obey the Demon Lord's Token's command!
The moment Xiu Qitian and the others saw the token, they wanted to act, but Xiu Litian merely flickered and ascended tens of thousands of meters into the sky!
A flood dragon coiled beneath his feet, its body coiled into a ball, exuding boundless black mist, blocking the Xiu family members below!
"Demon Lair subordinates, heed my command!"
Xiu Litian's voice resounded through the heavens, powerful enough to echo throughout Zhongxuan Heaven even without the Demon Lord's Token's transmission!
"The Xiu family has defied the contract and sent family members into the Zhutian Secret Realm, causing the loss of more than half of the current generation of prodigies. This is crime one, unforgivable!
They harbor fourteen Tribulation Stage cultivators within the family who do not participate in battles, do not break through, consume the spiritual energy of heaven and earth without taking action. This is crime two, unforgivable!
Today, I act on behalf of heaven to punish them. With both crimes combined, their clan shall be annihilated!"
"Xiu Litian, you are insane!" Xiu Qitian's voice echoed from below.
"Insane? This is what you call insane?"
Xiu Litian lowered his head, looking down at the scene below, a sinister smile curling his lips, "Then let me show you what true madness is!"
He raised his hand and clenched his fist, the black mist of the sky condensed into his fist, laced with streaks of blood. Just looking at it was enough to shake one's mind!
He swung his fist down.
Boom!
The entire Xiu family mountain range... collapsed!
...
...
At the same time.
In Zhongxuan Heaven, not far from the Zhutian Secret Realm.
In a pavilion in the center of a lake, an old man in a purple robe sat cross-legged on a cushion, brewing a pot of clear water.
He casually took out a tea caddy from his Sumeru ring. As soon as he opened it, a fragrant aroma wafted out!
The fish swimming in the lake instantly became agitated, all swimming towards the pavilion. One after another, they leaped out of the water, and even a few small fish turned golden, clearly a sign of enlightenment!
He rolled up his sleeves, used jade tweezers to pick out two emerald green jade leaves, and placed them in the two jade cups before him and opposite him. He pursed his lips slightly, a smile appearing.
"People nowadays are truly impatient. Unlike the young friend, who is so steady."
As he spoke, there was no response, only the sound of fish leaping in and out of the water.
The old man was not annoyed. He picked up the teapot and poured water into the two jade cups.
The boiling water poured into the tea cups, instantly releasing the tea's fragrance!
Besides the live fish in the water, even the willow trees by the lake paused in the wind, as if in contemplation, and gradually took on a golden hue.
"Young friend, patience is good, but if you don't come out soon, this Enlightenment Tea will miss its best drinking time."
As soon as he said this, a little girl appeared out of thin air and sat down opposite the old man.
"Are you the Old Man of Destiny?"
"Indeed, I am."
The Old Man of Destiny stroked his beard, his eyes smiling, "The young friend's previous life was no more than thirty years old. I shall presume to be informal and not address you as senior."
Bu Bu did not seem to care about these formalities. She then asked, "You knew I was coming?"
"Naturally."
"So you came here specifically to wait for me?"
"I merely did not wish for the young friend to waste time. You should be doing more meaningful things."
"Heh..."
Bu Bu sneered, "Then what do you consider meaningful?"
The Old Man of Destiny smiled, formed his fingers into a palm, and pointed at the jade cups, "Why don't the young friend drink tea first?"
Enlightenment.
This tea had existed since ancient times. Moreover, even back then, it was a rare treasure. Even with his status in the family, he could only obtain one leaf every century.
Just one leaf could lead to enlightenment on a path, and even offer a chance for sudden enlightenment and breakthrough, and what's more... it was regardless of cultivation level!
For those who had reached a bottleneck in their cultivation, this was a supreme treasure!
For Bu Bu, who was trying to regain her memories of her previous life, this item was even more necessary. Otherwise, she would not have appeared so easily.
This cup of tea was brewed to her liking.
Bu Bu picked up the jade cup and drank it down in one gulp.
As she drank the tea, the jade leaf had already dissolved into the tea soup, naturally requiring no extra action.
A profound sensation surged into her mind, and indeed, many images appeared in Bu Bu's mind. However, she did not get distracted to examine them. Instead, she looked at the old man before her, "The tea has been drunk, can you speak now?"
"Immortal Jade."
The Old Man of Destiny uttered two words, looked at the jade cup before him without picking it up, and continued, "Yan Jue is about to be born, and Sen Jue's whereabouts are unknown. You should not have come to find me first."
Bu Bu frowned, not responding immediately.
After a few seconds of hesitation, she slowly said, "Do you know where Sen Jue is?"
The wood spirit within Yun Ze's body could only last for a while. As time passed, its flaws would inevitably be revealed.
If he was to truly achieve Heavenly Dao Foundation Establishment with the Five Elements Immortal Jades, he would need to find one of Sen Jue, Yan Jue, or Yao Jue before his core formation to form a small five-element cycle.
The others could be added later.
Now that Sen Jue had escaped from the perilous place, it was naturally best to find it first.
"I know."
"Tell me."
"Destiny cannot be fathomed!"
The Old Man of Destiny sighed with a smile, then looked at Bu Bu, "The person who possesses Sen Jue carries great fortune. You should not go looking for him. Go find Yan Jue first."
"...What is Destiny Blood?"
Seeing this, Bu Bu did not press further. After all, this person before her was unfathomable, and she was clearly not his match.
If he didn't want to speak, she couldn't force him. It was better to ask the question that puzzled her the most.
"It is said that accepting a gift makes one soft-handed, and eating someone's food makes one's mouth short."
The Old Man of Destiny said with a wry smile, "Young friend, you've drunk the tea, why don't you ask fewer questions?"
"Some words can be few, and some words are essential, no matter what."
Bu Bu's attitude was firm.
She stared intently into the Old Man of Destiny's eyes, "You can say other things or not, but this matter, you must clarify."
The Old Man of Destiny shook his head with a wry smile, but did not say much. He simply raised his hand and made a stroke on his brow.
A mysterious pattern immediately appeared, very similar to the pattern that had appeared on Yun Ze's brow, but slightly different. Its color was not silver-gray, but purple-gold!
Bu Bu was suddenly startled. On her face, which had remained unchanged for ten thousand years, ripples appeared!
"You... you are..."
"I am Shi You. Greetings, Young Friend Kong."
...
...
In a corner of the Southeast Heaven, within a mortal dynasty.
In the imperial garden, nearly a hundred palace maids and eunuchs scurried about, sweat beading on their foreheads.
It was currently the dead of winter, with snowflakes falling. Yet, each of them wore only thin clothing, and they were still covered in sweat.
It wasn't because they were particularly busy, but because a child of about eight or nine years old was sitting in the center of the imperial garden.
No, to be precise, he was a prince!
He had somehow found an immortal cultivation technique and was practicing it on his own. Now, he had even achieved some minor success.
Just being near this young master made one feel warm all over, as if they could live a few more years!
Just as everyone was busy, the prince sitting in the center of the imperial garden suddenly looked up, towards the northwest.
He slightly furrowed his brow, but at this moment, a woman's voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"Ji Xiu!"
The prince was slightly stunned, but soon relaxed his brows, returning to the innocent smile of a child.
He turned to look in the direction of the voice, got up, and ran over, throwing himself into her embrace, "Mother!"
"Good boy."
The woman rubbed Ji Xiu's head and said with a light smile, "Mother has brought you some good news. Do you want to hear it?"
"Yes!"
"Your father just received news that the Tongtian Academy will also be participating in this Ascension Assembly! You're really lucky, kid!"
"That's great!"
Ji Xiu's face was filled with a sunny smile, and just looking at him made one feel warm.
But after a moment, a hint of reluctance appeared on his face, and he hugged the woman tightly, "But if I go to the academy, I won't be able to see Mother every day."
"When you cultivate to become an immortal, will you still worry about not seeing Mother?"
The woman squatted down, smiled, and tapped the prince's head, "You, if you can pass the assessment of the Ascension Assembly, you must cultivate diligently. Your mother is counting on you to help her maintain her youthful appearance!"
Ji Xiu smiled and rubbed his head against the woman's arm, "Even if Mother gets old, she'll still be the most beautiful old lady!"
Sigh...
Women, no matter their age or status, when it comes to cultivation, the first thing they think of is always their appearance.
She had seen so many people, but he was different.
His mind was filled with books. She wondered how he was doing now.
"Oh, how much honey did you eat today!"
The woman laughed, amused by Ji Xiu, "With that compliment, let's go, Mother will take you to eat something delicious!"
"Okay!"
Ji Xiu replied, and was led by the woman out of the imperial garden.
But he still glanced back at the northwest, at that faint, indistinct darkness...
Xiu Litian could not resist taking action against the Xiu family.
The great era was about to begin!
He wondered if he could catch up.
Regardless... Xiu Litian, Tan Jingsheng.
You two, just wait for me!
In this lifetime, you will not win, no matter what!