Chapter Twenty-Four: Reunion Between Master and Disciple

Having plundered half of Ba Liming’s treasures—especially since nearly all were treasures of the Immortal Path—Qingxu’s mood was exceedingly good, and his previous vexation dissipated. Strictly speaking, although he had been schemed against by Ba Liming this time, the benefits he gained were immense. Not to mention the demonic domain left behind by the Demon Ancestor Luo Hou; the treasures taken this time were extraordinary.

Taiyi Mysterious Gold, Space-Transcending Stone, Heavenly Gang Spirit Gold... more than a hundred rare materials of heaven and earth for forging! Vermilion Fruit, Purple Ginseng, Tuckahoe, Lingzhi... several thousand immortal herbs and spiritual roots, all aged over ten thousand years! Dozens of immortal implements astonished Qingxu—knives, swords, dust whisks, treasure mirrors, seals... All made of precious materials, possessing vast power and intense immortal aura. Even the least among them had four or five layers of acquired restrictions, while a third possessed more than ten layers—each was a formidable acquired spiritual treasure!

The bounty piled within Qingxu’s Mustard Seed Sumeru Space, forming a mountain and occupying half the space. Once a cultivator reaches the Spirit Transformation realm, they can open their own Mustard Seed Sumeru Space, but its size depends on cultivation: at Spirit Transformation, only three to five meters; Earth Immortal, a hundred times more; and at Celestial Immortal, one can even open a Sumeru Immortal Realm cave heaven.

“Ah, there’s still an innate spiritual treasure.” Of all the gains, the greatest was an innate spiritual treasure. Innate spiritual treasures are born from primordial chaos, formed naturally, imbued with innate Dao essence. Comprehending them can elevate one’s cultivation and understanding of the Dao, but such treasures are exceedingly rare; only with immense fortune, luck, and destiny can one possess them (not counting murder and robbery).

He took out the innate spiritual treasure he had seized—a treasure bottle, wholly emerald green, brimming with immortal aura. Spiritual light enveloped it, a thousand auspicious energies and ten thousand rays of glow, the bottle’s body aligned with the Seven Stars of the Heavens, matching the formation of the Northern Dipper.

A sweep of his mind, and within the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he fully comprehended its essence. Fourteen layers of innate restrictions! The Northern Dipper Seven-Star Bottle, able to draw power from the Seven Stars of the heavens and transform it into Seven-Star Dew. It could also arrange the Northern Dipper Seven-Star Formation to repel evil, defend against demons, protect oneself, and trap foes—the uses were endless.

“Seven-Star Dew?” Qingxu’s heart leapt with joy, for he understood it deeply. Heaven has three treasures: sun, moon, and stars. The Seven-Star Dew is the supreme treasure of heavenly stars; consuming it can enhance cultivation, strengthen the body, and refining treasures with it can increase their power, imbuing them with the force of the Seven Stars. The most renowned in the Primordial Era was the Three-Treasure Jade Ruyi, the Dao-proving treasure of the Primordial Heavenly Lord, refined from the three treasures of heaven, earth, and man, its power far surpassing ordinary innate spiritual treasures, rivaling the supreme innate treasures.

Just as Qingxu rejoiced over the Northern Dipper Seven-Star Bottle, his mind was suddenly shaken, and an irresistible force drew him into the Great Void. His thoughts were chaotic, his will muddled, and who knew how much time passed before his mind stabilized and he surveyed his surroundings.

Boundless and desolate, nine-colored talismans flew about, combining into countless billions of mysterious patterns—grand, immeasurable, vast... Facing these patterns, Qingxu felt insignificant, like an ant before a mountain or an ocean.

Amid his awe, ten yards ahead, the void rippled, and within the waves a figure appeared—a middle-aged man in a moon-white Dao robe, dignified in bearing, holding a Jade Ruyi.

“Master? Disciple Qingxu pays respect to Master!” The newcomer was none other than the Pangu Jade Purity Hunyuan Saint—the Primordial Heavenly Lord.

“No need for formalities. This is my Heavenly Dao Space. I have summoned you for a matter.” It turned out, since Qingxu emerged from the demonic domain, in the span of a month the Heavenly Dao became clear, and Primordial tracked his whereabouts, immediately drawing Qingxu’s mind into his own Heavenly Dao Space to inquire why the Heavenly Dao could not detect him.

“Heavenly Dao Space? What is this?” Qingxu was momentarily startled, but did not ask further, knowing it concerned saintly secrets.

“Whatever instructions Master has, please speak freely!” Qingxu replied.

“You just descended the mountain a month ago—did anything happen? Why could the Heavenly Dao not detect you?” There was no need for roundabout words between master and disciple; Primordial asked directly.

Hearing this, Qingxu’s heart skipped a beat—he hadn’t expected that the demonic domain could shield from the Heavenly Dao. How could this be? Ancient Demon Ancestor Luo Hou was powerful, but at most rivaled a lower Hunyuan Saint; before the Heavenly Dao, he was merely a stronger ant. Could the demonic domain he created really block the Heavenly Dao?

It was perplexing! Unbelievable! Qingxu’s intuition told him something was amiss, not normal.

“After descending the mountain...” Qingxu pondered, then decided to truthfully tell Primordial about the demonic domain, hoping to leverage the saint’s power to refine the Eight Fiend Demon King into the Profound Demon Sword and probe the background of the sealed innate mighty being.

“Luo Hou?” Hearing Qingxu’s account, even the usually impassive Primordial Heavenly Lord, a Hunyuan Saint, was greatly startled. This was no ordinary matter! The Demon Ancestor Luo Hou’s reputation was now little known in the primordial world, but how could Primordial be unaware? Recalling Luo Hou’s power and the might of the Demon Sect, even the Three Pure Ones, who considered themselves orthodox heirs of Pangu, trembled in their hearts.

At the dawn of ancient primordial times, myriad clans flourished—dragon, phoenix, and qilin dominated, dividing the world and reigning supreme. Yet ultimately, they were all annihilated in a single stroke by Luo Hou’s Demon Sect—a terror indeed. As for the Demon Ancestor himself, he was so formidable that even when compared to the Lord of Tongtian who fought four saints at once during the Investiture of the Gods, Luo Hou was even more terrifying!

At the end of the First Cataclysm, the Ancestor Hongjun joined forces with all innate mighty beings in the primordial world to besiege Luo Hou—dozens against one. Even so, only a handful survived, and that with heavy injuries, such as Hongjun and Yangmei.

“How could this be? Demon Ancestor Luo Hou was at best equal to a Hunyuan Saint—how could he block the Heavenly Dao? This matter is not simple!” Primordial pondered, and instantly swept his saintly consciousness across Mount Daba. With a single thought, a saint can probe all the heavens, thirty-three layers above, eighteen levels of nether below, all realms and worlds—Mount Daba was no obstacle.

Bang!

Just as Primordial’s thought penetrated the depths of Mount Daba, seeking the demonic domain, an irresistible force blocked him, preventing even an inch of progress.

“What is this? This is...?” Primordial’s face showed disbelief—even more shocked than upon hearing of Luo Hou and the demonic domain, as if witnessing an ant crush an elephant.

His expression fluctuated darkly. After a long while, he sighed and waved to return Qingxu’s mind: “Now that the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman is destroyed, it has served as a spiritual treasure to ward off disaster. Perhaps fate decreed this tribulation for you—be careful in all things henceforth. I cannot always protect you.”

The Jade Purity Immortal Talisman was wondrous and mysterious, but its refinement was arduous; Primordial had only ever made one, and creating another would take at least a hundred years.

When Qingxu’s mind returned to his body in the primordial world, Primordial Heavenly Lord murmured to himself in the Heavenly Dao Space: “Dao and Demon?”

Leaving aside the troubled Primordial Heavenly Lord, Qingxu too was unsettled upon returning to his body—he hadn’t expected such events upon leaving Kunlun Mountain.

Whoosh!

Within the Palace of Douluo on Shouyang Mountain, a jade talisman, shrouded in clear light, suddenly shot forth, traversing the void as if the millions of miles separating Shouyang from Kunlun were but an instant (both are in the Eastern Divine Continent).

“Disciple thanks Grandmaster for the saintly grace!” Qingxu took the jade talisman, hurriedly offering a great salute. It was the Supreme Purity Immortal Talisman, even stronger than the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman.

Earlier, Primordial had sought out the Supreme One; both had combined their powers but could not detect Qingxu’s whereabouts, so they kept watch over him. When Primordial finally found him, he anxiously summoned Qingxu’s mind into the Heavenly Dao Space to question him, while the Supreme One was just a step behind—he was not worried and could ask Primordial later. Seeing that Qingxu had lost the Jade Purity Immortal Talisman, he happened to have refined a Supreme Purity Immortal Talisman, and since his only disciple Xuandu always accompanied him in cultivation and had no need for it, he bestowed it upon Qingxu.