Next were Zhao Gongming, Lü Yue, Luo Xuan, the three Bixiao sisters, and many other inner disciples, including Zhou Chen.
Finally came the registered disciples outside Biyou Palace who had listened to the Sage's discourse, but the distribution of spiritual treasures had nothing to do with them.
"Zhao Gongming, from this day forth, you shall be the Senior Outer Disciple, responsible for managing the affairs of the outer disciples. I bestow upon you the Dragon-Binding Rope and the twenty-four Sea-Calming Pearls. May you cultivate diligently henceforth and never bring shame to the mighty reputation of our Jiejiao."
Master Tongtian flicked his sleeve, and twenty-four pearls and a rope flew before Zhao Gongming.
"Thank you, Master."
Zhao Gongming excitedly put away the Sea-Calming Pearls and the Dragon-Binding Rope.
"Yunxiao, Bixiao, Qiongxiao, I bestow upon you three the Hunyuan Golden Dipper, the diagram of the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation, and the Golden Dragon Scissors."
Tongtian flicked his sleeve, and a golden dipper, a formation diagram, and a pair of scissors flew before Yunxiao, Bixiao, and Qiongxiao.
"Thank you, Master."
The three sisters reached out to receive the Spiritual Treasures and the formation diagram, bowing together in salute to Master Tongtian.
"Lü Yue..."
"Luo Xuan..."
"..."
Master Tongtian produced one treasure after another to bestow upon the inner disciples, everyone hoping the next name called would be their own.
"Zhou Chen, you specialize in the Dao of Thunder. These Purple Electric Hammer and twelve Sea-Calming Pearls are temporarily lent to you for self-protection!"
Zhou Chen was momentarily stunned, but immediately realized that this was a treasure bestowed upon him by Master Tongtian. Only, the phrasing was different from the others; for everyone else it was a bestowal, but in his case it was merely a temporary loan. Yet in an instant, Zhou Chen understood: he was merely an inconspicuous inner disciple, and if these treasures were explicitly bestowed upon him, it would draw too much attention. Furthermore, he only displayed the cultivation level of the Heavenly Immortal Realm outwardly, and if others knew he possessed such Spiritual Treasures, quite a few would likely covet them. While he was not afraid, it would be extremely troublesome. A temporary loan, however, resolved this issue perfectly, because these Spiritual Treasures were merely borrowed from Master Tongtian. Who would dare to rob an object belonging to a Sage? That would be like lighting a lantern in an outhouse—courting death!
Before Zhou Chen could even offer his thanks, Master Tongtian finished speaking and directly tore through the void, leaving Biyou Palace.
Seeing that Master Tongtian had departed, the disciples of Jiejiao rose one after another and bowed toward the seat Master Tongtian had occupied.
Having completed their bows, they turned successively and walked out of Biyou Palace. Zhou Chen followed the crowd out of the palace.
On Jinao Island, the living beings who had come to listen to the discourse also knew that the lecture had concluded. They activated their respective escape techniques and divine powers, heading away from Jinao Island. In an instant, various escape techniques and flight methods appeared one after another in the skies above Jinao Island. Their sheer numbers blotted out the sun as they flew away from the island.
After stepping outside and witnessing this scene, Zhou Chen could not help but sigh with emotion.
"When a Sage preaches the Dao, ten thousand immortals come to pay homage."
Behind him, a sweet laugh rang out, shattering Zhou Chen's reflection.
"Junior Brother Zhou Chen, Master is exalted as a Sage of Heaven and Earth, having established Jiejiao and carved out a thread of survival for all living beings, which is why he opened his gates to expound the Great Dao. This sight of ten thousand immortals coming to pay homage is only right; after all, this is supreme fortuitous destiny, and who would willingly let it slip away?"
Hearing this, Zhou Chen nodded in agreement and looked toward the newcomer.
"Senior Sister speaks truly. May I ask why Senior Sister has sought me out?"
Indeed, the newcomer was none other than Our Lady of Jinling. Moreover, she was not alone; trailing behind her were the personal disciples Our Lady of Guiling and Wudang, as well as the three powerful female cultivators of the inner sect, the Bixiao sisters. Truly worthy of being the head of the female immortals of Jiejiao and the Senior Sister of Jiejiao, she had managed to win over these prominent female immortals, essentially unifying all the women of Jiejiao in one stroke. No wonder that in the God-Conferring War, even in defeat, she could attain the status of Doumu Yuanjun. Setting aside battle prowess, this sort of means and ambition was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
The divine position of Doumu Yuanjun was extremely unusual. In normal rankings, it should be below the Four Royals, belonging to one of the Five Elders. Yet she was also the Mother of All Stars, which theoretically meant the Great Emperor Ziwei of the North Pole ought to address Doumu Yuanjun as mother—making for a rather awkward dynamic.
Furthermore, in the God-Conferring War, Our Lady of Jinling was the only disciple to occupy a high position. Even Yuanshi Tianzun, who had always looked down his nose at others, praised Our Lady of Jinling for having attained complete virtue, which demonstrated her extraordinary nature, transcending mere battle strength.
Take the Bixiao sisters, for instance—they were formidable, wiping out the Twelve Golden Immortals in one fell swoop, requiring a Sage to personally step in to subdue them. Yet what title were they conferred during the God-Conferring War? Goddess of Sentiment, Following the World! This divine position was by no means a petty one; it was the authority responsible for births. While it carried power, it genuinely did not match the sisters' actual strength.
Of course, this was not to say the Chan Jiao faction handled this aspect incorrectly; history is written by the victors. Had Jiejiao triumphed, the divine positions of the Chan Jiao people would not have fared much better. This only served to further set off the extraordinary nature of Our Lady of Jinling.
"Doesn't Junior Brother lack a Daoist sanctuary? Coincidentally, a few junior sisters and I are planning to search the East China Sea for an immortal island to establish a sanctuary. Jinao Island is Master's sanctuary, and in the future, when we spread the teachings of Jiejiao and develop our orthodox lineage, remaining on Jinao Island will ultimately prove inconvenient. Junior Brother, would you like to come along?"
Our Lady of Jinling offered an explanation, then stared intently at Zhou Chen. She always felt that Zhou Chen and Master were keeping something from her, especially when Master lent the Purple Electric Hammer to Zhou Chen this time around and casually remarked that he "specializes in the Dao of Thunder." This caused Our Lady of Jinling to suspect that the one who had rescued her might actually be Zhou Chen, though seeing his Heavenly Immortal Realm cultivation forced that thought back down. Still, she felt something was amiss, which was why, upon seeing Zhou Chen, she invited him to travel together.
Our Lady of Guiling, Our Lady of Wudang, and the Bixiao sisters, standing behind Our Lady of Jinling, did not know why Senior Sister Jinling was being so gracious to this junior brother, but they kept their silence.
Seeing Our Lady of Jinling like this, Zhou Chen knew she had likely guessed something, even if she lacked confirmation, and that this invitation was likely meant as a probe. However, Zhou Chen was unconcerned; his own strength was more than sufficient for self-preservation. If pushed to the limit, he could simply reverse the current of time and hide away in ages past. He refused to believe anyone dared to charge into the past timeline to capture him.
Zhou Chen had originally thought quite well of his prospects: his strength was more than enough to protect himself, and he had even harvested certain traits of the River of Time during his journey through it, gaining the ability to launch attacks across the past, present, and future. To say nothing of dominating the Primordial World, he could at least be considered as having stepped into the upper echelon, right? But before he could even indulge in fantasies about the future, Master Tongtian turned around and poured a bucket of cold water over him: his ability was fine, quite formidable indeed, but it could not be used. A group of supreme titans lurked within the past timeline; the moment Zhou Chen dared to recklessly employ this ability, the creator of the Primordial World and master of the Great Dao of Strength, Heavenly King Pangu, would dare lead his gang of underlings to charge straight out of the past timeline and annihilate Zhou Chen.
Zhou Chen did not believe for a second that his meager magic power, indestructible physical body, and undying primordial spirit could withstand the axe of Heavenly King Pangu.
Though Zhou Chen maintained a calm and detached expression on the surface, his mindset had more or less collapsed. After all, this situation was just a bit too much to accept!