Baihu stayed rooted to the spot. A moment later, he dropped to his knees and kowtowed: "Thank you, master! Thank you, master!"
Feeling the Great Dao merit within his body, Baihu was overwhelmed with joy.
This was Great Dao merit! Even just a wisp of it was something everyone desired but could never hope to obtain!
"Rise. You were born to guard my Three Immortals Island, so it is only right that I bestow this fortune upon you!"
With a wave of his hand, a mid-grade innate spiritual treasure materialized in Baihu's palm. Then, with another sweep of his sleeve, every single member of the island-guarding garrison was granted a low-grade innate spiritual treasure!
Everyone dropped to their knees and kowtowed in gratitude to Taichu.
"Rise. From now on, such formalities are unnecessary here on the Three Immortals Island. All of you, go beneath the Enlightenment Tree and cultivate diligently! You may all disperse as well!"
As his voice faded, Taichu's figure vanished from the spot.
With a thought, Taichu reappeared on Fangzhang Island!
Though the Three Immortals Island consisted of only three islands, they spanned hundreds of millions of miles, boundless and magnificent.
Within Fangzhang Island, immortal mists drifted, and spiritual energy flowed with a tangible density. Taichu stood quietly inside the island, closing his eyes to feel the surroundings.
Suddenly, Taichu smiled slightly and flew toward a certain spot.
As his figure touched down, an innate formation array came into view. Taichu raised his hand and waved, and the formation array automatically dissipated!
Now that the Three Immortals Island had been fully refined by him, everything on it was like his own home. Naturally, Taichu no longer needed to break or crack such a formation array.
Looking closely, it was truly a peerless treasure: thirty-six pearls abruptly appeared before his eyes!
The thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, each radiating five-colored brilliance, each containing the power of an entire world.
Capable of both offense and defense, formidable in every aspect, this was indeed a rare and extraordinary treasure!
He had never imagined that all thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls could be found in one place. Among top-grade innate spiritual treasures, this set belonged to the very highest tier!
After acquiring the thirty-six Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, Taichu did not linger long.
"In the future, if I take on disciples and they lack suitable magic treasures, I'll just tell them to come and seek their own destiny!"
With that, he turned and left.
Meanwhile, the Honghuang world was bustling with activity!
Leaving the Three Immortals Island, Taichu wandered about until he arrived at the Lunar Star—wait, no, the Solar Star!
The Solar Star was formed from the left eye of the Great Elder. He wondered what level of cultivation the beings conceived within this Solar Star had reached!
With that thought, Taichu stepped directly into the Solar Star!
The moment he entered, a wave of intense heat washed over him. The Solar Star burned with roaring true solar fire.
The true solar fire possessed peerless might, capable of incinerating the heavens and destroying the earth!
Even supreme mighty figures held it in mortal dread.
Right in the center stood a towering ancient tree that pierced the clouds!
"This is the Fusang Tree, one of the ten great spiritual roots of Honghuang!" Taichu couldn't help exclaiming as he looked at the Fusang Tree!
He casually plucked a branch, stored it away, and then looked upward once more.
Upon the Fusang Tree hung two golden crows, not yet transformed into human form!
However, the cultivation of both golden crows had already reached the Early-Stage Taiyi Golden Immortal level!
When entering the Solar Star this time, Taichu had deliberately concealed his true form; he did not wish to alert the native inhabitants of the Solar Star, which was why Dijun and Taiyi on the Fusang Tree remained entirely unaware of his presence!
Otherwise, had they been startled by such a powerful intruder barging in, the two brothers probably would have fallen right off the Fusang Tree in fright.
"This trip has been fruitful indeed. When I return, I'll plant this Fusang Tree branch within the Chaos Bead; surely it will grow and mature in time!" Thinking this, Taichu withdrew from the Solar Star!
He had sworn an oath to become a guardian of the Honghuang world, not its destroyer. Therefore, no matter where he went, he would never sweep the place clean of everything.
If he acted like that, how could he ever speak of repaying Honghuang?
Withdrawing from the Solar Star, Taichu shifted his thoughts and arrived at the Lunar Star. Yet, even billions of miles away from the Lunar Star, Taichu sensed the presence of another aura!
Instantly, Taichu concealed his movement technique and suppressed his aura, creeping closer step by step.
From afar, Taichu spotted an old Daoist standing outside the Lunar Star, looking shifty and glancing around furtively!
"Friend Qiankun, my Lunar Star does not welcome you. You had best return the way you came!"
A voice drifted out from within the Lunar Star!
The voice was cold and exquisite, melodious and lingering!
After a brief pause, Ancestor Qiankun flicked his sleeves, smoothed his expression, and assumed a cultured, refined demeanor. "Why must Goddess Wangshu hold people at such a thousand-mile distance?"
"As the saying goes, an extra friend is an extra path, an extra enemy is an extra wall!"
"Friend, you should open the formation array and let me in!"
Despite Ancestor Qiankun's words, Wangshu's expression at that moment was far from pleasant. Her tone remained icy and filled with a chilling aloofness that kept people at bay.
"Are you purely here to pay a visit and discuss the mysteries of the Dao?"
Qiankun, ask your own conscience: are you truly here to discuss the Dao on my Lunar Star?"
"When fellow travelers of the Dao arrive, this palace naturally has fine wine waiting. But you, Ancestor Qiankun, are no such person!"
"Those traveling different paths cannot make plans together. Naturally, I turn malicious uninvited guests away from my door. Of course, if you wish to resort to force, you are welcome to try."
"This palace does not fear you!"
Ancestor Qiankun did not reply. Instead, he stared infatuatedly at the Moon Goddess Wangshu.
The goddess wore robes as white as snow, her figure graceful and curvaceous, her facial features veiled in a misty haze. Though her exact appearance could not be clearly seen, one could tell at a glance that she possessed peerless beauty!
Her entire body radiated primordial lunar essence while emitting a brilliant moonlight, making her look like a bright moon that had descended into the mortal dust.
Beholding the devastating beauty of Moon Goddess Wangshu, Ancestor Qiankun spoke up:
"Goddess Wangshu, both you and I are reincarnated Chaos Demon Gods. I have been deeply devoted to you for a long time. I wonder—how about the two of us practicing dual cultivation together?"
"Impudent!"
"How dare a thief like you slander my pure reputation!"
Enraged to the extreme, Wangshu flushed bright red!
It wasn't that Wangshu had a good temper; it was simply that she genuinely couldn't beat him!
Therefore, no matter what, she could not open the array and go outside to teach this old scoundrel a lesson; she could only hurl curses at him across the barrier!
Wangshu's current cultivation had only just broken through to the Da Luo Golden Immortal realm.
Before her realm was even fully stabilized, this old scoundrel had tracked her down to her doorstep. How could she possibly win against Ancestor Qiankun, who was at the Peak Mid-Stage Da Luo Golden Immortal level?
To make matters worse, Qiankun possessed a supreme treasure of merit—the Qiankun Cauldron!
Hearing this, Taichu slowly stepped out from the void!
"I was wondering who it was—so it's you, you old scoundrel! You truly have no shame!"
Taichu spoke slowly!
"Ancestor Qiankun, is it? In my eyes, you're really an old man whose heart hasn't aged!"
"Impudent! Is an ancestor like me someone you can mock?"
Before Taichu could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Ancestor Qiankun!
For a full millennium, he had been knocking on the gates of this Lunar Star, only to be humiliated by Wangshu for a full millennium!
Now that a reckless fool had appeared before him, he naturally vented all his pent-up fury onto Taichu!
"That's right, it seems I shouldn't have bothered using words. Meeting someone utterly shameless like you, I should just resort to action instead!"
After hearing Taichu's words, Ancestor Qiankun took a careful second look at him. His mind had been clouded by lust earlier, leaving him only focused on venting his frustrations without taking the time to gauge the newcomer's cultivation level!
Now, looking closely, he couldn't see through this person's cultivation at all!
However, sensing no aura of danger, Ancestor Qiankun burst into loud laughter!
"Utterly clueless! You court death, you brat!"
With that, he struck out with a single palm toward Taichu!