In the side hall of the Taiqing Palace on Kunlun Mountain.
Xiaoxuan opened his eyes, and the first things he saw were the three figures sitting directly opposite him: the Three Pure Ones of Pangu.
Realizing that the three of them had appeared at his most dangerous moment and forcefully stood up for him, he felt deeply moved!
"Disciple Xiaoxuan pays his respects and expresses his deepest gratitude to Master and the two Uncles!"
Xiaoxuan stood up and bowed respectfully.
Taishang nodded without a word, while the stern-looking Yuanshi Tianzun said with gratification, "Xiaoxuan, with your cultivation at the Consummate Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, you managed to hold out for so long against a Peak Daluo Golden Immortal. You certainly have not let down my eldest brother's teachings."
Xiaoxuan naturally nodded in assent!
"That damned Burning Lamp! How dare he lay a hand on a disciple of the Three Pure Ones! If there is a next time, I will ensure his body and soul are utterly destroyed!"
Surcharged with a biting, fierce sword qi, the Master Tongtian was clearly still furious.
"Little Xuan'er, take this Qiankun Ruler and go play with it!"
A flash of profound light shot over, and an emerald-green ruler floated before Xiaoxuan—it was none other than the Qiankun Ruler!
The Qiankun Ruler was a Acquired Supreme Merit Treasure, the very first ruler in heaven and earth, which governed the cosmic dimensions and could kill without incurring karmic retribution.
Yet in the hands of the Burning Lamp Daoist, the Qiankun Ruler had been used merely as a thrown weapon, truly a case of a bright pearl cast into the dust...
Receiving the Qiankun Ruler with both hands, Xiaoxuan bowed once more: "Thank you, Uncle!"
Since the Burning Lamp Daoist had failed to steal the treasure and instead lost his supreme Qiankun Ruler, the obsession for revenge in Xiaoxuan's heart had faded significantly!
Producing the God-Robbing Money, Xiaoxuan respectfully presented it before the Three Pure Ones and said, "This God-Robbing Money is the very treasure that Burning Lamp attempted to seize!"
"A Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure?"
Tongtian exclaimed in surprise.
Yuanshi Tianzun cast an annoyed glare at Tongtian, then stared at the God-Robbing Money in Xiaoxuan's hand with equal astonishment.
At this time, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had not yet distributed treasures, and the Three Pure Ones themselves were lacking in magical treasures. Aside from their own paths of enlightenment treasures, the items they could actually bring out were few and far between.
The moment Xiaoxuan ventured out into the world, he had managed to find a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure!
What marvelous fortune, truly one favored by Karmic Luck.
He was indeed worthy of being a disciple of the Three Pure Ones!
Taishang pointed with his right hand, and the God-Robbing Money transformed into a streak of yellow light that entered Xiaoxuan's spiritual altar, hanging upon the branches of the Immortal Apricot.
"Although the God-Robbing Money has wondrous and limitless uses, it consumes one's own Karmic Luck and fortune. It must be used with caution!"
Though Xiaoxuan had long known the drawbacks of the God-Robbing Money, he still respectfully nodded and agreed.
"You should carefully contemplate what you have gained from this journey, and in your spare time, refine the God-Robbing Money. A thousand years from now, follow the three of us to the Zixiao Palace to listen to the Dao!"
As soon as Taishang finished speaking, the Three Pure Ones vanished.
In the main hall of the Taiqing Palace.
Yuanshi Tianzun had always cared deeply about his reputation and face. For the Burning Lamp Daoist to dare to strike at Xiaoxuan was a direct transgression against Yuanshi Tianzun's taboos, earning the future Sage's severe displeasure.
"Xiaoxuan was formed from the transformation of the Immortal Apricot, one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots. His inherent foundation is truly extraordinary!" Yuanshi stroked his beard, which was over a foot long, and said, "This time, his battle against Burning Lamp relied entirely on the protection of his Immortal Apricot true form. Come to think of it, it is rather shameful!"
Clearly, Yuanshi Tianzun harbored lingering resentment over having no treasures to bestow upon Xiaoxuan.
"No matter, we can simply compensate him later!" Taishang frowned and said, "With the Dao Ancestor's second lecture approaching, the three of us should make our preparations and strive to find our opportunity as soon as possible to attain the Hunyuan Dao!"
Yuanshi and Tongtian nodded in agreement, and the three of them began to expound upon the Dao within the Taiqing Palace, mutually verifying their insights.
Kunlun Mountain was one of the ancestral veins of the Primordial World, and furthermore the Yujing of the Yujing Golden Towers.
In terms of the density of spiritual Qi, it was probably second to none, even when compared to Mount Buzhou.
Within the Taiqing Palace, aided by Taishang's grand array, the spiritual Qi was so dense it was nearly liquefied—an absolute paradise for cultivation.
Staying in the side hall of the Taiqing Palace, Xiaoxuan used the Taiqing Profound Method as the foundation of his cultivation, and his realm grew deeper day by day.
He had already refined more than half of the thirty-six layers of innate restrictions on the God-Robbing Money. At this moment, if Xiaoxuan were to use the God-Robbing Money, the consumption of Karmic Luck and merit would be less than a tenth of what it was before.
The remaining restrictions were simply beyond what a mere Taiyi Golden Immortal like Xiaoxuan could refine!
As for the Qiankun Ruler bestowed by Tongtian, although it was an Acquired Supreme Merit Treasure, Xiaoxuan had already fully refined it because he knew its functions and ultimate mission.
The Qiankun Ruler not only fixed the standards of heaven and earth, but could also measure the heavens and survey the earth, allowing for indiscriminate attacks that ignored all formations and illusions!
Within his spiritual altar, the God-Robbing Money had transformed into countless coins hanging from every single leaf of the apricot tree.
The golden coins gleamed brilliantly, decorating the Immortal Apricot so that it resembled a veritable money tree; as for the Qiankun Ruler, it rested among the roots of the Immortal Apricot as though supporting the entire tree.
After massive amounts of heaven and earth spiritual Qi entered the spiritual altar, it passed through the Qiankun Ruler into the Immortal Apricot, where it was transformed into the dual qi of wind and thunder to nourish the three flower buds upon the tree.
As for Xiaoxuan himself, assisted by the tea tree, he comprehended the Great Dao, and his Dao attainment advanced by leaps and bounds.
A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye. When Xiaoxuan walked out of the side hall of the Taiqing Palace, the Three Pure Ones were already waiting outside.
"Not bad, you have indeed improved quite a bit!"
Taishang nodded and offered words of praise.
Xiaoxuan bowed and shyly scratched the back of his head.
"Clang, clang, clang, clang!"
The sound of bells and chimes resounded through heaven and earth, followed by a series of ethereal sounds of the Heavenly Dao echoing from the Thirty-Three Heavens across the entire Primordial World.
"I am Hongjun. A thousand years from now, I will hold the second lecture at Zixiao Palace. All those with affinity may come!"
The Three Pure Ones took Xiaoxuan with them and sped toward the Thirty-Three Heavens, quickly entering Chaos.
The Qi of Chaos raged violently; ordinary beings entering Chaos would be torn to shreds in the blink of an eye!
The Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Linglong Pagoda hovered above the Three Pure Ones and Xiaoxuan, continuously emitting the Qi of Xuanhuang to shield the four of them from the ravages of the chaotic Qi.
Even so, by the time the four of them arrived before the gates of Zixiao Palace, eight hundred years had already passed.
The Three Pure Ones sat cross-legged, closing their eyes in meditation as they waited for the gates of Zixiao Palace to open.
Xiaoxuan followed their example and sat behind Taishang, using the time to observe Zixiao Palace.
Zixiao Palace was several dozen zhang high and grayish-white all over, looking no different from an ordinary Daoist temple.
Only the three large characters "Zixiao Palace" on the plaque above the entrance were suffused with profound Dao charms.
At a single glance, it felt as though one's very mind and soul were being sucked right into it—truly unfathomable!
Xiaoxuan shook his head and also closed his eyes to meditate, practicing the marvelous arts of Taiqing.
When Xiaoxuan opened his eyes once more, the area outside the gates of Zixiao Palace was already packed with people: Goddess Nuwa dressed in yellow palatial robes, the miserable-looking Western pair, the two Demon Emperor brothers of the Demon Clan whose imperial majesty shook the directions—Dijun and Taiyi...
The great deity Fuxi, the Demon Master Kunpeng, and the Demon Sage Bai Ze stood strictly separated on one side from the Twelve Ancestor Witches, whose blood- qi shook heaven and earth; as for Styx, Burning Lamp, and the others, they could only retreat to the side, temporarily avoiding the overwhelming sharpness of the Wu and Yao clans!
Three thousand guests in Zixiao Palace, how many would actually attain the Dao?
"Creak!"
The gates of Zixiao Palace opened, and a boy and girl carved of jade bowed and made a Daoist salute, saying, "The Dao Ancestor has ordered that all senior brothers enter Zixiao Palace to listen to the lecture!"
The crowd filed in and took their seats according to the seating arrangement from their previous visit to Zixiao Palace.
As for Xiaoxuan, he sat squarely behind Taishang, watching respectfully as the empty cloud bed remained vacant.
"Clang!"
The Daoist boy struck the bells and chimes, and upon the empty cloud bed, an old man in gray Daoist robes suddenly materialized.
The old man's eyes seemed to encompass the sun, moon, stars, and all phenomena of the heavens. After sweeping his gaze around, his eyes finally fell upon Xiaoxuan!