Protect Our Patriarch-Chapter 764 Book 6: 40: Jun Daozi! Events from a hundred thousand years ago

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"So, what do you mean...?"

Dao Master Hongzhen glared at the Yunhai Holy Sovereign, seemingly warning him not to make outrageous demands.

Unexpectedly, the Yunhai Holy Sovereign acted as if he didn't notice Dao Master Hongzhen's gaze at all and spoke eloquently, "For a promising talent like my disciple, Wang Lici, who is still young and at a crucial stage for laying a solid foundation, spiritual herbs and food are indispensable. Dao Master, you should at least grant her ten or eight Chaos Spirit Stones, right?"

"Hehe~"

With a wave of his sleeve, Dao Master Hongzhen unleashed a vast and boundless force that sent the Yunhai Holy Sovereign flying out of the inner hall of Hongzhen Palace.

This slap sent the Yunhai Holy Sovereign flying over ten thousand miles, crashing into an unfortunate floating immortal mountain and embedding himself into the mountain's body.

"Uh..."

Wang Lici's round apricot eyes widened in shock.

For a moment, she felt a sense of awe and reverence for Dao Master Hongzhen.

"Lici, don't be afraid or worried. Your master has thick skin and won't get hurt," Dao Master Hongzhen said kindly, noticing Wang Lici's expression. "It's not that I'm stingy with those Chaos Spirit Stones, but with your current cultivation level, using top-grade spiritual stones for cultivation is already a bit extravagant. You simply don't need Chaos Spirit Stones. Here, take this big bag of top-grade spiritual stones and a bag of Immortal Spirit Stones to use first."

As he finished speaking, two bags appeared in Wang Lici's hands. She opened them to find about two hundred top-grade spiritual stones and twenty Immortal Spirit Stones.

This was already a lot.

To know that a giant Yunhai Whale Boat was worth only a dozen or so Immortal Spirit Stones. Many ordinary immortal clans would have to scrape together resources from all directions to come up with so many Immortal Spirit Stones at once.

Even for a Saintess like Wang Lici, who needed to quickly cultivate and break through realms in the Divine Realm, twenty Immortal Spirit Stones were enough to last a long time.

Wang Lici was overjoyed and immediately thanked him obediently, "Thank you, Dao Master Grandpa, this is already more than enough."

"You are such a good child," Dao Master Hongzhen said with a smile, clearly impressed with Lici. "By the way, what kind of weapon do you usually like to use?"

"I have a semi-immortal artifact, a Crescent Blade." Wang Lici grasped her hand, and the refined Crescent Blade flew out from her Purple Mansion, transforming into a war weapon firmly held in her grip. "My master was going to get me an Immortal Artifact, but the two Immortal Artifacts in the cave's inventory were too feminine, and I didn't like them."

As a semi-immortal artifact, the Crescent Blade naturally had a Spirit Artifact. However, under the gaze of the Dao Master, the Spirit Artifact felt immense pressure and obediently hid within the Crescent Blade, not daring to make a sound.

"Is the Dao Master going to reward Lici with a weapon? That's great!"

At this moment, the Yunhai Holy Sovereign, who had finally freed himself from the immortal mountain, returned to the inner hall of Hongzhen Palace, acting as if nothing had happened. Before Dao Master Hongzhen could speak, he reminded Wang Lici, "Lici, quickly thank the Dao Master for the reward of a Divine Artifact!"

His intention was clearly to coax Dao Master Hongzhen into giving a Divine Artifact as a meeting gift, to make up for the earlier loss.

"Boom!"

In the next instant, the Yunhai Holy Sovereign was sent flying again.

It was the same parabolic trajectory, the same distance, and he crashed precisely into the same spot on the immortal mountain, almost as if nothing had changed.

The power of the Dao Master was evident.

"Hmph~"

Dao Master Hongzhen snorted coldly, his expression displeased.

A Divine Artifact!

He could hardly believe Yunhai's appetite was so large.

Even the least valuable Divine Artifacts were worth eight or nine Chaos Spirit Stones, and particularly powerful ones could sell for forty or fifty Chaos Spirit Stones.

Such an appetite was not just fleecing the sheep; it was scraping the bone.

Originally, Dao Master Hongzhen intended to find a Holy Sovereign skilled in artifact refinement to upgrade Lici's Crescent Blade to an Immortal Artifact. Such newly upgraded Immortal Artifacts were considered ordinary, but they were convenient for Wang Lici to use and had a good synergy with the Spirit Artifact, avoiding the trouble of adaptation. The Dao Palace wouldn't have to bleed too much.

But with Yunhai Holy Sovereign's outrageous demands, even he felt that just upgrading seemed a bit stingy.

"How about this, I have a few decent Immortal Artifacts in my possession. I will allow you to choose one."

With that, Dao Master Hongzhen waved his sleeve.

In the blink of an eye, several radiant Immortal Artifacts appeared before Lici.

The first was a bell-shaped Immortal Artifact.

It was entirely bronze, with intricate and mysterious inscriptions on its body, exuding a dignified and heavy aura.

From the bell's body, a male Spirit Artifact emerged and introduced himself to Wang Lici, "I am the 'Hunyin Immortal Bell,' specializing in sonic attacks, capable of stunning and explosive sound, especially adept at group battles."

The second was a set of five "ring-shaped Immortal Artifacts."

These rings looked beautiful and exquisite, somewhat resembling bracelets at first glance, but they were thicker, with mysterious inscriptions on their bodies, emitting waves of mysterious energy.

A charming female Spirit Artifact emerged from the ring-shaped Immortal Artifact and introduced herself, "I am the 'Gu Immortal Ring,' capable of controlling and smashing, with endless uses. Little Immortal Lord, if you have a disobedient lover, I can bind his limbs for you, allowing you to do as you please."

Do as she pleases with a male cultivator?

A strange image immediately popped into Wang Lici's mind.

She quickly shook her head like a rattle.

Just kidding, what's the fun in that? If she could bind a celestial crane passing by in the clouds and do as she pleased, that would be interesting.

Pass, pass, pass!

Wang Lici's gaze immediately fell on the last Immortal Artifact.

It was a palm-sized fan.

The fan had a green base with red patterns on its surface. The patterns didn't seem to be artificially painted but rather naturally formed, with rich fire spiritual energy swirling around them, intertwining with the wind spiritual energy emitted by the fan, blending seamlessly into one.

As Wang Lici carefully examined the fan, a Spirit Artifact with an ambiguous gender, wearing a bellyband and a short skirt, jumped out from the fan, hands on hips, boasting, "I am the Spirit Artifact of the 'Wind Fire Fan,' Zha'er, possessing both wind and fire celestial attributes. Wind can fuel fire, and fire enhances wind's power. Whether in single combat or group battles, there's nothing I'm not good at."

"This one is great!" Wang Lici's eyes gleamed with joy, "I'll take this 'Wind Fire Fan.'"

"Great choice!" The Spirit Artifact Zha'er of the Wind Fire Fan was overjoyed, "I admire your decisiveness. From now on, I'll have your back, and together we'll conquer the world~~"

Even Dao Master Hongzhen nodded in approval.

Lici truly had a deep fortune.

These treasures were Immortal Artifacts he had kept for a long time. The Wind Fire Fan was indeed the most powerful in combat among the three, but the other two also had their unique advantages.

"Good fan." Wang Lici couldn't put down the Wind Fire Fan once she got it. "With you in hand, roasting those Void Realm meats will be much faster."

Lack of firepower had always been Lici's biggest pain point.

Some Void Realm meats, if the firepower wasn't strong enough, would take a long time to cook or roast thoroughly, often requiring a lot of effort before they were ready to eat.

Additionally, the Divine Spirit Artifact-level pot she bought from the Tianxing Holy Clan's Guimei's Clan, the 'Dragon Stew Pot,' could cook twenty to thirty thousand catties of food at a time.

But that was barely enough to stew meat below the ninth level of fierce beasts. At the tenth and eleventh levels, especially with wild fierce beasts, the meat was as tough as iron, not to mention that it couldn't fit in the pot, and the cooking time increased exponentially.

There was no way around it; the Dragon Stew Pot was, after all, just a Divine Spirit Artifact, and its inherent firepower was insufficient.

With this Wind Fire Fan in hand, firepower would no longer be an issue, and the Dragon Stew Pot's potential could be fully realized, stewing dragons when encountering dragons and stewing phoenixes when encountering phoenixes.

"Roast, roast meat?" The Spirit Artifact Zha'er of the Wind Fire Fan was shocked, "But, but I'm not a culinary Immortal Artifact..."

"No worries, no worries, you can control both wind and fire, much better than those real culinary Immortal Artifacts," Wang Lici comforted and encouraged it, "Believe me, with my cooking skills, you'll become famous worldwide."

"But, but I like fighting," Zha'er was on the verge of tears.

"What's more important than eating? You need to eat well to have the strength to fight."

"..." Zha'er and Dao Master Hongzhen.

While Wang Lici was choosing an Immortal Artifact, the Yunhai Holy Sovereign had managed to extricate himself from the immortal mountain again and returned to the inner hall of Hongzhen Palace, grinning as if nothing had happened.

"My disciple has a good eye. While the Dao Master is in a good mood, why not ask about the Twelfth Grade 'Dao Yuan Pill'?"

"Dao Yuan Pill?" Wang Lici was a bit confused, "What's that, is it delicious?"

Dao Master Hongzhen's face instantly darkened.

He roared, "Yunhai, you dog, have I been too kind to you? How dare you even think about the Dao Yuan Pill?"

"Master, my beloved disciple has the qualifications to become a quasi-Dao Child, so why can't she aim for the Dao Yuan Pill?" The Yunhai Holy Sovereign, on the other hand, was confident, "Let me lay it out for you: Lici's current bloodline level is the tenth level Sage Body, her aptitude is at the initial stage of Saintess Ding Grade. If she takes a Twelfth Grade Dao Yuan Pill now, her aptitude could break through to the middle stage of 'Saintess Bing Grade.'"

"When she advances to the Void Realm, undergoes tribulation, and receives the baptism of the world's essence, her bloodline level will break through to the eleventh level Pure Elemental Immortal Body. At this time, inheriting the Sacred Diagram and receiving the baptism of the world's essence, considering the essence in the Sacred Diagram is most effective for those with the tenth-level bloodline, Lici's bloodline has already awakened to the eleventh level, so the effect is limited, but it should at least raise her bloodline aptitude to the middle stage of 'Saintess Yi Grade.'"

"With such aptitude, she'll be qualified to inherit the 'Dao Book.' When she advances to the True Immortal Realm, undergoes the True Immortal Tribulation, and you, Master, let her inherit the 'Dao Book,' her bloodline will likely reach the thirteenth level!"

"Having a thirteenth-level 'Da Luo Dao Body' bloodline in the True Immortal Realm, it's a done deal! Isn't that a guaranteed Dao Child?"

"Then she can follow the steps to cultivate, advance to Da Luo Holy Sovereign, undergo the heavenly tribulation baptism, gain another bloodline level to reach the fourteenth level 'Wu Ji Dao Body,' and at this point, her combat power will surpass most Holy Sovereigns. Then, continue cultivating according to the 'Dao Book,' steadily stepping into the Dao Master realm, reaching the fifteenth level 'Hun Yuan Holy Body.'"

"By then, Lici's lifespan could reach 136,000 years! At that time, if you're still alive, you can retire and enjoy your old age."

The Yunhai Holy Sovereign spoke eloquently, leaving both Wang Lici and Dao Master Hongzhen stunned.

"My lifespan is nearing its end? I'm about to retire?" Dao Master Hongzhen struggled to suppress his anger, "Yunhai, you've planned my later years so clearly."

"Master, don't thank me. It's because Lici is so outstanding," Yunhai Holy Sovereign said matter-of-factly, "Also, I'm part of the Primordial Dao Palace, and I have to think about the future succession of the Dao Palace."

"Hmph, you have a point, but unfortunately, Lici came a bit late," Dao Master Hongzhen didn't want to hit anyone anymore and shook his head, "I recently accepted a new disciple, Ying Lingzhu, who is about 360 years old. Overall, she's similar to Lici, but her bloodline aptitude has already reached the middle stage of Saint Son Ding Grade, slightly better than Lici."

"How is that possible?!" Yunhai Holy Sovereign was shocked, "I've never heard that you've accepted a disciple! Isn't this something that should be announced to the world?"

"I said I just accepted her," Dao Master Hongzhen glared at him, "Besides, Lingzhu is still young, there's no need for her to step onto the stage too early. I planned to announce it to the world after she reaches the True Immortal Realm."

"..." Yunhai Holy Sovereign looked as if he had suffered a huge blow, his expression darkening, "Master, is there no possibility of switching to Lici?"

"Absolutely not!" Dao Master Hongzhen shook his head decisively, "Not to mention the issue of first-come, first-served, Lingzhu's bloodline is slightly higher than Lici's. When she advances to the Dao Master realm, she might be able to go even further on the Dao Master's path."

There was another thing Dao Master Hongzhen didn't say.

When he first saw Ying Lingzhu, it was as if he saw his senior sister from back then, equally talented and... ethereal, like a celestial being.

And most importantly, they both came from the Ying Clan.

Back then, his senior sister was recognized as the first in line to inherit the Primordial Dao Palace, the most powerful contender for the position of Dao Child, and no disciple in the entire Dao Palace dared to challenge her. If it weren't for his senior sister's incident in the True Immortal Realm, this position of Dao Master would probably not have fallen to him.

Back then, whether in terms of aptitude or courage, he was a notch below his senior sister. Although he was also a quasi-Dao Child, he didn't have much hope for the position of Dao Child, let alone expect the position of Dao Master to eventually fall to him.

According to the tradition of the Dao Palace, they usually decide on the true Dao Child when most of the quasi-Dao Children have reached the late or peak stages of the True Immortal Realm.

This way, they have more time to assess the quasi-Dao Children and select the most suitable successor. Additionally, the Dao Child who inherits the 'Dao Book' can directly break through to the Da Luo Holy Sovereign level in a short time, ensuring safety.

If the 'Dao Book' is inherited in the early stages of the True Immortal Realm, any mishap in between could risk a gap in the succession of the Dao Palace.

Back then, his senior sister disappeared at the ninth level of the True Immortal Realm.

Sigh~

The distant past surfaced in Dao Master Hongzhen's mind, disturbing his Dao heart that had been calm for so long.

He didn't know if he was really getting old, but in the past few hundred years, memories from his youth would occasionally surface from the depths of his mind, inadvertently disturbing his thoughts.

He still remembered that after his senior sister disappeared, his master was furious and sent out many people to search for her. He himself had left the Dao Palace several times, trying to find his senior sister.

Unfortunately, at that time, external threats coincided, and his master was overwhelmed, with very limited time to search. Later, he fought a powerful being, and although he won and successfully sealed it, he was severely injured and had to stay in the Dao Palace to recuperate.

Unfortunately, back then, he was just a candidate for the Dao Child, too weak to intervene.

Those were the most difficult days for the Primordial Dao Palace. It was that serious injury that shortened his master's lifespan, and he passed away before he could advance to the Hun Yuan Dao Master.

It wasn't until he, Hongzhen, became a Hun Yuan Dao Master and revitalized the Primordial Dao Palace that things slowly improved.

"Master, why don't we put Lici in the candidate position for the quasi-Dao Child?" Yunhai Holy Sovereign, having no other choice, could only settle for the next best thing, "The succession of our Dao Palace is of great importance, and we must have a backup plan."

"Of course, there must be a backup," Dao Master Hongzhen nodded slightly, agreeing with this point, "But according to past traditions, the age gap between two or more quasi-Dao Children should be larger, at least a thousand years."

"Then what should we do?" Yunhai Holy Sovereign was a bit troubled and displeased, "Does that mean our Lici, with such a bloodline, can only be a slightly stronger Holy Sovereign in the future?"

"Sigh~ In that case, let me be honest with you," Dao Master Hongzhen sighed and finally revealed the truth to Yunhai Holy Sovereign, "The two furnaces of 'Dao Yuan Pill' spiritual herbs I've collected are still missing some materials. Once they're gathered, I'll open both furnaces. If we're lucky and get two Dao Yuan Pills, one will be for Lici. If we're unlucky and only get one, it will have to go to Lingzhu first."

"But I must clarify that even if Lici gets the Dao Yuan Pill, Lingzhu will still be the first in line as the quasi-Dao Child, and Lici can only be the second in line, as a backup quasi-Dao Child."

"Alright, alright, at least there's some hope," Yunhai Holy Sovereign reluctantly regained some confidence, "Besides, our Lici is a child with great fortune. With the Dao Yuan Pill's blessing, she might find her own path to becoming a Hun Yuan Dao Master in the future."

Dao Master Hongzhen glanced at Yunhai Holy Sovereign without bursting his bubble.

Finding one's own path to becoming a Dao Master is as difficult as ascending to heaven!

Having walked the path of a Hun Yuan Dao Master himself, he understood how arduous it was. Without countless predecessors paving the way, relying solely on himself, even with the full lifespan of a Holy Sovereign, he wouldn't have achieved much.

Compared to his senior sister, Hongzhen considered himself too "ordinary."

However, having Lici as a backup was a good thing. If Lingzhu successfully succeeded, Lici, as a strong peer in the Holy Sovereign level, could also support Lingzhu in establishing her position.

"There's no rush in this matter. Lici, you should focus on your cultivation," Dao Master Hongzhen concluded, "Lici and Lingzhu still have some years before reaching the peak of the Divine Realm. If we're lucky, our two furnaces of Dao Yuan Pills might yield three or four pills."

The 'Dao Yuan Pill,' as a Twelfth Grade bloodline aptitude pill, not only required extremely rare and precious ingredients but was also as difficult to refine as ascending to heaven. Even a Dao Master proficient in alchemy couldn't refine it many times in a lifetime, so there was no talk of proficiency.

If luck was bad, it wasn't uncommon for two furnaces of spiritual herbs to yield only one pill.

Because of this, the price gap between the Twelfth Grade Dao Yuan Pill and the Eleventh Grade Manifestation Pill was enormous. The latter's refining threshold was much lower, and proficiency was relatively easier to improve. With more practice, it wasn't too difficult to refine five or six pills in one furnace.

With proficiency improving, the price would naturally stabilize, and with money, a Manifestation Pill could be bought for several dozen Immortal Spirit Stones. However, the Dao Yuan Pill was currently priceless!

With this thought, Dao Master Hongzhen, as if to make up for the lack of Lici, said, "Yunhai, let Lici stay in my Dao Palace for a few days. I'll leave a 'Primordial Dao Seal' in her soul."

Primordial Dao Seal?

The 'Primordial Dao Seal' was a secret technique of the Dao Palace, using the Dao Master's soul as a guide to leave a mark in the disciple's soul. In critical moments, the disciple could activate the seal, summoning the Dao Master's consciousness to manifest a clone for assistance.

Although the clone's strength was far from the original, only at the Da Luo Realm, under the Dao Master's control, it could exert combat power equivalent to a mid-Da Luo Holy Sovereign, more than enough to protect the disciple.

Even if the disciple was too far from the Dao Palace, beyond the Dao Master's sensing range, unable to manifest a clone for assistance, the mixed-element spiritual energy stored in the seal could transform into a thunderous strike to help the disciple kill enemies.

With this seal, it was like giving Lici an insurance policy, allowing her to travel with peace of mind.

Yunhai Holy Sovereign was overjoyed, "Master, you've been stingy all your life, it's rare for you to be generous once."

"Stingy?" Dao Master Hongzhen sneered, "Yunhai, you don't know the cost of running a household. If I didn't manage carefully, how could I support the vast enterprise of the Primordial Dao Palace?"

"How could I not know the cost of living?" Yunhai Holy Sovereign grinned, "My Yunhai Cave Heaven, although it can't compare to the vast Primordial Dao Palace, is also an isolated force. Life is tough, with so many people needing food, drink, and cultivation resources flowing out like water. That's why I have to shamelessly come to the Dao Palace to scrape some resources."

"Hmph! You're not a good thing yourself, don't blame the overseas hardships," Dao Master Hongzhen snorted, still not giving him a good face.

He knew well the difficulties of Yunhai Cave Heaven, isolated in the overseas borderlands. If it weren't for this, how could he allow Yunhai to come to the Dao Palace and swindle resources from time to time?

If another Holy Sovereign dared to do such things, they would have been suppressed by Dao Master Hongzhen long ago.

Yunhai Holy Sovereign calculated that the resources he had secured for Lici from Dao Master Hongzhen were about enough, and unexpectedly, he had also obtained a Primordial Dao Seal. To avoid any complications, it was best to leave quickly.

He immediately took his leave, leaving Wang Lici behind, and swiftly departed from Hongzhen Palace.

Half a month later, he returned to pick up Lici, who now bore the Primordial Dao Seal, and took her to visit the various floating holy islands within the Primordial Dao Palace, introducing Lici to the various Holy Sovereigns in a show-off manner.

The purpose, of course, was to solicit meeting gifts for Lici.

The floating immortal islands within the Primordial Dao Palace varied greatly in size. The smaller islands were hard to say, but those connected like floating continents were often the domain of a Holy Sovereign, hence called "floating holy islands."

And the Holy Sovereigns residing on these floating holy islands were generally more affluent.

Yunhai Holy Sovereign took Wang Lici on a tour, and if any Holy Sovereign was stubborn enough not to give, it didn't matter. He would stay with Lici at their place, as if prepared to freeload indefinitely.

After witnessing Lici's appetite, all the Holy Sovereigns would quickly hand over meeting gifts, sending them off like a plague.

"One Immortal Spirit Stone, two Immortal Spirit Stones... eighty Immortal Spirit Stones..."

After leaving another floating holy island, Wang Lici and her master Yunhai sat on the cloud chariot, tallying their gains over this period.

Counting the bags full of Immortal Spirit Stones, Wang Lici's eyes sparkled, "In the past six months, we've received a total of 129 Immortal Spirit Stones. We're rich, we're rich, we can buy lots and lots of food."

"Hehe~" Yunhai Holy Sovereign stroked his beard, immensely pleased, "In this area, your master is a professional. In two months, we'll hold your 400th birthday banquet. We can make up a slogan, 'Four hundred not done, four thousand not sent,' saying it's a custom from your hometown, and have them send another round of gifts."

"Master... you're so good to me," Wang Lici was deeply moved.

"Of course, you're my precious disciple. Who else would I be good to if not you? Qingyuan?" Yunhai Holy Sovereign laughed heartily, satisfied.

As they spoke, the cloud chariot passed by a magnificent floating holy island, but instead of approaching, it deliberately circled around.

The island was large, larger than many islands in the Dao Palace, and its architecture was exquisite and luxurious, elegant yet not lacking in grandeur, clearly indicating that the island's owner was wealthy.

Wang Lici glanced at the island, then at her master, curious, "That floating holy island is beautiful. We've never been there, right? I remember last time we passed by, Master, you also deliberately took a detour."

"This..." Yunhai Holy Sovereign's expression froze, his eyes flickering with an inexplicable tension, "There are so many islands in the Dao Palace, we can't exhaust them all, we have to leave some alive."

But as soon as he finished speaking.

A woman's cold laughter echoed from the clouds above the cloud chariot, "Yunhai, you've passed by several times without entering, what do you mean? If word gets out, won't it be embarrassing for me, Jinyu?"

Oh no!!

Caught red-handed!

Yunhai Holy Sovereign's face fell, his expression instantly more bitter than a bitter melon.

……