“You…” Just as I was about to unleash a torrent of curses, the Huangzhong Plum fruit reappeared before my eyes.
“A gift for your sister. May I visit Daoist Changxi?”
The gift was precious, and considering that Changxi indeed needed celestial fruits at the moment, Xihe had no choice but to swallow her anger. She shot him a sidelong glance and led him to see her sister.
The Annihilation Black Lotus had already been absorbed into Changxi’s body. Now she was simply sleeping curled up on the Moon Cassia Tree, with no outward signs of abnormality.
When Tongtian reached the Moon Cassia Tree, he froze. Xihe thought he was dazzled by the tree’s beauty—after all, as one of the Ten Great Innate Spiritual Roots, the Moon Cassia Tree was exceptionally beautiful.
But Tongtian said, “Daoist, your purity and innocence surpass mine.”
Xihe turned back with a puzzled expression.
Tongtian offered no explanation. Instead, he placed the Huangzhong Plum on the table already piled high with spiritual fruits and immortal herbs. If all these celestial herbs and spiritual fruits were used by Changxi, they could save her hundreds of thousands of years of arduous cultivation.
Not to mention the rare Pan Peaches from one of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots—the Renshui Pan Peach Tree—of which there were a full ten here. This was not merely caring for a sister; it was doting without even realizing it. Though the Huangzhong Plum was precious, placed among so many celestial fruits, it no longer stood out.
“What is wrong with Daoist Changxi?”
“Innate deficiency. She often falls into deep sleep,” Xihe casually fabricated.
Tongtian asked no further. Instead, he spoke honestly: “Daoist, Tongtian has a matter to seek your advice on.”
Xihe raised an eyebrow. She had somewhat anticipated this, given how blunt her previous reminder had been. At the time, it might have seemed insignificant, but after Hongjun bestowed the Four Zhu Xian Swords, Tongtian—no fool—would naturally make the connection.
Coincidentally, due to the System, she had been drawing too much attention lately. She feared that even if Hongjun didn’t act openly, he might secretly undermine her. Gathering a few chess pieces now could prove immensely useful in the future.
After all, Tongtian was a Saint ordained by destiny.
Beneath a pavilion adorned with silver octagonal palace lanterns, the two sat facing each other, sipping tea.
Tongtian spoke bluntly: “The Dao Ancestor has accepted the Three Pure Ones as his direct disciples and bestowed upon me the Four Zhu Xian Swords and the Array Diagram. These four swords originally belonged to Demon Ancestor Luohu, their killing intent astonishing. If I wish to fully master them as soon as possible, the Great Luo Sword Embryo can be used to nurture the swords and conceal their edge. What are your thoughts on this, Daoist?”
Xihe took a sip of tea and said, “I do not cultivate the sword path. Why should Daoist care for my opinion?”
A slight smile touched Tongtian’s lips. “That day, I saw Daoist wield the Fire Spirit Pearl to unleash a divine ability. Over the years of my travels through the Primordial World, I happened to learn the whereabouts of the Earth Spirit Pearl and the Wood Spirit Pearl. Might Daoist be interested?”
Xihe’s hand, holding the teacup, paused. Among the Innate Five Spirit Pearls, she already possessed Water and Fire. If she could gather all five elements to form the Innate Five Elements Great Formation around Taiyin to protect her sister, she would feel much more at ease when traveling…
She had only managed to collect two thanks to the System’s opportunities. This Tongtian’s luck was truly remarkable—he alone knew the locations of two pearls.
Since she had already intended to win him over and had received benefits, it was time to reveal a little.
She summoned a purple-gold ruler, isolating the area where they sat.
Tongtian’s expression shifted slightly. “The Primordial Measuring Ruler! Daoist Xihe indeed possesses extraordinary fortune.”
With the Primordial Measuring Ruler, Hongjun could no longer eavesdrop on their conversation. Yet Xihe had no intention of speaking too plainly—one could know a person’s face but not their heart.
“Daoist Tongtian, I was formed from the Father God’s right eye and have awakened the Great Dao Double Pupils. I do not know when it began, but I have started to see things I should not see.”
“Fellow Daoist, your roots are noble and your temperament free-spirited. I cannot bear to see you end up abandoned by all and eternally suppressed, which is why I offer this warning.”
Tongtian’s pupils slightly contracted, but he quickly regained his composure, staring at her and saying, “Could you elaborate in detail?”
Xihe shook her head. “Heavenly secrets must not be revealed, but all matters follow cause and effect. There must have been signs long ago. Fellow Daoist, simply be more attentive in your daily affairs. Now that you are a disciple of the Dao Ancestor, you are destined to become a Saint in the future.”
“I wish to sow a good karma, so I will remind you once more: in the future, the Zhu Xian Sword Array can only be broken by the Four Saints. Success and failure both hinge on it. Fellow Daoist, you must never stake your life and everything you have on this sword array—you will surely be defeated!”
“You will surely be defeated!” Xihe’s words still echoed in his ears.
Tongtian sat alone in the guest room on the Taiyin Star, deep in thought.
If the sword array could only be broken by the Four Saints, that meant he would be besieged by four Saints in the future. Since his master had only bestowed seven strands of Primordial Purple Qi, excluding himself, at least four of the six Saints would become his enemies.
What troubled Tongtian was this: if the two who did not attack him were his elder and second elder brothers, why would they stand by and watch outsiders oppress him?
Or perhaps he was mistaken. Could it be that his elder and second elder brothers…
“Abandoned by all, eternally suppressed”—these eight words struck his heart like a hammer. Tongtian struggled to control himself but could not hold back from spitting out a mouthful of blood. His spiritual energy surged uncontrollably. He dared not think further…
If anyone other than Xihe had spoken these words, he would have immediately struck down the troublemaker. Yet, for some reason, he found himself believing Xihe.
Ever since his master bestowed the Zhu Xian Sword Array upon him, his second elder brother had grown increasingly stern toward him, and his elder brother had clearly been evasive. He was not blind to their exclusion, but they were born of the same roots. Would they truly resort to such cruelty against him?
“Knock, knock!” A sound at the door interrupted his thoughts.
“Enter.”
By the time Xihe entered, the blood at the corner of Tongtian’s mouth had vanished, and he showed no signs of abnormality.
“I see you have no mind for cultivation. Shall we go search for the location of the Five Elemental Spirit Pearls you mentioned?”
“Fellow Daoist, why such haste? Are you afraid I will go back on my word?”
Xihe shook her head. “You will soon be recalled by the Dao Ancestor. It will be difficult for us to meet again, so I wish to find the Five Elemental Spirit Pearls as soon as possible.”
Tongtian narrowed his eyes. “Fellow Daoist, do you realize what you are saying? How could you presume to guess my master’s intentions?”
Xihe grew annoyed. “Are you going to cut me down for your master’s sake? If not, then hurry up! Not everyone has as much leisure as you!”
Her System had just issued another mission—how could she not be anxious?
[Mission: Show Off – Issued: Host must set up the Primordial Five Elements Great Formation on the Taiyin Star within three million years. Reward: Great Dao Alchemy Art.]
[Mission Failure: Previous mission reward will be reclaimed.]
Three million years might seem like a long time, but for the beings of the Primordial World, it often passed in the blink of an eye during seclusion.
Xihe was somewhat anxious. After all, the whereabouts of the Metal Spirit Pearl among the Five Elemental Spirit Pearls remained unknown. If she failed to find it and the previous mission reward, the Annihilating Black Lotus, was reclaimed, wouldn’t Changxi be in mortal danger!
In her urgency, she could not afford to hesitate. She stepped forward and grabbed Tongtian’s arm. “Quick, lead the way.”
Tongtian’s gaze fell on Xihe’s anxious expression. Without refusing, he instead drew her closer, wrapping his arms around her.
“The journey overseas is long. My cultivation is, after all, a realm higher than yours. I will carry you to speed our travel.”
Xihe initially wanted to say there was no need to be so close, but she feared that speaking up might cause trouble and waste more time arguing with Tongtian. In the end, she did not resist.
A faint smile flickered in Tongtian’s eyes as he tightened his hold around her slender waist and transformed into a streak of azure light, vanishing from the Taiyin Star.
Not long after the two had departed, Hong Yun Zi and Zhenyuanzi came to visit. Seeing the Great Formation tightly sealed with an air of “no disturbances allowed,” they realized Xihe was either in seclusion or away, and could only regret missing the chance to meet before flying off.
Tongtian said that both the Earth Spirit Pearl and the Wood Spirit Pearl were located on the Penglai Immortal Island overseas. He had encountered them by chance earlier and found that the spiritual objects were still nurturing their essence, not yet ready to emerge into the world. He had set up a formation to conceal them, and now they only needed to go and retrieve them.
Whether it was an illusion or not, along this journey, they occasionally encountered fellow immortals, and surprisingly, all of them took the initiative to greet Xihe.