Seeing Tongtian covering his cheek and looking at her pitifully, Xihe felt it necessary to clarify things. She was not one to beat around the bush.
“Tongtian, do you think there is a possibility for us to become Dao companions in the future?”
Tongtian was taken aback, not expecting her to be so direct. He immediately lowered his hand, and his gaze toward her grew increasingly affectionate.
The two of them stared at each other like this.
After a long while, Xihe calmly said, “Tongtian, you are clever. You should understand that the reason I treat you differently is because I know you will become a Saint in the future. But I have no romantic feelings for you.”
“After meeting and interacting with you several times, I have come to understand your character. I believe that offense was not intentional, so I no longer hold it against you. I dislike dragging things out, so I will make it clear to you: I have no interest in you.”
Tongtian’s eyes darkened slightly, but he still held her hand, playing with it.
“You little rabbit are truly heartless. But I don’t believe you when you say you have no interest.”
Xihe was speechless. “Why wouldn’t you believe it? If I liked you, I would say it directly. I wouldn’t be so wishy-washy.”
“Then let me test it, alright?”
“How would you test it?” Xihe, a single rabbit for two lifetimes, looked utterly confused.
The next moment, she was enveloped by Tongtian’s aura, forcibly trapped in his embrace. Staring at his exceptionally handsome face drawing closer and closer, she would have to be dead to feel nothing at all.
But Xihe was certain that this was merely the kind of admiration one feels for a handsome man, not true affection.
Tongtian locked eyes with her, his breath brushing against her face. With each inhale and exhale, she caught the pleasant scent of mountains, rivers, and greenery. She thought she probably smelled the same way, since cultivators in the Primordial World only consumed spiritual fruits and immortal herbs, their bodies free of impurities. Naturally, there was no such thing as oral foulness like among later generations of humans.
Unable to bear Tongtian’s flirtation, Xihe stood on her tiptoes and kissed his lower lip.
“Is this a kissing experiment? I kissed you, so what? It doesn’t mean anything.”
Tongtian stiffened for a moment before chuckling softly. He pinched her chin, forcing her mouth open.
“A kiss isn’t done like this…”
When Tongtian’s cheek pressed against hers, Xihe blinked her large eyes, then immediately felt a tingling sensation throughout her body. This… this feeling was truly strange.
It was her first kiss, and her curiosity was still strong. Xihe tentatively licked the intruder. Tongtian’s aura shifted, and the hand around her waist tightened its grip…
Just then, the aura of a Saint descended. Tongtian withdrew his lips and tongue, holding Xihe tightly in his arms as he looked up at the sky with displeasure.
[The Dao Ancestor decrees that the six disciples return to the Purple Heaven Palace immediately.] The speaker was Hongjun’s Dao attendant, Haotian.
The Saint’s aura vanished, and Tongtian lifted Xihe’s face, intending to continue.
But Xihe frowned and pulled away. “We’ve tested it. I have no feelings for you.”
Tongtian’s face darkened. “If someone else likes you in the future, will you let them kiss you too?”
Xihe thought for a moment. “If they’re good-looking, why not?”
Tongtian’s face turned green as he stared at Xihe, momentarily at a loss for words, feeling utterly stifled.
Unmoved, Xihe said, “The Saint has summoned you. You should go. I’ll search for the Metal Spirit Pearl on my own.”
Her wrist was grabbed, and Xihe turned back impatiently.
The Green Lotus Sword was shoved into her hand. “Take it. I—”
Before Tongtian could finish, Xihe accepted the Green Lotus Sword. “This is a treasure. Since you gave it willingly, I won’t return the favor, nor will I like you. I’m doing this for your own good. In the future, when you regret parting with this treasure, you won’t have any more wild ideas.”
Staring at the figure riding away on his companion Green Lotus Sword, Tongtian didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. That little rabbit was certainly pragmatic.
Her hands were lightning-fast when it came to collecting treasures!
A Saint’s summons could not be ignored, and Tongtian’s figure vanished.
Not long after, Xihe’s figure appeared, heading straight for Penglai Immortal Island. However, she did not ascend the island again but instead plunged into the water.
Soon after, the island trembled, and Xihe emerged from the water, her face pale as she flew away.
As the tremors subsided and the island returned to calm, Tongtian’s figure reappeared by the shore…
A worn-out copper coin slipped from his robes, bearing two faint characters—Qiankun.
A teasing male voice echoed in Tongtian’s ear.
“Tsk tsk, the Xuanwu suppressed beneath is at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm. That mere rabbit, only at the early stage of Daluo, dares to provoke it. She’s lucky she wasn’t crushed. Now you understand, that Taiyin Rabbit is cunning.”
“Following Hongjun is like throwing meat buns to a dog—once gone, never to return. If you become a Saint under Hongjun, you’ll never escape the Heavenly Dao in this lifetime, let alone win the woman you desire.”
“That Taiyin Rabbit, whoever is behind her, is constantly disrupting Hongjun’s plans. Sooner or later, Hongjun will make a move against her. When that happens, will you have the heart to strike her down? If not, how will you defy Hongjun?”
Tongtian remained silent as he flew toward Purple Heaven Palace. Just as the copper coin seemed to waver, Tongtian spoke: “I entrust the Great Luo Sword Embryo to you, Senior!”
The male voice laughed heartily. “Excellent! Cultivate my sword dao, and with a single strike, the heavens and earth shall be overturned!”
Meanwhile, Xihe, who had fled in disarray, wore a bitter smile. Strength—she was still far too weak!
While retrieving the spirit pearl earlier, her Great Dao Double Pupils had glimpsed the massive Xuanwu suppressed beneath the island. Recalling the legends of later ages, she immediately realized who this Xuanwu was.
After the Witch-Demon Tribulation, Gonggong had crashed into Mount Buzhou, causing the heavens to collapse. Nuwa then refined the Five-Colored Stone to mend the sky and slew the North Sea Mystic Tortoise, which had cultivated for eons, using its limbs as pillars to prop up the heavens, thereby gaining immense merit.
Pitifully, the Mystic Tortoise’s eons of Dao Fruit were destroyed in an instant, leaving it with nothing—a truly tragic fate.
She had intended to test the waters and see if she could win it over, but the foolish tortoise gave her no chance to speak, treating her as a mere nuisance disturbing its slumber. With a single breath, it sent her flying…
Damn it, this was utterly humiliating. At least no one saw it.
First, she would find the Metal Spirit Pearl and complete the System’s task. Then, during the Witch-Demon Tribulation, she would lie low and avoid involvement, emerging only after achieving Quasi-Saint cultivation!
Once she reached Quasi-Saint, she would return to confront Xuanwu and see how it would dare blow her away with a single breath then!
Gritting her teeth in determination, Xihe headed straight for the location of the Metal Spirit Pearl.
At Purple Heaven Palace, the six disciples gathered and bowed in unison. “Greetings, Master.”
Hongjun acknowledged their respects and surveyed them one by one.
The Three Pure Ones were at similar cultivation levels, all steadily in the mid-stage. If pressed to compare, Tongtian’s cultivation slightly surpassed the others. Nuwa was also in the mid-stage but lagged behind the Three Pure Ones.
As for the two nominal disciples, Jieyin and Zhunti, Hongjun frowned.
Jieyin barely reached the mid-stage of Daluo, with an unstable Dao Fruit. Zhunti was even worse—at the early stage of Daluo, his aura was unsteady, teetering on the brink of falling back to Taiyi.
Two beams of spiritual light entered their bodies, instantly stabilizing their Dao Fruits.
Overjoyed, Jieyin and Zhunti bowed deeply. “Thank you, Master, for helping us stabilize our Dao Fruits.”
Hongjun spoke. “No need for words. The Heaven and Earth Tribulation has arisen. You must all strive to improve your cultivation to ensure your own survival.”
Taiqing Laozi’s expression turned grave: “No wonder my disciple has been feeling uneasy during cultivation lately. So it is because another Tribulation of Measurement has arisen. Although the Dragon Han Tribulation was a conflict among the three races, the Primordial World still suffered countless casualties, with innumerable great powers perishing. May I ask, Master, how can we safely survive this tribulation?”
“This Tribulation of Measurement revolves around the Wu and Yao races. The Golden Crow may establish the Celestial Court, becoming the Master of the World to command all things. As disciples of a Saint, you may observe from the sidelines but must not disobey.”
Yuanshi immediately clenched his fist: “Master means we must avoid the Celestial Court’s sharp edge? Mere feathered and horned creatures—we are your disciples, why should we retreat?”