Just as Huang Long Zhenren was about to strike Yang Jian dead with a single punch, Gu Xiechen, hidden behind the asteroid, acted without much time for deliberation. "Namo Amitabha!"

Chanting the Buddha's name, Gu Xiechen transformed in a flash into a Buddha with a large, round head, prominent ears, and a faint golden aura enveloping him. He thrust both hands forward, and two massive golden palms, each spanning almost an acre, descended from the void accompanied by melodious Sanskrit chants.

Huang Long Zhenren felt his entire body tighten; how could his punch land now? Yang Jian was violently snatched from his grasp by an immense force. The two golden Buddha palms closed in, enveloping Huang Long Zhenren tightly. Infinite pressure pressed down on him from all sides, preventing him from exerting any resistance. The golden palms vanished abruptly, and Huang Long Zhenren was sucked into a dark, black void.

A flash of golden light erupted within Gu Shichen's Primordial Yang Profound Pearl. The disheveled and battered Huang Long Zhenren was violently ejected from a black hole, staggering as he landed.

The moment he appeared, Huang Long Zhenren spat out a golden dragon pearl the size of a water vat, which scattered wide swathes of rosy light to shield his body. His body then shimmered with golden light, instantly clad in dense, leaden armor woven from countless scales. Two deep blue sword lights, shaped like swimming flood dragons, circled Huang Long Zhenren with resonant dragon roars, their subtle sword qi causing the surrounding void to tremble faintly. Gu Zhenchen sneered, twisted his body, and also retreated into the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl.

When Gu Xiechen's true body entered the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl, the surrounding void suddenly brightened intensely. Innumerable stars formed from Primordial Yang Flames simultaneously unleashed boundless, powerful light. The crimson radiance illuminated the surroundings, and terrifying thermal energy swept across heaven and earth, instantly causing the rosy aura around Huang Long Zhenren's body to tremble erratically.

Gu Wuchen, having morphed into the Buddha image, chuckled and put his palms together in a salute toward Huang Long Zhenren: "Fellow Daoist Huang Long, heaven cherishes the virtue of preserving life. True Lord Erlang cannot be slain by you! This humble monk has acted improperly by intervening to save True Lord Erlang; I hope you do not take offense, fellow Daoist."

Huang Long Zhenren gazed in astonishment at the boundless starry sky within the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl, staring uncertainly at Gu Xiechen, and roared, "Which Buddha are you?"

Gu Xiechen did not answer Huang Long Zhenren's question but instead scrutinized him up and down. The armor formed from scales was one thing; it seemed Huang Long Zhenren had refined it from his own scales as a protective treasure—nothing extraordinary. Although the two deep blue, swimming dragon swords were supreme innate treasures of the highest caliber, they did not capture Gu Xiechen's interest.

It was the dragon pearl that Huang Long Zhenren used for protection that possessed an aura ancient and distant. Its vast presence caused the Primordial Chaos Holy Power within Gu Xiechen to fluctuate faintly; this was no ordinary treasure. The grade of this dragon pearl far surpassed the scope of an innate supreme treasure.

Staring intently at the dragon pearl, Gu Wuchen brought his palms together in a salute to Huang Long Zhenren and chanted, "Fellow Daoist Huang Long, you have a destiny with this humble monk!"

The phrase, "You have a destiny with this humble monk," that notorious saying which once made countless deities in Gu Xiechen's former universe tremble involuntarily caused Huang Long Zhenren to shudder. He glared at Gu Xiechen and hissed furiously, "Nonsense! How could this humble Daoist have any connection with you, you bald donkey? Nonsense! Utter nonsense!"

With a point of his finger, the two deep blue sword lights rapidly circling Huang Long Zhenren suddenly transformed into two hundred-mile-long blue dragons and shot toward Gu Wuchen. Long before the great dragons reached Gu Xiechen, a chilling coldness froze the void around him. Countless blue ice shards shot out of thin air, striking and scattering like sharp arrows released by a powerful crossbow toward Gu Xiechen's entire body.

Was the cold air effective against him?

Gu Xiechen let out a cold, mocking sneer. He casually reached out toward the air, and the two flying swords shaped like flood dragons settled into his hands. He crushed and kneaded them in his large hands, and the two innate supreme treasures, which Huang Long Zhenren had painstakingly refined, instantly lost all connection with him. Huang Long Zhenren’s body convulsed, and he spat out a mouthful of blood a great distance away.

Flicking the now-restored treasure swords, Gu Xiechen smiled contentedly at Huang Long Zhenren and said, "Fellow Daoist truly has a destiny with this humble monk!"

This chilling and notorious statement again made Huang Long Zhenren furious. He pointed accusingly at Gu Xiechen and shouted, "Bald donkey, which dead soul is destined to meet you? Today, this humble Daoist will smash your bald head and show you what a calamitous affinity truly is!"

Suddenly, a phantom image of a golden giant dragon surged out of the water-vat-sized golden dragon pearl. The phantom dragon, stretching for millions of miles, let out a long roar and slammed directly into Huang Long Zhenren's body. Huang Long Zhenren's eyes suddenly shot out intense golden light, and the aura emanating from him completely changed.

Vast and distant, ancient and desolate—the aura radiating from Huang Long Zhenren was only a single step away from the Saint realm. Powerful fluctuations of magical power constantly spread from within him. His magical power grew stronger and stronger, and solidified immortal energy manifested behind him as images of countless giant dragons, all swooping down to strike Gu Wuchen with their sharp claws.

Huang Long Zhenren, now merged with the golden light, let out a cold snort and flashed instantly before Gu Xiechen, clawing directly toward Gu Wuchen's face.

This claw attack was incredibly fierce. Gu Wuchen’s Primordial Yang Profound Pearl had already completely absorbed the Sea-Calming Divine Pearls newly acquired by Zhao Gongming. The very essence of the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl had undergone a colossal transformation. After years of Gu Xiechen refining it day and night with his vital essence and primordial spirit, the space within the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl was comparable to a true universe, and its spatial structure was incredibly robust.

Even so, where Huang Long Zhenren's sharp claws passed, the void of the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl still showed several hairline spatial cracks. Large amounts of primal chaos spiritual energy spurted out from these fissures, emitting piercing screeches.

Gu Xiechen nodded inwardly. To be able to breach the Primordial Yang Space evolved by the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl, Huang Long Zhenren was indeed close to the Saint realm.

Huang Long Zhenren, however, was shocked. How could the 'palm-Buddha-kingdom' of this 'fat bald donkey' be so solid? His own single punch could shatter heaven and earth; the Buddha-kingdoms of ordinary Buddhas could not withstand his casual strike. But now, striking in anger, he had only managed to tear a few small fissures in the void? What was the origin of this bald donkey before him?

While Huang Long Zhenren's thoughts were racing, his claws brutally struck Gu Xiechen's face.

Clang-clang-clang! A deafening noise erupted, and large sprays of golden fire light burst from Gu Xiechen's shining golden face. Huang Long Zhenren cried out in agony, "Ah!" and hastily clutched his right wrist with his left hand, staggering backward. Gu Xiechen's face only showed five tiny white spots, but every bone in Huang Long Zhenren's right hand had been pulverized. A massive force was continuously invading Huang Long Zhenren's body, surging up along his arm.

Shocked speechless, Huang Long Zhenren retreated rapidly, covering millions of miles in the blink of an eye. He frantically urged all his power and even drew upon a vast surge of Yuanlong Holy Power from the dragon pearl to forcibly expel the great power that had invaded his body. Pop! The power erupted from Huang Long Zhenren’s body, shattering his right palm before dissipating into the universe. Huang Long Zhenren screamed in pain, clutching his bare right wrist, cold sweat pouring off him in torrents.

His full-strength attack had only left five insignificant white marks on the face of that 'fat bald donkey'? "Bald donkey, how thick is your skin! What Buddha are you, your face is truly as thick as it gets!"

Huang Long Zhenren cursed in a rage, while Gu Xiechen contentedly assessed the current strength of his own body. It was well worth the years spent tempering his body day and night with Pangu's true blood and continuously cultivating the Pangu True Body technique.

It was also fortunate that over the years, he had constantly used the Chaos Bell to extract spiritual energy from the Chaos Space to evolve Pangu's true blood, giving him enough of it to temper his physical form.

Huang Long Zhenren, who was nearly at the verge of sainthood, had attacked with his full strength, yet Gu Xiechen was completely unharmed, not even feeling a touch of pain. The Pangu True Body was indeed immensely powerful. Through Huang Long Zhenren's attack, Gu Xiechen finally understood the true extent of his current might.

It seems that even the Saints, if the Three Pure Ones and the Saints of the Buddhist Sect have not achieved significant enhancements in this universe or acquired exceptionally powerful innate treasures, their magical attacks can effectively be ignored by me.

He slapped his chest forcefully, and a surge of fierce spirit welled up in Gu Wuchen’s chest. The psychological shadow of being so flustered and unable to resist a mere palm strike from Zhunti back then was suddenly shattered by this surge of valor.

Clenching his fists, Gu Wuchen roared toward the heavens, "Today, I finally possess the strength to contend with you all. Just wait, when I knock down every single one of you schemers, I will show you that not everyone can be manipulated and plotted against at will!"

Staring fiercely, Gu Xiechen's Chaos Dharma Eyes fixed upon Huang Long Zhenren, who was fleeing in distress millions of miles away, and he sneered, "This is my world, a realm I carved out. Little Yellow Dragon, where do you think you are going? Where can you escape? My children, entertain Fellow Daoist Huang Long!"

With a flick of his finger, the void convulsed. Huang Long Zhenren cried out again, spitting another mouthful of blood. The dragon pearl hanging high above his head had been remotely seized by Gu Xiechen, transforming into a spinning ball of golden light that rapidly descended into Gu Wuchen's hand. A wisp of Huang Long Zhenren's spiritual consciousness merged with the pearl was also mercilessly incinerated by Gu Xiechen's Primordial Yang Blazing Flame, dealing another heavy blow to Huang Long Zhenren's primordial spirit.

Huang Long Zhenren’s eyes glazed over. Too terrifying, too terrifying! What was the origin of this 'fat bald donkey'? Huang Long Zhenren, who was almost a Saint, had absolutely no power to resist him! Could it be that without achieving sainthood, one truly remains an ant-like existence?

Is that fat bald donkey a Saint? Huang Long Zhenren's heart constricted violently, and he almost cried out. But which Saint would act so shamelessly? He had been ambushed and forcibly pulled into this void! Furthermore, which Saint would be so shameless as to steal the possessions of a junior like him? It seemed only the two figures from the West habitually engaged in such practices. Thinking of the words Gu Wuchen had just spoken—"Fellow Daoist has a destiny with this humble monk"—Huang Long Zhenren nearly wept aloud.

Countless thoughts flooded his mind. As Huang Long Zhenren fretted about what to do, suddenly, thousands of colossal stars surrounding his body simultaneously erupted with blinding pillars of fire. Thousands of grotesque, ferocious beasts, engulfed in raging flames, roared as they charged out of those stars.

Gu Xiechen's Primordial Yang Space had nurtured life for several epochs. After absorbing Zhao Gongming's Sea-Calming Divine Pearls, its capacity to spawn life increased by untold magnitudes. Through Gu Xiechen's constant irrigation with his heart's blood and the continuous infusion of chaotic spiritual energy drawn from the Chaos Space, this boundless Primordial Yang Space had birthed countless innate beings.

Similar to the Innate Great Sages of the outer world, these innate beings possessed great divine abilities from birth and had their own companion sacred artifacts.

Of course, Gu Wuchen's power had not reached the true Pangu level; the Primordial Yang Space could not yet compare to the space carved out by Pangu in the outer world. In contrast, the Primordial Yang Space remained relatively fragile, so the most powerful innate beings nurtured in these Primordial Yang stars were only at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. Compared to Huang Long Zhenren, who was just a hair's breadth from the Saint realm, the gap was immense.

However, no one knew how many stars were in this Primordial Yang Space, nor how many trillions of innate beings it contained.

Thousands upon thousands of stars, near and far, spewed waves of fire pillars, and thousands of innate beings followed by thousands more, joyfully rushed out. These grotesque birds, beasts, whales, and insects densely occupied the void in all directions around Huang Long Zhenren. In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Huang Long Zhenren had no path left for escape.

Having already coughed up two mouthfuls of blood, Huang Long Zhenren's foundation was damaged, his cultivation falling to the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. Having his dragon pearl seized caused an even greater loss, dropping his cultivation straight to the early stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. The complete destruction of his right hand further weakened his combat strength by another thirty percent.

After several deductions, Huang Long Zhenren's actual combat power was now roughly equivalent to that of a peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

Yet, the number of innate beings surrounding him was at least tens of millions, and their numbers continued to swell. Stars in the far distance continued to erupt one after another, continuously awakening nurtured innate beings who cheerfully joined the encirclement.

Tens of millions of innate beings, ranging from peak Grand Unity Golden Immortal down to early Grand Unity Golden Immortal, besieged the severely weakened Huang Long Zhenren. This was not an evenly matched slaughter; it was a brutal massacre!

Huang Long Zhenren shrieked, "Bald donkey, for treating me this way today, this humble Daoist will surely repay you in the future!"

Gu Xiechen toyed with the dragon pearl, letting out a cold snort without looking up, "My children, just don't kill him!"

The void suddenly solidified, and then, the tens of millions of innate beings simultaneously formed hand seals. Countless rolling Primordial Yang Fire Thunders crashed down toward Huang Long Zhenren. The thousands of innate beings standing closest to the inner circle of the siege excitedly summoned their innate life-bound sacred artifacts and hurled them out.

Poor Huang Long Zhenren could barely manage a few defensive seals before being engulfed by the boundless torrent of fire thunder. Thousands of life-bound sacred artifacts struck Huang Long Zhenren one after another, causing him to spew blood everywhere, tossing him wildly like a lost fledgling in a storm. As these tens of millions of innate beings roared and swarmed him, a supremely tyrannical monkey's cry suddenly echoed from the distance: "Get out of the way for your Grandpa Sun! Little Yellow Dragon, take a taste of your Grandpa Sun's staff! See how this treasure I just forged handles you!" Huang Long Zhenren's body stiffened, and he roared fiercely, "Victorious Fighting Buddha Sun Wukong?"

A beam of golden light shot from afar. The monkey, whose golden fur rippled like water waves, carried a staff shimmering with golden light and wreathed in ascending red clouds, hurtling toward the fray. From a great distance, the monkey roared, "It is indeed your Grandpa Sun! Take my staff. See how my 'Water-Fire Ruyi Wind-Thunder Staff' fares!"

A flash of gold, and the monkey arrived directly above Huang Long Zhenren's head. With a peal of thunder, the monkey swept his long staff horizontally, striking heavily upwards onto Huang Long Zhenren's back. With a crisp snap, the lower half of Huang Long Zhenren's body was smashed to pieces by the staff. Golden blood and countless scales sprayed out, and Huang Long Zhenren convulsed, spitting massive gulps of blood, his body enveloped in dazzling lightning as he was blasted far away. Countless innate beings swarmed out and gleefully attacked Huang Long Zhenren.

The monkey's staff was cast from countless rare materials in the Chaos Space, infused with the essence of fierce metal. In the Primordial Yang Profound Pearl, he forged the rod using the Primordial Yang Flames to shape it, and then retreated to the Primordial Yin Profound Pearl to quench and temper it with the Primordial Yin Freezing Qi. After hundreds of such cycles, this Ruyi rod was completed.

A century ago, Gu Xiechen had also given the monkey Lei Hongzi's Wind-Thunder Staff. The monkey, treating it as a priceless treasure, immediately melted down both his own staff and the Wind-Thunder Staff for re-refining. The original Water-Fire Ruyi Staff transformed into the Water-Fire Ruyi Wind-Thunder Staff. Its power was greater, its weight heavier, and a single strike unleashed Yin and Yang energies that manifested as fierce fire and profound ice to attack the enemy, while also summoning countless descending thunderbolts—it was far superior to the Ruyi Jingu Bang the monkey typically used.

The monkey had just finished forging the staff today and was eager for a hapless victim to test it on, only for Huang Long Zhenren to blunder right into the situation.

This one strike pulverized nearly half of Huang Long Zhenren's body. The power of thunder and the Yin-Yang energies surged into him, throwing his internal system into chaos. Poor Huang Long Zhenren, who was almost ready to break through to the Saint realm, had already been injured by Gu Wuchen, but taking this blow from the monkey meant he would need several epochs of careful recuperation just to restore his original cultivation, let alone achieving sainthood!

The pain was excruciating, nearly causing Huang Long Zhenren to faint, yet he continued to scream. Countless innate beings joyfully rushed in and began beating him indiscriminately. Those at the forefront couldn't reach Huang Long Zhenren's body, so they could only continuously unleash streams of fierce fire and fire thunder to bombard and burn him. To be besieged and beaten by over ten million enemies—Huang Long Zhenren was likely unique among the myriad immortals of the Myriad Heavens.

Gu Xiechen played with the dragon pearl, waiting until Huang Long Zhenren was nearly beaten breathless before waving his hand and releasing him.

In a distant region of the star sea, outside the furthest visible star line, Huang Long Zhenren reappeared, spitting blood. The charred and scorched Huang Long Zhenren convulsed, howling up at the sky, "Saint Zhunti, Victorious Fighting Buddha, this humble Daoist remembers you! I remember you! If this hatred is not avenged, I swear I will not be human!"

After howling a few times, three wisps of pure energy suddenly shot up from the top of Huang Long Zhenren's head, and three Daoists, identical to him in appearance, rushed out angrily. Huang Long Zhenren looked at the three Daoists and suddenly began flailing his limbs and shouting wildly, "I hate this so much! How could I forget that I still have my Three Corpse Primordial Spirits unused? If I had utilized my three venerable Daoist friends, how could I have ended up so wretched?" Huang Long Zhenren's Three Corpse Primordial Spirits looked at each other, then simultaneously spat out a mouthful of blood.

A golden light soared into the sky, and the battered Huang Long Zhenren hastily departed from this sorrowful place. Gritting his teeth, he flew back at top speed to the Jade Void Palace, rushing directly before the seated Yuanshi Tianzun, bloody and battered, and falling heavily to his knees to begin weeping and recounting his plight. The immortals gathered in the Jade Void Palace were stunned into silence upon seeing Huang Long Zhenren return in such a pathetic state.

After Huang Long Zhenren finished recounting his experiences, especially after mentioning that he was subdued by a fat monk and beaten into this state by the monkey, even Yuanshi Tianzun, who had been seated calmly on his cloud dais, jumped up suddenly. "Did you clearly see him? Was it truly the Victorious Fighting Buddha who injured you?" Yuanshi Tianzun stared intently at Huang Long Zhenren.

Huang Long Zhenren knelt on the ground, knocking his head repeatedly, and shouted, "Master, please see clearly! Your disciple would never dare hide anything!"

Yuanshi Tianzun let out a cold snort and pointed a finger at Huang Long Zhenren. A single, fine strand of golden hair flew off Huang Long Zhenren's body. Pinching the fine strand lightly, Yuanshi Tianzun gently twitched it, and a subtle scent drifted out. Yuanshi Tianzun sniffed the aroma lightly, then nodded with a cold smile, "It is indeed that monkey's doing... Very well. Yang Jian has betrayed the Jade Void Palace, and you can no longer remain idle, can you? Hmph!"

Yuanshi Tianzun, chuckling coldly again and again, strode out of the Jade Void Palace. As he walked, he sneered, "Good, very good! You two choose not to deal with Amitabha, Guanyin, or Mahasthamaprapta, and instead come to trouble this humble Daoist. That is excellent, truly excellent!" He stepped out of the Jade Void Palace and went directly to the thatched hut of Taishang Laojun.

The two Saints closed the door to the hut and discussed something in secret. When Yuanshi Tianzun returned to the Jade Void Palace, all his disciples who attended his lectures transformed into streams of light and departed from the Jade Void Palace.

Gu Xiechen had no idea the immense trouble he had caused for Yuanshi Tianzun and Taishang Laojun. After lightly tossing the blame onto Daoist Zhunti, he returned to the Yixian Xingyuan with a grave expression, carrying the Dragon Pearl.

Yang Jian had already left the Great Formation of Reversing Eight-Nine Forbidden Primal Energies and was mustering his troops to besiege the Jiazi Star Fortress. He had learned the strategy devised by True Man Yuding from Gu Wuchen, knowing that the Jiazi Star Fortress army was en route to sneak attack Haowu Tianguan; yet, he paid absolutely no heed to the safety of Haowu Tianguan, focusing solely on leading all his subordinates to furiously assault the Jiazi Star Fortress.

With Yang Jian’s powerful intervention, the combat strength and morale of the Tianfu army soared by several orders of magnitude. The external restrictions and formations guarding the Jiazi Star Fortress were breached one after another. A large number of immortal soldiers and generals from the fortress perished, with the three outer small fortresses—Jiazi Third, Jiazi Ninth, and Jiazi Seventeenth—already being overrun to the ground by the Tianfu forces.

Paying no mind whatsoever to the battle raging within the star fortress, Gu Xiechen retreated to his residence, dedicating his entire focus to figuring out how to utilize this Dragon Pearl.

Profound, ineffably profound. As Gu Xiechen’s divine sense pierced into the Dragon Pearl, he vaguely perceived a not overwhelmingly powerful, yet extraordinarily tenacious, resistive force surging out from within. Even with Gu Xiechen’s current level of divine sense strength, he felt an elusive sense of being unable to fully penetrate it.

Taking a deep breath, Gu Wuchen dripped his own blood onto the Dragon Pearl, but the blood was immediately repelled. He then injected a wisp of his divided spirit, combined with a strand of his vital essence, into the artifact. His primordial spirit was repelled back, but his vital essence was utterly devoured by the Dragon Pearl. Out of sheer curiosity, Gu Wuchen furiously hacked at the Dragon Pearl with his Seven Spirit Profound Yin Sword, but the blade nearly chipped, leaving not a single mark on the artifact. He then subjected it to raging fire and freezing ice; the Dragon Pearl remained completely unresponsive.

Finally unable to contain his intense curiosity, Gu Xiechen gathered thirty percent of his full strength and smashed his fist against the Dragon Pearl.

An immensely rigid force rebounded. Gu Xiechen’s punch, utilizing thirty percent of his power, was actually knocked back by the Dragon Pearl, and he faintly felt a stinging ache in his finger bones.

Even a full-force strike from True Man Yellow Dragon caused Gu Wuchen no sensation of pain, yet the recoil from this Dragon Pearl made his finger bones ache slightly. This Dragon Pearl was truly extraordinary. No wonder True Man Yellow Dragon could borrow power from it, suddenly elevating his own strength so drastically.

This was an exotic treasure, and one whose grade surpassed that of a Congenital Supreme Treasure. But what exactly was its purpose? Gu Xiechen couldn't help but worry. Brute force was absolutely out of the question. Gently attempting to refine it with his primordial spirit only resulted in the sacrifice of vital essence with nothing gained in return. This also would not work. Gazing at the Dragon Pearl, Gu Xiechen furrowed his brow.

Suddenly, Gu Xiechen recalled the conversation between True Man Yuding and Yang Jian during their fight. Ever since arriving in this universe, True Man Yellow Dragon’s cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds, quickly bringing him to the very precipice of sainthood. However, in his original universe, True Man Yellow Dragon was the weakest among Yuanshi Tianzun's numerous disciples.

The marvelous transformation of True Man Yellow Dragon was intrinsically linked to this Dragon Pearl. And True Man Yellow Dragon’s true form was that of a yellow dragon.

After pondering for a while, Gu Xiechen turned around and re-entered the Xuanyang Profound Orb, capturing Mo Yue Longgen, who was currently engaged in the act of procreation with several female innate beings on a desolate, rocky planet.

While vigorously coupling atop a strange creature shaped like a colossal nine-headed serpent, Mo Yue Longgen was abruptly seized by Gu Xiechen. He instantly cried out in rage, “This is outrageous! Outrageous! Trespassing into a private dwelling and disturbing the congress of two sincerely loving partners—is there any justice left? Any law remaining?” Hearing Mo Yue Longgen’s torrent of nonsense, Gu Xiechen snorted coldly.

Upon recognizing Gu Wuchen’s voice, Mo Yue Longgen’s arrogant demeanor vanished without a trace. He swiftly transformed into human form, deferentially approaching Gu Xiechen with a servile smile: “Your supreme Master, you haven’t thought of me for so many years; why have you come to see me today?”

Glancing coldly at Mo Yue Longgen, Gu Wuchen nodded. “Not bad; you’ve reached the Da Luo Golden Immortal cultivation. But it’s still not enough. I have a boon here; let’s see if you can inherit it.”

The moment the word ‘boon’ left his lips, Mo Yue Longgen’s eyes turned green. He scrutinized Gu Xiechen up and down, greedily exclaiming, “Master, where is the boon? Is it beautiful women or delicious food? You don’t have any beauties in your hand, nor any immortal corpses—where is this boon?”

Gu Xiechen was so enraged he burst into a torrent of curses directed at Mo Yue Longgen. How could this fellow be so useless, with nothing but women and food occupying his mind? What on earth had he been occupied with for all these years inside the Xuanyang Profound Orb?

It seemed he needed to find a way to release this fellow out into the world for a good run. For the past hundred years, Gu Xiechen had feared Mo Yue Longgen would stir up trouble, worried that his aura, incompatible with this universe, might be discovered by the Sages. But now, Gu Xiechen was confident enough in his own strength to let this greedy evil dragon go out and cause chaos. He needed a few capable confidants by his side!

Fixing Mo Yue Longgen with a fierce glare, Gu Xiechen harshly reprimanded him, angrily condemning Mo Yue Longgen’s shameless conduct of idling away his days, eating and drinking, and indulging in debauchery. Gu Xiechen sternly warned Mo Yue Longgen that he planned to take him out of the Xuanyang Profound Orb to achieve great things in the outside world, and that he must be cautious and diligent; otherwise, he would definitely flay Mo Yue Longgen’s skin to make leather shoes.

Mo Yue Longgen meekly agreed. Seeing that Mo Yue Longgen was now chastened into obedience, Gu Xiechen finally produced the Dragon Pearl.

As the cistern-sized, brilliantly golden Dragon Pearl appeared, Mo Yue Longgen’s eyes entirely turned a sickly green. He instinctively stared at the pearl, breathing shallowly and cautiously, afraid that if he breathed too hard, he might blow the pearl away. “Master, this treasured pearl… it is… it is… only those of our dragon lineage can sense its benefit.”

Mo Yue Longgen stared fixedly at the Dragon Pearl for nearly half an hour before he could finally raise his head, pitifully smiling and bowing subserviently to Gu Wuchen. He eagerly and obsequiously circled Gu Xiechen; if he had a tail wagging behind his rear, he would be no different from a little dog begging for scraps.

With a cold snort, Gu Xiechen glared at Mo Yue Longgen and said, “You must work hard and act conscientiously from now on, not just think about eating and women all day.” He pointed to the Dragon Pearl and stated calmly, “It’s for you!”

Upon hearing that this Dragon Pearl was indeed something Gu Wuchen had prepared for him, Mo Yue Longgen let out a loud, joyous roar and swallowed the pearl whole.

His body instantly convulsed, and Mo Yue Longgen sat down cross-legged. A viscous, golden light, like smoke or mist, slowly began to radiate outwards from his body. An aura of immense antiquity, so old that it made Gu Xiechen feel as if he had aged several epochs in an instant, slowly diffused from within Mo Yue Longgen. “Master, this is the artifact of inheritance for the Primordial Dragon lineage of this universe. It contains all the divine abilities of the Primordial Dragon lineage and all their insights into the Heavenly Dao.” Mo Yue Longgen spoke slowly to Gu Xiechen, his eyes tightly shut, explaining the origins of the Dragon Pearl.

The universe Gu Xiechen currently occupied had not yet fully matured. When the myriad deities and saints invaded this universe, the innate beings here were still within their matrices, merely at the stage of initial embryonic formation.

This Dragon Pearl was the Primordial Dragon Pearl generated by the heaven and earth of this universe, an artifact of inheritance prepared for the destined Primordial Dragon lineage of this realm. Under the celestial rules of this universe, which was gradually being perfected, the Primordial Dragon lineage was meant to be the powerful race responsible for maintaining universal balance and guarding the four directions of the cosmos. Thus, heaven and earth generated the Primordial Dragon Pearl as a symbol of inheritance for the (divine abilities) and power of the Primordial Dragon lineage.

Alas, the invasion of the swarming Zhou Tian Saints, like locusts, occurred while the first Primordial Dragon of this universe—the ancestor of the Primordial Dragon lineage, possessing both male and female sexes, destined to give birth to the countless true dragons of that lineage—was still in its matrix. It was extracted by a group of immortals from Kunlun Mountain, who proceeded to strip its tendons and flay its hide, extracting its blood and flesh to forge it into several immensely powerful Congenital Supreme Treasures. With the Dragon Ancestor’s demise, the celestial rules suffered catastrophic damage. The Primordial Dragon Pearl, which had achieved perfection, lost the protection of the Heavenly Dao and was exposed to the sight of the Kunlun immortals. These Kunlun immortals could not discern the Pearl’s true worth but recognized it as a rare exotic treasure, taking it back to the Jade Void Palace.

True Man Yellow Dragon chanced upon these younger disciples of his sect, and with just a casual beckon of his finger, the Primordial Dragon Pearl came into his possession.

The first Primordial Dragon, nurtured by heaven and earth, was dead, and the celestial rules were severely damaged, rendering the Primordial Dragon Pearl like rootless water or a trunk without wood. Originally, the Primordial Dragon Pearl was a divinely ordained artifact of inheritance for the first Primordial Dragon; but now that the Dragon Ancestor had become raw material for several Congenital Supreme Treasures, the Primordial Dragon Pearl was naturally attracted by the dragon qi within True Man Yellow Dragon’s body, allowing True Man Yellow Dragon to refine it with ease.

The Primordial Dragon lineage was the powerful race the cosmic Heavenly Dao had prepared to guard the four directions; therefore, this lineage was destined to produce Sages—specifically, one Sage-level Primordial Dragon in each of the four cardinal directions to maintain the cosmic balance.

And the first Primordial Dragon, according to the original trajectory of the Heavenly Dao, was meant to grow into an entity like Hongjun, one who presides over the Heavenly Dao, jointly managing the operation of the cosmos and maintaining its rules alongside the ancestors of other powerful races.

Therefore, this Primordial Dragon Pearl contained all the divine abilities and all the insights into the Heavenly Dao that the Primordial Dragon clan ought to master. By completely fusing with the Primordial Dragon Pearl and inheriting all its Heavenly Dao power, its owner would instantly become an existence equivalent to Hongjun within this universe.

Of course, this universe was vast, and its Heavenly Dao rules immensely powerful; it could accommodate more than ten such figures presiding over the Heavenly Dao like Hongjun. However, these were the supreme beings governing the operation of the Heavenly Dao, and even Sages were no more than ants before them.

Mo Yue Longgen carefully recounted the information he gleaned from the Primordial Dragon Pearl, looking eagerly at Gu Wuchen, fearful that he might snatch the Pearl back. After all, possessing the Primordial Dragon Pearl guaranteed the potential to grow into an existence far stronger than a Sage!

Watching the cautious Mo Yue Longgen, Gu Wuchen couldn’t help but shake his head. “A pity. I shouldn’t have kept True Man Yellow Dragon alive just to frame Zhunti for the black pot; I should have finished him off completely! This enmity is too deep; True Man Yellow Dragon will seek revenge against whoever possesses the Primordial Dragon Pearl, regardless of the cost.”

After musing for a moment, Gu Wuchen shook his head and sneered, “Perhaps that’s for the best. Let True Man Yellow Dragon go make trouble for Zhunti. Hmm, Shanzai (Goodness gracious), Amitabha, how wonderful, how unimaginably wonderful.” “The day after tomorrow, I’ll send a few spiritual medicines capable of healing True Man Yellow Dragon’s injuries to True Monarch Taifu, asking him to flatter True Man Yellow Dragon, ensuring his injuries heal quickly.” Gu Xiechen laughed heartily as he arrived at this delightful thought.

Mo Yue Longgen asked, “Did True Man Yellow Dragon tell Yuanshi Tianzun the secrets of the Primordial Dragon Pearl?”

Mo Yue Longgen looked pitifully at Gu Wuchen, carefully offering a flattering smile. “He is not as honest as the simple and honest Mo Yue Longgen. How could he possibly reveal such matters to Yuanshi Tianzun? If he succeeds, he will become an existence stronger than a Sage, his power reaching parity with Hongjun’s. Would Yuanshi Tianzun… would he allow his own disciple to suddenly surpass him?” Gu Xiechen pondered for a moment, then burst into laughter again.

“Good, very good. True Man Yellow Dragon didn't dare tell Yuanshi Tianzun about the benefits of the Primordial Dragon Pearl before, and he certainly wouldn’t dare reveal its secrets now. If he told Yuanshi Tianzun right now, True Man Yellow Dragon would be utterly foolish.”

One could easily imagine what Yuanshi Tianzun would think if he learned the true value of the Primordial Dragon Pearl from True Man Yellow Dragon. Firstly: shock—the Pearl could create an entity comparable to Hongjun directly. Secondly: anger—his own disciple had hidden something significant from him; this disciple was clearly untrustworthy. Thirdly: fury and suspicion—why would his disciple conceal the secret of the Primordial Dragon Pearl from him? Did he harbor some designs against his Master? Or did he have other ambitions?

For these three reasons, unless True Man Yellow Dragon had gone completely mad, he would never dare disclose the secret of the Primordial Dragon Pearl to Yuanshi Tianzun. He would only cling fiercely to the matter of Daoist Zhunti’s sneak attack and seek retribution against Zhunti with everything he had.

If Gu Xiechen, through True Monarch Taifu, sent spiritual medicine to heal True Man Yellow Dragon, having a ferocious immortal who stood but a hair’s breadth from sainthood constantly plotting revenge against Daoist Zhunti—that was the most ideal outcome!

Let True Man Yellow Dragon frantically attack Zhunti and scheme against those around Zhunti! True Man Yellow Dragon was now the second most powerful figure in the Jade Void Palace, second only to Yuanshi Tianzun. With him positioned there, Daoist Zhunti would surely be furious, extremely furious! As the thought pleased him, Gu Wuchen threw his head back and laughed loudly.

Slapping Mo Yue Longgen heartily on the shoulder, Gu Xiechen roared with laughter, “Good, excellent! Come out with me and work diligently. Hey, you must wholeheartedly refine the Primordial Dragon Pearl; I look forward to the day you become a Sage. Perhaps even reaching the level of Ancestor Hongjun. If you succeed, you can then help me ascend to that realm.”

Mo Yue Longgen smiled happily, cautiously smiling at Gu Xiechen, “Master, compared to you, Mo Yue Longgen will always fall just a little short. Even if I reach the level of Hongjun, it will certainly be after you!”

Glancing sideways at Mo Yue Longgen with a chuckle, Gu Wuchen raised an eyebrow and laughed heartily, “Is that so? I think so too! Hmm, now, copy all the Heavenly Dao inheritance within the Dragon Pearl for me; I need to study it thoroughly.”

Mo Yue Longgen dared not delay and hurriedly complied with Gu Xiechen’s request, creating a copy of the vast sea of Heavenly Dao information within the Pearl.

Although this Heavenly Dao information was tailored specifically for the Primordial Dragon lineage, it represented the most complete system of Heavenly Dao laws Gu Xiechen had yet obtained in this universe. Coupled with the insights gained from the Haotian Shangdi, Gu Xiechen had truly profited immensely! Taking the copied Heavenly Dao laws from Mo Yue Longgen, Gu Xiechen grasped him by the arm and strode out of the Xuanyang Profound Orb.

Now, he needed to solve Mo Yue Longgen’s identity issue; setting him up with the status of a rogue cultivator would be best.

As soon as they stepped out of the Xuanyang Profound Orb, while Mo Yue Longgen was admiring the decor of Gu Xiechen’s room, a deafening roar suddenly erupted overhead. The ground shook violently, followed by the distant screams of countless Jiazi Star Fortress immortals. “It’s bad! True Lord Erlang Yang Jian has broken in!” “Hurry! Yang Jian is leading the troops in!” “Help! Save us!”

It’s almost the New Year, comrades; I wish you all an early New Year greeting! F