This Discernment Beast was truly something else, practically the class representative of survival in the Primordial Era.

When told to transform into a maiden, it refused to become a young man! When asked to dance, it absolutely wouldn’t throw punches! Though when it first started randomly bouncing around without any proper form, Earth Treasury dragged it to a corner for a thorough beating…

Seeing this, Senior Master Li couldn’t help but reflect.

Was he really that fierce?

Alas, the world was filled with misunderstandings and persecution against stability. The Primordial World would likely be difficult to salvage.

He chuckled.

Although Senior Master Li very much wanted to place a paper clone in the Tower of Reincarnation to lie in wait and perhaps track down Maitreya’s whereabouts, he ultimately had to respect the Tower Master’s wishes.

Therefore, Senior Master Li stationed this paper clone beneath the Tower of Reincarnation to guard the two objects sealed there:

The Demon Sovereign’s spirit core;

The mysterious elder’s corpse coffin.

The matter of the Western Religion was far from concluded.

Not to mention that there was still no trace of Grand Master Xuandu and Senior Brother Duobao. Looking at the current situation, the Severing Sect’s predicament hadn’t eased much.

Today, the Enlightenment Sect and Severing Sect faced off, with both sides just one step away from open hostility.

The Enlightenment Sect was wary of the Severing Sect’s strength;

The Severing Sect was half afraid of the Enlightenment Sect disciples’ righteous origins and deep fortune, and half unwilling to be the villains who sparked internal warfare within the Dao School, given they were all one family.

On the way back to Golden Turtle Island, the Severing Sect immortals temporarily “split up.” Yun Xiao took Qiong Xiao to the South Seashore, landing at the Sea God Temple in Anshui City.

It was also where their destiny began.

The back hall of the Sea God Temple remained clean, with the divine envoys frequently cleaning it. Senior Master Li’s paper clone would occasionally gather here to hold “meetings” with the nineteen retired ancient demon soldiers.

Caring for retired elderly demon soldiers was everyone’s responsibility in Human Teaching.

Entering the back hall, with the slight power of the Taiji Diagram activated, Senior Master Li first called out to the Taiji Diagram but received no response.

He thought that at this time, Big Senior Brother should be quite far from the Primordial World.

This made Senior Master Li start to worry about…

The safety of Sage Zhunti.

Once outside the Primordial World, a Heavenly Dao Sage’s advantage would only be their realm;

And a Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree missing branches, facing off against the Taiji Diagram, Chaos Bell, Xuanhuang Pagoda, Qiankun Ruler, and the Rat King’s Treasury, might not fare well.

He hoped the warnings he gave his two senior brothers would have some effect at crucial moments.

May the Sage be safe, may the Sage be safe, may the Sage be safe…

—Even if Zhunti died outside the world and his Great Dao scattered, it would still cause the constraints of the Heavenly Dao to recede.

As one wanes, another waxes.

After the back hall formation was properly activated, a small bug emerged from Yun Xiao’s sleeve. Surrounded by immortal light, it transformed into Senior Master Li’s true form, still appearing as a young man.

“Brother-in-law!” Qiong Xiao cheered, grabbing her sister’s arm and shaking it. “Brother-in-law is so amazing, you finally brought down the Western Religion!”

Senior Master Li smiled with narrowed eyes and said gently, “You shouldn’t put it that way. The Western Religion’s many misdeeds led to their downfall, it had little to do with me.”

“Mm! Mm!” Qiong Xiao nodded continuously, her little face written all over with “everything you say is right.”

Yun Xiao looked at Senior Master Li with slightly apologetic eyes and said softly, “In the end, I still dragged you down.”

“There’s no question of being dragged down between us, why speak of such things?”

Senior Master Li spoke softly, their gazes met, and naturally, they drew closer.

Her delicate hand was about to find those large hands, his blessed paw was about to hold those slender hands.

“Ahem, hmph!”

Qiong Xiao walked past with her hands behind her back. Senior Master Li and Yun Xiao smiled at each other, each simply standing still.

Yun Xiao asked, “Are the two Senior Brothers safe?”

“I don’t know for now, but I imagine there shouldn’t be any problems,” Senior Master Li said. “After all, Master is protecting them in secret, and they’ve gone to a place beyond the Heavenly Dao’s supervision.”

“Mm,” Yun Xiao nodded slightly, thinking briefly.

Senior Master Li invited the sisters to sit and transmitted orders for the Sea God Teaching’s divine envoys to bring tea.

Qiong Xiao’s eyes turned slightly, and she began today’s small scheme:

“That Heart-Piercing Lock you refined with merit is really powerful!”

Senior Master Li smiled and nodded.

“Brother-in-law, your Heart-Piercing Lock is truly formidable!”

Senior Master Li lowered his head and took a sip from his teacup.

“Brother-in-law~”

“Hmm?”

Immortal Lady Yun Xiao looked up at Qiong Xiao, who immediately sat properly and said quietly, “Sister, don’t misunderstand, I was just amazed at how powerful that treasure is…”

Senior Master Li couldn’t help but smile with narrowed eyes, lightly brushing past the topic.

He said, “After the subsequent storms settle, the Severing Sect can have some peace for a while. However, the coming great tribulation can no longer be stopped. You should act carefully, and unless necessary, don’t leave Three Immortals Island.”

Qiong Xiao put away her playful manner and asked, “Brother-in-law, was bringing down the Western Religion part of the Heavenly Dao’s arrangement?”

“Hard to say,” Senior Master Li put down his teacup. “I’m also somewhat unclear about what kind of situation the Heavenly Dao wants.

However, destroying most of the Western Religion’s disciples this time has dispersed about forty percent of the Canonization tribulation’s karmic force.

For the Dao School, this means they can suffer nearly half less damage, which is quite good.”

“It’s all thanks to Brother-in-law’s good planning!”

Senior Master Li shook his head and smiled, “It’s just that the Severing Sect’s strength was formidable.”

He had just told a small lie—the degree of the Canonization tribulation’s karmic force dispersal was twenty percent, which he had doubled.

This was purely because he didn’t want Yun Xiao and Qiong Xiao to worry too much or feel too much pressure.

They chatted for a while about the great tribulation. Yun Xiao asked about how to wrap things up afterward, and Senior Master Li only advised the Severing Sect to stay peaceful, with core disciples and senior disciples avoiding unnecessary movement.

As they were talking, a water-blue light streaked across the sky—it was Zhao Gongming who had found this place.

Old Master Zhao had just landed when he wiped the blood stains from his beard. His previously sallow complexion instantly returned to normal. With his hands behind his back, humming a little tune, walking with an outward-turning gait like an old master, he entered the gate. Seeing Senior Master Li, he burst into laughter.

“Ahahahaha! Wonderful! Simply wonderful!”

Qiong Xiao laughed, “Big Brother, you failed in your strategy this time. How could you not even hold them back for a moment?

Before we went to Spirit Mountain, you were thumping your chest saying you could delay them for half an hour.”

“Well,” Zhao Gongming smiled sheepishly. Without waiting for Senior Master Li’s invitation, he sat down beside him, facing his two sisters.

He sighed, “The strategic direction wasn’t wrong, but the Enlightenment Sect had too many people. Your brother could only delay two or three immortals.”

Senior Master Li smiled and said, “Being able to hold back Senior Brother Taiyi, Old Brother, you’ve already earned great merit through your hard work. Otherwise, if he had started making sarcastic remarks, a fight would have been inevitable today.”

“Taiyi’s mouth indeed…” Zhao Gongming’s expression was quite complex, and truly difficult to describe in words.

Qiong Xiao asked, “Isn’t there any way to counter True Person Taiyi’s verbal tactics?”

“There is,” Senior Master Li said calmly. “The Seven Emotions Avatar living in seclusion in some small mountain village in the Southern Continent is Senior Brother Taiyi’s natural nemesis.”

Zhao Gongming stroked his beard and smiled, “Speaking seriously, the Enlightenment Sect has many hidden masters.

True Person Yuding keeps a low profile, and despite my brother’s many observations, I still can’t see through his Dao realm.

He follows the path of cultivating the heart, cultivating the transcendence of the primordial spirit. His Dao realm is already extremely profound. If later during the great tribulation, we inevitably have to face them, remember not to fight with true anger, try to avoid Yuding and Taiyi.”

Yun Xiao said softly, “At that time, we should just avoid conflicts with them.

During the great tribulation, more patience means more chances of survival. Taking a step back gives us boundless possibilities.”

Senior Master Li: …

My dear Yun’s theoretical knowledge was impeccable!

He just hoped that in practice, she wouldn’t go against these principles.

After Zhao Gongming exchanged a few jokes with Senior Master Li, a message jade talisman arrived at the Sea God Temple—it was the Golden Spirit Holy Mother inquiring if Zhao Gongming was alright.

The jade talisman mentioned that the Severing Sect would hold a Great Assembly of Ten Thousand Immortals on Golden Turtle Island, just waiting for Senior Brother Duobao’s return to officially begin, and asked Zhao Gongming to come early to handle various complicated matters.

Yun Xiao had wanted to spend more time with Senior Master Li while the Western Religion was defeated, but now she had no choice but to go attend to these busy matters.

Qiong Xiao laughingly asked if Senior Master Li would visit the Severing Sect, but he naturally smiled and shook his head.

Right now, he couldn’t go anywhere except the Human Teaching sect.

At the back hall entrance, Senior Master Li gazed in the direction where the three siblings Yun Xiao had departed, slightly lost in thought.

He suddenly felt somewhat poetic.

The clamor of the mortal world was right beside his ears;

Strands of incense merit entered his body, filling the merit treasure pool that could never be complete;

The clouds gathered and dispersed, bringing peace to his mind and spirit.

Senior Master Li hummed softly and began to recite:

“Upon the plains, the grass grows tall,

Year after year it lives and dies.

Wildfires cannot burn it all,

Spring winds make it arise.”

After speaking, he gave a light laugh, used wind escape to vanish, and secretly followed them.

He needed to ensure they safely joined up with the large group of Severing Sect masters.

The Severing Sect had just made a big move, and their sect’s fortune was unstable. At this time, excessive killing could easily trigger incidents.

If Sage Zhunti suddenly returned and ‘happened’ to encounter Yun Xiao, Qiong Xiao, and Zhao Gongming, then in his anger struck and killed them, who could they reason with?

One had to be vigilant.

After escorting Yun Xiao back to Golden Turtle Island, Senior Master Li then took the route through the Northern Continent, swaggering back to the Heavenly Court through the North Heaven Gate.

The Canonization plot and the thousand-year plan of “The Disappearance of X” were both about to enter their next phase.

The Western Religion only had two Sage combat units left, and his room for maneuvering had undoubtedly increased greatly.

However, the real difficulties were just beginning.

The conflict between the Enlightenment and Severing Sects would be much more troublesome than the Dao School suppressing the Western Religion.

…

When Senior Master Li returned to Little Jade Peak, he was naturally surrounded by Ling E and Kong Xuan. The former was concerned whether Senior Brother was injured, while the latter hurriedly asked about the Grand Master’s whereabouts.

When Kong Xuan heard that Senior Master Li also didn’t know the Grand Master’s specific location, she immediately became so anxious that she paced back and forth, unable to resist wanting to try her luck in the Chaos Sea.

It took both Senior Master Li and Ling E’s repeated persuasion before Kong Xuan agreed to wait a while longer.

This wait lasted half a month.

On this day, several supreme auras suddenly appeared in the Primordial World—it was the Sages’ Great Dao trembling!

Jieyin, Sect Leader Tongtian, and Zhunti, three Sages returned to the Primordial World almost simultaneously!

However, their return locations were somewhat different.

Sect Leader Tongtian used the Zhuxian Sword Formation to protect himself, avoiding Jieyin and Zhunti’s encirclement attempt, coldly snorted, and left freely.

As for Jieyin and Zhunti…

Although they were Sages with a sage nature.

But seeing Spirit Mountain—which they had painstakingly collected from various cultivators’ pockets—reduced to just a blackened, moss-green half-mountain body, their Dao hearts were inevitably affected.

Zhunti stomped his foot and was about to go settle accounts with the Severing Sect, but a thunderclap in the sky and several words of persuasion from Jieyin made Zhunti stop.

Jieyin said, “Don’t be a sore loser, we had already anticipated this situation in ancient times.”

Zhunti lowered his head and sighed, searching everywhere for the souls of Spirit Mountain’s immortals, but found nothing.

These two Sages acted simultaneously, shrouding Spirit Mountain in clouds and mist, temporarily isolating it from the Primordial World.

Almost at the same time, the Heavenly Court was decorated with lanterns and colored banners everywhere as the Peach Banquet was held ahead of schedule;

In the towns of the Central Divine Continent that weren’t affected by the fighting, there was discussion everywhere.

As soon as the Western Religion had trouble but their Sages couldn’t directly take action, many cultivators felt quite satisfied.

They had suffered under the Western Religion for too long.

Half a day later, a bell rang on Golden Turtle Island, and Duobao Daoren emerged from the earth cave.

The Yin-Yang Double Fish appeared above Little Jade Peak, and the Grand Master stepped out.

Looking at Duobao Daoren now, he had multiple wounds all over his body, and his aura seemed weak, apparently having suffered light injuries, but the injuries weren’t too serious.

As soon as the Grand Master appeared, he collapsed into Senior Master Li’s fixed seat in front of the pill room, let out a long yawn, his face quite pale, and muttered quietly:

“A Sage’s golden body is truly formidable.”

Several streams of light flashed, and Senior Master Li and Kong Xuan appeared simultaneously, while Ling E’s light was still on the way.

Kong Xuan said nothing, immediately walking to the Grand Master’s side, raising her hand to press on the Grand Master’s shoulder, carefully examining him before finally letting out a breath.

Seeing this, Senior Master Li knew the Grand Master must be alright, and immediately showed a smile.

“Congratulations Senior Brother, fighting a Sage for so long without defeat.”

“Fighting?”

The Grand Master sighed, “Not really, at most Junior Brother Duobao and I relied on supreme treasures to delay a Sage for a few days in the Chaos Sea, nothing more.”

“Being able to delay them is already remarkable.”

Senior Master Li gave a thumbs up, and the Grand Master smiled and waved his hand, not mentioning this matter further.

After all, they had almost not made it back.

The Grand Master asked, “How much damage did the Western Religion suffer?”

“Ninety percent,” Senior Master Li brought over a wooden chair, sat down beside the Grand Master, and said slowly, “Moreover, the remaining disciples have all sworn Great Dao oaths.”

“So many casualties?”

The Grand Master was quite surprised and smiled, “Did the Severing Sect go on a killing spree?

You must tell your brother all about this grand show, the parts brother didn’t see.”

Senior Master Li agreed and told the Grand Master in detail about what happened after he and Duobao had charged toward Zhunti.

After Senior Master Li finished explaining this matter, he also asked about his doubts.

Before this, where had the Grand Master gone?

The Grand Master gave a deep sigh, not daring to criticize his own master’s methods, and spoke of the hardships of this journey.

The facts proved that a Sage was indeed a Sage.

Senior Master Li’s statement that “Sages cannot die” had absolutely no effect.

At that time, the Grand Master and Duobao were thrown into the Chaos Sea by Master Taiqing and almost lost their bearings as soon as they appeared.

While Zhunti, who was sent there with them, reacted with lightning speed and flew straight back toward the Primordial World.

But without the power of the Heavenly Dao, Zhunti, being such a bottom-tier Heavenly Dao Sage, relying on his strength in the Chaos Sea… still couldn’t achieve the ‘Great Dao Resonance Movement’.

As soon as Zhunti moved, the Grand Master and Duobao met him head-on, relying on supreme treasures to entangle with Zhunti.

During this half-month journey, it was hard to say whether they were fighting Zhunti head-on or being ‘chased’ back to the Primordial World by Zhunti.

The Grand Master yawned and sighed, “Brother will first sleep a while to recover his spirit.

Long Gang, remember, never have the idea that you can defeat a Sage just by relying on treasures!”

“Rest assured, Senior Brother,” Senior Master Li agreed, gesturing for Ling E to leave with him, and also activated the various formations in the pill room, temporarily giving the formation eye location to his senior brother and sister-in-law.

With the Grand Master’s return and the Western Religion’s mountain sealed, this matter showed signs of coming to an end.

Senior Master Li put down his concerns and shut himself in the lakeside grass hut, picking up his brush to write and draw, pondering various plans.

By the way, the memorial tablet of Old Daoist Qi Yuan in the neighboring grass hut had been removed, mainly to avoid cursing the reincarnated Jiang Shang.

However, Senior Master Li had only shut himself away for less than half a day when, as night enveloped Little Jade Peak, an unexpected visitor avoided the layers of guards between the Heavenly Court and Taibai Palace, appearing outside Little Jade Peak’s grand formation and beginning to bombard it with spiritual sense.

The number one sister of Chaos, the Chaos Bell!