It did not take long before Ao Cheng and the other dragon arrived at the Lingxiao Palace.
The Jade Emperor and Empress received the news. They woke up from their self-cultivation, though it was more of enlightenment than cultivation.
Recently, they had been enlightened by the knowledge preached by Li Nianfan. They realized they had a more in-depth understanding of the world. It was as if they had been brought out of the mountain!
This feeling alone was already very terrifying.
Since they were Quasi-Saints, even a small improvement would be very important. They merely listened to Li Nianfan’s class and they were already enlightened. Once they understood it thoroughly, they would become so powerful!
The two of them exchanged a look. They knew each other well enough to know that they were both very shocked.
The Empress sighed. “Jade Emperor, the expert’s indeed an expert. We have gained quite some knowledge from him this time!”
“We have gained a lot from him!” The Jade Emperor shook his head and took in a deep breath. “To the expert, we’re just some ants. Do you even mind it when you feed the ants?”
The Empress said, “Of course, I know this. Even though the expert doesn’t mind, we can’t forget about his kindness!”
“You don’t say! Our difference from ants is that we have brains and hearts. We can be grateful!” the Jade Emperor said in a serious tone. “Empress, how’s your enlightening?”
The Empress frowned and said, “I feel that my worldview’s starting to change. I’ve reached the point that when I see a mountain, I know it’s not just a mountain. When I see water, it’s not only water that I see. Meanwhile, I can vaguely feel that the world’s starting to reject me.”
“Same.” The Jade Emperor paused. He continued after a long while, “Do you remember what Dao Zu said? If we want to become Saints, other than Deluxe Merit, we also need some Harmonious Purple Qi! That’s it! You and I ruled the Heavenly Temple, we’ve gained some Deluxe Merits. However, we’re still far from becoming Saints because of the lack of Harmonious Purple Qi!”
The Empress’s pupils dilated. Instantly, she had some cold sweat on her forehead. She said, trembling, “Jade Emperor, what you’re saying is that…we might not need the Harmonious Purple Qi anymore?”
“This is just my speculation.” The Jade Emperor’s face sank. He analyzed in a low voice, “The Harmonious Purple Qi is a law set by the Heaven in this area since the sea has no end. Although there are some bottlenecks in cultivation, it’s impossible to have an end! Therefore…other than the Harmonious Purple Qi, there must be other ways to become a Saint! It’s just that… Dao Zu didn’t tell us that. It was likely that even he didn’t know about this!”
The Empress gasped. She cried out, “And the expert made it clear to us about this. Was it due to the heavenly restriction that stopped us from fully understanding it?”
“Likely to be it. I’m guessing…once we can become Saints without the need of Harmonious Purple Qi, we won’t be far from breaking all restrictions in the world!” The Jade Emperor’s eyes sparkled. Although this was just speculation, he was pretty sure of it. “The expert simply told us such a precious piece of information! I… I… I really want to kneel before him and call him my master!”
His voice became hoarse at the end. He was too emotional.
To the cultivators, preaching was as precious as creation.
“Yeah, this is such a precious piece of information. And yet the expert told it to us in such an informal way. How powerful is he!” The Empress gently rubbed her watery eyes.
She took some time to calm down and then said in a serious tone, “We can only use our actions to repay the expert! Since Ao Cheng’s here, perhaps there’s an urgent matter. This could even be related to the expert, we have to hurry!”
The Jade Emperor nodded. “You’re right, let’s go!”
The two composed themselves and regained their solemn composure. They walked to the front of the Lingxiao Palace.
Ao Cheng and the other man instantly greeted, “Your humble Ao Cheng and Ao Li are at your service. Greetings to the Jade Emperor and Empress.”
The Jade Emperor waved it off and said directly, “Don’t mind the gestures. You’re in such a hurry, what’s the matter?”
“This is an important matter. I don’t dare to make the decision myself, so I came here to seek your advice.” Ao Cheng halted and turned to Ao Li. “Ao Li, tell them what you know.”
The Jade Emperor looked at Ao Li.
The Jade Emperor knew that the Southern Sea Dragon was now spying for them. One had to admit that this was a very…clever move!
“In the Southern Sea Dragon Family, everyone except the Dragon King in retreat and the few high-ranking elders who never come out are already convinced. They’re all willing to take our side.” Ao Li reported this first. He then continued, “Recently, Lord Kunpeng somehow gathered a lot of demons. They even came over to try to recruit my Southern Sea Dragons and the Kirins. They want us to join forces with them to make a scene at the same time!”
The Jade Emperor frowned. “Do you know what that’s for?”
Ao Li said, “They want us to attack the Eastern Sea Dragons. If not, they’re going to attack the Nine-Tailed Fox directly. They want to attack everyone within the shortest time. They then plan to join forces to shut down the Heavenly Temple and Underworld. They want a complete wipeout for the demons to rule the Heavenly Temple!”
The Jade Emperor could not help smiling coldly. “What a motif! Just Lord Kunpeng alone?”
Ao Li continued, “According to reliable news, Lord Kunpeng asked Styx Laozu to come on board, too.”
The Jade Emperor’s smile instantly stiffened. “This…”
This was more challenging.
If this bunch joined forces, the Heavenly Temple would be put in danger. Luckily, the Southern Sea Dragons and Kirins had changed sides. If not, it would be even more challenging.
Ao Cheng said with a serious face, “Jade Emperor, the key is that Lord Kunpeng wants to personally take down the Nine-Tailed Fox. We must protect the Nine-Tailed Fox and cannot let anything happen to her!”
The Jade Emperor said in a low voice, “I’m aware of that. The expert reminded me to take good care of the Nine-Tailed Fox and the Fire Phoenix.”
He was feeling responsible. He felt the weight on his shoulders.
No accident should happen! Definitely not!
“This time around, I’ll do it myself!” He agreed to it without hesitation.
“I will, too!” the Empress said. She then added, “Furthermore, we have to make sure Lord Kirin and the Dragon King of the Southern Sea aren’t involved!”
Styx Laozu and Lord Kunpeng were challenging enough. If they had to fight the unknown Dragon King and Lord Kirin, the battle would be too challenging with many variables. It would be tricky.
The Jade Emperor looked at Ao Li and said, “It’s easy to make sure they’re not involved, but it’s up to you two!”
…
At the four-part architecture.
Li Nianfan came back with Dragin and Nanan. The warmth of a homely feeling rushed over instantly.
Xiao Bai walked over and bowed, “Master, welcome home.”
“Hello, Xiao Bai.”
Nanan and Dragin grinned. They instantly ran around the yard happily. They also ran to the egg station to feel the rounded eggs. They were warm and feeling friendly.
Nanan smiled, “Little chicken, you’re all doing pretty well, you laid so many eggs. This shows that you haven’t slacked off.”
Chirp! Chirp! Chirp!
The chicken started chirping. They stood upright in a row and arched up their buttocks. In unison, an egg was laid from each of them.
Li Nianfan smiled and said, “Let’s go to the backyard and have a look.”
Click!
Upon pushing the door open, a herbal scent overwhelmed their senses. The smell was lovely.
“Wow!”
Nanan and Dragin were shocked. Their eyes sparkled like stars.
In the middle of the yard by the pond, the peach seed planted by Li Nianfan had grown as tall as six meters. Its tree branch was thick and healthy. Most importantly, there were pink and tender peach blossoms on top. As a gust of wind blew past, a few petals flew in the air and down into the pond. They started swirling in the pond.
On the other side of the peach tree, there was a plum tree with pure white petals. They looked similar to the petals of the peach tree, letting out a nice scent.
The peach and plum trees worked as a team, giving off a nice floral scent as many Golden Bees surrounded them. They seemed excited.
Tree, flower, water, and bee. They formed a picturesque scene.
Moo…
A moo broke the stillness of the scene. Two Five-Color Sacred Cows gathered by the pond. They lowered their heads to start drinking. Beside the cows, an old tortoise was sunbathing.
Li Nianfan walked forward and looked at the plum and peach trees. He smiled instantly. “As expected, the peaches had ripened! However, the plums aren’t out yet, it’s growing rather slowly.”
“Wow, the peaches are so beautiful!” Nanan and Dragin looked at the peaches on the tree. They were drooling all over.
Li Nianfan nodded. “Indeed, they’re beautiful! These peaches are first-class!”
He had a plan in mind. This was such a first-class peach tree. However, it was such a pity to only have one of them. He would collect more of its seeds to grow a few more of them.
Dragin gulped and said, “Brother, are the peaches ready?”
“Yes.” Li Nianfan was going to rise with his cloud. With an idea, he halted and waved at the old tortoise. “Old tortoise, come over here.”
Although going up with the cloud was convenient, it was not so artistic to pick the peaches that way. He would miss out on so much fun!
It was more fun to be like the past, that would be more joyful.
The old tortoise gradually opened its eyes and wiggled toward him. It cleverly stopped below the peach tree.
“Come on up!” Li Nianfan instructed Nanan and Dragin to follow him. They climbed on top of the tortoise.
Looking at the peaches closely, even Li Nianfan had more cravings.
The peaches were as big as his palm. There was no fuzz on them. They looked clean and pinkish white. The right word to describe them was ‘juicy’. How beautiful.
They looked orderly. There was no flaw on their surfaces. The peaches were juicy with a vague scent.
Li Nianfan lifted his hand to gently touch it. It was nice to the touch. He did not dare to squeeze it as he was afraid that some juice might ooze out.
Pop!
Li Nianfan cautiously plucked a peach from its branch. He sent it into his mouth and gently bit into it.
He did not even dare to be too forceful. Even so, a lot of juice burst in his mouth and even oozed out.
Li Nianfan wasted no time. He quickly sucked up the juices. Instantly a burst of sweetness triggered his taste buds and overwhelmed his tongue. The sweetness of the flesh rushed to his head. His senses were overloaded.
The peach’s flesh was soft along with its juice in his mouth. With a gentle bite, the soft and bouncy flesh got lost among his teeth. The texture was very pleasurable.
Nanan and Dragin had already started munching. The juice filled their mouths while they moaned with pleasure, “Yummy, so yummy!”
“Good peach! It’s indeed a good peach!” Li Nianfan could not help smiling. He was happy about this new addition to his backyard. “I must thank Immortal Ziye well. I must treat her to some of these peaches!”
He thought about it as he opened his mouth. With a popping sound, he bit a big chunk of the peach with his mouth.
This time, the thick juice burst inside his mouth and puffed him up. As he chewed, more juice came out. They almost oozed out from his mouth.
Li Nianfan quickly gulped it all up.
Instantly, he was overwhelmed by pleasure. One had to admit, this pleasure was…electrifying!
