Hongjun's figure disappeared without any fluctuations, leaving many gods hanging. Several, including Laozi and Yuanshi, wanted pointers, but Hongjun never gave them a chance. Still, this did not give rise to any discontent.

"""We thank the Dao Ancestor for this grace!"""

Without Haotian’s or Yaochi’s intervention, all the guests dispersed by themselves. Everyone sought to seclude themselves and digest the knowledge they gained from the sermon.

Naturally, the Three Purities weren't an exception. They didn't even bid anyone farewell, but that was par for the course. Only Redcloud Ancestor had the time, but then again, only Zhen Yuanzi bothered with him.

"Zhen Yuanzi, am I hated?" Redcloud Ancestor asked.

Zhen Yuanzi covered his face with his palm. "No, you just can't read the room."

----------------------------------------

On the way back to Kunlun Mountain, the Three Purities stopped as they passed Buzhou Mountain.

Tongtian felt something calling out to her in Buzhou Mountain. Judging from Laozi's and Yuanshi's reactions, she wasn't the only one. "Should we check it out?"

"I do not see the harm. It's only a detour," Laozi said.

With that, the three of them made their way toward the source of the calls. Upon arriving, they noticed the remnants of an array. It must have been a natural array that dissipated recently, so they could sense it now instead.

At the center of the former array was a vine. It was not tall, but it had seven different-colored gourds hanging from it. Each one had yet to mature, yet they already emitted a purple-gold radiance.

"Third Sister," Yuanshi said.

Tongtian nodded and reconstructed the array that had been guarding the gourd vine. She added a few more defensive and concealment features.

The three had to wait until the gourd matured before plucking them. Tongtian stared at the vine for a moment before she realized what it was. "Could this be one of the top ten connate spiritual roots, the Immortal Gourd Vine?"

"If that's the case, then it is destined for us," Yuanshi said.

Tongtian nodded. The Immortal Gourd Vine produced seven gourds, and each one could be used to create a cardinal spiritual treasure. Of course, the grade depended on the artificer's skill and materials. Of the seven gourds, she only felt a connection to one of them, but according to legend, Laozi and Yuanshi also only got one of the seven, which meant that the other four were destined for others.

The purple-gold colored gourd would become Laozi's. He mainly used it to store pills, but it can also absorb people and melt them down like the Gold-Horned and Silver-Horned Kings did to Sun Wukong. Well, they didn't succeed in melting the Monkey King, but they did trap him in it.

The second was the white gourd taken by East Emperor Taiyi. He later refined it into the Immortal Beheading Flying Blade, a top killing weapon. It was used by Daoist Lu Ya during the Investiture of the Gods.

The third gourd was a red gourd. It was attained by Redcloud Ancestor and refined into the Nine-Nine Soulscatter Gourd.

The fourth was an orange gourd obtained by Nuwa. She merged it with the Demon Banner and created the Demon Summoning Banner. Any demon who placed a strand of their truesoul into it would be at the mercy of the wielder.

The fifth was a black gourd obtained by Yuanshi, and it contained an inner space filled with chaotic energy. Since Yuanshi didn't part with it, not much was known about it.

The sixth cyan gourd was Tongtian's, and it contained the power of fire and water. Truth be told, she preferred Taiyi's white gourd, which later became the Immortal Beheading Flying Blade. Although she liked the color of Laozi's purple-gold colored gourd more.

The seventh, actually, Tongtian didn't know what happened to the seventh gourd. It was gray-colored and exuded a mysterious aura.

The Three Purities waited patiently for the Immortal Gourd Vine to mature. Some time later, Tongtian frowned and looked into the distance.

"What's wrong, Third Sister?"

Yuanshi's question was soon answered in the form of a bell ring. All three were very familiar with the sound because it came from the Chaos Bell. Not long after, seven figures arrived. In the front was Di Jun, followed by Taiyi with the Chaos Bell above his head, and five other guests from Violet Heaven Palace.

The two parties stared at each other in a stalemate. Di Jun was the first to speak and stepped up. "Fellow Daoist, I feel that this spiritual root has fate with my brother and me. What do you think?"

Yuanshi snorted. "Three of the gourds have fate with us three siblings. If you dare to take what is ours, be prepared for the consequences."

Hearing the arrogant tone, Di Jun couldn't help but frown. He quickly glanced towards Taiyi, but to his surprise, his brother showed no anger.

"What fellow Daoist said is right. The gourds will go to those fated with them."

Hearing Taiyi's words, Di Jun wondered if his brother somehow got swapped with an identical twin. Was this still his proud brother?

Taiyi saw Di Jun's strange look but ignored it. Instead, he sent discreet glances at the goddess in red. Unfortunately, it was soon blocked by a black-robed middle-aged man who glared at him.

As the gourd neared maturity, two more uninvited guests came: Fuxi and Nuwa.

"Fellow Daoists," Di Jun said as he greeted Fuxi and Nuwa, who greeted back. During this time, Nuwa's eyes kept drifting towards the orange gourd.

Upon seeing this, Di Jun's mind spun. "Daoist Nuwa, the Three Purities have claimed three of the seven gourds. We demons have also claimed the other three. If you don't mind, I can give one slot to you."

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Fuxi's eyes narrowed. Nothing was free in this world, there was always a price. But he still nodded towards his sister.

"Then I'll thank Daoist Di Jun for your gift," Nuwa said. "But what are demons?"

"Demons are all the creatures born in heaven and earth. The Hundred Clans, you, I, and everyone are demons," Di Jun explained.

Yuanshi was already annoyed when Di Jun arbitrarily claimed three of the immortal gourds, but it seems from his words that he considered the Three Purities demons too?

Unforgivable.

"Don't group us with you flat-furred beasts," Yuanshi said as he radiated displeasure. "We are the orthodox inheritors of Pangu's lineage. We are different from you."

Di Jun frowned. "Daoist Yuanshi, don't you think you are too arrogant? All beings are born from Pangu, that means every one of us is an inheritor of Pangu's lineage."

At this, all Three Purities radiated displeasure and looked ready to start a war. Even Tongtian felt this, although she was stymied as to where the anger originated from.

On his part, Di Jun was shocked by the aura radiating off of the Three Purities. He had detected earlier that Tongtian was only an advanced Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament when she entered Violet Heaven Palace, but now, she was a peak Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament.

More astounding was the energy they radiated off. After hearing Hongjun's sermon, Di Jun had converted half the essence in his body into qi, but it seemed that the Three Purities had already converted all their energy into qi!

Qi and essence were different on two different levels. Even with nine of them present, including Nuwa and Fuxi, Di Jun wasn't sure they could defeat the Three Purities. The strongest member present was his brother Taiyi thanks to the Chaos Bell. However, of the five he convinced to follow him, their top combat strength was only at the intermediate Great Firmament Realm.

To his surprise, Taiyi stepped out at this moment. Just as Di Jun was worried that Taiyi would aggravate the situation, Taiyi took a step back.

"You can choose not to accept the label of demon," Taiyi started. "However, the emergence of demons is unavoidable. If you join us now, I can guarantee that all three of you will have the position of demon emperors."

Di Jun wondered if someone switched with his brother again. However, he also agreed with Taiyi's proposal. If the Three Purities accepted, then the fledgling demon force's strength will be greatly bolstered. He just had to worry if the Three Purities' influence would overtake his, but Di Jun was not worried. He at least had that much confidence in his abilities and charisma.

"Taiyi, Di Jun, are you looking down on us?" Laozi asked.

"We respect the Dao Ancestor for his strength and knowledge, but to make us submit to you. You overestimate yourself," Tongtian said.

Seeing the stubbornness of the Three Purities, Di Jun frowned. Without a doubt, they would become a variable when he conquered the Great Desolation.

Just as the side entered a stalemate, Fuxi stood protectively in front of Nuwa. Yuanshi, who saw this, frowned and stood in front of Tongtian.

Tongtian looked down at Yuanshi's shin. 'I want to kick it.'

At this moment, another unwelcome guest entered.

"Oh? Fellow Daoist Tongtian and Fellow Daoist Di Jun are also here?" Redcloud Ancestor said. He laughed. "Did you sense something calling out to you too? And it seems they are about to mature, I'll just go ahead and pick mine."

Sometimes, Zhen Yuanzi wondered if Redcloud Ancestor was as tactless as he appeared. Couldn't he feel the tension between the Three Purities and Di Jun's group?!

Yuanshi snorted. "Cease your movement at this instant. We came first, so we should pick the gourds first."

Redcloud Ancestor stopped. He didn't get offended and instead felt Yuanshi's words had logic to them. He motioned towards the Immortal Gourd Vine. "Please, fellow Daoist."

Yuanshi froze at Redcloud Ancestor's words, having never expected him to be so amiable. He turned towards Laozi.

Laozi closed his eyes. "There’s still time before the gourds mature. Wait a while."

After this farce, peace settled between everyone. Not long after, the seven gourds started to mature and emitted an aromatic fragrance.

Laozi stepped forward and plucked the purple-gold gourd. "This one is destined with me."

Yuanshi plucked the black gourd, and then Tongtian stepped up. She hesitated between choosing the white gourd or the cyan gourd. She felt the cyan gourd calling out to her, but she wanted the white gourd more.

Plus, Di Jun and Taiyi said they sensed something calling out to them too. That meant Taiyi might know that the white gourd was meant to go to him.

Tongtian started to reach for the cyan gourd, but just as she was about to take it, she plucked the white gourd. So what if Taiyi was meant to get it? Since she wanted it, it would be hers, just like the Chaos Bell.

As she flew back next to her brothers, she turned her head and her gaze connected with Taiyi's. 'Does he know? Does he want to fight?'

In the end, Taiyi said nothing. Without waiting for Di Jun to speak, he stepped forward and took the cyan gourd. The one Tongtain originally reached for. While walking back, a smile graced his lips.

Di Jun turned towards Nuwa. "Please, Daoist Nuwa."

Nuwa nodded and stepped forward to take the orange gourd.

At this moment, Di Jun paused. Truthfully, he didn't feel any of the gourds calling out to him, but he simply followed Taiyi. He turned toward Redcloud Ancestor. Although he felt Redcloud Ancestor was foolish, he couldn't deny that he had a wide range of contacts and friends.

He smiled. "Fellow Daoists, after you."

"Thank you," Redcloud Ancestor didn't feign politeness and walked up to pluck the red gourd. He stored it away, feeling satisfied.

At this moment, the seventh gourd, which was about to mature, started withering. Soon, it would lose its source and foundation and degrade.

"I hadn't expected this. There wasn't enough energy for the Immortal Gourd Vine to nurture all seven gourds, so the seventh gourd couldn't mature."

Di Jun's face darkened. He couldn't help but glare at Redcloud Ancestor, but soon turned away. He was the one who said it, so he couldn't go back on his word. He walked forward and plucked the gray gourd. It couldn't become a cardinal spiritual treasure, and it was hard to say if it could even become an innate spiritual treasure without a deep investment.

As everyone was about to leave, Tongtian stayed. She stared at the Immortal Gourd Vine for a moment before uprooting it. Yuanshi immediately guessed her thoughts the moment she did so.

When she uprooted the Immortal Gourd Vine, she noticed that the soil around it was unordinary. Thinking about it, how could ordinary soil nurture one of the top ten connate spiritual roots?

"It turns out to be Ninesky Blessdirt," Tongtian said. Then, she felt a presence and turned to see Nuwa staring at her.

"Daoist Tongtian, I feel the soil calling out to me. Would you be able to part with some of it?" Actually, Nuwa felt a sense of loss when Tongtian touched the Immortal Gourd Vine, but she didn't harbor any fantasies of getting that from Tongtian, so she asked for the soil.

Nuwa was fully prepared to pay a heavy price, but she didn't expect Tongtian to smile and say, "Daoist Nuwa, we sat next to each other in Violet Heaven Palace. That means there is fate between us. Take half, it's just some soil."

Nuwa smiled after getting over her shock. Where was the arrogance of Pangu's orthodox lineage? Still, if Tongtian gave her goodwill, she would reciprocate. "Thank you, fellow Daoist."

Afterward, the Three Purities flew back to Kunlun Mountain while Di Jun asked Fuxi, Nuwa, Redcloud Ancestor, and Zhen Yuanzi to stay.