Inside the Treasure Hall, smoke rose from the Jade Furnace.

Yu Yuan sat cross-legged on a cushion, looking at Yang Jian, who had been somewhat awkward and restrained since entering, and said, "There's a cushion on the side, please sit down and talk."

He was not surprised by Yang Jian's arrival.

It was not long after Fairy Yun Hua had escaped from the Investiture of the Gods that she was reunited with her son, Yang Jian.

Yang Jian had wanted to take her to Guan River Mouth, but since Fairy Yun Hua was still branded with crimes, to avoid causing further trouble and implicating her son and brother, she decided to stay at Linhuan Pass and keep Huo Ling'er company.

Since then, Yang Jian had often hurried over from Guan River Mouth to visit.

However, this was the first time Yu Yuan had encountered him.

Now, upon hearing Yu Yuan's invitation, Yang Jian first looked at Fairy Yun Hua and after receiving an affirmative nod, respectfully thanked him and found a cushion to settle down on.

"Right, Immortal, your return is timely," Fairy Yun Hua said with a smile. "It happens that this morning, Jian'er has slain an Evil Dragon. I've asked him to bring the dragon liver here, which we shall prepare into a delicacy for the Immortal to taste."

After speaking, she turned and left the Treasure Hall, evidently going to prepare the broth herself.

Yang Jian frowned involuntarily at this.

After pondering for a moment, he looked at Yu Yuan and said, "Benefactor, I..."

Yu Yuan waved his hand, "No need to utter 'benefactor' over and over again; from now on, let's each stick to our own roles..."

Upon hearing this, Yang Jian's expression became peculiar.

Luckily, Yu Yuan continued immediately: "You should just call me 'Senior Brother' as before. To be honest, I still prefer the spirited manner you used to have… The current you seems to have lost some of that edge."

He was not speaking offhand.

Yang Jian, though still looking handsome and distinguished, lacked the spirited gleam he once had in his eyes; instead, there was a sense of weariness and wariness from having endured hardships.

Obviously, he had been deeply hurt by the betrayal of Yu Ding.

Hearing Yu Yuan's words, Yang Jian's mouth twitched slightly, revealing a reluctant smile.

"Back then, I was young and impulsive. As a member of the Chan Sect, I opposed Daoist Brother several times, please forgive me."

Yu Yuan waved his hand smilingly, "No need to apologize for that, as you said, we were on opposite sides. Moreover, you never really troubled me."

Hearing this, the corner of Yang Jian's eyes twitched involuntarily, and he couldn't help but laugh bitterly in his heart.

Lies do not hurt people; the truth is the swift blade!

He had only fought with Yu Yuan twice before, and both times he was sent flying by a single punch from Yu Yuan, which showed him the meaning of disparity!

Even after his Dao improved greatly and he obtained the merit-containing Holy Artifact, the Mountain Opening Axe, he still held no confidence when facing Yu Yuan in the Heavenly Court.

Once, he had considered Yu Yuan a target to surpass, but after numerous encounters, he realized that although they were contemporaries, in terms of Dao and realm, Yu Yuan far exceeded him by too much.

Now hearing Yu Yuan's words, he had to admit that what was said was true.

The gap between him and Yu Yuan was like an insurmountable chasm!

However, now he no longer yearned to catch up and surpass Yu Yuan as he once did; what he cared about was only one thing.

"I heard that the conflict between the Chan Sect and Jie Sect is incessant, and a great war will sooner or later erupt... When the time comes, please inform me, Brother Daoist. I will be at your disposal!" Yang Jian spoke solemnly.

Yu Yuan raised an eyebrow and said with a smile, "Don't wait until later. There is a matter for you to take care of right now, if you're willing?"

Without any hesitation, Yang Jian immediately agreed, "Brother Daoist, please give your orders. I will not be negligent."

"Recently, some Incense Fire Divine beings from the Western have been spreading widely throughout the Southern Continent, drawing the power of faith from the Human Race's citizens..." Yu Yuan spoke earnestly: "Since the Southern Continent is under the jurisdiction of the Three Sects, this matter should indeed be managed by them, but now it seems the Human Sect and Chan Sect are acquiescing to the Western Sect's spread in the Southern Continent, and only the Jie Sect is actively suppressing the spread of Incense Fire Divine Dao.

Your location at the Guan River Mouth lies in the southwest of the Southern Continent, which might be beyond the outreach of Jie Sect."

Yang Jian understood his meaning and said firmly, "Leave this task to me. I will not disappoint Brother Daoist!"

Yu Yuan nodded slightly and handed over the 'Li' character bronze mirror.

He entrusted the precious mirror to Yang Jian because although Yang Jian only possessed the might of a Golden Immortal, when holding the Mountain Opening Axe, he was able to give a weakened Wuzhiqi a run for his money, which showed his exceptional combat strength.

More importantly, his current sentiments towards Chan Sect held neither affection nor liking but rather extreme disgust and hatred.

From this perspective, Yang Jian was more reliable than many disciples of the Jie Sect.

...

East Sea

The azure waters stretched to the horizon, blending seamlessly with the sky. Waves surged on the ocean surface, lifting layers of foam; under the sunlight, they shimmered like countless sparkling gems scattered across the water.

Atop the boundless expanse of the East Sea, a uniquely shaped island rose from the depths.

Volcanoes dotted the island, periodically spewing out intense streams of magma.

From a distance, it appeared as though the lava gushing from the volcano's mouth flowed down the slopes, creating a remarkable scene as if countless Fire Dragons were winding their way across the island.

Thus, the island was aptly named Fire Dragon Island!

At that moment, a streak of silver light slashed across the sky, hurtling towards Fire Dragon Island with the speed of lightning.

Within the silver light, a figure clad in a black robe riding a Flying Silver Tiger appeared.

His figure was lean, with a black and red complexion, and beneath his thick brows were a pair of lively, piercing eyes.

He rode upon the Flying Silver Tiger, and as he was about to land on the island, an indifferent male voice suddenly rang out: "Who dares to trespass on my Fire Dragon Island?"

In that instant, the numerous streams of crimson lava cascading down the mountainside unexpectedly detached from the ground, soaring into the sky, resembling Fire Dragons raising their heads, staring fixedly at the black-robed Daoist.

The latter quickly placed his hand on the neck of the Flying Silver Tiger, not daring to make any rash moves, and called out, "I am Shengong Bao, an Independent Immortal from Kunlun, currently traveling through Primordial times. I am passing through your esteemed territory and have come to visit Brother Flame Immortal!"

Upon hearing him announce his identity, a middle-aged Daoist with a fish tail crown on his head, a ruddy face, and red beard and hair materialized in midair, looking at Shengong Bao with curiosity:

"So, you're that discarded disciple from Yuxu?"

Shengong Bao's eyelid twitched slightly, but he still awkwardly nodded his head.

He had grown numb to it.

From the moment he was expelled from Yuxu Palace, his name, Shengong Bao, had become infamous throughout Primordial times.

For a disciple personally taught by a Saint to be expelled from his sect, such an occurrence was unprecedented in both history and the vast expanse of Primordial times—it was truly a unique existence!

Nearly overnight, various stories about "Shengong Bao" spread throughout Primordial times.

Everyone was curious what he had done to warrant being expelled.

As for Shengong Bao himself, he had fulfilled his life-long dream—to be as renowned as the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect.

The difference was that the Twelve Golden Immortals had a good reputation while his was infamy.

After leaving Kunlun, Shengong Bao styled himself an Independent Immortal, visiting the renowned Immortal Mountains and Islands of the Jie Sect under the guise of traveling through Primordial times. With his eloquence and pandering demeanor, he formed connections with many Jie Sect disciples.

At this moment, facing the Flame Immortal, his face brimmed with an enthusiastic smile as he took the lead in bowing with a gesture of respect, "Brother Daoist looks so majestic that you must undoubtedly be the Flame Immortal who is renowned throughout the Four Seas!

I regret that I could not meet Brother Daoist at Wuyi Mountain; it truly caused me much dismay. Fortunately, today I have the chance to behold Brother Daoist's true countenance; your presence is even more remarkable than in the past, which brings me great joy..."

The Flame Immortal looked at him with some surprise, "You were at Wuyi Mountain that time?"

"Indeed, I was present," nodded Shengong Bao, and praised, "However, at that time, Guang Chengzi, Yellow Dragon, and the others, relying on their numbers, wanted to capture Brother Daoist. I couldn't stand it and withdrew first.

Of course, with Brother Daoist's skills, even if all Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect came together, they would not be able to challenge you!"

As the saying goes, "You can't slap a smiling face, and you can't scold someone who brings gifts." Even though Shengong Bao's flattery was somewhat over the top, Flame Immortal was quite pleased and casually remarked:

"If all Twelve Golden Immortals came together, I indeed would have needed to avoid their edge, but that day Guang Chengzi and his group only had five people, how could they compete with me?"

"Exactly!" Shengong Bao quickly agreed, and then pulled out a fist-sized piece of red-gold metal from his bosom, holding it up respectfully as he said, "By the way, I happened to come across this celestial metal on my journey here. Unfortunately, I do not recognize its significance. Brother Daoist, you are knowledgeable and well-informed, could you perhaps help identify it for me?"

The Flame Immortal glanced at it, his gaze suddenly brightening with astonishment, "Isn't this Red Crow Essence Gold? It's a divine material for forging Fire Element Spiritual Treasures! It's only found on the Taiyang Star and is now extremely rare, always sought after but seldom found! You indeed have good fortune, my friend!"

"So this is Red Crow Essence Gold," Shengong Bao clicked his tongue and sighed, "It's a pity that I do not practice Fire Element Divine Power, so this divine material is of no use to me."

He paused for a moment, glanced at the Flame Immortal, and said, "By the way, Brother Daoist is a master of fire arts, would you be interested in this divine material? If you are, perhaps we could exchange it for something?"

"Agreed!"

Flame Immortal nodded without hesitation and then said, "Please enter and we can discuss further. This Red Crow Essence Gold is extremely valuable, so I need to find something comparable as an exchange. I certainly can't let my friend suffer a loss."

Shengong Bao nodded repeatedly, also feeling relieved within.

He wasn't concerned about getting a raw deal.

After all, the Red Crow Essence Gold was something he had taken from the treasury when he left Yuxu Palace; his goal was to use it to build a connection with Flame Immortal.

If he weren't worried about raising suspicion, he would have been willing to give it directly to Flame Immortal.

In his view, the current situation was just right.

As long as he could establish a connection with Flame Immortal, relying on the reputation of this elite disciple of Jie Sect, he would later be able to meet even more Jie Sect disciples and truly infiltrate the internal ranks of Jie Sect!

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