Chapter 772: Nine Great Dao Children

The final negotiation site was chosen at a starry platform jointly built by both sides, located between the Minor Thousand Worlds defensive line of the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace and the Immortal Gate defensive line, attended through a wisp of divine sense.

On the starry fortress, Jiang Ding entered the login chamber of the Taiyi Taiyi Qingmu Illusion Realm, closed the hatch, and gently shut his eyes.

The login chamber contained formations connecting to the starry platform, along with additional protections to prevent enemies from cursing and harming through a wisp of divine sense, ensuring absolute safety.

He opened his eyes.

All around, birds sang and flowers bloomed, rockeries stood in abundance, streams wound through the mountain stones, thin mist and thick clouds—a fine scene of an immortal's realm.

Looking into the distance, the dark starry sky, with meteors occasionally passing through, yet all of them avoided this immortal holy land.

The dark starry sky and the beautiful scenery, in contrast, possessed a clean and pure beauty.

"Brother Zhenjun Shenji, many years unseen, your elegance remains as ever!"

"Not at all, not at all, I am old and decrepit, my sinews and bones broken down, far inferior to Brother Lord Dingding, and Brother Qianxu too, back in those days…"

Ahead, Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun walked forward, and the two Canghai Tianjun immediately came to greet him. There was none of the imagined swords-drawn tension; they chatted and laughed warmly, each catching up on old times, looking like old friends reuniting after many years.

In fact, this was also partly true.

Back when the Great Sun Sword Pavilion was in its heyday, the Immortal Gate Canghai Tianjun and the Badaxian Sect Canghai Tianjun were life-and-death comrades-in-arms, once relying on each other, jointly coping with attacks from the Great Sun Sword Pavilion, and had once shared a deep friendship.

Master Canghai Canghai Tianjun brought the Immortal Gate Canghai Tianjun, along with several Canghai Tianjun from the Brother Xuanwu Heavenly Palace and the Ten Thousand Beasts Immortal Sect, walking arm in arm, in no hurry to discuss business. Together with Canghai Tianjun from other Immortal Sects, they admired the starry scenery, discussed the mysteries and the Dao—a scene of ease, relaxation, and shared joy.

Jiang Ding swept his gaze over it once and continued searching for something.

Such matters involving realms were not something he could participate in.

The reason for coming here was merely to broaden his horizons, temper himself, feel the atmosphere, so that when facing similar matters in the future he would have experience, not appear timid, and make correct decisions.

Quite coincidentally, the Badaxian Sect thought the same way.

The Immortal Sects would spare no effort in cultivating their own Dao Children, the future helmsmen of their sects, and hoped they could cultivate a certain friendship among themselves.

After searching for a moment, Jiang Ding's eyes lit up.

"Antu!"

"Daoist friend An!"

Jiang Ding jogged over and soon saw a stout, honest-looking fatty by a rockery stream. He greeted him enthusiastically, wanting to grab the other's hand to shake it: "Since we graduated from the same class, we've been apart for over two hundred years. Old classmate, I truly missed you. Today I finally get to see you…"

"Stop right there."

"Right now, immediately!!!"

Antu instantly felt a chill, took a step back, and dodged his attempt to shake hands.

"Classmate Jiang, stop. Between you and me, a gentleman's friendship is plain as water; there's no need for these formalities."

"The sentiment is enough."

"Fine then."

Jiang Ding's face was full of disappointment.

In his sea of consciousness, the Taiqing Flying Sword buzzed and trembled, excited, faintly sniffing a delicious aura of the five elements cycling endlessly, with an indestructible origin. Taking it and merging it into the flying sword with a Nascent Soul heavenly tribulation could greatly enhance the sword body's control over the world's spiritual energy, and in the future there would almost never be a time when magic power ran dry, making survivability terrifyingly tenacious.

"Hehe!"

"This generation's Great Sun Sword Child is quite different from the Great Sun Sword Pavilion's past Great Sun Sword Children—much friendlier and more amiable. Not like before, cold as ice, like a puppet; being around them made one worry about being stabbed by sword qi."

Beside them, a small girl, just over a meter tall, with a pure and lovely appearance, wearing an elaborate dark-green palace skirt, was looking this way with a cute smile and couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Her voice was soft and weak, yet pleasant to the ear; just the sound alone could make one feel vibrant vitality, making people instinctively take a great liking to her.

This had nothing to do with spells; it was merely life's natural yearning for vitality.

"Greetings, Dao Child of Taiyi Qingmu, Daoist friend Ji."

Jiang Ding looked at her and politely offered his greetings: "I wonder if the Taiyin Sword Child, Daoist friend Yu, has come? Many years unseen, I miss her dearly."

The young girl before him was naturally the Dao Child of Qingmuxian Sect.

"Sister Qianqian did not come."

"Many thanks to the Sword Child for your concern."

Taiyi Qingmu Dao Child Ji Liuyue said with a smile: "The sect has other arrangements for her; perhaps she will not meet with you."

"Is that so?"

Jiang Ding was somewhat disappointed.

"Sword Child need not regret it; there are still many friends here. You, or rather, your flying sword, will all be very interested."

Ji Liuyue's voice was soft; she was very adept at socializing and speech. She pointed at a wild-looking burly man with an expressionless face and a head of disheveled hair nearby and said: "This is the Ten Thousand Beasts Dao Child Liu Kuang. The Dao Child has merged the blood of ten thousand beasts into one body; his body-tempering ability and beast-taming ability are unquestionably top-tier among peers in the realm, far stronger than this junior sister."

"Greetings, Daoist friend of Ten Thousand Beasts!"

Jiang Ding's face grew solemn. Going along with local customs, he bowed with hands clasped in salute to Ten Thousand Beasts Dao Child Liu Kuang, full of respect.

"Greetings, Daoist friend Jiang."

Ten Thousand Beasts Dao Child Liu Kuang gave a slight nod, but did not intend to say more.

"This is the Shadow Demon Abyss Shadow Demon Dao Child, Three-One."

Ji Liuyue smiled charmingly, then pointed at a shadow on the ground like a puddle of asphalt and introduced: "The assassination arts of the Shadow Demon Abyss are unrivaled under heaven, admired by all the world—coming without a shadow, leaving without a trace. This junior sister also greatly envies it and is full of admiration."

Shadow Demon Abyss cultivators had no names, usually replaced by serial numbers.

Qi Refining was One, Foundation Establishment was Two, Jin Dan was Three.

The asphalt-like shadow before them, named Three-One, indicated he was the strongest Jin Dan cultivator of the Shadow Demon Abyss, and moreover bore the title of Dao Child, with a greater likelihood of advancing to Refining Void in the future.

The asphalt shadow showed no reaction whatsoever to Ji Liuyue's introduction, like a true shadow; from the moment it appeared, it had been motionless like this, in a daze, not speaking with anyone.

"Greetings, Daoist friend Three-One!"

Jiang Ding's expression grew even more solemn; he bowed deeply with hands clasped, full of respect.

"This is the Heavenly Mechanism Dao Child; the Heavenly Mechanism's calculations are unrivaled…"

"This is the Spiritual Treasure Dao Child…"

"This is the Dan Ding Dao Child…"

Ji Liuyue was warm and generous, introducing Jiang Ding to the six Immortal Sects' Candidate Daozi one by one; some were cold and silent, some warm and polite, some indifferent, and some spoke with mockery and humiliation, each different from the next.

No matter how others behaved, Jiang Ding held himself to high standards of character and manners, and respectfully greeted each one in turn.

"This is Brother Brother Xuanwu's Candidate Daozi, Tian Tian Xuanzi…"

Ji Liuyue added, introducing a handsome, elegant, and charismatic Young Master.

"No need to introduce him—I've had a long-standing spiritual connection with Candidate Daozi Tian Tian Xuanzi since my Foundation Establishment, so we're not strangers."

Jiang Ding's eyes brightened further, as if seeing a Jin Shan, and he said warmly: "I regret never meeting you during my Foundation Establishment; the Di Ci Gao Jie made it impossible, and I thought I'd never have the chance again. Yet now, fortune has turned—fate has returned. It's truly wonderful."

When Tian Tian Xuanzi was in the Foundation Establishment realm, he bore the title of Brother Brother Xuanwu's Candidate Daozi and had fused the Brother Xuanwu Divine Court seed; during his Jin Dan stage, he held it briefly, but afterward it was seized by Chong Chong Yuanzi. By chance, he did not die.

Recently, another opportunity arose, and he reclaimed his position as Candidate Daozi, with hope of reaching the Void Refinement realm.

"Jiang Ding Zi."

Tian Tian Xuanzi showed clear disdain for Jiang Ding's warmth and said coolly: "This time, I guarantee you won't escape again. Even the East Pole Demon Sect's hidden escape method won't save you—eight Ancestors can seal all paths and cut off all lingering threats."

"You will die without doubt."

He stated it as if describing an event already completed.

"Candidate Daozi Tian Tian Xuanzi, you're impressive."

Jiang Ding nodded, acknowledging his overwhelming intent to kill.

The number of Brother Xuanwu Divine Gold within Chong Chong Yuanzi's Primordial Bagua Chessboard is insufficient.

Fortunately, another source has now arrived.

With fusion, perhaps the Brother Xuanwu Divine Gold needed for the Nascent Soul heavenly tribulation will be enough.

The only pity is that, after only fifty years, the Brother Xuanwu Divine Court seed has not fused perfectly—Tian Tian Xuanzi is clearly weaker than Chong Chong Yuanzi.

Nothing in the world is perfect.

There's nothing to be done about it.

(End of Chapter)