Chapter 138

Outside Mount Junjia's gate, two groups stood poised in the sky.

The nine-headed lion radiated brilliant golden light.

The qilin beast trod upon purple qi, exuding divine might.

"Cousin Xiaoyao, shall we compete again at the Heavenly Dao Tower?" said Jun Lingcang.

Though blindfolded, his gaze still swept toward the distant void, as if seeking that lone figure in gray.

"If Cousin has such interest, then I shall gladly meet it head-on," Jun Xiaoyao replied with a smile.

Their words seemed calm, yet brimmed with sharp rivalry.

Watching this, the Jun clan elders exhaled in relief.

They knew full well that Jun Lingcang still harbored resentment over Ajiu.

What they feared most was Jun Xiaoyao and Jun Lingcang falling out—or becoming mortal enemies.

If the Number Zero and First Sequences turned against each other, it would be disastrous for the Jun clan.

It might even affect the clan's future destiny.

Fortunately, both showed remarkable composure, not disappointing the clan elders.

This rivalry, for now, remained within reasonable bounds.

"This time, I hope our Jun clan's prodigies dominate the Heavenly Dao Tower!" one elder laughed boldly.

If our clan's prodigies could top the Heavenly Dao Tower, how exhilarating that would be.

As one of the Three Imperial Clans, the Jun clan had every right to be confident.

As Jun Xiaoyao and the others set out for the Sacred Spirit Academy…

Other factions also stirred.

Some saw a terrifying golden divine bird rise from within a golden mountain range.

With a single wingbeat, it spread like a sky-spanning cloud, unleashing a colossal storm!

"Ssshh—could it be that the Jin Chixiaopeng, King of Jialuo Sacred Mountain, has emerged from seclusion!"

Many cultivators were stunned.

The golden roc is also called Garuda.

And Jialuo Sacred Mountain is a top-tier ancient royal clan.

Like the nine-headed lion clan, their numbers are exceedingly scarce, failing to meet the standard of ancient imperial clans.

But that doesn't mean Jialuo Sacred Mountain is weak.

Every prodigy emerging from them possesses the grandeur to challenge all directions.

Most famous among them is none other than the Jin Chixiaopeng King.

His name is Jin Lie, the most renowned prodigy of Jialuo Sacred Mountain in this generation.

His strength rivals—even surpasses—that of the top prodigies of ancient imperial clans.

At least, prodigies like Huang Xuan Yi and Feng Qing Ling would feel deep caution facing Jin Lie, lacking confidence to stand against him.

"Finally emerged from seclusion. This time, I, Jin Lie, shall overshadow all others atop the Heavenly Dao Tower!"

The golden roc beat its wings and shot through the sky like a bolt of golden lightning.

…

In the Western Daozhou of the Huangtian Immortal Realm.

Before an ancient, rustic temple.

"Fahai, your heart is restless, too chaotic. Go walk among the mortal world."

"Your Six-Foot Golden Body still lacks one final step to completion. Your karmic thread… lies within the Heavenly Dao Tower."

An old monk with long eyebrows trailing to the ground, draped in a kasaya, spoke to a young monk with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and strikingly handsome features.

The young monk named Fahai replied: "Master, rest assured. I shall not tarnish the name of Little Western Heaven. I shall bring the Buddha's voice into the mortal realm."

"Sigh… striving for dominance is not the path of goodness. Mind your own way," the old monk sighed faintly.

Had anyone witnessed this scene, they would have been astonished.

Little Western Heaven is an ancient, enduring doctrine of the Huangtian Immortal Realm, never extinguished.

Across the entire immortal realm, countless believers gather to offer faith.

No one knows the true depth of Little Western Heaven's reserves.

But rumors say it is connected to the ancient Buddha Emperor.

In this age, Little Western Heaven is extremely reclusive, rarely emerging.

Outsiders only know its most outstanding prodigies are the Buddha Son and Buddha Daughter.

And this young monk before them is none other than the Buddha Son of Little Western Heaven.

"Master, I take my leave," Fahai clasped his hands, bowing slightly.

But as he turned away, a defiant smile crept onto his face.

"Finally, I may enter the world. Who shall I convert first?"

"Let me think… I still lack a mount. I shall convert a nine-headed lion—or a golden roc."

"And those female devotees, sunk deep in the sea of suffering—they need me to rescue them."

Fahai smiled.

His talent was extraordinary; he mastered all Buddhist techniques effortlessly.

Even the supreme scripture of Little Western Heaven, the Great Wrathful Heavenly Dragon Sutra, he had cultivated to an extremely profound level.

Yet Fahai's own nature bore no resemblance to a monk—he was more like a worldly man with unclean roots.

Now that he could finally enter the world, he would never settle for a casual stroll.

As the Buddha Son of Little Western Heaven, it was time to display his renown.

…

The Sacred Spirit Academy lies in Tianling Daozhou.

As an academy with ancient lineage, its disciples are scattered throughout the immortal realm—truly, students abound across the land.

With this terrifying network of connections, ordinary factions dare not provoke the Sacred Spirit Academy.

Even immortal factions treat the Sacred Spirit Academy with great respect.

Of course, this does not include the Jun clan.

The Sacred Spirit Academy also avoids provoking top-tier immortal factions like the Jun clan.

Hence, the Sacred Spirit Academy had previously retracted its refusal and welcomed Jun Xiaoyao.

But the academy's concession did not mean its disciples would yield.

Ji Xuan, as the academy's Sacred Son, was its very face.

Yet he had been shattered by Jun Xiaoyao, his Dao heart destroyed, reduced to a waste.

Was this not telling the world that the Sacred Spirit Academy's students were this weak?

Thus, Jun Xiaoyao had indirectly damaged the academy's reputation.

The vast majority of the academy's male disciples held enmity toward Jun Xiaoyao.

But many female disciples merely watched.

For they had heard the Jun clan's Divine Son possessed celestial beauty, peerless elegance, the number one divine countenance in the immortal realm.

If he truly matched their expectations, a little leniency might be acceptable.

At this moment, in a lakeside pavilion, two men and one woman gathered.

One man wore a black-and-white Dao robe; his eyes, one black and one white, swirled with Dao essence, strangely striking.

He was one of the Sacred Spirit Academy's Sacred Sons, with formidable background and lineage.

"Jun Xiaoyao shattered Brother Ji Xuan—and still dares to come to the Heavenly Dao Tower seeking opportunities? Utterly shameless."

The other, a young man dressed in luxurious robes radiating imperial aura, shook his head: "Who else but the Jun clan's Divine Son would be so domineering?"

"I wonder what kind of extraordinary figure Jun Xiaoyao truly is—how could even a powerful cultivator like Brother Ji Xuan have his Dao heart shattered?"

The woman wore a flower-patterned high-waisted ruqun, her black hair cascading like a waterfall down to her delicate hips.

Her skin was snow-white and lustrous, her features elegant and exquisitely beautiful.

Her tone carried a hint of curiosity.

Ji Xuan was among the strongest of their Sacred Sons and Daughters.

To be shattered so completely was unthinkable to her.

"Hua Xiqing, you're our Sacred Daughter—don't you dare side with the enemy," said the man in luxurious robes, raising an eyebrow.

The man in the black-and-white Dao robe coldly smiled: "To enter our Sacred Spirit Academy isn't so easy."

"Every prodigy must undergo trials: climb the ninety-nine steps of the Heavenly Stairway, ring the ancient bell eighteen times, then leap through the Dragon Gate to gain entry."

"If the mighty Jun clan's Divine Son fails these three trials, he'll lose face beyond redemption."

"These three trials are indeed difficult. Even when I first entered the Sacred Spirit Academy, I struggled mightily just to pass," said the noble youth, shaking his head.

"Then let us wait for the Divine Son's arrival," whispered Hua Xiqing.