"It seems you have a suspect in mind," said the Great Venerable, narrowing his eyes slightly as he scrutinized Jiang Li for a while, before suddenly smiling and saying leisurely, "Two hundred and thirteen years ago, I sensed chaos in the Heavenly Mechanism, and anomalies appeared in the Divine Capital. I went there covertly to investigate, and upon arrival, I learned that the former Prince who had joined the Iron Pillar Temple as the temple master had died suddenly. That was the first missed opportunity I had with him."

"One hundred and sixty-four years ago, as I was about to be promoted to third grade, I went to the North Pole to attend the Promotion Ceremony and inadvertently discovered some traces. I performed Divination. Unfortunately, he already had the ability to cloud the Heavenly Mechanism, and I could not divine his whereabouts. That was the second time I missed him."

"Ninety-nine years ago, Daoist Lord Li Boyang, that old Daoist, traveled west to the Buddha Country, and in Yong Province, he fought with someone and damaged the other's physical body, sustaining some injuries himself. Out of curiosity, I went to Yong Province, only to find his traces again. But by then, he had damaged his body, so naturally, it was impossible for him to show up, and for the third time, I missed this person."

"Only today have I finally caught this person's slip-up. It really hasn't been easy."

This speech, indeed, revealed a lot of information; first, the Daoist Lord, who was called old Daoist by the Great Venerable—I wonder how old he really is—then, ninety-nine years ago...

Jiang Li precisely seized this point in time.

"It seems our views are not so different, heroes that we are," Jiang Li nodded.

Then he fell silent.

This caused the Great Venerable's eyes to narrow into slits.

Of course, the Great Venerable's speech was not about reminiscing on the grandeur of bygone days, but rather, it was an exchange of information with Jiang Li. With his own credibility being quite poor, the Great Venerable proactively offered up some of his findings to gain trust.

It seems the Great Venerable was quite self-aware.

Logically, after he had finished speaking, Jiang Li should have also shared all or part of what he knew in exchange. But—

He just nodded in agreement with the Great Venerable's last guess.

Ninety-nine years ago, Ji Jiji's physical body was damaged by Daoist Lord Li Boyang. Shortly thereafter came the birth of the generation of Sect Leaders, an era when they began to distinguish themselves.

Earlier on, the Great Venerable had acted against Ji Jiji's incarnation, obviously having discovered something. Then he directed his suspicions toward the most outstanding figure of that generation—"Heavenly Monarch" Gongsun Qi.

Jiang Li's nod indicated that he, too, suspected the same.

There were three possible factors for Ji Jiji's evasion of Heaven's Punishment: one was impossible, three had no clues, and it was only the second that Jiang Li had witnessed hints of in his eldest fellow disciple, Yun Jiuye, inclining him more toward this possibility.

Previously, Yun Jiuye had attempted to create a Tribulation to block Jiang Li, relying on the secret technique that cuts off the Heavenly Mechanism and prevents Divination, to ensure he himself would not be traced back.

Jiang Li had his suspicions then, and now with the corroboration of the Great Venerable, his suspicion deepened even further.

Thus, he agreed with the viewpoint of the Great Venerable.

But that was all.

This left the Great Venerable feeling as though he had been exploited for free.

He had shared so much, only to receive a response equivalent to "Same here," which enveloped him in a dangerous aura.

For over a century, the Devil God Sect had been carrying the blame, but the Great Venerable's burdens were all self-acknowledged; never once were they imposed by others. Those who dared to heap blame upon him never met a good end.

This showed how petty the Great Venerable could be.

And now, someone was trying to exploit this petty man for free, and how could he tolerate that?

Invisibly, the darkening sky seemed even more somber, as if with the Great Venerable's narrowing eyes, the entire world was about to lose its light. The surging aura in the sky felt as though it was retreating, the oceanic Qi Mechanism becoming illusory and unreal.

Yin Tulong gripped his Red Tassel Spear; flames surged from its tip, and the thrust of the spear subtly targeted Witch Di—striking at the enemy's weakness, picking on the softest target to squeeze.

But Jiang Li watched the Great Venerable calmly, completely at ease.

Ji Jiji might possess the Avoiding Tribulation Technique, but the Great Venerable did not, already proven by the previous strike of Heavenly Thunder. So—

Come at me!

If you dare, then try hitting me!

Jiang Li clearly and unmistakably conveyed this meaning.

Having stirred up so much trouble and laid some schemes against himself, Jiang Li didn't see the need to put on airs of nobility. It was time to collect some interest first.

The Great Venerable was petty, and Jiang Li wasn't very generous either.

Moreover, collecting interest this way would please Tianxuan; after all, she had swallowed some bitterness.

The Gongsun Family Head protected his disciple, elbowing his way outward, and the disciple was not one to concede easily, seizing any opportunity to vent. The Great Venerable had no way to handle him.

This Great Venerable, you wouldn't want to face Heaven's Punishment, would you?

The sky grew increasingly overcast, the light gradually fading, and the temperature plummeted as if the sun itself was distancing from this world.

The aura of the Great Venerable became more and more dangerous, a dragon shadow winding like mountain ranges loomed behind him.

Its length was immeasurable, and Jiang Li even had the feeling that Elder Da Kun could not match the enormity of this dragon shadow. With an ancient and vast Qi Mechanism, it exuded majesty and sanctity, as well as a cold ruthlessness, combining to give the impression of a God Demon, inevitably causing a sense of insignificance to arise in one's heart.

Yin Tulong's little face tightened, his Three Heads and Six Arms revealed one by one; the listless little dog in Jiang Li's hand transformed from its powerless state and turned to firmly cling to Jiang Li's arm, shivering tremulously.

The dragon shadow slowly raised its head and suddenly—

The Great Venerable's eyes snapped open, and the world became bright. Supreme light shone across all directions, the Candle Dragon seeming to exist in another space, as if outside the realms of heaven and earth, with eyes like the sun and moon, illuminating the ancient and present.

"Ah!"

An urgent cry of pain echoed from the sky, chaotic Qi surged like a tide, gushing towards a certain place.

"I've long found that dead fish that dares to stir above my head displeasing."

The Great Venerable snorted coldly, the brilliance in his eyes retracted, and the massive dragon shadow behind him began to fade away.

As it disappeared, so did the miles of shadow that covered the sky. The figure of Elder Da Kun was gone, and the vast Essence Qi spanning hundreds of miles around the Fish Mouth also dissipated.

In the blink of an eye, the outcome of an intense fight was determined.

Jiang Li looked up at the sky and could see ripples spreading through space, revealing a massive Kun fish within. It was retracting its Essence Qi and then darted back into the void.

The firmament regained its clarity, no longer shadowed, but the tumultuous tides remained violent, with water vapor rising, making the sky appear gloomy once again.

However, being able to make Elder Da Kun retreat was already a feat.

Elder Da Kun probably never expected the Great Venerable to make a sudden move, and to launch an unprincipled surprise attack, managing a single strike that caused him great harm.

"The Great Venerable is domineering."

Jiang Li promptly raised a finger, seizing the opportunity to wrap things up and said, "Ji Jiji should have a Secret Technique that sever connections with cause and effect and break the Heavenly Mechanism, because his Cultivation Technique is based on the Emperor Dao Fruit and the Yin Talisman Scripture, delving into the connections of the Three Talents—Heaven, Earth, and Man—contemplating the Heavenly Dao, executing Heavenly Actions, with a human heart that falls into celestial intentions, substituting for heaven's achievements. This is a mad fantasy of unparalleled times, if brought to fruition, its strength will be immeasurable."

He outlined the general concepts of the Yin Talisman Scripture as a way to repay the Great Venerable for his intervention.

Still, at the end of his words, Jiang Li casually asked, "There's just one thing I don't understand, why is the Great Venerable so persistently fixated on this man?"

Chasing for over two hundred years without relenting, that was some fixation. Ji Jiji had some terrible luck attracting such an enemy.

"Fixation?"

The Great Venerable chuckled softly at the question, "Rather than fixation, it's a mission. What do you think has sentience... It's the Dao Fruit of my Ancestor. One day, I will reclaim the Dao Fruit."

"I am very pleased with our meeting today, Jiang Family Master. Next time we meet, I will present you with a gift in return."

With a secretive glance at Jiang Li, the Great Venerable turned around. The colors of black and white slowly unfolded, engulfing him and Witch Di within, disappearing into the ink-like light and shadow, much like their arrival, gone without a trace.

Jiang Li was left standing there, shaken and bewildered.

Although the Great Venerable did not explicitly say it, Jiang Li had already guessed the hidden meaning of his words.

'The Dao Fruit... The key to creation is the Dao Fruit! The Dao Fruit of Feng's Ancestor! The Dao Fruit of Fuxi!'

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