Above the Nine Heavens, the Gang Wind was piercingly cold.

Red Cloud Ancestor transformed into a streak of red light and sped forward, crossing countless mountains and rivers in an instant.

Yet, the pursuer behind him was even faster.

In just a moment, he had already caught up nearby.

Red Cloud Ancestor wanted to use the Clone Technique to scatter and escape, but suddenly felt a warning in his heart.

He hesitated no further, stopping his advance and revealing his true form.

Simultaneously, a magnificent palace enveloped in azure light descended from the sky, smashing directly in front of him.

Red Cloud Ancestor inwardly exclaimed "That was close"; had he not stopped just then, he would have likely been crushed by the palace.

Thinking this, he couldn't help but frown slightly.

Though gentle by nature and of good temperament, he was not one to tolerate bullying!

At this moment, the pursuing golden light gradually receded, revealing a middle-aged man with an imposing and refined appearance.

Dressed in a green Daoist robe, wearing a Purple Gold Crown, his face sinister yet handsome, his long eyebrows sweeping up at the temples, and a mustache below his chin, he looked dignified and extraordinary.

Especially striking was the dazzling golden light above his head, within which several treasures floated, including the Great Dao Treasure Vase, the Yin Yang Treasure Seal, a towering Heaven Palace, and a small golden Flying Sword...

"Red Cloud!"

As soon as the middle-aged Daoist appeared, he shouted angrily, "No matter where you flee, you must give me an explanation!"

Facing this middle-aged Daoist, Red Cloud Ancestor felt his anger dissipate significantly and replied with a wry smile, "Kunpeng, why pursue me so relentlessly?

After all, it was just a meditation mat, and you have been chasing me for hundreds of years... Shouldn't your resentment have dissipated by now?"

"How dare you say that!"

Kunpeng Ancestor's eyes blazed, and he yelled, "Is it really about a meditation mat? It concerns a Saint's Disciple, a Taoist Ancestor's Disciple!

It was one thing for you to give away the meditation mat to Zhunti, but why involve me in conceding it to Jieyin?

Were it not for you, I could have been a registered disciple under the Taoist Ancestor by now!"

Hearing the increasing volume and anger in the other's voice, Red Cloud Ancestor's face involuntarily showed a hint of guilt as he apologetically said, "Advising you to concede was indeed an oversight on my part, but I did not know then that the meditation mat had other implications.

Seeing them come from that impoverished land ravaged by the Demon Sect, I was moved by their dedication to the Dao, so I…"

Realizing his own fault, he looked at Kunpeng Old Ancestor and said, "I am willing to offer you two top-quality Innate Spirit Roots as an apology and to settle this karma... What do you think?"

"Do you think you can dismiss me with just two top-quality Spirit Roots?"

Kunpeng Ancestor scoffed dismissively, but the anger in his eyes somewhat subsided.

After a brief contemplation, he looked at Red Cloud Ancestor, "If you truly wish to resolve our karma, then hand over the Hongmeng Purple Qi bestowed upon you by the Saint, and we can write off our grievances!"

"Hongmeng Purple Qi?"

Red Cloud Ancestor was stunned, "Isn't that only for the disciples directly under the Taoist Ancestor? How could I possess such a treasure?"

"Still pretending?"

Kunpeng Ancestor shouted angrily, "The Saint himself declared when distributing Hongmeng Purple Qi to his disciples that it was a manifestation of the Great Dao, totaling only seven strands!

Apart from The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the two from the West each receiving one strand, there was another strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi scattered to choose its owner…"

"Indeed, that's correct." Red Cloud Ancestor nodded, sighing softly, "There were over three thousand people within the Zixiao Palace that day; who knows who had such fortune?"

"Hmph!"

Kunpeng Ancestor scoffed, "Speaking of fortune, who in this world could compare to you, Red Cloud! Are you still going to deny that the strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi isn't in your hands?"

Red Cloud Ancestor: "…"

Thinking it over, he sincerely said, "Although what you say makes sense, I truly do not possess that Hongmeng Purple Qi!"

Kunpeng Ancestor sneered, "You're quite convincing, but if I hadn't confirmed beforehand that the Hongmeng Purple Qi was indeed in your hands, you might have actually deceived me!"

"Confirmed?"

Red Cloud Ancestor, caught off guard, retorted irritably, "That's utterly baseless; how could you confirm that the Hongmeng Purple Qi is with me?"

"You don't need to worry about how, I have my ways,"

Kunpeng Ancestor snorted coldly, looking at Red Cloud Ancestor, "Enough talk, if you refuse to hand over the Hongmeng Purple Qi, don't blame me for forcibly taking it!"

With that, a grand and imposing Tao Palace emerged behind him, radiating endless azure light, turning both the sky and the sea a shade of green.

"Wait! Hold on!"

Seeing him about to make a move, Red Cloud Ancestor quickly waved his hands, "The Hongmeng Purple Qi truly isn't with me, if you don't believe me, I can swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao…"

"Fine!" Kunpeng Ancestor watched him coldly, "Swear now!"

Red Cloud Ancestor laughed heartily, boldly declaring, "I, Red Cloud, have acted uprightly and sit squarely, without shame to Heaven and Earth, and have no reservations in making an oath to the Heavenly Dao!"

Then, he extended his right hand to form Hand Seals, solemnly proclaiming aloud, "If there is any falsehood in my words just spoken to Kunpeng, may the Heavenly Dao strike me with thunder, causing my body to perish, and my spirit to vanish!

I respectfully ask the Heavenly Dao to witness this!"

Such a harsh oath to the Heavenly Dao even took Kunpeng Ancestor by surprise.

At the same time, above the Nine Heavens, a mysterious intent descended.

But in the end, nothing happened.

Red Cloud Ancestor raised his eyebrows and said to Kunpeng Ancestor, "Now you must believe it, right?"

A deep suspicion appeared in Kunpeng Ancestor's eyes as he scrutinized Red Cloud Ancestor closely.

"It shouldn't be like this, how could this happen? He clearly told me that you had received the seventh strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi..."

Red Cloud Ancestor raised his eyebrows, slightly angered, "Who told you that? I must find him and ask, how I, Red Cloud, have offended him to be framed like this!"

Kunpeng Ancestor shook his head, "I have sworn an oath to Heavenly Dao not to reveal his identity..."

"Showing only the tail but hiding the head, it's clearly maliciously intended!"

Red Cloud Ancestor said discontentedly, "Now you understand, you have been used by that person, pointlessly chasing me for hundreds of years!"

Kunpeng Ancestor's expression turned grim, and he angrily said: "That's your own fault! If it weren't for your act of playing the good guy back then, both of us could have been recorded as disciples of Taoist Ancestor by now!"

"This…"

Red Cloud Ancestor forced a smile, about to say something, but his gaze was drawn to the myriad golden lights above Kunpeng Ancestor's head.

In the midst of that golden light, there was a tiny golden flying sword darting back and forth, struggling to escape the confinement of the light.

Wrapped around that flying sword was a strand of faint golden aura.

"Is that… the Innate Xin Metal Spirit?"

"Exactly!"

Kunpeng Ancestor said with some pride, "Just now, you used a clone to deceive me to the southern foothills, where I fortuitously met this newly transformed Innate Xin Metal Spirit and even obtained its Companion Spirit Treasure.

Once I return to Beiming and refine this Spirit Treasure, and then refine this Innate Xin Metal Spirit into a Great Pill, this trip wouldn't have been in vain."

Red Cloud Ancestor frowned slightly, looking at Kunpeng Ancestor, "Taoist Ancestor has said, the Immortal Path treasures life. Since the Innate Xin Metal Spirit has already transformed, you should let it go."

Kunpeng Ancestor's face darkened, and he sneered, "Everything in the world is survival of the fittest. This Innate Xin Metal Spirit was lucky to be born, but unluckily met me; it's destined to be used by me for Alchemy!

You want to play the good guy, that's your business. Don't try to persuade me anymore! I am not listening to your sanctimonious principles!"

Red Cloud Ancestor was momentarily stunned, helplessly saying: "Acting like this will surely bring about karma, attracting big troubles!"

"What do I have to fear?"

Kunpeng Ancestor, standing tall with hands behind his back, proudly said, "In this world, apart from a few disciples of the Saints, who dares to oppose me?"

Before he finished speaking, a tall figure suddenly appeared behind him, and a colorful metal hammer in the right hand smashed down towards his head.

With Kunpeng Ancestor's Dao Xing, how could he not have sensed someone approaching?

Moreover, he could clearly sense that the person was thick-browed, large-eyed, over seven feet tall, stout and broad-shouldered, dressed in animal skins—a typical barbarian witch attire.

Considering the Shrinking Land into Inches Divine Power used by the person as he appeared, Kunpeng Ancestor quickly guessed the identity of the newcomer.

Immediately, anger rose in his heart.

A mere Great Witch from the Houtu tribe daring to make a move against him!

Truly ignorant of death!

At that instant, golden light burst forth above Kunpeng Ancestor's head.

A black and white Yin Yang Treasure Seal spun out, expanding a thousand-fold in an instant, like a small mountain, meeting the hammer head-on.

"Boom!"

The hammer and seal collided.

A dazzling Divine Light flared up, as if a new sun had appeared in the sky.

Kunpeng Ancestor's expression drastically changed; he felt an overwhelming Divine Power burst forth, directly blasting his Yin Yang Treasure Seal away.

And yet, the hammer, still with overwhelming momentum, continued precisely towards the top of his head.

"Bang!"

A sharp sound reverberated in all directions.

The Purple Gold Crown on Kunpeng Ancestor's head instantly shattered.

His long hair fell down, covering his eyes but not his swiftly reddening face.

"Ah ah ah..."

Kunpeng Ancestor, with disheveled hair, Qi-Blood surging throughout his body, and Divine Fire shooting three feet out of his eyes,

only felt his face burning hot.

Especially upon catching a glimpse of the shocked expression on Red Cloud Ancestor's face, his raging anger flared up instantaneously.

He had just declared "who dares to oppose me", and in an instant was hammered on the forehead without any pause!

Though the Purple Gold Crown had blocked the blow and he was unharmed, his dignity was completely lost!

And right in front of Red Cloud Ancestor!

In Zixiao Palace gather three thousand, among them Red Cloud knew two thousand nine!

This humiliating moment, he knew, would spread throughout Zixiao Palace within mere days…

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