On the Sun Star, the air grew heavy as Di Jun and Tai Yi waited for Ling Xiao to speak. They looked to him not just as a brother, but as the hidden architect of their destiny.
Inside Ling Xiao's mind, the System's interface pulsed with three distinct ripples of fate.
[Second Sermon of Hongjun detected. Choose your path:]
Choice One: Attend the sermon. Reward: Complete, side-effect-free Method of Slaying the Three Corpses. Choice Two: Refuse the invitation and stay. Reward: One Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation. Choice Three: Send Di Jun and Tai Yi while you stay behind. Reward: Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure—Qilin Seal; One Fragment of the Law of Time.
Choice Three, Ling Xiao thought, his mind racing. It's the most subtle.
If none of the Crows showed up, Hongjun—the ultimate schemer—would eventually turn his gaze toward the Sun Star with suspicion. But if Di Jun and Tai Yi attended, they would act as a diplomatic shield, proving the Crows were "active" participants in the world's order. It would buy Ling Xiao the one thing he needed most: time.
"System," Ling Xiao muttered inwardly, "how many Jade Disc fragments do you actually have? Are you running a wholesale warehouse?"
There are thirty-six fragments in total, the System replied in its sterile, mechanical drone. Host is encouraged to choose boldly. Inventory is sufficient.
Ling Xiao rolled his eyes. He turned his attention back to his brothers. "Big Brother, Second Brother... do you truly wish to go?"
"Of course," Di Jun said, his eyes bright with ambition. "The Dao Ancestor is preaching the path of the Quasi-Saint. It is a rare chance to see if there is another way forward."
"And I want to see the world beyond the solar fires," Tai Yi added with a confident grin.
Ling Xiao nodded. He turned to Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun. "Fellow Daoists, if you would excuse us? My brothers and I have family matters to settle before they depart."
The two guests, sensing the gravity of the moment, bowed and waited at the edge of the solar flares.
"I won't be joining you," Ling Xiao said plainly once they were alone.
"What? Why?" Di Jun's brow furrowed. "Third Brother, this is the Dao of the Quasi-Saint. It is a once-in-an-epoch opportunity!"
"I have reached a moment of profound insight," Ling Xiao lied, though it was a half-truth. "To leave now would be to shatter my own momentum. I believe I am on the verge of the Hun Yuan Golden Immortal realm."
The two brothers sucked in a breath so sharp the surrounding solar flames flickered. Hun Yuan Golden Immortal? To them, that was the threshold of legends. Their envy vanished, replaced by a fierce, protective pride.
"However," Ling Xiao's voice turned cold and solemn. "You must listen to me. Zixiao Palace is a den of lions, and the Dao Ancestor is the master of the hunt. When you enter, you must follow the Three Don'ts."
He held up three fingers.
"One: Do Not Contend. No matter what seat, what treasure, or what prestige is offered, do not fight for it. Two: Do Not Snatch. If a 'Great Opportunity' appears to fall from the sky, let it pass. Three: Do Not Accept. If the Dao Ancestor offers you a title, a position, or a command—decline it with the utmost humility."
"Third Brother," Di Jun chuckled nervously. "We're just going to a lecture. Is all this... caution necessary?"
"It is the difference between freedom and becoming a puppet of the Heavens," Ling Xiao said, his eyes boring into theirs. "Just listen to the Dao. Ignore the politics. Can you do that for me?"
Seeing the absolute lack of humor in Ling Xiao's gaze, the two brothers straightened. They nodded heavily, the gravity of the warning sinking into their bones.
The Chaos Void.
Di Jun, Tai Yi, Zhenyuanzi, and Hong Yun surged upward, piercing the veil of the world. They were a grand procession of gold and crimson, their combined auras pushing back the chaotic pressures of the deep void.
They tore through the layer of Lightning and Fire, the solar brothers remaining unshaken as millions of bolts of celestial thunder hammered against their protective treasures. They plunged into the Nine Heavens Gale, where wind-blades sharp enough to sever mountain ranges were deflected by their divine canopies.
For a thousand years, they trekked through the lightless void, guided only by the distant, purple glow of the Purple Palace.
Finally, Zixiao Palace materialized—a silent, majestic structure floating in the heart of Chaos.
They landed, exhaling in relief, only to find the courtyard already filled with the heavy, suffocating auras of the world's most powerful beings.
The race for the Quasi-Saint path had truly begun.