Stepping into the Myriad Phenomena Garden, Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Yuzhen—two Heavenly Court Emperors who had lived through eons and witnessed countless grotto-heavens and blessed lands—couldn't help but feel a slight tremor in their hearts.
The first thing they felt was the Innate Pure Qi, so dense it had almost materialized; a single breath made their Primordial Spirits feel clear and ethereal.
What shocked them even more was that within this Innate Pure Qi, strands of incomparably pure Chaos Qi were interwoven and flowing.
This Chaos Qi was not the disordered, corrosive energy commonly found in the void, but Chaos Qi containing the power of the Chaos Origin, which was useful even for beings at their level.
Looking around, every vista in the garden secretly aligned with the ultimate principles of the Heavenly Dao, forming a supreme Dao-domain of its own.
The most eye-catching feature was naturally a towering ancient tree of dark gold standing majestically. Its branches and leaves were gnarled like dragon scales, and from time to time, specks of profound yellow Qi fell from it, radiating a majestic dao-rhythm. This was the dragon blood profound yellow tree, which legend said had to be nurtured by the essence blood of a True Dragon and Innate Profound Yellow Qi.
Not far from it was a Spiritual Root shrouded in a mist of five-colored radiance. A few sparkling fruits shaped like infants hung sporadically upon it, emitting an exotic, nose-tingling fragrance.
This was also an Innate Spiritual Root that flowered once every three thousand years, fruited once every three thousand years, and took another three thousand years to ripen; it possessed the power to seize the creation of heaven and earth.
In addition, the garden contained many rare flowers, exotic grasses, and immortal vines like the divine spring of creation, qilin immortal medicine, and the Enlightenment Tea Tree—all Innate wonders difficult to find in the outside world.
The two Emperors discreetly exchanged a glance, both becoming more certain of their inner thoughts.
With Innate Spiritual Roots and Chaos wonders of such scale and quality gathered in one place, the ancient Origins and depth of foundation of a being who could own and Cultivate so many legendary roots were unimaginable.
"This Xuantian Dao Venerable..."
Emperor Ziwei's Divine Thought quietly transmitted to Emperor Yuzhen:
"...is definitely no simple character. Perhaps... he was once a figure who shook the heavens, only hiding his identity to Cultivate in peace until the Luck of this era changed and the Demon Tribulation was about to begin. Only then did he choose to emerge in accordance with destiny and attain the Limitless Primordial Dao in one fell swoop!"
Emperor Yuzhen's Divine Thought responded, incredibly solemn:
"Indeed. Only this can explain why his foundation is so terrifying, yet he only showed traces of himself in recent times.
His Daoist title 'Mysterious Heaven' encompasses everything; I fear it wasn't chosen at random. For such a being... the Heavenly Court must show twelve-tenths of its sincerity in this alliance."
They were not Limitless Primordial beings, nor did they know who was stronger between the Heavenly Emperor and Han Xuanji.
Originally, they guessed the Heavenly Emperor's strength should be somewhat greater than this 'newcomer,' but now they were wavering. Although Li Taiqing and the others leading the way could not perceive the inner thoughts and communication of the two Emperors, they keenly noticed that their pace seemed slower and their gazes lingered longer on the garden's scenery. The inadvertently revealed caution made them feel proud.
Their Master's Daoist field was enough to shock even the Emperors of the Heavenly Court!
Xiao Bai also poked her head out to watch. Seeing the expressions of the two Heavenly Court Emperors, she secretly complained in her heart:
"These people from the Heavenly Court don't have much worldliness; they're making a fuss over nothing."
Before long, the group crossed a small path, and the pavilion ahead, emitting a warm, jade-white Dao-light, was close at hand. The door was slightly ajar, and a warm, peaceful Dao-light shone from within, as if it embraced all things while remaining transcendent above them.
Li Taiqing stepped forward and respectfully reported at the door:
"Master, Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Yuzhen of the Heavenly Court have arrived."
Han Xuanji's peaceful and indifferent voice came out, clearly ringing in everyone's ears:
"Fellow Daoists, you have traveled far and worked hard. Please come in."
The door opened silently. Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Yuzhen collected their thoughts and stepped inside. The moment they entered the pavilion, the two Emperors felt a sudden elevation in the level of dao-rhythm.
The interior of the pavilion was not the grand furnishing of an immortal palace or treasure hall as they had imagined, but was instead quite elegant and simple.
However, every table, chair, painting, and screen radiated a perfectly natural dao-rhythm, as if they were naturally condensed from the Great Dao.
What flowed in the air was a Chaos aura even more pure than that outside the pavilion.
A seemingly casual ink-wash landscape painting hung on the wall. Looking closely, the mountain trends actually aligned with the movement of the stars in the sky, and the water ripples seemed like slight waves in the River of Destiny. This was a scroll Han Xuanji had painted at will; under the influence of Han Xuanji's aura, it had the potential to become a top-tier Immortal Artifact.
In the center of the pavilion was a seemingly ordinary green jade desk, and behind the desk sat a figure in green robes.
His face was extremely young, his gaze peaceful, and there was no oppressive pressure around him. He just sat there quietly, holding a volume of Daoist scriptures, yet he seemed to have become the center of heaven and earth, impossible to ignore.
On the desk, a bronze incense burner emitted curls of green smoke. The fragrance made one's Divine Soul clear and pure; it was actually made from the leaves of the Enlightenment Tea Tree mixed with some kind of Chaos treasure.
The moment they saw Han Xuanji's true body, the last trace of doubt in the two Emperors' hearts vanished, replaced by a near-instinctive awe.
"Ziwei (Yuzhen) greets the Xuantian Dao Venerable."
Almost simultaneously, the two Emperors solemnly cupped their hands in greeting to the figure behind the desk.
In their hearts, they had already placed Han Xuanji on the same level as His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and dared not be disrespectful.
"There is no need for such formality, please sit."
Han Xuanji put down the scripture in his hand and nodded slightly.
As his voice fell, two prayer mats naturally appeared opposite the desk. The mats seemed to be woven from ordinary grass, but were actually supreme treasures difficult to find in the outside world.
Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Yuzhen sat down as told, but their minds dared not relax in the slightest.
Could anyone remain calm when facing a being who could wipe them out at will?
"The Daoist Master's residence follows the principle of 'The Great Dao is simple,' returning to the basics; it is truly breathtaking,"
Emperor Ziwei praised sincerely, his gaze sweeping over the landscape painting and the screen.
"Every painting and screen contains the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, with a naturally formed dao-rhythm."
Emperor Yuzhen also said solemnly:
"The purity and loftiness of the dao-rhythm here surpasses many Secret Realms in the Heavenly Court. Seeing it today, I finally know what a true Holy Land for enlightenment is."
Their praise came from the heart as they tried every means to curry favor with Han Xuanji. Han Xuanji merely gave a faint smile, finally understanding why some people enjoyed listening to flattery. One must know that the identities of these two before him were extraordinary. Either one was a major figure who shook the Immortal Realm, a Dominator of the life and death of all spirits, and a capable assistant to the Heavenly Emperor.
However, Han Xuanji only thought this in his heart. He looked calmly at the two Emperors and, after a few pleasantries, quickly got to the point:
"The two of you have come in person, carrying the intentions of my Fellow Daoist the Heavenly Emperor. I presume there are important matters to discuss?"
The expressions of Emperor Ziwei and Emperor Yuzhen turned serious.
Emperor Ziwei flipped his palm, and a golden invitation shimmering with warm light appeared.
The moment the invitation appeared, the surrounding dao-rhythm naturally gathered, and the faint sound of the Great Dao echoed, manifesting its extraordinary nature.