Upon hearing the sudden voice, everyone present reacted instantly.
"Sanqing!"
As they all exclaimed in unison, three figures indeed appeared – the Sanqing brothers, who had rushed from Kunlun Mountain.
The one who had just spoken was Shangqing Tongtian. Now that he had materialized, his gaze fell upon Kunpeng.
"Did you, this big bird, just say that being numerous means you can do whatever you want? How can you be so arrogant? What gives you the confidence to be so audacious?"
Tongtian was clearly indignant. His Sanqing brothers were united and incredibly powerful, and they had never boasted such grand pronouncements while traversing the primordial world. This little bird, however, dared to speak so disrespectfully – truly too arrogant!
Kunpeng, hearing Tongtian's barrage of questions, glanced at Yuqing Yuanshi and Taiqing Taihuang beside him. He suppressed himself and turned his head away, pretending not to hear. The Sanqing brothers were renowned in the primordial world and extremely close-knit. Offending one meant offending all three. Kunpeng knew that despite Emperor Jun and Donghuang Taiyi's high regard for him, they might not intervene on his behalf if he incurred the wrath of the Sanqing.
Kunpeng wished to de-escalate the situation, but Yuqing Yuanshi, upon seeing him, was enraged.
"Hmph!"
Yuanshi snorted coldly and began to curse.
"You who are born of moisture and egg, you who are covered in fur and wear horns, dare to covet opportunities? Truly ignorant of heaven and earth!"
He had disliked this filthy wretch since their earlier encounter in Zixiao Palace. Such a lowly being had managed to enter Zixiao Palace, which truly lowered the caliber of the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao Palace. Now, seeing this fellow bullying others with his influence, he couldn't help but mock him again.
Kunpeng was naturally furious upon hearing these words. Why did Yuanshi always discriminate against beings like this? Was it interesting? However, just like before, he couldn't afford to offend the Sanqing. No matter how much he resented it, Kunpeng had to endure it once more.
Looking back at Emperor Jun and Donghuang Taiyi, Kunpeng felt a surge of resentment. He was clearly fighting for the interests of the demon race, yet these two brothers were simply watching from the sidelines. What kind of attitude was this!
"Hmph! The demon race treats me like this, so be it!"
Kunpeng thought bitterly, already harboring the intention to betray the demon race.
Emperor Jun and Donghuang Taiyi were also helpless. Old Ancestor Minghe was a solitary figure and easier to handle. But with the arrival of the Sanqing, their side had lost the advantage. How could they contend?
The Sanqing also showed no intention of speaking. As everyone present remained silent, dozens more figures arrived at the location.
Before long, Zhen Yuanzi, Daoist Hongyun, Fuxi, Nuwa, and other great powers of heaven and earth all appeared. At this moment, a gathering of great powers stood in silence, each calculating their own moves. The atmosphere here became extremely subtle.
No one spoke, and their gazes involuntarily fell upon the same spot, the opportunity that had drawn them here. Since everyone had come for the same reason, once the opportunity fully manifested, they would undoubtedly clash, each vying to be the one to seize it.
A beam of light shot up into the sky. Following the light, they could see a giant spiritual root standing on an immortal island, enveloped in radiance. Guided by the faint light, everyone clearly saw that the spiritual root was laden with fruits, emanating a powerful aura of a congenital spiritual root. Observing this spiritual root, its flower bloomed like a lotus, and its fruit was shaped like a pistil. Its most distinctive feature was the characters "Huang Zhong" inscribed on its fruits.
Witnessing this scene, all the great powers couldn't help but exclaim.
"It's the Huang Zhong Li! Truly one of the Ten Great Congenital Spiritual Roots!"
"I wondered what congenital spiritual root it was, and it turns out to be the Huang Zhong Li!"
"Haha! We certainly came to the right place this time!"
With such clear markings, how could anyone fail to recognize it as the Huang Zhong Li, one of the Ten Great Congenital Spiritual Roots? Congenital spiritual roots were already incredibly precious, let alone the Ten Great Congenital Spiritual Roots, each of which was a supreme treasure among them. The Huang Zhong Li ranked among the very best of these ten. Legend had it that the Huang Zhong Li tree would blossom once per Yuan Hui, bear fruit once per Yuan Hui, and mature once per Yuan Hui. After ripening, it would take another Yuan Hui before it could be consumed. If an immortal merely inhaled the fragrance of its blossoms, they could gain ten thousand years of cultivation. If fortunate enough to eat a single fruit, they could instantly become a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.
At this moment, observing the Huang Zhong Li laden with fruits, it was clear that it had ripened for an unknown amount of time. All the great powers present had already achieved Grand Unity Golden Immortal status, so they no longer needed the Huang Zhong Li fruits to aid them. However, seeing the abundance of fruits on the tree, they could not suppress their excitement. Even without the immediate effect of becoming a Grand Unity Golden Immortal instantly, this congenital spiritual root could still assist their cultivation and help them improve.
For a time, as they gazed at the Huang Zhong Li, a light sparkled in the eyes of the great powers, their hearts filled with longing as they plotted how to claim it for themselves.
As these gazes fell upon the Huang Zhong Li, it felt no honor at all. Instead, it was disgusted, and it couldn't help but transmit its thoughts to Xu Fang.
"Little Li Zi, these guys' eyes are lecherous. I feel utterly insulted!"
The Huang Zhong Li complained. These weren't great powers of heaven and earth at all; they were simply lustful scoundrels who acted on impulse!
"Lecherous..."
Hearing this, Xu Fang felt quite helpless. Although the word was somewhat insulting to the great powers present, the more he pondered it, the more fitting it seemed. These fellows, staring intently at the Huang Zhong Li right now, weren't they just impatient wolves?
"Big Sister, don't be anxious. Just endure it for a while."
Xu Fang quickly tried to console it. Being subjected to their covetous stares was still better than falling into their hands, which would truly be catastrophic.
The Huang Zhong Li was located on Penglai Island. As the great powers fixed their gaze on the Huang Zhong Li, their attention naturally fell upon Penglai Island. Soon, the great powers discovered something unusual.
"Wait! Why does this place feel so extraordinary as well?"
"Hmm? Besides the aura of the Huang Zhong Li's congenital spiritual root, I sense another presence."
"Don't you all realize that there's a congenital protective array hidden here?"
The emergence of the Huang Zhong Li had been so brilliant that it had overshadowed the aura of Penglai Immortal Island's congenital protective array. However, being great powers of heaven and earth, they quickly sensed that something was amiss.
Without further ado, several great powers acted, sending blasts of spiritual power towards the location of the Huang Zhong Li.
Boom!
Indeed, as they had expected, their attacks struck the air, instantly erupting in a deafening roar. A congenital protective array then materialized.
Xu Fang sighed. He hadn't managed to deceive them after all.