Honghuang: It makes sense that there are four Sanqing, right?

In the vast, dark underground, the three looked at a giant stone disc covered with intricate inscriptions.

This disc is the entrance to the ruins. The inscriptions converge from the edge to the center, eventually forming a pattern shaped like a chicken egg, emitting a faint, eerie green light.

"Fellow Daoists, I have seen this pattern before in the chaos. It is the innate Dao script of the Creation Demon God."

Taiyi looked him over, then cupped his hands in greeting to Xu Qing and Houtu.

So obvious? Xihe said the laws of creation were abundant, and you also said you could see the Daoist inscriptions.

Xu Qing felt something was amiss, so he retreated behind Houtu and transmitted his voice, "Houtu, help me cover for myself."

Houtu, not understanding why, did as she was told, her green sleeves sweeping across the void to conceal the secrets of heaven for Xu Qing.

Xu Qing took out the Naguo Guardian Jade that he always carried with him, created a Blood Sea clone, and hung it on the clone.

Although this jade is a supreme innate treasure, it has only one function—to conceal heavenly secrets and hide one's identity.

However, its method of action is not simply to confuse the wearer's destiny, but to change the divination results. No matter how it changes specifically, in short, it will allow the wearer to obtain the best results.

Based on the characteristics of this jade, Xu Qing developed a way to use it that can be considered a hidden function.

Hang the jade pendant on your clone, and then deduce the clone yourself. In this way, the wearer and the deducer become one. Therefore, the best way to protect the wearer is to directly tell the deducer the true information.

"Xu Qing is entering the underground ruins. Will there be any danger on this trip?" Xu Qing, dressed in white, sat cross-legged, his hands forming a hand seal, and he was chanting incantations.

A beam of white light flew out from Xu Qing's hand, first landing on the blood-stained Xu Qing, then jumping onto the white jade, and finally returning to Xu Qing's hand.

"A close call, but no real danger."

A profound and mysterious realization dawned upon me.

It seems like there shouldn't be any problems, so... let's go for it!

"Xu Qing, have you found anything?"

"This trip should be fine."

Xu Qing stood up, bowed to Houtu, walked to the door, and said, "Let's go."

Taiyi spread his five fingers, and chaotic energy spread from his palm. The stone disc creaked as the restriction was violently broken.

Then, the stone disc shattered, revealing a hidden world within, which the three of them entered simultaneously.

Upon entering the cave, it was not as dark as I had imagined, but a truly bright and clear world.

The sky was high and the earth was thick, but there were no sun, moon, or stars. Above the azure sky, a jade disc-shaped magic treasure was shining brightly.

"It is probably a fragment of heaven and earth produced during the creation of the world. Even though the primordial world is vast and boundless, such a large-scale relic is still rare."

Houtu looked on in surprise and exclaimed, "The scale she was referring to was the stability of heaven and earth, not its size."

"Taiyi, are all the people of your Heavenly Court so magnanimous in their actions?"

Xu Qing glanced at the white jade plate, his lips twitched, and he couldn't help but ask.

Taiyi hadn't reacted yet and asked in surprise.

"Why do you say that, fellow Daoist?"

"Did Emperor Jun lead his team to search for treasure at the ruins specifically to leave behind this white jade plate?"

Taiyi suddenly realized, and then frowned.

"But why would the Empress Dowager deceive us?"

The void trembled, and the primordial energy permeated the air. Houtu, her hands forming a hand seal, coldly snorted at Taiyi.

"You really don't know?"

"We would never dare to deceive you."

"Houtu, there's no need for that. He really doesn't know. The problem lies with Xihe."

After hearing Xu Qing's words, Houtu released the spell, and the space gradually stabilized.

"Since we're here, let's make the best of it. I've already done my calculations, and I'm sure I won't be in any danger on this trip. Your cultivation and combat strength are far superior to mine, so you should be fine too."

"In that case, why not investigate first?"

Once the two were no longer at odds, Xu Qing continued, saying that he was eager to know the mystery of the shattered jade.

Houtu and Taiyi both nodded in agreement.

"This place is strange, and we must act quickly. You take the Earth Book first, and I will apologize to you after we return."

Seeing that the two nodded, just to be on the safe side, Xu Qing took out the Earth Book and handed it to Houtu.

Houtu, as the master of the Earthly Dao, can borrow the power of the Earthly Dao. However, since her primordial spirit is separated from her body and there is no medium available, the Earthly Book is a part of the Earthly Dao and is an excellent medium.

"Alright." Houtu nodded slightly. With this item, she could suppress even a Primordial Grand Luo.

"This fragment of heaven and earth is not large, spanning 100,000 li from east to west and 70,000 li from north to south. We are currently in the eastern part."

"Walk east or west, and at the end there will be a palace with restrictions inside. Let's go and take a look."

This place is strange, so Xu Qing dared not use his divine sense. Taiyi covered his divine sense with chaotic energy and scanned it inch by inch. By now, he had already found out everything.

"Okay, let's go."

Houtu took the lead, with the Earth Book floating in front of her emitting a faint yellow light. As the strongest among them, she consciously walked at the front to clear the way.

Next, Xu Qing, who was fully activating the Karmic Fire Red Lotus for defense, looked somewhat nervous and glanced around.

Taiyi brought up the rear, with the Chaos Bell suspended behind him to prevent any accidents from happening behind him.

All three were extremely cautious, moving at a very slow speed, and remained vigilant even when there was nothing unusual around them.

To the three's surprise, nothing happened even after they reached the restricted area.

The restriction emitted a dazzling green light, and Taiyi's divine sense swept over it, but he still couldn't figure out what was inside.

Could it be the Creation Cauldron?

Combining the shape and color with the laws of creation and inscriptions at the entrance, Xu Qing had some guesses in his mind.

The Creation Cauldron is a treasure born of the Creation Demon God, on par with the God-Slaying Spear. It has the effect of reversing Yin and Yang and creating all things, making it an excellent functional magic weapon.

However, Xu Qing did not lose his mind because of this, and still asked Taiyi to investigate carefully.

Xiang Taiyi shook his head, and he immediately understood. He spread his five fingers and was about to forcefully break the restriction.

The dazzling emerald green barrier gradually dimmed under the suppression of the dark brown chaotic energy. Taiyi's five fingers trembled slightly, whether from tension or pressure, it was hard to tell.

Houtu stood guard on the sidelines, observing the surroundings.

The sound of forty-nine restrictions shattering rang out, and Taiyi's taut fingers relaxed, revealing the true form of the magic weapon.

A large, three-legged cauldron, its dark green color standing quietly before me, appeared to be made of bronze and had an ancient shape, bearing the same inscriptions as the round plate.

It really is the Creation Cauldron!

This time, Houtu began to use her divine sense to contact the Creation Cauldron. The reason was simple: given the current situation, the probability of danger elsewhere was far less than that of encountering danger through this cauldron.

Sure enough, the moment Houtu touched the small cauldron, the world around them trembled violently, and countless spiritual energies gathered on the cauldron, where a figure appeared.

With an air of otherworldly grace, white hair and a youthful face, holding a whisk, wearing a Taoist robe, with auspicious clouds above his head and golden lotuses with Taoist charm on his feet, and a kind smile, he was none other than the Taoist Ancestor Hongjun!

You call this a close call?!

The three were horrified, their pupils suddenly contracting.

"I've been looking for you for so long, and it turns out it's you."

Hongjun's kind smile remained unchanged. He gently flicked his whisk, which seemed slow but was actually fast, and struck Xu Qing.

The moment Xu Qing and Hou Tu saw Hongjun, they shot back. Taiyi, who was about to bow, also stepped back upon seeing their reaction.

However, Xu Qing and Hou Tu's escape speed was nowhere near that of Hongjun's whisk, and it looked like they were about to hit each other.