Wait a minute, where is my master?

The mysterious being frowned as he stood up.

On the small platform in the middle of the four-colored pond water, he walked back and forth barefoot a few times.

Muttering to himself,

"A thousand years ago, that little guy was suppressed, but with a strand of my Undying Tao Principle within him, nothing major has really happened.

"But now, without any warning..."

As the mysterious existence spoke to himself, his voice suddenly paused.

Immediately after, the image of the ink jade fishing rod and the scene he had observed through the puppet in the Mountain and Sea Realm appeared in his mind.

"To think that possessing a strand of the Tao Principle, one could still be killed in a Lower Realm like the Nine Provinces, it's likely..."

"Eight or nine out of ten, it's the same person who holds the fishing rod."

At this thought, the mysterious being felt his head beginning to ache slightly.

In truth, to verify whether his suspicion was correct was quite simple; all he needed to do was to forcefully connect with the ink jade puppet, briefly check the surroundings, even sense the location.

He could then mostly make a judgment.

However, the mysterious being hadn't yet decided how to confront that monstrous existence who possessed both the rod and the puppet.

"I arranged so many contingencies in the Lower Realm precisely because I feared unpredictable situations, so that there would be the power to make timely corrections. But damn it, now it's becoming even more uncontrollable."

The mysterious being took on an aged appearance, stopped in his tracks, and spat into the pond water beside him.

Then, he silently contemplated which of his contingencies in the Nine Provinces Realm he still could utilize.

"The puppet and the fishing rod are now considered wasted.

"The 'Legacy Sites' that Little Zi and Little Jin were tasked with setting up have only resulted in one, and the whereabouts of Little Zi are unknown; she simply disappeared without a trace.

"Should I unseal the Legacy Site arranged by Little Jin? But... I recall the place she chose to set up the 'Legacy Site'..."

As the mysterious being thought this far, his face revealed a tangled expression. Clearly, some matters were making it difficult for him to decide.

...

...

In the Nine Provinces Realm.

Within the thatched cottage at the deepest part of the forbidden grounds of Kunlun Immortal Palace.

After sensing that the Demon Lord had completely vanished from this world, Jin Xu, standing on the stone path, waved his Taoist robe, and the Golden Red Thunder Fire that filled the space rushed back into his body instantly.

Subsequently, Little Zi, the 'gold' spirit elephant floating in mid-air, was gradually lowered down, landing safely and soundly on the ground.

"That throw was not bad."

The little Taoist patted the other's long snout with his hand, then silently threw a meaningful glance in the direction of the two women beside him.

When it came to comforting others, Jin Xu still felt that he wasn't very good at it. Now that he had helped Little Zi avenge her own grievance,

he thought about 'slacking off' a bit with the follow-up consoling.

Of course, in Jin Xu's view, this behavior wasn't slacking off but rather delegating the suitable task to the right people. After all, the capacities of Little White and Yu Yaoer in consoling others had been thoroughly proven during their time in the Demon Realm.

The two, upon reading their temple master/young master's gaze, didn't show any signs of insufficient Maturity this time, each nodding in understanding.

They then stepped forward, one to the left and one to the right, surrounding Little Zi with the trace of mist still lingering in her eyes, and began whispering into her ear.

Jin Xu, seeing the harmonious interaction between the small animals, smiled slightly at the corners of his mouth.

Then, he turned to the Immortal Palace Taoist Ancestor who was still maintaining a look of shock nearby.

"Senior Chi, I owe you many thanks for this trip. Just now, when the Golden Red Thunder Fire erupted violently, I managed to protect most of the things in this realm. However, the bright silver chains that ran through the Demon Lord's body were destroyed. I wonder..."

Senior Chi, who was lost in a myriad of thoughts, couldn't linger on what he had just seen and heard any longer. He immediately opened his mouth to respond.

"Little Taoist, by eliminating the Demon Lord, you have bestowed an immense favor upon the Nine Provinces Immortal World and countless living creatures. Merely a few chains forged from ten-thousand-year-old Ancient Iron—if we in the Kunlun Immortal Palace were to fuss over them, it would be rather petty."

Upon hearing this, Jin Xu didn't insist on the topic of the bright silver chains anymore.

However, regarding the elimination of the Demon Lord, he pointed behind him and gave a look to the person in front of him before speaking with emphasis.

"The Demon Lord was personally vanquished by Little Zi as part of her vengeance. It was not my doing. At most...

"Hmm, I merely provided a bit of minor assistance."

The Ancestor of the Immortal Palace was taken aback, then looked at Little Purple Spirit Elephant and showed an expression that seemed to understand, saying,

"It seems I misspoke. Indeed, it was your companion here who avenged her grievance by eliminating the Demon Lord."

At the same time, he glanced at Little Purple Spirit Elephant again, stroked his beard, and inwardly reflected,

"This little one has faced hardships, but now that she's valued so highly by Jin Taoist, her path in the Immortal Realm appears to be clear. Alas, I wonder if it is her departed parents and clansmen that might be protecting her from the beyond."

However, for some reason, while thinking this, Senior Chi couldn't help but have the face of his own disappointing junior pop into his mind.

"Eh! I pressed the Little Taoist before, but he refused to let that kid join Xuanxu Temple. Yet now, he's gone to such lengths for a little one he met by chance. Could it be..."

As the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace thought this, he also remembered the two women who ordinarily accompanied Jin Xu, who were actually demon cultivators.

His heart skipped a beat, feeling as if he had inadvertently stumbled upon something remarkable!

Overwhelmed with excitement, he accidentally pulled out a few strands from his long beard.

Then he firmly resolved to find an opportunity to 'casually' reveal to Jin Xu the matter of his unworthy junior who, in his youth, had consumed a powerful dragon and tiger elixir, resulting in a hint of Divine Beast blood mingling in his veins.

The young Taoist looked at Senior Chi with a puzzled expression, noticing the few strands of unlucky beard that had been pulled out, flashing a hint of confusion in his eyes.

"Senior Chi? Senior Chi?"

Jin Xu called out several times.

Only then did the Ancestor of the Immortal Palace snap out of his reverie, his excitement still evident as he said,

"Ahem, Jin Taoist, that worthless junior of mine actually harbors a trace of Divine Beast bloodline. So, in a way, he could be considered a half-demon cultivator."

Well then, having experienced many events and increasingly perceiving Jin Xu as unfathomable, Senior Chi simply couldn't resist the decision to send the plump youngster to Xuanxu Temple.

Fortunate for him, he directly shared this information.

"What?"

The young Taoist looked blankly, not understanding where the conversation had begun.

"Ahem, so, do you think you could take that good-for-nothing little one as a disciple under your wing? Or..."

The Ancestor of the Immortal Palace paused, then with gritted teeth,

"...if that's really not possible, treating him as a demon pet would also do!"

"??????"

After hearing this, Jin Xu's face grew even more puzzled.

A thought involuntarily arose in his mind.

"Hiss, could it be that the death of the Demon Lord has made Senior Chi too delighted, causing him to be overwhelmed and lose his wits?

"So... he's gone mad like Fan Jin?"