Zhang Ze turned around but found nothing, Lu Ning stood quietly behind him, her hands folded in front of her. "What’s wrong?" Lu Ning asked. Zhang Ze looked at Lu Ning and shook his head, "Nothing, probably just tinnitus." This was the second time entering the Innate Tao Embryo, and only Zhang Ze and Lu Ning were present, without Xuan Jian and the others. There were many reasons, but Zhang Ze didn’t understand them, although he trusted the Celestial Sect Leader was reliable. Moreover, to ensure his and Lu Ning’s safety, she left a mark on each of their hands. Even if there was an accident, they could leave the Innate Tao Embryo directly and figure something out later. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ 𝓷𝓸𝓿𝓮𝓵•𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑒•𝙣𝙚𝙩 This time, because they entered voluntarily, the starting point was different from before. Zhang Ze closed his eyes to sense for a moment and chose a direction, leading the way. He planned to retrieve his Golden Core first. Although it wouldn’t be damaged, being outside alone must be quite cold. However, as they walked, they noticed something was amiss, a change inside the Innate Tao Embryo. The chambers resembling human organs and the corridors like veins and arteries had vanished, becoming a structure similar to a maze, with intertwined passages. Luckily, the Golden Core guided their way, preventing them from getting lost. The Divine Soul of the Jade Spirit Earth Immortal, and those of the over four hundred Wooden Fish Sect dark-side cultivators left in the Embryo, were nowhere to be found. "Senior Sister Lu, do you..." Zhang Ze wanted to turn around and ask if Lu Ning knew what was going on, but saw her extending a hand as if to pat his shoulder. Lu Ning’s motion didn’t pause for a moment; she naturally raised her hand to point at the dome ahead. There was a naturally formed circle, yin and yang mixed like chaos. "The Innate Tao Embryo has reverted to its original form; before human belief, it was just a mass of chaos. Let’s find your Golden Core first." "Senior Sister Lu is knowledgeable, thank you for enlightening me." After Zhang Ze said this, he continued leading the way. He felt truly comfortable now, realizing that teaming up with a normal person was so relaxing. Meanwhile, Lu Ning was trying hard to suppress her smile to keep from laughing out loud. Hehe, almost touched it... After holding down her smile, Lu Ning casually stepped forward a bit, intending to get closer to Zhang Ze. After successfully moving two steps closer to Zhang Ze, she adjusted her persona, concealing her sneaky thoughts deep inside. She pretended to be a normal person, just like her usual self. As they walked farther, Lu Ning naturally ended up beside Zhang Ze, acting normally, measuring things appropriately. Like friends meeting for the first time, yet congenial. As they walked, she introduced some small facts about the Innate Tao Embryo and Celestial Sect’s history to Zhang Ze. "Our Celestial Sect, although receiving inheritance from the Primordial times, has had its teachings severed multiple times, not as ancient as the outside world believes. "The first severance occurred when the Celestial Sect’s Saintess opened Ten Thousand Laws, after which the teachings vanished from the world for a while, only to be passed on again during the Ten Kingdoms. "At the end of the Ten Kingdoms Chaos, Celestial Sect split into Three Sects, with the one allied with Dongqi surviving. "The third severance happened during the East-West war when Dongqi fell, and Celestial Sect was nearly extinct, leaving only the lineage of the master, which survived. Later, the predecessors revived the teachings, leading to today’s Celestial Sect." Zhang Ze listened attentively, as this distilled small history of the Celestial Sect was rarely heard elsewhere. "So, your earliest inheritance, although acquired from the Great Mother Goddess’s Innate Tao Embryo, ended up not mastering the Yin Yang Technique and instead took another path," Zhang Ze asked. "Exactly, one law transforming into countless others. The Yin Yang Skill was not deeply studied by us but rather flourished in Taoist Sects." The two talked while walking and quickly reached where Zhang Ze’s Golden Core was located. Zhang Ze’s Golden Core lay quietly on the ground, but his little walnut was nowhere to be found. Seeing this, Zhang Ze didn’t approach; instead, he raised his hand directly, pulling his Golden Core over, checking it in his hand. After confirming it was correct, he prepared to put it back into his body. Yet, to be cautious, he summoned his other Golden Cores and displayed Four-Star Linked Beads, ensuring this Golden Core truly belonged to him before finally feeling at ease. Zhang Ze’s actions, though Lu Ning anticipated them, were still hard to accept when witnessing. So strange, a part of her wanted him to perform it again, yet it didn’t suit her persona. "Next, I’ll rely on Senior Sister to make a move." According to previous arrangements outside, the task of finding the Jade Spirit Earth Immortal was left to Lu Ning’s help. Lu Ning gave Zhang Ze a cold smile. Outside the Innate Tao Embryo, the aurora representing the Celestial Sect was still floating in the sky, signaling the curious ones that this place was off-limits to idlers. Beneath the aurora, the surface of the Innate Tao Embryo remained covered in golden light, providing illumination to the surroundings. Just as Zhang Ze and Lu Ning had entered the Innate Tao Embryo moments ago, the giant turtle Zhu Luo from the Beast Taming Sect arrived, carrying Li, Rongrong, Lily, and Fuji to the place. Because Lily and Fuji hitched a ride, the giant turtle Zhu Luo was delayed for some time. Yet, despite missing the earlier excitement, Zhu Luo didn’t mind, treating it as a casual outing. But with more people, things became awkward. The Innate Tao Embryo couldn’t be moved for the time being, and Zhang Ze and Lu Ning’s return was uncertain, making waiting seem pointless. So Chen Qin suggested they hold a feast instead. With the golden-lit Innate Tao Embryo at the center, a bonfire gathering officially commenced. Old Ascenders at one table, Small Ascenders at another. As a Middle Ascender, Ming Zhi and Xiaoxue didn’t go to either table. Ming Zhi found an excuse to find a quiet spot and directly entered a meditative state under the starlight. Xiaoxue, on the other hand, conjured a giant tree, creating a barrier between Old Ascenders and Small Ascenders. Then, she climbed to the treetop, started counting stars, and dozed off. Let’s not talk about the Old Ascenders for now; anyway, the things they discuss are incomprehensible. On the Small Ascender side, however, the atmosphere was quite lively. Mostly because of Lily, who now resembled a mobile King’s Treasure Vault, with more trinkets on her than Zhang Ze, mostly due to the Thousand Mechanism Magical Artifacts. Setting up a night market was a breeze. Chen Qin, along with Li and Rongrong, were looking for people to play cards with. The Profound Identification Treasure Mirror floated quietly on one side, chatting with a small walnut. It had really been suppressed these days; despite the strong impact of the half Star Disc, it still found group chats more interesting. However, amidst the chatting, it didn’t forget another group of people. Those were the Yang Side Divine Souls of the Wooden Fish Sect cultivators inside its mirror space. The physical bodies of these people were long gone, and they couldn’t leave even if they wanted to. Although the Profound Identification could find a way to create an interaction interface for them, they all refused. Because they care about their dignity. They all know what they did in the past. Even if split into two, wrong is still wrong. Since the people outside the Six Sects were bonding, there was no need for them to go out and spoil the fun. Moreover, they still had important things to do. As for Lily, she was leading Maomao through the crowd, urging everyone to join in the fun. "Come, come, have a skewer, have a skewer." But unfortunately, among these Small Ascenders, more than half were disciples of the Celestial Sect. Though they were all happy, their expressions remained cold and detached. There was a strange aura among them. Originally, Lily planned to expand the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion’s business on the Celestial Sect side, but seeing that she couldn’t find any topics of conversation, she turned her attention to the half Star Disc. She thought this disc had a lot of potential, a great deal of potential. Especially after learning about its miraculous properties—that it could shed its shell and once served as the Artifact Spirit of a city—Lily began to scheme. "Disc bro," Lily flattered disingenuously. The half Star Disc, still stargazing, was suddenly startled upon hearing this address. It was deeply moved; this young girl named Lily was the most respectful person so far. "Is there something you need?" "I’ve got a big project, want to join?" Lily said mysteriously. "Big project?" The half Star Disc didn’t understand. Seeing that no one was paying attention, Lily sneakily brought out her little walnut and then showed the half Star Disc her grand plans. She wanted to create a mobile Thousand Mechanism City! Ideally, one that could transform with a click, even take flight, and upon transforming, shatter the void with a single kick. But it was just a thought for now, because this idea was still in the funding stage, with no plans yet, expect further updates. Many costly projects were queued in front of this concept. And most importantly, she couldn’t get the core of the Thousand Mechanism City; making an entire city move perfectly was not an easy task. But after Lily learned from the Profound Identification about the half Star Disc’s information, she felt she had found the core. "Disc bro, the time to regain your might is now, are you in?" After Lily’s grand pitch, the half Star Disc was already imagining itself in the plan. It immediately said, "When do we depart? Let’s go to your Thousand Mechanism Pavilion right now." The disc was now rather impatient. Lily clenched her little fist, thinking her leader was right after all; to get the help of an Artifact Spirit, just keep them happy. If the Artifact Spirit is delighted, everything will be fine. "No rush, no rush, wait till the leader comes out. The Thousand Mechanism Pavilion is his family’s." Lily said softly. She definitely had to keep it low; after all, this half Star Disc originally belonged to the Celestial Sect, and she knew her actions were akin to treasure theft. If people took it seriously, there was nothing she could do. But Lily’s behavior was no different from covering one’s ears while stealing a bell; how could the Old Ascenders not hear it? "Is it okay?" Chen Qianhu asked. "Doesn’t matter; that Star Disc was the magical treasure of the ancestor. The ancestor fell during a great battle, and the Star Disc also imprisoned itself for ten thousand years to seal this Tao Embryo. Now that it’s free, it can do whatever it wants." Lu Yuzhou took a sip of tea. Old Tang, on the other hand, leaned back on a rocking chair, holding that book "Observing" and calculating, working on Zhang Ze’s fortune. Even though they had just piled insurance on Lu Ning and Zhang Ze, he was still somewhat worried. Since they were idle, why not calculate? Every calculation ended up with peach blossoms, what’s up with that?