Taiyi Dao Fruit

By mid-afternoon, the sunlight intensified, and as Jiang Li and Feng Manlou walked on the official road, they could feel the heat testing their feet's endurance through the soles of their shoes.

"Primordial Lord Rain Master, one of the Taiping Sect's fourth-rank,"

Feng Manlou, maintaining the posture of a Yellow Turban Warrior, said in a deep and resonant voice, "She, along with previously captured Duke of Thunder by your Dinghu Sect, as well as Mother of Lightning, Marquis of Wind, are collectively known as the Taiping Four Gods. In terms of status, they rank just below the Sect Hierarch Zhang Zhixuan."

That Duke of Thunder had previously descended divinely to Dinghu Sect and battled Elder Tianpeng.

His strength was formidable, and with the power of Divine Descent, he could hold his own against Elder Tianpeng for a while. Unfortunately, he was not as skilled and had fallen into a trap from the start, trapped in a dream, ultimately being defeated by Elder Tianpeng.

This defeat seemed to have deeply affected him, so much that when the elders of his sect later went to capture him, they did so with ease.

Currently, Duke of Thunder was incarcerated within Dinghu Sect, serving as one of the chips to restrain the Taiping Sect.

"Does the Taiping Sect have only four fourth-ranks?" Jiang Li asked.

"On the surface, only four, but in secret, no one knows. A well-established major sect lacks not in suitable candidates for promotion, as for Dao Fruits, they are plentiful," replied Feng Manlou, "Just like your Dinghu Sect, which has an unclaimed third grade Yinglong Dao Fruit and even the Dao Fruit of Human Emperor Xuanyuan."

"How could the Xuanyuan Dao Fruit possibly be in our sect?" Jiang Li said with a casually feigned laugh.

Logically, the Xuanyuan Dao Fruit should be enshrined in the Divine Capital Imperial Palace. Unless the Ji Family had excess trouble and idleness to distribute, they would not place the Xuanyuan Dao Fruit at Dinghu Sect.

Yet these words, coming from Feng Manlou, did not seem to be a fabrication.

"Who knows?" said Feng Manlou, his tone laden with meaning.

The towering Yellow Turban Warrior and the human-height doctor exchanged glances, both expressions neutral, revealing no abnormalities. Though they wore Nuo masks, their real emotions were accurately reflected on their current faces; in fact, the realism of the Nuo masks made it easier to reveal their mental state.

However, both were masters of performance, one having been a Dragon King's Son-in-law for so many years, and the other having succeeded through effort. Their facial management skills were enough to keep unwanted expressions hidden in their hearts.

'Sharp and cunning little fox,' thought Feng Manlou internally.

He had barely mentioned it, and Jiang Li had immediately sensed the blind spot and inquired as if casually. Had it been someone else, they might have been tricked into revealing more. How exactly does Jiang's branch family train such a fox, or is it innate?

As for Jiang Li, only three words crossed his mind: 'Cliffhanger dog!'

Sparking interest but then not elaborating, a typical cliffhanger dog. Sooner or later, he would visit his sister-in-law to teach this guy a lesson.

Moreover, Feng Manlou wouldn't mention this casually. For someone like him, every word and action might carry a deeper meaning, likely hinting at something.

'Based on the information obtained so far, Emperor Yan's Dao Fruit is of the Second Grade, therefore, Yellow Emperor's Dao Fruit can also be assumed to be of the Second Grade. A Second Grade Dao Fruit, moreover an Emperor Dao Fruit, ranking directly above that of the Emperor Dao Fruit. Why not keep it with the Emperor for immediate promotion instead of concealing it in Dinghu Sect…'

Jiang Li thought swiftly.

The Ji Family, Dinghu Sect…

The relationship between the two might be more complex than imagined.

Or perhaps the secrets the Ji Family hides are far more numerous than what Jiang Li currently knows.

"There is also the fact that the Dragon King's Son-in-law seems to be trying to lead me in a specific direction," Jiang Li cast a barely detectable glance at the Yellow Turban Warrior beside him.

"I believe the Xuanyuan Dao Fruit should be in the Divine Capital Imperial City. I heard that the Emperor possesses a sword, which, if wielded, can overlook the world; this sword must be that worldly renowned Xuanyuan Sword, the Human Emperor Xuan Yuan's Dao Fruit must be within it," Jiang Li attempted to continue baiting information.

"I don't care about what you think, only about what I think."

Feng Manlou spoke indifferently, "I am the genuine Prince Consort, whereas you are merely a son-in-law who has yet to be brought into the household."

—You, a son-in-law who hasn't been formally accepted into the family, what right do you have to question me, the Dragon King's Son-in-law?

That was the clear implication of Feng Manlou's words.

He made such logical sense that Jiang Li was completely unable to refute.

But he still didn't plan to give up and continued to try and coax out information.

However, Feng Manlou was firmly decided not to fall for the bait, no matter how Jiang Li tried to coax the information, he couldn't gather a shred of intelligence; it was like trying to draw water from a stone. Nevertheless, in doing so, Jiang Li further confirmed that the earlier information had indeed been intentionally revealed by Feng Manlou.

As one tried to coax and the other defended, they continued their attack and defense, and unwittingly, they had turned from the official road onto a dirt path.

After walking several more miles, a small village nestled against the mountains came into view.

The village was situated on the sunny side of the mountain, making it an ideal place to live; however, the current drought had turned this ideal environment into a particularly harsh one, with temperatures even three degrees higher than in Jun City.

Yet despite the sweltering weather, the outskirts of the village were bustling.

A group of women in yellow were knocking and chiseling against the mountain wall. Though women, they were engaging in physical labor, carving out life-sized outlines and figures.

This was the image of the Primordial Lord Rain Master, and these women were all members of the Taiping Sect, specializing in sculpting divine idols.

The reason they were all women, naturally, wasn't because the Taiping Sect lacked manpower to the point of needing women to perform physical labor, but simply because the Primordial Lord Rain Master herself was female.

The divine idol was carved exactly according to the Rain Master's physique and facial features, like a life-sized action figure; if men were to carve... even if the disciples were devout and respectful, daring not to harbor any blasphemous thoughts, the Rain Master herself would feel embarrassed.

'After all, she is still human, not a truly god residing above the ninth heaven; she has human emotions, and this Rain Master might have a sort of spiritual obsession with cleanliness, perhaps that could be leveraged,'

Jiang Li unconsciously began to deduce a strategy against the Rain Master.

Although he was currently in no position to confront the Rain Master directly, it was always good to be prepared.

The Yellow Turban Warriors were nearly ten feet tall, creating an impressive marker. As Jiang Li and his companion approached, those before the statue noticed them immediately.

A youth in a yellow robe and of beautiful countenance turned around, and when his eyes met with Jiang Li's, Jiang Li felt a brilliant light before his eyes, as if a purple lightning had flashed by.

The youth's eyes were sparkling with electric lights, converging in his pupils like gathered heavenly might, making him difficult to look directly at.

Upon seeing this man, the divine soul of Meng Yuanzhi within Jiang Li reacted, and he immediately stepped forward to greet, "I've seen the Young Sect Leader."

The current top figure of the Taiping Sect, Zhang Zhixuan's direct disciple, Little Thunder Immortal Yang Ji, had also arrived.

Yang Ji appeared to be in his twenties, yet was actually nearly forty. He was more than a decade older than Zhong Shenxiu and Yun Jiuye, and hence, it was often said in Jianghu that Yang Ji's abilities were not inferior to those of Zhong Shenxiu's ilk.