The two men blinked at Nezha but greeted him properly, saying, "Senior Brother Nezha, please come in. My lord has been expecting you."

After speaking, they led Nezha into the Doushuai Temple.

Previously, every time Nezha visited, the Lord was always "out." This was the first time the two formally met.

The Lord's appearance was consistent with Nezha's expectations: an elderly demeanor, donned in an Eight Diagrams Daoist robe, holding a horsetail whisk, with a kind and gentle disposition.

"Disciple Li Nezha pays respects to Master-Uncle."

The Lord waved his sleeve to lift Nezha up and pointed at the cushion opposite him, saying, "You little brat, always running around in my Doushuai Temple, and now you're pretending to be respectful."

"Doesn't this show how much I respect you, Old Master?"

Afterward, Nezha started talking with the Lord about the Journey to the West matters. The Lord certainly wouldn't do anything that contradicted the Daoist Ancestor or acted against the Heavenly Dao, but if you wanted the Daoist sect to cooperate smoothly in such a grand mission, you had to display some sincerity.

The most crucial point was that the being born of the stone must come from the Daoist sect. It was acceptable for Buddhism to flourish, but Daoism must not be left behind.

On this matter, Nezha could make promises on behalf of Buddhism. Saint Zhunti's good corpse, named Bodhi Ancestor, was created when Zhunti cut apart aspects of himself related to Daoism. Bodhi Ancestor was a purely Daoist individual, so when Bodhi Ancestor takes disciples in the future, this issue would no longer be a concern.

As for other matters, they were relatively easy to handle. In this negotiation, Nezha primarily acted as a buffer. If Zhunti and Saint Shangqing were to negotiate directly, the outcome would be unpredictable. After all, Saints don't necessarily need negotiations to get what they want.

"Master-Uncle, are there any suitable candidates from the Daoist sect to become the sutra collectors?"

Although Nezha had some candidates in mind, it was still necessary to pose the question.

Whether or not sutras were collected had little impact on Saint Taiqing. Now that he had gained face, he was willing to offer Nezha some favor in return.

"Marshal Tianpeng Bian Zhuang does have some ties to the Human Sect. Unfortunately, he fell into worldly desires and has shown no progress. Perhaps he should be sent down for some tempering."

Bian Zhuang, this troublesome figure, had always been hard for Nezha to deal with due to his ties to the Human Sect. He occupied a position yet did nothing, taking the salary but refusing to do duties. Nezha was quite displeased with him, and now there was an opportunity to send him away.

"I will follow your advice, Master-Uncle."

After discussing the official matters, Nezha didn't rush to leave but started asking about the One Qi to Three Pure Ones divine skill and matters related to alchemy. The Lord didn't hide anything. Not achieving breakthrough through the path of "One Qi to Three Pure Ones" was a regret for him back in the day, so he wanted to see whether Nezha could succeed.

Regarding elixirs, Nezha had long studied the teachings at Doushuai Temple back and forth. He was almost half a disciple of the Lord in alchemy. The two exchanged ideas, and the Lord greatly appreciated Nezha's innovative approaches to refining elixirs.

In the Primordial world, the limits of alchemical achievements were confined to Chaos Origin levels. The Primordial world lacked elixirs capable of matching the Chaos Origin Level. The Lord's technique could come infinitely close to the pinnacle but could not fully reach it. Thus, to Saints, alchemy was merely a hobby.

"Master-Uncle, do you think that by refining an elixir of Great Thousand World level and letting it nurture over a long period, it could break the limits of the Heavenly Dao?"

The Lord pondered for a moment before shaking his head.

"No matter what, everything is subject to the fundamental principle of energy conversion. The Primordial world can barely nurture another Saint Position now, let alone a Chaos Origin-level elixir. What you propose could work theoretically, but to achieve it, you'd have to venture into Chaos. And the ingredient for refining such an elixir must come from a complete Chaos Demon God. Difficult, difficult, difficult!"

Moreover, an elixir refined this way—would it still be considered an elixir? Would it be a world? Or some unknown form of life? There's no telling."

Though the Lord spoke of numerous challenges, the yearning evident on his face was unmistakable. Still, who could directly capture a Chaos Demon God to refine elixirs for the Lord?

Everyone knew about Saint Taiqing's immense power, but Chaos stretched infinitely. No one knew how many powerful Demon Gods lurked within. Saint Taiqing would never risk venturing into Chaos to capture one—not to mention he was no match for his third sibling in impulsiveness.

Nezha and the Lord continued their conversation and exchange for quite a while, enjoying a pleasant discussion. Among the Human Sect's disciples, Xuan Du was undoubtedly excellent in the Lord's eyes, but compared to Nezha, he lacked liveliness. Too much isolation and seriousness made him less entertaining.

Later, Nezha directly brought out some preserved demon beast meat, using the Eight Diagrams Furnace to cook it into barbecue. Jin Jiao and Silver Horn were far more enthusiastic about roasting meat than fanning the flames for the Lord during alchemy sessions.

To everyone's surprise, the Lord's appetite was excellent; he thoroughly enjoyed the meal. Nezha felt like he was at home in a distant era, sharing barbecue with his grandfather. The only regret was that the Lord didn't eat beef.

On one hand, he truly cared deeply for cows as a species; on the other, it was likely out of consideration for the feelings of the cows residing in the temple's rear hall.

As Nezha left, the Lord gave him a few more books on alchemy. Jin Jiao and Silver Horn followed behind him, ready to attend the Peach Banquet. For the Lord, peaches were nothing more than refreshing snacks. Attending the banquet would only delay his time refining elixirs.

However, for Jin Jiao and Silver Horn, peaches had certain benefits, and their lively personalities made them eager to join the festivities. So, Nezha brought them along to the banquet.

Having completed his tasks, Nezha returned to the Ziwei Star Palace and conveyed the results of the negotiation to Old Li. Naturally, Old Li would inform Saints Jieyin and Zhunti. The terms Nezha negotiated were significantly better than Old Li's baseline, earning him merits in the eyes of the two Saints.

As the date of the Peach Banquet approached, the atmosphere in the Heavenly Court grew increasingly lively. Even the previously deserted Heaven Palace became bustling, with immortals strolling and chatting, creating a festive vibe reminiscent of the New Year.

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