Taiyi Dao Fruit

After Jiang Li left, only two figures remained on the broken statue, one tangible and one intangible.

Gongsun Qi gazed in the direction of the battlefield, his eyes deep and oceanic. His resolve never flickered, even though Jiang Li had already rushed to the battlefield.

At this moment, Chanting County was under severe attack. Coming from behind, Jiang Li could make the Taiping Sect face attacks from both sides. This wouldn't necessarily cause their strategy to collapse, but it would definitely further exacerbate the situation.

The current Jiang Li— even multiple fourth-grade individuals would find it hard to stop him.

Within the Taiping Sect, the only ones who could match him in combat were the Immortal of Colossal Spirit and Primordial Lord Rain Master, both aided by Zhang Zhixuan. And yet, they were only just able to contend with Jiang Li, without any guarantee of victory.

His strength among the fourth grade could be likened to that of the Great Venerable and Heavenly Monarch among the third grade.

It was no exaggeration to call him the strongest of the fourth grade.

"Invincible indeed, but only within the fourth grade," Gongsun Qi said leisurely, "But if the third grade stands before you, nephew, how shall you respond then?"

"Third grade?" The Great Venerable's gaze flickered slightly, a ripple of flowing light emerging in his eyes, "King Shu?"

Gongsun Qi could likely contact quite a few third-grade figures, including the Immortal Queen of the Kunxu Immortal Palace and Earth Uncle from the Yin Law Department. There were also the Upper Pure Sect elders, and since a fourth-grade elder had intervened, the Sect Leader of the Upper Pure Sect might not remain uninvolved.

However, the Immortal Queen was currently confronting Daoist Guang Cheng, making it unlikely for her to act hastily, while Earth Uncle was unable to act.

As for the Sect Leader of the Upper Pure Sect, it was quite possible that he would act, with general reasoning suggesting that the Great Venerable should have thought of him immediately.

Unfortunately—

The Great Venerable could peek at the script.

Time's ripples flashed through his eyes, the landscape of Liangzhou Province becoming clear. Almost instantly, the Great Venerable identified a third-grade presence.

Apart from Gongsun Qi being unseen, Mo Sect Master, Zhang Zhixuan, and even Manjusri Bodhisattva, who was watching from afar in the west of Liangzhou Province, could not escape the Great Venerable's sight. Naturally, King Shu was no exception.

"The Great Venerable's perception has grown far stronger than the last time we clashed," observed Gongsun Qi meaningfully. "They say 'Heaven knows, Earth knows, you know, I know' — it seems the Great Venerable has acquired this aspect of the power of the heavens."

Combining previous instances when the Great Venerable had instantly disclosed Gongsun Qi's slanderous acts, Gongsun Qi deduced that the Great Venerable's perception had reached a level capable of using Cosmic Light Divine Ability to perceive the past.

This ability was undoubtedly beyond the former capabilities of the Great Venerable, leaving only one explanation—

—It was due to the refinement obtained from the power of the heavens.

The Great Venerable had combined this refinement with his Cosmic Light Divine Ability, reaching an unimaginable realm of perception. Used in conjunction with his Book of Luo River Map, this powered up the Demon God's strength immeasurably.

Regarding this, the Great Venerable merely laughed and said, "Who knows? It is rather the skills of the Heavenly Monarch, indeed capable of controlling even those ambitious like King Shu."

"It was also thanks to nephew Jiang," Gongsun Qi lightly smiled and said, "He severely wounded King Shu, who wished to shed his mortal shell and be reborn, embedding within him the All Heaven Divine Sha, a fearsome evil created by the Warlord, unparalleled in power. Plus, King Shu was injured right at the critical moment of his ascension, which embedded the Divine Evil deeply, making it indelible."

"In the beginning, King Shu even planned to heal himself, but as time went on, he grew weaker and had to seek help from me."

As he spoke, Gongsun Qi gently waved his sleeve, and the scene expanded further until a peak appeared with a figure as deep as a trench-standing mountain— it was King Shu.

He had already reached the outskirts of Chanting County, mere two hundred miles from the city, yet he did not advance to the battlefield but stood still at the summit of the mountain.

He was waiting, waiting for someone soon to arrive—Jiang Li.

"Interesting, to expose King Shu this way."

The Great Venerable observed this figure, his eyes shimmering unpredictably, "Everything you did before was to get Jiang Li to act alone and head to Chanting County, right? For this, you even risked the possibility of being discovered by Heaven. And yet, just when things were about to succeed, you chose to expose King Shu."

"Do you suppose," observed Gongsun Qi ambiguously, "I wouldn't have discovered without saying? It would ultimately be found by the Great Venerable anyway, so why not speak directly? This way, I can also see clearly whether the Great Venerable and my nephew truly share brotherly affection."

Previously the Great Venerable and Jiang Li performed various acts. Although Gongsun Qi somewhat believed them, he wouldn't blindly make judgments.

In the end, facts needed to corroborate the truth to make the final judgment.

Now, Gongsun Qi straightforwardly played his move.

"The Great Venerable could now catch up to my nephew and inform him of this matter, or directly act against King Shu, or perhaps—"

Gongsun Qi remained with a cool expression, his voice steady, "After Jiang Li encounters King Shu, and even if he dies at King Shu's hands, then act and compete with me for that portion of the power of the heavens from Jiang Li's hands. Great Venerable, what will you choose?"

Is it true brotherly affection, or is the power of the heavens more important?

Gongsun Qi laid out the choices clearly, just to see whether the Great Venerable truly harbored grievances against Jiang Li or if everything before was an act.

Under the enveloping mist, the Great Venerable's face showed a trace of unusual color, realizing that this Heavenly Monarch, who had played hide and seek with him for many years, indeed possessed cunning thoughts and tactics that even he found troublesome to deal with.