The disciple of the Chan Sect could not help but scrutinize the man before him.
The stranger wore a vermilion Taoist robe that stood out starkly against the muted, ethereal colors of the Jade Void Palace. Though his arrival was somewhat intrusive, the calm, indifferent air between his brows suggested he was not a man of arrogance.
The disciple looked at Zoran's face, the long beard and hair, the extraordinary temperament, and a frame as lean as a willow. To an uninformed observer, he looked like a high immortal who had descended to inspect the mortal realm.
By contrast, the woman in palace attire standing silently beside him had almost no presence at all, remaining utterly mute. These two stood outside the gate, one tall and thin, the other short and stout, forming an amusingly odd pair.
"Fellow Daoist, I am but a rogue immortal come to seek refuge within the Jade Void Palace. I trouble you to inform the elders," Zoran spoke.
His expression was neither humble nor haughty, his posture as straight as a mountain pine.
The gate-keeping disciple could not help but frown. A "rogue immortal" was simply someone without a sect or lineage. Furthermore, this man seemed to lack proper etiquette; the Chan Sect was world-renowned, and as a disciple, he expected at least a formal bow of greeting.
He replied indifferently, "Tianzun is in seclusion, and the senior masters are occupied with urgent matters. Please wait outside."
He turned to leave, tossing his back to Zoran. He had only taken a few steps when a series of loud, crunching sounds reached his ears.
Crackle. Crunch.
He spun around, and his eyes nearly popped out of his head.
The woman in palace attire, whom he had completely disregarded, had somehow broken through the protective enchantments. She was currently latched onto the great gate of the Jade Void Palace in a most unladylike manner, her posture wild and unrestrained.
Visible to the naked eye, a massive chunk of the jade gate was already missing.
"Bold! This gate is crafted from divine jade; it is priceless! Oh no, you have committed a terrible crime!"
In an instant, the disciple was frantic. He flew to Po Kong's side, trying to yank her away. But no matter how much strength he exerted, she remained rooted like a mountain. He felt as if he were trying to pull an entire mountain range.
"Po Kong... hungry," she murmured while eating.
In the blink of an eye, seventy to eighty percent of the Jade Void Palace's gate had been devoured.
The Chan Sect disciple collapsed, sitting mid-air, his eyes filled with terror as he stammered, "It's over, it's over! The front gate has been chewed to bits! The Immortal Sage will be furious!"
To the side, Zoran stood with a faint smile, watching the scene with great interest. Po Kong's behavior, of course, had his silent permission.
He had come for the immortal elixirs and the Tianyuan Cauldron; he certainly hadn't come to beg. In the world of the Demon Orb, the person currently in charge of the Chan Sect's affairs was the eldest of the Twelve Golden Immortals, Wuliang Xianweng.
A literal "evil peach." Zoran knew exactly how to handle him.
The disciple was truly panicking now, his wits scattered. He couldn't pull her, and he couldn't nudge her. Flushing with rage, he finally pinched a hand seal, launching a streak of golden light straight at Po Kong's back.
"This is your own doing! Don't blame me for taking action!" he barked.
The golden light shot toward Po Kong, but just as it was about to hit, she reacted with a nimbleness that defied her appearance. She reached out a hand and snatched the light out of the air. She glanced at it blankly; the spell was firmly imprisoned in her palm, unable to escape.
The next second, she stuffed the golden light directly into her mouth.
As if nothing had happened, she turned back to finish her "meal."
The disciple was struck with absolute horror. His Immortal-Binding Curse was... just like that... gone? That was pure immortal energy, and she had simply eaten it like a snack?
He froze, at a total loss for what to do. Finally, only after the gate had completely vanished into Po Kong's stomach did he regain his senses.
The front door was gone.
He turned to Zoran, fuming. "This is all your doing! Come! You're coming with me to the Great Hall to see the Immortal Sage!"
Only then did Zoran smile. He had effectively invited himself in. As he passed Po Kong, he reached out a sleeve and said, "Let's go."
Gravity lifted her, and they drifted toward the Great Hall of the Jade Void Palace.
"Well? Was it to your taste?" Zoran asked.
Po Kong remained silent for three seconds before speaking. "Hungry again."
Zoran let out a wry laugh. "Not bad. Lasting three seconds is an improvement."
He followed Po Kong's gaze forward. Ahead lay a magnificent hall constructed entirely of green jade, hovering atop the Kunlun summit with majestic grandeur.
Zoran quickly manipulated gravity to avert Po Kong's gaze. "That one isn't for eating. At least, not yet."
She had just finished the gate and was already eyeing the master's dojo. There were limits even to "eating someone out of house and home."
"Be patient. Leave everything to me," he said softly to her.
The disciple flew into the hall, casting nervous glances back. Those two were indeed audacious; they were following him in without a fight.
He looked toward the center of the hall at a figure with a small body and a large, round head, holding a wooden staff and floating on a cloud.
"Immortal Sage! Immortal Sage!" the disciple cried out for help, bowing low.
"Clumsy and frantic! Where are your manners?" Wuliang Xianweng frowned in reprimand.
The disciple pointed behind him, wailing, "Someone has attacked us! The Jade Void Palace gate is gone!"
"There is such a thing?" Wuliang Xianweng's expression shifted to shock as he looked toward the entrance.
"They are here!" The disciple stepped aside, gnashing his teeth as he glared at the two figures floating in.
This elderly man, who appeared kind and benevolent, was the acting head of the Jade Void Palace and the eldest of the Twelve Golden Immortals, Wuliang Xianweng. Surely, there was no one he couldn't handle! Usually, the disciple wouldn't have been so brash as to bring intruders directly to the hall, but his fury had clouded his judgment.
Zoran's expression remained composed as he landed before Wuliang Xianweng. This old man, who looked remarkably like a peach, was exactly who he was looking for. He was the "great villain" of this world, yet also a character who was utterly devoted to the Chan Sect, willing to use any means necessary for its sake.
The power levels in this world were not comparable to the true primeval Honghuang (Prehistoric) lore; they weren't particularly high. Wuliang Xianweng's strength was not the absolute peak. Truthfully, only the currently secluded Yuanshi Tianzun might be able to contend with Zoran.
However, as the saying goes: leave professional tasks to the professionals.
At the very least, Wuliang Xianweng was excellent at one thing: he was a master at alchemy. Immortal elixirs were creations of providence; in this world, a single pill could equal ten years of hard cultivation for an ordinary immortal. Their quality was vastly superior to common materials.
Zoran was here to "fleece" him of his craftsmanship and his artifacts. Zoran had power, but he lacked refined techniques and tools.
He smiled and said plainly, "Rogue Immortal Tso Lan, come with my younger sister to seek refuge with the Chan Sect."
"Refuge? With the Chan Sect?" Wuliang Xianweng was stunned.
He carefully scrutinized the middle-aged man. In terms of presence and aura, the man was not inferior even to the Twelve Golden Immortals. And yet, Wuliang Xianweng found he could not see through the man's strength or origins at a single glance.
Wuliang Xianweng frowned. "Strange indeed. Fellow Daoist, according to my disciple, our Jade Void Palace gate was destroyed by your hands?"
Zoran stated firmly, "My sister is impulsive and naturally gluttonous, but her character is simple and pure."
Wuliang Xianweng's gaze darted between Zoran and Po Kong. These two... were brother and sister? They didn't look alike in the slightest.
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