"You won't."
Yi Tianxing spoke with absolute certainty. "You are a Book Immortal. Your innate mission is to protect these books. You would never stand by and watch them be destroyed. Even if it meant your death, you would never allow a single ancient tome to be ruined. You already value these books more than your own life."
"..."
Upon hearing this, the old man of the Book Mountain's face immediately changed. Clearly, Yi Tianxing had struck a nerve. Yet he still lifted his head high, wearing a defiant expression that brooked no compromise.
"In fact, you can no longer stop me from obtaining all the ancient books here," Yi Tianxing continued with a smile. "However, I don't want to kill you. If I simply move the books while leaving you behind, you will eventually perish. But there is a way for both of us to win. You can accompany these books when I take them away from the Xuan Zhen Hall. That way, the books will remain intact, and you won't die. It's a perfect solution."
This was, without a doubt, the best outcome.
It was incredibly rare for a Book Immortal to be born. Only with a massive aggregation of books and a stroke of great fortune could one be nurtured into existence. They were exceedingly rare and precious beings. Once born, they became uniquely powerful existences.
They loved books as much as life itself, and they possessed unparalleled talent in cultivating the Dao of Confucianism. Given enough books and enough time, they could grow rapidly — their potential was virtually limitless.
Just like the Book Mountain Elder now. Although he hadn't existed for long, he had already grown to this level of strength thanks to his immense potential. If given more time, he would inevitably become a top-tier powerhouse — and it might even be Yi Tianxing who would be crushed under his strength.
Just the Book Mountain alone, with sufficient heritage, could suppress even gods and demons.
An absolutely terrifying divine ability.
Such a Book Immortal was a rare treasure. If possible, Yi Tianxing naturally wanted to bind him to his own cause. Once fully grown, he would become a top-tier powerhouse.
The benefits he would bring were beyond measure.
Though a Book Immortal would perish if separated from his books, if he left together with the ancient tomes, he could survive. The only question now was how to persuade the old man.
If he couldn't convince him, then Yi Tianxing would have no choice but to take the ancient books alone — he would never abandon them.
"I don't wish to travel with a greedy man," the Book Mountain Elder said disdainfully.
"Greedy? Desire exists within all living beings," Yi Tianxing retorted bluntly. "I desire these ancient books — but you, too, are greedy for them. Is your greed any less than mine?"
"You..." the Book Mountain Elder's expression shifted, and he snorted coldly. "I love books. How can love be called greed? Only I can properly care for these ancient books, protect them, and ensure their unbroken inheritance. That is not greed!"
"Then by that logic, I am not greedy either," Yi Tianxing said with a smile. "I will place these ancient tomes in a supreme, treasure-ranked Scripture Pavilion, where they will be perfectly preserved for eternity. Countless generations of humanity will benefit from them. Isn't that for the greater good of human civilization? How can that be called greed?"
"You're just twisting words!" the Book Mountain Elder snapped, turning his head away in anger.
"I already have a Scripture Pavilion filled with countless scriptures and ancient texts," Yi Tianxing said calmly. "It's the best resting place for these books. I sincerely invite you to join me. You don't have to care about other matters — just oversee the pavilion and the books inside. And it won't stop here. I will collect even more ancient books."
He continued, "With the fusion of the myriad worlds, there are countless ancient books and scriptures across the realms, countless crystallizations of ancient wisdom. I will gather them all into my Scripture Pavilion and forge one of the greatest book collections on the entire Eternal Continent. Perhaps not the absolute greatest, but certainly one of the best — growing vaster and vaster, like a boundless ocean."
"Staying here, you would be trapped with a limited collection, unable to continue growing. A Book Immortal's cultivation is tied to the number of books he oversees. The more books, the faster the growth — the deeper the comprehension. That is the place where a Book Immortal truly belongs."
Every word Yi Tianxing spoke carried conviction, painting the grand future he envisioned.
And it was not just a dream — it was destined to become reality.
The Book Mountain Elder, hearing this, felt his heart stir uncontrollably. The prospect was almost irresistible.
He had once said: his life was the books.
But the current collection would eventually become a shackle, unable to further nourish him. The books of a single world were limited. But if he could gather the ancient books of countless worlds... what kind of scene would that be? The mere thought filled him with yearning.
Seeing the Scriptures increase every day — that was the ultimate happiness.
Thinking of the future Yi Tianxing described, the Book Mountain Elder finally wavered. The temptation was simply too great, far beyond what he could resist.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, the old man waved his sleeve.
Suddenly, countless real bookshelves and ancient books appeared all across the grand hall. They filled every corner. What had been seen before was merely an illusion; this was the true collection.
Seeing this, Yi Tianxing instantly understood — the Book Mountain Elder had agreed.
Without hesitation, he waved his hand, and bookshelf after bookshelf disappeared, the countless ancient tomes being collected into the Primordial Heavenly Emperor Tower. Its internal space could easily contain them all.
"Be careful! Be very careful! Don't damage anything!"The old man shouted nervously from the side, his deep love for books evident.
"Old Book, you should come too. You can't stay away from your books for too long," Yi Tianxing said with a smile.
Without resistance, the Book Mountain Elder allowed himself to be stored into the Primordial Heavenly Emperor Tower, heading straight to guard his beloved books.
"I finally got them. This harvest is truly priceless — well worth the battle," Yi Tianxing thought to himself, deeply relieved.
This trove of ancient books was a treasure beyond imagining. The benefit it would bring to Xuanhuang Town was incalculable.
After confirming there was nothing else of great value left in the hall, he turned and walked out.
"Brother Yi, are you alright?"Ye Zhiqiu and the monk Flower asked anxiously upon seeing him.
"Yes, that Book Mountain Elder didn't harm you, did he?" Flower Monk asked as well.
Yi Tianxing smiled. "Don't worry, he couldn't do anything to me. I've obtained what I wanted here. There's no reason to linger. Let's find another way out."
He showed no intention of recounting the battle inside.
Ye Zhiqiu and Flower Monk could tell and wisely refrained from pressing the matter. Instead, they began searching the area.
"Hey! Over here — I found another passage leading away from this platform!" Ye Zhiqiu soon called out.
At the back of the Xuan Zhen Hall, they saw a long floating pathway ahead. It resembled the Thunder Dragon Road they had traveled earlier — suspended in the air, above a bottomless abyss.
"Let's go!"Without hesitation, Yi Tianxing stepped onto the floating path. This time, however, no lightning bolts or traps appeared — it seemed like an ordinary walkway.
"Good! No traps this time. Maybe the King of Huainan had a moment of kindness," Ye Zhiqiu muttered, still wary, glancing down into the abyss.
"Better this way. This monk doesn't want to get struck by lightning again!" Flower Monk said with a grin.
"I wonder what lies ahead. We crossed the Nine Dragon Road before — next must be the Eight Trigrams Platform," Ye Zhiqiu said.
"Look! The platform ahead has nine walkways leading into it — meaning those who survived other Nine Dragon Roads will gather there too."
"I can see it already — so magnificent!"Yi Tianxing's eyes lit up.
Before them was a massive mountain, its peak cleaved flat to form a giant Eight Trigrams Platform.
On its surface, mysterious patterns of the Eight Trigrams were clearly visible.
A single glance was enough to inspire awe — an enormous Eight Trigrams diagram carved into the very mountain itself. A masterpiece of ancient craftsmanship — one almost couldn't believe it was real.
"Amazing — this must be the Fuxi Primal Eight Trigrams Platform!" Ye Zhiqiu exclaimed.
The platform had three levels.The top was an irregular eight-sided shape.The middle had eight real gates — doors that seemed able to be opened, each leading to a different mysterious location.And the lowest layer was an ordinary platform carved with fearsome, lifelike images of fierce and divine beasts, enough to strike fear into anyone's heart.