“Wouldn’t dare?” Hongjun sneered. “If you had truly swung that banner just now, forget the beings of the Great Desolation, even the Heavenly Dao would have been damaged!”
“Today, because your disciples fell, you wanted to use the Pangu Banner to restart the Great Desolation. How is that any different from what Tongtian did?”
“He set up an array to kill people, so you want to destroy heaven and earth? The two of you are six of one and half a dozen of the other!”
Yuanshi Tianzun was reprimanded until his face turned ashen, but he didn’t dare refute. He could only hatefully lower his head.
He cursed inwardly—it was all because of that bastard Tongtian!
If he hadn’t killed so many Chan Sect disciples, how could he have lost his composure to this extent?
“Disciple… disciple knows his mistake…”
Hearing the admission of fault, Hongjun’s expression softened slightly. He then looked at Laozi. “Taijing!”
Laozi’s heart tightened. He bowed slightly. “Your disciple is here.”
“Here? Where were you?” Hongjun’s tone was severe. “As the eldest senior brother, you should have restrained your junior brothers and maintained harmony among the three sects.”
“But look at you. Not only did you allow Yuanshi and Tongtian to fight, you even personally joined in!”
“They nearly destroyed this Great Desolation today. What were you doing?!”
Laozi wore a look of guilt. “Master, your disciple…”
Stop them? How could he have stopped them? One went mad swinging the Zhuxian Sword wildly, the other went mad wanting to flip the table. What could he do?
But he didn’t dare say that directly. He could only bow his head and admit fault. “Master speaks rightly. As the eldest senior brother, your disciple failed to mediate between my junior brothers and instead added fuel to the fire. I have truly failed Master’s teachings.”
Hongjun was truly angry. He never imagined this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation would evolve into this.
Tongtian killed Zhunti. Yuanshi nearly destroyed the Great Desolation. Laozi pretended to be deaf and dumb…
These damned disciples!
He snorted coldly. “What’s done is done. You are all guilty! It’s not that I favor anyone!”
With that, he waved his sleeve. Three pitch-black pills appeared before them.
“These are Sage-Felling Pills.”
“Swallow them!”
“Once this pill enters your stomach, it will connect to your Sagehood. If you harbor thoughts of internal strife again, or entertain selfish desires, this pill will activate its poison. Even a Sage will not escape death!”
“Even Sages cannot act recklessly.”
“Do not forget, it is the Heavenly Dao that allowed you to become Sages! Since the Heavenly Dao can elevate you, it can naturally also make you fall!”
The three pills floated in the air, slowly drifting towards the three of them.
Grandmaster Tongtian was the most straightforward. Without hesitation, he reached out, took one, and swallowed it.
His revenge was accomplished. His heart was content. He had not lost out.
Yuanshi Tianzun was filled with indignation, glaring fiercely at the pill. But under Hongjun’s gaze, he could only brace himself and swallow it.
Laozi’s expression was calm. Looking at the Sage-Felling Pill, he sighed and silently swallowed the pill.
Seeing the three of them swallow the Sage-Felling Pills, Hongjun finally nodded with satisfaction.
This was a forced reconciliation of the three Sages.
After this, whoever stirred up trouble again would immediately die from the poison.
Now there was absolutely no room for further conflict.
After reprimanding the three for their internal strife, Hongjun moved on to the main business.
Those who could die on the field were already dead. The Investiture of the Gods List was filled to the brim. The plan was complete, meaning the Investiture of Gods Tribulation had also reached its final stages.
He looked at Yuanshi Tianzun and asked, “Yuanshi, although Tongtian committed this great disaster, what’s done is done. Do you still have any objections?”
Yuanshi Tianzun was furious to the point of death, but there was nothing he could do.
The Chan Sect’s elites were all gone, but most of the powerful disciples under the Sect of Interception were also dead.
Where could he find another excuse?
Moreover, that shameless dog thief Tongtian had used the “look down on the Heavenly Court” line to shut his mouth.
What else could he say? Publicly admit that he wanted the Sect of Interception completely annihilated to monopolize the Investiture List?
Then Master would definitely make the Sage-Felling Pill activate on the spot.
Yuanshi Tianzun’s chest heaved violently. After a long while, he finally squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.
“…No objections.”
Tongtian’s move was utterly vicious!
He got his revenge, inflicted heavy losses on the Chan Sect, and in the end, put on a show of sincere repentance.
That dog thief!
“And Tongtian?”
“Your disciple also has no objections!” Grandmaster Tongtian answered crisply.
He was secretly delighted. Kong Xuan was right—sometimes, rhetoric was more useful than swordsmanship.
With this move, he not only preserved the foundation of the Sect of Interception but also made the Chan Sect swallow a bitter pill in silence.
So satisfying!
“Since it is so,” Hongjun made the final decision, “the matter of the Investiture of the Gods is hereby settled. No further discussion!”
He pondered for a moment, then added, “Tongtian, you set up this evil array, recklessly initiated a killing tribulation, violated purity, and disturbed the Heavenly Dao.”
“You deserve punishment. But considering you admitted fault promptly and the Investiture is complete, follow me back to the Violet Heaven Palace for reflection!”
Yuanshi Tianzun’s expression brightened with joy. Tongtian was going to be confined?
Excellent!
However, before his joy could fully bloom, Hongjun looked at him.
“Yuanshi, you attempted to activate the Pangu Banner, reshape the Great Desolation, nearly causing an immeasurable tribulation and酿成大祸!”
“You also follow me back to the Violet Heaven Palace!”
Yuanshi Tianzun: “…”
Why?! Clearly, Tongtian made the first move!
“Master…” he began to protest.
“No need for further words!” Hongjun interrupted. “If I had not intervened in time, the Great Desolation would have already been reshaped under your Pangu Banner! How can this
What kind of person was Hongjun? With a single glance, he saw through the cause and effect involved.
In the eyes of the Ancestral Master, she was of human origin, had the Taiji Diagram protecting her body, and the one standing behind her was inevitably Laozi.
Perhaps… he even thought Laozi was placing bets on both sides with his junior brother.
Maybe he even detected Nuwa’s aura, thinking it possible that Laozi and Nuwa were cooperating.
In short, it was a tangled mess.
But she was human, so this pot was firmly on Laozi’s back.
Fortunately, Ancestral Master Hongjun wasn’t like some Sages who bullied the weak.
However, as the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, while he disdained directly acting against juniors, it was only natural to warn Laozi.
No matter what, Laozi, the eldest senior brother, truly deserved punishment.
Ahem, then she was steady!
Just then, Hongjun looked towards Jieyin Daoist and waved his hand.
“Hum!”
In the void, Zhunti’s shattered soul fragments gathered like fireflies, finally condensing into a ball of light.
Sages were undying and indestructible, but having suffered severe damage to their vitality, they still required a long, long time to recover.
Jieyin Daoist’s eyes were bloodshot, staring fixedly at that ball of light, but facing Hongjun, he could only suppress his fury and bow deeply.
“Many thanks for the Ancestral Master’s mercy.”
With things having reached this point, what more could he say?
Could he question why Hongjun hadn’t acted sooner? That was the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao.
Hongjun said indifferently, “Although Zhunti has not perished, his original body is completely destroyed. He needs to recuperate in stillness for a thousand years.”
“In the future, this can serve as a foundation for reshaping his golden body.”
“Your Western Sect should devote yourselves to cultivation and no longer involve yourselves in the disputes of the Profound Gate.”
Jieyin was silent for a moment, finally lowering his head. “This disciple respectfully obeys the Ancestral Master’s decree.”
“Henceforth, this disciple will wholeheartedly assist Zhunti’s recovery in the West and will no longer interfere in the struggles of the Eastern lands.”
This was him making his stance clear. The implied meaning was that the Western Sect would withdraw from this conflict, no longer meddling in the internal strife of the Profound Gate.
In this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, the Western Sect had already suffered severe losses. Continuing to contend would only lead to complete annihilation.
Hongjun nodded with satisfaction.
Hearing this, Jieyin Daoist felt even more bitterness in his heart.
He had originally thought he could reap great benefits from this internal strife within the Profound Gate. Who could have imagined that not only did he gain no benefits, but he also lost Zhunti.
Zhunti’s physical body was completely destroyed, leaving only his soul. Even with a Sage’s power, wanting to fully recover would likely take a thousand years of effort.
Who could have thought… Yuanshi Tianzun had been sailing smoothly, seemingly on the verge of crushing the Sect of Interception, only to flip the table at the last moment, dragging the Western Sect down with him!
Jieyin Daoist’s gaze was gloomy. Recalling Kong Xuan’s actions on the battlefield, it now seemed certain that Grandmaster Tongtian was behind it.
This Grandmaster Tongtian, to what extent had he been playing the pig to eat the tiger?
Utterly shameless!
Who could have imagined that Grandmaster Tongtian, who had previously lost so many disciples, wailing and weeping to the heavens, seemingly retreating step by step, was actually all an act?
Just for a final, against-all-odds reversal?
Shameless, utterly shameless!
The more Jieyin Daoist thought about it, the angrier he became, yet he was powerless.
He sighed deeply in his heart.
A thousand words of regret, but it was too late!
Now with Zhunti severely injured, he no longer had the strength to interfere in the Profound Gate’s disputes. The great flourishing of the Western Sect would likely be delayed for at least a thousand years.
Everything would have to wait until Zhunti recovered.
In this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, their Western Sect gained nothing and even got themselves entangled.
Truly… losing the lady and breaking the army.
Jieyin Daoist looked at Zhunti’s light with a complicated expression.
Was this truly the fate of their Western Sect?
Or was it… actually Hongjun’s intention?
If the Heavenly Dao did not wish for the Western Sect to flourish greatly, then the so-called “Western Journey” would likely be postponed indefinitely…
Moreover, without Zhunti’s assistance, relying on him alone, how could he pry open the Eastern teachings?
At the same time, Su Fu was also feeling uneasy.
What Ancestral Master Hongjun cared about, besides the Investiture of the Gods list, was the rise and fall of the Profound Gate.
In reality, the Ancestral Master had always been wary of the Western Sect’s rise.
Originally, in the Investiture of the Gods storyline, after Jieyin Daoist subdued Spirit Mother Gui Ling, he had Bai Lotus Boy take her back to the West.
Who knew that Bai Lotus Boy accidentally released the Blood-Winged Black Mosquito? That mosquito was no small matter. Not only did it drain Spirit Mother Gui Ling dry, but it also flew all the way to the West and devoured three grades of the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus.
That was the Western Sect’s treasure protecting the sect, a symbol of their destiny.
But after being sucked by the Blood-Winged Black Mosquito, it directly dropped from twelve grades to nine, causing the Western Sect’s destiny to greatly diminish, requiring a thousand years to repair.
As the saying goes, “Ascend to the other shore on the nine-grade lotus platform; a thousand years later, there will be the Sand Gate.”
This almost directly pointed out that Buddhism (the Sand Gate) would be delayed by a thousand years before it could rise.
Everyone thought it was Bai Lotus Boy accidentally releasing the blood mosquito, but was it really just a coincidence?
Think about it, the Western Sect was fishing in troubled waters during this Investiture of the Gods war, its momentum of rising was strong. Would Hongjun really sit back and do nothing about this?