My brother is so cunning

Chapter 1152 Acting vigorously and resolutely
Although the martial arts puppet army was destroyed, the predicament of the immortal and Buddhist allied forces was not yet resolved.

Saint Zhunti looked in the direction where the nano clouds were gathering again, his brows furrowed: "The gap from before is almost filled with nano clouds, and the giant mechs are also regrouping. We must leave here as soon as possible, or we will be surrounded again soon."

Yuanshi Tianzun nodded, and suddenly his body radiated countless golden rays. A cloud of auspicious energy, imbued with righteous spirit, rose from above his head—his supreme protective treasure, the Heavenly Auspicious Cloud. Under the cloud's protection, all magic was impervious, and even the surrounding nanoparticles dispersed.

"Follow me to break through the encirclement, and I will protect you all under the auspicious clouds!"

After saying that, he took the lead and flew towards the gap opened by the sage. The auspicious clouds of the heavens cleared the way in front of him, and the nano clouds automatically parted wherever he passed. The Three Treasures Jade Ruyi hung on the edge of the auspicious clouds, emitting rays of light from time to time to repel the approaching mechs.

The Buddha and the Sage Cundi followed closely behind, their Buddha light intertwining with the light of the Seven Treasures Tree, completely crushing the giant mechs and nano-clusters that were trying to counterattack from both sides of the gap.

The allied forces of immortals and Buddhas dared not delay and quickly followed Qingyun, moving towards the gap.

The nanoclouds behind them, like a living tide, kept shrinking toward them. The roar of the giant mechs grew closer and closer, and the scarlet energy lights appeared and disappeared in the sea of ​​clouds, like pairs of eyes watching their prey.

Fortunately, the defensive power of the Heavenly Auspicious Clouds far exceeded that of ordinary barriers. The nanoparticles could not penetrate them, and the main cannon of the mecha was automatically blocked by the Golden Lamp of Auspicious Clouds. The three saints maintained their powerful momentum and managed to protect the allied forces as they passed through the gap and completely escaped the encirclement of the nano clouds.

The moment they broke free from the nanoclouds, the allied forces of immortals and Buddhas finally collapsed at the edge of the sea of ​​clouds. Many disciples collapsed to the ground, panting heavily. The bloodstains and metal dust on their robes were mixed together, and they had long lost the solemn appearance they had when they set off for the expedition.

The three saints hovered in mid-air, their divine light dimming slightly—the chaotic pure energy of the Pangu Banner was no longer intense, the Buddhist light of the Nine-Rank Lotus Platform was much weaker, and two of the pearls of the Seven Treasures Tree had lost their luster.

In this situation, it wasn't that the saint's divine power was depleted after a fierce battle; rather, it was because his mind was reflecting reality, and a trace of instability appeared in his flawless saintly heart.

Yuanshi Tianzun withdrew the auspicious clouds of the heavens, his fingertips still trembling slightly, not from exhaustion, but from the unbearable shame and indignation he could not suppress.

He looked down at the disciples of the Chan Sect: Guang Chengzi's Zhen Tian Mirror was full of cracks and he was barely maintaining it with his spiritual power; Huanglong Zhenren was covered in wounds, his dragon scales were peeling off and cracked, and one of his dragon horns was broken off. Even the best among the Twelve Golden Immortals was in a sorry state at this moment, not to mention the young disciples, some of whom had broken arms, some of whom had exhausted their spiritual power, and some of whom were even sobbing softly.

Bringing you all out was a complete mistake!

The voice of the Primordial Celestial Venerable carried suppressed anger; though not deliberately amplified, it clearly reached the ears of every disciple.

The disciples all lowered their heads, none daring to refute—if it hadn't been for the three saints' intervention, they would have been torn to shreds by the nanocloud and the martial arts puppet army. From beginning to end, they not only failed to help in the slightest, but also distracted the saints, becoming a complete burden.

The Buddha sighed softly, clearly understanding the state of mind of the Primordial Celestial Venerable.

He gazed at the still churning nanoclouds in the distance, his tone complex: "Today's events have indeed been a complete loss of face. It took the three of us saints working together to break through; if word gets out, the entire Three Realms will probably laugh at us."

Saint Zhunti frowned, gently turning the Seven Treasures Tree in his hand: "If I had known that mortal creations would be so troublesome, I shouldn't have been so fixated on the name of the 'Allied Forces.' If the three of us had gone directly to Freedom City, even if we couldn't easily kill the Creation Celestial Venerable, we wouldn't be in such a sorry state today."

These words struck a chord with Yuanshi Tianzun. He recalled the scene of preparations before the war: in order to demonstrate the title of "the army of justice, acting on the mandate of heaven," he discussed with Tathagata and Zhunti, and summoned disciples of the Chan Sect and the Western Sect to form a mighty allied army, vowing to "sweep away the heresies of the common people and restore order to the Three Realms."

At that time, he misjudged the strength of Wen Rui, this monstrous demon, thinking that the divine powers of immortals and Buddhas were enough to suppress the so-called "technology" of mortals and strange skills. Even if his disciples were of average combat strength, they could still "cheering and shouting to boost their momentum" and provide some assistance.

Otherwise, if the three saints went alone and killed the third generation junior of the Jie Sect without saying a word, how would that be any different from an assassin who launched a sneak attack?

The title of "the army of justice" will be lost, and the majesty of the saint will be swept away.

They are a saintly alliance, not an assassin alliance. Having a legitimate reason for their actions is crucial. If they don't put on a grand show, how can they face the worship of the masses in the future?
But now it seems that those "face" and "reputation" are utterly laughable.

If they hadn't gone through so many "steps" and had the three sages acted directly, even with the protection of the Creation Celestial Venerable's nanoclouds and mecha puppets, they might not have been in such a passive position.

If they hadn't brought along these disciples who were holding them back, they wouldn't have had to be so restrained in protecting their disciples, and they wouldn't have ended up having to "fight to the death" in front of mortals and artifacts.

The problem is, even a saint can't undo their mistakes. If a saint could reverse time, the Tongtian Sect Leader would be the first to jump out and rewind the timeline to before the Investiture of the Gods war began.

"That's enough, it's too late to regret now."

Yuanshi Tianzun took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his frustration: "Fortunately, the necessary steps have been completed—leading the army into battle, encountering an ambush, fighting valiantly, and finally breaking through the encirclement. Although it was a humiliating defeat, it has nominally established the name of 'punishment.' Even excluding the assassination attempt by us saints, there will be more material for future legends and myths..."

These words, though seemingly self-comforting, also reveal the truth.

Today's defeat, though a loss of face, has at least allowed the process of "having a legitimate reason for attacking" to be completed.

"We, the supreme sages of Heaven and Earth, are appointed by Heaven. Why should we concern ourselves with morality with a mere demon? If we do not act swiftly and decisively to annihilate this fiend, the Three Realms will never have peace again!"

The Primordial Celestial Venerable said angrily, "Besides, we've already lost all face as sages in this humiliating state. Why are we still clinging to those empty titles?"

Upon hearing this, both the Buddha and the two saints of the Western Paradise were taken aback, but then a look of relief flashed in their eyes.

Yes, even the joint effort of three sages to break through the siege has become a joke. To dwell on "just cause" and "the name of the assassins" only makes it seem ridiculous.

The Buddha's eyes, once gentle, were now filled with decisiveness: "Fellow Daoist Yuanshi is absolutely right. Hesitation only leads to more trouble! Fellow Daoist Zhunti and I will set off immediately to Freedom City to slay the evil Jie Sect, sever the root of the mortal army, and swiftly quell this calamity!"

Saint Zhunti nodded in agreement: "Though mortal creations are powerful, all calamities ultimately originate from that monster. As long as we kill him, those nano clouds and mecha puppets will be nothing but a pile of scrap metal without a commander!"

(End of this chapter)