Primordial Era: Cultivation level equals the sum of the Jie Sect's total; the Three Pure Ones a

Lao Tzu slowly opened his eyes, all the turmoil in them vanishing, replaced by a calm, indifferent gaze.

"Never mind..."

"Since my third brother is so determined, I, as his elder brother... have nothing more to say."

He stepped back, his sleeves fluttering slightly, and a Daoist aura of non-action flowed around him, completely isolating himself from the confrontation.

Clearly, he chose to... stand by and do nothing.

"Brother?!"

The Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning's face was ashen, and his eyes were filled with fury that was about to burst forth!

He never expected that Lao Tzu would choose to back down at this crucial moment!

"snort!"

Yuanshi gritted his teeth, turned around abruptly, and stared intently at Tongtian:

"Tongtian! You think you can protect that nascent martial arts law by summoning the illusory image of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation?!"

"Don't forget! The will of Heaven has arrived!"

"This is Heaven's test for the new laws of creation; it is destiny!"

"Even if you set up the complete Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, you can forget about defying the heavens!"

Upon hearing this, Xuandu suddenly burst into laughter:

"Hahaha!"

He stood atop the Martial Arts Monument, his blue robes fluttering, his black hair dancing wildly, yet his gaze was calm enough to send shivers down one's spine.

He laughed, laughed heartily, laughed without restraint.

There was no anger or sorrow in the laughter, only mockery.

"What a just and impartial way Heaven is! What a decision made by Heaven!"

Xuan Du slowly stopped laughing, his gaze sharp as a knife, piercing straight at the figure shrouded in purple mist in the void:

"Master Uncle, what you said was... truly eloquent and flawless."

He paused, a cold smile curling at the corner of his lips:

"They want to obstruct the path of our human race, yet they also want to appear fair, selfless, and in accordance with the will of Heaven."

"They want to use the fortune of the human race to become saints, establish a human religion and enjoy endless incense offerings, while turning a blind eye to the human race's century-long massacre and even secretly suppressing them."

"This shamelessness is truly unparalleled in history!"

Every word is like a sword, every sentence pierces the heart!

Lao Tzu's ancient face remained calm and expressionless, but a barely perceptible chill flashed in the depths of his half-open eyes.

The Primordial Celestial Venerable, however, was furious:

"Xuan Du! How dare you disrespect your elder brother?!"

"Disrespectful?"

Xuandu turned his head and looked coldly at Yuanshi:

"Master Yuanshi, our feud is already irreconcilable, why bother with this hypocritical act?"

"Today you invoke the will of Heaven to suppress martial arts. Is this truly for the sake of the Heavenly Order, or to avenge the loss of Ran Deng and the humiliation of the Chan Sect?"

"You know in your heart that all living beings in the primordial world... are not blind!"

The sound waves rolled and echoed in all directions.

Those divine senses that were secretly observing were all startled.

Xuan Du's words tore away the last fig leaf.

The Heavenly Venerable of Primordial Beginning's face turned ashen, and the Jade Pure Immortal Light around his body surged wildly. The Three Treasures Jade Ruyi hummed and trembled, almost slipping out of his hand!

He had never been so humiliated!

To have one's thoughts so blatantly exposed by a junior in front of all living beings!

"you!"

Yuanshi Tianzun stepped forward, his holy might surging down like a tide!

however.

The Tongtian Sect Leader moved swiftly, already blocking Xuandu's path.

The illusory image of the Qingping Sword hovered behind him, its sword intent soaring to the sky, showing no sign of yielding:

"Second brother, the younger generation speaks too bluntly, why get angry?"

"not to mention......"

Tongtian's gaze swept over Laozi, his tone indifferent:

"What Xuandu said, though somewhat extreme, is not without reason."

"My elder brother established the Human Religion and enjoyed the fortune of the human race, but he did not truly protect the human race."

"Today, Xuandu is gathering martial arts laws to pave a path for the human race to transcend. It would be one thing if my elder brother didn't lend a hand, but instead he's following the will of Heaven and obstructing his path to enlightenment..."

He paused, his voice turning cold:

"This kind of behavior is indeed... a bit unreasonable."

Laozi slightly raised his eyes and looked at Tongtian.

Eyes facing each other.

In the void, it seemed as if invisible Daoist principles collided and annihilated.

The delicate balance that had held the Three Pure Ones together for countless years... revealed a clear crack at this moment.

Lao Tzu spoke slowly, his voice still calm and undisturbed:

"Third brother, you are in charge of the Jie Sect, and you teach without discrimination. You are very protective of your own, which I understand."

"But the way of Heaven operates, and cannot be changed by personal feelings."

"If the laws of martial arts truly conform to the way of heaven, they will naturally survive."

"If we go against the will of Heaven... even if we forcibly keep them, it will be useless."

These words seemed to be addressed to Tongtian.

In reality... it was meant for Xuan Du to hear.

It was meant for that nascent martial arts law that was trembling violently under the pressure of the Heavenly Dao and could collapse at any moment!

Lao Tzu wants to tell Xuan Du:

Your path is not recognized by the Way of Heaven.

Your struggle is pointless.

"Oh......"

Xuandu suddenly laughed.

His laughter grew even more mocking and cold.

"To follow the will of Heaven? Or to defy it?"

He slowly shook his head, shifting his gaze from Lao Tzu to below.

Turning to those billions of people.

At this moment, hundreds of millions of people looked up at the sky.

Their faces were pale, blood trickling from the corners of their mouths, as they struggled to hold on under the oppressive power of Heaven.

But their eyes burned with the same light.

Unyielding! Unwilling! Unbelievable!

They refused to believe that their master, who had paved the way for humankind and passed down martial arts, would be abandoned by the Heavenly Dao!

They didn't believe that humanity's path to self-improvement would be against the will of Heaven!

They couldn't believe that... the high and mighty leader of the Human Cult, who enjoyed the blessings of humanity, would stand by and watch the Heavenly Dao suppress the hopes of humanity!

"Master Uncle."

Xuan Du spoke slowly, his voice calm, yet carrying a chilling resolve:

"Since you say that Heaven's justice is impartial, humanity should also strive to improve itself."

"Today, I will act in the name of the teacher of humanity..."

He took a deep breath, his voice resounding through the heavens:

"Ask this primordial world!"

"Ask these billions upon billions of people!"

"You, Taiqing Laozi... are you even worthy of being the leader of the Human Cult anymore?!"

Upon hearing this, the world fell silent!

For the first time, a clear emotion finally appeared on Lao Tzu's ancient and unadorned face!

His pupils contracted slightly, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and he stared intently at Xuan Du:

"Xuan Du...do you know what you're saying?"

Yuanshi Tianzun even shouted angrily:

"Insolence! The Human Cult was established by my elder brother and enjoys the approval of Heaven. How dare you abolish it just because you say so?!"

The Tongtian Sect Leader's expression also hardened, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes as he looked at Xuandu.

Should the position of the leader of the People's Education Press be abolished?

This is no small matter!

The Human Teachings are the foundation upon which Lao Tzu became a sage, enjoying the blessing of human destiny and the recognition of the Heavenly Dao.

If he is truly abolished... Laozi's holy position will not fall, but the fortune of the Humanist sect will surely collapse, and Laozi's own cultivation will also be damaged!

Xuandu... how dare you do this?

however.

Xuandu, however, seemed not to hear.

He no longer looked at Laozi, no longer looked at Yuanshi, and no longer even looked at the enormous Eye of Heaven.

His gaze was fixed solely on the hundreds of millions of humans below.

"The Suiren clan includes the Chao clan and the Zhenyi clan."

Xuan Du spoke softly.

The sound wasn't loud, but it clearly reached the ears of the three people.

The three men, including Suiren, trembled violently and abruptly looked up:

"Master!"

Xuandu slowly said:

"I establish the martial arts path, and take you as my disciples, in order to seize a glimmer of hope for the human race."

"Humans cultivate martial arts and strive for self-improvement. Although they have been slaughtered many times, they have never lost hope."

"Today, I gather the martial arts laws for the human race, intending to use this path to prove myself as a Primordial Grand Luo, and to usher in an era of eternal peace for the human race."

He paused, then his voice suddenly turned stern:

"But some people enjoy the blessings and fortune of our human race, yet stand idly by when our human race is in peril, and obstruct our rise to power!"

"This person... is none other than Taiqing Laozi!"

"This person establishes moral education, yet fails to fulfill the responsibility of that education!"

"This person enjoys good fortune, but is not able to bear its weight!"

The accusations, like thunderclaps, were etched deep into the hearts and minds of every human being!

The eyes of the billions of humans were bloodshot, and their chests heaved violently!

A century of pent-up grief, resentment, and bitterness... erupted at this moment!

They remembered their clansmen who had been slaughtered by the demon race.

I think of those newborn humans whose life essence was drained and whose bodies were never found.

It reminds me of the humility and despair of humanity struggling to survive at the bottom of the primordial world.

But Lao Tzu... that lofty leader of the Human Religion, has he ever truly protected them?

He has never uttered a single word for the human race.

No!

Not even once!

He simply stood atop Shouyang Mountain, detached and indifferent, governing by doing nothing.

Let humanity wail in blood and fire, and sink into despair!

"Does someone like that... deserve to be the leader of the Humanist Cult?"

Xuan Du's voice suddenly rose, resounding throughout the primordial world:

"Today, I, Xuandu..."