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

Hongjun Daozu stood with his hands behind his back, his indifferent eyes gazing at Xuandu, his gaze devoid of sorrow or joy, revealing no emotional fluctuations.

He did not answer immediately.

She simply gazed quietly at the young man in blue robes before her, at his eyes as calm as an ancient well, and at his young yet infinitely composed face.

a long time.

Hongjun spoke slowly, his voice calm and even:

What do you want?

The four characters fell like a decree from the Great Dao, slowly echoing before the Purple Cloud Palace.

Xuan Du slightly raised his gaze, looking directly into Hong Jun's indifferent eyes, and said, word by word:

"Kongtong Seal".

As the three words were uttered, the void in front of Zixiao Palace suddenly froze.

The flowing chaotic energy seemed to freeze for a moment.

Hongjun's eyes flickered slightly.

He didn't speak, but his gaze shifted slightly, landing behind the tightly closed gates of Zixiao Palace.

It descended upon the four figures of saints whose auras were disordered and whose faces were deathly pale.

......

Inside the Purple Cloud Palace.

Yuanshi sat cross-legged, his body surrounded by the flickering light of the Jade Purity Immortal Light, while the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi hung above his head, its radiance dim.

His eyes were slightly closed, as if he were regulating his breathing, but his mind could not calm down.

The fear of surviving the ordeal, the frustration of being trapped in the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, and the anger of having the Pangu Banner stolen—all these emotions tangled together in my heart like a jumbled mess.

What made him even more uneasy was the words of the figure in blue outside the door.

Xuandu.

He actually dared to make demands of the Dao Ancestor!

He actually dared to ask for the Kongtong Seal!

Yuanshi suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes swirling with a wild, ethereal light that seemed to scorch through the void.

"This child is arrogant!"

He let out a low roar, his aura becoming chaotic and turbulent, causing the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi to vibrate and hum.

Beside him, Lao Tzu slowly opened his eyes.

The ashen look on that withered face deepened.

He gazed at Yuanshi, his voice hoarse:

"He's taking advantage of the situation."

Taking advantage of someone's misfortune?

Yuanshi sneered:

"He did more than just take advantage of the chaos!"

"The Creation Stone is in his hands, the Xuan Turtle is a disciple of his Intercepting Sect, and no one but him can mend the heavens and support the sky!"

"He's found the Dao Ancestor's weakness, forcing him to submit!"

Lao Tzu remained silent.

He knew that Yuanshi was right.

What good would it do to know?

The artifact used to mend the heavens is indeed in Xuandu's hands.

Without the Creation Stone, the Heavenly Scar could not be repaired.

Without the limbs of the Xuan Turtle, the sky could not be supported if it collapsed.

When the primordial world is destroyed and the Heavenly Dao collapses, where can these Heavenly Dao Saints hide?

Although Zixiao Palace is safe, if the Primordial World perishes, what meaning will the sages have?

"Amitabha......"

The low chanting of Buddhist prayers came from not far away, carrying endless weariness and bitterness.

The cracks on his golden statue remained, the Buddha's light flickered, and his eyes, which had once held the compassion of billions of yuan, were now filled with an unfathomable darkness.

"Benefactor Xuandu...such a deep scheme."

Zhunti remained silent.

He stared intently at the direction of the palace gate, at the vaguely visible figure in blue, the Seven Treasures Tree in his palm trembling slightly.

He watched Xuan Du walk towards him step by step from beginning to end.

From preaching the Way on the shores of the East China Sea to attaining enlightenment and primordial unity.

From abolishing Laozi's teachings to beheading Nuwa, the Holy Mother.

From seizing the River Styx from the Sea of ​​Blood to devising a plan in the Pangu Palace.

From appearing at Buzhou Mountain to blasting Nuwa to death.

From trapping the Four Saints in the Zhuxian Sword Formation to removing the Ten Thousand Immortals of the Jie Sect and the children of the Witch Clan.

From the two self-destructions to now demanding the Kongtong Seal from the Dao Ancestor in front of the Zixiao Palace.

Every step, every game, every piece.

Every plan was meticulously calculated.

Everything was just right.

All of this has forced the four saints into this predicament.

Zhunti slowly closed his eyes.

He was unwilling to accept it.

But no matter how unwilling you are, what can you do?

Outside the door, Xuan Du's voice rang out again, still calm:

"The Dao Ancestor is wise and discerning. The Kongtong Seal is a supreme treasure of the human race and should rightfully be held by the common ruler of the human race."

"I am no longer the leader of the Humanist Cult, so what merit or ability do I have to continue possessing this treasure?"

"This disciple has done immeasurable merit by mending and supporting the heavens of the primordial world. It is only right that I request this seal as a treasure to safeguard the destiny of the human race."

After he finished speaking, the Purple Cloud Palace fell into a deathly silence.

Lao Tzu's face was ashen.

He suddenly opened his eyes, and those once calm and indifferent eyes were now filled with unfathomable hatred and humiliation.

Kongtong Seal!

That was the foundation upon which he established his religion and became a saint!

That was a symbol of his leadership over the People's Education Press!

That was his... last shred of dignity!

The Humanist Church was abolished, the Holy Foundation was damaged, the realm plummeted, and the Taiji Diagram was seized.

Now, even the Kongtong Seal is going to be taken away?

"Xuandu!"

Lao Tzu growled, his voice hoarse like the howl of a vengeful ghost:

"You...you've gone too far!"

He suddenly stood up, his body ablaze with purple-purple Dao light, and was about to rush out the door!

But the next moment.

A hand pressed down on his shoulder.

The beginning of time.

Yuanshi stood beside him, his face ashen, his eyes fixed on him.

"Go out and get yourself killed?"

The four characters fell like ancient ice.

Lao Tzu was jolted.

He stared intently at Yuanshi, his lips moving, but he couldn't utter a single word.

to death?

Yes.

Xuan Du has already reached the second level of the Hunyuan Daluo realm, the ancestor of martial arts, with boundless fortune.

What about him?

His foundation was damaged, his cultivation level dropped to the early stage of the first heaven, his Taiji Diagram was stolen, and his combat power was reduced to less than one-tenth.

What can I do if I go out now?

To confront Xuan Du? Or to fight Xuan Du?

Nuwa's fate is imminent.

Lao Tzu's legs went weak, and he collapsed to the ground.

The last trace of color drained from that withered face.

The guide chanted the Buddha's name in a low voice, his tone mournful.

Zhunti didn't speak, but simply lowered his head even further.

Yuan Shi slowly closed his eyes.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the surging humiliation and anger in his heart, and silently awaited the judgment of the voice outside the door.

......

In front of the Purple Cloud Palace.

Hongjun remained standing with his hands behind his back, his gaze indifferently fixed on Xuandu.

a long time.

He spoke slowly:

"The Kongtong Seal belongs to Laozi."

"Although the Human Teachings have been abolished, he is still a sage of the Heavenly Way, and the karmic connection between this seal and him is not severed."

Xuan Du stood with his hands behind his back before the Zixiao Palace, his blue robes slightly fluttering, his gaze calmly fixed on Hongjun:

"What the Dao Ancestor said is absolutely right."

"The karma of Laozi, Yuanshi, and Zhunti Jieyin plotting against me has not been severed either."

He paused, his voice remaining calm:

"Thank you for the reminder, Dao Ancestor. I will go to their Daoist temple to settle accounts shortly."

As soon as he finished speaking, silence fell over the area in front of Zixiao Palace.

The flowing chaotic energy seemed to freeze for a moment.

Hongjun's eyes flickered slightly.

A faint ripple flickered in the depths of those eyes that had been indifferent for countless years.

He didn't speak.

She simply gazed quietly at the young man in blue robes before her, at his eyes as calm as an ancient well, and at his young yet infinitely composed face.

a long time.

Hongjun slowly spoke:

"Are you going to their dojo to settle scores?"

Xuan Du nodded slightly:

"Yes."

"During the great calamity, they laid a trap and joined forces to kill the disciples."

"Nuwa has perished, and the cause and effect have been settled."

"But the other four saints are still alive and well."

His voice was calm, and his words were clear:

"If this disciple were to give up now, wouldn't everyone in the primordial world be able to plot against my Jie Sect in the future?"

Hongjun remained silent.

He knew Xuan Du was right.

Sages calculate, and cause and effect become intertwined.

Once you sow the seeds, you must reap the fruits.

This is an ironclad law of the primordial world, which even if he were to merge with the Heavenly Dao, he could not forcibly erase.

But he still spoke:

"Yuanshi, Laozi, Jieyin, and Zhunti were all sages of the Heavenly Way, whose true spirits were entrusted to the Heavenly Way."

"If you kill them..."

Xuan Du interrupted him, his voice still calm:

"This disciple will not kill them."

Hongjun's gaze narrowed slightly.

Xuandu slowly said:

"I only need one explanation."

"This is an explanation to let them know that plotting against my Xuandu and my Jie Sect will come at a price."

As the sound faded, silence fell once again in front of the Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun gazed at him, his eyes as deep as the starry sea.

He saw it.

Seeing no murderous intent or madness in the eyes of the young man in blue before him, only an unfathomable calm.

That was true peace.

It is the calm that comes after having calculated everything perfectly and having a clear plan in mind.

It is a tranquility that requires no bloodshed, no outpouring of emotions, only the orderly placement of pieces.

Hongjun suddenly understood.

Xuan Du never wanted the fate of the Four Sages.

If he truly wanted to kill, he could have joined forces with Tongtian to deliver a thunderous blow when the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation trapped the four saints.

Nuwa has perished, the Four Sages are trapped, and Tongtian has joined forces with him; they cannot be killed.

Killed.

But he didn't kill.

Because he knew that killing the Four Sages would disrupt the balance of Heaven and plunge the primordial world into chaos.

That's not what he wanted.

What he wanted was to establish his authority.

It was to let all living beings in the primordial world know the consequences of plotting against Xuandu.

It is to make Yuanshi, Laozi, Jieyin, and Zhunti pay a price that will make them remember the billions of dollars.

Hongjun Daozu gently raised his hand, his sleeves fluttering slightly.

"Buzz!"

The palace gate of Zixiao Palace, which had been closed for countless years, slowly opened.

Four figures were clearly visible behind the door.

All four saints are here.

Xuandu stood before the Zixiao Palace, his green robes fluttering slightly, his gaze calmly fixed on the four figures.

A faint smile slowly curved the corners of his lips.

The curve was faint, yet it carried a profound understanding that saw through everything.

Before he arrived, he had used his divine sense to scan Shouyang Mountain, Kunlun Mountain, and Xumi Mountain.

The three temples were empty.

There is no aura of Laozi, no aura of the Primordial Beginning, no aura of Jieyin or Zhunti.

He then knew that the Four Sages were definitely in the Purple Cloud Palace.

Now it seems that this was indeed the case.