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

Yuan Shi was startled and turned to look at him:

"Brother?"

Lao Tzu looked at him, at those eyes that still burned with anger yet whose depths remained unknown, and gently shook his head.

"Do you think the Dao Ancestor would believe that?"

Yuan Shi was stunned.

Lao Tzu continued:

"When Dao Ancestor and Yang Mei were fighting, we stood on the edge of the primordial world and were completely unharmed."

"Tongtian protected the prehistoric world with the Zhuxian Sword Formation and blocked the aftershocks. He did a good job and made no mistakes."

"Although Xuandu has sealed off our retreat, have we been injured? Have we perished? Have we suffered even the slightest loss?"

He paused, his voice turning deep:

"No. We are standing here perfectly fine. Unharmed. Safe and sound."

Yuan Shi's expression changed slightly.

Lao Tzu continued:

"If the Dao Ancestor asks, what should we say?"

"You say Xuandu has sealed off our retreat? But we didn't move forward, we didn't step into the chaos, we didn't throw ourselves to our deaths."

"Did Xuandu force us? No. He merely blocked our escape route, but never gave us a push."

"We are afraid to go ourselves."

The final six words fell like a thunderclap.

Yuanshi's pupils suddenly contracted. Jieyin and Zhunti's faces turned deathly pale.

Lao Tzu looked at them, his eyes filled with weariness:

"We ourselves admitted that we were afraid of death, we ourselves admitted defeat, and we ourselves bowed our heads."

"If the Dao Ancestor were to ask, how should we answer?"

"To say that was merely a stopgap measure? To say that was only out of desperation? To say that it wasn't our original intention?"

He gently shook his head:

"Once those words are spoken, they cannot be taken back."

"A sage's words resonate with the will of Heaven."

"What we have personally admitted cannot be erased even by the Dao Ancestor."

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi's legs went weak and he staggered.

He looked at Lao Tzu, at that ashen face, at those weary eyes, and a chill suddenly ran through him.

Yes.

The words had already been spoken.

He personally admitted that he was afraid of death and wanted to live.

He admitted defeat in person.

He bowed his head in humility.

A sage's words are like spilled water—irretrievable.

Even if the Dao Ancestor were to return, he could not take back what they said.

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

In that sorrow, there was despair, helplessness, and an unprecedented sense of powerlessness.

Zhunti remained silent.

He simply lowered his head even further, and in the depths of his sinister eyes, there was now only a sense of desolation.

Yuan Shi gritted his teeth:

"Are we just going to let this go? Are we just going to suffer this humiliation for nothing?"

Lao Tzu gazed at him, remaining silent for a long time.

"What can we do if we don't care?"

He spoke, his voice hoarse:

"The Xuandu sect has achieved its great power, and the Jie Sect is at its zenith."

"Tongtian is protected by the Zhuxian Sword Formation, has the Chaos Bell to suppress his fortune, and has a heaven-defying disciple like Xuandu."

"The four of us have suffered damage to our Saint Foundation, a drop in our cultivation level, and have lost all our treasures."

"What are we going to fight with?"

The four words fell like a heavy burden, weighing on the hearts of the three.

Yuanshi opened his mouth, as if to say something, but no sound came out.

Yes.

What can we use to fight?

Lao Tzu slowly closed his eyes:

"Never mind, let's go back."

"Wait, wait for the Dao Ancestor to return, wait for the next great calamity to begin, wait for the unpredictable variables in the dark."

"No matter how strong Xuandu is, he is still just one person."

"Even if the Jie Sect becomes powerful, it is still just a sect."

"The workings of Heaven are predetermined and cannot be altered by human power."

He opened his eyes, turned around, and took a step forward.

The withered figure slowly disappeared into the void.

Yuanshi stood still, gazing in the direction where Laozi had disappeared, and remained silent for a long time.

He slowly turned around and looked at Jieyin and Zhunti.

Three pairs of eyes met in the void.

In those eyes, there was resentment, anger, and humiliation. But more than anything, there was despair.

It is the despair of having no choice but to accept one's fate.

Yuan Shi took a deep breath, suppressed the surging emotions in his heart, and turned to leave.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, then turned and left.

The four figures disappeared one after another at the edge of the primordial wilderness.

Deep within chaos.

The sounds of fighting gradually subsided.

The light from the Jade Disc of Creation slowly faded.

The illusory image of the hollow willow gradually faded away.

Hongjun and Yangmei stood in the void, a thousand feet apart.

Both of them had somewhat disordered auras. The vast chaos that stretched for billions of miles had completely vanished into nothingness.

Hongjun gazed at Yang Mei, his eyes deep and unfathomable. Yang Mei gazed at Hongjun, her expression calm and serene.

"Hongjun, shall we continue fighting?"

Yang Mei spoke, his voice ancient and deep.

Hongjun remained silent.

He gazed at Yang Mei, at that lean yet serene face, his eyes as deep and unfathomable as an abyss.

He knew, of course, that Yang Mei was telling the truth.

If the two continue fighting, there will be no result in the short term.

He is a Heavenly Saint, at the peak of the Ninth Heaven, with the Jade Disc of Creation in his hand and the Three Thousand Great Daos bestowed upon him.

But this is not the primordial wilderness.

It is chaos.

The power of Heaven has been weakened by 70% by the time it reaches this point.

Every move he made consumed the power of a saint that he had accumulated.

There is no Heavenly Dao to supplement it.

Without the blessing of the primordial chaos.

An inexhaustible source of magical power.

Every point you give is one less point you have.

But Yang Mei is different.

Yang Mei follows the path of Hunyuan, and chaos is his domain.

The hollow willow takes root in chaos, absorbing the energy of chaos for its own use.

With this ebb and flow, even if they fought for hundreds of years, they would not be able to determine a winner.

Centuries.

Hongjun's gaze darkened slightly.

He fought Yang Mei for hundreds of years, but what about the primordial world?

What about the tunnels?

What about the tunnels that were just completed but not yet stable?

What about Houtu?

What about Zhen Yuanzi?

What about the soon-to-be-born sage of the earth?

If he were trapped in chaos for hundreds of years, who in the primordial world could restrain Houtu?

Who can suppress the tunnels?

Who can maintain the supreme status of the Heavenly Way?

Moreover, the aftershocks of their battle were currently being kept outside the primordial world by the Heaven-Reaching Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation.

Can the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation withstand attacks for hundreds of years?

No.

Even the Heavenly Sword Dao, which is divine, and the Four Swords of Zhuxian, which are the most lethal in terms of killing power, cannot last for more than a few hundred years.

The aftershocks were so powerful that each one contained the supreme power of the peak of the Ninth Heaven.

The Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation can only hold out for a time, not forever.

As the sword formation collapsed, its aftershocks surged into the primordial world.

At that time, mountains and rivers will crumble, rivers will overflow, and lives will be lost.

Will the newly healed Heavenly Mark collapse again?

Will the four poles that have just been stabilized collapse again?

Could those billions of living beings in the primordial world withstand a second collapse of the sky and earth?

No.

Hongjun knew this in his heart.

Continuing to fight would be unwise.

But the thought of the underground passage made him furious.

The Earth Book returned to its rightful place, the Earthly Way was perfected, and Houtu was freed from her predicament.

He has laid out a scheme worth hundreds of millions of dollars, maintained an order worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and ruled over the primordial world worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

Now, it has been shattered by the person in front of me.

How could he possibly let this go?

"Yang Mei".

Hongjun spoke, his voice as cold as ancient ice: "You truly deny the matter of the underground passage?"

Yang Mei shook her head: "I don't acknowledge it."

"I, Yang Mei, have never been afraid to admit my actions."

"If I did it, I would tell you honestly and openly."

"But this matter was definitely not done by me."

He paused, then looked directly at Hongjun: "If you don't believe me, you can deduce the secrets of heaven."

"Let's see who bears the brunt of this cause and effect."

Upon hearing this, Hongjun's expression changed slightly.

Deducing the secrets of heaven?

Hasn't he already considered this possibility?

From the moment the Earth Book returned to its place, he began to deduce its meaning.

They simulated the scenarios day and night, constantly rehearsing them.

But the secrets of heaven are shrouded in chaos, a complete blur.

He couldn't deduce even the slightest thing.

Yang Mei is asking him to deduce this now, just to confirm it once again.

Hongjun remained silent.

He gazed at Yang Mei, at those deep yet composed eyes, at that lean yet sincere face.

A sudden, indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

Could it really not be Yang Mei?

If it wasn't Yang Mei, then who could it be?

Who could possess such abilities?

Who could escape his senses?

Who can refine the Earth Book to complete the underground passage?