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

Lao Tzu raised his eyes and looked at the Primordial Beginning.

In the depths of those withered eyes, a light flickered uncertainly.

"I can't bear it, but what can I do?"

The six words fell like eternal ice.

Yuan Shi was taken aback.

Lao Tzu continued, "You can't beat them, you can't win in a fight, and you can't outsmart them."

"Junior brother, what else can I do but tell you that I can't bear it?"

The Primordial One remained silent.

He knew that his elder brother was right.

I can't bear it, but what can I do?

Go find Xuandu? Go to Jin'ao Island? Go to the Jie Sect?

It's nothing but self-inflicted humiliation.

Go find Bai Shou? Go clean house? Go regain face?

How could the man in blue stand idly by?

"So, elder brother, you're sitting here?"

Yuanshi spoke, his voice tinged with resentment.

"So you just watch the fortunes of the Human Education sect fade away day by day?"

"So you just watch the Jie Sect grow stronger day by day?"

"And then we see that Xuandu riding on our heads?"

Lao Tzu looked at him, his gaze calm.

Beneath that calm surface lay a sense of helplessness born from a profound understanding of the world.

"Junior brother, do you think I want to sit here?"

"You think your brother doesn't want to take action?"

"Do you think your brother doesn't want to regain face?"

He paused, his voice turning deep:

"But what can I do, brother? I alone cannot defeat Xuandu, nor can I fight against the Jie Sect."

"Even if I risk my life, it will only make that man in blue have to do a little more work."

As the words fell, a sense of relief washed over him.

Yuanshi stood beside the cloud bed, gazing at his elder brother's withered face.

An indescribable emotion welled up inside me.

My elder brother has changed.

He is no longer the tranquil and inactive sage of the past.

It is no longer the lofty and authentic Pangu lineage of yesteryear.

No longer is the being who is untouched by cause and effect, and untainted by worldly affairs.

He was stripped of his position as leader of the Human Sect by Xuandu, his Kongtong Seal was taken away, and his path to enlightenment was cut off.

A fortune of hundreds of millions can vanish in a single day.

Now, even his only disciple has betrayed him.

What else does he have?

What else is there to argue about?

What else is there to assemble?

"Brother."

Yuanshi spoke, his voice low and deep.

"I understand your predicament."

"But I still maintain the same thing: what can I do even if I can't bear it?"

"To not endure is to await death."

"Enduring it is just waiting to die."

"Since we're going to die anyway, why not give it a shot?"

Lao Tzu looked at him, his eyes flickering slightly.

"Spell? How do you spell it?"

Yuanshi took a deep breath and spoke slowly and deliberately.

"Go to Zixiao Palace."

"Find the Dao Ancestor."

"Ask him, old man, is he still going to intervene in the Investiture of the Gods?"

"Ask him, old man, is the Jie Sect going to suppress it now that it's become so powerful?"

"Ask him, will he still protect us, the sages of the Heavenly Dao?"

After the words fell, Lao Tzu remained silent.

He gazed at Yuanshi, at that dignified yet resolute face.

Thoughts raced through my mind.

Go to Zixiao Palace.

Seek the Dao Ancestor.

This was something he had never imagined.

Since the signing of the Investiture of the Gods, the Dao Ancestor has remained hidden in the Zixiao Palace, never showing himself, never sending a message, and never making any move.

It was as if they had given up.

It's as if they've accepted the reality of the balance between Heaven, Earth, and Man.

It was as if that gray figure was no longer the sole ruler of the primordial world.

But he knew.

The Dao Ancestor will not admit defeat.

That old Taoist priest had lived for countless years, and his scheming was far beyond that of ordinary people.

He retreated not because he couldn't win, but because it wasn't worth it.

His lying low was not an admission of defeat, but a sign of waiting.

Wait for the Investiture of the Gods to begin, wait for the Great Tribulation to descend, wait for that chance to strike and kill.

Now, the Investiture of the Gods is about to begin, and a great calamity is approaching.

It's time for Dao Ancestor to make his move.

"it is good."

Lao Tzu spoke, and with each word he uttered, he felt a great weight lifted from his shoulders.

He rose and stood with his hands behind his back before the cloud bed.

The purple light surged like a tide, and his withered face was now filled with determination.

"Go to Zixiao Palace."

"Find the Dao Ancestor."

"Let me get to the bottom of this."

Yuanshi nodded and stood beside him.

Two figures, one in gold and one in purple, stood side by side.

He raised his eyes and looked towards the outside of the palace gate.

Looking up at the heavens above.

Looking towards the Purple Cloud Palace suspended in the chaos.

"Walk."

The word fell.

Two figures took a step forward.

The void rippled silently.

They vanished from the Eight Views Palace in an instant.

......

Zixiao Palace

The palace gates were tightly shut.

Inside the palace, chaotic energy flowed slowly.

The gray figure stood with his hands behind his back in the depths of chaos, his back to the palace gate and to the endless void.

Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor.

He slightly raised his eyes.

His gaze pierced through layers of chaos, through the barriers of the Heavenly Dao, and fell upon the lower realm.

It landed on the two figures that were rushing towards Shouyang Mountain.

One gold and one purple.

The origin, Lao Tzu.

Hongjun's expression remained unchanged, but a faint glimmer of light flashed in the depths of his eyes, which had been indifferent for countless years.

The light was very faint, so faint that it was almost imperceptible.

But if someone were nearby, they would definitely see that it was out of helplessness.

It is a sense of helplessness suppressed to the extreme.

"They're here."

He spoke in a low voice, which drifted into the chaos.

What's meant to come will come.

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned around.

He stood with his hands behind his back amidst the chaos, his gray Taoist robe hanging down, his face ancient and his eyes indifferent.

and so on.

A moment later.

Outside the palace gates, the void rippled slightly.

Two figures slowly emerged from the ripples.

The Primordial Beginning comes first, followed by Lao Tzu.

The Taoist robes are golden yellow, and the Taoist robes are grayish-purple.

Jade Pure Immortal Light, Purple Pure Dao Light.

The two emperors stood before the palace gate, gazing up at the tightly closed gate.

Above the door, innate Dao patterns flowed endlessly, with the Three Thousand Great Daos hidden within.

Zixiao Palace.

They've been here countless times.

When the time comes to preach at Zixiao Palace, when the time comes to distribute treasures at Fenbao Cliff, and when the time comes to sign the Investiture of the Gods.

But never before have I felt so uneasy.

This time, they came to seek help from the Dao Ancestor.

We beg the Dao Ancestor to intervene.

We implore the Taoist Ancestor to uphold justice.

They begged the Dao Ancestor to suppress the Jie Sect.

Yuan Shi took a deep breath, suppressing the surging emotions in his heart.

Raise your hand.

Push the door open.

"Squeak..."

The palace gates slowly opened.

Behind the door, chaotic energy surged like a tide. (Your Majesty)

The gray figure stood with his hands behind his back in the depths of chaos, his back to them.

His gray Taoist robe hung down, his face hidden in the chaos.

I can't see their expressions clearly.

But that aura made Yuan Shi's heart skip a beat.

That was the oppressive aura of a Heavenly Saint.

It is the supreme power of a half-step Heavenly Dao.

Even with his cultivation at the seventh level, he was as insignificant as an ant in the face of this oppressive aura.

"Disciple Yuanshi pays respects to the Dao Ancestor."

"Disciple Laozi pays respects to the Dao Ancestor."

The two saints knelt on the ground and kowtowed repeatedly.

The sound shook the palace, and the chaotic air surged like a tide.

Hongjun did not turn around.

He simply stood with his hands behind his back amidst the chaos, his voice calm.

Get up.

The two emperors rose and stood beside the palace gate.

He bowed slightly, not daring to raise his head.

Hongjun slowly turned around.

Those eyes, indifferent through countless years, gazed upon the two saints.

Looking at Yuanshi's face, which was trying to remain calm but couldn't hide his anxiety.

Looking at Lao Tzu's withered yet resolute face.

A moment of silence.

Then, he slowly began to speak.

"What brings you here?"

Yuanshi took a deep breath and stepped forward.

"Dao Ancestor, your disciple has come to discuss the matter of the Investiture of the Gods."

"Regarding the matter of the Jie Sect."

"For matters concerning the Chan, Ren, and Xifang religions."

Hongjun looked at him, his gaze calm.

"speak."

Yuan Shi gritted his teeth, speaking slowly and deliberately.

"Dao Ancestor, the Investiture of the Gods has been signed, and the great calamity is about to begin."

"The Jie Sect is the one destined to face this calamity; I know that."

"I am aware that all the immortals of the Jie Sect are on the list."

"But this disciple would like to know, when will the Jie Sect face its tribulation?"

When will Wan Xian be listed?

"When will Xuandu be executed?"