Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Lao Tzu watched his retreating figure:

"Go."

"Go and ask Yuanshi yourself."

"As for Tongtian..."

He paused:

"I advise you to go to Kunlun first."

The guide turned back and looked at him:

"What is the sage's intention?"

Lao Tzu's gaze narrowed slightly:

"During the Investiture of the Gods, you and I broke his Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation together."

"His four personal disciples, Duobao, Jinling, Wudang, and Guiling, were all sent to the Investiture of the Gods."

"His disciples, Zhao Gongming, the Three Immortals of Sanxiao, and the Ten Heavenly Kings, all died at our hands."

"You think... he'd still want to see you?"

The guide's expression changed slightly.

Zhunti's face turned deathly pale.

Yes.

The Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.

The Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation.

Together with Laozi and Yuanshi, they broke the Tongtian Zhuxian Sword Formation.

Duobao Daoren was captured and taken to the Bajing Palace, where he later became a Buddhist monk.

The Holy Mother of Golden Spirit was killed and deified.

The Holy Mother of Wudang escaped by sheer luck and disappeared without a trace.

The Holy Mother of Tortoise Spirit was sucked dry by the Mosquito Taoist until she was an empty shell.

Zhao Gongming was cursed to death by the Seven Arrows Book with Nailhead.

The Three Immortals were personally suppressed and killed by Yuanshi.

All ten Heavenly Kings perished and their cultivation vanished.

Those images all flooded my mind at that moment.

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance.

They both saw the same complexity in each other's eyes.

I feel guilty.

He feels remorse.

There was an inexplicable sense of guilt.

There was also a hint of... fear.

That was the insecurity he couldn't hide when facing Tongtian.

Lao Tzu looked at them and slowly said:

"So, let's go to Kunlun first."

"If even Yuanshi doesn't intervene, then you can go to Jin'ao Island."

"At that time... take care of yourself."

The guide took a deep breath:

"Thank you for your guidance, sage."

The two turned around.

He strode away.

Outside the Eight Views Palace.

The celestial mist surged, and the spiritual spring cascaded down.

Jieyin and Zhunti stood in the void, gazing at the ancient and magnificent Taoist palace.

He remained silent for a long time.

a long time.

Zhunti opened his mouth, his voice hoarse:

"Senior brother, are we... really going to Kunlun?"

The guide nodded:

"go."

Zhunti frowned deeply:

"What if Yuanshi also says it wasn't him?"

"Are we really going to Jin'ao Island?"

"To see...Tongtian?"

Receiving silence.

He looked eastward, towards the majestic Kunlun Mountains.

Then I looked further into the distance, towards the Golden Turtle Island in the chaotic sea.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions.

"If I really have to go..."

He paused:

"Then let's go."

"For the sake of obtaining Buddhist scriptures, and for the flourishing of Buddhism."

"Even if I have to kneel and die outside the island, I have to go."

Zhunti smiled wryly:

"Kneel to death?"

"Senior brother, back then, you and I joined forces with Laozi and Yuanshi to break his Zhuxian Sword Formation."

"His disciples from the Jie Sect all died at our hands."

"Why would he see us so easily?"

The guide took a deep breath:

"We still have to go."

"The eastward transmission of Buddhism is a predetermined destiny."

"The abduction of Sun Wukong is a great calamity for Buddhism."

"If we cannot find that monkey, our three-thousand-year plan will be in vain."

"Neither of us can bear this responsibility."

Zhunti nodded:

"Senior brother is right."

"Then...shall we go to Kunlun first?"

The guide looked towards Kunlun:

"Let's go to Kunlun first."

"Hopefully... it's Yuanshi who's making a move."

"Hopefully... we don't have to go to Jin'ao Island."

The two exchanged a glance.

His whole body was surrounded by a radiant aura.

They transformed into two streaks of light and sped off towards the east.

Kunlun Mountain.

Majestic and magnificent, stretching for millions of miles.

Amidst the swirling mist, exotic flowers and rare herbs abound, and cascading waterfalls flow freely.

Yuxu Palace is located at the top of the main peak, ancient and magnificent, with a Taoist atmosphere.

This is the sacred site of Yuanshi Tianzun.

It is the ancestral temple of the Chan sect.

It is the only major Taoist sect that has barely survived since the Investiture of the Gods.

The palace gates were tightly shut.

Quietly.

It was as if they were isolated from the world.

In the void.

Two beams of Buddhist light rushed towards them.

To guide or lead.

Zhunti.

The two landed a hundred feet outside the Jade Void Palace and stood with their hands behind their backs.

Looking at the tightly closed palace gates.

His eyes were filled with complex emotions.

Zhunti whispered:

"Senior brother, do you think... Yuanshi will admit it?"

The guide shook his head:

"I don't know."

"But you have to ask to find out."

Zhunti smiled wryly:

"What if he doesn't admit it either?"

Receiving silence.

a long time.

He spoke slowly:

"Then... we'll have to go to Jin'ao Island."

Zhunti's complexion changed slightly.

Jin'ao Island.

Reaching the heavens.

That name weighed heavily on their hearts like a colossal boulder.

The guide took a deep breath:

"Let's go."

"Go in and ask."

He stepped forward and clasped his hands together in prayer:

"Western Guides and Bodhisattvas, please grant us an audience with the Sage of Jade Purity!"

The sound was calm, echoing in the sky above the Kunlun Mountains.

The celestial mist surged, and the spiritual spring trembled.

The Jade Void Palace remained silent.

a long time.

The palace gates slowly opened.

A cool, clear voice came from inside the door:

"Come in."

Inside the Jade Void Palace.

The Taoist aura flowed, and the celestial light shone brightly.

Yuanshi sat cross-legged on a futon, his body surrounded by a pure and ethereal light, his face cold and stern as if covered in frost.

He gazed at Jieyin and Zhunti, who entered together, his eyes calm as still water.

"Fellow Daoists, what brings you to Kunlun?"

The voice was cold and devoid of any warmth.

The guide clasped his hands together in prayer:

"I have met the Sage Yuqing."

"We have come here because of the matter of Sun Wukong."

Yuanshi raised an eyebrow slightly:

"Sun Wukong?"

"That monkey that was imprisoned under the Five Elements Mountain?"

The guide nodded:

"Exactly."

"He was rescued."

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi's expression remained unchanged.

Even the corners of his mouth were slightly upturned.

"They've been rescued?"

"That's something for Buddha to worry about."

"What does it have to do with me?"

Zhunti stepped forward:

"Sage, the one who rescued Sun Wukong shattered the seal of the Five Elements Mountain with a single blow, leaving no trace of his presence."

"The secrets of heaven are obscured, and we cannot sense the path to the pilgrimage."

"Such methods..."

He paused, his gaze fixed directly on Yuan Shi:

"Looking across the vast universe, who else could it be but a sage?"

Yuanshi laughed.

His smile was extremely cold, as cold as ice that had stood for millennia.

"So, you two fellow Daoists suspect that this was my doing?"

He remained silent while receiving the guidance.

Zhunti remained silent.

Yuan Shi slowly rose to his feet.

Jade-pure celestial light flowed, its oppressive aura as imposing as mountains and peaks.

He looked at the two of them, his eyes filled with a chilling light:

"Do you two have any evidence?"

The guide shook his head:

"None."

Yuanshi then said:

"Did you see it with your own eyes?"

Zhunti shook his head:

"No."

Yuanshi sneered:

"You're accusing me without any evidence?"

"Fellow Daoists, you've gone too far."

The guide took a deep breath:

"Please calm your anger, sage."

"Our suspicions are not unfounded."

"But that person's methods are too terrifying."

"Among those of us who can deduce the Three Realms in this way, there are very few."

"Except for you, the Sage..."

"Who else could it be?"

Yuanshi looked at him.

Looking at that solemn face.

Suddenly he laughed.

His smile was full of sarcasm.

"Who else could it be?"

"Have you forgotten Tongtian?"

The guide's expression changed slightly.

Zhunti's face turned deathly pale.