Western Conspiracy

Since Meng Chen had shown himself to be head and shoulders above the other Chan Sect disciples from the very start of his apprenticeship, the moment he made a slight move just now, he dispelled the curses on them, and Guang Chengzi and the others keenly felt the gap between themselves and Meng Chen.

They could not have been more convinced of this Eldest Senior Brother's superiority. So, Guang Chengzi and the other two began to recount to Meng Chen what had happened over the past ten thousand years.

In truth, what could really happen between the Chan Sect and the Intercepting Teaching? Back and forth, it was always the same few things.

Former wandering cultivators had suddenly transformed into Sage's Disciples, like sparrows perching on a branch and becoming phoenixes. As a result, these people grew arrogant, turned their noses up, and looked down on each other's ways.

The Chan Sect disciples felt that the Intercepting Teaching disciples had the name of immortals but none of the virtue, while the Intercepting Teaching disciples thought the Chan Sect disciples were hypocrites, putting on airs.

With a little instigation from those with ulterior motives, it turned into the Chan Sect disciples calling the Intercepting Teaching disciples Hairy and Horned, Moist-Born and Egg-Hatched, while the Intercepting Teaching disciples shot back, saying the Chan Sect disciples were falsely aloof, full of righteous talk but rotten to the core.

Gradually, the disciples of the two sects grew to despise each other.

To make matters worse, the Chan Sect disciples were few in number and no match for the Intercepting Teaching disciples. Every clash ended in defeat for the Chan Sect.

Guang Chengzi said with a helpless look: "Eldest Senior Brother can see for himself, it's not that we want to provoke the Intercepting Teaching, but they push us too far. Not only have they turned Kunlun Wonderland into a mess, they also cultivate all kinds of Heretical Paths, ruining the pure reputation of our Xuanmen."

Meng Chen listened quietly, his expression grave.

From start to finish, the conflict between the Chan Sect and the Intercepting Teaching had nothing to do with sect doctrines. The discord between the two sides stemmed from different values and different views of good and evil.

This kind of contradiction was irreconcilable, with no possibility of resolution. Unless people could truly understand each other.

Fortunately, not all Intercepting Teaching disciples were like Curly Head Immortal, Ling Ya Xian, and Yu Shuixian. This gave some leeway for easing relations between the two sects.

Meng Chen was not afraid of trouble, but the destruction of the Intercepting Teaching would bring no benefit to the Chan Sect.

The three sects—Human, Chan, and Intercepting—were mutually complementary and interdependent. Losing any one of them would severely hamper the development of the other two.

Setting aside other reasons, just consider the Primordial World itself.

If the Intercepting Teaching were destroyed, given Master Tongtian's temper, he would surely bring about heaven-shaking, earth-shattering destruction. What development potential would a broken Primordial World have?

In the era of the Earth Immortal Realm, a few Primordial Unity Golden Immortals were already lording it over the Primordial World, calling themselves Great Sages.

Educating such a Primordial World brought no sense of accomplishment.

"Is it possible that among the Intercepting Teaching disciples, there are spies from other forces? And quite a few of them at that."

Thinking of the outcome of the Investiture of the Gods War, Meng Chen unconsciously turned his gaze westward.

With the means of a Sage, planting spies in the Intercepting Teaching was far too easy. Master Tongtian insisted on teaching without discrimination, so the Two Sages of the West went along with it, using that opportunity to send people into the Intercepting Teaching.

Of course, it wasn't just the Intercepting Teaching; there might also be spies in the Chan Sect.

Consider Daoist Ran Deng. When he was in the Chan Sect, he couldn't even beat the younger generation, getting thrashed in turn by Zhao Gongming, Yunxiao, Kong Xuan, and others. But the moment he jumped ship to the Western Church, he immediately soared, becoming an existence on the same level as Zhen Yuan Great Immortal, Old Ancestor Styx, and the like.

Clearly, Daoist Ran Deng was either hiding his true ability or suppressing his own cultivation advancement.

As Sages, the Two Sages of the West made such a grand move not to deal with the disciples of the Human and Chan sects, but to deal with the Three Pure Ones.

After the Investiture of the Gods War, Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Master Tongtian all took the Saint-Felling Pill, and Master Tongtian was even imprisoned in Purple Cloud Palace.

Though the Primordial World was shattered, the Two Sages of the West took the MVP of the whole affair, defeating the Three Pure Ones.

"If my guess is right, things are going to be troublesome. On the Intercepting Teaching side, Uncle-Master Tongtian will absolutely not believe my one-sided story. On the Chan Sect side, my teacher never wanted to take in Ran Deng in the first place; it was Ran Deng who shamelessly forced his way into the Chan Sect. Besides, rashly exposing a Sage's schemes does me no good at all."

Meng Chen's mind raced as he considered countermeasures.

His first thought was to explain the stakes to the Sages. But that approach would certainly be useless. Even Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't persuade Master Tongtian; what kind of face did Meng Chen have to make Master Tongtian tighten his management of the Intercepting Teaching disciples?

People have their close and distant ties. Between a nephew-disciple's words and his own disciples' words, Master Tongtian would surely believe the latter.

"Then there's only one path left: join forces with those Virtuous True Cultivators within the Intercepting Teaching to root out the rot inside. Without these scumbags stirring up trouble, relations between the Chan Sect and the Intercepting Teaching would be much smoother. Uncle-Master Tongtian may not trust me, but he should trust his own disciples. However, this matter still needs my teacher's support."

Meng Chen deeply understood the principle that haste makes waste.

Everything was just his own speculation; he had no evidence to prove it. The only thing that could prove his guess was time. But if things were allowed to develop to the state of the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, there would be no room left for turning back.

For now, the only way was to use Intercepting Teaching disciples to deal with Intercepting Teaching disciples.

"Eldest Senior Brother, should we fight back and teach the Intercepting Teaching a lesson?"

Taiyi Zhenren looked at Meng Chen, a hint of excitement in his voice.

He knew that Meng Chen's cultivation far surpassed that of their generation of disciples. As long as Meng Chen made a move and picked them off one by one, they could surely teach the Intercepting Teaching a lesson.

"Teach them a lesson, huh?"

A faint smile appeared on Meng Chen's face. "Then let's teach them one!"

"Haaah... ugh... haaah... ugh..."

Just then, a strange panting sound drifted up. This panting was fiercer than what Guang Chengzi and the others had heard before; the moment it began, it was already at its peak.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

As the panting sounded, a violent storm broke out over Pointing Heaven Peak, and a scent of desire filled heaven and earth. Then, a seductive face appeared above the clouds. She parted her red lips and blew a breath toward Pointing Heaven Peak.

A gale raged across heaven and earth. When the wind hit Guang Chengzi and the others, their bodies immediately went numb and weak, as if someone had breathed right into their ears.

Sensing Yu Shuixian's methods, Meng Chen frowned.

This woman, Yu Shuixian, was using seduction arts in broad daylight to tempt him, the hope of the righteous path in the Primordial World. She had already earned herself a death sentence.

"What fiend dares show yourself? Get down here!"

"Get down here!"

As he spoke, formless magical power surged into the void, directly striking Yu Shuixian's true form. It condensed into a single word—Begone—and forced her true body out into the open.

"How is this possible!?"

Yu Shuixian's eyes flew wide in disbelief. She was a Golden Immortal too—how could she have no power to resist against another Golden Immortal?

Whoosh!

The next moment, a fireball plummeted from the sky and slammed heavily onto Pointing Heaven Peak. Flames exploded, smoke and dust billowed, and Yu Shuixian's disheveled figure emerged stumbling from the haze.

She burst out of the flames, terror written all over her face.

"Kneel!"

Meng Chen pressed down with another palm from afar, and Yu Shuixian crashed solidly to her knees before him.

Dealing with such a minor character, he didn't even need to use a tenth of his cultivation. With just a flick of his finger, he could reduce her to ashes.