Suppressing Daoist Duobao

After Daoist Duobao escaped the suppression of the Seal of Earth, he immediately circulated his mana. In an instant, his right hand regrew. However, the severed portion of his sleeve did not recover. After all, it was an immortal treasure; it could not be recreated through transformation arts.

Just as he was about to speak, the sky above him darkened. Without even looking up, he raised a hand and unleashed the Miniature Immortal Slaughtering Sword he had imitated.

This sword was the supreme sword of Intercepting Teaching. It slaughtered immortals and gods, annihilated Dao and massacred Heaven. Its sword light illuminated heaven and earth.

Daoist Duobao could only sense that Meng Chen had attacked him, yet he had no idea how much mana Meng Chen had used or what divine abilities he had employed.

Yu Shuixian's eyes widened, filled with terror. She completely lost any thought of resisting.

Meng Chen slammed down with his palm. His five fingers transformed into mountains, each as immense as a pillar supporting heaven and suffused with the aura of a saint's divine abilities. The Seal of Infinity, Seal of Dao's Oneness, Seal of Yin and Yang, Seal of Creation, Seal of Yin and Yang... five seals from five directions sealed off heaven and earth.

Each of these five Dharma seals possessed the power to create and destroy worlds, to overturn all Dao. With all five seals unleashed and combined, let alone Daoist Duobao, even a Grand Golden Immortal might not have been able to withstand them.

Crack! Crack! Crack!

Under Yu Shuixian's terrified gaze, the Miniature Immortal Slaughtering Sword Daoist Duobao had unleashed shattered inch by inch and turned to ash. Daoist Duobao himself struggled desperately beneath Meng Chen's five-fingered mountain.

"Ah!"

Daoist Duobao's crown exploded, his hair scattered loose, and veins bulged across his face. Countless treasures materialized around him and bombarded the five-fingered mountain wildly, but in the end, divine abilities could not overcome fate.

Boom!

As the five-fingered mountain struck the ground, Daoist Duobao was completely pinned beneath it like the Monkey King. The mountain took root upon landing and soon fused with the earth, cutting off Daoist Duobao's last hope.

"Eldest Senior Brother, you suppressed Daoist Duobao?"

Guang Chengzi and the other two stared at Meng Chen in shock, both impressed and worried.

They were impressed because the Eldest Senior Brother of the Chan Sect had effortlessly suppressed the Eldest Senior Brother of Intercepting Teaching. From now on, they junior brothers would have plenty of face when they went out.

They were worried because Daoist Duobao was Master Tongtian's most favored disciple. Meng Chen's actions would likely displease Master Tongtian.

Meng Chen, however, looked unconcerned. "As the Eldest Senior Brother of Intercepting Teaching, Duo Bao not only failed to counsel his junior brothers and sisters or guide them back onto the right path, but blindly shielded and protected them, encouraging their arrogance. If I do not properly discipline him today, he will surely slander us before Uncle Master Tongtian in the future and damage the friendship between the Chan Sect and Intercepting Teaching."

The rules of Intercepting Teaching had gone unenforced, and Daoist Duobao bore an inescapable responsibility. Master Tongtian had entrusted him with authority over Intercepting Teaching, yet not only did he fail to fulfill his duties, he used his authority to form cliques within the sect and harm his fellow disciples.

What a fine doctrine Seizing a Thread of Life was. Yet in the hands of the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching, it had become a fig leaf for their evil deeds and slaughter of living beings.

After all, no matter what the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching did, they claimed to be Seizing a Thread of Life. Whoever opposed them was a puppet of the Heavenly Dao, a hypocritical noble man putting on airs.

Later, "Seizing a Thread of Life," like "Accomplished in letters and martial arts, his grace blesses all living beings," became nothing more than empty words.

During the war of the Investiture of the Gods, Wen Zhong was clearly Holy Mother Jinling's disciple. By rights, he should have been closer to the inner disciples. Yet every time Wen Zhong suffered defeat, he went to the outer sect of Intercepting Teaching to recruit help, wave after wave.

Before Zhao Gongming died, he had clearly instructed Shen Gongbao, Wen Zhong, and the others not to let Yunxiao and her two sisters seek revenge. But what did Wen Zhong do?

Such conduct was plainly using a borrowed knife to kill, making outer sect disciples fill the vacancies on the Investiture of the Gods.

When outer sect disciples met with misfortune, did even one inner disciple of Intercepting Teaching step forward to save them or avenge them? No. Not a single one!

If Wen Zhong's actions had merely been his own personal choice, Meng Chen would never have believed it. Wen Zhong alone would not have dared scheme against Zhao Gongming and his three siblings, or the Ten Heavenly Lords, even if he had the courage of a bear and the gall of a leopard.

Wen Zhong was merely the spokesman for Daoist Duobao's faction!

However, Meng Chen was not a saint. He had no interest in the right and wrong within Intercepting Teaching. Anyone willing to maintain friendly relations with the Chan Sect was his friend; anyone who wished to oppose the Chan Sect was his enemy.

Daoist Duobao's faction clearly harbored ill intentions toward the Chan Sect, while Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao's faction was comparatively friendly. Between the two factions, Meng Chen would naturally choose the faction of Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao.

By suppressing Daoist Duobao now, he was establishing the Chan Sect's authority on one hand, and slapping Daoist Duobao in the face on the other—ruining his reputation within Intercepting Teaching and weakening his influence there.

Only after Daoist Duobao fell could Zhao Gongming and Yunxiao's faction rise to power.

What Meng Chen needed was an Intercepting Teaching that maintained friendly relations with the Chan Sect, not one that constantly had "the conflict of the Hairy and Horned" on its lips.

Guang Chengzi, Chijingzi, and the others could not grasp this implication. Daoist Duobao could not grasp it either.

Daoist Duobao only felt himself drowning in humiliation, as though Meng Chen had torn every shred of his dignity away. How could he ever face the three thousand Disciples of Intercepting Teaching again?

Within the Three Pure Ones Palace, Yuanshi Tianzun and Master Tongtian watched everything unfolding atop Pointing Heaven Peak through the void.

"Second Brother, your disciple is exceedingly disrespectful. Duo Bao is the foremost disciple of my Intercepting Teaching. His actions are plainly a slap in Intercepting Teaching's face."

Master Tongtian was somewhat displeased. Daoist Duobao was his disciple, after all. Meng Chen had humiliated his disciple so severely without his permission; he truly did not seem to hold him in any regard.

Yuanshi Tianzun, however, did not agree with Master Tongtian. He gently shook his head. "Third Brother, you indulge your disciples too much. Meng Chen has already said that he is acting for the future of both the Chan Sect and Intercepting Teaching. Think about it: your disciples have repeatedly provoked mine, yet Duo Bao has ignored it entirely. If this continues, what will become of the relationship between our two sects? If the disciples of our sects turn against each other as enemies, how should you and I, as their masters, conduct ourselves? When that time comes, for the sake of our respective disciples, even if we do not wish to fight, we will still have to fight a battle. You and I were originally bound together by the same breath and branches; why bring this upon ourselves?"

Master Tongtian was slightly stunned upon hearing this, then immediately understood Yuanshi Tianzun's meaning.

"Second Brother means that Duo Bao is beyond saving, and that I chose the wrong foremost disciple for Intercepting Teaching?"

Yuanshi Tianzun's expression darkened slightly. "The affairs of Intercepting Teaching are for Third Brother to decide. Though I am your elder brother, I have no right to interfere. But Third Brother, spoiling a disciple is like killing a disciple. Today, you and I are still in the Primordial Wilderness and can protect them. But if one day we must travel beyond the realm to suppress the Chaos Demon Gods, and the disciples still persist in their ways, I fear the other Dao Friends of the Primordial Wilderness will kill them."

"This..."

Master Tongtian had still been somewhat angered, but after hearing Yuanshi Tianzun's persuasion, his anger suddenly vanished. Perhaps he too understood that he had been indulging his disciples too much.