Only after Jie Yin and the other two had completely vanished from sight...
did the Celestial Court remain deathly silent.
Naturally, no one believed what Jie Yin and Chen Ku had said.
But without any evidence, they could not well make a move against them.
Moreover, Old Toad Ancestor had been lying in wait in secret, intending to harm the three of them. He was in the wrong to begin with.
Beside Duke of the East, Yellow Springs Daoist came back to his senses and said in a deep voice:
"Why didn't we forcibly keep those three, Jie Yin and the others, here?!"
Yellow Springs Daoist asked in some surprise.
Without question, they too coveted Jie Yin and Zhun Ti's Primordial Purple Qi, as well as the spiritual treasures in Chen Ku's possession.
Furthermore, Yellow Springs Daoist had naturally assumed that they had waited here precisely to detain the three of them.
Most importantly, the Celestial Court had more than a dozen top-tier experts gathered here.
In Yellow Springs Daoist's view, no matter how formidable Jie Yin and Zhun Ti were, could they really withstand the combined force of more than a dozen mighty cultivators?!
Even if they were made of iron, how many nails could they crush?!
Yet Duke of the East had been far too courteous earlier.
That left Yellow Springs Daoist both puzzled and enraged!
Hearing this, Duke of the East cast Yellow Springs Daoist a meaningful glance before speaking:
"To my knowledge, Linglong Ancestor and five other mighty cultivators previously joined forces to seize Jie Yin and Zhun Ti's Primordial Purple Qi."
"And Old Toad Ancestor bore a grudge as well, which was why he lay hidden in the chaos, waiting for an opportunity to act."
"Yet now, the three of them have returned unharmed."
"Presumably, those six mighty cultivators have either perished, or Jie Yin and the others dealt with them by some unknown means."
"Before we understand what happened, we must not act rashly."
As Duke of the East spoke, traces of apprehension inevitably surfaced in his eyes.
In truth, Linglong Ancestor and the others' scheme had not been particularly secretive.
Thus, Duke of the East had known of it as well.
The reason he had waited here was precisely to see whether Linglong Ancestor and the others would succeed.
Yet he had never expected that the ones who returned would be the three of them, entirely unharmed.
His heart sank, and he could not understand how the three of them had escaped the siege of six Quasi-Sages.
Upon hearing this, Yellow Springs Daoist asked again:
"Then what should we do now?!"
Duke of the East merely gazed deeply in the direction of the Outer Chaos Domain and continued:
"Wait!"
"Wait for Old Toad Ancestor to return, and everything will become clear!"
Setting aside Linglong Ancestor and the others, Duke of the East had no doubt that as long as Old Toad Ancestor was not dead, he would certainly come here.
However, they waited for a long while, until impatience and agitation appeared on everyone's faces.
Yet Old Toad Ancestor was nowhere to be seen!
Even when Duke of the East extended his divine sense and searched in every way, he could not detect Old Toad Ancestor's aura.
Gradually, Duke of the East's heart grew increasingly heavy!
"Damn it!"
"Could they have been wiped out to the last man?!"
No matter how unwilling Duke of the East was to accept it, such a possibility could not help arising in his mind.
The moment those words were spoken, the expressions of the Celestial Court experts changed drastically.
After all, fewer than ten thousand Grand Luo Golden Immortals existed in the world today, while Quasi-Sage experts were even rarer.
And now, six Quasi-Sages had all perished in the Outer Chaos Domain?!
It was simply shocking, even utterly unbelievable!
Everyone was filled with unease. Had provoking the three of them truly been a good thing for the Celestial Court?!
Of course, none of them knew that both Old Toad Ancestor and the Corpse Puppet Daoist had been slain by Chen Ku alone.
Otherwise, if they learned the truth, the people present would likely be even more dumbfounded and terrified out of their wits.
Yellow Springs Daoist flew into a rage as well.
"What?"
"Are you saying that Fellow Daoist Old Toad was killed by Jie Yin and the others?"
"If that is the case, how can we let this rest?!"
The fall of a Quasi-Sage was an enormous loss to the Celestial Court.
Moreover, Yellow Springs Daoist and Old Toad Ancestor had been quite close in ordinary times.
Thus, he was now beside himself with rage, looking every bit as though he intended to avenge them against the three of them.
Without even turning his head, Duke of the East had already seen through Yellow Springs Daoist's thoughts.
His expression turned grave as he warned:
"Do not act impulsively!"
After pausing, he continued thoughtfully:
"Earlier, that boy Chen Ku possessed an exceptionally profound aura. He had already reached the Quasi-Sage realm."
"The Western faction now has three Quasi-Sages from one sect. They are certainly not easy opponents."
"Moreover, Jie Yin and Zhun Ti are registered disciples under the Dao Ancestor and possess the opportunity to attain the Dao and become Saints."
"If we become enemies with them, then once the two of them become Saints, for our Celestial Court..."
That was right!
Earlier, Duke of the East had already discerned that Chen Ku's aura was immensely powerful and that he had fully entered the Quasi-Sage realm.
Three people from one sect, each a Quasi-Sage, all capable of standing on their own!
Even if the Celestial Court moved against them, victory would not come easily.
Duke of the East did not finish his words, but everyone already understood the implication.
Offend two future Saints?
Just thinking about it made their scalps tingle and their hearts pound with fear.
Some of the weaker Celestial Court cultivators looked even more unsettled, their faces shifting between pale and flushed as the unease in their hearts showed plainly.
As his words fell, Lord of the Clouds on the other side also spoke thoughtfully:
"His Majesty Emperor Donghua is right!"
"Our Celestial Court is already irreconcilably opposed to the Witch and Demon Clans. A battle could break out at any time."
"If we also offend Jie Yin and Zhun Ti, it would only make matters worse."
"Unless we have absolute confidence, we should avoid provoking those three from the West."
Emperor Donghua was the honorific by which the Celestial Court addressed Duke of the East.
Lord of the Clouds had considered the matter quite thoroughly as well.
Hearing this, Yellow Springs Daoist, who had been brimming with aggression, finally unwillingly reined in his aura. Yet the gaze he cast westward remained full of fury and hatred.
Then Lord of the Clouds let out a wistful sigh.
"It is only a pity... that Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West is unwilling to join our Celestial Court."
"Otherwise, with the leaders of the male and female immortals united, we would surely be able to draw more experts under our command."
"The Celestial Court would also become incomparably stronger. Why would we need to be so cautious and restrained?!"
Lord of the Clouds looked toward West Kunlun.
That was where Queen Mother of the West's Daoist sanctum was located.
When the Celestial Court had first been established, Duke of the East had gone to West Kunlun and invited Queen Mother of the West to join the Celestial Court and rule the cultivators of the world alongside him.
Yet perhaps because she was a woman, Queen Mother of the West did not care for such worldly prestige and reputation.
Thus, she politely declined Duke of the East's invitation, wishing only to remain an independent cultivator and never involving herself in the struggle between any factions.
Hearing this, Duke of the East could not help revealing a trace of helplessness.
"This matter... can only be planned for in the future."
"If the opportunity arises, I will make another trip to West Kunlun and see whether I can persuade Fellow Daoist Queen Mother of the West."
At present, the third sermon had only just ended.
Everyone still needed to return and enter seclusion to digest the gains they had made from hearing the Dao.
And the spiritual treasures they had just obtained also needed to have their innate restrictions refined.
Therefore, persuading Queen Mother of the West was not something that could be rushed.
Even now, Old Toad Ancestor had yet to return.
There was no need to say more. Everyone already knew the answer in their hearts.
In the end, they cast grave looks beyond the chaos and said nothing more.
At Duke of the East's command, the Celestial Court members immediately turned and departed, returning to Mount Penglai in a mighty procession.
Before you continue