Kunpeng and Di Jun's group left the Heavenly Court, intending to head directly for the Outer Chaos.
Who would have thought that Di Jun would stop him, pointing down at the Primordial World as he spoke.
"You see the Primordial World as it is now?"
Looking at the current scenery of the Primordial World, countless members of the Witch Clan roamed across its lands, claiming mountains as kings and enslaving all living beings in their path.
Kunpeng merely watched the scene without saying anything.
Yet in the eastern lands, the Witch Clan had already occupied many places.
Many living beings had not only been driven away; quite a few had even been taken directly by the Witch Clan.
"The Witch Clan is powerful. Living beings cannot stand against them."
Di Jun nodded, then said,
"The Witch Clan is overbearing. Their slaughter of living beings has created boundless karmic slaughter, and the baleful aura between heaven and earth is steadily growing denser. If one day the Witch Clan seeks to seize your North Sea, Fellow Daoist, what will you do?"
Kunpeng looked at the scene, then finally shook his head.
"Fellow Daoist, you are overstating matters. The Witch Clan has merely occupied the lands of the Primordial World. Why would they come to my North Sea?"
Di Jun glanced at Kunpeng, knowing that this fellow was playing dumb. When the Witch Clan had proclaimed themselves to the Great Dao, they had not said they would control the land, but heaven and earth.
This was merely the beginning, using the land as their foundation and gradually expanding outward.
In the future, they might well one day directly seize this fellow's North Sea.
Yet this man simply pretended not to understand and stalled for time.
As they spoke, two figures flew out from the Primordial World.
Kunpeng smiled faintly as he stepped forward and clasped his hands.
"Two Fellow Daoists, it has been many days since we last met."
Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi had originally been heading for the Purple Cloud Palace, but Kunpeng intercepted them halfway there.
Hongyun was especially puzzled. Kunpeng had never interacted with him before, and the same was true of Zhenyuanzi.
Why had he suddenly taken the initiative to greet them today?
Still, one did not strike a smiling face.
They smiled and returned the greeting.
"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. It has indeed been many days. Fellow Daoist Kunpeng still carries the same elegant bearing, as do His Majesty the Heavenly Emperor and Fellow Daoist Eastern Emperor."
Di Jun's eyes immediately lit up. He had already intended to recruit these two, though he had planned to seek out Kunpeng first.
Now that Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi had appeared, it suited him perfectly.
"Two Fellow Daoists, it has been many days. You both surpass even your former selves."
This exchange left Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi even more confused.
After exchanging a glance and communicating through their eyes, they seemed to come to a realization.
Though Hongyun was somewhat foolish, the movements of both the Demon Race and the Witch Clan had recently been major events in the Primordial World.
It was not as if he had not heard of them.
At this moment, he also guessed what they were planning.
It was nothing more than recruitment.
Recently, many Grand Unity Golden Immortals in the Primordial World had been recruited into the Demon Race.
For instance, Ci Tie and Bai Ze had both been brought into the Demon Race.
They were even gradually recruiting other Great Powers, claiming it was to resist the Witch Clan.
Looking at Kunpeng, he was probably about to be recruited as well.
Had they stopped them now because they wanted to recruit them too?
"Fellow Daoists, why have you stopped us? Is there something you need?"
Hearing this, Di Jun directly stated his purpose.
"I wish to invite the two of you to join my Demon Race, enjoy the fortune of countless ages, and rule the Primordial World together!"
Hongyun was stunned for a moment. Then, as he turned his head, he could not help saying,
"Fellow Daoist, we have no intention of involving ourselves in the struggle for the Primordial World. Please do not mention this matter again."
Zhenyuanzi at his side nodded as well.
"The same is true for me. I have grown accustomed to idling freely, so I am not suited to joining the Heavenly Court."
After saying that, the two clasped their hands.
"We thank Your Majesty the Heavenly Emperor for your invitation. We still have a journey ahead of us, so we shall take our leave first."
With that, they went around the group and flew directly into the depths of the starry sky.
Watching the two depart, Kunpeng turned to Di Jun and said,
"I still have matters to discuss with those two Fellow Daoists, so I will take my leave as well. Two Fellow Daoists, I shall go on ahead."
As he spoke, he chased after Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi.
"Fellow Daoists, please wait!"
The moment the words left his mouth, Hongyun suddenly felt that something was slightly off.
The words themselves were ordinary, yet he vaguely felt that the phrase seemed to carry some inexplicable power.
When he turned to look at Kunpeng, the three of them traveled together toward the depths of the starry sky.
Hongyun spoke up to ask,
"Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, were you also invited to join the Demon Race?"
Kunpeng nodded. Looking at the two before him, he could not help sighing.
"Alas, like the two of you, I do not wish to involve myself in the struggle between the Witch Clan and the Demon Race. Yet it would not be appropriate to refuse them outright. Fortunately, the two of you happened to arrive and helped me out of this predicament."
The two exchanged a glance. If he did not want to join, then why had he appeared at the Heavenly Court?
Could it be that he had merely passed by and been stopped as well?
They did not believe that.
Kunpeng lived in the North Sea.
If he were going to the Outer Chaos, there was no need for him to pass through here.
The two of them had merely been used as an excuse.
Kunpeng was no honest man.
His gaze was sinister, and he looked every bit like a petty schemer.
He could not possibly be someone who sought peace.
Since he had not joined the Demon Race, he surely had some scheme of his own.
"Why not join the Demon Race, Fellow Daoist? It may bring you some benefits. The Demon Race possesses great fortune, and even the fortune of the Heavenly Court. With both combined, it would bring nothing but advantages."
Seeing the two bring up the matter,
Kunpeng thought for a moment and sighed.
"The struggle between the two races may make fortune important, but where there is conflict, there will certainly be death and injury. I cherish my life, so naturally I dare not involve myself. This time, I gained the method of becoming a Quasi-Sage from the lecture. In the future, I may even be able to attain the Dao and become a Sage. There is no need to rush."
Yet Zhenyuanzi raised a question at this moment.
"Fellow Daoist, are you not afraid that heaven and earth will settle accounts with you in the future?"
Hongyun added from the side,
"Di Jun is ambitious, but he is not as easy to get along with as he appears. Are you truly not worried about that, Fellow Daoist?"
Kunpeng looked at the two and finally spoke with a faint smile.
"Are the two of you not the same? You even refused him outright just now. Could it be that you have some escape route prepared?"
After their discussion, Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun shook their heads.
It was not that they had some backup plan. They simply were not afraid.
Zhenyuanzi possessed the Book of Earth. With that book in hand, even if Di Jun and Tai Yi wished to kill him, it would not be easy.
If matters came to a critical point and they fought to mutual destruction, he could still self-destruct the Book of Earth. Then the earthly fetal membrane would be gone. If the Primordial World encountered a great calamity afterward, the karma would naturally fall upon Di Jun.
As long as Di Jun was not a fool, he would not make a move against him.
That was why they had nothing to fear.
But Kunpeng should have known all this, yet he acted as though he knew nothing.
It only made the two want to stay farther away from him.
The three continued onward awkwardly.
Outside the Heavenly Court, Di Jun and Tai Yi wore looks of anger.
After all, they had personally invited them, yet those people had been so ungrateful.
The Eastern Emperor stood to the side, cursing loudly.
"Those people deserve to die!"
Di Jun nodded at those words, his expression dark and unreadable, as though he were plotting something.
"We will settle accounts with them later. Let us go to the Purple Cloud Palace first. This time, the lecture concerns the method of becoming a Quasi-Sage."
Before you continue