Kunlun Mountain, Jade Void Palace.
The moment the three brothers took their seats, the atmosphere abruptly turned tense.
"Tongtian!"
Yuanshi forcefully suppressed his fury. His face was livid, and one side of his cheek was swollen high.
"At Buzhou Mountain, in front of so many people, what did you mean by handing the Qingping Sword to Qin Xuan?"
"Were you deliberately trying to make a mockery of me?!"
Tongtian's expression darkened as well. Refusing to yield, he retorted,
"Second Brother, I saw that you were reluctant to part with the Jade Ruyi, so I took out the Qingping Sword to get you out of trouble. How did a good intention become making a mockery of you?"
"A good intention?"
"You helped compensate them with a magic treasure and earned yourself a reputation for loyalty and righteousness."
"But how will all living beings of the Primordial World see me?"
"They'll say that I, Yuanshi, was too stingy to part with even a single magic treasure and made my younger brother compensate them instead?"
"So this was your good intention?"
Yuanshi cared most about his origins and cherished his reputation above all else!
During this trip to Buzhou Mountain, Qin Xuan had trampled both beneath his feet!
Especially the humiliation of being publicly slapped by Qin Xuan—it had shaken his Dao heart and nearly driven him mad!
Thinking back on it now, he not only hated Qin Xuan to the bone.
He was also filled with resentment toward Taiqing, who had stood idly by, and Tongtian, with his "fake goodwill."
Why was I the one who got hit?
Why was I the one who lost face?
Why, in the end, did those two each get an Innate Gourd?
Seeing the Innate Gourds hanging from Taiqing and Tongtian's waists, Yuanshi nearly went mad with rage!
Intense humiliation, fury, and jealousy intertwined, twisting his state of mind as never before. A faint trace of black qi quietly surfaced between his brows.
Tongtian was also a proud man. Being so ungratefully accused by Yuanshi, his temper flared at once.
Sword Intent faintly erupted around him, as though he would challenge Yuanshi to settle their differences at any moment.
Just as the two brothers were about to fight within Jade Void Palace, Taiqing, who had remained silent all this time, finally spoke. His voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable authority.
"Second Brother, Third Brother, enough. Stop arguing."
His tranquil gaze swept over the two of them as he slowly said,
"The Three Pure Ones are one body; all of the Primordial World knows this. If you two fight here today and word gets out, then our three brothers will truly lose all face."
Once Taiqing spoke, the Sword Intent around Tongtian slowly receded. He snorted coldly, turned his head away, and said no more.
Yuanshi also took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging blood and qi before closing his eyes and sitting in meditation.
Yet his faintly trembling sleeves revealed just how unsettled he was inside.
However, at the instant he closed his eyes.
A low, hoarse voice filled with endless temptation suddenly rang out deep within his sea of consciousness.
"Tsk, tsk. Look at you now, like a homeless cur. You're full of rage, yet you can't even avenge yourself. As for your fine Eldest Brother and fine Third Brother, who among them has ever truly held you in any regard?"
"As long as you nod and accept this venerable one's Demonic Path inheritance, a mere Qin Xuan can be destroyed with a flick of your fingers! Taiqing and Tongtian alike will crawl beneath your feet!"
Yuanshi abruptly opened his eyes. His face turned pale as paper in an instant, and beads of sweat rolled down from his temples as his mind shook violently!
It was Demon Ancestor Luo Hou!
After self-destructing all those years ago and becoming an extraterritorial heavenly demon, Luo Hou had actually taken advantage of the instant Yuanshi's mind faltered to invade his sea of consciousness!
"Prove the Dao through slaughter! You will surpass Hongjun and become the new ruler of Heaven and Earth, looking down upon all living beings!"
"What are you still hesitating for?"
"Accept this venerable one's inheritance. This is your only path forward, and your best choice!"
"Prove the Dao through slaughter..."
Those four words echoed endlessly in his heart like a demonic curse.
Accept Luo Hou's power?
Fall into the Demonic Path?
Yuanshi's heart sank sharply.
What would that mean?
It would mean completely betraying his own roots!
He would fall from Pangu's Orthodoxy into a puppet that knew only slaughter and was controlled by demonic thoughts!
Ever since Dao Ancestor Hongjun attained sainthood and established the Mystic Sect as the orthodox path, the Demonic Path had long become a hated scourge, despised by all living beings of the Primordial World!
He, Yuanshi, had been transformed from Pangu's primordial spirit. He was one of the Three Pure Ones, inheriting the legacy of creation. How noble he was, how proud he was!
How could he... how could he be willing... to associate with that filthy Demonic Path?!
Yet before he could steady his Dao heart, that pitch-black demonic seed deep within his sea of consciousness had already taken root and sprouted!
Threads of demonic qi spread outward like ink dripping into clear water, swiftly polluting his pure consciousness and seeking to turn that sacred place into a demonic domain!
Luo Hou's low, seductive voice was like maggots clinging to bone, whispering ceaselessly by his ear and stirring the most primal killing intent and viciousness within his heart.
"Abandon that ridiculous persistence of yours... Follow the desires in your heart..."
"Submit to this venerable one, and you will gain supreme power..."
Yuanshi's gaze began to lose focus. Under the repeated assaults of the demonic voice, his steadfast Dao heart was already on the verge of collapse.
Could it be... that I truly was going to...
At the very instant his consciousness was about to sink completely!
A brilliant, vast, sacred golden light suddenly erupted from the deepest part of his sea of consciousness!
The next moment!
The golden light swept through his entire sea of consciousness like a tidal wave!
Those dark and filthy strands of demonic qi, before that resplendent golden light,
were like ice and snow meeting the blazing sun. They hissed as they were instantly evaporated and purified, vanishing without a trace in the blink of an eye!
"Heh heh heh... Pointless struggle! You will eventually..."
Along with that strange laugh, still carrying several traces of arrogance, the seemingly indestructible demonic seed also disappeared beneath the golden light!
Yuanshi sharply sucked in a breath and nearly collapsed onto his meditation cushion. Though clarity had returned to his eyes, not a trace of color had returned to his face.
Just now... it had been so close!
He, Yuanshi, would have completely fallen today and become a great demon under Demon Ancestor Luo Hou!
At that thought, Yuanshi could not help feeling lingering fear, along with indescribable shame and fury!
He was Pangu's Orthodoxy, yet he had nearly been exploited by a demon who had long since fallen! It was simply the greatest humiliation!
At the side, although Taiqing and Tongtian sensed the violent fluctuations in Yuanshi's aura, they merely assumed that he was still unsettled over Buzhou Mountain and gave it no further thought.
Pangu Temple.
Qin Xuan casually buried the fresh sprout of the Ginseng Fruit tree in the soil, then comfortably reclined in his lounge chair and began calculating the gains from this trip.
This time, not only had he beaten Yuanshi soundly, seized the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and vented his anger.
His greatest gain had been seizing the fortune of the Three Pure Ones as Pangu's Orthodoxy and making Nüwa owe him three enormous karmic debts.
Mm, this haul was no loss. It was a massive profit.
In the blink of an eye, several thousand years passed.
"Why hasn't Dijun delivered the Yanyang Fruit yet?! He said he'd bring it over after returning to fetch the fruit!" Zhurong's rough voice boomed.
Qin Xuan was lounging comfortably in his chair, turning the green gourd over in his hand. Hearing this, he shook his head.
"Wait a little longer," he answered, though a trace of doubt also arose in his heart.
By all rights, Dijun did not seem like the sort of person who would renege on a debt.
Suddenly, a figure appeared in his mind—when Dijun had left, Bai Ze had quietly departed as well.
Bai Ze was renowned for his wisdom. Could something have happened on the Sun Star, delaying them?
Thinking of this, Qin Xuan stood and said,
"I plan to go to the Sun Star and take a look."
The moment he said this, the Ancestral Witches all gathered around him.
Hou Tu said gently,
"You're going alone? The Sun Star is Dijun and Taiyi's territory. You must be on guard!"
"I'll go with you, so we can watch out for each other."
Dijiang, Zhurong, Gonggong, and the others also said worriedly,
"Exactly. If we brothers go together, are we supposed to be afraid of those two feathered birds?!"
Looking at these brothers and sisters, fired up with concern for his safety, warmth flowed through Qin Xuan's heart.
But Dijun and Taiyi were two of the most important figures in the Witch-Demon Tribulation.
One careless move could lead to far-reaching consequences.
His trip to the Sun Star was partly to retrieve the Yanyang Fruit and partly to probe the situation, so he could prepare in advance!
Having made up his mind, Qin Xuan said softly,
"No need."
"Do you brothers still doubt my strength? It's only a small matter. I'll be back soon."
Though the Ancestral Witches were still somewhat worried upon hearing this, they knew Qin Xuan had made up his mind and said nothing further.
With a flash, Qin Xuan left Pangu Temple and flew toward the outer heavens.
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