The Bet Paid Off!

In the blink of an eye, the crowd arrived one after another outside Purple Heaven Palace.

Gazing at the six Cushions inside the hall, everyone's heart jolted.

Instinct told them these seats were no ordinary things!

With that thought in mind, each secretly steeled themselves, afraid of falling behind.

Unfortunately, led by Tongtian, the first three Cushions were quickly snatched up and divided among the group.

Seeing this, Laozi and Yuanshi hurriedly grabbed the fourth and fifth Cushions.

With only one chance left, the struggle among the rest grew fiercer.

"Old brother, you go first!"

Hongyun was shoved forward by Zhenyuanzi with a sudden push.

Zhenyuanzi let out a roar, the Earth Book in hand, his divine power surging wildly, forcibly holding the crowd back for an instant.

Though it was only a brief delay, which of those seated wasn't a master who had cultivated for millennia?

Hongyun naturally wouldn't miss this fleeting opportunity and plopped down onto the Cushion.

Now only Hongyun's Cushion remains. Let's see how you Two from the West stir things up.

Tongtian, watching coldly from the sidelines, mused to himself.

This seating arrangement was already vastly different from the plot he remembered.

Without Kunpeng, he wondered who Zhunti would target instead.

Seeing no Cushions left empty, the assembled Great Powers had no choice but to give up and find their own seats.

No sooner had the commotion settled than a mournful cry rang out from within the hall:

"Senior Brother, we've arrived too late!"

The crowd froze and turned to look.

There stood Jieyin and Zhunti, their faces steeped in sorrow and misery.

But who among them wasn't an old fox burdened with countless karmic debts?

How could a few tearful pleas stir their pity?

Finally making their entrance. Let's see just how good the acting of these famed Two Sages of the West really is.

A faint smirk curled at the corner of Tongtian's mouth, a glint of mockery flashing in his eyes.

"Senior Brother, we crossed countless mountains and rivers, endured endless hardships, just to reach Purple Heaven Palace and hear the Dao."

"But alas, the West is remote, the land barren, with no treasures to protect us, and we were delayed on the road."

"Never did I expect there wouldn't even be a place to sit. How... how can we seek the Great Way and return to teach the people?"

"And how can we face All People of the West? This Junior Brother would rather dash his head against a pillar in this very hall!"

As he spoke, Zhunti made as if to charge at a pillar, his tragic pose so overdone it was almost laughable.

But such petty tricks could hardly fool these ancient monsters who had lived for countless ages.

Just as the crowd watched coldly, waiting to see how Zhunti would save face, a voice suddenly rang out:

"Fellow Daoist, hold on!"

With that shout, Hongyun rose to his feet.

"I see you, Fellow Daoist, are also eager for the Dao. The West is poor, and since you're sincere in spreading the teachings, if you don't mind, take my seat."

As he spoke, he actually gave up the Cushion.

Even as Zhenyuanzi frantically signaled him from the side, he turned a blind eye.

Before his words had even faded, Zhunti, who had just been playing the martyr, instantly stopped in his tracks, his weeping vanishing without a trace.

He plopped down onto the Cushion, clasped his hands in a salute, and said:

"Fellow Daoist, your heart is kind. This poor Daoist will not refuse."

Pfft!

Someone couldn't hold back their laughter first.

A wave of snickers erupted throughout Purple Heaven Palace.

Hongyun stood frozen on the spot, only snapping back to reality after a moment.

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He simply let out a soft sigh and silently sat down beside Zhenyuanzi.

The seat was his to give away. Now ask for it back?

Hongyun wasn't thick-skinned enough for that.

Zhenyuanzi looked at Hongyun, a flicker of disappointment flashing in his eyes.

As for the other Great Powers present, they subtly distanced themselves from Hongyun.

None dared to be tainted by such "foolishness."

Zhunti sat on his Cushion, his eyes darting around restlessly.

Clearly unwilling to let the matter rest, he still wanted to snatch a Cushion for his Senior Brother.

Hongjun, observing from the shadows, furrowed his brow slightly.

Though the West had unresolved karma, he had no intention of granting the Saintly Positions to Jieyin and Zhunti.

Thus, when the two crossed the chaos, he secretly intervened, ensuring they would miss their chance at the Saintly Positions.

But no matter how carefully he calculated, he never expected Hongyun, that reckless fool, to willingly give up his Cushion.

His gaze flickering, Zhunti swept his eyes over Tongtian and Yuanshi, then after a moment, fixed his sight on Fuxi and Nuwa.

"You, of lowly birth, clad in fur and bearing shells, dare to sit alongside us? Yield your seats at once!"

The crowd was stunned, then wore expressions of eager anticipation.

Jieyin and Zhunti might not know the full story, but they certainly did—

Fuxi and Nuwa were on Tongtian's side!

Now, there was going to be a show!

Already harboring discontent over Tongtian's earlier actions, Yuanshi let out a cold snarl upon hearing Zhunti's words.

"Indeed! Those wet-born, egg-hatched creatures, draped in beast hides and armored shells, are unworthy to sit among us!"

Laozi, seated nearby, heard this and instinctively glanced at Tongtian, then lowered his head and closed his eyes, his expression calm, as if he had heard nothing.

Was this... a falling out among the Three Pure Ones?

The Great Powers exchanged glances, their eyes gleaming with curiosity and interest.

The three brothers were originally one, yet now they stood opposed.

If anyone believed there was no rift between them, they'd be a fool!

Tongtian's face darkened, his gaze cutting like a blade toward Yuanshi and Zhunti.

"What right do you have to meddle with the elders of my sect?"

His words carried a chilling fury, and the atmosphere in Purple Heaven Palace turned noticeably colder.

Zhunti's outburst was understandable, but for Laozi and Yuanshi to side with an outsider—how could Tongtian swallow that?

Did they still think he was the same pushover he used to be?

"How dare you!"

"Tongtian, you show no respect for your older brother!"

Yuanshi, always proud and obsessed with face, was publicly rebuked by Tongtian and could not bear the humiliation. Rage flared within him.

"I show no respect? I disrespect my older brother?"

Tongtian let out a cold laugh, his tone dripping with mockery.

"Respect is mutual. When have you ever truly seen me as your Third Brother?"

"Since you won't give me face, why should I bother humoring you?"

With these words, the rift was fully exposed.

But Tongtian didn't care.

They were bound to part ways sooner or later. Why keep suffering for nothing?

He wasn't born to be a doormat.

"Fine! Fine! Fine!"

Yuanshi spat out three "fines," his face as dark as ink, fury nearly blazing from his eyes.

If not for the fact that this was a Saint's domain, he would have already taught this worthless younger brother a lesson.

Tongtian didn't even glance at him. He suddenly raised his hand.

In an instant, a sharp Sword Qi shot straight at the unprepared Zhunti.

Though Zhunti reacted in the blink of an eye, the distance was too close, and his cultivation was slightly inferior to Tongtian's.

In his hasty defense, the Sword Qi sent him stumbling back, tearing his robes and leaving him in a disheveled mess.

A wave of laughter rippled through the hall.

"That's just a small warning. When the sermon ends, This Seat will settle accounts with you properly!"

With a cold snort, Tongtian's killing intent remained undiminished.

Zhunti's expression shifted slightly. He wanted to fire back with harsh words, but meeting Tongtian's gaze, his heart trembled, and he swallowed his retort.

If the other dared to strike even in a Saint's dojo, provoking him further might lead to an outright confrontation.

Though he wasn't afraid of a fight, if he displeased a Saint and got himself expelled from the lecture grounds, the loss would far outweigh the gain.

With this in mind, Zhunti said no more. He silently shifted his cushion halfway over to share with Jieyin, and never again brought up the matter of yielding his seat.

Fuxi and Nuwa, who had been silent all along, watched this scene unfold with mixed emotions.

They were moved by Tongtian's bold stand, yet resentful of Zhunti's earlier actions.

In their hearts, they resolved that if the opportunity ever arose, they would make Zhunti pay the price!

Seeing Yuanshi and Zhunti both suffer setbacks, the crowd's earlier excitement also waned.

Just then, a figure suddenly materialized on the cloud bed.

The crowd's hearts jolted, their pupils constricted, and shock filled every face.

They hadn't even sensed the slightest ripple in space!

It was as if that person had always been there.

"We pay our respects to the Saint!"

Feeling that boundless pressure, as if it could swallow heaven and devour the earth, their expressions grew complex.

Only now did they truly understand—beneath a Saint, all are but ants.

No need to lift a hand; a single thought was enough to annihilate everyone present.

"From now on, the seating shall remain as it is. No changes allowed!"

Hongjun's gaze swept across the entire assembly, pausing briefly on Tongtian.

He stared until Tongtian's skin crawled, then slowly withdrew his gaze.

"We obey the Saint's decree!"

The crowd answered in unison.

Only Tongtian secretly rejoiced.

He knew he had gambled correctly!

In his past life, he had never been able to figure out one thing—

Why did Hongjun bestow the Primordial Violet Qi upon Hongyun, only for him to be schemed to death?

Thinking it over carefully, the only possible explanation was that Hongjun tacitly approved of Zhunti taking that seat!

Otherwise, given Hongyun's usual character, why would anyone with no grudge against him plot his demise?

It was precisely because of this speculation that he had placed Fuxi, who originally had no seat, upon the Saintly Position.

The result spoke for itself.

"This lecture shall begin with Refining Essence into Qi and end at Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, lasting three thousand years. All of you, meditate well."

Hongjun spoke calmly, taking in everyone's expressions.

Upon hearing this, the assembled experts all straightened their faces, sitting upright with solemn reverence, daring not the slightest negligence.

Just as Hongjun was about to begin his lecture, he suddenly furrowed his brow, his gaze sharpening.

"The Law shall not be transmitted to Six-Eared!"

With those words, ignoring the crowd's confusion, he commenced the lecture.

"The principles of heaven and earth value sincerity, practice benevolence and righteousness, and uphold compassion..."

In an instant, heavenly flowers rained down, golden lotuses burst from the earth, and miraculous signs abounded.

Profound and mysterious Dao tones echoed in everyone's ears, like a gentle stream flowing straight into their hearts.

Even Tongtian, who had been somewhat casual, was stirred. He then settled his mind and focused on comprehension.