Eating from the Bowl, Then Cursing the Cook

West, Spirit Mountain.

Daoist Jieyin wore a sorrowful expression as he gazed toward the fertile lands of the East, then looked back at his own still somewhat "simple" dojo. He said mournfully, "Junior Brother, the West suffers! Though the Dao Ancestor granted us both the foundation for a Saint Position, the road to sainthood is long and arduous."

Turning his head, he seemed to think of something else. "Moreover, the karma of Hong Yun giving up his seat in Purple Cloud Palace hangs over us like shackles. If we do not repay it, it may become a heart demon on our path, hindering our attainment of the Dao!"

Daoist Zhunti likewise looked deeply troubled, yet a shrewd gleam flickered in his eyes. "Senior Brother is absolutely right. Hong Yun possesses immense fortune, yet lacks the fortune to enjoy it. He holds the Primordial Violet Qi and the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd—how foolish! Such precious treasures in his hands are simply a terrible waste."

"Besides, if he does not die, the karma we owe him for yielding his seat can never truly be settled. In my view..."

The two exchanged a glance. Everything was understood without a word.

If they could not solve the problem, they would solve the person who caused it!

Since they could not repay the karma, they would make the one to whom they owed it disappear! The karma would naturally vanish into thin air! And while they were at it... the Primordial Violet Qi and the Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd, were destined to be connected to the West. Using them to revive the West—would that not be wonderful?

"However, we must borrow the hands of others for this. It would be inconvenient for us to act personally, lest we incur too much karmic burden," Jieyin said pensively.

"Rest assured, Senior Brother." Zhunti revealed a smile of confident calculation.

"Di Jun and Taiyi are ambitious and seek to establish a Heavenly Court to rule the primordial world. Hong Yun possesses the opportunity to become a saint, making him both a tremendous threat and a temptation to them. And that Kunpeng of the Northern Sea hates Hong Yun to the bone. He is the perfect pawn!"

"We shall act separately. I will go to the Sun Star and persuade those two Golden Crows. Senior Brother, you go to the Northern Sea. You will surely be able to persuade Kunpeng!"

Sun Star, Sun God Palace.

Di Jun and Taiyi had been discussing how to secure more sponsors—more allies—when they suddenly heard that Zhunti had come to visit. Though they had little fondness for the Two from the West, they still had to maintain appearances, considering they were registered disciples of the Dao Ancestor.

"Why has Fellow Daoist Zhunti come to my Sun Star instead of repairing the damaged earth veins in the West?" Di Jun asked blandly, his tone carrying a trace of distance.

Zhunti beamed as though he had not noticed Di Jun's coldness. "Your Majesties, the Heavenly Emperors"—flattery in advance—"I have come to relieve a concern weighing on Your Majesties' hearts and deliver a tremendous opportunity!"

Taiyi raised a brow, the Chaos Bell cradled in his arms. "Oh? What concern could my brother and I have? And what opportunity are you speaking of?"

Zhunti lowered his voice, like a peddler hawking illicit discs. "Do Your Majesties know of Hong Yun? That old fellow possesses the Primordial Violet Qi, yet lacks the ability to protect it. He idles about all day and flaunts himself everywhere. If he should somehow become a saint, would someone of his temperament truly sit by and watch the Demon Race Heavenly Court rule the primordial world? He would surely become a grave threat to Your Majesties! That is one concern."

He paused, observing Di Jun and Taiyi's expressions before continuing. "Second, the Primordial Violet Qi is the foundation of sainthood. If Your Majesties obtain it and the Demon Race Heavenly Court produces a Heavenly Dao Saint, why worry that great undertakings might fail? Those brutes of the Witch Race could be wiped out with a wave of the hand! This is a tremendous opportunity!"

Di Jun's eyes flickered. He had clearly been moved. Hong Yun's existence was indeed an uncertainty. If they could seize his Primordial Violet Qi... Yet he still had reservations. "Hong Yun is close to Zhenyuanzi. Zhenyuanzi has the Earth Book protecting him, and Longevity Mountain is as impregnable as gold and stone. He will not be easy to deal with."

Zhunti chuckled. "Why attack by force? Hong Yun is careless. Zhenyuanzi cannot watch over him every moment. All we need is to find an opportunity when he is alone and strike with thunderous force..."

"When that time comes, Senior Brother Jieyin and I can also provide covert assistance, ensuring nothing goes wrong. As for afterward, the Primordial Violet Qi will belong to Your Majesties, while the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd is connected to the West. What do Your Majesties think?"

The division of benefits was clear, and the Two from the West were even willing to serve as outside support and take the blame. Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance, each seeing the resolve in the other's eyes.

"Good!" Di Jun finally made the decision. "My brother and I accept this matter!"

Meanwhile, in the Northern Sea.

Jieyin's arrival surprised Kunpeng somewhat.

"Fellow Daoist Jieyin, why are you not repairing earth veins in the West or forming karma across the primordial lands? How do you have the leisure to visit this desolate, godforsaken Northern Sea, where not even birds bother to shit?" His distance and mockery were entirely undisguised.

Jieyin seemed utterly unaware of it. His face still bore that eternally sorrowful expression as he sighed softly. "Fellow Daoist jests. Though the Northern Sea is cold, it is a blessed land for your secluded cultivation. I have come uninvited because there is a matter concerning your path, and even... a concern weighing on your heart, that I had no choice but to discuss."

"Oh?" Kunpeng narrowed his eyes, and the body hidden in the shadows seemed to lean forward slightly. "What concern could I possibly have, that it merits Fellow Daoist's attention?"

Jieyin remained unhurried, his voice carrying a strange penetrating force that struck directly at the darkest corner of Kunpeng's heart. "Does Fellow Daoist still remember Hong Yun?"

The moment he heard the name "Hong Yun," Kunpeng's aura instantly turned dangerous. The chill of the Northern Sea nearly condensed into substance. He snorted coldly without replying, but the venomous resentment bursting from his eyes already explained everything.

Jieyin continued, "Hong Yun has shallow fortune, yet he bears the Primordial Violet Qi, the foundation of sainthood and an object desired by all living beings in the primordial world. He also possesses the unpredictable Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd, a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Obtaining either one would be an immense blessing, yet he alone possesses both."

He deliberately emphasized "Primordial Violet Qi" and "Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd," deeply branding the concept of "treasure" into Kunpeng's mind.

"So what?" Kunpeng's voice grew colder. "What does it have to do with me whether he possesses treasures or not?"

"Not so, not so." Jieyin shook his head, his tone growing solemn. "Please consider this, Fellow Daoist. Although Hong Yun is soft-tempered, if one day he relies on the Primordial Violet Qi and somehow glimpses the gate of the Saint Dao... even if only by half a step, with such treasures in hand and Zhenyuanzi's full support, how would he view that karma from Purple Cloud Palace...?"

He deliberately paused, allowing the words "karma of Purple Cloud Palace" to echo through the frigid air.

"Back then, if Hong Yun had not recklessly acted out of kindness and risen to yield his cushion, prompting Junior Brother Zhunti to speak, how would Fellow Daoist have... lost that opportunity for a Saint Position?"

Jieyin's voice carried a bewitching power as he tore open Kunpeng's deepest wound, bloody and raw. "Could Fellow Daoist truly let go of such hatred for blocking your path and such resentment for stealing your opportunity? If he becomes a saint, do you think he will smile and let bygones be bygones, or will he... settle old scores?"

If Chen Song had been here, he would definitely have mocked Jieyin to his face.

Good heavens, you were the one who cried poverty and played the victim, you were the one who shamelessly abandoned all dignity to morally blackmail others, and now you were still the one biting back after gaining benefits!

Was this not eating from the bowl, then cursing the cook after putting it down?

But Kunpeng could not care about any of that. He was already worked up!

Kunpeng's breathing grew noticeably heavier, and the sound of ice being crushed—crack—came from the shadows. Jieyin's words were like a venomous snake, biting precisely into his most painful wound. Hong Yun possessed the possibility of becoming a saint. That was Kunpeng's greatest "threat"!

Jieyin struck while the iron was hot, his tone turning earnest. "Furthermore, the karma between you and Hong Yun has remained tangled and unresolved. It has become an obsession in your heart, perhaps even... a heart demon. If it is not settled completely, it may ultimately obstruct your path and prevent it from reaching perfection. The path of cultivation is like rowing against the current. Certain obstacles must be corrected with thunderous methods, clearing away chaos so the mist may be dispelled and true reality revealed."

He elevated "settling karma" into the necessity of "breaking a heart demon" and "clearing obstacles from one's path."

"His Majesties Di Jun and Taiyi also believe that Hong Yun possesses precious treasures but lacks the power to protect them, disrupting the order of the primordial world. They are willing to take thunderous action. If Fellow Daoist joins us, the strength of all three parties combined will surely accomplish this in one stroke."

"When Hong Yun meets Death and Dao Dissipation, the great concern in Fellow Daoist's heart will be removed, your obsession can fade, and your path will become clear and open. As for the Primordial Violet Qi... it will go to whoever has the Karma. And the Nine-Nine Soul Scattering Gourd may perhaps suit Fellow Daoist's divine abilities quite well."

Jieyin lowered his voice even further, lacing it with temptation.

Jieyin never explicitly promised who would receive the treasures, yet he left ample room for imagination. He also bound Kunpeng's personal grudge to seemingly righteous reasons such as "correcting chaos" and "clearing obstacles."

Kunpeng remained silent for a long time. Only his heavy breathing and the sound of ice chips falling to the ground came from the shadows. Jieyin's words were like demonic music, drawing out all the resentment, jealousy, unwillingness, and fear that Kunpeng had accumulated over countless eras, while showing him a seemingly "reasonable" and "necessary" way to vent them.

At last, laughter as piercing as a cold wind from the Nine Netherworlds, yet filled with endless delight and determination, emerged from the shadows:

"Hehehe... Hahaha... Good! What a correction of chaos! What a settling of karma! Hong Yun... if this beast is not eliminated, my heart will know no peace! I will take part in this!"