Sect Master Tongtian's heart skipped a beat when he heard that. He instantly understood—it was time for him to perform.
He composed himself, took a few steps forward, passed Ling Er, and gazed at the distant sea of clouds with a trace of sorrow in his voice.
"Brother Ling, every member of our Human Race has endured countless hardships just to survive. Why ask about our origins? The road we traveled was too bitter.
We should look ahead. Our Human Race will surely have a bright future."
Sect Master Tongtian had originally intended to fool Ling Er, but instead, his own thoughts began to surge.
Back then, when his eldest brother established the Human Sect among the Human Race and became a saint, he had visited the places where the Human Race lived, wondering whether he might find an opportunity to attain sainthood there.
Seeing how miserably those weak humans lived, he could not help feeling fond of them. They had been born in the Daoist forms of their Father God, Pangu, yet they did not possess anything close to Father God's great divine powers.
At the time, he had wanted to help those humans, but his eldest brother, the Grand Pure Saint, had stopped him. Even now, he could vaguely remember what his brother had said.
"The weakness of the Human Race can be aided for a time, but not for a lifetime. Only through unceasing self-improvement can they carve out a world for themselves.
And weak creatures have a fatal flaw. Once they receive help, they will want it a second time. Once they come to depend entirely on our aid, that race will be finished.
Our heartlessness today may earn their curses and their hatred, but at least their future will be bright."
Only now did he truly understand his eldest brother's actions. With the protection of his brother's saintly reputation, the Human Race certainly would not be exterminated.
Moreover, his eldest brother had secretly taught some humans how to cultivate. They had gradually secured a small foothold in the Primordial World, enough for their race to continue multiplying.
Being good to someone did not mean selflessly giving them everything while claiming it was for their own good and making decisions on their behalf.
It meant finding a way to help them grow and become independent. Even if they hated you during the process, you still had to do it. That was what truly meant being good to them.
The same approach applied on the scale of an entire race.
Perhaps some would find it cruel, but compared to the long years of a saint, what they had done was right.
Planning for one lifetime was inferior to planning for ten thousand lifetimes.
That was Grand Pure's method: cruel and merciless, directly forcing the Human Race into the depths of despair so that the path they walked out themselves would be the right path.
Ling Er fell silent.
Although he was not a human of this world, he could still sense the suffocating oppression in Pan Laosan's heart. In the Primordial World, weakness was the original sin.
He had touched a sore spot. It seemed the trust between humans in this era was something he could hardly understand.
"Alright, Ling Er. Take a look at what you need, and I'll find it for you," Sect Master Tongtian said warmly at once, his eyes as pure as those of a college student.
Watching Ling Er's expression, Sect Master Tongtian sighed inwardly. He had finally fooled the kid.
The words about the Human Race really did work. My time among them was not wasted. After all, I had risen to the position of an elder among the Human Race.
Seeing Pan Laosan return to his honest, simple self, Ling Er stopped being polite and said, "I need some clean clothes to change into."
"Wait here. I'll go find some for you.
Oh, right. This is a formation token. Use it to open the formation if you need to go outside." Sect Master Tongtian handed him a bronze token. It controlled the formations around this place.
The token had another function as well. If Ling Er encountered danger, it would activate a defensive formation for him.
Of course, if that defense was truly shattered, Sect Master Tongtian would appear instantly.
"Alright."
Ling Er watched Sect Master Tongtian leave atop that crooked, wobbling cloud, looking as though he might fall off at any moment.
He secretly made up his mind that if he ever cultivated great divine powers, he would definitely find Third Brother Pan a top-tier cloud-riding technique.
For example: the Somersault Cloud.
As for Sect Master Tongtian saying he could go outside, Ling Er chose to ignore it completely. It was so dangerous outside. Wasn't it better to stay here?
He then began examining the cave abode Sect Master Tongtian had made for him. After looking it over, he could not help sighing. "With these interior design skills, he'd probably make a fortune in the modern world. Calling this a blessed paradise wouldn't be an exaggeration."
He walked over to the bed and lay down. Right now, he needed to process everything that had happened and think about what path he should take in the future.
Since he had come here, he had to survive safely in this world.
The strong never complained about their circumstances, but he was weak right now, so he needed to find a way to become strong.
He definitely had to become Tongtian's disciple.
Elsewhere.
After Sect Master Tongtian left, he did not return to Biyou Palace at all. Instead, he tore open a spatial passage and went straight to find his eldest brother.
How could ordinary clothes possibly keep Ling Er safe?
He had to make his eldest brother craft a top-tier Daoist robe. If that did not work, he would strip off his Taiji Daoist Robe, alter it a little, and let Li Er wear it.
He also needed to ask his eldest brother for some cultivation methods suited to the Human Race. He was afraid his own methods would not suit Ling Er, so he had to raise Li Er's cultivation.
He had only spent a short while with him, yet he had comprehended Daoist arts that had previously eluded him. Most astonishingly, Ling Er seemed to possess a physique impervious to all techniques.
Especially the experiences related to the Human Race—after chatting with him for a few sentences, they kept surfacing and fermenting in his heart, forming all kinds of insights. It gave him a profound sense that the hearts of men were the heart of Heaven.
This was Tongtian's precious disciple. He had to give him the very best.
Shouyang Mountain.
An elegant cave abode.
"Big Brother! Where are you? Are you home?"
"Why are you shouting so loudly? Where are your manners? You're not a child anymore. Can't you be more composed?" the Grand Pure Saint said displeasedly as he appeared beside Sect Master Tongtian, affection glimmering in his eyes.
"Heh, in front of Big Brother, I'll always be a child," Sect Master Tongtian said unconcernedly, his eyes roaming around the cave abode.
"Go on, then. What do you want this time? I only have a few Nine Revolution Golden Pills left," the Grand Pure Saint said helplessly, a trace of wariness flashing through his eyes.
That brat was looking around everywhere. He was definitely planning to swipe something again.
"My dear Big Brother, listen to yourself. Can't I come visit you just because I miss you?
Oh, dear—Big Brother, look at you. You spend all day in seclusion refining pills, and you've gotten your clothes dirty.
Come on, take them off and let me wash them for you.
Here, put on these clean clothes first." Sect Master Tongtian exclaimed as he directly stripped Grand Pure's Eight Trigrams Robe off him.
He even casually dressed him in an ordinary Daoist robe, his movements smooth and practiced, as though he had rehearsed them countless times.
The Grand Pure Saint was stunned.
He had thought his third brother, having established a sect, would surely come asking for resources such as Nine Revolution Golden Pills. Instead, the moment they met, he stripped off his top-tier Daoist robe.
He had even directly erased the divine sense from the robe. That robe had accompanied him for many years and had been forged from top-tier materials. Was it just gone now?
"Wow! Big Brother, is that pill furnace over there refining pills? Let me—"
"Stop!!!"
The Grand Pure Saint hurriedly grabbed his younger brother. This was a pill he had recently been researching, and it was almost finished. If the furnace were opened now, the batch would definitely be ruined.
"Well, well! Big Brother, Third Brother, what game are you two playing?
Why are you hugging each other?"
A faintly jealous voice sounded from behind them. The one who had arrived was Yuanshi Tianzun, who was currently looking sourly at Sect Master Tongtian and the Grand Pure Saint.
At that moment, he understood. So the feeling that he had lost a younger brother meant that his eldest brother had kept him all to himself.
"Well, well! Isn't this my adorable second brother?
Big Brother, look at Second Brother. He actually came empty-handed.
Here, Second Brother, look at these clothes. I gave them to Big Brother.
Do they look good?" Sect Master Tongtian said sarcastically, throwing an arm around his eldest brother's shoulder with great pride.
The Grand Pure Saint only felt a headache coming on. Third Brother, you childish brat—can't you see that your second brother's jealousy is acting up again?
Still, his heart felt warm. In an instant, he forgot all about his third brother stripping off his clothes.
A Daoist robe could be refined again, but it was rare for his younger brother to personally give him clothes!
Yuanshi Tianzun gave a disdainful snort. Jealousy flashed in his eyes, but he refused to yield verbally. "Who says I came empty-handed? I brought Big Brother a top-tier innate treasure—"
"Thank you, Second Brother. How did you know I had just established a sect and needed something like this?"
Yuanshi Tianzun looked at his empty hands and froze.
In the end, he gave a bitter smile. How could he not realize that his own younger brother had tricked him?
He turned to the Grand Pure Saint and asked, "What do you think about the recent heavenly secret?"
"You should ask Third Brother about that. The disturbance came from his place. I covered it up for him," the Grand Pure Saint said indifferently, a trace of helplessness flashing through his eyes.
"When I was preaching the Dao, I comprehended a sliver of vitality.
You both know that this sliver of vitality has always been something the Heavenly Dao dislikes," Sect Master Tongtian said calmly, his playful expression gone.
"How about this, Third Brother? Why not just scrap your Interception Sect?"
Before you continue