Hong Yun, You're Playing Me

As soon as the words fell.

Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, a deathly silence descended in an instant.

Kunpeng froze, as if he had not heard Hong Yun clearly.

Di Jun and Taiyi were also stunned, their expressions strange.

Then Kunpeng asked in disbelief, "You want to give the Hongmeng Purple Qi to me?"

Hong Yun nodded. "Yes."

Hearing this, Kunpeng flew into a rage. "Hong Yun, you're playing me!"

His eyes were bloodshot as he stared fixedly at Hong Yun, his gaze seeming ready to swallow him whole and tear him to pieces.

"Whoever obtained the Hongmeng Purple Qi would be willing to give it to someone else?!"

"Do you take me for a three-year-old child?!"

Di Jun and Taiyi came to their senses as well.

That was right—the Hongmeng Purple Qi was the foundation for becoming a Saint. Who would be willing to give it away?

This Hong Yun usually put on the guise of a kindly old man, yet after obtaining the Hongmeng Purple Qi, he had actually come before Kunpeng to show off!

Showing off was one thing, but he was even using this method to toy with Kunpeng!

He was treating everyone like fools!

Di Jun and Taiyi's expressions darkened, and the way they looked at Hong Yun turned cold.

Hong Yun looked at Kunpeng and said earnestly, "Daoist Friend Kunpeng, I truly intend to give you the Hongmeng Purple Qi, to settle the grievances between us once and for all. I am not playing you."

He tried to explain, but to the furious Kunpeng, those words were no different from pouring oil on a fire.

"Hahaha! Good! What a fine way to settle our grievances!" Kunpeng laughed in extreme anger.

"You want to give me the Hongmeng Purple Qi? Then take it out!"

"Now! This instant! Right away! Take it out and let me see!"

Hong Yun said, "All right."

He steadied himself at once, sank his consciousness inward, and circulated the power of his primordial spirit, attempting to communicate with the Hongmeng Purple Qi within him and force it out of his body.

However...

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Time passed bit by bit.

Fine beads of sweat began to seep from Hong Yun's forehead.

The Hongmeng Purple Qi within him was like an immovable boulder, utterly motionless and completely refusing to obey his command!

How could this be?

Hong Yun grew frantic inside.

Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, the atmosphere became increasingly oppressive.

The mockery on Kunpeng's face deepened, while the killing intent in his eyes burned ever fiercer.

Di Jun and Taiyi were nearly out of patience as well.

"Hong Yun! You really are playing me!" After waiting for so long and seeing Hong Yun merely standing there in helpless anxiety without making any move, Kunpeng finally erupted completely.

"You never intended to give it to me at all!"

"You came here solely to humiliate me!"

He abruptly turned to Di Jun and Taiyi. "Your Majesty! His Highness Taiyi!"

"Hong Yun has gone too far in bullying others!"

"I, Kunpeng, am now the Demon Master of the Heavenly Court, yet he still dares to come to the Southern Heavenly Gate and toy with me like this!"

"This clearly shows that he holds neither our Demon Race nor Your Majesty and His Highness in his eyes!"

"I beg you both to lend me a hand and seize this wretch!"

"I will tear him to pieces, grind his bones to ash, and obliterate his true spirit—only then will the hatred in my heart be appeased!"

Kunpeng's words were both an outlet for his rage and a form of forcing the issue.

He had bound his own humiliation together with the Demon Race's dignity.

Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance.

Naturally, they could see that Kunpeng wanted to kill with a borrowed blade.

But Kunpeng was not wrong.

Kunpeng was now the Demon Master, representing the Heavenly Court's dignity.

For Hong Yun to "toy with" the Demon Master like this at the Southern Heavenly Gate was not merely a slap to Kunpeng's face—it was a slap to the Heavenly Court's face, and to the faces of the two brothers!

If they remained unmoved, once word spread, what would others think of the Demon Race? What would they think of them?

Wouldn't that make people think the Demon Race was weak and easy to bully?

Who would still sincerely pledge allegiance to the Heavenly Court in the future?

Once people's hearts scattered, the ranks would be hard to lead.

"Daoist Friend Hong Yun, you have gone too far." Di Jun's voice turned cold, imperial majesty spreading outward.

Taiyi was even more direct, True Sun Fire surging around him. "Hand over the Hongmeng Purple Qi, or die!"

A great battle was on the verge of erupting.

"Daoist Friend Di Jun, Daoist Friend Taiyi, Daoist Friend Kunpeng! Do not act yet!"

Wu Ming and Zhen Yuanzi hurried forward.

Zhen Yuanzi quickly said, "Daoist Friend Kunpeng, Your Majesty, there truly has been a misunderstanding! Daoist Friend Hong Yun sincerely came to return the Hongmeng Purple Qi; he was not toying with you. Daoist Friend Wu Ming and I can bear witness!"

The two swiftly came to Hong Yun's side.

Lowering his voice, Zhen Yuanzi asked anxiously, "Daoist Friend Hong Yun, what is going on? Hurry and take out the Hongmeng Purple Qi. If this continues, it truly will be impossible to explain!"

Hong Yun was drenched in sweat, his voice nearly breaking into tears. "Daoist Friend Zhen Yuanzi! I want to take it out too! But... but when I use my Primordial Spirit to communicate with it, I simply cannot draw out the Hongmeng Purple Qi!"

Zhen Yuanzi was greatly startled. "What? How could this be?"

Wu Ming, standing beside them, merely furrowed his brow slightly, deep in thought.

Though the three of them had kept their voices very low, who present was not among the foremost Great Powers of the Primordial Wilderness?

Every word fell clearly into Kunpeng, Di Jun, and Taiyi's ears.

Having heard their conversation loud and clear, Kunpeng flew into a rage. "Fine! Hong Yun! Even now, you are still playing me for a fool!"

"Do you take us all for idiots?!"

"The Hongmeng Purple Qi is inside your body, yet you cannot take it out?!"

"Who are you trying to fool?!"

"Speak! Have you already secretly comprehended it? Have you already refined it?" Kunpeng demanded harshly.

Hearing Kunpeng's words, Hong Yun hurriedly explained, "Daoist Friend Kunpeng! I truly was not playing you!"

"After returning from Purple Firmament Palace, I went straight to Daoist Friend Zhen Yuanzi's Wuzhuang Temple. I stayed there, conflicted the entire time, my heart caught in a battle between heaven and man, unsure whether I should give you the Hongmeng Purple Qi and settle the Karma between us."

"I struggled for a long time, but in the end, I decided to give you the Hongmeng Purple Qi."

"Once I made that decision, I immediately went to find Daoist Friend Wu Ming, then rushed without stopping to the Heavenly Court to find you."

"During all that time, I truly did not even touch the Hongmeng Purple Qi, much less comprehend or communicate with it!"

Hong Yun spoke with utter sincerity, but how could Kunpeng possibly believe him?

"You think I would believe that?" Kunpeng sneered, mana swelling around him once more, killing intent boiling over.

"Enough nonsense! Today, either you die or I perish!"

With that, he was about to strike.

"Daoist Friend Kunpeng, calm yourself for now." Wu Ming stepped forward, standing before Hong Yun.

Kunpeng glared viciously at Wu Ming. "Daoist Friend Wu Ming! This matter has nothing to do with your Wu Clan! Are you going to interfere as well?"

Kunpeng looked at Wu Ming, his gaze icy.

Wu Ming said calmly, "I have a way to extract the Hongmeng Purple Qi."

At those words, Hong Yun seemed to clutch at a lifeline. His eyes lit up as he hurriedly asked, "Daoist Friend Wu Ming! What method? How can it be taken out?"

Wu Ming looked at him and slowly uttered two words. "Make an oath."

Hong Yun: "???"

But Zhen Yuanzi understood at once, slapping his thigh. "That's right! This Hongmeng Purple Qi was bestowed by the Dao Ancestor, a creation of the Heavenly Dao containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth. How could it be an ordinary treasure?"

"Though Daoist Friend Hong Yun obtained it, his Primordial Spirit has yet to fully merge with it. It is only natural that he cannot wield it freely!"

"Now, I fear that only by making a Great Dao Oath, declaring the matter to the will of heaven, and having the power of the Heavenly Dao aid him can this Hongmeng Purple Qi be extracted!"

Wu Ming affirmed Zhen Yuanzi's thoughts and explained to Hong Yun, "Correct! Daoist Friend Hong Yun, you must make a solemn oath to the Great Dao, Great God Pangu, and the Heavenly Dao. State that you are willing to use the Hongmeng Purple Qi to settle the Karma between you and Daoist Friend Kunpeng, and request the Great Dao's witness and the Heavenly Dao's aid."

Having said that, Wu Ming turned to Kunpeng. "Daoist Friend Kunpeng, what do you think of this method? Have Daoist Friend Hong Yun make such a grave oath. If he truly is toying with you, the Heavenly Dao will naturally punish him. If he is sincere, it will also prove his innocence and allow the Hongmeng Purple Qi to be extracted."

Kunpeng's eyes flickered as thoughts raced through his mind.

Make an oath?

Swear to the Great Dao, Great God Pangu, and the Heavenly Dao?

This was no joking matter!

Once such an oath was made, the consequences of breaking it would be unthinkable!

He stared fixedly at Hong Yun, trying to find even a trace of falsehood or hesitation on his face.

But all he saw was anxiety and a sliver of... anticipation?

Kunpeng sneered inwardly.

He did not believe Hong Yun would truly be willing to make such a grave oath and hand over the Saint Position that was already within reach.

He was certain Hong Yun was still putting on an act, merely stalling for time!

But...

What if?

What if they were telling the truth?

What if something had truly snapped in Hong Yun's head, and he was willing to swear it?

Though the possibility was vanishingly slim, it was still a glimmer of hope.

In any case, he had already lost all the face he could lose back at Purple Firmament Palace. Losing a little more made no difference.

At that thought, Kunpeng let out a cold laugh. "Hehe... fine! Since Daoist Friend Wu Ming has put it that way, then I shall trust you one more time!"

"Hong Yun! Swear your oath!"

"I would like to hear how you will speak to the Great Dao, Great God Pangu, and the Heavenly Dao!"

"If you dare utter even half a false word, there will be no need to wait for heavenly punishment—I, Kunpeng, will make sure your body and soul are obliterated today!"

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