Looking at Tongtian's appearance, Lin Tian shook his head helplessly, then waved his hand, letting Lu Ya and Little Deer leave, leaving only Lin Tian and Tongtian there.
Lin Tian picked up his wine cup, took a small sip, and slowly said, " Tongtian, do you know why your Three Pure Ones have come to this point?"
Tongtian shook his head. "Please enlighten Dao Venerable."
"Do you remember what I told you before?" Lin Tian put down his wine glass, his gaze deep. " The Taishang follows the Way of Non-Action, emphasizing going with the flow, not competing or grabbing. Therefore, he can disregard everything, as long as his bottom line is not crossed."
" Yuanshi followed the path of order, emphasizing rules, laws, and hierarchical distinctions. Therefore, he looked down on the idea of universal education, believing it undermined the orthodoxy of the Mystic Gate Daoist school)."
"Of course, there might also be some jealousy involved."
"And you..." Lin Tian looked at Tongtian, "You follow the path of the Heavenly Interceptor, emphasizing a sliver of hope and teaching without discrimination. You believe that all things in the universe, regardless of their origin, have a chance to attain enlightenment. Therefore, you accept disciples widely, welcoming all who come."
Tongtian was stunned; he had never thought about it from this perspective before.
"There is no inherent superiority or inferiority among the three paths," Lin Tian continued, "But those who follow different paths will find it difficult to work together. You three brothers have different personalities, and your paths are diametrically opposed. Over time, your differences will naturally grow. Furthermore..."
He paused, then added, "And then there were those who fanned the flames."
"Adding fuel to the fire?" A cold glint flashed in Tongtian's eyes. "Does the Dao Venerable mean..."
Lin Tian waved his hand, " Tongtian, I only ask you one question: if Yuanshi and Taishang join forces with the Western Teachings to force your Interception Sect to fill the list, what will you do?"
Tongtian immediately shook his head and said, "Impossible, absolutely impossible! Dao Venerable, although the relationship between the Three Pure Ones is no longer what it used to be, they would never do such a thing as rallying outsiders to deal with me."
Lin Tian laughed, "You think it's impossible? In this Primordial Wilderness, nothing is impossible?"
Lin Tian said calmly, "Just based on the fact that your Interception Sect claims to have ten thousand immortals paying homage and has stolen the limelight from Taishang and Yuanshi, how can you, as their third brother, have more disciples than them? Besides, you also possess the Four Swords of Execution. I remember that the Four Swords of Execution cannot be broken by even Four Saints, right?"
Tongtian remained silent and nodded.
Lin Tian immediately stood up. "That's right. You think the Taishang doesn't care about anything? On the contrary, he cares about nothing the most. And the Yuanshi Beginning is just a tool he uses to deal with you."
Tongtian was shocked and wanted to refute Dao Venerable, but when the words came out, he didn't know how to explain.
What the Dao Venerable said is indeed the truth.
"There's one more thing I need to tell you."
Lin Tian turned around and looked at Tongtian, "Do you know why you are all transformed from the Pangu's Primordial Spirit, yet your cultivation and Yuanshi's are always Taishang's, and why that Exquisite Pagoda is also in Taishang's hands?"
"Naturally, it's because the Taishang, as the first brother, diligently cultivates..."
Tongtian was about to explain, but upon closer reflection, he realized something was amiss.
But I can't figure out what's wrong.
"What does the Dao Venerable mean?"
Lin Tian looked at him quietly, a hint of pity flashing in his eyes, and said in a deep voice, "Haven't you noticed that a part of your essence is missing?"
"The origin is missing? Not at all."
Tongtian was somewhat bewildered. Since his birth, he had cultivated for countless eons and had never felt that his so-called origin was missing a part.
Lin Tian flashed to Tongtian's side, placed his left hand on Tongtian's shoulder, and a powerful force appeared within Tongtian's body.
"Close your eyes and feel it carefully."
Tongtian did as instructed and then began to comprehend his own being.
Before long, Tongtian opened his eyes in shock, his gaze filled with disbelief.
"How... how... is this possible? Why... why... is this happening?"
Just now, through the Dao Venerable's power, he finally sensed his own origin and realized that it was indeed missing a small part, which was negligible. If it weren't for the Dao Venerable's help, he wouldn't have noticed it at all.
"Who... dared to steal my essence... Could it be the Taishang?"
Thinking of what Dao Venerable had just said, that Taishang had been stronger than him and Yuanshi since the day he was born, his heart was filled with shock and turmoil.
Although the missing small portion of primordial power wouldn't harm him, he couldn't tolerate Taishang's actions.
"That's right, it was the Taishang. Before you were even born, he secretly absorbed a portion of your and Yuanshi's primordial power."
Lin Tian remained calm; he did this in the hope that Tongtian would see things clearly.
"But, why would the Taishang Lord do such a thing?"
Tongtian couldn't understand why Taishang would do this, since they came from the same source and belonged to the same root.
"Because he was the first to wake up, he doesn't want your strength to surpass his one day."
Tongtian laughed, a miserable laugh. "So this is the so-called Way of Non-Action? Seemingly indifferent to everything, yet secretly engaging in such actions?"
His eyes were filled with tears, and they were red. "May I ask Dao Venerable, how did you know this? And why did he do this?"
Lin Tian shook his head, not explaining much, "These are things I calculated; my cultivation level is sufficient to calculate them."
"He wants to use your origins to cultivate a Supernatural Power called One Qi Supernatural Power into One Qi Transforms into Three Pure Ones, which can transform your incarnations and those of the Yuanshi Beginning into his own. Of course, he also wants to use your origins to allow his own primordial spirit to transform and become the Pangu's Primordial Spirit."
" Pangu's Primordial Spirit?"
Tongtian's pupils contracted; so that's how it is.
Because they each inherited a part of Pangu's primordial spirit, Taishang wanted to combine their origins to return to the source.
"I see."
Tongtian Chaotian burst into laughter, his voice filled with hatred. " Taishang Taishang, you've deceived us! You've certainly lived up to your role as the eldest brother! Hahaha!"
It's a shame he always called him "Taishang Brother" and treated him with such respect, always thinking of him first when there was something good.
And the result?
Was his essence stolen by the Taishang?
But they never said it out loud.
Such behavior, akin to that of a thief, made Tongtian clench his fists involuntarily.
Tongtian laughed for a while, then bowed deeply to Lin Tian, "Thank you for telling me Dao Venerable. If it weren't for Dao Venerable, I think I would never have known this secret."
Lin Tian nodded, sat down on the stone bench, and said in a deep voice, "I'm telling you this because I don't want you to be bound by so-called emotions. What you think is the deep affection and loyalty of the Three Pure Ones is, in their eyes, only eternal interests."
"I believe that this conferment of Investiture of the Gods was definitely premeditated in private, with the intention of completely destroying your Interception Sect."
"And all you need to do is figure out how to deal with this situation?"
Tongtian bowed deeply to Lin Tian, "I have benefited greatly from this visit to Dao Venerable. However, I have something to do right now. After I resolve this matter, I will return to Three Immortal Islands to request Dao Venerable's solution."
Lin Tian knew what Tongtian was going to do, and nodded, "Go, and remember, do as you please."
Tongtian agreed, and then transformed into a streak of azure sword light, heading towards Shouyang Mountain.