Whether it was the Pangu Banner, the Pangu Banner, the Qingping Sword, the Red Embroidered Ball, or the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, the Six Roots Pure Bamboo...
In an instant, they vanished without a trace!
The saints' expressions changed drastically, and they immediately felt the urge to flee.
Yet before they could act, they suddenly discovered—
The Space Law around them had completely changed!
Silently and without warning, none of the saints had noticed.
Yang Mei clapped his hands and laughed. "Did Hongjun not tell you? Back then, he struck me with a supreme treasure from the creation of heaven and earth, yet failed to harm me in the slightest!"
"And you actually dare to try it again!"
What?!
All the saints changed expression.
They looked at one another. Dao Ancestor and Great Immortal Yang Mei actually had such a history?
That meant they had just been showing off before an expert and humiliating themselves!
Great Immortal Yang Mei's spatial Supernatural Powers were truly terrifying!
No wonder the Space Great Dao was revered as one of the Five Supreme Laws.
When wielded by Great Immortal Yang Mei, it was truly... invincible!!
Great Immortal Yang Mei laughed heartily, quite satisfied by the saints' shocked expressions.
With a casual point, he indicated Jieyin and Zhunti. "You two young friends are destined for me!"
What?!
Jieyin and Zhunti could only groan inwardly!
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate revealed strange expressions.
Great Immortal Yang Mei's style really was destined for the two Western Saints!
Who in the Primordial Era did not know that the Two Sages of the West were famous for their shamelessness?
The West had only Mount Sumeru, a place no bigger than a palm.
Yet all the talented people had been taken in by the Western Teachings.
But honestly speaking, they had not truly found any exceptional talents.
Left with no choice, they had to seek recruits elsewhere.
Whenever Zhunti went to the Primordial Era to bring people into the faith, he would always say one thing: "Fellow Daoist, you are destined for my Western Teachings!"
And since Zhunti had not gone too far,
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate had always turned a blind eye.
After all, they were all saints. Zhunti had already cast aside his pride to such an extent. If they still refused to show him any consideration, that would have been utterly unreasonable, would it not?
Zhunti had no shame, but they did!
Thus, Zhunti's shameless reputation became known throughout the Primordial Era.
The immortals of the East feared nothing more than a Western Saint suddenly appearing before them with a delighted expression and saying, "Fellow Daoist, you are destined for the West!"
Who could have imagined it?
The Western Saints, who spent their days telling others that they were destined for them, were now being treated the same way!
Jieyin and Zhunti's faces turned green.
Zhunti cautiously said, "Great Immortal, could there be some misunderstanding here?"
"This junior is an outer branch of the Mystic Gate and a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor!"
Zhunti was not wrong.
Though he and Jieyin were merely Hongjun's registered disciples, they were still true disciples of the Mystic Gate.
It was only later that the Two Sages of the West established their own sect outside the outer branch—the Western Teachings!
Yang Mei said solemnly, "No, you truly are destined for me!"
Looking at the puzzled saints, he spoke with utmost seriousness.
"In the Primordial Era, right and wrong are not discussed. Only Karma matters."
"More importantly, there must be balance between Yin and Yang. No matter how one looks at it..."
"You are both destined for me!"
Great Immortal Yang Mei raised his eyes to the sky, mockery on his face.
"Back when we quelled Luohu's calamity, two Dao Ancestors should have emerged in the Primordial Era."
"Hongjun should have become the Western Dao Ancestor, while I became the Eastern Dao Ancestor!"
"Only then would Yin and Yang have been balanced!"
The saints erupted in uproar!
There was actually such a secret!
Yang Mei looked at the Two Sages of the West with a cold smile.
"You were originally my disciples!"
"You were merely lured away by Hongjun's clever words!"
"Still, he ought to have given you two saintly seats."
"After all, he owed an enormous Karma in the Primordial Era back then, did he not?"
Great Immortal Yang Mei sounded rather pleased as he spoke.
"Hongjun originally had six saintly seats in the Eastern World. He was the Dao Ancestor destined for the Eastern World, so he had no reason to control the West as well."
"Yet Heavenly Dao Karma must naturally be repaid. Even if he was the first saint of the Primordial Era, the same held true!"
"Thus, left with no choice, Hongjun could only take two saintly seats from those under his command."
"That was the origin of your saintly seats!"
Hiss!
All the saints were stunned!
There was actually such a secret.
Although Yang Mei's words sounded shocking, the saints inexplicably believed him!
They had no choice but to believe!
It was simply too similar to their own experiences.
Back when the Dao Ancestor preached in Zixiao Palace,
The struggle between the Two Sages of the West, Hong Yun, and Kunpeng for the saintly seats remained vivid in their minds!
At the time, the Four Saints of the Mystic Gate had only thought the Two Sages of the West shameless, Hong Yun foolish, and Kunpeng helpless!
But looking back now...
How could it have been so simple?
That was Zixiao Palace, the only saintly dojo in the Primordial Era.
Who would dare make a move there?
Was that not a joke?
Yet the dispute over the seats had taken place openly and brazenly.
Thinking back on it now, was that not Dao Ancestor Hongjun's design?
Jieyin and Zhunti felt a tumult of emotions.
Remembering the Heavenly Dao Merit they bore, sorrow immediately rose in their hearts.
Who had to bear boundless Heavenly Dao debts while attaining the Dao?
They, the Two Sages of the West, did!
So that was the root of it!
The Two Western Saints inexplicably developed resentment toward Hongjun.
If they had not borne such heavy Heavenly Dao Merit debts from the very beginning,
Would their cultivation now not be inferior to that of the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa?
They might even have surpassed them!
But what about now?
Their cultivation had been left far behind by the Four Saints of the Mystic Gate!
Still, the saints were saints after all. Their Dao Hearts were steadfast, and they could not be persuaded so easily.
Even if they inwardly felt that this truly seemed to be the case, they still needed further proof.
Yuanshi frowned and gave a slight bow.
"Senior, do you have any evidence for what you have said?!"
Yang Mei clapped his hands and laughed.
"I am the evidence!"
The saints were stunned. What kind of statement was that?
How could he himself count as evidence?
Yang Mei said frankly,
"This time, I returned to the Primordial Era in order to reclaim my former position!"
"I want to take back my saintly seat."
"I want to bring about the Rise of the West. I want to settle Karma with Hongjun!"
He smiled in great delight.
"Everything I do accords with Heavenly Dao Karma."
"Otherwise, look at how I have said such things in the Earth Immortal Realm, and even exchanged a move with you..."
"Hongjun should have noticed long ago, should he not?"
"He is the Incarnation of Heavenly Dao!"
"If there were truly a problem with my actions, could Hongjun still sit securely in Zixiao Palace?"
"Would he not have descended into the mortal world and manifested his divinity long ago?!"
A killing blow!
The saints believed him at once!
Nothing could have been more convincing than this.
Hongjun was the Incarnation of Heavenly Dao. Beneath the coverage of Heavenly Dao, his will existed everywhere and nowhere.
What Yang Mei had just said could already be considered slander against Dao Ancestor Hongjun!
Dao Ancestor Hongjun was the Incarnation of Heavenly Dao. To slander him was equivalent to slandering Heavenly Dao.
One should suffer Heavenly Punishment for that!
Yet the Earth Immortal Realm remained calm and peaceful.
What did that mean? Did it even need to be said?!
For a time, none of the saints spoke.
After quite a while,
Yuanshi finally said, "Senior, are you now going to Zixiao Palace to reminisce with the Dao Ancestor?"
Yang Mei waved his hand.
"No hurry, no hurry!"
"Now is the time of the immeasurable calamity. Naturally, I shall stand with the Western Teachings and help them pass through the calamity successfully!"
What?!
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate's expressions changed drastically!
This was Great Immortal Yang Mei, a supreme expert whose cultivation and Supernatural Powers were unfathomable.
He was a peerless being truly capable of contending with Dao Ancestor Hongjun!
His realm stood far above theirs. Presumably, his cultivation was on par with Dao Ancestor Hongjun!
At the very least, he was a saint at the peak of the Dao Integration Realm!
And what about the saints' cultivation?
They were still far from the Dao Integration Realm!
With two Western Saints involved, how could they possibly win?
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate looked utterly grim!
Jieyin and Zhunti were overjoyed!
They had just been bullied miserably by the four saints of the Mystic Gate!
Now, with Great Immortal Yang Mei joining them, their high-end combat strength would surpass that of the Mystic Gate.
Their chances of victory in the Investiture of the Gods Calamity would greatly increase!
Yuanshi retorted with a dark expression, "Great Immortal, you are an expert on the level of a Dao Ancestor, a supreme being comparable to Dao Ancestor Hongjun... To participate in the calamity of us disciples like this..."
"Is that not beneath your status?"
All the saints knew that Yuanshi had phrased it rather tactfully.
What he truly meant was... Great Immortal Yang Mei was bullying the weak!
The saints of the Mystic Gate all chimed in, "Indeed!"
You were a great saint at the peak of the Dao Integration Realm. Were you really shameless enough to bully a group of minor Heavenly Dao Realm saints like them?
Yang Mei pointed into the void, the corners of his lips curling upward in mockery.
"This is the Karma Hongjun owes me!"
"Let me tell you plainly: before the Rise of the West is achieved, do you think Hongjun would dare appear before me!"
Hiss!
The saints were immediately left helpless!
A Dao Integration Realm saint was actually acting like a rogue!
What could they do?
The saints of the Mystic Gate had no way to deal with this at all!
Just as Great Immortal Yang Mei had said, he had manifested for so long that Dao Ancestor Hongjun should have noticed long ago!
Yet the Dao Ancestor had stubbornly remained silent!
What did that mean?
Obviously, he was in the wrong!
The Mystic Gate saints cursed inwardly. "This shameless style truly suits those two Western fellow Daoists!"
Sometimes, they had no way to stop Jieyin and Zhunti when the two acted shamelessly.
Let alone Great Immortal Yang Mei, whose cultivation surpassed theirs by more than a major realm!
The Mystic Gate saints looked at one another, yet they could not find any solution to this matter.
With a casual sweep of his gaze, Yang Mei immediately spotted the Immortal Slaying Sword Array.
"My Western disciples are undergoing their tribulation here. How can I allow them to lose their Dao Hearts?"
With a flick of his finger, a Willow Tree plunged directly into the great array!
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate turned pale. "This is bad!"
The Mystic Gate saints were utterly shocked!
They saw it clearly. What Great Immortal Yang Mei had just sent into the Immortal Slaying Sword Array was clearly a Willow Tree.
In other words, it was Great Immortal Yang Mei's avatar!
Although the Immortal Slaying Sword Array sealed heaven and earth, forming a world of its own, ordinary people could not enter it.
But to saints, it was practically a joke.
If Tongtian had been presiding over the array, it might have been much harder for the saints to enter it.
But Duobao was currently controlling the array, and it could not even stop any one of the saints.
Let alone Great Immortal Yang Mei, who controlled the Space Great Dao!
Yuanshi questioned with a dark expression,
"Great Immortal, we Mystic Gate saints made an agreement with the two Western fellow Daoists. Everything concerning the Investiture of the Gods Calamity would be left to the disciples, and saints were not to interfere."
"Are you not violating our agreement?"
Yang Mei frowned slightly and turned toward the Two Sages of the West. "Was there such an agreement?"
Jieyin and Zhunti deeply regretted it!
There truly was such an agreement.
At first, Zhunti had believed that the Western Teachings had Ten Thousand Immortals, as well as Minghe and Lu Ya to lead them. How many disciples did the Mystic Gate have?
Ten against one was practically a guaranteed victory!
He had said it specifically to prevent the Mystic Gate saints from personally getting involved.
After all, the Mystic Gate had four saints!
If the saints truly fought, the Western Teachings would gain no advantage whatsoever!
Who could have expected the Eight Great Immortals of Biyou Palace to be so ferocious?
Even Minghe had been refined!
Fortunately, the Two Sages of the West had made preparations beforehand. They had placed some of Minghe's Blood God Sons in the Eight Treasures Merit Pool halfway up Mount Sumeru.
When the two saints had done so, it had been purely out of habit.
Who would have thought it would truly save Minghe's life!
Zhunti nodded awkwardly.
Yang Mei did not mind. "It is right for you two to be cautious!"
He then said to Yuanshi,
"I have not broken the rules. The Willow Tree I sent in just now only possesses the cultivation of a Peak Quasi-Saint."
"There is no need to doubt that!"
The Mystic Gate saints widened their eyes and stared at Yang Mei in disbelief.
How could he possibly say such nonsense?
What Yang Mei had sent into the Immortal Slaying Sword Array was indeed a willow branch at the Peak Quasi-Saint level.
But it was even more undeniable that the branch was Yang Mei's avatar!
What realm was Yang Mei's true body at?
He was a Peak Dao Integration Realm mighty expert!
A Dao Ancestor-level mighty expert comparable to Hongjun, the Incarnation of Heavenly Dao!
Could his avatar be regarded as an ordinary Peak Quasi-Saint?
Even the Mystic Gate saints did not dare be careless when facing Yang Mei's Quasi-Saint avatar!
Let alone their disciples?!
Though they both faced the Dao, the power Yang Mei's avatar could unleash would far surpass that of the most peak Quasi-Saints of the Primordial Era!
This was a matter of fundamental understanding of the Dao!
The saints grumbled inwardly.
This style truly was that of the Two Sages of the West.
No wonder Great Immortal Yang Mei had such a profound affinity with the Two Sages of the West.
It was truly no shallow affinity!
The Four Saints of the Mystic Gate looked at one another, each seeing the gloom between the others' brows.
Originally, they had been certain to win the Investiture of the Gods Calamity!
But a Peak Dao Integration Realm mighty expert had suddenly appeared and forcibly changed the rules.
It left them in a terrible predicament!
The four saints looked at the smug Jieyin and Zhunti.
They looked at Yang Mei, whose face bore a detached, transcendent smile.
They felt utterly sickened!
The four saints all looked toward the sky.
They were looking toward Zixiao Palace beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens!
The four saints hoped Hongjun would manifest himself just as Yang Mei had.
After all, this concerned the future of the Mystic Gate.
As the Dao Ancestor of the Mystic Gate, Hongjun should have made a move as well.
But to the four saints' disappointment,
Hongjun still reclined high above the Ninth Layer of Clouds, seated quietly within Zixiao Palace.
Like a statue.
He did not move at all!
Even the expression on his face seemed unchanged since time immemorial!
The four saints' hearts sank!
It seemed Yang Mei had not been lying!
Hongjun truly owed him Karma!
Once that was confirmed, the four saints' heads began to ache!
What had Yang Mei just said?
After the Investiture of the Gods Immeasurable Calamity, it would be the Rise of the West!
What was the hidden meaning behind that?
Their Mystic Gate would lose this great calamity!
How could they possibly accept that?
But the Western Teachings now had a Peak Dao Integration Realm mighty expert backing them.
Meanwhile, the ancestor of the Mystic Gate sat firmly in his Daoist sanctuary without the slightest intention of moving.
How could the four of them handle this alone?
Furthermore, the Four Saints' Dao-Protecting Divine Weapons had been taken by Yang Mei!
For a time, the four saints were truly in complete turmoil.
Even Yuanshi, so resourceful, and Taishang, so detached and transcendent, had no good solution now!
Tongtian suddenly said, "Great Immortal Yang Mei, was what you just said true?"
All the saints looked over at once, hope in their eyes.
The other three saints knew that Tongtian's doctrine was to comprehend the principles of heaven and earth and seize a thread of life.
Had he found that thread of life?
Yang Mei asked curiously, "Little fellow Daoist, what do you mean?"
Tongtian chuckled. "My meaning is very clear. You just said that the Willow Tree entering the Immortal Slaying Sword Array can only keep its cultivation fixed at the Peak Quasi-Saint level, correct?"
Yang Mei smiled. "Naturally!"
He had just glanced at the Investiture of the Gods Array, and the cultivation of Biyou Palace's immortals had surprised him.
Every one of them was at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm!
Especially their Merit, which was so abundant that even Yang Mei clicked his tongue in amazement.
But... that was all.
The one he had sent out was indeed a Peak Quasi-Saint.
But strictly speaking, it was a Quasi-Saint avatar of a Peak Dao Integration Realm expert.
Its understanding of the Dao completely surpassed that of Quasi-Saints.
The realms were simply entirely different.
For the Eight Immortals of Biyou Palace to defeat his avatar, they would need a Chaos Spirit Treasure in hand!
Otherwise,
they could only submit without resistance!
But Chaos Spirit Treasures...
They were things one could encounter only by chance, never by seeking!
Only four Chaos Spirit Treasures were known to exist.
They were the Chaos Green Lotus that had nurtured Great God Pangu.
Great God Pangu's accompanying spirit treasure, the Pangu Sky-Opening Axe.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun's accompanying spirit treasure, the Jade Plate of Creation.
And the Chaos Bead, whose whereabouts were unknown!
Other than these, where could there be any more?
Moreover, among these four great Chaos Spirit Treasures, the Chaos Green Lotus had shattered, while the Jade Plate of Creation and the Chaos Bead were not offensive treasures.
Before you continue