Nuwa had not founded a great sect, so she naturally had ample Merit for cultivation.
It was only natural that her cultivation realm surpassed the other Sages.
Zhunti finally relaxed!
Tongtian, within the formation, also frowned slightly.
At every moment, he calculated the speed at which his cultivation was improving.
At his current rate,
after one day passed in the Primordial Era,
his cultivation would not reach the sixth level of the Dao Integration Realm.
That would not do!
Within his Sea of Consciousness, Tongtian selected an item and gritted his teeth as he refined it!
He shook his head slightly.
Refining this treasure himself was a waste.
He should have given it to his disciples.
But if he did not refine it now, he would not even have the strength to protect them.
Perhaps Taishang, Yuanshi, and Nuwa believed Hongjun would emerge to stop Yang Mei,
but with Senior Lin Dong's guidance, Tongtian naturally knew that even if Yang Mei suppressed them all,
Hongjun would not appear.
Perhaps that would even suit Hongjun's wishes!
Thinking of what Senior Lin Dong had said about the relationship between Hongjun and Yang Mei,
Tongtian felt a chill run through his heart.
No matter what, he had to reach the sixth level of the Dao Integration Realm!
With that in mind, refining Great God Pangu's Spine became acceptable as well!
Tongtian took a deep breath, cleared his mind of all distractions, and refined it with all his strength.
Boundless Merit continuously emerged from a sphere of light within his Primordial Spirit Sea of Consciousness.
The Dao Fruit of the Great Dao of Strength and Great God Pangu's Spine
were gradually refined under the effects of boundless Merit.
What showed on the outside was Tongtian's cultivation visibly rising.
First level of the Dao Integration Realm, second level of the Dao Integration Realm, third level of the Dao Integration Realm.
The speed was unbelievably fast!
Before night even fell, Tongtian had already reached the third level of the Dao Integration Realm!
Finally, when Tongtian advanced to the fourth level of the Dao Integration Realm,
night arrived!
The Sages of the Mystic Gate had not held out any hope!
But now, their eyes grew increasingly bright!
Day and night made no difference at all to Sages.
They guarded Tongtian closely.
Tongtian's advancement speed made them feel that hope existed!
The Two Sages of the West opened their mouths in horror.
It was here!
That nightmare-like scene had appeared again!
Tongtian's advancement speed was even more outrageous than Pingxin's had been!
Zhunti could not help looking at Yang Mei.
Yang Mei shot Zhunti an irritated glance.
Yang Mei understood what Zhunti meant!
He had not expected Tongtian to truly advance just as he had said.
Though he was currently at the fourth level of the Dao Integration Realm—no, the fifth level already!
The night was not even halfway over!
If the second day came, Tongtian seemingly could fully advance to the sixth level!
Yang Mei simply could not understand it.
Had Tongtian saved the Primordial Era several times?
Otherwise, where had he gotten so much Heavenly Dao Merit?!
Yang Mei's expression darkened.
He had already given Tongtian so much time, so he did not care about giving him a little more.
Fine!
What did it matter if he gave him more time?
He could use the moment Tongtian advanced to shatter Tongtian's confidence and crush his Dao Heart.
That would make things easier for his plan with Hongjun!
And while he was at it...
Yang Mei glanced at the Three Saints of the Mystic Gate—he would extract the Primordial Violet Qi from their bodies!
Yang Mei's face was dark as he stared in disbelief at Tongtian, enveloped in a glow of Merit.
Even Yang Mei, one of the most ancient cultivators who claimed to have seen every kind of storm,
had never witnessed anything like this.
Had Tongtian saved the Primordial Era countless times?
Otherwise, where had he gotten so much Merit?
Even if he had been formed from Great God Pangu's Primordial Spirit and possessed Heaven-Opening Merit within him, he should not have had this much!
Yang Mei cursed Hongjun inwardly. "Did you know the disciple you taught was such a monster?!"
Originally, this was not part of their plan.
Yang Mei had only received instructions from Hongjun to settle the Investiture of the Gods Calamity.
There was only one guiding principle: ensure that the Western Teachings emerged victorious!
That was why Yang Mei had crossed countless spans of time and space to come from the Chaos Void.
Besides that,
Yang Mei was to attain the position of Western Dao Ancestor.
But that was something to be done after the Investiture of the Gods Calamity ended, not during the Immeasurable Calamity.
Yang Mei's targets were the immortals of Biyou Palace.
Naturally, Tongtian was among those targets as well!
But previously, he had never intended to confront Tongtian immediately.
Exposing their targets too early would put the Sages on guard.
Yang Mei and Hongjun's ambitions were vast.
Their targets were not just Tongtian, but the other Sages as well!
Things had developed to this point because one event had followed right after another!
The timeline had shifted, a Chaos Spirit Treasure had appeared, and Tongtian had attained the Dao!
One thing after another had directly disrupted their plans!
No, it should be said that it had disrupted his own plans!
Yang Mei was utterly speechless whenever he thought of Hongjun. At such a critical moment, Hongjun had actually gone off to comprehend the Dao!
It was utterly absurd!
How could Yang Mei not curse Hongjun?!
In the current situation, he desperately needed Hongjun to provide him with crucial information.
But now?
Hongjun had actually entered seclusion!
Yang Mei fumed inwardly. "Fine!"
"I refuse to believe I cannot take down a Tongtian!"
Yet Yang Mei had no idea where Tongtian's Merit came from.
He was utterly baffled by it.
Compared to Yang Mei, the Sages of the Primordial Era had indeed been shocked at first.
But before long, they calmed down!
This was no lie.
Because they had experience!
Back when Sage Pingxin established the Six Paths of Reincarnation, her Merit had also been enough to leave the Primordial Era's Sages dumbfounded!
When they saw enough Merit for five Sages to attain the Dao all over again,
the shock had been beyond words!
Yet had they not accepted it in the end?
Everyone had their secrets. Even Sages could not pry into another Sage's secrets; that was an unwritten rule among the Sages.
The Sages accepted it quickly.
If Empress Pingxin of the Six Paths of Reincarnation could possess so much Merit,
then why could other Sages not experience the same thing?
The Sages knew perfectly well that such thinking was wrong.
Whether Pingxin or Tongtian, they both possessed an excessive amount of Merit.
But there was nothing they could do.
If they did not think this way, they could not stop themselves from investigating the secret behind it.
But was the Primordial Era the time to investigate secrets?
Even the timeline at the source of the Primordial Era had changed.
Great God Pangu had somehow gained an accompanying spirit treasure, the Earth Splitting Chisel.
Who would believe that?!
Now was not the time to pursue the matter!
This was the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, the Immeasurable Calamity.
If they did not think of a way to survive it, who would bother dwelling on such irrelevant matters?
Wouldn't that be madness?
Had they not seen the legendary Great Immortal Yang Mei appear?
Even the Sages would not take the Immeasurable Calamity lightly.
If it was mishandled, the Immeasurable Calamity could easily become an Immeasurable Eon!
And Great Immortal Yang Mei's appearance was an obvious sign!
Therefore, the Sages could only force themselves to ignore Tongtian's unreasonable amount of Merit.
Just like that,
regardless of Yang Mei's thoughts or the Sages' various considerations, they quietly waited for Tongtian to finish cultivating!
A day in the Primordial Era was merely the blink of an eye to these supreme beings!
The glow of Merit surrounding Tongtian completely dissipated!
The mighty experts all let out long sighs of relief.
It would be a lie to say they were not envious of Tongtian's Merit.
Tongtian had continuously burned that boundless Merit. It was simply breathtaking!
Even the Sages watching this scene felt pained.
Was Merit in the Primordial Era supposed to be used like this?!
It was not!
Even Nuwa, who possessed the most Merit among the Sages, had never used it in such a manner.
Those capable of attaining the Dao and becoming Sages possessed exceptional innate talent and comprehension.
Whenever they contemplated the Heavenly Dao, they gained something each time.
Only when they truly gained no insight, felt they had temporarily reached a bottleneck, or needed to break through the barrier of a particular level
would they use Merit.
The Sages had never been as extravagantly wasteful as Tongtian.
They calculated silently.
The Merit Tongtian had burned was far, far greater than Pingxin's had once been!
More than twice as much!
In other words, the Merit Tongtian had spent would have been enough for the former five Sages to attain the Dao three or four times over!
What a waste!
The Sages of the Mystic Gate did not dwell on it because they were concerned about the calamity.
The two Western Sages' eyes turned red with envy!
Truly red!
When they attained the Dao, they had borne an immeasurable debt of Merit.
They had never burned Merit like this!
No!
Forget burning Merit—they could not even bear to use Merit to break through their cultivation realms!
No one who owed an immeasurable debt of Merit would dare use Merit carelessly.
In the Primordial Era, one could owe anyone a debt, but never the Heavenly Dao!
The obsession of the Two Sages of the West was to repay their Merit debt as soon as possible.
Then cultivate properly.
The Rise of the West was also their obsession!
Yet accomplishing it was exceedingly difficult.
The light of Merit around Tongtian vanished.
With a casual gesture, he withdrew the Time Array shrouding him.
One day had passed in the Primordial Era.
Yet he had remained within the Time Array for a full hundred million years.
In other words, he had burned Merit for an entire hundred million years.
The Merit consumed made even Tongtian tremble with fear.
If not for Senior Lin Dong's support,
how could Tongtian have squandered Merit so extravagantly?
This Merit was insignificant to Lin Dong, but to Tongtian, it was an astronomical sum!
He secretly sighed. "I owe Senior Lin Dong far too much!"
No matter how he repaid it, it seemed never to be enough!
From now on, I shall follow Senior's lead!
Fortunately, his cultivation had improved.
Together with his trump cards... defeating Yang Mei would be difficult, but defending the grand array behind him would be more than enough!
Tongtian signaled to the Three Saints of the Mystic Gate with his gaze, telling them to rest assured.
He smiled at Yang Mei. "Great Immortal, I have finished upgrading! Now let me experience your Supernatural Powers!"
The Three Saints of the Mystic Gate were overjoyed!
Yang Mei had said that as long as Tongtian could advance to the Sixth Heaven of Dao Integration Realm Sage, he could stop him.
Now, Tongtian had successfully advanced!
Yang Mei wanted to obtain the Immortal Slaying Sword Array?
Wishful thinking!
Where one side rejoiced, the other grieved!
The Two Sages of the West were deathly pale!
They grumbled inwardly, Wouldn't it have been better to capture Tongtian right away?
Why give him time to grow?
They had needlessly made things harder for themselves!
This isn't the Western style at all!
What was the style of the Western Saints?
If there was a soft persimmon to squeeze, they would never pick a hard one!
If they could secure victory beyond doubt, they would never give their opponents even the slightest chance!
But this Western Dao Ancestor...
Jieyin and Zhunti were far inferior to Yang Mei in cultivation. Though their thoughts churned, they did not dare voice them!
Yang Mei burst into laughter.
"I merely said something casually. I never expected you to take it seriously!"
What?!
All the Sages were simultaneously shocked!
The smiles on the Three Saints of the Mystic Gate froze!
The Two Sages of the West, however, were delighted—now this was the style of Western Saints!
Yang Mei sneered.
"There is a supreme saying in the Primordial Era: one realm, one heaven."
"I am at the Peak Dao Integration Realm. Though I am not a Sage, I am still not someone a mere Hunyuan at the Sixth Heaven of Dao Integration Realm can compare to!"
Yang Mei shook his head repeatedly.
"Tongtian, you actually believed a casual remark of mine. Just as Hongjun said, you only know how to fight bravely and ruthlessly!"
Taishang, Yuanshi, and Nuwa glared furiously.
Yang Mei's behavior was simply abhorrent.
It truly was the usual style of the Western Teachings—utterly shameless!
Yang Mei was the only Dao Ancestor in the Primordial Era who could stand alongside Hongjun!
How could he be so shameless?
Not only did he feel no shame, he was proud of it.
Where was even a trace of the bearing of a mighty expert at the Peak Dao Integration Realm?
It was astonishing beyond measure!
Yuanshi, in particular, sharply noticed that Yang Mei seemed to understand the personalities of the Sages extremely well.
And the information had apparently come from Dao Ancestor Hongjun!
This gave him a bad premonition.
Yuanshi remembered clearly.
Yang Mei had repeatedly said that he had left the Primordial Era for too long.
This time, he had returned to settle Karma with Hongjun.
Yet Hongjun had avoided meeting him—though in truth, Hongjun had always remained in Zixiao Palace and had not closed its gates.
Logically, the two should have had no contact.
Yet Yang Mei's words just now had revealed something more.
He had dealings with Hongjun.
Otherwise, he would not have spoken with such familiarity.
A chill suddenly ran through Yuanshi's heart.
He felt as if he had entered a chessboard.
It was as though all the Sages of the Primordial Era had been plotted against!
Yuanshi had never hesitated to view Yang Mei with the greatest malice.
If, besides Yang Mei,
the one in Zixiao Palace was involved as well...
Yuanshi did not dare think further!
He clenched his fists tightly. The situation of the Mystic Gate Sages had suddenly become perilous!
What should they do?!
A storm of thoughts raged through Yuanshi's mind.
Yet no matter how he thought, he could not find a solution!
Could the Investiture of the Gods Calamity truly be lost?
Unlike the Mystic Gate Sages, the Two Sages of the West were overjoyed!
Now this was the Western style!
Jieyin and Zhunti could not help apologizing to themselves for their earlier complaints.
But since those complaints had only been internal, what was there to apologize for?
The two Sages became even happier.
This was the style of their Western Teachings. To achieve their goal,
they could employ any means necessary!
That naturally included lies and schemes.
Now was the time of the calamity; any means could be used.
The Two Sages of the West silently gave Great Immortal Yang Mei their approval.
In truth, they were only a step away from applauding and cheering for Yang Mei!
Still, the two Sages secretly complained that he should have told them sooner.
He had made them truly think that this Investiture of the Gods Calamity was about to be lost!
Yang Mei admired the expressions of the Mystic Gate Sages.
"Are you disappointed?"
"After spending immeasurable Merit and painstakingly reaching the Sixth Heaven of Dao Integration Realm, have you discovered that you still cannot stop me? Are you despairing?!"
Although Taishang, Yuanshi, and Nuwa also felt despair, they felt even more anger.
Great Immortal Yang Mei's move was truly despicable to the extreme.
Even killing someone and destroying their heart was no worse than this!
The three Sages suddenly understood why Yang Mei had done this!
He wanted to use this to strike Tongtian's Dao Heart. If Tongtian could not withstand this immense pressure and collapsed or became dispirited because of it,
then the Western Teachings would truly win without fighting!
The three Sages looked worriedly at Tongtian.
Yet Tongtian wore a beaming smile. There was not the slightest trace of despair on his face.
There was not even the slightest hint of dejection!
The three Sages became even more worried. Could Tongtian have been so enraged by Yang Mei's antics that he had lost his senses?
Tongtian smiled and shook his head. "I don't believe you!"
Yang Mei froze slightly. "You don't believe me?!"
He burst into laughter.
"Fine, then I shall make sure you wake up properly!"
With a point of Yang Mei's finger, immeasurable spaces formed.
When the Sages looked with their Dharma Eyes, they found them densely packed and endless beyond measure!
Most importantly, every one of those spaces was shattered!
The Sages instantly understood Yang Mei's plan.
These spaces would make it easier for him to destroy them—those immeasurable spaces had originally been created to provide spatial power!
Yang Mei did not hide his move in the slightest. He even explained it.
"There is nothing remarkable about this move. It is merely ordinary Space Destruction."
"It is only that I have a few more spaces here."
"This move alone is enough to deal with Heavenly Dao Realm Sages, since the gap in cultivation is simply too vast."
"But it will not do against you, so I deliberately used my full strength!"
"The power of the Peak Dao Integration Realm!"
Yang Mei mocked,
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