People had never been stingy about defining others with the worst possible assumptions.
And a petty man like Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning, whose eyes had been blinded by jealousy, naturally spared no effort in doing so.
Moreover, everything seemed to fit. The emotions Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning had painstakingly calmed flared into rage once more.
"Tongtian, so this was all your doing!"
Thinking of Sect Master Tongtian's appearance during all those previous reprimands, only to realize that he himself had now been played, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning gritted his teeth and said:
"Obedient and honest on the surface, yet more sinister than anyone behind the scenes!"
"For the sake of your own schemes, you would even use a child!"
"Tongtian, are you even human? Plotting against your own brother? Plotting against your own son? Is even our teacher part of your calculations?"
"Utterly hateful... ah!"
"Tongtian, I will not forgive you, you shameless wretch!!!"
By the end, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's eyes had turned completely blood-red, and intense killing intent swirled around him.
He, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning, could scheme against others, but no one else could dream of scheming against him. Being plotted against by him was an honor, a favor—but whoever dared plot against Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning was intolerable to heaven and deserving of death beyond redemption!
If Qin Hong had been here, he would definitely have cursed, "Can't you take it?"
You were allowed to scheme against others, but no one was allowed to scheme against you? How could you be this hypocritical?
"Tongtian, you are too terrifying!"
At this moment, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning felt both unfamiliarity and fear toward Sect Master Tongtian. Little did he know that this was merely his own speculation; the true situation had not the slightest connection to Sect Master Tongtian.
"Eldest Brother—right, I must hurry and discuss this with Eldest Brother. We cannot let Tongtian continue his reckless misconduct!"
"You dared scheme against us. You must pay the price!"
With that thought, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning vanished from Jade Void Palace in an instant.
The sacred ground where Heavenly Lord of Morality Laozi resided was Eight Sceneries Palace on Shouyang Mountain.
Countless years ago, the Three Pure Ones' sacred grounds had all been on Kunlun Mountain.
The Human Sect, Sect of Enlightenment, and Interception Sect had all been established on Kunlun Mountain.
Later, as time passed, and because Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning constantly applied double standards to the Interception Sect's disciples—clearly, it was the Sect of Enlightenment's disciples who caused trouble first, yet in Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's eyes, the Interception Sect's disciples were always the unreasonable ones—he always took sides. Nearly every Interception Sect disciple had suffered bullying from the Sect of Enlightenment's disciples.
Faced with the Sect of Enlightenment disciples' rudeness and provocations, and Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's constant targeting, Sect Master Tongtian had always preserved the brotherly bond and shown repeated forbearance.
Yet this approach not only had no effect, but instead made Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning and the Sect of Enlightenment's disciples even more aggressive.
In the end, left with no other choice, Sect Master Tongtian led all the Interception Sect disciples to relocate to Jin'ao Island in the Eastern Sea, where they built Biyou Palace as their sacred ground. Seeing that the matter could not be stopped, Heavenly Lord of Morality Laozi, in his inaction, also took the Human Sect disciples to Shouyang Mountain and established Eight Sceneries Palace.
Thus, the Three Pure Ones split apart!
The Kunlun Mountain sacred ground that should originally have included Sect Master Tongtian and Laozi was entirely occupied by Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning and the Sect of Enlightenment!
From that time onward, under Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's indulgence, the Sect of Enlightenment's disciples became increasingly arrogant, completely disregarding the other cultivators of the Primordial Era.
Before Eight Sceneries Palace on Shouyang Mountain.
Ripples spread through the space before Eight Sceneries Palace, and Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning walked directly out of the void.
Before Eight Sceneries Palace, a young Daoist attendant had already been waiting for some time.
Clearly, Laozi had already foreseen Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's arrival.
At the center of Eight Sceneries Palace stood a massive Eight Trigrams Furnace. Every Nine Revolutions Golden Elixir came from this furnace.
The moment he crossed the threshold of Eight Sceneries Palace, a rich fragrance of medicinal elixirs flooded his nose and mouth, and Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's mind instantly calmed.
At this moment, Laozi sat upon the Pure Meditation Cushion, his eyes closed as his fingers continuously calculated something.
"Eldest Brother!"
Even under the soothing influence of the medicinal fragrance, which had calmed his temperament considerably, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning could not help but feel his blood rush to his head when he thought of having fallen into Sect Master Tongtian's scheme.
"I understand now!"
"That Tongtian's schemes run incredibly deep!"
"All of us have fallen for his trick!"
"Think about it. You and I have no descendants, nor have we ever entertained the thought of having any. So why would Tongtian act so strangely? Why would he alone have a son, and why would that son be born at such a critical moment?"
"There must be something suspicious here. This must be a hidden piece Tongtian planted for countless eras, and now he has used it to destroy the Investiture of the Gods Scroll!"
"Most of those who should have been listed on the scroll were furred and horned creatures from his Interception Sect. Now that it has been damaged, even if it can be repaired, karma and destiny have already been altered in the unseen!"
"When that time comes, everything will be beyond words, beyond explanation, beyond control, beyond prediction! His Interception Sect disciples will surely be preserved!"
Bang!
At the height of his fury, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning stomped heavily upon the ground, instantly cracking it in several places.
"Hmph, Tongtian is truly detestable. He laid out plans for countless eras solely to strike at our two sects. Detestable!"
Faced with Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's roaring, Laozi never opened his eyes to look at him. Only at the end did he lift his calm, ancient eyes and speak steadily:
"Yuanshi, you are also a saint. Look at yourself now—is this how a saint should behave?"
"The Sentient beings of the Primordial Era undergo immeasurable calamities because the Heavenly Dao seeks to complete itself. For all living beings, it is a great reshuffling!"
"Dragon-Han, the Lich War—when had either of them ever been so easy to predict or control?"
"If everything could truly proceed step by step, would it still be an immeasurable calamity?"
Hearing Laozi's words, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's aura steadied considerably.
"Besides, our teacher has said nothing. That proves even our teacher cannot perceive the karma within this matter."
"Perhaps this is merely a minor tribulation within the great calamity!"
Laozi's voice held a strange magic. It was wise in every respect and full of Dao resonance, quietly smoothing Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's emotions completely.
"But... but Eldest Brother, if that is so, what will happen to our Human Sect and Sect of Enlightenment if we suffer losses?"
Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning said uneasily:
"Our Human Sect and Sect of Enlightenment do not have as many people as his Interception Sect!"
"If something goes wrong during the great calamity, we may never recover. Even the collapse of our teachings and the destruction of our sects would not be impossible!"
"By then, this Primordial Era will become the Interception Sect's Primordial Era. Tongtian will be able to cover the sky with one hand!"
In response to Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning's worries, Laozi remained as indifferent as ever.
"The great calamity is of immense importance. When the time comes, Heavenly Secrets will be obscured, and even saints will be unable to glimpse them."
"We can only do our utmost to make plans and seek survival."
"Tongtian's Interception Sect is powerful, but prosperity inevitably declines. It will surely be the main body of this great calamity!"
"There is no need to worry too much!"
Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning looked at Laozi's face and pondered silently for a moment. His expression unreadable, he said:
"In that case, Eldest Brother, I shall take my leave!"
With that, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning instantly tore open space and departed.
Before you continue