Two Armies Clash, Attacking the Heart is Paramount!

Under Qin Hong's artful manipulation of words, Shen Gongbao felt a thousand grievances welling up inside him.

Seeing that Shen Gongbao had fallen into thought and remained silent, Qin Hong knew his words had taken effect.

"Senior Brother Shen!"

Qin Hong pulled Shen Gongbao's thoughts back, a look of earnest guidance on his face:

"Have you noticed that my Second Uncle has been treating you differently lately, suddenly showing concern for your cultivation? Being kind to you."

"As if he's suddenly taken a personal interest in you!"

Hearing Qin Hong's words, Shen Gongbao, whose mind was already a mess of jumbled thoughts, turned even paler.

"How did you know!"

As soon as the words left his mouth, Shen Gongbao felt he might have overstepped. He quickly rephrased:

"It was rude of me, Senior Brother. Please don't take offense, Junior Brother. How did you know?"

Looking at Shen Gongbao's reaction, Qin Hong didn't answer directly, as he already had the answer he wanted.

"Heh, how I know isn't important. What's important is, have you ever thought about why, Senior Brother Shen?"

Shen Gongbao pondered for a long time, his brow furrowed in worry.

After a while, Shen Gongbao cupped his fists towards Qin Hong:

"I hope Junior Brother Qin Hong can enlighten me!"

"It's nothing else, just two words: Investiture of the Gods!"

Investiture of the Gods?

Shen Gongbao was suddenly startled, his face twitching involuntarily.

Although Shen Gongbao's status within the Sect of Enlightenment wasn't high, it didn't mean he was a fool.

After all, if Shen Gongbao were truly a fool, or incompetent, how could he have been chosen as a pawn by the Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning?

Shen Gongbao was certainly aware of the Investiture of the Gods Calamity. Now that Qin Hong brought it up, he became wary, but he couldn't fathom how the Investiture of the Gods Calamity had anything to do with him.

As the most diligent cultivator in the Sect of Enlightenment, he did nothing but cultivate. Moreover, he wasn't a pillar of the sect, so the Investiture of the Gods Calamity seemed entirely unrelated to him.

"Senior Brother Shen, condemned criminals in the mortal world are given a good meal before their execution."

"The reason my Second Uncle is acting so strangely!"

"Is because you are about to undertake a great task, to take a huge fall for my Second Uncle, for the Twelve Golden Immortals, and for the Sect of Enlightenment!"

What?

How could that be?

Shen Gongbao felt as if he had been struck by lightning, frozen on the spot.

"So this is..."

Seeing that Shen Gongbao was already in turmoil, Qin Hong pressed his advantage:

"This is why Second Uncle, despite verbally looking down on those with fur and horns, would still take you as a disciple!"

"Your origin as a black leopard, to be blunt, is utter garbage!"

"Your talent isn't high, you only have a heart that yearns for the Dao and cultivation. You thought this would earn you respect from Second Uncle, but you were wrong!"

"Years of hard work have only taught you one thing: in Second Uncle's eyes, you will never be one of the Twelve Golden Immortals!"

"No, you're not even his disciple. Your existence only serves to make him..."

"Stop! Stop talking!" Under Qin Hong's onslaught, Shen Gongbao finally couldn't hold on, on the verge of collapse, he roared loudly.

"It's not like that, it's not like that! All of this is fake, fake!"

For so many years, Shen Gongbao had worked hard because he held onto hope. But hope, that thing, was the greatest weapon.

His years of effort had only earned him the disdain of the Sect of Enlightenment's members. Shen Gongbao knew this, but he had always been unwilling to admit it!

"No, I must say it!" Qin Hong's voice intensified. A serious illness requires drastic measures; when fighting an opponent, attacking their heart is paramount.

At this moment, Qin Hong was not only attacking Shen Gongbao's heart but also helping him to dispel his illusions.

Illusions, they were too terrifying!

"Senior Brother Shen, in his heart, you are just a chess piece to be discarded at any time."

"Your identity dictates your existence, it is his shame, his stain!"

"You thought your efforts could change things, but some outcomes are decided from the very beginning, and this is one of those matters with a predetermined end!"

"Ah..."

With a loud roar, Shen Gongbao finally broke down, collapsing on the ground, weeping bitterly!

"Sigh..."

Looking at Shen Gongbao sobbing before him, Qin Hong reached out a small hand and gently patted his shoulder, his small mouth moving:

"Senior Brother Shen, just cry it out. It'll be better if you do. This is a knot in your heart, something you have to face. Otherwise, how will you achieve Daluo, or even Quasi-Saint status in the future?"

At this moment, Shen Gongbao, looking like an adult, was sobbing on the ground, while Qin Hong, a child, was comforting him. His current appearance was as bizarre as it could get.

"That's true. Senior Brother Shen, you have the best willpower and effort, so why did you join the Sect of Enlightenment?"

"The Sect of Enlightenment values background and origins the most. Even powerful clans like the Dragon and Phoenix clans look down on others. Plus, my Second Uncle notoriously hates creatures with fur or horns. Why did you jump into a trap when you knew it was one?"

"Your background isn't good, and you don't have the support of your maternal family. Of course, you're going to be bullied!"

"Let alone the Twelve Golden Immortals, who are second-generation disciples like you, even many third-generation disciples look down on you! Sigh!"

"Look at our Sect of Interception instead. My father believes that all beings can learn and seek the Dao. As long as they join our Sect of Interception, unless their character is truly terrible, we'll give them basic cultivation and send them off. The rest, even if their talent isn't great, can at least receive the protection of the Sect of Interception and have a good opportunity to cultivate."

"Whether you can become an immortal or not, we won't discuss for now. At the very least, you won't have to cultivate in fear or endure people looking down on you!"

"Furthermore, which of my father's disciples is lacking? Senior Brother Duobao and the other three chief disciples, and the rest of the disciples, which one of them is not outstanding?"

"Besides, your aptitude isn't bad, and you're willing to work hard. In our Sect of Interception, at the very least, you'd be my father's disciple, or even a personal disciple."

"My father shows no favoritism when it comes to disciples, except for me, the great treasure of the Sect of Interception, of course."

Qin Hong chuckled and continued:

"I have to say, the Sect of Enlightenment misled you, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning misled you..."

Under Qin Hong's words, Shen Gongbao stopped crying, but his face was filled with sorrow. Clearly, Qin Hong's words had hit him hard.

Moreover, everything Qin Hong said was logical and visible.

"To be honest, Junior Brother Qin Hong, the moment I, a Leopard Spirit, transformed into human form, I was brought directly to this Jade Void Palace on Kunlun Mountain and became a disciple of Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning!"

"I thought I could be an exception and gain the appreciation of a Saint, but I never expected... sigh!"

Damn, what a scoop!

Hearing Shen Gongbao's revelation, Qin Hong's eyes instantly turned cold, and his tone became sinister:

"Now, Senior Brother Shen, do you understand why Second Uncle violated the Jade Void Palace's general rule of accepting disciples?"

At this moment, Qin Hong felt an icy chill in his heart. So, Shen Gongbao didn't seek out the Sect of Enlightenment on his own; Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning came to him directly?

Damn, he, Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning, is plotting against our Sect of Interception, and my father is so cunning!

This debt of calculation deepened even further!

At this moment, Shen Gongbao finally understood everything. He steadied himself:

"Junior Brother Qin Hong, am I really going to be plotted against and killed by my Master?"

At this moment, Shen Gongbao still held a sliver of trust and gratitude towards Heavenly Lord of Original Beginning for teaching him the Dao.