Although Qing Huan's abrupt laughter briefly drew everyone's attention, their gazes soon flowed forward like a tide, gathering on the inseparable pair from the west—the "remarkable fellows," Jieyin and Zhunti.
As Qing Huan watched these two future Sages, a faint, barely perceptible admiration stirred within him.
Even if their methods were somewhat... well.
A little beneath the table, they had genuinely attained Saint Positions!
That achievement alone deserved respect.
Even rarer, these two "bald asses" had a brotherly bond that could be called the strongest in the Primordial Wilderness, perhaps unparalleled throughout the universe.
For the rise of the west, they truly exhausted themselves and toiled endlessly. Qing Huan admitted that he could not match their persistence, resilience, and great determination. They deserved to become Sages!
And the Three Pure Ones? Qing Huan secretly shook his head. At least when it came to working together and protecting their own, they probably could not hold a candle to the Western Duo.
Perhaps this was also caused by their doctrines. A doctrine was a doctrine because it contained the core of the Great Dao one had comprehended for oneself.
Had he not transformed from a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Root and possessed such deep foundations, if he had been of ordinary stock, he might truly have considered whether to join these two and coast to victory.
At the very least, these two would never stand by and watch their own disciples be plotted against or killed without reacting!
And if someone took the initiative to join them, they might even become a personal disciple...
In the future, they would at least become a Buddha Ancestor...
"Alas! We brothers came from the barren, desolate west, where living beings were few and withered, enduring countless hardships to travel to Purple Sky Palace.
All so we could seek a Thread of Life for the countless living beings of the west and inquire into the true meaning of the Great Dao... Yet who would have thought that we would not even have a place to sit!
How... how could we face the earnest hopes of the western people?"
Zhunti's voice choked with emotion. His eyes reddened as crystalline tears pooled within them, on the verge of falling. His grief seemed utterly sincere.
"Junior Brother!"
Deep desolation appeared on Jieyin's face, yet he forced himself to stand straight, his voice carrying a bleak resilience.
"We came for the people of the west. How could our hearts seeking the Dao be shaken by mere seats? Even if there are ten thousand hardships..."
"Senior Brother!"
Zhunti interrupted him, his voice growing even more sorrowful, his shoulders seemingly burdened by immense weight.
"There is already no place here for us! So be it... so be it! Perhaps this is simply the Heavenly Mandate.
We... we shall sit upon the ground outside the palace gates and listen from the side as the Sage expounds the Dao!
It is only... only that the countless living beings of the west, struggling so bitterly, are truly pitiful..."
With that, he actually turned around, his steps heavy as he made to leave. His back was filled with misery and despair.
Inside Purple Sky Palace, some great powers watched with relish, but the vast majority of Innate Deities continued to look at their noses and contemplate their hearts, their minds wandering afar as though none of this concerned them.
"Big Brother,"
Eastern Emperor Taiyi curled his lips in undisguised mockery.
"How did the west produce such a thing?
If there are no seats, then get lost. Who are they putting on this act for?"
A trace of amusement flashed through Di Jun's eyes as he said quietly:
"Second Brother, do not rush. Let us see how this play ends.
These two... do seem to possess some talent for 'performance.'"
He even felt that, should he have leisure in the future, he might as well find some performers to stage such "wonderful plays" for entertainment.
"Fellow Daoist, please wait!"
A clear shout shattered the silence.
As Hong Yun watched Zhunti's "heroic" retreating figure, the little bit of compassionate instinct in his heart could no longer be restrained. He felt hot blood rush straight to his head.
"Fellow Daoist has traveled and sought the Dao for the living beings of the west. Hong Yun deeply admires such righteousness and feels ashamed of himself! This cushion... shall be given to Fellow Daoist!"
Before he had even finished speaking, he resolutely rose and left the purple cushion that symbolized opportunity and Luck.
"Old friend! You... you fool!"
Zhenyuanzi was so furious that his face turned green, and he nearly stamped his foot.
"I racked my brains to secure this seat for you, yet... yet you gave it away so easily?!"
Seeing Hong Yun's face shining with the glory of "self-sacrifice," Zhenyuanzi truly hated that he had failed to live up to expectations. Both anxious and angry, he did not know what to scold him for.
Zhunti, who had already "walked a few steps," suddenly froze and sharply turned around. The grief on his face instantly transformed into surprise and gratitude, so swiftly that it dazzled the eye.
"Fellow Daoist! Fellow Daoist truly understands righteousness and possesses noble character!"
He nearly rushed forward, pressing his palms together and bowing deeply to Hong Yun, his tone incomparably sincere.
"I, Zhunti, thank Fellow Daoist on behalf of the countless living beings of the west for this great favor! We of the west shall certainly remember this Karma in our hearts!"
Righteous energy surged within Hong Yun's chest, and his smile shone as brilliantly as the rising sun.
"Fellow Daoist, sit securely! I am greatly comforted to be able to offer the countless living beings of the west a thread of opportunity!
I only hope that once Fellow Daoist attains the Dao, you will protect the west more often and repair the damaged earth veins that Demon Ancestor Luohu blasted apart."
At that moment, he seemed to feel that he was the most dazzling cloud of "benevolence and righteousness" in the Primordial Wilderness.
The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the others all cast glances his way. Their expressions were exceedingly complex, containing astonishment, confusion, ridicule, and a trace of understanding and indifference born from seeing through Karma.
"Fellow Daoist Qing Huan."
Houtu leaned close to Qing Huan and lowered her voice.
"Could it be that Hong Yun... has something wrong with his head...?"
"Pfft... Hahahaha!"
This time, Qing Huan truly could not hold it in. He laughed until his shoulders shook.
"Wonderful! Wonderful! Even the Ancestral Witches of the Witch Clan, born without primordial spirits, can see it! Hahahaha..."
In Qing Huan's view, Hong Yun's later downfall was not undeserved in the slightest.
What conspiracy theory about Hongmeng Purple Qi? Complete nonsense!
Five Sages emerged in the Primordial Wilderness in a single day. Who would not covet the foundation for becoming a Sage?
Whomever that seventh strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi fell upon would become the target of every ambitious figure in the Primordial Wilderness! It was inevitable that they would be attacked from all sides!
No one could bear such Karma... Minghe excluded. He was the sole Innate Deity who was both cautious and strong, with the bearing of a Sage. He was merely somewhat unlucky...
If Hongmeng Purple Qi had served as a medium and guide, then the Merit Minghe gained from Establishing a Religion and creating the Asura race would have been enough for him to become a Sage.
As for Zhunti and Jieyin not saving Hong Yun? Qing Huan felt that, objectively speaking, there was nothing wrong with it.
Neither of them had plotted against him, and when Hong Yun encountered danger, he had not sought help from the west. Why should they have intervened?
Once Hong Yun died and his Dao vanished, the immense favor and Karma owed by the west naturally disappeared as well, leaving them clean and free of entanglement. Why would they not be happy about that?
If it were him, he would not have saved him either. Who could repay that Karma... not even an Innate Supreme Treasure could settle it.
Why had Hongmeng Purple Qi chosen Hong Yun? There was no other reason—it was precisely because of Hong Yun's overflowing "great compassion."
The countless "good deeds" he had done had accumulated immense Luck for him—or rather, attracted enough tribulations.
The Great Dao had fifty, Heaven Deduces Forty-Nine, and one escaped.
That Thread of Life ultimately allowed Hong Yun to reincarnate as Virtuous True Immortal Yunzhongzi, did it not?
Before you continue