While the three senior and junior brothers chatted, the Three Pure Ones inside had also barely reached a consensus.
"Yu'er, come in and talk!"
As the three chatted, Laozi's voice came from inside.
The three immediately stopped chatting.
"Senior Brother, Master is calling you. Hurry inside!"
"Mm, all right. We'll chat again when we have time!"
With that, Xian Junyu rose and walked inside.
He had no idea why First Senior Uncle had summoned him, but with the Three Pure Ones gathered, it absolutely could not be for anything minor.
Since he really couldn't figure out what they wanted with him, he stopped thinking about it.
"First Senior Uncle! Second Martial Uncle! Master!"
After entering, Xian Junyu cupped his hands slightly in salute toward the three men seated above him.
"Mm, good!"
"Forget the formalities, Yu'er!"
Laozi and Yuanshi looked at Xian Junyu with satisfaction. As the first disciple to join the Three Teachings, he was also their first junior.
They had always been exceptionally tolerant of this junior.
"Since Yu'er is here, listen carefully!"
"After discussing it with your First Senior Uncle and Second Martial Uncle, we've decided to seize the position of Lord of the Heavenly Court!"
Tongtian got straight to the point and directly announced the result of their discussions.
Standing in the middle, Xian Junyu was utterly shocked when he heard this.
Seize the position of Heavenly Emperor? Things have changed. Things have really changed. This isn't how it should be!
According to the original events of the Primordial, the Three Pure Ones should have received the Dao Ancestor's summons and hurried to the Purple Heaven Palace without delay. There should have been no discussion at all.
He had initially thought that their gathering was merely to speculate about the Dao Ancestor's intentions. He had never expected the three of them to reach a consensus and decide to seize the position of Heavenly Emperor in the Heavenly Court.
Could it be that his arrival had changed the minor destiny?
Before Xian Junyu could react, Tongtian threw out an even more explosive decision.
"Now that the myriad races no longer have the ability to fight for control of Heaven and Earth, this visit to the Purple Heaven Palace will certainly determine the Heavenly Court's jurisdiction over the Three Realms!"
"The Three Realms are vast beyond measure, and the reopened Heavenly Court will certainly be a massive force. The benefits involved will be enormous, making the position of Lord of the Heavenly Court extremely important!"
"After discussing it, we've decided to do everything we can to make you Lord of the Heavenly Court and secure benefits for the Three Teachings!"
At those words, Xian Junyu's mind exploded.
They wanted to support him as Lord of the Heavenly Court?
Was this some kind of joke?
Hongjun had already chosen his candidate in advance. Summoning all the saints was merely a formality. He wanted to put forward his own candidate once the saints failed to agree on one.
And now his Master and uncles wanted to jointly nominate him as Lord of the Heavenly Court. Weren't they pushing him into a fire?
If that nominal grandmaster of his, Hongjun, set his sights on him, he wouldn't even know how he had died.
"No, no, no! I can't! Absolutely not! Master and uncles, please allow this disciple to refuse!"
Thinking of how Hongjun had kept watching him, Xian Junyu hurriedly refused.
"What! We're supporting you for the position of Heavenly Emperor, and you little brat dare refuse? I think your skin is itching..."
He had gone to great lengths to convince his two elder brothers, only for the little brat to reject it outright. How could Tongtian not be furious?
Just as Tongtian was preparing to beat Xian Junyu into agreeing, Laozi spoke up.
"Wait. Third Brother, why are you so angry? It won't be too late to teach him a lesson after hearing his reason!"
"Yu'er, tell us why you refuse!"
This junior, Xian Junyu, held considerable standing both with him and with his Second Brother, Yuanshi. They thought highly of him.
Most importantly, Xian Junyu was the link connecting the Three Teachings, as well as the link connecting the Three Pure Ones. That was what Laozi valued most.
His two younger brothers, Yuanshi and Tongtian, were both stubborn by nature. Neither would yield even half a step, and they had argued over their methods for thousands of years.
If not for Xian Junyu's appearance, they might not even have been able to sit here and talk today.
Supporting him in taking the position of Lord of the Heavenly Court was absolutely the most suitable choice. As for anyone else, not only would his two younger brothers look down on them and refuse to agree—
Even Laozi felt they would be somewhat unqualified.
"Reason, reason... First Senior Uncle, this disciple has no reason. I simply don't want to take that position..."
"First Senior Uncle, you know my personality. I'm fine eating and drinking on Mount Kunlun and teasing those little cultivators. But asking me to hold power and become Lord of the Three Realms..."
"Please forgive this disciple's incompetence. I really can't do it. Besides, with my cultivation, how could I possibly be worthy of becoming Lord of the Three Realms..."
He claimed he had no reason, yet Xian Junyu came up with dozens of them. In short, he had only one point: he would not become Lord of the Heavenly Court.
If he could mention that Haotian would become Heavenly Emperor, he truly wouldn't have wanted to make up all these excuses.
But could he say that?
To refuse, he was having an incredibly hard time...
As Tongtian listened to these excuses, his face grew darker and darker. Beside him, Yuanshi also shook his head helplessly.
"You good-for-nothing! How did I end up taking in a disciple like you? I'll have to give you a couple of smacks..."
As he spoke, Tongtian moved to strike, but Laozi stopped him again.
"Third Brother! Don't be impulsive!"
After stopping his younger brother Tongtian, Laozi spoke to Xian Junyu in a gentle tone:
"Yu'er, First Senior Uncle understands your carefree, desireless nature very well. Precisely because of that, First Senior Uncle hopes even more that you'll accept!"
"Once you take the position of Lord of the Three Realms, you won't have to worry about handling matters every day. The Three Teachings will help you. Put simply, it'll only be a change of scenery for you to play in!"
"As for your cultivation, there's no need to worry about that either. With your Master, your two uncles, and me here, who would dare cause you trouble?"
"Besides, think about it carefully. Sitting as Lord of the Three Realms, eating Immortal Fruits and drinking immortal wine, and watching fairies dance in your spare time—wouldn't that be better than staying on Mount Kunlun?"
To make Xian Junyu accept, Laozi repeatedly explained things to him and even listed countless benefits.
Eating and drinking while watching fairies dance?
Had those words really come from First Senior Brother Laozi?
Tongtian and Yuanshi looked at their elder brother Laozi in surprise. To make Xian Junyu accept, their First Senior Brother had truly gone all out.
Even Xian Junyu was dumbfounded.
Eating and drinking while watching fairies dance—would they also expect him to take a group of consorts and indulge in singing and revelry every night?
Wouldn't that make him a thoroughly corrupt ruler? Still, that kind of life did sound quite nice.
What a pity. With Hongjun around, he was utterly fated to miss out on the position of Lord of the Three Realms. At least for now, he truly had no chance. As for the future, that was hard to say.
"First Senior Uncle, I do yearn for the scene you've described, but..."
Yuanshi forcefully cut him off before he could finish refusing.
"Enough, Yu'er. Since you yearn for it, then there's no need to hesitate. Wait to take over the Heavenly Court. We've already delayed long enough; we don't have time to waste here!"
"Leave on your own. We should be setting out!"
Without giving Xian Junyu time to answer, Yuanshi waved his hand and sent him out, conveniently inspecting his body as well.
Before you continue