Open the Gate, Our Lives Are So Hard!

"Master, the floor cushions are all distributed, why are they still fighting over there?"

"What kind of hatred and grudges do they have!"

Shi Yu scratched his head, looking at the battle in the far distance. It was a fight to the death with every move.

The sound of bells rang continuously, the clash of metal, and occasionally the manifestation of the stars in the heavens on the battlefield...

The reason Tai Yi and Di Jun were not present during the earlier scramble for floor cushions was that the Twelve Ancestral Witches had locked onto their positions the moment they entered Zixiao Palace...

The Witch race believed in repaying grudges immediately!

As siblings, the Twelve Ancestral Witches surrounded Di Jun and Tai Yi together. Sometimes, having more people was indeed an advantage.

"Third Uncle-Master, they, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, are also ganging up on two people. Aren't you going to intervene?" Shi Yu poked Tong Tian's back.

"Ah, the Dao charm here is so dense. Little Yu Zi, don't disturb my enlightenment!"

"Your Second Uncle-Master is the same! I feel my cultivation is about to advance again!"

The two closed their eyes to meditate, appearing detached from worldly affairs.

In the very center of Zixiao Palace, a high platform appeared at some unknown time, and Daoist Hongjun sat cross-legged on it.

He exuded an aura of boundless majesty, as if he had merged with the entire Zixiao Palace.

"Are you all still not stopping?"

"Are you trying to disrespect me?"

With a wave of his loose sleeves, gentle Dao charm separated the two sides who were about to beat each other senseless.

One must bow their head when under someone else's roof, especially when that someone is a powerful being with unfathomable cultivation. Even though the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Di Jun, and Tai Yi feared nothing, they were no match for Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who resided beyond the heavens...

"Please forgive us, Senior."

The two sides cast a glance at each other, then turned and left, each going to a corner.

"Big Brother, if that old man hadn't interfered, those two scrawny birds might have ended up in our bowls..." Zhu Rong, the Ancestral Witch of Fire, was the most hot-tempered.

"Yeah, that old man with the white beard really thinks he's hot stuff. We are the legitimate descendants of Pangu!!!" Gonggong, the Ancestral Witch of Water, chimed in.

"Second Brother, Shhh!"

"We're still in his Dao field..."

"We can't beat him!"

Houtu gently placed a finger to her lips, signaling the two to be quiet. Although Zhu Rong and Gonggong were still full of indignation, they could only shut up.

They had witnessed Hongjun's power just now. After all, he was a Saint...

Hongjun, who was seated, spoke again: "Since you have entered my Zixiao Palace, you are all destined individuals. Do not cause any more trouble and focus on listening to the Dao."

As the words fell, a ray of auspicious light enveloped everyone. They all felt their distracting thoughts fade away, and their minds became clearer.

However, just as Old Ancestor Hongjun was about to begin his sermon, two beings from the West, Daoist Jieyin and Daoist Zhunti, arrived in a hurry...

"Senior Brother, it seems we're late..."

Looking at the closed doors of Zixiao Palace, Zhunti and Jieyin wore bitter expressions.

"Junior Brother, we can actually remove the 'seems'," Jieyin said, his face ashen...

"Senior Brother, how about we do it that way!"

"Junior Brother, you mean!"

"Exactly, that way!!!"

"Good! For the prosperity of the West! Two horizontal strokes and one vertical stroke means to do it! One force and two dots mean to accomplish it!"

"Dong dong dong~~"

Sounds of metal clashing came from the doors of Zixiao Palace, accompanied by heart-wrenching cries of pain...

"Open the door~"

"Our lives are so bitter~"

The sounds of miserable wails pierced through the doors of Zixiao Palace and reached the ears of all the powerful beings.

Laozi and the others, seated on the first six floor cushions, looked towards Old Ancestor Hongjun the moment they heard the ghostly cries.

Old Ancestor Hongjun, however, acted as if he hadn't heard anything, remaining calmly seated. The tightly shut doors of Zixiao Palace remained unmoved, no matter how Jieyin and Zhunti outside fussed and cried.

Laozi frowned slightly, thinking to himself that these two were quite persistent.

Meanwhile, Primordial Heavenly Venerate showed a hint of disdain, thinking, "Are there really people in this world so shameless? I must stay away from such people in the future!"

Lord of the Heavens, on the other hand, watched the direction of the palace doors with great interest. Such a shameless person was unheard of.

"Disciple, what do you think of this behavior?" Laozi suddenly saw Shi Yu, who was standing there blankly picking his fingers, and asked softly.

"Ah~"

"People who are shameless are invincible in the world. Compared to these two, my cultivation is like the glow of a firefly against the bright moon~"

Shi Yu genuinely admired these two. How could such powerful beings be so shameless? He had to properly learn from these two future, albeit convenient, martial uncles!

"Eldest Martial Nephew, you are the founding disciple of us Sanqing. You must act with integrity and never learn from these two!" Primordial Heavenly Venerate was greatly alarmed. If Shi Yu truly learned from these two, it would be disastrous!

"Second Martial Uncle, you speak wisely. Then I shall learn with integrity!"

At this moment, Nuwa lightly parted her red lips, "Teacher, these two are so eager to hear the Dao. Could you give them a chance?"

Old Ancestor Hongjun remained silent for a moment before slowly saying, "The established rules cannot be easily changed."

Outside the gate, Jieyin and Zhunti, who had been receiving no response, became even more rowdy, their voices nearly hoarse.

"If you don't let me in to hear the Dao, I, I, I... I'll smash myself to death right here at the entrance of Zixiao Palace!"

Zhunti let out a great roar, and a strange light emanated from his entire body, as if he were about to forcefully break through the palace gate. Seeing this, Jieyin also exerted his full strength.

Just then, a force surged out from within Zixiao Palace, pinning the two firmly. Old Ancestor Hongjun's voice echoed with authority, "If you dare to offend again, you will not be pardoned lightly."

The two immediately collapsed to the ground, secretly rejoicing, knowing that they would be able to hear the Dao in Zixiao Palace today!

As the two entered the main hall of Zixiao Palace, they looked around and saw that all the large and small futons were occupied.

The duo from the West immediately recognized that the six futons in the center were no ordinary seats. They quickly bypassed the six individuals.

They couldn't afford to offend the Sanqing; the memory of that old man who once rode a seven-colored auspicious cloud was still vivid.

And Fuxi, beside Nuwa, looked like he could fight, so he was also someone they couldn't afford to offend.

Therefore, the two set their sights on the kind-hearted Hong Yun... They had already heard of Hong Yun's reputation as a good old man when they traveled through the Primordial World begging for alms.

The two exchanged a glance, then burst into loud wails again, beating their chests and stomping their feet, looking utterly miserable:

"Woe is us, so bitter!"

"We suffer from the West! The earth veins were destroyed by Demon Ancestor Rahu. My senior brother and I have been guiding the earth veins and planting trees day and night, constantly wishing for the West to be great again..."

"We even wanted to repair another mountain range with my senior brother... but we didn't expect to miss the chance to hear the Dao~~" The two showed sorrow on their faces, their words highlighting the poverty of the West.

Hong Yun, with his open and generous nature, heard this and felt pity. Looking at the two, he saw that despite their humble origins, they possessed compassionate hearts and lofty aspirations, which was truly rare.

Thinking of himself, although he held the honored position of a futon, he didn't have much greed in his heart. Thus, he stood up and offered his seat.

"My fellow Daoists, your journey was long and arduous. I shall yield this futon to you both. May you both attain the Great Dao and save all sentient beings. This would be a virtuous deed!"

Zhen Yuanzi, sitting among the great cultivators, stroked his beard and suddenly, Hong Yun's words exploded in his ears like a bombshell.

"No, brother!"

"You..."

In his shock, he accidentally pulled out a few strands of his beard, causing him to gasp in pain...

"Fellow Daoist, thank you!"

"The great prosperity of the West owes you a debt! My senior brother and I owe you a great karmic connection!"

Seeing this, Hong Yun smiled slightly, without much turmoil in his heart. He then stood up and flew to the side of his good friend, Zhen Yuanzi.

"Hong Yun, that might be a great opportunity. Aren't you going to regret it?" Zhen Yuanzi looked at the few glorious strands of his beard and shook his head repeatedly.

"Hahahaha, I am but a carefree wanderer. What use do I have for such a grand opportunity? I can't handle it. I'd rather stay with you and eat Ginseng Fruits or something!" Hong Yun's open-minded nature was indeed well-deserved.

However, there was only one futon left, and Zhunti and Jieyin turned their gaze to the gloomy old man – Kunpeng~

"Fellow Daoist, could you yield your seat? I want to sit with my senior brother~" Zhunti's face was wrinkled like a chrysanthemum.

"Scram! This is a seat I snatched. Why should I yield it?"

"Cough, cough, cough~~"

Zhunti frowned, thinking to himself, "It seems this fellow is harder to deal with than Hong Yun. I can only continue to sow discord."

"Fellow Daoist!"

"We in the West suffer greatly!"

Zhunti cried, while secretly observing Kunpeng's expression.

Kunpeng snorted, "Don't try to trick me with the same tactics you used on Hong Yun. What does the suffering of the West have to do with me?"

Seeing this, Jieyin clasped his hands together and said with a solemn expression, "Fellow Daoist, if you yield this futon today, there will be a great reward when the West prospers in the future. This is a deed of immeasurable merit."

A hint of mockery flashed in Kunpeng's eyes, "You say the West is poor, does that mean my North Sea isn't poor?"

"You are poor? Does that mean I am rich?"

Most of the opportunities and merits in the North Sea belonged to that old turtle who was always sleeping. Although Kunpeng possessed cultivation and divine abilities, in terms of spiritual treasures, he was even inferior to the duo from the West.

"Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, listen to me!"

"Isn't listening from there the same as listening? They are so pitiful, what harm is there in letting them have it!"

That voice, which Kunpeng detested to the extreme, echoed in his ears once more.

"Damn Hong Yun!"

"Shut up!"

The enraged Kunpeng stood up and unleashed his spiritual treasure to smash at Hong Yun!

"Good opportunity! Junior Brother!"

"I'll do it!"

While Kunpeng was smashing at Hong Yun, Zhunti directly plopped down onto Kunpeng's cushion.

"You..."

"I..."

"He..."

Kunpeng stood there, bewildered, watching his spot being inexplicably taken.

"Thank you, Daoist Kunpeng, for yielding your seat. The West's great prosperity will have a share of your contribution! Thank you!" Zhunti, sitting as steady as Mount Tai on the cushion, bowed to Kunpeng.

"Pfft~~"

Overwhelmed by rage, Kunpeng spat out a mouthful of blood. His face turned deathly pale, his eyes bloodshot, adding to his already sinister appearance.

"This is all because of you!"

"Hong Yun! Hong Yun! Hong Yun!"

Kunpeng roared to the heavens, calling Hong Yun's name three times. Suppressing his fury, he found a cushion slightly further back. Sitting beside him were the brothers Tai Yi and Di Jun.

Old Ancestor Hongjun saw that everyone had quieted down. He nodded slightly, the Daoist rhymes flowing around him, as if merging with the spiritual essence of the entire Zixiao Palace. He then began the sermon that would shake the Primordial World...

The great cultivators all closed their eyes to listen to the Sage's Great Dao. Of course, a minority belonged to the "can't understand" category.

Shi Yu belonged to this group. His cultivation was too low, and he wasn't very interested in the Sage's Great Dao, which could even be described as obscure and difficult to comprehend.

"My path is not solitary!"

"It seems there are others who don't understand like I do!"

He scanned his surroundings and found a group who, like him, couldn't understand. However, their reactions were even more pronounced than Shi Yu's. They were the Ancestral Witches who had just fought with Di Jun and Tai Yi.

The burly men were scratching their heads. The Twelve Ancestral Witches, having not cultivated their Nascent Souls, had limited comprehension of the Dao and mostly understood things vaguely, leaving them anxious...

"Sigh~"

"Big Brother, look over there! There's a little chicken wing who doesn't understand like us!" Zhu Rong excitedly said, pointing at Shi Yu, who was beside the Grand Pure One.