After hearing Tongtian's oath to the Heavenly Dao, both Yuanshi and Grand Supreme Elder Laozi showed looks of disbelief.
How could this be!
Their third brother, who had always obeyed their every word and never minded suffering the occasional small loss, had suddenly become so resolute.
Could it really be because of those ants covered in feathers and horns, those Oviparous and Viviparous creatures?
Laozi and Yuanshi exchanged glances, rendered speechless.
Just then.
In the darkness, the red lotus, white lotus root, and green lotus leaf symbolizing the Three Pure Ones' fortune suddenly shattered apart.
The Pangu's Legacy inherited by the Three Pure Ones was severed as a result.
The pillar of fortune belonging to the Three Pure Ones, which reached through Heaven and Earth, snapped in half.
This sudden upheaval stirred up monstrous waves in the sea of fortune.
Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi immediately sensed that because of Tongtian's words, one-third of their fortune had instantly dissipated.
If they had not each possessed an Innate Supreme Treasure suppressing their fortune,
the losses they suffered would probably have been even greater.
After realizing this, the expressions on Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi's faces became as sickening as if they had eaten flies.
This time, they had truly lost both the lady and the soldiers.
The Pangu's Legacy and the Three Pure Ones' fortune—
they were simply gone.
The total of this fortune was enough to equal an entire tenth of the Primordial World's fortune.
Nearby, Daoist Zhunti and Daoist Jieyin secretly rejoiced when they saw the expressions on Yuanshi and Taishang's faces.
This was precisely what they had hoped to see.
Otherwise, with the Human, Interpretation, and Interception Sects as close as one family and possessing overwhelming fortune, how could the Western Sect possibly have any chance to rise?
Didn't this very scene signify the rise of the Western Sect?
Tongtian was imprisoned in Zixiao Palace.
The cultivation of the Twelve Golden Immortals under Yuanshi had been crippled, and they still had not recovered.
Laozi's only disciple, Xuandu, was also currently unaware of whether he was alive or dead.
Next, as long as they erased that detestable Lin Xuan and used the disciples of the Interception Sect to face the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation,
the Western Sect's great prosperity would be just around the corner.
Sure enough, destiny favored our Western Sect!
At once, Daoist Jieyin's eyes shifted, and he wailed to Hongjun:
"Master, Brother Tongtian must have been led astray by the anomaly Lin Xuan, which is why he acted this way."
"Please act to erase Lin Xuan, preserve the righteousness of the Three Pure Ones, and dispel the Investiture Tribulation!"
Yuanshi and Grand Supreme Elder Laozi, who had been dazed, instantly found an outlet for their anger upon hearing this.
That's right, Lin Xuan!
It was Lin Xuan!
Tongtian must have disregarded the righteousness of the Three Pure Ones because he had been led astray by this Eldest Disciple of his.
Yuanshi and Taishang, who did not reflect on themselves at all, immediately made Lin Xuan their primary target of hatred.
They likewise pleaded with Hongjun:
"Please act, Teacher, and erase the anomaly Lin Xuan to preserve the righteousness of the Three Pure Ones!"
Trapped on his meditation cushion, Tongtian was finally utterly heartbroken.
He looked indifferently at his two elder brothers and realized for the first time that he seemed never to have understood them. They were so unfamiliar.
Only then did Tongtian slowly speak to Hongjun:
"Master, during this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation, this disciple has already been imprisoned in Zixiao Palace and cannot act."
"Lin Xuan is the only personal Eldest Disciple under my tutelage."
"If he is erased, would that not extinguish all hope for my Interception Sect?"
"They all say that the Heavenly Dao is impartial and Hongjun is perfectly just!"
"Would this act not be unfair?"
"If Master insists on acting, then Tongtian would rather cripple his Saint Position and take his own life here!"
The four Saints present were all shocked after hearing Tongtian's resolute words.
The Saint Position.
It was a symbol of surviving countless tribulations, enduring through Myriad Ages, and enjoying eternal freedom.
It was the supreme pursuit of the countless trillions of living beings throughout the history of the Primordial World.
Yet Tongtian actually wanted to abandon it for a mere disciple, Lin Xuan.
He even intended to threaten them by casting away his own life.
Had he gone mad?
Hongjun's calm gaze, resembling that of the heavens themselves, suddenly rippled faintly.
He gave his disciple Tongtian a deep look, then spoke:
"Under the Heavenly Dao, the greater trend cannot be defied, but minor trends can be changed."
"As for how the Investiture Tribulation unfolds, Heaven has its own arrangements. You need not worry excessively. Disperse."
After Hongjun's voice fell, the entire Zixiao Palace vanished into the chaos just like that.
It left Yuanshi, Taishang, and the other four Saints behind where they stood.
The four Saints exchanged bewildered glances.
They could not understand what exactly Hongjun's words meant.
What did he mean by, "Under the Heavenly Dao, the greater trend cannot be defied, but minor trends can be changed"?
In the Primordial World, were Saints like them not representatives of the Heavenly Dao?
With a single thought from a Saint, all things could flourish or perish.
What could not be defied or changed?
However, they understood another meaning of Hongjun's words: Hongjun would not help them erase the anomaly Lin Xuan.
And now, none of them could divine Lin Xuan's location. They were powerless against him.
After remaining silent where they stood for a long while, the four Saints each departed in different directions.
The matter of erasing Lin Xuan could only be put aside for the time being.
They would first clean up the mess in their respective Daoist sanctums.
In any case, Lin Xuan was merely a Quasi-Saint. Erasing him would be as easy as turning over a hand.
The difficult part was finding him amid the boundless Primordial World.
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