The Sages behind these disciples paid no attention at all to their miserable state.
After all, in their view, as long as their souls had not been scattered and their true spirits had not been shattered,
they could still use various methods to bring them back.
Had anyone not seen how the Twelve Golden Immortals of Chan Sect had their Three Flowers on the Crown severed and their Five Qi in the Belly dispersed by the Three Sisters of Sanxiao's Nine-Bend Yellow River Great Formation?
Had they not mostly recovered their former cultivation by now?
They had merely suffered the consequences of impure residual mana, an unstable foundation, and depleted potential.
However, those Sages would not take this matter to heart.
What they were focused on now was that Chaos Bell!
That was an Innate Supreme Treasure capable of suppressing destiny!
Back then, Eastern Emperor Taiyi had wielded the Chaos Bell and fought six Ancestor Witches of the same realm without falling behind. They all remembered that scene vividly.
Daoist Zhunti, seated cross-legged on his cloud bed, was the first to speak:
"Among my disciples, Maitreya and Golden Cicada are both naturally blessed with profound virtue and fortune."
"Now that one of the Three Treasures of Sky-Opening, the Chaos Bell, has emerged into the world, it should naturally have a destined connection with the two of them."
Hearing Daoist Zhunti's shameless words, Primordial Heavenly Venerate's cheek twitched slightly.
Then he said without the slightest courtesy:
"Hmph! The Chaos Bell is an Eastern treasure. When did it become destined for disciples of your Western Sect?"
"Each of my Twelve Golden Immortals is a True Immortal of Virtue and Fortune, naturally blessed with profound virtue and fortune."
"After suffering this tribulation, it is only right that the Heavenly Dao reward them with this Innate Supreme Treasure, the Chaos Bell."
Hearing this, Daoist Zhunti lowered his eyes and softly said:
"If that is the case, then we can only see what opportunities each of them possesses."
For a moment, the atmosphere between the two Sages became treacherous and unpredictable.
Grand Supreme Elder Laozi, sitting calmly to the side with an air of serene detachment, could not help secretly shaking his head at the sight.
His second brother's ability to maintain composure was still lacking.
After that, the four Sages seated in Jade Void Palace fell silent.
They continued watching those disciples struggling forward through the chaos in search of their opportunity with the Chaos Bell.
They were constantly prepared to make a move and bring the Chaos Bell into their own sects.
In their eyes, that constantly ringing Chaos Bell was already theirs for the taking.
At this moment.
Lin Xuan, immersed in comprehending the Great Dao, slowly opened his eyes.
The instant he opened his eyes,
a Dao rhythm too profound for words to describe flashed through them and vanished.
This time, his enlightenment
had brought him tremendous gains.
Not only had he gained a new understanding of another aspect of the Great Dao of Strength, but his own cultivation had advanced another step.
He had advanced from the Hunyuan First Heaven to the Hunyuan Third Heaven.
He could even break through at any time and reach the Hunyuan Fourth Heaven if he wished.
However,
Lin Xuan would rather temper each of his realms until they were incomparably solid before choosing to break through.
After all, in his view, taking every step steadily was the best choice.
Only by digging the foundation deep and making it sturdy could one build a taller superstructure.
Take the simplest example.
Zhunti and Jieyin, the Two Sages of the West, were typical representatives of unstable foundations.
When they relied on the Hongmeng Purple Qi bestowed by Hongjun to prove the Dao and become Heavenly Dao Saints, their cultivation was nowhere near sufficient.
They could only use Sect Founding Merit to make up for their cultivation and thereby become Saints.
What was even more awkward was that
when they founded the Western Sect, the merit descended by the Heavenly Dao in response was insufficient to support the two of them in becoming Saints.
With no other choice,
the two of them had to establish the Forty-Eight Great Vows and advance merit from the Heavenly Dao, thereby becoming Saints.
To be honest, all the living beings of the primordial world had been stunned by the shameless maneuver pulled off by these two Sages.
It was the first time they had learned that such a maneuver was possible.
However, the result of this maneuver was
that Zhunti and Jieyin could be said to be the weakest representatives among the Sages.
Their foundations were unstable, and they lacked a complete set of treasures.
After so many years since proving the Dao and becoming Saints, they had only barely reached the Hunyuan Third Heaven.
Even Lin Xuan, the Senior Disciple of the Sect of Interception, had now caught up to the two of them in cultivation.
There was naturally even less need to mention his combat prowess.
At this moment, these two Sages were even entangled by Heavenly Dao karma.
If they could not fulfill the Forty-Eight Great Vows, their cultivation would stop here for the rest of their lives.
They might even gradually come under the control of the Heavenly Dao in the future and become its puppets.
That was why the Two Sages of the West participated so tirelessly in the Investiture of the Gods Tribulation.
They sought to gain benefits from it, guide outstanding talents from the East into the Western Sect, and have them share their karma.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Grand Supreme Elder Laozi were completely different from them.
When Primordial Heavenly Venerate proved the Dao and became a Heavenly Dao Saint, his cultivation had already reached the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm.
He only needed a small amount of Heavenly Dao Merit to become a Saint successfully.
His cultivation was currently at the Quasi-Saint Fourth Heaven. Only by joining forces could Zhunti and Jieyin contend with him.
As for Grand Supreme Elder Laozi, he was the most deeply hidden of the Sages.
His cultivation was also the most profound among the Six Sages beneath Hongjun.
He had reached the Hunyuan Fifth Heaven and had even faintly touched the threshold of the Hunyuan Sixth Heaven.
In terms of realm alone, he was a full two heavens above Lin Xuan.
But
Lin Xuan had already comprehended the origin laws of the Great Dao of Strength and possessed many supreme treasures.
After pushing himself to the limit and undergoing an ultimate sublimation, he could completely contend with him.
Before you continue