"Eldest Brother, what exactly is going on? How can we hear the Creation Azure Lotus's thoughts?"
Upper Pure Tongtian had a straightforward nature and would immediately ask whatever was on his mind.
Even with his knowledge, he could not understand what was happening before him. He could only turn to Supreme Pure Laozi for help.
Supreme Pure Laozi was the most skilled at divination among the Three Pure Ones, so Tongtian naturally wanted to ask him first.
"Never mind these thoughts or whatever they are."
Jade Pure Yuanshi helplessly pressed a hand to his forehead.
"The Creation Azure Lotus is talking utter nonsense."
"We Three Pure Ones share a linked fortune. We rise and fall together. How could we possibly fight as brothers and kill one another?"
"And she even called me disgusting! What's disgusting about using a Jade Ruyi? How could I ever chant something like 'Ruyi, Ruyi, do as I wish'?"
Supreme Pure Laozi raised his eyebrows slightly.
He must be furious about being called disgusting.
Everything before that was just an excuse. Jade Pure Yuanshi probably didn't even believe it himself.
He was angry because being called disgusting had hit a nerve.
Still, if that really was what happened, it was pretty disgusting to imagine. Best not dwell on it.
"Enough, Second Brother. Don't lose your temper just because someone called you disgusting. That's not good. Look at me—I was accused of pretending to be old, yet I haven't reacted at all. We should be tolerant."
"I'm not! I didn't..."
Before Jade Pure Yuanshi could argue further,
Supreme Pure Laozi interrupted him. "I don't know what's going on with these thoughts either. Still, I think Second Brother is being rather unfair in calling them nonsense."
The first part of Supreme Pure Laozi's statement answered his third brother, Upper Pure Tongtian.
The second half was a response to his second brother, Jade Pure Yuanshi.
"Let me ask you both one question. After seeing this Creation Azure Lotus, did you know what treasures we were going to obtain?"
At Supreme Pure Laozi's words,
Jade Pure Yuanshi's previously unshakable conviction instantly wavered.
He did indeed want to take the white lotus root, but he truly had not known that it would turn into the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi.
The Creation Azure Lotus before them had certainly given the Three Pure Ones a thorough scolding.
But she had also named the treasures the Three Pure Ones would obtain.
The Coiling Dragon Flat Cane, the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and the Green Duckweed Sword.
If they worked backward through divination using those names, there really were faint, intricate connections to this Creation Azure Lotus.
"The consciousness born within the Creation Azure Lotus should have some understanding of how her own body will transform... Perhaps it isn't surprising that she could say those things."
"Maybe she deliberately let us hear them so we would spare her life."
Jade Pure Yuanshi offered another idea.
In truth, this explanation was also quite a stretch.
For an innate supreme treasure with the Creation Azure Lotus's properties, developing spiritual awareness was already extraordinarily difficult.
The consciousness before them was clearly newborn. How could she understand everything about her own body so quickly?
Of course,
if they really considered that line of reasoning, it was still a possibility.
Ugh, why are the Three Pure Ones still standing there grinning?
Get on with it. I've waited so long the flowers have wilted.
The sooner I die, the sooner I reincarnate. If I don't die, I'll live forever. Just put me out of my misery...
If Zhou Qingqing could conjure a pair of feet right now, she might still have considered putting up a little resistance.
Unfortunately, she could not.
So she decided to give up completely.
She had no other choice.
She was just a frail little lotus. What could she possibly do?
Zhou Qingqing no longer wanted to worry about any of that. She steeled herself and prepared to embrace death.
Supreme Pure Laozi: ...
Jade Pure Yuanshi: ...
Upper Pure Tongtian: ...
They were utterly speechless.
The three of them had just decided to interpret this unexpected development as the Creation Azure Lotus's attempt to escape death.
Then they heard Zhou Qingqing declare her determination to die.
Jade Pure Yuanshi's face even reddened a little.
It was not as though he had never seen the world. After developing spiritual awareness, everyone sought immortality and the Dao. Who eagerly begged to die?
This truly was a first.
Upper Pure Tongtian was secretly amused as well.
The Creation Azure Lotus was the 24-Petal Creation Azure Lotus, an innate supreme treasure. How could she possibly wilt?
Now he really did believe Zhou Qingqing's words.
He cultivated the Great Dao of the Sword and acted with unmatched sharpness. It was indeed possible that he could not anchor his fortune. If he truly failed to find an innate supreme treasure capable of doing so in the future, that would be a bit troublesome.
But that could wait.
What troubled the Three Pure Ones most was the supposed outcome of brothers fighting and killing one another.
Unless they got to the bottom of it, the three brothers might not be able to sleep.
Even if they did not actually need to sleep.
"Better to believe it may be true than dismiss it outright."
"Our divination showed that the 24-Petal Creation Azure Lotus has a destined connection with us, but it did not explicitly say that the red flower, white root, and green lotus leaves were what we were destined to receive."
"Perhaps our destined connection is instead with this consciousness within the Creation Azure Lotus, whose thoughts we can hear."
After a long silence,
Supreme Pure Laozi finally reached this conclusion.
Jade Pure Yuanshi's and Upper Pure Tongtian's eyes immediately lit up.
Their eldest brother did seem to have a point.
Every cause had its effect.
The sudden appearance of someone who dared to curse the Three Pure Ones certainly could not be so simple.
"Besides, I also want to know how things between us brothers could ever deteriorate to the point of splitting our fortune, fighting, and killing one another."
"I think we should keep her. Second Brother, Third Brother, what do you think?"
"Agreed."
"I agree too!"
Jade Pure Yuanshi and Upper Pure Tongtian had no objections to their eldest brother's proposal.
In their minds,
this was indeed the best approach.
"Since you agree, we must not give her any hint that we can hear her thoughts. I will take her back to Eastern Kunlun."
"With her right under our noses, we should be able to obtain more information."
Supreme Pure Laozi's eyes flickered.
Their exchange just now had taken place entirely through divine sense, without any outward indication. They could naturally keep things that way and pretend they knew nothing.
"But in that case, what reason will we use to take the Creation Azure Lotus back? After all, as far as she knows, she's supposed to be split into three."
Puzzled, Jade Pure Yuanshi could not help asking a question of his own.
"Don't worry. This old Daoist has a reason!"
Supreme Pure Laozi's expression remained unchanged. Then his divine eyes shifted, radiating a piercing light, as though he was about to split apart the azure lotus before him.
Finally. Three pieces or eight, it's up to you. Just hurry.
The Three Pure Ones heard that familiar grumbling voice again and almost laughed aloud.
They wanted to see how their eldest brother would pull off the pivot to sparing her.
"Oh? No, this isn't right. The Creation Azure Lotus has developed a consciousness. There must be other merit and creation at work here. We must not take a life."
Overdone.
Far too overdone.
That acting was truly terrible.
Watching their eldest brother's stiff transition, Jade Pure Yuanshi and Upper Pure Tongtian nearly lost their composure.
However,
the next moment,
their faces darkened.
That familiar voice echoed in their ears once again.
Damn, Supreme Purity's cultivation really is much higher than those other two! Primordial Beginning and Tongtian are absolutely useless. They didn't even notice me.
Supreme Purity, I was a little too harsh when I cursed you earlier. You're not old. You're the best of the Three Pure Ones. So handsome!
Jade Pure Yuanshi: ...
Upper Pure Tongtian: ...
They had not expected to take such a devastating blow here.
They had noticed her too, all right? -_-
Before you continue