Hongyun, You're Playing Me

The words fell.

Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, silence instantly descended.

Kunpeng froze, as if he hadn't clearly heard Hongyun's words.

Di Jun and Taiyi also froze, their expressions strange.

Then Kunpeng asked in disbelief, "You want to give me the Hongmeng Purple Qi?"

Hongyun nodded. "Yes."

Hearing this, Kunpeng erupted in fury: "Hongyun, you're mocking me!"

His eyes turned bloodshot, fixed on Hongyun as if he wanted to devour him alive.

"Who would be willing to give away the Hongmeng Purple Qi once they've obtained it?!"

"Do you take me for a three-year-old child?!"

Di Jun and Taiyi also snapped back to reality.

Indeed, the Hongmeng Purple Qi, the foundation to become a Saint—who would be willing to part with it?

This Hongyun, always putting on an act of a kindly old man, had gotten the Hongmeng Purple Qi and actually came to flaunt it in front of Kunpeng!

And if that weren't enough, he was using this method to toy with Kunpeng!

He was treating everyone like fools!

Di Jun and Taiyi's faces darkened, their gazes toward Hongyun turning cold.

Hongyun looked at Kunpeng and said earnestly, "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, I truly intend to give you the Hongmeng Purple Qi, to settle the grievances between us. I am not mocking you."

He tried to explain, but to the enraged Kunpeng, these words were like pouring oil on the fire.

"Hahaha! Fine! A fine way to settle grievances!" Kunpeng laughed in fury.

"You want to give me the Hongmeng Purple Qi? Then take it out!"

"Now! Right this instant! Bring it out and show me!"

Hongyun said, "Alright."

He steadied himself, immediately sinking his mind, channeling the power of his Primordial Spirit, attempting to communicate with the Hongmeng Purple Qi within him and force it out of his body.

But...

One breath, two breaths, three breaths...

Time passed, moment by moment.

Sweat began to bead on Hongyun's forehead.

The Hongmeng Purple Qi inside him was like a boulder, unmoving, utterly refusing to obey his call!

How could this be?

Hongyun's heart grew frantic.

Outside the Southern Heavenly Gate, the atmosphere grew more and more oppressive.

The sneer on Kunpeng's face deepened, and the killing intent in his eyes burned ever brighter.

Di Jun and Taiyi's patience was also nearly exhausted.

"Hongyun! You really are mocking me!" Kunpeng waited for a long time, seeing Hongyun only standing there in a panic with no result, and finally exploded completely.

"You never intended to give it to me!"

"You came here just to humiliate me!"

He whirled abruptly toward Di Jun and Taiyi: "Your Majesty! Your Highness Taiyi!"

"Hongyun goes too far!"

"I, Kunpeng, am now the Demon Master of the Heavenly Court, and he dares to come to the Southern Heavenly Gate to toy with me like this!"

"This is clearly showing no regard for the Demon Race! No regard for Your Majesty and Your Highness!"

"I beg you both to lend me your aid and seize this wretch!"

"I will tear him limb from limb! Grind his bones to dust! Wipe out his True Spirit! Only then will my heart's hatred be appeased!"

Kunpeng's words were both an outburst of rage and a form of coercion.

He had tied his own humiliation to the face of the Demon Race.

Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance.

They could naturally see that Kunpeng wanted to use them to kill his enemy.

But Kunpeng wasn't wrong either.

Kunpeng was now the Demon Master, representing the face of the Heavenly Court.

Hongyun "mocking" the Demon Master like this at the Southern Heavenly Gate didn't just slap Kunpeng's face—it slapped the face of the Heavenly Court, and the face of the brothers themselves!

If they stood by idly, and word got out, how would others view the Demon Race? How would they view them?

Wouldn't that mean the Demon Race is weak and easily bullied?

In the future, who would sincerely pledge allegiance to the Heavenly Court?

When hearts scatter, the ranks become hard to lead.

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, you've gone too far." Di Jun's voice turned cold, his imperial might spreading.

Taiyi was even more direct, Solar True Fire surging around him: "Hand over the Hongmeng Purple Qi, or die!"

A great battle was about to erupt.

"Fellow Daoist Di Jun, Fellow Daoist Taiyi, Fellow Daoist Kunpeng! Hold your hands!"

Wu Ming and Zhen Yuanzi quickly stepped forward.

Zhen Yuanzi spoke hastily: "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, both fellow daoists, there is indeed a misunderstanding here!"

"Fellow Daoist Hongyun truly came in good faith to return the Hongmeng Purple Qi, not to toy with you. I and Fellow Daoist Wu Ming can bear witness!"

The two swiftly arrived beside Hongyun.

Zhen Yuanzi lowered his voice, asking urgently: "Fellow Daoist Hongyun, what's going on? Why not take out the Hongmeng Purple Qi quickly? If this continues, it really won't be explainable!"

Hongyun was now drenched in cold sweat, his voice tinged with panic: "Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi! I want to take it out too! But... but when I communicate with my Primordial Spirit, I simply cannot extract that Hongmeng Purple Qi!"

Zhen Yuanzi was shocked: "What? How can this be?"

Wu Ming beside him furrowed his brow slightly, lost in thought.

Though their conversation was kept low, who present wasn't a top-tier great power of the Primordial Wilderness?

Every word fell clearly into the ears of Kunpeng, Di Jun, and Taiyi.

Kunpeng heard their exchange perfectly and erupted in fury: "Fine! Hongyun! Even now, you're still playing me!"

"Do you take us all for fools?!"

"The Hongmeng Purple Qi is inside you, and you can't take it out?!"

"Who are you trying to fool?!"

"Speak! Have you secretly comprehended it already? Refined it?" Kunpeng demanded harshly.

Hearing Kunpeng's words, Hongyun quickly defended himself: "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng! I truly am not playing you!"

"After returning from Zixiao Palace, I went straight to Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi's Wuzhuang Temple, where I agonized, my heart in turmoil, unsure whether to give you the Hongmeng Purple Qi to settle our karmic debt."

"I struggled for a long time, but ultimately decided to give you the Hongmeng Purple Qi."

"Once I made that decision, I immediately sought out Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, then rushed nonstop to the Heavenly Court to find you."

"In all that time, I never even touched the Hongmeng Purple Qi, let alone comprehended or communicated with it!"

Hongyun spoke with heartfelt sincerity, but how could Kunpeng believe him?

"Do you think I'd believe that?" Kunpeng sneered, his Magic Power surging again, murderous intent thick.

"Enough nonsense! Today, either you die, or I do!"

With that, he prepared to strike.

"Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, calm yourself." Wu Ming stepped forward, blocking Hongyun.

Kunpeng glared viciously at Wu Ming: "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming! This matter has nothing to do with your Witch Clan! Do you intend to interfere?"

Kunpeng's gaze was icy as he stared at Wu Ming.

Wu Ming said calmly: "I have a way to extract the Hongmeng Purple Qi."

At these words, Hongyun clung to them like a lifeline, his eyes lighting up as he quickly asked: "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming! What method? How do I take it out?"

Wu Ming looked at him and slowly uttered two words: "Swear an oath."

Hongyun: "???"

Zhen Yuanzi, however, caught on instantly, slapping his thigh: "Right! This Hongmeng Purple Qi was bestowed by the Dao Ancestor, a product of the Heavenly Dao, containing the ultimate principles of heaven and earth—how could it be an ordinary treasure?"

"Though Fellow Daoist Hongyun obtained it, his Primordial Spirit hasn't fully aligned with it yet, so it's normal he can't freely control it!"

"Now, only by swearing a Great Dao oath, declaring your intent to Heaven, and letting the power of the Heavenly Dao assist you, can you extract this Hongmeng Purple Qi!"

Wu Ming affirmed Zhen Yuanzi's idea and explained to Hongyun: "Correct! Fellow Daoist Hongyun, you must swear a solemn oath to the Great Dao, Father God Pangu, and the Heavenly Dao, stating your willingness to use the Hongmeng Purple Qi to settle the karmic debt between you and Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, and beseech the Great Dao to witness and the Heavenly Dao to aid you."

With that, Wu Ming turned to Kunpeng: "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, what do you think of this method? Let Fellow Daoist Hongyun swear such a weighty oath. If he truly toys with you, the Heavenly Dao will punish him. If he is sincere, it will prove his innocence and extract the Hongmeng Purple Qi."

Kunpeng's eyes flickered, his thoughts racing.

Swear an oath?

To the Great Dao, the Great God Pangu, and the Heavenly Dao?

This was no joke!

Once sworn, if violated, the consequences would be unimaginable!

He stared intently at Hongyun, trying to find any trace of deceit or hesitation on his face.

But all he saw was anxiety and a hint of... anticipation?

Kunpeng sneered inwardly.

He did not believe that Hongyun would truly be willing to swear such a heavy oath, giving up the Saint position that was within easy reach.

He was certain that Hongyun was still putting on an act, stalling for time!

But still...

What if?

What if what they said was true?

What if Hongyun's mind had really snapped, and he was willing to swear?

Though this possibility was minuscule, it was still a thread of hope.

After all, the face he had already lost back at Zixiao Palace could not be recovered, so a little more would not matter.

With this thought, Kunpeng let out a cold laugh: "Heh... fine! Since Fellow Daoist Wu Ming has put it that way, This Seat will trust you one more time!"

"Hongyun! Swear your oath!"

"Let me hear how you address the Great Dao, Great God Pangu, and the Heavenly Dao!"

"If you dare speak a single false word, do not wait for divine punishment—I, Kunpeng, will make sure you perish body and soul this very day!"