Watching Jieyin and Zhunti depart, Hongjun gazed at the empty hall doors and let out a soft sigh.
"In the end, it still came to this."
Xuanxiao spoke calmly, his tone composed. "This was the inevitable trend. You had anticipated it long ago; otherwise, you would not have taken only the two of them as honorary disciples back then, always leaving room for this."
Hongjun shook his head slightly, then looked at Xuanxiao, his eyes carrying a trace of puzzlement and curiosity. "But, Dao Venerable, the two have now left the sect to establish themselves independently, founding Buddhism in its place. Once Buddhism flourishes in the future, it will surely surpass the Human, Exposition, and Interception lineages. That will be no good thing for the Three Pure Ones."
Xuanxiao chuckled at that, his gaze distant. "It may not be good for the Three Pure Ones, but it is a great thing for the Primordial Wilderness. Besides, the way of heaven and earth is that prosperity inevitably declines, and extremes inevitably reverse. If the Three Pure Ones' lineage monopolized the Primordial Wilderness's providence with no rivals to restrain it, arrogance and complacency would arise over time, breeding faults and disrupting the balance of heaven and earth. Only with Buddhism serving as a check can the Daoist sect endure in stability and thrive without end."
Hongjun suddenly understood. He nodded slowly, completely at ease. "So that is how it is. My vision was too limited."
Xuanxiao shook his head faintly and said frankly, "I simply cannot be bothered with them. They walked this path step by step themselves. The karma was all of their own making and had nothing to do with me."
Xuanxiao understood this perfectly. That Jieyin and Zhunti had stood out among countless Innate Divine Beings had never been