The Two Sages of the West Had Been Weakened and Could Cause No Trouble in the Short Term

At Spiritual Mountain in the Western Niuhe Continent, Buddha light blazed through the Great Thunderclap Temple, yet could not dispel the oppressive silence within. Jieyin and Zhunti sat on either side of the Lotus Platforms. The Jimie Buddha Light that had once shone clear around them was now dim and murky, while wisps of black energy seeped from their bodies and fell onto the golden-brick floor, corroding it with mottled spots. Five Peak Quasi-Saint disciples had perished in the River of Time, and the Nightmare Demon God's remnant soul had been cut down. Lin Yue's Heaven Opening Merit had also severed the Causality Threads linking the Western Teachings to the Chaos Remnant. The backlash from the Heavenly Dao swept over them like a tide, dealing another heavy blow to their Dao Hearts, already destabilized by their repeated broken oaths.

Zhunti clenched the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree. Its seven spirit jewels flickered, and fine cracks spread across their surfaces—a sign that the excessive depletion of his Sage Origin and his unsteady Dao Heart had stirred a resonance in the treasure. He had just been consumed by rage over his disciples' deaths. Now, the Heavenly Dao's backlash invaded his meridians, and the Power of a Sage surged wildly through him. Every time he circulated his Dao Rhythm, it felt as though countless needles were boring into his heart. He suppressed the metallic sweetness in his throat again and again, but finally coughed up a mouthful of pale golden Sage blood. The droplets fell on his Lotus Platform and instantly scorched black marks into its petals.

"How hateful! How truly hateful!" Zhunti swept his sleeve, shattering the table before him. A crystal cup and the Merit ledger scattered through the air. "Those three old fools from the Three Pure Ones actually dared to