When those words fell, Great Master Xuan Du clamped the pill furnace in place and, with his left hand, chopped backward into the crown of the young Jade Emperor's head. The young Jade Emperor, still lost in admiration of Mount Tai Prefect's bearing, let out an "Ow!" and clutched his head with both hands. The Haotian Mirror fell to the ground.
With the young Jade Emperor's current cultivation, only Great Master Xuan Du and he himself could hear what he said.
Even so, it startled Xuan Du so badly that he nearly let the pill furnace catch fire and explode.
The young Jade Emperor was utterly perplexed, his voice carrying a trace of hurt:
"Sir?"
Great Master Xuan Du was already irritated that the old man had dumped this wretched babysitting job on him. The old man had it easy—he'd said he was seeking a way to break the calamity, then vanished without a trace. Xuan Du furrowed his brows and finally said, "Absolutely not. What standing does that kid have? And you want him to rule? You'd be putting him on a spit to roast!"
"Hm? Why would that happen?"
The young Jade Emperor didn't understand.
Great Master Xuan Du was speechless.
How was he supposed to explain? That seemingly invincible Mount Tai Prefect had built his Dao foundation on ritual. And yet, even with such a foundation, he had willingly shattered it, burning it away to serve as the final link that halted the conflict between the South Pole and the North Pole. Even Xuan Du had to admire him for that.
But Xuan Du knew perfectly well that his junior brother couldn't even beat one of his hands unless he burned through the standing of Mount Tai Prefect. If even Xuan Du himself couldn't rule, how could