This old shut-in wasn't Hong Yun.
He usually stayed holed up in Wuzhuang Temple unless absolutely necessary.
Only occasionally did he accept an invitation from the Three Pure Ones to discuss the Dao with them.
And neither of those occasions was a good opportunity to make a move.
Attack while Zhenyuanzi was away accepting the Three Pure Ones' invitation?
That would bring the Three Pure Ones down on them.
And attacking Wuzhuang Temple directly would have consequences they couldn't bear.
With the Earth Book and Heaven and Earth Treasure Mirror in hand, Wuzhuang Temple's Mountain Protection Array connected directly to the vast Earth Veins.
A large part of them even encompassed the Western Region.
Breaking the array would mean shattering the Earth Veins in those places as well.
The resulting Karmic Debt and Karma would be enough to greatly damage their Fortune.
Even if they could shift the Karmic Debt and Karma onto the Western Teachings,
it was still not a situation they were willing to face.
After all, they had founded the Western Teachings.
They were counting on the Great Sect to repay its Merit to the Heavenly Dao.
It was obvious which mattered more.
Zhenyuanzi?
An ant, that's all!
He posed no fatal threat to them.
After thinking it over, Zhunti and Jieyin shifted their gazes back to Haotian.
Their eyes were on Haotian,
but at that moment Zhunti and Jieyin were thinking entirely about the Three Pure Ones, especially Primordial Heavenly Venerate.
They were practically shouting, Yuanshi, hurry up and make your move!
That bastard Haotian had just aired your dirty laundry.
And he'd already made you lose face before.
How could you possibly put up with that?
Just as Zhunti and Jieyin were about to lose patience,
Primordial Heavenly Venerate finally spoke.
"Since things have come to this,
it is an undeniable fact that Haotian showed disrespect to a Sage.
Right and wrong are plain to see. I have no wish to argue with you.
Today, only blood can restore the dignity of us Sages!"
Hearing Primordial Heavenly Venerate's words, Haotian said nothing more.
At this point, everything that needed to be said had already been said.
Now all that remained was to see whether he could withstand Primordial Heavenly Venerate's attack after his Ten Thousandfold Amplification.
Or perhaps he would find out what Dao Ancestor Hongjun was thinking.
If he could ascertain Dao Ancestor Hongjun's stance today, it would be easier to deal with things from here on.
Would he abandon his position, or become a capable Heavenly Emperor, as he had intended?
It all depended on Dao Ancestor Hongjun's stance.
If Dao Ancestor Hongjun didn't intervene today, then he wouldn't take the Heavenly Emperor position even if a dog did.
He had to endure the Sages' schemes and abase himself.
And he still had to put up with the disciples of those Great Sects.
Those were only the external factors.
Even the Heavenly Emperor's position itself wasn't easy to handle.
The Primordial World's Karma had to be sorted out through this position.
But—
how could the Karma caused by those bastards possibly be sorted out so easily?
Otherwise, why would people talk about cultivating through Eons of tribulations?
Until there was another way to sort out the Primordial World's Karma,
he would have to enter tribulations himself and slowly dispel and lessen its entanglements.
In other words, he, Haotian, had to take blows from the Sages and several Great Sects.
He also had to take the fall for the Sages and their disciples.
Damn, even a dog only had to stay up late.
If the Heavenly Emperor's position truly lacked Dao Ancestor Hongjun's full support,
it wouldn't just mean staying up late.
Haotian glanced calmly at Primordial Heavenly Venerate, silently preparing to strike back at any moment.
Seeing that Haotian still had no intention of backing down, Primordial Heavenly Venerate steeled himself.
I am waiting for you to bow your head. What are you waiting for, Haotian?
For death?
Since you are so eager to die, I will grant your wish.
Then I can replace you with a more obedient cultivator.
After what happened today, I am sure your successor will be very obedient.
With that,
Primordial Heavenly Venerate slightly raised his right hand, then gently pushed it forward.
The giant hand that had vanished moments before appeared again.
But just as it emerged, a cold snort suddenly rang out from the sky.
"Hmph!"
As the snort sounded, the giant palm formed by Primordial Heavenly Venerate instantly vanished.
Anyone with eyes could tell Dao Ancestor had intervened.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate's expression immediately darkened.
He hadn't expected Dao Ancestor to interfere in this matter.
Compared to Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Haotian felt a great weight lift from his shoulders.
That's right!
Haotian had been gambling just now.
He'd gambled that Dao Ancestor wouldn't let Primordial Heavenly Venerate attack him.
Clearly, he had won.
Dao Ancestor's stance was clear now.
He could continue serving as Heavenly Emperor.
As Primordial Heavenly Venerate had said, Heavenly Emperors had been replaced before.
So why couldn't a Sage be replaced?
After a long while,
Primordial Heavenly Venerate gave Haotian a complicated look, then swept his sleeve and carried the Chan Teachings disciples away.
Once Primordial Heavenly Venerate had left, the other Sages also departed with grave expressions.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun's intervention had been beyond their expectations.
That Old Man in Zixiao Palace had clearly said he had already merged with the Dao.
Yet now he was interfering in the affairs of the Primordial World.
So what difference did it make whether he had merged with the Dao or not?
They'd thought they could finally call the shots.
But just as they'd made their move,
he had shattered their illusions.
It would be best to be more careful from now on.
The Sages were all in a foul mood.
From now on, they wouldn't be the only ones whose word carried weight in the Primordial World.
That meant the Primordial World's Fortune—
Haotian, as its Heavenly Emperor, could claim a share too.
The hunt for the Heavenly Emperor had ended in total failure.
If they didn't leave now, Haotian would soon be the one whipping them.
So the Sages could only choose to leave in silence.
As for the Interception Sect disciples?
Seeing that even the Sages had come off worse, how could they dare to keep mouthing off?
Daoist Duobao immediately cupped his hands toward Haotian. "Great Heavenly Venerate!
"This time, the Interception Sect disciples acted recklessly!
"I offer my apologies to the Great Heavenly Venerate!
"Please forgive us!"
Haotian clearly knew when to let things go. Since the Interception Sect disciples had already backed down,
there was no need to keep pressing them.
That would help him establish himself as someone who judged actions, not people.
Otherwise, if he gained a reputation for deliberately picking fights, his days would certainly be miserable.
This wasn't just Haotian imagining things.
It was a situation he was bound to face the moment he decided to take a hard line.
The only way he could win people over in such a situation was to establish himself as someone who judged actions, not people.
Otherwise, the Six Sages would surely attack him again.
So after Daoist Duobao had made his apology,
Haotian said coolly, "Just this once. Don't let it happen again!"
After responding to Daoist Duobao, Haotian finally turned his gaze to the gathered cultivators.
"Fellow Daoists, please take your seats!
"Let the music play!
"Let the dancing continue!"
Hearing Haotian's words, the cultivators present obediently returned to their seats.
They watched the Celestial Maidens dancing gracefully, but in their hearts, they were all thinking the same thing.
This Heavenly Emperor seemed a little too domineering.
More importantly, Dao Ancestor's attitude toward him was different from his attitude toward East Prince Gong and Dijun.
His protection of Haotian had been made unmistakable by his actions just now.
What was more, many of the cultivators present
suddenly remembered that whenever Zixiao Palace opened its doors,
it was Haotian who led everyone inside.
That was a genuine bond of goodwill, and the Karma it created couldn't be avoided.
With Haotian's current cultivation, they didn't dare to be as shameless as the Six Sages.
Otherwise, if they got beaten up, they'd be the ones in the wrong.
Before you continue