The Kunpeng's Inner Collapse

Zhunti was immediately displeased upon hearing these words.

I just came here to make up the numbers, damn it.

And now I'm being roped into this?

This matter cannot be agreed to so easily.

What others do is none of This Seat's concern.

But the Western Region is barren to begin with—if I don't resort to some crooked tricks, how can it ever flourish?

Thinking this, Zhunti spoke: "Since we sages have given our word, we naturally will not go back on today's words.

Haotian, this oath is completely unnecessary.

Could it be that you do not trust us sages?"

The moment Zhunti finished speaking, Haotian nodded solemnly and said: "Correct!

Imperial We does not trust you!

Today's matter must be bound by a Heavenly Dao oath.

Moreover, it is not only you sages who will swear the oath.

Imperial We will also swear it.

If even this is something the sages are unwilling to do, then Imperial We must question your sincerity.

Could it be that you sages have already planned

to break today's agreement in the future?

Otherwise, why would you care about this oath?

If that is the case, then everything discussed before is void. Go find yourselves a new Heavenly Emperor, and I will find myself a new Dao field.

From now on, we shall have nothing to do with each other!"

Upon hearing this, the Six Sages exchanged glances, then secretly peeked at Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

They had already made a decision in their hearts.

Judging by today's situation, if no conclusion was reached, it seemed no one would be allowed to leave.

Haotian could simply toss out the Heavenly Emperor Position and withdraw from this conflict.

Judging by his attitude, it seemed he was more than eager to do so.

And what about them, the sages?

Could they toss out their sage positions?

Not to mention whether that was even possible, just comparing the costs both sides would bear—

the sages would suffer a massive loss.

Given the Old Man's current attitude, if Haotian truly withdrew and they had no perfect solution, would they be allowed to walk away?

That's right!

No wonder this bastard Haotian dared to face the pressure of the sages head-on.

This bastard's state of mind was very off right now.

He was in a mood where he would explode at the slightest provocation and was ready to drop everything at any moment.

This Haotian already had the mindset of not caring about anything and just lying flat.

They couldn't stubbornly clash with this bastard.

Otherwise, this bastard would just pat his ass and leave in style.

And the ones left to face the Old Man's wrath would be them, the sages.

Understanding their current predicament, Taishang slowly said: "Very well!

Since Haotian does not trust us, then let us all swear a Heavenly Dao oath!

This Seat, Taishang, hereby swears that from now on, all of This Seat's disciples and followers

who leave This Seat's Dao field must abide by the Heavenly Rules. If they violate them, they shall be punished according to the Heavenly Rules, and This Seat shall not interfere.

If otherwise, may my luck be scattered and heavenly punishment fall upon me!

Let the Heavenly Dao bear witness!"

As the words of the oath fell, a clap of thunder rang out across the sky.

It was the Heavenly Dao responding, acknowledging Taishang's oath.

And the reason Taishang was so straightforward

was that he had thought it through very clearly.

How many disciples does Taishang even have under his sect?

Right now, it's just Xuandu alone.

And Xuandu never even leaves his Dao field—how could he possibly violate the Heavenly Rules?

He's completely the type to talk standing up without feeling any ache in his back.

The other sages saw Taishang had already sworn his oath—what else could they do?

Hold out stubbornly?

That would only work if they could actually withstand it.

Hadn't they noticed that after Taishang swore his oath, Dao Ancestor Hongjun's gaze toward them had sharpened a few degrees?

If they dared to refuse, guess how the Old Man would deal with them?

Helpless, the other sages had no choice but to follow Taishang's lead and swear their Dao vows.

Of course, Haotian was no exception.

Once all had sworn their vows, Dao Ancestor Hongjun finally spoke: "Enough!

This matter is settled. I trust you will act accordingly.

You sages must remember today's covenant.

Haotian, you shall fulfill your duties diligently and never again lightly speak of resigning the Heavenly Emperor Position.

You are dismissed!"

With that.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun turned straight back to the Purple Cloud Palace.

The cultivators hurriedly bowed: "We respectfully see off Master (Teacher)!"

A moment later.

The cultivators rose one after another.

Taishang and Master Tongtian glanced at Haotian, then turned back to their Dao fields with expressionless faces.

Primordial Heavenly Venerate looked at Haotian and let out a cold snort.

The meaning was all too clear.

With Primordial Heavenly Venerate acting this way, the Two Sages of the West and Nuwa naturally gave Haotian no good face.

Twice they had clashed with Haotian, and not only had they gained no advantage—

They had both times swallowed a bitter loss.

How could they possibly have good faces for him?

Besides, the several sages had already seen through it.

This bastard Haotian was truly set on a reckless, smash-the-pot attitude.

As long as they dared to push him, he dared to blow up on the spot.

Consequences? That bastard didn't give a damn about any of it.

In an instant, the Six Sages had cleared out.

Only Kunpeng, Ying Zhao, and Haotian remained on the spot.

And at this moment, Kunpeng's heart was in utter collapse.

You sages just flick your sleeves and leave.

But what about This Seat?

What is This Seat supposed to do?

So only I, Kunpeng, end up getting hurt?

After pondering for a moment, Kunpeng broke the silence.

"Daoist friend!

This is all a misunderstanding.

Since Sage Nuwa has already made her decision, this poor Daoist naturally has no reason to obstruct.

How about you release this poor Daoist's restraints, and I'll return straight to my Dao field?"

Hearing this, Haotian looked Kunpeng up and down.

Want to leave?

As if it were that simple?

Finally having a Quasi-Saint step into the trap, how could he not seize the opportunity?

If I just let you, Kunpeng, go like this—

Imperial We would be missing out on a fortune!

Then Haotian slowly said, "Misunderstanding? No, no, no! Fellow Daoist Kunpeng has it wrong. How could Imperial We misunderstand? Imperial We cares not for your reasons in coming here. As far as you and I are concerned, did you not come of your own accord, Fellow Daoist? Imperial We never invited you. Since you are already here, how could you simply return?"

Kunpeng's heart turned ice-cold at these words. This time, he would not escape without paying some price. He would first go along, then slip away and seek compensation from Saint Nuwa. This time, Kunpeng had suffered greatly following her orders. Asking her to make up for his losses wasn't too much, was it? Having thought this through, Kunpeng said sheepishly, "How does Fellow Daoist Haotian wish to settle this matter?"

Haotian shook his head at this. "Why do you say that, Fellow Daoist? How to settle this matter—isn't that a question for you to ponder? Would it be proper for Imperial We to make demands?"

Hearing Haotian's words, Kunpeng's heart filled with bitterness. No conditions? No conditions was the hardest thing to deal with. If conditions were raised, there could be negotiation. But if no conditions were mentioned, the matter was serious. Either he sought something great, or he simply wanted to kill Kunpeng. And what was Haotian's goal? From Haotian's current attitude, if the talk went well, he sought something great. But if it went poorly, then he likely wanted Kunpeng dead. Damn it! Everyone who sat on the Heavenly Emperor Position was no good bird. Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi were like this, and now Haotian was the same. Was this position cursed? Pah! Pah! Now was not the time for complaints. He needed to think how to reply, for if he answered well, Haotian's aim would be profit; if poorly, it would be his life. Between losing wealth and losing life, Kunpeng knew how to choose. And given Haotian's impatient demeanor, he likely wouldn't listen to Kunpeng's rambling. After all, when facing even a Saint, he had no patience for idle talk, directly stating his stance—if no agreement, he'd walk away. Now it was Kunpeng's turn; he shouldn't overthink things.