Brawl

At this point, Tongtian was not yet the later Sect Leader Tongtian.

Among the Sanqing, he had always been the least conspicuous—not because he lacked strength, but because he respected his two elder brothers, Laozi and Yuanshi.

He rarely showed himself.

When Yuanshi was injured, Tongtian could no longer hold back and attacked directly.

A brilliant sword aura slashed forth, heading straight for Donghuang Taiyi's head.

Xuanyuan nodded. Tongtian was still a man of loyalty.

Watching Yuanshi and Tongtian fight Donghuang Taiyi, Xuanyuan felt elated. Go on, fight! The bigger the mess, the better.

Let them tear each other apart!

No matter who won in the end, this feud was now set in stone.

Donghuang Taiyi was controlling the Chaos Bell as he fought Yuanshi. Tongtian's sudden attack threw him into disarray, leaving him in grave danger.

Dijun had originally wanted to explain and ease tensions with the Sanqing, Jieyin, and Zhunti. But with Donghuang Taiyi in danger, he had no choice but to join the fight.

Still, Dijun didn't attack Tongtian. He merely brought out the River Diagram and Luo Book to protect himself and Donghuang Taiyi.

He kept calling out, "Don't act rashly! Let's talk this out!"

"What's there to talk about? We'll settle it after a fight!"

"Fellow Daoists Yuanshi and Tongtian, we'll help you!"

Jieyin and Zhunti fanned the flames without giving Dijun a chance to explain. They brought out the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and the Six Roots Pure Bamboo, two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, and joined the battle.

Both were shrewd men. They knew that even if they stayed out of it, Dijun and Donghuang Taiyi were no match for the Sanqing.

Victory was all but certain, and there was little risk. They could win the Sanqing's favor and might even fish in troubled waters, perhaps gaining some benefits in the end.

Naturally, they had every reason to join the fight.

"Alas!"

Taiqing Laozi sighed. Even outsiders like Jieyin and Zhunti had stepped in to help. As the head of the Sanqing, how could he stand by and do nothing?

He, too, brought out the Heaven and Earth Profound Yellow Exquisite Pagoda and joined the battle.

In an instant, seven Daluo Golden Immortals—members of the Sanqing, Jieyin, Zhunti, Dijun, and Donghuang Taiyi—were locked in combat.

Each of them wielded a powerful Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. The battle raged so fiercely that the sky darkened and the earth trembled.

Outside the battlefield, Nuwa, Fuxi, Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun, and the others were all dumbfounded.

They had stayed behind just to watch the show.

They had assumed the others would join forces to make things difficult for Xuanyuan and the other Ancestor Witches. At most, they'd trade barbs and demand the treasures Xuanyuan had taken from them earlier.

They hadn't expected those people to turn on each other after just a few words from Xuanyuan—and to come to blows in earnest.

This was outside Zixiao Palace, the sacred grounds of a Sage.

Hongjun, the only Heavenly Dao Sage on the Primordial World, was inside Zixiao Palace.

After the first lecture, everyone had witnessed the power of a Sage. Though they had now all advanced to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, in a Sage's eyes, they were no different from ants!

Were they not afraid of provoking the Sage's wrath?

They were only watching the show, but Ancestor Minghe, Old Ancestor Kunpeng, East Duke, and the others were itching to act.

Yet their focus wasn't on the seven fighting members of the Sanqing, Dijun, and Donghuang Taiyi. It was on Xuanyuan and the Twelve Ancestor Witches.

They hadn't forgotten that Xuanyuan still had the Supreme Grade Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram.

Rather than get involved in the fight between the Sanqing and Dijun's group, they might as well seize the chance to take down Xuanyuan and the Twelve Ancestor Witches and claim the Taiji Diagram. That would be far more worthwhile.

Ancestor Minghe, in particular, had coveted the Taiji Diagram ever since he saw it outside Zixiao Palace three thousand years ago.

But back then, the Witch Clan had been so powerful that even the Sanqing, Dijun, and Donghuang Taiyi had been suppressed and suffered a crushing defeat at their hands.

Things were different now.

After three thousand years of listening to the Dao, they had all advanced to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, while Xuanyuan and the Twelve Ancestor Witches were still at the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.

The Witch Clan's dominance from three thousand years ago would never happen again.

The battle was raging, and it clearly wouldn't end anytime soon.

Ancestor Minghe could no longer hold back. He flew above the members of the Witch Clan and looked down at Xuanyuan, sneering. "Xuanyuan, I never thought I'd see the day you ended up like this!"

"Hand over the Taiji Diagram. Don't make this old ancestor take it by force!"

"Minghe, do you think you can claim the Taiji Diagram for yourself? What about me, Kunpeng?"

Old Ancestor Kunpeng moved in a flash, appearing in front of Ancestor Minghe.

"I want the Taiji Diagram, too. Surely you two don't mind?"

East Duke stepped forward with a false smile and stood with Ancestor Minghe and Old Ancestor Kunpeng, the three of them facing off against one another.

In their eyes, Xuanyuan and the Twelve Ancestor Witches were merely Taiyi Golden Immortals—not worth worrying about.

If they wanted the Taiji Diagram, their real opponents were one another.

The three openly took advantage of Xuanyuan's plight and tried to seize the Taiji Diagram from him. The onlookers watching from the side reacted in different ways.

Some wanted to take advantage of the chaos; others looked down on Minghe and the other two.

Nuwa furrowed her brows and asked Fuxi, "Brother, should we help?"

She was grateful to Xuanyuan for giving up his seat to her in Zixiao Palace and wanted to help him.

Fuxi shook his head slightly. "Don't step in yet. Let's see how things unfold."

"But Xuanyuan gave me his cushion in Zixiao Palace. It doesn't feel right to just stand by and watch."

"He traded the cushion for a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, so we owe Xuanyuan nothing. Minghe, Kunpeng, and East Duke are all Daluo Golden Immortals. Add in those others who are itching to act, and although we're Daluo Golden Immortals too and no weaker than them, it isn't worth making so many powerful enemies for Xuanyuan!"

Fuxi quickly analyzed the situation. Seeing his sister's displeased expression, he smiled and reassured her, "Let's wait and see. We can step in at a crucial moment!"

"All right," Nuwa replied sullenly. Her attention stayed fixed on Xuanyuan, and she clearly had a mind of her own.

Beside the two siblings, Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun were also talking.

Ancestor Hong Yun looked concerned and said quietly to Zhen Yuanzi, "Fellow Daoist, should we go help Xuanyuan?"

Zhen Yuanzi snorted, displeased. "Old friend Hong Yun, I see that Good Samaritan habit of yours is acting up again."

"Don't forget how Xuanyuan tricked you three thousand years ago. And in Zixiao Palace, I offered two Innate Spiritual Treasures and twenty Ginseng Fruits to trade for a cushion for you, but Xuanyuan refused. Instead, he took only the two treasures and gave the last cushion to Jieyin and Zhunti!"

Zhen Yuanzi had never let the matter go.

It wasn't as though he couldn't afford the treasures. What gave Xuanyuan the right to look down on him and refuse to give up the cushion?

Now, asking him to help Xuanyuan was the last thing Zhen Yuanzi wanted to do.

Hong Yun gave a guileless smile. "I don't think Xuanyuan and the Twelve Ancestor Witches are as simple as they appear. They must have something to rely on. If we help them, we'll be forging a good connection."

There was something Hong Yun didn't say. Though he couldn't see through Xuanyuan, the Twelve Ancestor Witches were terrible actors. They didn't look the least bit afraid.

They looked angry, and that was all.

The Ancestor Witches rarely appeared in the Primordial World, and no one knew what they were capable of.

But they had been formed from the blood essence of Great God Pangu. As Pangu Orthodox, they stood alongside the Sanqing. How could they be ordinary?

The Sanqing, Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and even people like Ancestor Minghe, Old Ancestor Kunpeng, and East Duke all thought the Ancestor Witches hadn't advanced to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm and were merely minor Taiyi Golden Immortals. They no longer considered them a threat and thought nothing of Xuanyuan and the others.

But Hong Yun could see clearly. Three thousand years ago, Xuanyuan and the others had subdued Dijun and Donghuang Taiyi in an instant, displaying tremendous strength. Even now, despite having advanced to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm himself, he had the strange feeling that he was no stronger than Xuanyuan and the others had been three thousand years ago.

Among all the powerful figures present, Hong Yun was probably the only one who believed Xuanyuan and the others were hiding their true strength.

That was why you shouldn't underestimate an honest man. He might be honest, but he wasn't stupid. Sometimes, he was even cleverer than those who only seemed shrewd.