[Jieyin closed his eyes for a long while. When he opened them again, his gaze was utterly clear.
He looked at Zhunti. "Junior Brother, do you still remember our original aspiration when we established the Western Teachings?"
Zhunti blurted out, "Compassion to save the world, and the Pure Land shall endure."
"Exactly. Since that is so, why must we depend on others?
"The Western Teachings should walk our own path."
Zhunti smiled rather fiercely, with the exhilaration of breaking the cauldrons and sinking the boats.
"Martial Brother is right.
"Our Western Teachings will rely neither on Heaven nor Earth, much less on that old bastard's charity."]
Zhunti applauded in delight at the sight.
Beside him, Jieyin also clapped and chuckled, all the gloom in his heart swept away.
He had once believed obtaining the Primordial Violet Qi to be an immense stroke of fortune. After becoming a Saint, he had thought only of how to secure his Saint Seat, casting the vows he had made when establishing the Western Teachings into some forgotten corner. Only today did he see the road ahead clearly once more.
Their counterparts in that world were so clear-sighted. Why should they remain trapped in the old chessboard, unwilling to break free?
All the darkness in Jieyin's eyes faded away, leaving behind only clear, radiant light.
"That old thing wants to use us as tools to gather Fortune, but we refuse to do as he wishes. If he wants this Saint Seat, he can take it. We'll simply carve out a new path for ourselves."
Zhunti threw back his head and laughed. The sound shook the pillars of the Western Treasure Hall until they hummed.
"Good! The two of us clawed our way out of the barren Spiritual Veins of the West. What hardship have we