That figure was naturally Ye Jun.
Ye Jun had already broken through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, and he had the Nine Revolutions Profound Art to aid him.
These mere Dao Steps were no challenge at all.
"How could it be that monkey?" Yuanshi Tianzun cried out.
He was one of the exalted Pangu Orthodox Three Pure Ones, yet a monkey had actually surpassed him!
Taishang Laojun's face had turned ashen, too. He had ignored that monkey earlier.
Now the monkey had surpassed all three of them and reached the top of the Dao Steps. How could Taishang Laojun, whose pride reached the heavens, stand for that?
Two of the Three Pure Ones were displeased, while Tongtian remained silent as ever.
"Who are you? Zixiao Palace is where the Sages Preach the Dao. Come down at once!" Taishang Laojun barked.
Ye Jun didn't move. He stared coldly at the crowd below and said, "The Sages said that anyone with the proper affinity may come here! Why should I be barred?"
Ye Jun stood alone atop the Dao Steps, looking down at the many Great Beings below.
So what if he was a monkey? He had still beaten them to the top.
A murderous gleam flashed in Yuanshi Tianzun's eyes. That monkey really didn't know when to quit!
"Get down here!" Yuanshi Tianzun repeated coldly.
"Get lost!" Ye Jun shouted. The gods and demons on the Dao Steps all felt their hearts shudder.
How could this monkey be so arrogant?
Dare to speak to the Three Pure Ones like that? Was something wrong with his head?
Yuanshi Tianzun's face darkened at once. A mere monkey actually dared to provoke him like this!
He was courting death!
Yuanshi Tianzun's robe billowed despite the lack of wind. He leaped up, intending to climb to the top of the Dao Steps and teach this lawless monkey a proper lesson.
"I said it already: get lost!" Ye Jun snorted.
He swung his wide sleeve straight at Yuanshi Tianzun. In an instant, the winds and clouds above the Dao Steps shifted.
Yuanshi Tianzun had only just reached the Dao Steps and hadn't found his footing. How could he withstand a single sweep of Ye Jun's sleeve?
He was knocked right back down, looking utterly miserable.
Taishang Laojun and Tongtian's expressions changed dramatically. They stared fixedly at the monkey.
"You—you actually dared to attack?" Yuanshi Tianzun roared, having finally recovered his wits.
He was one of the Three Pure Ones, the Pangu Orthodox lineage, yet a mere scaly, armored creature had humiliated him like this!
Who could put up with that?
"So what if I attacked? Are you Three Pure Ones going to join forces against me?" Ye Jun sneered.
They were all sanctimonious hypocrites. They were only so indignant because they saw him as an ordinary monkey with a thoroughly unimpressive lineage.
"Fellow Daoist, you've gone too far!" Even Tongtian, usually so even-tempered, felt that the monkey was being far too arrogant.
"Third Brother, no need for words. Today, we'll make this monkey learn just how formidable the Three Pure Ones are!"
Taishang Laojun swept out his sleeve, and the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda suddenly appeared above his head.
The many gods and demons on the Dao Steps below watched as though they were enjoying a show.
"That monkey is much too arrogant. Does he not know who the Three Pure Ones are?" a towering god or demon rumbled.
The Three Pure Ones were famous figures in the Primordial World!
Taishang Laojun was about to unleash the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda against Ye Jun.
Ye Jun raised an eyebrow and called out, "We're right in front of Zixiao Palace. Do you three fellow Daoists intend to fight?"
The moment Ye Jun spoke, all three of the Three Pure Ones frowned. How shameless could this monkey be?
Hadn't he been the one provoking them just moments ago?
How had this turned into the Three Pure Ones making the first move?
Dao Ancestor Hongjun had been paying close attention to what was happening outside Zixiao Palace all along.
Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun was exceptionally surprised by the appearance of Ye Jun, the monkey.
"Could it be that I was mistaken back then? How could a monkey cultivate to such a level?"
Dao Ancestor Hongjun murmured to himself.
"Settle any grievances outside Zixiao Palace. I will not interfere."
A voice, clear and ethereal, came from within Zixiao Palace. Yuanshi Tianzun immediately sneered.
It seemed even Dao Ancestor Hongjun could no longer tolerate the things this wild monkey had done.
Ye Jun could only sneer inwardly. It seemed his appearance at Zixiao Palace had made Hongjun rather uncomfortable.
An exalted Sage, and yet he put on quite a grand show!
Did he want the Three Pure Ones to make him back down?
Then let them try!
"Since Dao Ancestor has spoken, the three of us won't rely on our numbers. I'll teach you a lesson myself!" Yuanshi Tianzun sneered.
Great Dao Laws swirled around him. Yuanshi Tianzun abruptly raised a hand, and a massive palm seal reached for Ye Jun.
The Nine Revolutions Profound Art roared to life within Ye Jun. He drew a deep breath and punched straight into the palm seal.
At once, Spiritual Energy scattered outside Zixiao Palace, and a thunderous roar resounded through the sky.
Yuanshi Tianzun furrowed his brow. He had used as much as seventy percent of his cultivation in that palm strike.
And yet he couldn't subdue the monkey?
Yuanshi Tianzun steeled himself, intending to attack again.
"Second Brother, stand down. I'll test him myself!" Taishang Laojun had seen the monkey withstand Yuanshi Tianzun's palm strike and knew he could not be underestimated.
At those words, Yuanshi Tianzun snorted and stood with his hands behind his back.
Taishang Laojun wasted no time. His hands formed a flurry of seals, and the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda above his head spun rapidly.
He was about to suppress Ye Jun inside it!
The pagoda rapidly grew in size, divine light from its surrounding laws flashing again and again. In mere moments, it flew above Ye Jun's head.
"Suppress him!"
Taishang Laojun gave a clear shout, and the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda crashed down.
Ye Jun remained calm. He held the Lei Xiao Sword crosswise in front of him, Spiritual Energy surging through his body as lightning crackled around the blade.
He drew the lightning of the nine heavens to the tip of his sword and charged at the seal of the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda.
Dust billowed across the sky. The Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda pressed firmly against the entrance to Zixiao Palace, not budging in the slightest.
The three thousand gods and demons on the Dao Steps all drew in a sharp breath. Was this the power of Taishang Laojun, one of the Three Pure Ones?
If he drove the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda to its full power, even they would probably find it difficult to escape.
"There's no way that wild monkey can get through this one unscathed," Yuanshi Tianzun said, his smile finally returning.
Taishang Laojun dusted off his robe and said softly, "I had no choice but to act as I did."
With that, he was about to recall the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda.
"Old Daoist, you really think this pagoda can trap me?"
A voice suddenly came from beneath the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda. Taishang Laojun's expression changed dramatically.
The pagoda, which had been sitting firmly in place, suddenly began to shake violently.
"Break!"
A low shout rang out. A flash of lightning blazed beneath the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda, and Ye Jun's figure slowly appeared.
"This big pagoda isn't bad." Ye Jun patted his sleeve and stood with one hand resting on his sword.
The three thousand gods and demons below were completely dumbfounded. Where had this freak of a monkey even come from?
Even Taishang Laojun, who had summoned the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Pagoda, hadn't been able to capture him.
Yuanshi Tianzun's face was grim. Was there really no way to deal with this monkey?
What would become of the Three Pure Ones' dignity?
Before you continue