"Did the Dao Ancestor complete the Heavenly Dao by merging with it?"
As Nuwa's voice fell, both Tongtians looked bewildered. Only Xuanming, standing beside them, nodded thoughtfully.
"To be precise, Dao Ancestor Hong Jun hasn't merely failed yet—he's already on the verge of failure!"
"What do you mean?"
Both Sect Leader Tongtian and Nuwa turned to look at him.
"It's simple, isn't it?"
Xuanming shrugged, his tone tinged with amusement. "The Heavenly Dao is emotionless, while people have feelings. If Hong Jun controlled the Heavenly Dao, he could do things that went beyond its rules."
"Conversely..."
"If the Heavenly Dao devoured Hong Jun, it would remain the Heavenly Dao, and from then on, it would act strictly according to its rules."
"As long as you don't break the Heavenly Dao's rules, it can't be bothered with you!"
"Like this time..."
At that, Xuanming paused. Remembering a small detail Sect Leader Tongtian had mentioned, his smile grew brighter.
"Hong Jun in this world could sense that you'd arrived. How could Hong Jun in the other world not have sensed you leaving?"
"This...?"
Both Tongtians were still confused. They couldn't see how the two things were connected, but Nuwa nodded in agreement.
"Xuanming is right. If Hong Jun were still guided by human nature, he would certainly have noticed the moment Junior Brother Tongtian left Biyou Palace."
"Grandmaster, you honor me too much!"
Nuwa's form of address startled Xuanming, and he hurriedly waved his hands. "Just call me Xuanming. I don't deserve to be called your fellow Daoist."
"Hehe..."
Nuwa smiled and didn't press the matter. Turning to the two Tongtians, who were still bewildered, she spoke with a trace of exasperation.
"Still don't understand? Xuanming means that in our world, Dao Ancestor Hong Jun must have failed to merge with the Heavenly Dao and been devoured by it instead."
"Of course I understood that!"
Tongtian nodded. How could he not understand when she'd explained it so plainly?
But what confused him was that this was something from the Journey to the West world. What did it have to do with their world?
Seeing his reaction, Xuanming reminded him with a laugh, "Grandmaster, since Hong Jun still has a trace of humanity at this point, doesn't that mean he hasn't successfully merged with the Dao?"
"I suppose... that's true?"
This time, Tongtian seemed to realize what he meant. Put that way, it did seem possible.
"Exactly!"
Xuanming looked up at the sky, as though trying to see what Hong Jun was doing at that very moment. "Hong Jun may still be powerful without having successfully merged with the Dao, but his power has its limits."
"So..."
"If he really dares to strike in secret, then with the two Grandmasters fighting together, you should be able to take him on!"
"Exactly!"
Hearing this, the gloom in Sect Leader Tongtian's heart lifted. His spirits soared again, and he looked ready to go challenge Hong Jun then and there.
Unfortunately,
Nuwa, standing beside him, didn't let her guard down. Instead, she frowned. "Xuanming, aren't you forgetting something?"
"Grandmaster, you mean Taishang Laojun, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Zhunti and Jieyin from the West?"
"Exactly!"
Nuwa nodded firmly. "If the Dao Ancestor offers them enough, they'll definitely serve him loyally. They might even join forces to attack Junior Brother Tongtian."
"Of course!"
Thinking of Sect Leader Tongtian being besieged by four Saints in the future, Xuanming's lips curled slightly, and he unconsciously looked at Journey to the West Tongtian.
"Grandmaster, I'd guess you're the best person to speak on that, aren't you?"
"Hmph!"
Journey to the West Tongtian gave an indignant snort. "If the Dao Ancestor hadn't suddenly interfered, I'd have been willing to give my life to take at least two or three of them down with me!"
"That's because the Heavenly Dao intervened!"
Xuanming spread his hands. "If too many Heavenly Dao Saints fell at once, that would be a loss for the Heavenly Dao itself. It would certainly step in to resolve the conflict between you."
"Only..."
At that, Xuanming's expression turned peculiar. He blinked as he looked at Journey to the West Tongtian.
"The Heavenly Dao probably never imagined that its words would carry so much weight. It told you to go into seclusion, and you obediently went and did just that."
"I...?"
Journey to the West Tongtian was at a loss for words. How was he supposed to know all the ins and outs?
At the time, he'd thought simply: facing four enemies at once was already his limit. With the Dao Ancestor added to the mix, he had no chance of winning.
Therefore,
To keep the Interception Sect from being wiped out completely, he'd had no choice but to back down for the time being and obediently return to Biyou Palace to enter seclusion.
He'd thought that as long as he was alive, the Interception Sect would still have someone to back it up.
But he hadn't expected that his refusal to get involved would cause the Interception Sect to fall apart in an instant, with some fleeing and others surrendering.
"That won't happen this time!"
Tongtian gritted his teeth and declared, each word deliberate. "If they dare to surround me again, I'll give my life if I have to, but I'll take two or three of them down with me!"
"Grandmaster, there's no need to go that far. We still have a chance!"
Xuanming smiled and waved his hand. Under the three of them's astonished gazes, he revealed the reward for his mission.
"What?!"
"Xuanming, are you saying that the mighty being behind you promised you a Primordial Violet Qi and two Innate Supreme Treasures if you stopped that Tang Seng from traveling west to seek the scriptures?"
"And there's even a chance for you to replace Hong Jun as the Dao Harmonizer?"
"This..."
The two Tongtians and Nuwa stared at one another, even more awed by the unknown being behind Xuanming.
Primordial Violet Qi!
What was that?
The foundation of sainthood!
To put it simply: with this thing, even a dog could become a Saint if it cultivated diligently.
But without it?
Heh!
Unless you could Prove Dao by Force, break through the limitations of the prehistoric world, and become a supreme Primordial Great Unity Golden Immortal,
you'd just have to resign yourself to being suppressed!
And now?
With all the Primordial Violet Qi long since distributed, the mighty being behind Xuanming could still give him a complete strand as a reward?
Just how absurdly generous was that?
And that wasn't even counting the two Innate Supreme Treasures!
Even Tongtian was impressed, let alone Nuwa. Even she, a Saint, didn't have a single Innate Supreme Treasure!
And yet Xuanming was being rewarded with two at once?
Nuwa took a deep breath. Before the two Tongtians could recover, she declared solemnly:
"Xuanming, don't worry. I'll go back and capture that monkey right away. Then I'll have the demons send more people to block their pilgrimage route. I guarantee that Tang Sanzang won't make it to the West!"
"Heh, why go to all that trouble?"
Sect Leader Tongtian curled his lip disdainfully. "I say we just slap that Tang Sanzang dead and be done with it! Why complicate things?"
"This..."
Journey to the West Tongtian and Nuwa exchanged a glance, both looking hesitant. "Fellow Daoist, you may not know this, but the rise of Buddhism was ordained by the Heavenly Dao..."
Before you continue