"What?"
Seeing Yunxiao staring at him in astonishment, Sect Leader Tongtian raised an eyebrow. "It seems you have a problem with your master's arrangement?"
"N-no!"
Coming back to her senses, Yunxiao resisted the urge to nod and offered a weak explanation. "Master, I'm just a little surprised. After all, Xuanming is still so young..."
"When has age ever mattered in the cultivation world?"
Before Yunxiao could finish, Sect Leader Tongtian waved a hand to cut her off. "In the path of cultivation, hasn't it always been the capable who come first?"
"Besides..."
"Though Xuanming's cultivation is still weak, he can get his hands on Primordial Violet Qi. What's wrong with you listening to him?"
"..."
Yunxiao, who had been ready to argue, was left speechless. She could only smile wryly and nod in agreement.
What else could she say?
As the saying went, those who ate someone's food found it hard to criticize them, and those who took someone's things found it hard to refuse them!
That strand of Primordial Violet Qi was still hovering in her Violet Palace dantian. When facing Xuanming now, she was already at a psychological disadvantage.
Fortunately, Xuanming didn't care who was in charge. He was concerned about something else.
"Grandmaster, when will Eldest Martial Uncle attain sainthood?"
"When will he attain sainthood?"
At that, Sect Leader Tongtian thought for a moment, then answered with a question of his own. "Xuanming, when are you planning to make a move against Buddhism in that world?"
"That depends on when Eldest Martial Uncle attains sainthood!"
Xuanming spread his hands and sighed helplessly. "If Eldest Martial Uncle doesn't become a saint, how can we move against Buddhism?"
"That's a hornet's nest!"
"If we make a move, Jieyin and Zhunti will definitely show up. Taishang and Yuanshi might even join them."
"No need to worry!"
Facing Xuanming's concern, Sect Leader Tongtian only smiled dismissively. "With me, my fellow Daoist, and Junior Sister here, what does it matter if all four of them come at once?"
Before Xuanming could voice his concerns, Sect Leader Tongtian continued to explain:
"The main thing is, if you don't move against Buddhism, your Eldest Martial Uncle may have to wait several hundred, or even a thousand, years to attain sainthood."
"Hm?"
Xuanming was a little confused. How did those things have anything to do with each other?
What did his attacking Buddhism have to do with Eldest Martial Uncle becoming a saint? Could it be that if Buddhism were destroyed, she'd be so happy that she'd attain sainthood?
"Xuanming, do you know how we attained sainthood back then?"
Seeing Xuanming's bewildered expression, Sect Leader Tongtian didn't rush to explain. Instead, he smiled and asked him a question.
"How did you attain sainthood?"
Xuanming furrowed his brow and thought for a moment. If he remembered correctly, Tongtian and the others had founded Renjiao, Chanjiao, and the Interception Sect, then used immense fortune and great merit to help them forge their saintly bodies.
"Exactly!"
After listening to Xuanming's account, Tongtian nodded in agreement, a trace of reminiscence flashing in his eyes.
"Back then, Junior Sister Nuwa created humanity, prompting the Heavenly Dao to bestow great merit upon her. As a result, she surpassed us and became the second saint to attain the saintly position, behind only our master."
"But that gave the rest of us some inspiration."
"And with our master's guidance in secret..."
"In just a few short years, the three of us brothers broke through and attained sainthood, relying on the merit and fortune we gained by founding Renjiao, Chanjiao, and the Interception Sect."
"Even Jieyin and Zhunti attained sainthood through the grand vows they made when they founded the Western Teachings."
At this point, Sect Leader Tongtian paused and turned to look at Xuanming. "But now, whether in the world we're in or that future world, the path of founding a sect is no longer an option."
"And yet this path is the simplest and fastest!"
"So..."
"If we want your Eldest Martial Uncle to take this path, we must first destroy a sect. Only then might we succeed!"
"I see!"
Xuanming nodded in understanding. That explained it.
Indeed!
Of the six saints of the primordial world, Nuwa attained sainthood through the merit of creating humanity, while all the others—including the Three Pure Ones—attained sainthood by founding sects.
That was one of the reasons Yuanshi Tianzun was so determined to destroy the Interception Sect.
There was no helping it!
Back then—no, rather, in the future—Sect Leader Tongtian had been able to fight four opponents at once partly because the Interception Sect was so powerful.
Could this be what the novels called the power of faith?
Xuanming thoughtfully rubbed his chin. He remembered that the reason the western gods in those novels attacked one another was to fight over the followers in the mortal world.
How similar was that to the world of Journey to the West?
Wasn't the Journey to the West arranged by Jieyin and Zhunti meant to spread the Buddhist teachings of the West to the East?
What was it for?
Followers!
If they really managed to expand their following to the East, would they still be as weak as before?
"Grandmaster..."
Having thought of this, Xuanming didn't waste time. He quickly shared his theory with Tongtian and the others.
"The power of faith?"
Tongtian furrowed his brow. After thinking it over for a moment, he murmured hesitantly, "So that's the reason? I always wondered how my senior brothers had suddenly become stronger than me!"
"Indeed!"
Journey to the West Tongtian nodded in agreement beside him. "Ever since the Interception Sect was destroyed, my strength has declined quite a bit. I thought it was because my injuries hadn't healed..."
"But that doesn't quite add up, does it?"
Seeing that Tongtian and Journey to the West Tongtian both agreed, Nuwa couldn't sit still. "Many people among humanity keep my nameplate. If it's a matter of faith, shouldn't I be the strongest?"
"Um..."
Meeting Nuwa's puzzled gaze, Xuanming asked cautiously, "Grandmaster, when people prayed for protection, did you usually go and protect them?"
"..."
Nuwa's lovely face stiffened at his question, and she was silent for a long time.
Had she protected humanity?
She had!
But not much...
At the very least, when the demon race, spirits, and even Buddhism schemed against and slaughtered humanity, she hadn't fulfilled her duty to protect them.
"That's why!"
Xuanming spread his hands and, without worrying whether Nuwa might take offense, got straight to the point. "Humanity may still regard you as their mother, but that's just gratitude. They don't worship you!"
"They'd rather worship the hypocritical members of Buddhism!"
"Why?"
"Because Buddhism would help them when they were in danger... even if Buddhism itself had caused those dangers in the first place."
"But humanity doesn't know that!"
"They only see who treats them well and who protects them!"
At this point, Xuanming paused and turned to the two Sect Leader Tongtians beside him, who clearly felt some sympathy for Nuwa.
"Grandmaster, have you ever wondered why your Interception Sect, Chanjiao, and Renjiao were all Eastern sects founded by saints, yet Buddhism still overtook them in the mortal world?"
"It's because they're so good at pretending!"
"You disdained deception, and you also disdained publicizing what you'd done. In the end, those members of Buddhism took the credit."
"From now on, you need to change too!"
Before you continue