"Junior Brother!!"
Seeing that Yuanshi Tianzun still hadn't realized how serious the situation was, Taishang Laojun couldn't help but sigh. He said gravely:
"You have to understand: Tongtian alone can overpower the Two Saints of the West. If we add another Tongtian and Nuwa to the mix... do you think either of us will come out of this well?"
"Remember, last time it took all four of us working together to take down one Tongtian!"
"If a conflict breaks out this time, it won't be four against one. It'll be four against three... or maybe even two against five!"
"???"
Yuanshi Tianzun came to his senses. When he heard Taishang Laojun put it that way, his expression changed completely.
Four against three?
Two against five?
Damn it, they didn't have much chance of winning either way!
Four against three might give them a little hope, but given how the Two Saints of the West were always ready to switch sides, there was a good chance it would turn into two against five...
"Senior Brother, I understand!"
Yuanshi Tianzun nodded with a dark expression. Though he was deeply unhappy, he decided he'd better behave himself for now.
Otherwise?
Two against five would be the best-case scenario. They might even end up fighting six to one!
At the thought, Yuanshi Tianzun unconsciously slowed down and kept a safe distance from Taishang Laojun.
Though the movement was subtle, Taishang Laojun was no ordinary man.
Still, he said nothing.
Soon, the two of them—or rather, all four of them—followed the traces of battle to a desolate hill that had been nearly reduced to rubble.
But just before they arrived, the hill, which had been filled with crisscrossing sword energy and densely packed banners, suddenly fell silent.
Then a familiar voice, tinged with panic, rang in their ears.
"Brother, Brother, what happened to you?"
"Brother, wake up!"
"Damn it!"
"Tongtian, how dare you go so far? I—I'll report you to Master!"
"Just you wait!!"
"..."
As the panicked, angry voice faded, the scene before them blurred. Zhunti appeared nearby, holding Jieyin, whose life or death was unknown.
"Brother??!"
When Zhunti spotted them, his eyes lit up. He hurriedly called to Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun, who were leading the group, for help:
"Brother Taishang, Brother Yuanshi, come quickly! Brother Jieyin was struck by that Tongtian, Tongtian... huh??"
Zhunti had only made it halfway through his words when he noticed a familiar figure standing beside Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun.
"You—you?!"
Zhunti was stunned. He instinctively turned to look behind him, only to see Sect Leader Tongtian following them, the Four Immortal Slaying Swords hovering around him.
"I, you, no, what...?"
Zhunti looked at Sect Leader Tongtian behind him, then at Journey to the West Tongtian beside Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun. He was so flustered that he could barely speak, stammering for a long while without knowing what to say.
"Junior Brother, you... what is this?"
Even Taishang Laojun, who had already received the news, felt his scalp tingle. He couldn't help turning to look at Journey to the West Tongtian.
"You actually lent out the Four Immortal Slaying Swords?"
"Lent them? No, I didn't!"
Journey to the West Tongtian smiled and shook his head. With a wave of his hand, the Four Immortal Slaying Swords appeared beside him.
"Senior Brother, look. Aren't they right here?"
"???"
Taishang Laojun was stunned.
What was this?
Counterfeits?
But when he carefully sensed the laws emanating from the Four Immortal Slaying Swords, his already muddled mind short-circuited.
They were real. They really were!
How was that possible?
Even if Nuwa could mold a gifted Tongtian, could she really create his magical treasures too?
Wouldn't that be too outrageous?
No!
Something was definitely wrong!
Taishang Laojun rubbed his aching temples. He was sure he'd overlooked something.
But no matter how he turned the matter over in his mind, from every angle—even after spending years of hard cultivation to divine Heaven's secrets—he found nothing but a fog.
Fortunately, just as Taishang Laojun was starting to feel suffocated, a reassuring voice suddenly echoed in everyone's minds.
"Tongtian, you've gone too far!"
As the voice rang out like the sacred music of the Great Dao, Dao Ancestor Hong Jun appeared before them. Looking at Jieyin in Zhunti's arms, he spoke with a hint of anger.
"The Six Souls Banner is forbidden by Heaven and Earth. It must not be used lightly, much less against a fellow member of your sect!"
As he spoke, Hong Jun lightly raised his hand. The enormous banner floating in the chaos quickly shrank, and in the blink of an eye, he had taken it into his hand.
"I'll take this item for now. Come back for it when you understand your mistake!"
"???"
Sect Leader Tongtian's expression darkened.
What the hell?
When those four bastards ganged up on me, why didn't you show up...
No!
According to Journey to the West Tongtian, Hong Jun had appeared when the Four Saints ganged up on him back then.
But at the time, he had come to make Journey to the West Tongtian return to Biyou Palace and reflect on his actions.
And now?
The Two Saints of the West had ganged up on me, and this guy had shown up again—only to take my magical treasure the moment he arrived.
Wasn't this favoritism going a bit too far?
"Dao Ancestor!"
Sect Leader Tongtian drew a deep breath. He didn't even call him Master anymore, but challenged him instead: "May I ask whether you represent the impartial and selfless Heavenly Dao, or only yourself?"
"Oh?"
Hong Jun clearly hadn't expected Tongtian to talk back. He turned to look at him with those indifferent eyes.
"What difference does it make whether I represent the Heavenly Dao or myself?"
"..."
Under the overwhelming pressure bearing down on him, Sect Leader Tongtian grunted and hurriedly summoned the Four Immortal Slaying Swords to shield himself. Then he gritted his teeth and replied:
"Dao Ancestor, if you represent the Heavenly Dao, then you shouldn't interfere in our affairs."
"What?"
"Back then, those four attacked me, even using their strength to bully the weak and assault my Interception Sect, and nothing happened to them. But now that I want to fight back, suddenly it's not allowed?"
"The impartial and selfless Heavenly Dao wouldn't act like this!"
"What do you think?"
"..."
Hong Jun seemed stumped by the question. After a long silence, his tone softened somewhat. "The grand trend cannot be changed, but minor details can be disregarded. The destruction of the Interception Sect was the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao. No one could change it!"
"Is that so?"
Tongtian's lips curled into a sneer. "Dao Ancestor, if I remember correctly, you once said that Buddhism's rise was also the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao, didn't you?"
"That's right!"
Hong Jun nodded firmly. Though Buddhism's rise had been promised by Taishang Laojun and Yuanshi Tianzun as payment to the Two Saints of the West, it had indeed been part of the Heavenly Dao's grand trend.
"And now?"
The smile on Sect Leader Tongtian's face grew broader. "Dao Ancestor, Buddhism's headquarters, Spirit Mountain, has been destroyed. Thousands of temples across the Hong Huang Continent have collapsed, and hundreds of millions of monks have voluntarily returned to secular life... Your grand trend of the Heavenly Dao seems to have gone a little off course, doesn't it?"
"That's why I came!"
Hong Jun clearly knew who was behind Buddhism's destruction. He didn't explain why the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao had changed. Instead, he corrected Tongtian coldly:
"Whether in the mortal world, the world of immortals and gods, or even among you Saints, there will naturally be those who seek to defy Heaven."
"But remember this: those who defy Heaven must be—slain!"
Before you continue