The Saints' Reactions

"Smack!"

A piece landed on the board. The white side, whose position had been steadily declining, showed signs of turning the tide. In the faintest sense, a large swath of black pieces had been pinned down by that single move.

"Second Brother, that was a truly brilliant move. It's a pity you only thought to change your strategy now. Isn't it a little too late?"

"Elder Brother, have you never heard that the greatest vistas appear when a game takes a perilous turn, and that a way forward emerges when things seem most desperate?"

Another white piece landed on the board. The move was utterly free of worldly fuss, yet boundless Dao Charm seemed to rise from its position, bringing all nine lines previously locked down by the black pieces back to life.

The one called Elder Brother was a bald old Daoist with a receding hairline, even the hair around the edges of his head sparse. Despite this, there was no trace of age about him. He was as natural as the mountains and rivers of the world, inspiring an extraordinary sense of ease.

The one called Second Brother was a dignified, meticulous middle-aged Daoist. He wore a Hunyuan Crown and a Twelve Sumeru Robe, giving him an utterly upright air, as if he could tolerate not the slightest flaw.

These two were Saint Taiqing and the Yuqing Saint.

Saint Taiqing lifted his eyes. A Tai Chi Diagram shimmered in his gaze. "Third Brother must be serious this time. In this Cosmic Era, he has actually taken a fifth Core Disciple. It's truly baffling."

He was a man of few words, and he pressed down a finger. A dark, black piece crashed onto the board, striking straight at the white pieces' vital center. It was like the giant axe Pangu had wielded when he cleaved open the world, poised to uproot the white pieces altogether.

"How could the water of the canal be so clear? Because fresh water flows from its source. In my view, Duobao is obsessed with power and has already lost sight of his original nature. Guiling is impulsive and cannot shoulder great responsibility. Jinling and Wudang may have the will to save the world from collapse, but they place personal feelings above Law and Reason, so they are unlikely to accomplish much either. Only Little Cloud Child has deep Root Nature. What a pity..."

When the Yuqing Saint mentioned Fairy Yun Xiao, a glimmer of hope briefly appeared in his eyes, but it soon faded.

He placed another piece, right in the gap between the black pieces' encirclement. Like a solitary pine breaking through stone, it forcibly raised up a patch of sky amid utter desperation.

The Tai Chi Diagram in Saint Taiqing's eyes grew more distinct, as though he were calculating the secrets of heaven, or perhaps evolving the Great Dao. "Third Brother's Interception Sect has always stood for 'Teach without discrimination,' but within this 'without discrimination' lies a tremendous calamity of slaughter. Little Cloud Child is willing to do what cannot be done for the sake of her brothers. She is no different from the three of us."

The Yuqing Saint stopped moving, though his expression remained unchanged.

"Pangu became all living beings, and all living beings are Pangu. The tribulations of living beings are Pangu's tribulations, and ours as well. This tribulation is part of the world's evolution. Even Saints can hardly escape it."

"Whether it is a tribulation or an opportunity remains to be seen. The worst that could happen is that we no longer reside in the world during this Era. Sainthood is both a karmic position and a cage."

Saint Taiqing neither agreed nor disagreed. Nothing could disturb his state of mind.

"If that's so, let us wait quietly for the world to evolve and watch the winds and clouds rise and fall. Third Brother is already a Saint, and his cultivation is no weaker than ours. We can rest easy."

At another Saint's Dojo, a different pair of brothers were discussing the same matter.

Sect Master Tongtian taking an Outer Disciple would not attract anyone's attention; even the Yuqing Saint was used to it. But his taking a Core Disciple was a major event.

Sect Master Tongtian had extremely strict requirements for his Core Disciples. Even Fairy Yun Xiao had to remain among the Outer Disciples.

Fang Yang had never stood out in the Primordial Wilderness. He had not even qualified to attend the Four Teachings Dao Discussion Conference organized by the Four Teachings of Ren, Chan, Jie, and Xi.

For a nobody like him to save the Daughter of the Human Emperor for no apparent reason and then, just as inexplicably, become a Core Disciple of Sect Master Tongtian was bound to draw attention from all sides.

Inside Leiyin Temple, beneath the Bodhi Tree, two Saints sat side by side beside the Eight Treasures Merit Pool.

Golden light filled the air, Sanskrit Chant rang out, and Sanskrit characters swirled beneath the eaves. They fell onto the surface of the pool, stirring up fine golden ripples. Hearing the wondrous music, the Seven-Colored Lotus Carp leaped joyfully from the water, making a "da-da" sound.

The Saint on the left wore a sorrowful expression, compassion in his eyes, and a dark golden Daoist robe. An eagle perched on his shoulder, eyes closed in contentment as it basked in the Western Mystic Method.

Sage Zhunti sat on the right, his figure somewhat lean. He wore a Pilu Hat and an apricot-yellow checkered Daoist robe, while countless heavenly secrets swirled around him.

"Senior Brother, Fang Yang is merely an unremarkable Postnatal Human. His success in cultivating to Golden Immortal was entirely thanks to that Taiqing Five Qi Great Golden Elixir from Eldest Senior Brother. Even Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal could only become an Outer Disciple. What secret does Fang Yang have?"

Sage Zhunti repeatedly tried to divine the answer, but his results showed nothing amiss. No matter how he calculated, he could find nothing remarkable about Fang Yang.

Saint Jieyin stroked the eagle once and smiled faintly. "Since Senior Brother Tongtian took a liking to him, this young man is no ordinary person. I'm rather looking forward to seeing what changes Fang Yang will bring to the world once he matures."

Hearing this, Sage Zhunti laughed despite himself, then let the matter go.

"Heh, I was too fixated on it. Those little ones under our command are trying to bring about Western Prosperity by scheming against the East Sea Dragon Clan, hoping our Western dragons will occupy the Eastern Sea. Fang Yang appeared out of nowhere and ruined their plan. He and our disciples are bound to fight."

Saint Jieyin gazed toward the Eastern Sea, a look of understanding passing through his eyes. "Daoist Sunlight and Daoist Moonlight are too eager for quick results. Scheming against the East Sea Dragon Clan was bad enough, but they even dragged the Human Clan into it. To scheme against a three-year-old child with such despicable methods—how are they any different from Demonic Heretics? These two are not worth cultivating."

When Saint Jieyin finished speaking, Sage Zhunti's expression darkened. He had once schemed against the Ten Golden Crows of the Demon Race. Saint Jieyin appeared to be criticizing Daoist Sunlight and Daoist Moonlight, but was actually advising Sage Zhunti to stop resorting to such despicable deeds.

Seeing that Sage Zhunti understood his meaning, Saint Jieyin pressed the advantage and spoke earnestly.

"Junior Brother, we are Saints and teachers to the disciples of the Western Sect. Our disciples will learn from everything we say and do. Surely you don't want all our disciples to be a bunch of feathered and horned creatures, born from wetness and eggs? I still remember all too clearly what the Demonic Sect did in the West back then!"

Sage Zhunti fell silent for a long while. His gaze flickered repeatedly, and only after a long time did his mind become clear.

"Senior Brother is absolutely right. I was so obsessed with Western Prosperity that I overlooked its foundation: virtue. Without cultivating virtue, even if the West flourishes for a time, it will be like cooking oil over a blazing fire or flowers embroidered on brocade—splendid, but short-lived."