Jieyin and Zhunti Cry Poverty

Haotian's words this time were indeed fair and candid—half truth, half far-reaching concern.

He knew full well that when facing someone as astute and perceptive as Zhunti, lies and deception could never be a lasting strategy. Only by treating him with sincerity could he forge a bond of true trust.

After hearing Haotian's unvarnished confession, Zhunti and Jieyin fell silent once more, their hearts roiling with mixed emotions.

Though these frank words held no ornate rhetoric, they carried more weight than any hollow promise, striking straight at the heart.

After a long while, Zhunti and Jieyin exchanged a glance. In that wordless instant, they had reached an understanding.

Then Zhunti straightened his tattered Daoist robe, stepped forward, and solemnly bowed deeply to Haotian, clasping his hands in a salute that reached the ground. "Daoist, your heartfelt words and open sincerity leave the two of us both ashamed and deeply respectful."

"I, Zhunti, swear here and now that I shall never forget the guidance and aid we received today."

"If Daoist should ever have need of us in the future, so long as it does not violate the heavenly way and human order, nor harm our True Hearts and Daoist principles, my brother and I shall certainly give it our all to repay the friendship of this day!"

Zhunti's oath did not boast extravagantly. Instead, he emphasized "giving it our all" and "not violating the heavenly way or True Heart," making his words practical and sincere. It showed precisely that he was not a man who made promises lightly only to break them.

Upon hearing this, the last trace of concern in Haotian's heart quietly faded away. Smiling, he returned the salute. "Fellow Daoist, you overstate it."

"It is merely fate at work, and mutual assistance."

"The time is nearly upon us. The palace gates are about to close."

"Two Dao Brothers, please enter swiftly."

"I will make arrangements for the road ahead."

Jieyin, who had remained steeped in sorrow all this while, felt his aura stir slightly at those words and prepared to move.

Yet Zhunti once more lightly caught his sleeve. His gaze was earnest as he looked toward Haotian and Yaochi, who stood quietly at the side like an immortal blossom, and solemnly asked, "May I ask the immortal names and honored titles of the two Saint Children?"

Ever since Purple Firmament Palace had opened, countless Great Powers had come and gone, yet Zhunti was the first to ask after the names of Haotian and Yaochi.

Even Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi, who had previously presented lavish gifts, had never asked for the Daoist titles of the two.

Naturally, there was nothing unreasonable about that. After all, in their eyes—indeed, in everyone's eyes—what the two were called did not matter.

What mattered was their status: the Saint's children.

Yet Zhunti's question carried the intent of associating with them as peers, transcending their identities.

Haotian's expression turned solemn as he formally replied, "My name is Haotian."

Yaochi, who had watched quietly for a long while, now moved forward with light lotus steps and stood shoulder to shoulder with Haotian. Gathering her robes, she offered a salute, her voice like spring water striking jade. "My name is Yaochi."

Zhunti and Jieyin immediately bowed again, their tones even more solemn. "Greetings, Daoist Haotian, Daoist Yaochi!"

"Great kindness needs no words of thanks. Allow the two of us to take our leave first. Though fate has granted us but this brief meeting, we shall seek to repay you another day!"

Having spoken, the two no longer hesitated in the slightest, nodding to Haotian and Yaochi.

Having spoken, the two no longer hesitated in the slightest. After nodding to Haotian and Yaochi, they transformed into two streaks of golden light, more condensed and swifter than before, and shot into the depths of the towering, unfathomable palace gates. With a single flash, they vanished without a trace.

Once Zhunti and Jieyin's figures disappeared into the palace, a mysterious sensation arose simultaneously in Haotian's and Yaochi's hearts.

The time for Purple Firmament Palace to close its gates was near.

The two exchanged a glance, realization shining in both their eyes. Then they simultaneously circulated their mana and activated the Purple Firmament Tokens glowing with purple radiance within their robes.

Meanwhile, with Haotian's secret assistance, Zhunti and Jieyin arrived outside Yan Dao Palace without incident.

Yet although their journey into Yan Dao Palace had met with no setbacks, they had ultimately spent too much time in the chaos.

Thus, they were still the last to arrive.

When the two stepped into the heart of this great world steeped in boundless Dao resonance, beneath the purple-jade Dao Platform, the six most dazzling golden lotus seats of Dao resonance, as well as the White Clouds in the front rows brimming with clear, flourishing spiritual energy, had long since been completely occupied by those who arrived before them.

As the final arrivals, the two naturally drew the attention of nearly every Great Power present.

Seeing their Daoist robes in tatters, their faces weathered by dust and travel, their auras weak and unsteady, and their overall appearance thoroughly bedraggled, quite a few Great Powers showed a flicker of surprise or faint mockery in their eyes.

Those able to enter Purple Firmament Palace were all renowned Innate Divine Beings or ancient immortals of the Primordial Wilderness, each a figure in their own right. They prized dignity and bearing above all else.

For Zhunti and Jieyin to appear in such a state within the solemn and sacred Yan Dao Palace was indeed rare.

"Junior Brother, what... should we do now?" Jieyin transmitted quietly, a lingering bitterness still in his voice.

Though he was the elder of the two and his cultivation was slightly deeper, the one who usually took charge and made decisions was Zhunti, whose mind was more quick-witted and keen.

Zhunti's gaze swiftly swept across the hall, meeting the many looks of curiosity, indifference, and concealed ridicule as his thoughts raced.

Within the Saint's Dao Field, resorting to force or coercion was absolutely out of the question.

But all the good seats already had their owners. If they did not find a way, were they truly to go to some remote corner?

Just as he was deep in thought, his gaze suddenly fell upon the sixth golden cloud, extremely close to the purple-jade Dao Platform.

He sharply noticed that the Great Powers throughout the hall wore differing expressions.

Some ignored them with utter indifference, some watched coldly from the sidelines, some dismissed them with disdain...

Only one person had clear, genuine sympathy upon his face.

It was none other than Hongyun, seated atop the sixth Golden Cloud!

In the blink of an eye, a scheme surfaced in Zhunti's mind.

He immediately sent a voice transmission to Jieyin, explaining it in hurried detail.

Could they possibly make them give up their good seats willingly?

Upon hearing the plan, Jieyin's expression shifted slightly as he struggled inwardly.

Before he could fully process it and make a decision, Zhunti had already seized the initiative. At the entrance to the great hall, he suddenly collapsed to the ground without warning, covered his face with his sleeve, and burst into loud sobs!

"Wuhu~ How tragic! How painful!"

This abrupt turn of events instantly plunged the entire Yan Dao Palace into silence so deep that a pin drop could be heard.

All the Great Powers, including the serene and detached Grand Supreme Elder Lord, could not help turning to look at them, their faces filled with surprise.

"Think of how bitterly the Western Sentient Beings have suffered!" Zhunti wept tears and blood, every word a cry from the heart.

"The two world-shaking Great Tribulations of Dragon-Han and Dao-Demon reduced our Western Lands to ruin. Immortal Mountains and Spiritual Veins were utterly destroyed, the earth's vitality withered away, all things lay desolate, and Living Beings Suffering filled the land."

"Of ten households, nine stood empty; vitality itself was nearly extinguished!"

"My brother and I have come this time bearing the last hopes of countless Western Sentient Beings. We risked our lives to cross the perils of chaos, only arriving before this Saint after escaping death nine times out of ten."

"All we sought was to hear the faintest mysterious note of the Great Dao, to find the Western Lands a sliver of hope for revival... Yet who could have imagined, who could have imagined that we could not even obtain a seat close to the Dao!"

"O heavens!"

"Could it be that the Heavenly Dao truly means to sever the lineage of the Western Lands?"

"How sorrowful! How mournful!"

Zhunti wept with utter sincerity.

Though this was a calculated scheme, every word he spoke was true, all of it drawn from the depths of his heart.

Thus, within this "performance," there was not the slightest falsehood in his grief and misery; it even faintly resonated with the Great Dao within the hall.

Seeing Zhunti like this, Jieyin also steeled his heart, cast aside all his misgivings, and collapsed to the ground beside him, crying so bitterly that his voice broke. "When the roof leaks, it is met by rain through the night; when the boat runs late, it meets a headwind!"

"Think of it—the Western Sentient Beings were also transformed from Great God Pangu, members of the Primordial World. Why must we alone bear such boundless calamity?"