The moment Pure Yang Daoist spoke, the atmosphere froze.
That heart-piercing question placed Laozi in a dilemma. Whether he took them or not, he seemed destined to lose ground.
Yuanshi's face darkened, while sword aura burst forth around Tongtian. The auras of the Three Pure Ones faintly joined as one, seemingly on the verge of erupting.
Yet Laozi merely held his Flat Staff, his expression as still as an ancient well.
He did not look at the interrogating Pure Yang Daoist. Instead, his gaze fell upon the seven gourds shimmering with treasure light on the cliff wall, as though examining the mysteries of their origins.
After a moment of silence, he finally spoke slowly. His voice was clear and tranquil, yet it carried an indifference born of seeing through all illusions:
"Fellow Daoist, you are fixated on appearances. Spiritual treasures possess spirits and choose their own masters. How can there be distinctions of first and last, strong and weak? Whether this poor Daoist takes them or not is determined by fate. It has nothing to do with whether Fellow Daoist permits it."
Laozi's words were like a gentle breeze passing through, easing the killing intent that filled the area.
Great powers such as Di Jun and Fuxi all showed traces of surprise and understanding in their eyes.
Laozi had actually resolved a crisis so effortlessly.
Then Laozi finally turned his gaze toward Pure Yang Daoist and continued. His tone remained calm, though hidden meaning lay beneath it:
"However, since Fellow Daoist has prevailed and is presiding over this matter, it is only right. We Three Pure Ones shall follow our prior words and take two of them. As for which two..."
Before his words could fall, before Laozi could choose personally, Pure Yang Daoist pointed the Primordial Sky Measuring Ruler into the air!
Two streams of light rose in response and detached from the Gourd Vine on the cliff wall. They were precisely the Purple Gold Gourd and the Green Skin Gourd, hovering directly before the Three Pure Ones.
The Purple Gold Gourd possessed an innate Dao rhythm, its treasure light restrained; the other Green Skin Gourd was also brimming with spiritual energy, but was clearly inferior by a level.
This move appeared to be an act of choosing treasures for them, yet it had actually stripped Laozi of his final chance to choose for himself, firmly fixing the right of distribution in Pure Yang Daoist's own hands.
"Since Fellow Daoist Taiqing says fate follows its natural course!" Pure Yang Daoist's gaze swept across the Three Pure Ones before settling on Laozi. "Then let the ownership of these two treasures follow the heavenly principle that elders come before juniors."
"Fellow Daoist Taiqing is the head of the Three Pure Ones, so the Purple Gold Gourd naturally belongs to you. As for this Green Skin Gourd..."
Pure Yang Daoist deliberately paused. His gaze moved between Yuanshi and Tongtian before finally settling on Yuanshi.
"Yuqing Fellow Daoist is the elder brother, so this treasure should belong to Yuqing Fellow Daoist. What does Tongtian Fellow Daoist think?"
This move was vicious to the extreme!
Pure Yang Daoist had fully followed Laozi's argument of "fate following its natural course" and used "elders before juniors" to leave Laozi with no room to refute him.
If Laozi objected, he would be slapping his own face. If he agreed, he would be tacitly accepting a distribution that would obviously displease Tongtian.
At those words, Jade Pure Yuanshi's expression eased slightly. This method of distribution, which followed rites, distinguished rank, and set order, perfectly accorded with the Dao he upheld. As the elder brother, it was only natural for him to receive the treasure.
But Supreme Pure Tongtian's face instantly darkened.
He was straightforward by nature and valued loyalty above all else, but being openly ranked by seniority and placed at the very bottom immediately filled him with an indescribable frustration.
Laozi took all of this in. He understood that East King Duke was employing an open scheme.
If he agreed to this distribution of spiritual treasures, he would wound Tongtian's heart. If he disagreed, would that not be slapping his own face?
Silence weighed upon everyone like something tangible, as though even the air had congealed. After a long while, Laozi finally closed his eyes and sighed softly.
"Then let it be as Fellow Daoist says."
That single word, "let," carried immense weight.
Yuanshi gave a slight nod, signaling his approval.
Tongtian, however, abruptly clenched the Qingping Sword until his knuckles turned white. In the end, he still did not voice his objection, but anyone could see the resentment in his eyes.
Pure Yang Daoist stood with his hands behind his back and said lightly, "Good."
The single word drifted softly, yet it was like a heavy hammer striking an invisible crack between the Three Pure Ones.
Laozi knew full well that this was a pit, yet he could only watch himself step into it.
Pure Yang Daoist used the "reason" he was best at, returning the other's methods upon himself.
As the head of the Three Pure Ones and the Mystic Gate's foremost disciple, Laozi's strength was unfathomable. He sat firmly as the foremost among his peers.
Donghua refused to submit to fate. No matter what path he chose, so long as he remained in this world, he would inevitably face Laozi head-on.
Since the other party had already acted against him, Pure Yang Daoist naturally had to answer tooth for tooth and never let him have his way.
As the Three Pure Ones took away the gourds, Nuwa and Hongyun also followed their opportunities, lightly displaying their Supernatural Abilities and taking the spiritual treasures whose Dao rhythms matched their own into their hands.
Each spiritual treasure returned to its master, and the clouds before the cliff gradually dispersed.
Di Jun and Taiyi were the first to depart. Two golden rainbows rose through the sky, and the Zhou Tian Star Dou faintly appeared and vanished in response.
Before leaving, Taiyi looked back once. His gaze collided with Pure Yang Daoist's in the void, as though gold and stone had struck together, sending invisible sparks flying.
Nuwa stood shoulder to shoulder with Fuxi. Her clear gaze swept over everyone before finally resting on the Gourd Vine, whose spiritual aura had not yet dispersed and which still retained a thread of life.
A thoughtful glimmer flashed in her eyes. This object seemed to share an unresolved karmic bond with her. Though heavenly secrets were obscured, it had already cast a ripple across the lake of her heart.
Divinatory symbols flowed around Fuxi's fingers as he deduced, one by one, the shifting fortunes from the clash among the various sages and the spiritual treasures choosing their masters. He already understood that this conflict was merely a prelude to the great tide of the future Primordial Wilderness.
Seeing his younger sister lost in thought, he said nothing. He simply rode away with her atop auspicious clouds, their figures gradually vanishing into the swirling immortal mist.
When the Three Pure Ones departed, Laozi and Yuanshi still maintained the same transcendent bearing they had possessed upon arrival.
Laozi lightly swept his sleeve, his expression still as an ancient well, as though the struggle over spiritual treasures had been nothing more than passing clouds.
Yuanshi Tianzun walked with composed steps. Golden lotuses bloomed wherever he passed, and the solemn Dharma visage between his brows remained untouched by worldly dust.
Only Tongtian Sect Master's sword aura was three parts sharper than when he had arrived.
He deliberately lagged half a step behind, while the Qingping Sword gave off a faint hum within its sheath.
Though he still traveled with his two elder brothers, an indistinct gap had quietly been drawn between him and them.
The three figures disappeared into the clouds. Laozi's and Yuanshi's Dao rhythms remained harmonious as one, while Tongtian's sword intent hovered between them, near yet distant, like thunder unwilling to be bound, faintly rumbling within the tranquil sea of clouds.
Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun were the last to leave. The Earth Book appeared and vanished in Zhenyuanzi's palm as he gave Pure Yang Daoist a Daoist salute, his tone gentle.
"Fellow Daoist's bearing today has won my heartfelt admiration. Should you find leisure someday, please visit Wanshou Mountain Wuzhuang Temple for a chat. This poor Daoist shall treat you to Ginseng Fruit."
Hongyun clapped and laughed beside him, auspicious clouds swirling around him.
"Wonderful, wonderful! Having seen Fellow Daoist's methods today, I finally understand what a true hero of the Primordial Wilderness is!"
The two Fellow Daoists exchanged a smile before transforming into azure and crimson rays that vanished into the clouds.
In the blink of an eye, only Pure Yang Daoist remained standing alone in the wind before the Buzhou Mountain cliff.
With his hands behind his back, he looked toward the direction everyone had departed, his eyes as calm as an ancient cold pool.
Heavenly secrets had yet to be decided, the Sage Positions had yet to be allotted. Everything that happened today was merely a ripple before the great calamity began.
And the unfinished debate on the Dao between him and Laozi would eventually shake the entire Primordial Wilderness at some future moment.
As everyone's figures gradually vanished beyond the clouds, the summit of Buzhou Mountain returned to silence.
Pure Yang Daoist stood alone before the cliff, his gaze lowered upon the Gourd Vine whose spiritual light had yet to fade.
With a sweep of his sleeve, a stream of clear qi emerged. Without touching the spiritual root's origin, it gently lifted the vine along with the three remaining gourds, even gathering up the soil around the Gourd Vine's roots below.
His movements flowed as naturally as drifting clouds and running water, as though he had anticipated it long ago.
Then his figure transformed into a streak of clear light and headed straight north.
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