Eight Great Powers, Everyone Shocked

Styx watched the group ahead.

There were eight in total.

All were people he had seen in the Purple Cloud Palace.

They were the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa and Fuxi, the brothers Di Jun and Taiyi, and one Hong Yun.

Styx did not rush forward but instead listened from the sidelines.

The quarreling crowd completely failed to notice Styx.

After all, with Styx's current cultivation, as long as he didn't want to be noticed, how could these Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals present possibly detect him?

Taiyi held a large golden bell in his hand, his tone dripping with threat.

"Who are you trying to fool? We all arrived here and saw you alone on the scene. If you didn't take the treasure, then who did?"

Seeing Taiyi raise the Eastern Emperor Bell, Hong Yun was so frightened he took two steps back.

This Eastern Emperor Bell was originally called the Chaos Bell, a treasure of the Connate Supreme Treasure level. With it, Taiyi had already established a fearsome reputation throughout the Primordial Wilderness.

Later, Taiyi renamed it the Eastern Emperor Bell.

Hong Yun had naturally heard of it as well.

But no matter how afraid he was, Hong Yun still argued back.

"I didn't take the treasure, and that's that. How many times do I have to say it before you believe me?"

Taiyi snorted coldly. "Hmph! Everyone in the Primordial Wilderness says you, Hong Yun, are the foremost great philanthropist. But as I see it, you're nothing but a big liar! Since you dared to take it, why don't you dare to admit it?"

In Taiyi's view, all the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals in the Primordial Wilderness had gone to the Purple Cloud Palace to hear the Dao.

The remaining Primordial Unity Golden Immortals absolutely could not have taken the original treasure from this place.

And as soon as everyone left the Purple Cloud Palace, they sensed a treasure on Buzhou Mountain.

Among them, Hong Yun was the fastest, while the others were a step slower.

When they arrived, they saw Hong Yun alone at the scene, acting furtively.

If Hong Yun didn't take the treasure, then who did?

Hong Yun grew even angrier at the scolding, but cowed by the might of the Eastern Emperor Bell, he dared not argue further with Taiyi.

Instead, he turned his gaze to the other great powers around him, hoping they would speak up for him.

Hong Yun believed that, with his reputation as the great philanthropist of the Primordial Wilderness, everyone should be on his side.

But to his disappointment, none of them showed any sign of support.

Clearly, their stance was the same as Taiyi's.

Hong Yun's heart sank.

Seeing Hong Yun's attitude, Taiyi's anger surged, and he wished he could just smash Hong Yun to death with the Eastern Emperor Bell.

But Di Jun stopped him.

Di Jun spoke up on his own.

"Daoist Hong Yun, if I'm not mistaken, there is probably more than one treasure here. You alone likely can't take them all away. It would be better to hand them over and let everyone share. I, Di Jun, guarantee you, Daoist, that you won't leave empty-handed!"

Though Di Jun's words sounded like a negotiation, they carried an undeniable tone.

Fuxi thought for a moment, then also took the initiative to persuade Hong Yun.

"Daoist Hong Yun, what Daoist Di Jun says is very true. You should hand over the treasures. How about this—you all divide the treasures among yourselves. I, Fuxi, will withdraw from the distribution."

Nüwa immediately wanted to speak up to dissuade Fuxi, but he stopped her.

Fuxi saw it clearly. The two of them, brother and sister, could not match the formidable strength of the Three Pure Ones, nor did they have a supreme treasure like Di Jun and Taiyi's Eastern Emperor Bell.

Even if he didn't withdraw, he and Nüwa wouldn't get many treasures. It was better to step back voluntarily.

That way, perhaps the others, seeing this gesture, might give Nüwa a decent share.

Hong Yun grew even more distressed upon hearing this.

He had already said the treasure wasn't taken by him—why wouldn't they believe him?

Sigh, if only Zhen Yuanzi were here, he would surely believe him.

Seeing Hong Yun still silent, Taiyi finally raised the Eastern Emperor Bell and hurled it at Hong Yun.

Terrified, Hong Yun quickly brought out his companion spiritual treasure, the Three Thousand Whisks, trying to block the Eastern Emperor Bell.

But the Eastern Emperor Bell was a Connate Supreme Treasure, while the Three Thousand Whisks was merely a High-Grade Connate Spiritual Treasure.

With little difference in their cultivation levels, how could a High-Grade Connate Spiritual Treasure compare to a Connate Supreme Treasure like the Eastern Emperor Bell, which was both offensive and defensive?

The Three Thousand Whisks transformed into three thousand long strands, firmly entangling the Eastern Emperor Bell.

But the Eastern Emperor Bell burst forth with a flash of golden light, broke through the Three Thousand Whisks, and crashed into Hong Yun.

Hong Yun hurriedly tried to defend himself, but was sent reeling by the bell's impact, spitting blood.

"Taiyi, you..."

Hong Yun was so furious he couldn't even speak, and he immediately tried to flee.

But the Eastern Emperor Bell was faster, directly trapping Hong Yun beneath it.

Unable to escape, Hong Yun's heart filled with despair.

He shouldn't have come in the first place.

All he'd done was arrive, see the treasure missing, and take a look around—who had he offended?

"Hong Yun, death is upon you, and you still won't hand over the treasure?" Taiyi barked sternly.

"If you don't produce it now, I'll have no choice but to kill you and take it!"

Hong Yun was a great power on the same level as Taiyi, and Taiyi didn't want to push him into an outright break. Otherwise, Hong Yun would have been dead long ago.

Hearing Taiyi's words, Hong Yun wore a helpless expression.

"Kill me if you must. Even if you kill me, I have no treasure."

He truly had no way out.

He couldn't win in a fight, and no one would listen to reason.

What else could he do?

The others watched, doubt stirring in their hearts.

Could it be that Hong Yun really hadn't taken the treasure?

Then who had?

Laozi, one of the Three Pure Ones, finally spoke in his calm, unhurried manner.

"It seems another great power sensed the opportunity as well and took the treasure ahead of us."

Taiyi reluctantly released Hong Yun.

The treasure was already gone; killing Hong Yun would do nothing.

Di Jun suddenly thought of something. "Could it be Styx? He left Purple Cloud Palace as soon as the sermon ended—could he have come to take the treasure?"

As for the Twelve Ancestral Witches, who had also left right after the sermon like Styx, they were completely out of the question. After all, the Witch Clan had no Primordial Spirit and couldn't use spiritual treasures; taking the treasure would be useless.

The more they thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

Styx, listening nearby, was speechless.

So this was 'trouble comes while sitting at home, falling from the sky'?

Oh wait—not necessarily entirely trouble.

After all, it really could have been Wu Mo who took it.

Roughly speaking, it was indeed something he'd done.

But now was definitely not the time to admit it.

So Styx voluntarily dropped his concealment and stepped forward.

"Greetings, fellow daoists. I just heard someone mention me—what were you all discussing?"

Styx's sudden appearance startled everyone.

Taiyi was the first to step forward, shouting at Styx.

"Did you take the treasure here?"

The others also glared at Styx with hostility.

Except for Hong Yun.

Having just been targeted and injured by the group, Hong Yun now saw Styx under fire and shot him a sympathetic look.

Styx chuckled lightly.

This Hong Yun was truly an interesting fellow—in a bad spot himself, yet still worrying about others.

Seeing Styx not answer, Taiyi was about to lash out.

But then Laozi spoke, his voice filled with shock.

"You've broken through to Quasi-Sage?!"

Taiyi was so startled that his hand holding the Eastern Emperor Bell trembled.

The others were no less stunned, all staring at Styx and Laozi with disbelief.