"Two pieces of trash!"
Pan Qing's voice was as loud as a bell, causing the surrounding space to buzz.
He was utterly rude, launching into a tirade that nearly rained down on everyone with his spittle.
"This garrison commander sensed the aura of High Antiquity Remnants emanating from this place, and tore through the void at full speed to arrive, only to find this empty expanse?"
What use are you two so-called 'masters of the universe' and 'leaders of all schools of thought' to me?
"You can't even guard the house properly or catch a few mice. Lord Pan Yong would be better off keeping two obedient dogs."
His language was vulgar and highly insulting, showing no respect for Confucius and Guiguzi.
Upon hearing this, Confucius's usually calm and composed expression finally turned somber.
He slowly straightened up, and his previously restrained Righteous Qi of righteousness erupted like dry tinder being ignited.
Its physical form remained unchanged, but it instantly seemed to grow taller, as if it stood tall and upright, facing the giant across the vast distance, standing on equal footing.
"Pan Qing!"
Confucius's voice was still not loud, but it carried an awe-inspiring and unyielding authority, each word like the striking of gold and jade.
"Although you are the Guardian Envoy, you are ordered to monitor this universe."
But I, Kong Qiu, am also the ruler of this universe, personally appointed by Lord Pan Yong, wielding a portion of the Heavenly Dao Authority and governing the Heaven and Earth.
You'd better be more polite when you speak.
"Dominator? Hahaha!"
Pan Qing seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, threw his head back and laughed wildly, the laughter shaking the stars:
"Bullshit about being the ruler."
Kong Qiu and Guiguzi, you are nothing more than two watchdogs kept by Lord Pan Qing.
Moreover, they are two shameless, vicious dogs who betrayed their former master and turned on me. Do they even dare to bark at me?
Lord Pan Yong is giving you face by allowing you to manage this desolate and barren world; it is a favor, a way for you to atone for your sins.
I'm not telling you to actually think of yourselves as important!
"You--!"
Confucius flew into a rage, and his literary aura soared into the sky, transforming into the phantom image of a rolling river.
It seemed as if the sounds of countless sages chanting scriptures and the prayers of billions of living beings were rising from within.
The three Confucian disciples beside him also glared angrily, their auras surging.
"Pan Qing, you've gone too far!"
Guiguzi also stepped forward abruptly, standing shoulder to shoulder with Confucius.
The cold and eerie aura surrounding him was no longer concealed, like the gaping maw of an abyss or the wailing of ten thousand ghosts. Although it was completely opposite to the Righteous Qi of Confucius, it formed a strange synergy in resisting Pan Qing's oppression.
His body also began to swell. Although he was not as tall as Pan Qing, he transformed into a black-robed giant thousands of miles high, Heaven and Earth Manifestation and powerful!
"How?
"These two old dogs, do they want to bite their owner back?"
Seeing this, Pan Qing was not afraid at all. Instead, his eyes became even more savage. Wanli leaned forward slightly, and his terrifying pressure, like a solid mountain, crushed down on Confucius and Guiguzi.
He was surrounded by azure light, and faint phantom images of creation and destruction could be seen flashing around him.
The clash of these three forces caused the recently calmed starry sky to tremble violently once more, with spatial cracks appearing as if it might collapse again at any moment.
Guiguzi and Confucius, working together, steadily withstood Pan Qing's oppressive aura, holding their own in the slightest.
Pan Qing's eyes flashed with a fierce light, as if he really intended to take action and teach these two "disobedient dogs" a lesson.
But when his gaze swept over the vast river above Confucius's head, which seemed to resonate faintly with the universe's Heavenly Dao, and the ever-changing, ghostly figures around Guiguzi, which seemed to devour the mind, a sense of apprehension arose in his heart.
After all, he was just Guardian Envoy, not the true ruler of this universe. If he were to completely break ties with these two and fight to the death, he would have no way to explain himself to Pan Yong when he returned.
"Snort!"
Pan Qing let out a heavy snort, like a thunderclap, and was the first to withdraw some of his oppressive aura, but the disdain and threat in his eyes remained undiminished:
"Good, very good."
You two native rebels have really grown bold, daring to challenge this garrison commander.
Alright, I have noted down what happened today.
You must report this to Lord Pan Yong in its entirety, and he will punish you for your incompetence and daring to defy your superiors.
"Let's see how the adults deal with you two ungrateful stray dogs."
After uttering these blustering but ultimately cowardly words, Pan Qing's massive body took a sudden step back, merging into the not-yet-fully-closed spatial rift and disappearing from sight.
The violent pressure then subsided, leaving only the chaotic starry sky as proof that he had been there.
Once Pan Qing's aura had completely disappeared from this star field, Guiguzi slowly withdrew his Heaven and Earth Manifestation Divine Ability and transformed back into human form.
He gazed in the direction where Pan Qing had disappeared. In the shadows beneath his hood, two eerie green lights flickered with a chilling malice and Killing Intent.
"That dog who relies on its master's power is nothing but a bastard from a collateral branch of the Pan Clan with thin blood, yet he dares to bark wildly in front of me."
Sooner or later, I will kill him, Soul Extraction and Refining, only then can I quell the hatred in my heart!
Guiguzi's voice was hoarse and low, filled with resentment and malice.
Relying on his status as Pan Clan members, Pan Qing had humiliated and suppressed these powerful native tribesmen who had surrendered to him for hundreds of thousands of years, and Guiguzi had long harbored resentment towards him.
Confucius also returned to his normal posture, his Righteous Qi subdued, but his face was still shrouded in a layer of frost.
He remained silent for a moment, then looked intently at Guiguzi with a deep gaze, and slowly spoke, his voice devoid of emotion. "Is what you say true?"
Upon hearing this, Guiguzi seemed to tremble slightly beneath his hood, and his eerie green eyes suddenly turned to Confucius, scrutinizing him from head to toe.
He then let out a low, enigmatic laugh, a laugh tinged with menace, "Ha... Kong Qiu, even you can't hold back anymore?"
"Do you also want to... kill him?"
"Is there a plan?"
Confucius did not answer directly, but instead asked a question in return, his tone calm, yet carrying a tacit resolute tone.
Guiguzi's laughter abruptly stopped, his eerie green eyes fixed on Confucius, as if trying to see right through him.
After a moment, he said in a sinister tone:
"Plan?
Sage Kong, have you forgotten what my original profession was?
I am a master School of Diplomacy, skilled in forming alliances and using others' strength against them, striking with devastating force from the shadows!
He paused, a hint of smugness and ruthlessness creeping into his tone:
"I haven't been idle for the past hundreds of thousands of years."
Do you really think I'm in seclusion all day, trying to comprehend the Great Dao?
The Pan Clan members was not a monolithic entity.
Although Pan Yong was powerful, he could not control everything.
Within their clan, numerous factions exist, constantly vying for power.
This guy, Pan Qing, is just one of the good-for-nothings. He only managed to get a sinecure as a Guardian Envoy by relying on his ancestors' legacy and his sycophancy.
The person behind him wasn't even considered top-tier within the clan, and had made quite a few enemies...
The more Guiguzi spoke, the colder his voice became:
"I have already found out most of the situation within the Pan Clan."
Let alone Pan Qing, even Pan Yong... isn't without rivals, and there are weaknesses that can be exploited."
Confucius listened quietly, his face expressionless, though a glint of light flashed in his deep eyes.
He nodded slowly, uttering only two words: "Very good."
Guiguzi chuckled, knowing that Confucius had tacitly approved of this, and perhaps even reached some kind of understanding.
He leaned closer, his voice even lower, like a viper flicking its tongue:
"If needed, Sage Kong only needs to ask."
Over the years, I've been treated like a dog, bossed around and humiliated at will... I've long since reached my breaking point."
The two exchanged a glance. Though unspoken, a dangerous alliance against Pan Qing and even the forces behind him seemed to have been quietly formed in this desolate starry sky.