The Two Sages of the West Were Not to Be Underestimated-their Saint Positions Had Long Been Destined

Pfft!

In the Heavenly Emperor Palace and the Eastern Emperor Palace, Di Jun and Tai Yi both spat out mouthfuls of blood. Their once high-spirited confidence instantly crumpled.

This was Purple Heaven Divine Lightning. Wherever the divine thunder passed, the Heavenly Dao's laws followed; all techniques retreated, and every evil thing was annihilated. Even a Sage struck by it would lose three thousand years of cultivation.

So it was no wonder Di Jun and Tai Yi were in this state. They hadn't even had time to bring out the supreme treasures and spiritual treasures in their hands. Even if Tai Yi had brought out the Chaos Bell, things would still have ended the same way.

"Just because of these beings, as insignificant as blades of grass, the Dao Ancestor actually wants to punish us with heavenly lightning? I refuse to accept this!"

Tai Yi flashed over to Di Jun, golden light blazing around him.

Who could say how many tens of thousands of years of cultivation that bolt of Purple Heaven Divine Lightning had just wiped away?

If not for the Heavenly Court's sweeping conquest of the Southern Region during this period, which had greatly increased their fortune, he might not even have been able to hold on to his Quasi-Sage late-stage cultivation.

Di Jun glanced at Tai Yi. "What, you refuse to accept it? That's the Dao Ancestor!"

"Other beings may be as insignificant as blades of grass in your eyes, but are you and I not just as insignificant in the Dao Ancestor's eyes?"

"Since we can't beat him, there's nothing more to say. We'll do as the Dao Ancestor wishes!"

Di Jun's thinking was simple. It seemed that with a single glance, he could completely change the entire Demon Race—but could things really be that simple?

"Second Brother, I have two important pieces of news from Tianwu!"

Zhu Jiuyin was currently comprehending the Daoist resonance of the Law of Time within the Time-Space Mirror.

In truth, even though Zhu Jiuyin had already reached Half-Sage strength, he still found it difficult to refine even a single thread of this Chaos Spiritual Treasure.

Even so, just a wisp of the Law of Time that occasionally spilled from the Time-Space Mirror was enough to rapidly improve Zhu Jiuyin's understanding and mastery of the Law of Time.

The value of a Chaos Spiritual Treasure just kept climbing.

Zhu Jiuyin set down the Time-Space Mirror in his hands and looked at Houtu, who had just walked in. "Let's hear it."

As if she'd just thought of something, Houtu suddenly laughed aloud.

"First, Jieyin and Zhunti went to the Purple Heaven Palace again. Then they wept bitterly outside it, hoping the Dao Ancestor would help the West restore its ley lines and dispel the Turbid Qi. But the Dao Ancestor angrily rebuked them: 'You have little ability, but plenty of nerve. As Lords of the West, how dare you push your own responsibilities onto me? Can you two actually handle this or not? If you can't, you might as well give up your positions as Lords of the West. I'm sure there are plenty of people willing to shoulder this responsibility and karma in your place.'"

Zhu Jiuyin couldn't help smiling. "Those two!"

Houtu continued, "After Hongjun finished speaking, Jieyin and Zhunti both went pale. But Zhunti really is no ordinary person.

"If an ordinary being had been scolded like that by Hongjun, they'd probably have dropped to their knees and begged for mercy before slinking away.

"But Zhunti dropped to his knees on the golden bricks in front of the Purple Heaven Palace, weeping bitterly. 'Dao Ancestor, please show us your mercy. So long as the Western World can return to what it once was, so long as its living beings can escape the effects of depleted spiritual energy and spreading Turbid Qi, I, Zhunti, am willing to give up my position as Lord of the West.'

"Once Zhunti had said this, Jieyin knelt down beside him and added, 'I share my junior brother's wish!'"

Zhu Jiuyin raised an eyebrow, a hint of admiration showing in his eyes.

"People always say that Zhunti and Jieyin come to the East to scrounge for scraps and strip the land bare, caring nothing for the dignity expected of a great power. But from what we see now, everything they've done really has been for the sake of reviving the Western World."

"But I can't help feeling that Jieyin and Zhunti said all that just to put Hongjun on the spot. They weren't being entirely sincere; they were only putting on an act." Houtu's delicate brows furrowed slightly.

"Silly little sister, there's almost nothing in this world that's completely pure. When judging someone's actions, don't worry about their motives. Look instead at where their actions ultimately lead.

"Whether Jieyin and Zhunti were putting on an act this time or speaking from the heart doesn't matter. What matters is that they truly let countless people see their resolve to give everything for the Western World.

"I don't need you to tell me what happens next. Hongjun will instead try to soothe them with kind words, even reassuring them not to be so nervous and anxious. When the Dao Ancestor gives his third lecture at the Purple Heaven Palace, there will surely be a result."

Houtu was genuinely surprised.

"Second Brother, did you travel through the River of Time again and see what happened outside the Purple Heaven Palace?"

Zhu Jiuyin gently tapped Houtu on the forehead. "What are you thinking? Hongjun's cultivation is beyond measure. How could I use the Law of Time in front of him without being noticed? I only guessed."

"Tell me more..." Houtu looked at him expectantly.

Zhu Jiuyin smiled. "All right, then.

"First, you have to understand that although Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, seems incomparably exalted—the foremost being beneath the Heavenly Dao—that also means all his actions are subject to the Heavenly Dao's constraints.

"How did Jieyin and Zhunti earn their positions as Lords of the West? After the Tribal Calamity, the two brothers spent tens of billions of years repairing the Western World, one step at a time, starting from nothing. In the end, they restored more than seventy percent of its spiritual ley lines and cleared roughly thirty percent of its terrestrial ley lines. Only then did the spiritual energy in the Western World reach a level equal to one-fifth of what the Eastern World has today.

"You have to understand, when the Tribal Calamity ended, the ratio was twenty to one.

"With such immense perseverance and wisdom, Jieyin and Zhunti earned their positions as Lords of the West. They also received great merit from the Heavenly Dao as a reward.

"So, as top-tier Innate Demon Gods, why were Jieyin and Zhunti able to obtain Saint Positions, while Kunpeng and Hong Yun fell just short?

"That's the reason.

"Those six cushions may have been ordained by Heaven, but no one seems to have considered that the six had already left the other top-tier Innate Demon Gods far behind before their fates were even decided."

Houtu pondered this. She suddenly realized that none of the Six Sages of the Heavenly Dao was simple—not even Jieyin and Zhunti, whom the other top-tier Innate Demon Gods usually looked down upon and underestimated.

Zhu Jiuyin saw the understanding dawn on Houtu's face and smiled as he gently pointed it out. "What, have you suddenly realized you underestimated Jieyin and Zhunti?"

Houtu nodded.

"Then what would you say if I told you that, among the Six Sages of the Heavenly Dao, the ones I approve of most are Jieyin and Zhunti; next comes Tongtian, then Laozi. The ones I approve of least are Yuanshi and Nuwa. Do you think that's right?"

Houtu's eyes widened.

She couldn't understand what made Jieyin and Zhunti worthy of ranking above Laozi and Yuanshi.

Zhu Jiuyin said meaningfully, "You have to understand that compared to the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin and Zhunti lacked the immense Merit of Opening the Heavens they were born with, as well as the vast legacy left behind by Father God. Compared to Nuwa, their innate talent and comprehension—even the development they understood and mastered—also fell short.

"And yet, despite being outmatched in all these ways, Jieyin and Zhunti succeeded. They obtained Grandmist Violet Qi and secured their places among the Sages. What else could that be but a miracle?

"And how could I not approve most of those capable of creating miracles?"