At the heart of Tear Lake, nine figures sat cross-legged around Little Ai, each meditating.
Human Teaching's Grand Master Xuandu and Li Changshou;
Chan Teaching's Guang Chengzi, True Lord Taiyi, and True Lord Yu Ding;
Jie Teaching's Daoist Duobao, Holy Mother Jinling, Zhao Gongming, and Fairy Yunxiao.
Nine Dao Sect experts, nine core disciples of the Dao Sect Saints, had gathered beneath the Eighteen Levels of Hell in the Netherworld. Less than a zhang away from Little Ai, Houtu's Seven Emotions Incarnation, they focused intently, experiencing and sensing...
The Great Mage's voice from moments ago still echoed in their ears:
"To contend with the power of the Seven Emotions, we must understand what this power truly is.
"It is neither divine ability nor spell technique, but resonance with one's own emotions. Through resisting sorrow, each of us must master a method for warding off the power of the Seven Emotions.
"For example, when facing Little Ai, we should try to think of happy things and offset the negative emotions in our hearts.
"If you feel that you can no longer endure it, withdraw directly. The farther you are from Little Ai, the less you will be affected..."
Thus...
Before the image of the nine Saint disciples sitting in a circle had looked impressive for even a quarter of an hour, True Lord Taiyi suddenly snickered. Tears glittered at the corners of his eyes as he hastily turned and fled into the distance, crying and laughing at once, utterly devoid of an expert's bearing.
Daoist Duobao sighed. "Who would have thought Junior Brother Taiyi was also a man of true feeling?"
Guang Chengzi immediately smiled without speaking, feeling just the tiniest bit awkward.
The other eight could continue enduring it. True Lord Yu Ding, who had come with Taiyi, showed no