Zhu Ci paid no heed to anything else. He hurriedly cupped his hands to Huo Heng and said, "Yes. Ever since hearing of the Way of Chaos, Zhu has been pondering this matter. This time, I have finally made up my mind and am willing to cast myself into Great Chaos. I only hope Fellow Daoist Huo will accept me."
Huo Heng merely glanced at him, standing there with his hands tucked into his sleeves. "I will not take you in."
Zhu Ci's expression changed. "Why?"
Huo Heng said leisurely, "Between the two of you, I actually think more highly of Fellow Daoist Zhang. You are not even one ten-thousandth his equal. And now you stand together with him. Set side by side, the comparison truly makes me disdain you."
Though he had been belittled, Zhu Ci reacted swiftly. His gaze flickered as he said, "Fellow Daoist Huo, to be frank, I summoned you here this time only out of desperation. In the end, it was merely to preserve my life.
"Zhang the Rectifier has only recently become a Rectifier. If he cannot take me back this time, he will surely be punished by the Profound Court. Would that not make it easier for him to turn toward the Way of Chaos?"
Huo Heng looked toward Zhang Yu and said, "What you say seems to make some sense..." Before Zhu Ci could rejoice inwardly, he added, "But I disdain doing such things."
Zhu Ci's breath caught.
Huo Heng sneered. "I have never forced others, much less used such furtive methods. If others enter my path, it must be because they have recognized the Way of Chaos as a supreme method and come willingly of their own accord—not because they have been swept here by grievance and resentment.
"What do you