Qing Xuanzi saw Zhunti appear and immediately understood what he was after. Gritting his teeth, he said:
"Zhunti, what do you intend to do?"
"Junior Brother Qing Xuanzi, these are all people fated with our Western Sect. Please lay down your butcher's knife."
"Zhunti, these people slaughtered my human race. They cannot be forgiven. If you insist on this, you will become an enemy of the human race. Have you thought through the karmic consequences?"
Qing Xuanzi showed Zhunti no respect at all and directly threatened him.
What he relied on was his status as Ancestor Hongjun's Closed-Door Disciple. Zhunti did not dare lay a hand on him!
Moreover, he had another identity: Deputy Sect Leader of the Humanity Sect.
Did Zhunti think Laozi had no pride?
"How insolent! Junior Brother Qing Xuanzi, is a Sage someone you can humiliate? Today, I shall discipline you on Master's behalf and let you know what a Sage is."
Sure enough, Zhunti still harbored a grudge over Qing Xuanzi's previous scheme against them. He immediately struck with his bamboo staff.
Qing Xuanzi smiled faintly. He did not move at all, merely standing there and quietly watching Zhunti perform.
A Flat Crutch descended from the Ninth Heavens, blocking Zhunti's Seven Treasure Tree. At the same time, Laozi's voice came from the Flat Crutch:
"A Sage indeed cannot be insulted. But if their statuses are equal, that is another matter. Qing Xuanzi is the Deputy Sect Leader of my Humanity Sect, so he has every right to speak."
At the same time, a point of red light shot from the horizon straight toward Zhunti's head.
"Nüwa!" Zhunti flew into a rage. I'm only disciplining one human, yet not only has Laozi acted, even you, Nüwa, are meddling? Do I, a Sage, have no dignity?
"So what? Qing Xuanzi is both human and my junior brother. If someone bullies him, can't I lend a hand?" Nüwa appeared directly and spoke coldly.
"Qing Xuanzi has indiscriminately slaughtered innocents. I stopped him in accordance with the will of Tian. You two are also Sages and should naturally act according to Tian's will," Zhunti argued, knowing he could not defeat two Sages.
Qing Xuanzi spoke directly. "Indiscriminately slaughtered innocents? You certainly know how to twist black into white. In that case, Zhunti, remember this well."
"If one day I blockade the gates of your Mount Sumeru, and you make a move, would that count as indiscriminately slaughtering innocents?"
"If one day I attack your Western Sect, and you make a move, would that count as indiscriminately slaughtering innocents?"
"If one day I kill every member of your Western Sect I see, and you make a move, would that count as indiscriminately slaughtering innocents?"
Following Zhunti's twisted logic, Qing Xuanzi asked three consecutive questions, leaving Zhunti's face livid.
"Zhunti, you dare come to the East to scrounge for benefits and even bully my junior brother Qing Xuanzi? Come, come, take a sword from me." Qingping Sword arrived as well, slashing straight at Zhunti.
Jie Yin also appeared. He could no longer stand watching his junior brother get besieged.
He blocked the Qingping Sword, but a Jade Ruyi took its place and smashed toward Zhunti's forehead. Yuanshi's voice rang out: "Utterly shameless."
Zhunti panicked. Where am I? Who am I?
Damn it, did I poke a nest of Sages? I only tried to discipline Qing Xuanzi!
And I did not even touch him! Yet four Sages have already appeared.
Nüwa and Laozi had excuses for acting, but what basis did Tongtian and Yuanshi have?
Tongtian simply could not stand Zhunti's shamelessness.
Though Yuanshi appeared to feel the same, he secretly did not want anyone from the Immortal Court going to the Western Sect.
Even if they died, they had to die in the East. What did it count for if Zhunti lured them away?
Zhunti was now in a sorry state. One moment it was the Flat Crutch, the next the Jade Ruyi, and every so often he had to endure a blow from the Red Embroidered Ball.
His hair disheveled from the beating, he roared and revealed his Zhangba Golden Body. "You have gone too far in bullying me!"
Just as a battle between Sages was about to erupt, a Fly-whisk descended from the sky and shattered Zhunti's Zhangba Golden Body into pieces.
The kind that could not even be gathered back up.
Then Hongjun appeared, his face dark with anger.
"You are all Sages. Why do you keep fighting upon the land of Huang?"
"Master, Laozi and the others joined forces to bully me!" Zhunti immediately wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face.
Hongjun's expression darkened further. Gritting his teeth, he said, "So by your meaning, I joined them in bullying you as well?"
Zhunti froze. It seemed, perhaps, maybe that Fly-whisk from earlier had been Hongjun's Fly-whisk.
He had been careless. Without noticing, he had actually provoked Hongjun.
Zhunti hurriedly changed his words. "How could that be? Master was disciplining me."
"Hmph. Sages are forbidden from fighting in Huang. Let this matter end here."
Hongjun paused, then gave Zhunti a strange look. "Sage Zhunti."
Zhunti's eyelids twitched wildly. What is the Dao Ancestor planning? He hastily waved his hands. "Master, how could I be a Sage before you?"
Hongjun ignored him and continued, "Have you forgotten that Qing Xuanzi is my Closed-Door Disciple? Shall we go to the chaos and have a match?"
Zhunti was scared out of his wits. Are you joking? Fight you? Am I tired of living?
A glint flashed through Laozi's cloudy eyes, while Nüwa's beautiful eyes shone with amazement.
Tongtian even cried out in surprise, "Ah!"
Yuanshi lowered his head in silence, seemingly lost in thought.
Qing Xuanzi inwardly exclaimed, Well, damn. Hongjun appeared in person. Hongjun's first words were clearly just formalities as the Dao Ancestor.
But his second sentence was spoken as Hongjun himself, demanding an explanation from Zhunti.
Now that's a thigh to cling to. Qing Xuanzi silently praised his own wise decision to become Hongjun's disciple.
The Sages all shared the same thought: Why would Hongjun personally come to stand up for someone? When we were bullied before, we never saw him take action!
Your favoritism toward your disciple was a little unfair.
What, was Qing Xuanzi your biological son? No, your biological grandson?
That had to be it. Wasn't there a saying that grandparents doted on their grandchildren?
The other Three Pure Ones and Nüwa gave Qing Xuanzi meaningful looks.
Zhunti directly dropped to his knees. Kneeling before the Dao Ancestor was not shameful. If he went to the chaos to fight, what he would lose was his life.
"Master, spare me! What little skill Zhunti has was all taught by Master. How could I dare raise a hand against you?"
Hongjun nodded expressionlessly. "It is good that you understand. Disperse."
Hongjun left, and Jie Yin and Zhunti could not wait to flee.
After all, if they did not run now, they would probably get beaten again.
Laozi smiled at Qing Xuanzi. "You are the Deputy Sect Leader of the Humanity Sect. Handle this matter yourself."
After saying that, he left. Tongtian patted Qing Xuanzi on the shoulder and said, "Well done. Even Master was willing to make an exception for you."
However, he said it through voice transmission. He did not dare say it aloud.
Yuanshi silently departed without a word.
Nüwa asked with a smile, "Junior Brother Qing Xuanzi, have you decided when you will come visit me?"
This was what Qing Xuanzi feared most from Nüwa. The moment he heard it, he could not even speak properly. "Um... well... I..."
Nüwa glared at him. "Speak properly."
"Senior... Sister, perhaps after some time."
"Forget it. I'll set a time for you. In a hundred years, you must come. Otherwise, you know what will happen."
Nüwa left, leaving behind that hundred-year deadline.
Thus, the farce came to an end.
Dijiang led the Twelve Ancestral Witches as they herded the fleeing Immortal Court members back like sheep, then asked:
"Brother Qing Xuanzi, how should we deal with this group?"
Before Qing Xuanzi could answer, a voice rang out from midair. "Fellow Daoist Qing Xuanzi, how about handing these people over to me?"
Before you continue