Onlookers (Twenty-Five)

Taiyi and Dijun were the first to move against the Eastern King Duke. The brothers had long been fed up with him. Not only had he snatched the title of "Chief of Male Immortals" that should have been theirs, he kept poaching their people too. He had gone too far.

All right, the Eastern King Duke had "stolen" the brothers' position, but had he really poached their people? Everyone he had recruited seemed to be an independent cultivator. Did they know what that meant? Someone who had joined no faction at all. How could that count as poaching? The brothers were twisting words to suit themselves.

Whatever the case, Taiyi and Dijun believed they had found a reason to strike. The Eastern King Duke plainly had no regard for Hongjun's orders. He was supposed to keep the Primordial Wilderness in order, yet look at the chaos he had stirred up!

As for whether attacking him now would offend Hongjun, that was beyond the brothers' concern. Even if it did, they could not help it. They had a passable reason now, but even without one, they would have gone looking for trouble with the Eastern King Duke.

The Eastern King Duke simply did not know when to stop. His faction kept growing and growing. Was he going to leave anyone else room to live?

If you won't leave me room to live, I'll make sure you die first. Dijun and Taiyi could no longer worry about Hongjun's attitude. The Sun Palace's very survival was at stake. Who had time to fret over what Hongjun thought?

Besides, Dijun and Taiyi had at least found fault with the Eastern King Duke. That counted as showing Hongjun respect. Hongjun could not go back on his word: he himself had ordered the Eastern King Duke