Red Cloud Wants to Play Peacemaker? Get Lost

"Boom!"

Without another word, Zhu Rong threw a punch.

The violent Southern Bright Flame transformed into a crimson fire dragon, carrying the terrifying heat to burn the heavens and boil the seas as it smashed fiercely toward Yuanshi Tianzun's face.

"Insolence!"

Yuanshi Tianzun flew into a rage. He was of the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, a direct disciple of the Dao Ancestor, yet a barbarian had humiliated him like this!

He hurriedly summoned the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, which became three-colored divine light and met the fire dragon head-on.

"Bang!"

With a thunderous crash, the fire dragon collided violently with the three-colored divine light.

Yet then, something happened that stunned everyone.

Yuanshi Tianzun's prized Three Treasures Jade Ruyi lasted less than three breaths before Zhu Rong's violent Southern Bright Flame. Its radiance dimmed as it was scorched, and it flew back.

The fire dragon's momentum did not diminish, and it slammed heavily into Yuanshi Tianzun's chest.

"Pfft!"

Yuanshi Tianzun was struck as if by lightning. He spat out a mouthful of blood and flew backward like a kite with its string cut, crashing hard into the sheer cliff and blasting a huge pit into the solid rock.

"Second Brother!"

Laozi and Tongtian turned pale with shock and hurried forward to help Yuanshi up.

"With only that much skill, you dared come steal our brothers' things?"

Zhu Rong withdrew his fist and looked disdainfully at the battered Yuanshi Tianzun. "Get lost while your grandpa hasn't lost his temper! Otherwise, none of you will be leaving today!"

"You... you dare bully me like this!"

Supported by Laozi and Tongtian, Yuanshi Tianzun's chest was charred black, while the tyrannical fire poison of the Southern Bright Flame continued to gnaw away at his body. He trembled with rage, glaring at Zhu Rong with eyes that spat fire.

He had always regarded himself as Pangu Orthodox Lineage, lofty and above all others. When had he ever suffered such humiliation?

"Second Brother, do not act rashly."

Laozi frowned deeply and grabbed Yuanshi, who was about to fight for his life.

Though he too was furious, reason told him that these twelve men were anything but easy targets.

Twelve beings above the Great Firmament Realm.

With such a terrifying lineup, let alone the Three Pure Ones, even if every Dao seeker present at Violet Firmament Palace were gathered together, they likely would not be enough to fill the gaps between these people's teeth.

"Eldest Brother, are we just letting this go?!" Tongtian's swordlike brows stood on end, and the Green Duckweed Sword on his back rang sharply, as though he would draw it at the slightest disagreement.

"What else can we do? Can you defeat them?" Laozi rebuked him through divine transmission. "The auras of these twelve share the same origin, and every one of them carries an exceedingly pure Pangu bloodline aura. Perhaps... they too are Pangu Orthodox Lineage!"

At those words, Yuanshi and Tongtian were both shaken. When they looked at Dijiang and the others again, their eyes held a trace more uncertainty and suspicion.

Just as the two sides reached a stalemate,

a red cloud suddenly drifted down from the sky. Two Daoists stood upon it.

One wore a crimson Daoist robe and had a kindly face. The other held a whisk and carried himself with calm composure.

"Fellow Daoists, hold your hands! Please, hold your hands!"

The moment Red Cloud landed, he hurriedly ran between the two sides, wearing a broad smile as he tried to smooth things over.

"Everyone here is a guest of Violet Firmament Palace. We have all listened to the Dao beneath the Dao Ancestor and can be considered fellow disciples. Why harm our harmony over a single spirit root?"

Red Cloud looked toward Dijiang and the others, clasped his hands in salute, and said, "These fellow Daoists look unfamiliar. You must be great experts who have never gone to Violet Firmament Palace to hear the Dao. I am Red Cloud. Greetings."

"Though this Primordial Gourd Vine is precious, it bears seven gourds. If everyone takes a share, would that not make all happy?"

Red Cloud believed he had proposed a perfect solution, his face still wearing that trademark kindly smile.

However, to the Twelve Ancestral Witches, his words sounded like the greatest joke in the world.

"Take a share? Make all happy?"

Zhu Rong sneered and looked at Red Cloud as though he were an idiot. "Who the hell are you? What gives you the right to divide our brothers' things?"

"Th-this..." The smile on Red Cloud's face froze. Clearly, he had not expected the other party to show him so little courtesy.

"This fellow Daoist, I only meant to offer kind advice..."

"Get lost!"

Zhu Rong mercilessly cut Red Cloud off. Fierce light surged in his eyes. "Say one more word of nonsense, and your grandpa will beat you too!"

"How can you be so incapable of telling good from bad!"

Seeing his old friend humiliated, Zhen Yuanzi immediately grew furious. He stepped forward to shield Red Cloud behind him, while the Earth Book in his hand faintly emitted the heavy aura of Earth Origin.

"Unable to tell good from bad?"

Gonggong snorted from the side. "You bunch of bandits came to our doorstep to steal our things, and you blame us for being unable to tell good from bad? What a joke under heaven!"

"Big Brother, why waste words on these hypocrites? Just slaughter them all." Lightning flashed around Qiang Liang's body as he spoke murderously.

The moment he said this, the expressions of the Three Pure Ones, Di Jun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Nuwa, Fuxi, and the others changed drastically.

They could sense that Qiang Liang truly had murderous intent!

"Fellow Daoists, we were presumptuous in today's matter."

Laozi took a deep breath and decisively made his choice.

He pulled Yuanshi and Tongtian along, then slightly clasped his hands toward Dijiang. "Since this gourd vine belongs to you, Fellow Daoist, we will not force the matter any longer. Farewell."

With that, Laozi turned into a stream of clear qi without hesitation, taking his two younger brothers as they shot into the sky and vanished beyond the horizon in an instant.

"Eldest Brother, we're leaving just like this?!" Yuanshi was still indignant in midair.

"Should we stay there and wait for death?" Laozi said coldly. "Those twelve not only far surpass us in cultivation, but they are also decisive and ruthless in killing. If we truly fought, none of us would leave today!"

Seeing even the Three Pure Ones admit defeat and flee, Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi were filled with resentment, yet they also understood that a wise man did not fight when the odds were against him.

"Hmph! Mountains and rivers will meet again. We'll see about this!"

Eastern Emperor Taiyi snorted, cradling the Chaos Bell as he and Di Jun turned into two streaks of golden light and fled.

Nuwa and Fuxi exchanged a glance, then sensibly withdrew in silence as well.

In the blink of an eye, only Red Cloud and Zhen Yuanzi remained before the cliff, which had just been so bustling.

Red Cloud was so embarrassed that he wished he could find a crack in the ground and crawl into it.

He had wanted to play peacemaker, only to be left with his nose in the dirt—and nearly lose his life besides.

"Fellow Daoist Red Cloud, we should leave too," Zhen Yuanzi said softly, tugging at Red Cloud's sleeve.

"Alas..." Red Cloud sighed. He awkwardly clasped his hands toward Dijiang and the others, then slunk away with Zhen Yuanzi.

Watching the crowd flee in disarray, Zhu Rong curled his lip in disdain. "A pack of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong!"

"Enough. Ignore them."

Dijiang withdrew his gaze and turned toward the gourd vine flowing with seven-colored divine light.

"These seven gourds have fully matured. It is time to harvest them."

Dijiang stepped forward and carefully picked the seven gourds one by one.

The seven gourds were respectively violet-gold, violet-red, violet-white, violet-cyan, violet-yellow, violet-green, and violet-black. Each contained an incomparably vast primordial origin and was the embryo of a top-grade primordial Spirit Treasure.

"Big Brother, how should we divide these gourds?" The Ancestral Witches crowded around him, their faces filled with anticipation.