Seeing that Xu Tong had not taken the bait, Laozi felt frustrated.
Had he not still cared about maintaining his dignity, Laozi would have started cursing by now.
Bullshit! "My life has its limits," my ass! You want to cultivate every path? Who the hell are you trying to fool?
Laozi did not believe a word of Xu Tong's explanation.
Yet Xu Tong's answer and expression matched so perfectly that Laozi could no longer be certain whether his suspicions were right.
After giving Xu Tong a searching look and finding no cracks in his facade, Laozi could only give up.
"Ah, very well. Third Brother, since you have chosen this path, I only hope you will not regret it."
Laozi wore a look of regret.
Xu Tong said nothing, sneering inwardly. Like hell I'll regret it. Once I become a Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal, free from the restraints of heaven and earth, I'll enjoy more freedom than you can imagine.
Just don't come crying and begging me when the great tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods arrives because I never founded a sect.
Imagining that scene filled Xu Tong with secret delight.
For now, however, he could not afford to let the horse's hoof show.
At Laozi's words, Xu Tong nodded solemnly but said nothing.
Unable to bluff anything at all out of Xu Tong, Laozi finally had no choice but to give up.
Outside the entrance to his Dao Field, Xu Tong gave Laozi's departing figure a long look, then turned and returned inside to continue cultivating in seclusion.
Across the Primordial World, the appearance of the primordial violet qi had stirred all the major powers into restless activity.
After all, this was an opportunity to attain sainthood.
They had already witnessed a Sage's might. It would have been strange if they could remain calm.
The Demon Tribe and the Witch Clan were the most earnest of all.
Both tribes had already become overlords of heaven and earth.
Although the Dao Ancestor had yet to intervene and explicitly decree that demons would govern heaven while witches governed the earth, the two powers were almost evenly matched, each ruling its own domain.
Naturally, friction between them had never ceased.
In the great hall of the Demon Court, Di Jun wore a grave expression.
Kneeling below him was Bai Ze, the Demon Tribe's strategist and one of its Ten Great Demon Saints.
"Your Majesty," Bai Ze said, "the whereabouts of the primordial violet qi remain unknown."
"Have you searched everywhere?"
Bai Ze nodded. "We have."
Di Jun slowly opened his eyes, his gaze sharp. "What about the Witch Clan?"
"Well..."
At his sovereign's question, Bai Ze hesitated.
The Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe were mortal enemies.
How could the Demon Tribe possibly enter Witch Clan territory to search for something?
But Bai Ze was worthy of his reputation as the Demon Tribe's strategist. "Your Majesty, the Witch Clan has always been at odds with our Demon Tribe, so we have not searched their territory. However, the entire Witch Clan is also searching everywhere at present. Presumably, they have found nothing either."
Hearing this, Di Jun's expression eased somewhat.
But only somewhat.
Di Jun slowly rose from his dragon throne and looked down upon the assembled Demon Saints.
Feeling his gaze upon them, every Demon Saint lowered his head.
Di Jun truly deserved his place as the Demon Tribe's sovereign. His presence alone was enough to make many shrink back in fear.
Seeing their fear, Di Jun nodded in satisfaction.
"Everyone, I have not concealed from you what our Demon Tribe seeks. The primordial violet qi is the foundation of sainthood. You have all witnessed the tremendous power of a Sage."
"To become the overlord of heaven and earth, our Demon Tribe must produce another Sage."
"No, our Demon Tribe must produce a Sage."
Di Jun's voice was filled with resolve, and the ministers below seemed to be stirred by his words.
Then his tone abruptly changed.
"But an obstacle now stands before us. A strand of primordial violet qi has been lost somewhere between heaven and earth, and it belongs to our Demon Tribe."
"We have searched everywhere except the Witch Clan's territory. It is highly likely to be there."
"The Witch Clan has taken what belongs to us."
Di Jun paused.
Within the Demon Court, all the demon generals and Demon Saints watched him.
Soon, someone took the lead and shouted.
"Crush the Witch Clan! Take back the primordial violet qi!"
Once there was a first, there was a second.
Soon, every demon in the hall joined in the shouting.
"Crush the Witch Clan! Take back the primordial violet qi!"
"Crush the Witch Clan! Take back the primordial violet qi!"
"Attack the Witch Clan! Take back-"
The cries rose one after another.
Di Jun watched it all. Once the fervor had reached the right pitch, he suddenly waved his hand, and the shouting stopped short.
The hall fell instantly silent. Even a falling needle could have been heard clearly.
"From this day forth, our Demon Tribe wages all-out war against the Witch Clan!"
The same scene unfolding in the Demon Court was also playing out among the Witch Clan.
In the council chamber of Pangu Hall.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches had gathered.
Zhurong, the most hot-tempered of them, spoke first. "Eldest Brother, we've searched every corner of Witch Clan territory without finding the primordial violet qi. If you ask me, those bird bastards from the Demon Tribe must have hidden it."
Beside him, Gonggong nodded. "That's right, Eldest Brother. This time, I think Zhurong is right. With our Witch Clan's current strength, we would certainly have found the primordial violet qi if it were on our land."
"We've searched for so long and still found nothing. It must have fallen into those bird bastards' hands."
Listening to the two Ancestral Witches, Gonggong and Zhurong, Dijiang said nothing, but his brows drew together. Clearly, he too was pondering the matter.
After a long while, Dijiang looked at Houtu and asked.
"Little Sister, you are the most thoughtful among us. What do you make of this?"
As Dijiang's words fell, the other Ancestral Witches turned their gazes toward Houtu.
Houtu was something of an anomaly among the Ancestral Witches. Unlike the others, she was neither burly nor fearsome in appearance. Instead, her features were rather delicate, and her figure was somewhat petite.
Yet her strength was not the slightest bit inferior to that of the others.
Houtu frowned, then said, "Eldest Brother, the Demon Tribe is indeed the most suspicious. However, they do not seem to have stopped searching either."
In truth, Houtu was also unsure what to make of the matter.
For some reason, she kept feeling that something was amiss.
Back on Kunlun Mountain, she had witnessed Tongtian sending the primordial violet qi flying with a single palm strike.
There was no denying that Tongtian's strength was terrifying.
When that palm strike sent the primordial violet qi flying, none of them had managed to react.
Afterward, however, both the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe had sent people searching in that direction, yet neither had found anything.
By all rights, that should not have happened.
That was why Houtu kept feeling that an unseen hand was at work behind this affair.
It seemed as though someone deliberately wanted to provoke a clash between the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe.
Yet caught within the great tribulation and faced with all the pressures coming from outside, neither tribe could possibly hold back.
Before you continue