Hearing Zhunti's voice, Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun both froze for a moment.
The two rose to their feet and looked outside Wuzhuang Temple.
Zhen Yuanzi muttered in puzzlement, "Zhunti and Jieyin? What are those two doing at my Wuzhuang Temple?"
Their arrival stirred a sense of unease in Zhen Yuanzi.
Hong Yun, however, thought nothing of it.
"Haha, Zhunti and Jieyin are here? Staying in Wuzhuang Temple all day has nearly bored me to death. Daoist brother, hurry and let them in. We can liven things up a little."
Hong Yun had not the slightest guard up against Zhunti and Jieyin.
After all, the two had incurred such an enormous karmic debt to him at Purple Cloud Palace. If they dared attack him, the first to die would likely be those two, not him.
Zhen Yuanzi, however, was rather more cautious.
"Daoist brother, I doubt their visit is that simple."
Zhen Yuanzi spoke cautiously, reluctant to let the two inside.
Unfortunately, kind words could not save a ghost bent on dying. Hong Yun refused to heed his advice and persisted in his own opinion.
"Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi, you're worrying too much. Zhunti and Jieyin owe me such an enormous karmic debt. How could they harbor any ill intent toward me?"
"As I see it, they've come to discuss how to settle that debt. After all, this is no small matter. We're all destined to become Sages, so naturally, they can't leave it unpaid forever."
Hong Yun was still living in his beautiful fantasy.
Faced with Hong Yun's insistence, Zhen Yuanzi had no choice. Though uneasy, he could not prevail against Hong Yun and opened his cultivation grounds, while secretly remaining on guard against the two.
Once Wuzhuang Temple's protective restrictions opened, Zhunti and Jieyin soon appeared before them.
At the sight of Hong Yun, both bowed deeply, showing every possible courtesy.
Hong Yun laughed heartily and hurried to help them up, making a show of magnanimity.
Yet his manner carried the air of someone in a lofty position, as though he stood a head above them.
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head slightly beside him.
Hong Yun's gesture seemed courteous, but in truth, it risked making enemies.
And Zhen Yuanzi was not the only one who thought so. Zhunti and Jieyin felt the same.
They had merely offered a casual show of courtesy, yet Hong Yun actually took it as proof that his standing was above theirs.
This only strengthened their resolve to eliminate Hong Yun.
Still, they had to keep up their outward performance.
Rising with Hong Yun's assistance, the two spoke with expressions of respect.
"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, we came specifically to thank you. We have yet to express our gratitude for what happened at Purple Cloud Palace. Had you not given up your seat, we might never have had the chance to become Sages."
Hearing them acknowledge the matter, Hong Yun laughed heartily and said, "Think nothing of it, think nothing of it. That you received such an opportunity was also thanks to the Dao Ancestor's favor. I wouldn't dare claim the credit."
Despite his words, Hong Yun gave Zhen Yuanzi a smug look as he spoke, as though saying, See? I told you they wouldn't dare do anything to me.
Zhen Yuanzi stood silently beside them throughout, his unease growing ever stronger.
Hong Yun was practically dancing on the edge of a towering cliff, liable to plunge into the bottomless abyss at any moment.
Yet the joy of becoming a Sage seemed to have gone to his head.
Seeing Jieyin and Zhunti standing there without moving, Zhen Yuanzi spoke.
"You two haven't come to see my Daoist brother merely to thank him, have you? If there's anything else, please say it all at once. There's no need to stand on ceremony. We all study under the Dao Ancestor and ought to help one another."
Zhen Yuanzi tried to smooth things over.
Zhunti and Jieyin exchanged a glance.
"We have nothing particularly important to discuss. We merely wished to ask how Fellow Daoist Hongyun's comprehension of the Primordial Violet Qi is progressing. To tell you the truth, we've studied it for so long without making the slightest progress. We don't know why."
This was also a probe. The matter of the Primordial Violet Qi was a secret, after all, and despite studying it for so long after bringing it back, they had made no progress whatsoever.
If Hong Yun had managed to glean some insight into the Primordial Violet Qi, he might not be dispensable to the Dao Ancestor. In that case, the two might abandon Kunpeng and stop targeting Hong Yun.
Even if it meant leaving that colossal karmic debt unpaid.
After all, if they interfered with the Dao Ancestor's plans, neither of them would have a pleasant end.
Zhen Yuanzi sensed that this might be a probe and hurried to speak, but he was still a step too late.
Hong Yun laughed heartily. "You two are in the same situation? To tell you the truth, I haven't made the slightest progress in comprehending the Primordial Violet Qi since bringing it back either."
Seeing Hong Yun speak so bluntly, Zhen Yuanzi's expression changed at once, and he sighed inwardly.
My friend, my friend, you're truly muddleheaded. How could you reveal such a secret?
Sure enough, delight appeared on Zhunti's and Jieyin's faces when they heard Hong Yun's words.
They also made their final decision in their hearts.
"So we're not the only ones who haven't advanced an inch. Presumably, Laozi, Yuanshi, and Nuwa are all in the same situation. Perhaps the time simply hasn't come."
Jieyin spoke casually, but inwardly, he was already plotting how to trick Hong Yun and Zhen Yuanzi into leaving the temple.
"Haha, there's no need to be anxious. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. We've already received the Dao Ancestor's approval. Becoming Sages is only a matter of time."
Hong Yun spoke confidently.
Zhunti sneered inwardly at his words.
Heh, becoming Sages is indeed only a matter of time for us. But you probably won't get that chance.
Having confirmed what he needed to know, Zhunti wasted no more time.
"Fellow Daoist, in that case, we won't linger here any longer."
"Fellow Daoist Hongyun, do visit Mount Sumeru when you have the chance, so we can offer you a proper welcome as hosts."
Seeing how courteous Zhunti and Jieyin were, Hong Yun laughed heartily, his spirits soaring.
"Haha, there's no need to be so formal, fellow Daoists. We can simply visit each other often in the future. I'll see you both out."
Zhen Yuanzi wanted to stop him, but Hong Yun spoke far too quickly and gave no thought at all to the consequences.
Zhunti and Jieyin were inwardly delighted to hear Hong Yun's words.
After all their circling around the subject, wasn't this precisely what they had been waiting for? They hurried to accept.
"Then we're sorry for the trouble, Fellow Daoist Hongyun."
Zhen Yuanzi was helpless. The words had already been spoken, and going back on them now would seem rather discourteous.
Zhen Yuanzi thought, Fine. We'll only see them to Wuzhuang Temple's entrance. If anything happens, we can return at once.
With no other choice, Zhen Yuanzi could only follow them out.
None of them spoke along the way.
At last, they stepped outside Wuzhuang Temple's gates.
Yet Zhunti and Jieyin did not leave immediately.
Zhen Yuanzi was just about to say they would see them no farther when an aura entered their senses, moving so fast that they had no time to react.
A peng bird that blotted out the sky and sun swept overhead at tremendous speed, letting out a furious roar.
"Hong Yun, your life is mine!"
It was none other than Kunpeng.
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