Hongjun Was Dumbfounded

Inside Purple Firmament Palace, Hongjun was filled with confusion.

Across the Primordial World, the Immortal Alliance had collapsed with the death of the King Father of the East.

Some of its low-ranking unaffiliated immortals could no longer resist the Demon Tribe and fled for their lives.

But those who had been singled out found escape far less easy.

Among them were Laozi and Yuanshi.

The two joined forces against Di Jun alone.

They had indeed forced Di Jun onto the defensive.

Fighting two against one left Di Jun thoroughly frustrated.

"Fear not, elder brother! I'm here to help!"

Just as Di Jun was wondering whether to withdraw his troops, a familiar voice suddenly rang out.

Immediately afterward, the tolling of a bell resounded across the entire battlefield.

The attack unleashed by Yuanshi's Pangu Banner froze instantly beneath that peal.

Eastern Emperor Taiyi had arrived with the Chaos Bell.

Di Jun's face lit up with delight.

"Hahaha, excellent! Laozi, Yuanshi, let's have another round!"

With Taiyi joining him, together with the Chaos Bell, the foremost innate supreme treasure, Di Jun immediately turned the battle around.

Laozi and Yuanshi, who had held the upper hand moments earlier, were beaten back again and again.

"Hahaha! Laozi, Yuanshi, is that all you've got? Why not call Tongtian out too? Otherwise, people might say we brothers are bullying you."

"Oh, I almost forgot. Tongtian missed the last sermon at Purple Firmament Palace. His cultivation must have fallen behind by now."

Di Jun gloated.

Yuanshi gritted his teeth in fury at Di Jun's words.

Laozi snorted coldly. "Hmph! Feathered beasts! Our third brother's cultivation surpasses both of ours now. If he attacked, that would be bullying you. Count yourselves lucky he hasn't!"

Laozi was equally merciless with his tongue.

Although he privately felt that Tongtian had been extremely irrational to use merit to raise his cultivation.

Hearing someone mock the reputation of the Three Pure Ones still compelled Laozi to retort.

But Di Jun merely scoffed.

"Laozi, there ought to be a limit to how much you deceive yourself."

"We're all stuck at the peak of Great Luo. The Dao Ancestor hasn't taught us the path to quasi-sagehood yet. Are you saying your third brother has somehow become a quasi-sage?"

Di Jun did not believe Laozi.

Laozi and Yuanshi were momentarily speechless.

They could hardly tell Di Jun that Tongtian had forcibly raised his cultivation using creation merit.

If they did, they would not recover their dignity. Instead, people would probably say there was something wrong with their heads.

Creation merit was immensely precious. Using it to raise cultivation below sagehood was simply squandering heaven's gifts.

Yuanshi was also deeply frustrated.

He could not help resenting Tongtian even more.

Third brother, oh, third brother, you were truly foolish! We all have the innate origins of innate demon gods. Becoming quasi-sages was only a matter of time. How could you use merit to raise your cultivation and ruin your own foundations?

Seeing Laozi and Yuanshi offer no rebuttal, Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor became even more convinced that the two were merely boasting.

Tongtian must have fallen behind in cultivation after missing a sermon.

As the saying went, fall behind one step, and you fell behind at every step.

They immediately sneered, and their attacks grew fiercer still.

Facing the Chaos Bell, Laozi and Yuanshi retreated again and again.

After barely blocking another blow, Laozi said to Yuanshi, "Second brother, the tide has turned against us. Let's leave too!"

Yuanshi had long wanted to stop fighting and hurriedly nodded at Laozi's words.

"Very well!"

Even as he spoke, before Laozi could react, he transformed into a streak of light.

Watching Yuanshi leave without the slightest hesitation, Laozi froze for a moment.

Fuck!

You certainly didn't waste any time!

Still, complaints aside, Laozi knew he could not hesitate any longer either. He blocked a blow from Di Jun and used the opening to leave the battlefield as well.

Watching the pair flee, the Eastern Emperor wanted to pursue them, but Di Jun stopped him.

"Taiyi, don't chase them. Dealing with the Witch Clan comes first."

Kunlun Mountain.

Only after confirming that Di Jun had not pursued them did Laozi and Yuanshi breathe sighs of relief.

Both looked utterly bedraggled.

Looking at Laozi, Yuanshi said bitterly, "Eldest brother, I can't accept this! Those two birdmen, Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor, were merely relying on the Chaos Bell in their hands. If we Three Pure Ones joined forces, how would they ever get a chance to swagger around?"

Laozi caught his breath. Looking back in the direction they had fled from, a trace of anger appeared in his eyes as well.

The two had always prided themselves on belonging to the Pangu Orthodox Lineage. How could they accept losing to a pair of birdmen?

After pondering for a long time, Laozi said, "Come, let's find our third brother and have him leave seclusion. With the three of us joining forces, we can certainly settle this score."

"Good. Let's go now."

Inside his cultivation grounds, Xu Tong, who was cultivating, had already reached the threshold of the peak of mid-quasi-sagehood.

Suddenly, the system's voice rang out in his mind.

"Ding! Laozi and Yuanshi have been detected suffering defeat at the hands of the Demon Tribe's Di Jun and Eastern Emperor. They are on their way to invite the host to leave seclusion and join forces against their enemies. Host, please make your choice."

"Option one: agree to leave seclusion and join forces with Laozi and Yuanshi to uphold the name of the Pangu Orthodox Lineage. Reward: innate supreme treasure, the God-Slaying Spear."

"Option two: refuse to join forces and teach Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor a lesson alone. Reward: the Thirty-Six-Grade Chaos Green Lotus."

"Option three: refuse to leave seclusion. What does the Pangu Orthodox Lineage have to do with me? Reward: innate spiritual root, apricot-yellow plum."

Xu Tong paused at the system's voice, then collected himself.

Good grief, the system really has gone mad! It's even brought out the Thirty-Six-Grade Chaos Green Lotus to lure me out of seclusion.

This was a genuine chaos supreme treasure.

Even Dao Ancestor Hongjun did not possess one.

Once a sage obtained such a treasure, he would be invincible among his peers.

And the slightly inferior innate supreme treasure, the God-Slaying Spear, was likewise outrageously powerful.

It could injure a sage's primordial spirit.

By comparison, the innate spiritual root, apricot-yellow plum, seemed rather shabby.

Granted, a single fruit could allow someone to attain Great Luo.

But it produced only a handful of fruits over countless years.

It also required three lights divine water, nine heavens breathing soil, and a whole range of other conditions to grow.

He had none of those things.

Looking at the first two rewards, Xu Tong nearly gave in and chose one.

But after reconsidering, he suppressed the urge.

Damn system, this is naked temptation!

Those two treasures might look wonderful.

But this was the Primordial World. Neither the Heavenly Dao nor Hongjun would permit a chaos supreme treasure to exist.

And the God-Slaying Spear belonged to Luohu. If it fell into his hands, Hongjun would surely watch him like a hawk.

Most importantly, if he taught Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor a lesson, those two were the central figures of this epochal tribulation.

As long as he became entangled with them, he would certainly be dragged into the Heavenly Dao's schemes.

Then all his previous efforts would go to waste.

At that thought, Xu Tong became even more resolute.

Damn system, you really are trying to harm me!

"I choose option three. I'm not leaving seclusion."

The Pangu Orthodox Lineage? Who's that? Don't go making wild claims. I'll sue you for slander!

All I want now is to cultivate quietly in seclusion and eventually Prove Dao by Force. Doesn't that sound wonderful?

The instant Xu Tong finished making his choice, the innate spiritual root, apricot-yellow plum, appeared before him.

At the same time, Laozi's and Yuanshi's voices drifted in.

"Third brother! Come out quickly! We have something important to discuss!"