The battle among the Saints grew ever fiercer, and the Four Swords of Zhuxian had already dimmed.
Tong Tian might have been powerful, but even he could not withstand being outnumbered.
Just as Tong Tian was about to retrieve his swords and flee, he heard a sharp feminine shout.
"Stop!"
Nüwa gave a light cry and said, "So many people ganging up on one person? You have no martial ethics at all."
As she spoke, she unleashed the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram and joined the battle.
The Two Sages of the West had already been struggling bitterly. They had not expected reinforcements to arrive just as they were about to suppress Tong Tian.
What they had expected even less was that it would be Nüwa!
What they expected least of all was that Nüwa would not beat anyone else up—she only beat the two of them!
That was too much!
Hadn't Nüwa wanted to kill Di Xin just over a decade ago?
Why had she suddenly come to support Tong Tian?
There was no point thinking about it. Staying alive was what mattered!
The Two Sages of the West were not the only ones confused. Yuanshi and Laozi were as well, and even Tong Tian himself was somewhat bewildered.
If he remembered correctly, Nüwa had been the first one to call for Great Shang's destruction!
"Nüwa, junior sister, what is the meaning of this?"
Yuanshi frowned as he spoke, but his attacks did not stop. The Pangu Banner continued hurtling toward Tong Tian.
"I simply dislike seeing the many bully the few."
As Nüwa spoke, she hurled a Red Hydrangea Ball at Zhun Ti, while the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram did not forget to target Jie Yin.
Tong Tian took the opportunity to add two more sword strikes against them.
Two Sages of the West: Why were we always the unlucky ones?
Who exactly had no martial ethics here?!
With Nüwa joining the battle, the situation was reversed.
Though Tong Tian could not turn the tide completely, he could at least now stand evenly against the four Saints.
Seeing that things could not be salvaged, Laozi simply recalled the Taiji Diagram and withdrew from the battle.
Yuanshi saw the situation and also left the battlefield.
The Two Sages of the West reacted half a beat too slowly and suffered several more vicious blows.
Two Sages of the West: ?
Laozi said, "Today's discussion of the Dao ends here. Junior Brother Tong Tian, you must still carefully consider the matter of the Human Emperor."
After saying that, Laozi immediately fled. Nüwa's sudden arrival to rescue Tong Tian had made him realize that the Investiture of the Gods might undergo drastic changes.
For such matters, inaction was best!
Seeing that Laozi had left, Yuanshi likewise chose to flee. He had never gotten along with Tong Tian, and this time he had offended Tong Tian badly.
If Tong Tian came looking for trouble now, he truly could not withstand the Four Swords of Zhuxian.
There was even less need to mention the Two Sages of the West. They ran faster than rabbits.
The big shots had all left. If they stayed behind, were they asking to be beaten?
Tong Tian did not pursue them. He merely cast a hate-filled glance in the direction the Two Sages of the West and Yuanshi had departed.
"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist Nüwa."
Tong Tian cupped his hands.
Nüwa smiled. "Senior Brother Tong Tian, there is no need to be polite."
Tong Tian asked, "Fellow Daoist Nüwa, why have you come here?"
A favor was a favor, but Tong Tian still wanted to understand the truth.
It made no sense for Nüwa to come help him!
"In Chaoge, at an old friend's request."
Those eight words still echoed through the chaos as Nüwa vanished without a trace.
An old friend?
Could Nüwa have taken a liking to Di Xin?
That made no sense either!
Nüwa's Creation Dao seemed to have improved greatly. That technique of leaving her voice behind in chaos was something the old Nüwa could not have accomplished.
Tong Tian himself could not do it either. He wielded swords, not flashy tricks.
Leaving a trace in chaos was not something ordinary people could accomplish.
Tong Tian stood silently for a moment. In the end, rather than returning to Golden Turtle Island, he went to Chaoge.
He wanted to know who this "old friend" really was.
"Congratulations to the host for successfully resolving Tong Tian's crisis. Reward: ten billion merit points."
Ten billion?
So little!
Gu Changqing had grown accustomed to rewards of hundreds of billions or even trillions, so ten billion felt rather unfamiliar to him.
Forget it. Even a mosquito leg was still meat.
If Tong Tian knew what Gu Changqing was thinking, he would definitely hang him up and give him a thorough beating.
Ten billion was still too little?
Why didn't you just rob someone?!
Did you know that Laozi had worried himself sick just to obtain a little merit?!
Now, when Tong Tian arrived in Chaoge, he did not immediately seek out Gu Changqing. Instead, he spread out his divine sense to search for an expert.
Wherever his divine sense passed, he found that Chaoge actually had three Quasi-Sages.
No wonder Di Xin had dared to establish himself as the Human Emperor.
The Queen was a Quasi-Sage, and she had two Demon Saints under her command. In terms of high-end combat power, they could already contend with the Four Sects.
That was assuming the Saints did not intervene!
As for Quasi-Sages, they apparently could not even invite Nüwa to act.
There was no way Jiang Si and Nüwa had any friendship. Nüwa had sent someone to harm her Great King; it would already be fortunate if Jiang Si did not seek Nüwa out for a fight to the death.
As for Fei Lian and E Lai, although they were quite strong and counted as notable figures within the Demon Clan, they clearly did not qualify as "old friends" in Nüwa's eyes.
After searching for a long time without finding anything, Tong Tian finally arrived at the Grand Tutor's Mansion.
"Master? Why are you here?"
When Gu Changqing saw Tong Tian, he did not react at first.
Had that ancient homebody finally left his residence?
"What exactly is going on with the Human Emperor matter?"
Tong Tian was very unhappy after fighting such a frustrating battle over this.
Gu Changqing replied, "Di Xin holds the Human Emperor Seal and the Human Emperor Sword, while Jiang Si holds the Human Emperor Brush. Shouldn't he ascend to the position of Human Emperor?"
In terms of equipment, Di Xin was sufficiently qualified. But was this really a matter of equipment?
Tong Tian continued, "Where do you think those supreme treasures came from? Don't you know perfectly well?"
There was no need to think about it. This had all been Gu Changqing's doing.
At the thought of those three supreme treasures, Tong Tian's liver ached with anger.
Even if they were treasures of the Human Race, wouldn't they still look good in the Intercepting Sect?
When you had good things, instead of keeping them at home, you kept giving them away. What was that supposed to mean?
Spendthrift brat!
Rebellious brat!
Seeing Tong Tian's unfriendly expression, Gu Changqing gave a bitter smile. "Since I accepted Di Xin as my disciple, I had to give him something. Besides, he is my disciple, which makes him your grand-disciple too, Master. He isn't an outsider, so what are you worrying about?"
Tong Tian: If you put it that way, I'm not worried anymore, but... I'm so jealous!
Laozi is your master too, not an outsider. Give me some as well!
Seeing that he could find no fault with that, Tong Tian added, "Even so, establishing him as the Human Emperor is far too radical. It will provoke public outrage."
"Public outrage?" Gu Changqing asked curiously. "Master, your divine abilities are unmatched. Are you afraid of public outrage?"
"Besides, if you have a Human Emperor as your grand-disciple, won't that give you even more face before the Saints in the future?"
"Face?" Tong Tian snorted. "That assumes there will even be a future."
"My Intercepting Sect may be known as the sect where ten thousand immortals gather, the greatest sect in the Primordial World. But if we use the Intercepting Sect's strength to oppose the entire Primordial World, that would be seeking death!"
So you do have some self-awareness after all!
Tong Tian continued, "The Human Race establishing its own Human Emperor has affected the interests of the Saints. Our Intercepting Sect is now surrounded by enemies. Changqing, use your head a little."
Gu Changqing replied, "How could I not be thinking? Everything I've done was for the Intercepting Sect's good. The Intercepting Sect and Great Shang share glory and ruin alike. If this succeeds, then there will be only one immortal sect in the human realm in the future—ours. Isn't that a good thing?"
Heh!
It was good, sure, but the problem was whether your Human Emperor could stand firm!
Tong Tian could not bring himself to blame Gu Changqing. After all, Gu Changqing had joined the sect late and did not understand the dangers of the Primordial World.
"Ah!" Tong Tian sighed and continued, "Changqing, you should keep a lower profile. There is an expert in this Chaoge."
"An expert?" Gu Changqing asked curiously. "How expert? Is he as expert as you, Master?"
I...
Looking at Gu Changqing's carefree appearance, Tong Tian wanted nothing more than to slap him across the face!
Tong Tian took a deep breath, calmed down, and continued, "I do not know exactly how powerful he is. Earlier, I was discussing the Dao with the four Saints in chaos, and at the critical moment, Nüwa came to aid me."
"According to Nüwa, she came at the request of an old friend in Chaoge. Tell me, could someone who counts as Nüwa's old friend possibly be weak?"
An old friend?
Gu Changqing really wanted to laugh.
This expert seemed to be referring to himself.
"Even I cannot fathom his depths. Tell me, is he powerful or not?"
Gu Changqing nodded upon hearing this and replied, "He should be quite powerful."
"In any case, keep a low profile!" Tong Tian instructed him once again, bitterly disappointed that he refused to improve.
Even if he were beaten to death, he would never have imagined that the "old friend" Nüwa spoke of was Gu Changqing.
How many years had Nüwa lived?
How old was Gu Changqing?
How could they possibly be old friends?
That was impossible!
"Be careful." As Tong Tian spoke, he took out a Talisman Sword and handed it to Gu Changqing. "If things become impossible, remember to crush this Talisman Sword. I will arrive immediately. Do not stubbornly hold on."
After saying that, Tong Tian left.
Gu Changqing watched Tong Tian depart. This fellow was not as cold and heartless as the legends claimed, was he?
Forget it. For the Talisman Sword's sake, he would not bring down the Intercepting Sect.
As for returning, he would talk about that later.
Gu Changqing gave a bitter smile, then suddenly felt his heart stir.
Not good!
Shi Ji was in danger!
Before you continue