"Since Senior Brother Laozi cares so deeply for Senior Brother Yuanshi, why not have the Human Sect face this calamity together with the Chan Sect?"
"The Mystic Gate's branches share the same roots. I would gladly take part, but unfortunately, the Interception Sect has already been disbanded."
"Since both your sects belong to the Mystic Gate, why not face it together this time? At least you could look out for each other during the calamity!"
"I imagine Senior Brother Laozi would have no objections."
"This splendid opportunity would be just the thing to demonstrate the affection between your two sects."
"If Senior Brother Laozi refuses, wouldn't that render everything he said earlier meaningless?"
Tongtian finished speaking.
Jieyin and Zhunti both wanted to applaud him!
He truly held his peace until he struck-and when he struck, he stunned them all!
Those words packed far more of a punch than their little double act.
Wasn't putting on the kindly elder act your favorite pastime, Taishang Laozi?
Weren't you always proclaiming that the Mystic Gate's branches shared the same roots?
Now that the Chan Sect had to face the calamity, why not send your Human Sect along with them?
Even if you didn't have many disciples, at least it would show you cared!
And if your Human Sect refused to go...
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, each seeing amusement in the other's eyes.
Still, they knew better than to overstep at a moment like this and did not dare laugh aloud.
In truth, both Laozi and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi were stunned.
They had yet to recover from Tongtian's lengthy speech.
Had Tongtian truly meant to cast aside their bonds within the Mystic Gate with those words?
Was he leaving them not even a shred of affection?
To Laozi and Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi, this had come out of nowhere.
But for Tongtian, today's confrontation had not arisen overnight.
Rather, disappointment had accumulated day after day until he felt deeply wronged.
Today's events had merely lit the fuse.
That was why all his emotions came pouring out at this moment, in this setting.
In the past, Tongtian had indeed put the Mystic Gate first in everything.
But what had that earned him?
They had even wanted to plot against his Interception Sect!
Tongtian could retreat one step, or even two.
But when he was driven to the edge of a cliff, he wanted only to advance, not retreat!
Besides, all he felt toward his two elder brothers now was profound disappointment.
How could a few words from them possibly change his mind?
Sensing the change in Tongtian's attitude, Laozi remained silent.
Yuanshi, however, was the first to lash out.
"Eldest Brother, look! Junior Brother Tongtian won't even listen to you anymore!"
"Does he have any regard at all for us, his two elder brothers?"
"At such a critical juncture, he disregards the Mystic Gate's interests and thinks only of his selfish desires, digging a deep pit for us!"
"I say he planned everything before he even came to Zixiao Palace! He deliberately disbanded the Interception Sect so that this Investiture of the Gods Calamity couldn't fall upon it!"
The more Yuanshi spoke, the less restraint he showed in his choice of words.
And that speech tore away the last veil of civility between the fellow disciples.
Tongtian merely gave a couple of cold laughs, then resolutely turned his head away and said nothing more.
What could he possibly say to someone so shameless?
Anything more would be nothing but wasted breath.
But though he said nothing, Yuanshi pursued him with further abuse.
"Tongtian, do you intend to sever our bonds within the Mystic Gate completely today?"
"If so, there is no need for us to have any dealings in the future!"
Tongtian raised his head coldly.
"Who exactly is trying to sever our bonds within the Mystic Gate?"
"What, you, Yuanshi, are allowed to shove my Interception Sect out to face the calamity, but I, Tongtian, am not allowed to recommend your Chan Sect?"
"What kind of reasoning is that?"
"It seems your skin grows thicker the more you cultivate, Senior Brother."
As Tongtian's final words fell, Nuwa laughed aloud once again.
Tongtian had always possessed a venomous tongue.
He had simply never shown that side of himself to Yuanshi and the others before.
Watching him unleash such a furious verbal barrage directly at Yuanshi struck Nuwa as quite novel.
In truth, Tongtian could no longer be bothered to consider so much.
They had already torn away all pretense of civility; overthinking things was pointless now.
He might as well seize the opportunity to give everyone who deserved it a thorough tongue-lashing.
Had the Dao Ancestor not still been present, Tongtian would likely have brought out the Immortal Slaying Sword Formation long ago.
Wasting words on people like this only made him feel he was doing his throat an injustice!
Better to fight outright and vent the anger in his chest!
Taishang Laozi had also begun to discern what was happening, but he still could not resist trying to persuade him.
"Junior Brother Tongtian, we three brothers have come this far. Why must it come to this?"
Tongtian laughed coldly.
"You have always been the ones forcing my hand."
"How is it that you get to say both the sweet words and the bitter ones?"
"What is there left for me to say? I might as well send you straight off to face the calamity!"
That speech immediately left Taishang Laozi choking on his words.
And indeed, it was the truth.
Earlier, when Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi had insisted on sending the Interception Sect to face the calamity, Taishang Laozi had never stepped forward with such righteous words.
Why had he suddenly begun to feel distressed now that it was the Chan Sect's turn?
Why had he begun waving the tiger's hide as a banner, using their Mystic Gate bonds to pressure Tongtian?
Had he acted this way earlier, how could things ever have reached this point?
Such was cause and effect.
Faced with this uproar among his disciples, Hongjun sat above them with an utterly placid expression.
Though the Saints stood apart from the Primordial World, their existence anchored within the Heavenly Dao,
that did not mean they could not come into conflict, or that they lacked the seven emotions and six desires.
Moreover, this Investiture of the Gods Tribulation truly did require someone to make a sacrifice.
Although events had diverged considerably from what he had anticipated, on the whole, Hongjun did not care who faced the calamity.
Precisely because Yuanshi and the others knew Hongjun wanted a result, they dared to act so brazenly.
They had even brought their disputes as fellow disciples directly before Hongjun.
As for the Two from the West, who had just been putting on a grand performance, they now sat quietly in a corner and watched the show.
A moment ago, they had stood upon the stage; now, they had become members of the audience.
On an ordinary day, they would never have been able to observe the Mystic Gate's infighting in such detail.
With such a rare opportunity to enjoy the spectacle, they certainly would not intervene rashly.
Besides, the fiercer the fighting among the Mystic Gate's Three Teachings became,
the more opportunities their Western Teachings would have to grow.
Nuwa was also watching from the sidelines.
Ever since the Witch-Demon Tribulation, she had seldom meddled in these sectarian disputes.
Earlier, when the Four Saints had pressured the Interception Sect to face the calamity, Nuwa had not expressed a stance.
She was even less inclined to intervene now.
Moreover, the conflict between Tongtian and Yuanshi had already reached an irreconcilable state.
Even if she intervened, what could she accomplish?
Besides,
their teacher was still seated above them, steady as a mountain.
Why should I leap about?
Better to sip some tea and enjoy the show.
Meanwhile, Yuanshi and Tongtian had locked horns outright.
The two had already torn away all pretense of civility.
With Tongtian's temperament, he naturally would not yield another inch.
Before you continue