"Don't even think about it!"
Zhunti blurted those words out almost instinctively, without the slightest hesitation.
His voice echoed above Longevity Mountain with an unquestionable resolve, as though those words had exhausted every ounce of his strength and courage.
Yet the moment he spoke, a brief, deathly silence descended over the scene.
Then the cultivators watching from afar could not help whispering among themselves.
"Good heavens! Has Saint Zhunti gone mad? Saying 'don't even think about it' to the Wine Sword Immortal's face?"
"Where does he get his confidence? The Jade Pure Bottle may be precious, but what is it compared to the Buddhist School's dignity?"
"Besides, the Buddhist School was in the wrong from the start today! They barged into someone else's sanctuary and toppled his spirit root. Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi already showed mercy by not killing Ksitigarbha and Maitreya outright!"
"Tsk, tsk. Saint Zhunti would rather lose his life than his treasure."
"Exactly! I'd like to see how he gets himself out of this today."
Though their voices were hushed, they pierced Zhunti's heart like invisible needles.
Of course he knew the Buddhist School was in the wrong today.
Of course he knew that, with Gu Changqing standing here, he could do nothing whatsoever to the other side.
But he could not surrender the Jade Pure Bottle.
The Jade Pure Bottle was one of the supreme treasures that anchored the Buddhist School's fortune. It contained a self-contained space capable of holding the waters of the Four Seas, as well as immortal nectar accumulated over countless epochs. Every drop of that nectar was condensed from the essence of Heaven and Earth, precious beyond measure, enough to bring back the dead and reshape a Dao body.
What made it even harder for Zhunti to relinquish was the trace of