At Hongjun's words, Laozi and Yuanshi both froze.
Their efforts had not been entirely fruitless?
What did he mean?
Almost in unison, the two raised their heads, their faces filled with disbelief.
Heavenly Venerable Yuanshi, in particular, looked terrifyingly grim in an instant.
A benefit?
Kunlun Mountain, his sacred grounds and the foundation of his power since becoming a Sage, had nearly collapsed beneath a single axe strike from that wretch Gu Changqing!
The gates had fallen, the spirit veins had run dry, and countless disciples had died. The Chan Sect's prestige had been thrown to the ground and trampled at will!
And he called that not entirely fruitless?
It was an enormous humiliation!
More than that, it was a hatred so deep they could not share the same sky!
Indignation lodged in Yuanshi's chest, nearly making him lose his composure.
Had the speaker not been Dao Ancestor Hongjun, Yuanshi would likely have been unable to stop himself from objecting.
After all, his Chan Sect, a dignified Saint's Lineage, had been shattered so thoroughly by Gu Changqing that it had nearly been destroyed.
Yet in Hongjun's eyes, was all of that beneath mention?
Frustrated, Yuanshi turned to Laozi beside him.
Laozi, however, remained remarkably composed, his gaze lowered as though pondering something.
Seeing this, Yuanshi could only force down his doubts and carefully consider the deeper meaning of Hongjun's words.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun had never been one to jest.
If he said this, there had to be a reason.
But what exactly did these supposed "gains" mean?
Could they truly outweigh the near destruction of Kunlun's Dao Lineage?
Hongjun seemed to perceive Laozi and Yuanshi's confusion as well.
After a pause, his voice rang out again, unhurried.
"During this seclusion, Fellow Daoist Chaos and I witnessed many secrets never before