Thirty-Three Heavens - Tushita Palace
Laojun's figure suddenly appeared, followed closely by Xu Xiao and Sun Wukong.
"Young man, we have guests. Go and prepare two cups of tea."
Laojun called out to the inside, and then walked in on his own.
Because Xu Xiao was a regular visitor, he didn't try to hide anything. He grabbed the monkey's Daoist robe sleeve and followed, exchanging a glance with Kinkaku and Ginkaku, who were preparing tea.
Following along, they soon arrived at Laojun's main hall, where, in addition to the main seat, there were several prayer cushions.
After seeing Laojun take the seat, Xu Xiao also pulled the monkey to kneel on the prayer mat, quietly waiting for Laojun's teachings.
Xu Xiao waited and waited, but Laojun didn't say anything. Even after Kinkaku and Ginkaku came in, served tea, and left, Laojun just sat quietly without saying a word, which made Xu Xiao a little anxious.
" Laojun, are you really going to take us away like this? Are we really going to be confined to the Tushita Palace?"
The monkey next to him also pricked up its ears; it loved freedom even more than Xu Xiao.
If Xu Xiao hadn't secretly sent him a message telling him not to resist, he probably wouldn't have been happy when Laojun took him away.
"What? My Tushita Palace can't keep you? Or do you think you have the ability to defy the schemes of the entire Western Sect?"
Laojun snorted without even lifting his eyelids.
"No, no, no, that's not it. It's just that we've come this far, why should we back down?"
"Shouldn't we take advantage of this momentum to thoroughly humiliate the Western Sect and completely win over Wukong to the Daoist Sect?"
Xu Xiao's attitude at the time was to take the lead himself and then win over the monkey to the Daoist Sect camp, which was also a requirement of the Daoist Sect.
As it turned out, he had succeeded, but he hadn't expected that Buddha would be so shameless Tathagata lay everything bare.
However, Xu Xiao remained calm, as the deities Zhenwu and Ziwei had already sent him a message telling him not to be afraid and that they would handle it.
What was initially thought to be a fierce confrontation between the Western Sect and Daoist Sect turned out to be a case of Laojun protecting them, resulting in a bitter end for both sides.
This annoyed Xu Xiao; it was as if he had orchestrated a grand drama, only to have it abruptly end just as it was about to reach its climax.
"What? Isn't it better to retire while you're ahead? Do you only think it's a good thing when those two Western Sage can't stand it anymore and personally step in to eliminate you, this variable?"
Laojun rebuked him in an annoyed tone.
"Is that so?"
Xu Xiao immediately deflated.
Western Sect Sage? Were those two also watching?
Laojun didn't say much, but with a flick of his whisk, a scene appeared in the clouds before him.
In a quiet and peaceful place, two beings completely enveloped by Daoist energy cast their gazes upon a golden bowl in their hands, which reflected the entire Lingxiao Palace.
Perhaps sensing Laojun's pursuit, the two beings couldn't help but raise their heads and glance at Xu Xiao, then bowed to Laojun in perfect unison.
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"So? Do you still think it's a bad thing for me to take you away?"
"This disciple knows his mistake and thanks Laojun for saving his life."
Xu Xiao broke out in a cold sweat, especially since those two beings could discover him through Laojun's rewind and were looking at him. He felt like an ant under the feet of a giant.
If they hadn't discovered Laojun's presence, it probably wouldn't have been as simple as just taking a glance.
Laojun's status is transcendent; he is not Sage, but he is better than Sage. As the benevolent corpse of the Taiqing Sage, he is a super-powerful being who can move freely between heaven and earth.
Even the Two Sages of the West only refrained from eliminating Xu Xiao, this variable, because of Laojun's influence.
Although time travelers are not bound by cause and effect, nor are they subject to the trajectory of fate, for Sage, capturing or killing them is a matter of a single thought.
Xu Xiao has ruined the Western Sect's major plans, so it's not impossible for him to take action. After all, those two have done countless shameless things, so one more instance of bullying the weak won't make a difference.
"No, you're not wrong, you're just too reckless."
"We just wanted you to embarrass the Western Sect and vent our anger, but we didn't expect you to actually strip them of their substance as well."
"This... is what a disciple should do, but it seems I've gone too far."
Laojun did not blame Xu Xiao; on the contrary, he even had a hint of appreciation for him.
This time-traveling descendant acts without being entangled in cause and effect or subject to fate. Everything he does is done with the backing of heavenly rules, and no one can find fault with him on the surface.
The original plan was to let him live a carefree life as a deity in Heavenly Court first, and then find a pretext to insert him into the Journey to the West, to cause some trouble for the Western Sect.
Unexpectedly, before anything even started, Xu Xiao had already kidnapped the protagonist, the monkey, which greatly surprised the Daoist Sect sect.
This made Laojun look at Him with new respect, which is why He spoke up to protect the two of them Tathagata Buddha was making things difficult for them.
In the Three Realms, if Laojun decides to protect someone, even Sage must give him face.
"Those two from the Western Sect were already watching you when Tathagata Heavenly Court. The Jade Emperor Tathagata Jade Emperor's proposal twice, but he couldn't easily refuse the third time."
"If I don't speak up, those two only need to put pressure on the Jade Emperor, and even if you aren't taken away by the Western Sect, you will definitely be imprisoned by the Jade Emperor under pressure."
"When the time comes, the Western Sect will settle its karmic debts with you, and you will be in a very passive position."
"It's much easier to protect you now than to rescue you later. Remember, there's always someone more capable than you."
Laojun then finished explaining his meaning, which boiled down to one word: protecting one's own.
That's how the Daoist Sect is. They don't care if you're right or wrong; they'll protect your own, especially disciples like Xu Xiao who are just following orders.
The previous Great Investiture of the Gods Calamity unfolded in this way.
Whether it's the Chan Sect, the Jie Sect, or the Humanity Sect, the Three Pure Ones are not the kind of people who allow their disciples to be bullied at will.
"Thank you, Laojun. I was blinded by self-interest and only thought about the present without considering the future."
Xu Xiao sighed inwardly, thankful that Laojun was willing to protect him and not abandon him, otherwise the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Getting involved in this conflict between the two religions can indeed lead to death or even the demise of one's spiritual essence.
"You think the conflict between the two religions is just a matter of open warfare? Actually, it's not. They scheme against each other and use each other. Only when they tear off all pretenses will they actually fight."
"However, the world can no longer withstand a war between Sage, so don't try to escalate things. At worst, we'll just have to go to war."
"This is not feasible."
Laojun gave Xu Xiao a hint, which effectively nipped Xu Xiao's ambitions in the bud.
Xu Xiao could only nod in response, suppressing his regret.
He had also considered that the Daoist Sect and the Western Sect would not go to war over this matter, and that he could take advantage of the chaos to gain some benefits.
Putting everything else aside, if the two religions were to actually go to war, the Power of Variables he wielded to bring about all of this would be quite astonishing, enough to elevate him to a level above the Daluo realm.
However, it's not bad now; just by changing the monkey, a great deal of Power of Variables has been accumulated in the unseen world.