The Bigger Picture

Faced with the other party's invitation to team up, Hu Mang stroked his chin and pondered for a moment before suddenly saying something unexpected.

"So, although you deduced five Thunder God, in reality, you've only identified four of them, right or wrong?"

Zhen'ezi and Rogue Person Yunxiu exchanged a glance.

"That's exactly right."

One who severely injured Zhen'ezi, one who judges good and evil, one who was born with the Innate Thunder Eye, and one who is now distinguishing between good and evil.

There are four in total.

"What if I knew where this fifth incarnation of the Thunder God is now?"

"Fellow Daoist knows?!"

Zhen'ezi lit up with delight. If the other party knew where the last Thunder God incarnation was, it would undoubtedly be a huge boon to their plans.

Meanwhile, Old Chen Sheng, standing to the side, had a sudden thought, clearly knowing what Hu Mang was about to say.

Hu Mang didn't hide anything and directly revealed the connections between Gong Lei, Thunder God's Shrine, and He Chang, the Thunder Official who failed to be promoted.

The key point is that I narrowly escaped death from the other side.

After hearing the other party's words, especially the speculation about "reclaiming power," Zhen'ezi was already 60% convinced.

Only Thunder God could have nearly suppressed the Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier with a single move in this Demon-Subduing City.

However, Zhen'ezi couldn't help but ask.

"In your perception, fellow Daoist, who is stronger, me or that female Thunder God?"

Of course you're stronger; you're Nascent Soul.

However, Hu Mang certainly couldn't reveal the data from the "Divine Sense detector," and he instinctively felt that there was a subtle disharmony between the aura and strength that Gong Lei displayed.

So he thought for a moment and said, "In terms of aura alone, you two are evenly matched, but I think her strength is inferior to yours."

Zhen'ezi nodded and said, "I just heard from Fellow Daoist Yunxiu that my junior brother Mingting did something wrong. Before he even knew your background, he mistook you for a remnant of the Divine Dynasty and killed you. If that's the case, please allow me to apologize on behalf of my junior brother and make amends. I will warn him not to do such things again, and you don't need to worry about being retaliated against in the future."

After speaking, Zhen'ezi bowed slightly, his attitude being quite polite.

The people standing nearby exchanged glances. Even Rogue Person Yunxiu was somewhat surprised. After all, there weren't many righteous disciples who were as easy to talk to as the one in front of them.

More importantly, the other party's words were quite suggestive. What did he mean by "no future retaliation"? Could it be that he wanted to "recruit this Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier" into the Thunder Sect?

If that's the case, wouldn't this person have risen to the top in one fell swoop!?

It should be known that the seven sects are famous Azure Mysterious Realm for their strict rules on accepting disciples.

After hearing what the other person said, Hu Mang suddenly burst into laughter, laughing so hard he almost cried.

Even Old Chen, standing to the side, looked at him with puzzlement. "Aren't you getting a little too excited, brother? They haven't even agreed to accept you into their sect yet. Be careful you don't end up with nothing."

Chen Sheng admitted that deep down, he still felt a bit envious, jealous, and resentful.

Hu Mang finally managed to stop laughing and wiped the corner of his eye.

"What grudges are there? There's nothing worth holding grudges against. I have great respect for any opponent who can kill me in a head-on fight."

Something about that sounded a little off, Old Chen muttered to himself.

Hu Mang's smile remained unchanged as he continued, "Since there are no grudges, there's naturally no need for apologies or compensation. If I were to die at their hands, it would be because they were incompetent, and I would die willingly and decisively."

He paused, his smile still bright, but the light in his Demon Eye gradually dimmed. "But if one day my skills become equal to his, and he dies by my hand, you, Senior Brother of the Thunder Sect, shouldn't try to use any excuses of righteousness or camaraderie to try and get me to spare his life. That wouldn't be appropriate."

Zhen'ezi remained silent, while Rogue Person Yun let out a long sigh.

"Young friend, when will this cycle of revenge end?"

"It's not a matter of grudges, but a life-or-death struggle. I'm not particularly interested in cultivating immortality, but I am quite interested in the hardships and trials one encounters on the path to immortality. For example, your junior brother who is a Yang Spirit cultivator—as a target to pursue, that's the best outcome. Once you've won him over, you can't just have a romance, can you? Naturally, you have to fight to the death."

"Moreover, no matter how much we talk about retreating, when will it stop? If we retreat from the struggle for life and death, should we retreat from the struggle for the Dao? If we retreat from the struggle for the Dao, should we retreat from the struggle for enlightenment? For those who retreat ten thousand steps, people will only give you an explanation after they die. Since that's the case, it's better not to retreat even one step."

"As long as you don't back down and aren't killed, then it's someone else who will have to back down."

Hu Mang flicked his fingernails and chuckled, "Of course, I'm only saying this to you. It's not that I can't tolerate those Old Devil and giant monsters who have no sense of rules, but as the saying goes, a gentleman can deceive others with proper methods. I heard before that you were also tricked by your junior brother. I don't believe you don't have any resentment. If you not only have no resentment, but are also willing to pull out a thorn in your junior brother's side for the future, such as killing me, then I will truly admire you to the point of prostration."

Zhen'ezi shook his head slightly and said, "Fellow Daoist, you've said so much, it seems you don't want to consider the overall situation here?"

"Considering the overall situation is one thing, considering your overall situation is another. How do you know I don't have an overall situation in mind? If everyone has an overall situation, then whose is the real one? Based on your so-called 'five Thunder God,' did I not help you? Didn't I give you the news about Gong Lei for free?"

Upon hearing this, not only did Zhen'ezi fall silent again, but even Rogue Person Yunxiu opened his mouth, unable to say anything.

Because, as the other party said, they have done everything they could, both logically and emotionally.

If Zhen'ezi were truly a seasoned veteran of the righteous path or a powerful figure in the demonic path, then there would naturally be a hundred ways to force the other party to act according to one's own ideas. But as the other party said, Zhen'ezi is a gentleman, and a gentleman can be deceived by his principles.

Hu Mang stroked the barrel of his beloved gun, his thumb tracing the crack left by the Dao Yang bolt.

"I don't like being bound by moral principles, so I don't want to bind others either. Whether you stay or leave is up to you; I certainly won't mind in the slightest."

This means it's time to choose sides.

Chen Sheng was the first to speak, his smile still as lewd as ever, "I'm too old for this conflict between good and evil. I just want to escape this Demon-Subduing City safely, so, hehe, don't be offended, don't be offended."

Clearly, Old Chen was determined to be a bystander.

Zhou Yu, on the other hand, clearly showed hesitation. Unlike Chen Sheng, he was not yet thirty and could still take a gamble. In addition, he had just obtained the Prison-Subduing Official," so he was in excellent condition.

If handled well, this could be an opportunity to cultivate good relations with the direct disciples of the Thunder Sect.

At a different time and in a different place, there would never be such a good opportunity. After all, adding flowers to brocade is nothing compared to providing charcoal in the snow.

However, his gaze fell on Zhou Tong, and he finally sighed.

"I'm afraid I can't help you two seniors either."

With the sudden loss of two powerful forces— the Devil-Subduing Heavenly Soldier and the Prison-Subduing Official —not only did Zhen'ezi frown slightly, but even Rogue Person Yunxiu's expression darkened, and his tone became harsh.

"Four fellow Daoists, are you perhaps planning to do nothing, take no risks, and simply wait for us to deal with this false god, open this Demon-Subduing City, and then easily leave the city?"

Old Deng has his own way of dealing with things; before these two could even open their mouths, Old Chen Sheng started arguing first.

"Fellow Daoist, you're mistaken. Do you own this Demon-Subduing City? No way. Did you clear out the demons and monsters in this city? It seems not. And even if we take a step back, since your sect's junior brother refuses to help us or has no intention of expelling the demons, do you really expect us to risk our lives for you? There's no such logic in the world."

"If the Thunder God were to attack, fellow Daoist, don't expect us to come to your rescue," Rogue Person Yunxiu said firmly.

"Hehe, compared to us, fellow Daoist, you should worry about yourselves. It's not like we're the ones stopping this Demon-Subduing Thunder God from ascending to Orthodox God. If it wants to deal with you, it won't be our turn first."

Old Chen chuckled, his eyes gleaming. Clearly, this old hand also knew some secrets of both the righteous and demonic paths.

Zhou Yu hesitated for a moment, unwilling to make the relationship so strained, and said, "If the two seniors need to use the authority of the Prison-Subduing Official, they are welcome to come to me. However, if it is a battle with the Thunder God, I have a sister to protect, so please forgive me for being powerless to help."

Hu Mang gave the two of them a deep look, then got up and left, with Old Chen following closely behind. Zhou Yu and his sister also went after him, but Zhou Tong couldn't help but look back, and an idea suddenly popped into his mind.

So that's what Brother Hu meant when he said we weren't on the same wavelength.

As soon as the four returned to the third floor, Zhou Yu wiped his hand, and the hole opened by Zhen'ezi was sealed up.

Almost simultaneously, Old Chen Sheng "Oh my god!" and his legs trembled as he sat down on the ground with a thud, his back covered in sweat.

"My goodness, you scared the old man to death! I was really worried that your negotiations wouldn't go well and you'd end up fighting."

"There won't be a fight," Hu Mang said with a relaxed expression.

"The Prison-Subduing Official has the advantage of terrain here, and I can manifest my Heavenly Eye. If a fight really breaks out, they won't be able to deal with us in a short time. What if we alert the Thunder God here, and all five Thunder God come to surround and kill this Thunder Sect disciple?"

"This man is now the only righteous disciple in the city. The heavy responsibility of reopening Demon-Subduing City rests on his shoulders. How could he act so irrationally?"

"A virtuous person can be deceived by principles, but not by morality; rather, by the greater good."