Thunderous laughter echoed from Grand Master Tung, laughter filled with a sense of pride and ambition: "All heroes are bound, their long swords rendered meaningless, their heroic spirit vanquished."
His heart in a state of untroubled serenity, he was no longer as relentlessly confrontational as he had been in days gone by. Instead, with an air of amicability, he turned to the remaining several immortals and enquired: "Shall we summon our disciples back to Hongwang?"
In his view, the game could be over.
The other immortals fell silent for a moment.
The five immortals shied away from Tung, and using their divine thoughts, they formed a "small group."
There was an unspoken understanding among them. No one mentioned the embarrassing encounter in the chaos. This was to be kept as a little secret, not to be shared with Tung, after all, it was not something to be proud of.
The Yuanshi Tianzhu was the first to open his mouth, asking in a hesitant tone: "My sister, what do you think?"
He was puzzled. After Nüwa had divined Guangchengzi once, why didn't she appear again? Had she given up or had other plans? Seizing this opportunity, he intended to ask for clarity.
Nüwa has already taken the Chaos Bell into her possession, and she has no interest in the fragments of the Creation Jade Disc. If you force them on me, I'll take them, but don't expect me to be the one to stick out like a sore thumb. There's no chance of that.
She chuckled softly: "I have always had little ambition. You may make your own decisions, without consulting me."
The four immortals nodded to themselves in silence, seeing no opportunity, and then quietly left. This was very much in keeping with Nüwa's usual demeanor.
This time, they excluded Nüwa and formed a smaller "group" consisting of Taiyang and the Three Pure Ones, as well as the Buddha and his disciples.
It is now a group of four.
"Since the fragments are Guangchengzi's opportunity, it should naturally be taken over by our school of Chen," the Yuanshi Tianzun said resolutely.
Chen-jie smiled and said, "If I'm not mistaken, Guangchengzi's disciple has had the fragments for over a year now? He obtained them from someone else, so how did it become an opportunity for Guangchengzi?"
Yuanshi Tianzun was quite annoyed: "Are you suggesting that the fragments have a connection with your Western teachings?"
"My Western world is barren and in dire need of this item to rebuild. If my elder brother is willing to give it up, it would indeed be a boundless merit, praise be to the heavens."
Chen-jie had a compassionate expression, as if it was a sin for you not to give me the fragments of the Creation Jade Disc.
They were very careful. Although the 33rd Heaven was not within the realm of Hongwang, nor was it under the jurisdiction of Hongwang, they were afraid that their conversations might attract attention from Hongjun. In their discussions, they referred to the "fragments" but avoided mentioning "The Creation Jade Disc".
The Yuanshi Tianzhu wore an expression of disgust akin to having eaten a fly, "Offer it up? You're dreaming!"
The two parties were at a deadlock, and it was a pity that the communication within the "small group" did not result in both parties being satisfied.
If Taiqing were to ally with Yuanshi Tianzun, they would definitely be able to overpower the Western Two Saints. The problem is that the two of them are not united.
It may be an exaggeration to say that Chen-jie would be willing to sacrifice himself for the death of his elder brother, Jieyin. At the level of immortals, nothing is worth him sacrificing himself. However, he could definitely comply with at least 70 to 80 percent.
You want Yuanshi Tianzun to obey Taiqing? This is a joke.
Taiqing, the Saint of Great Purity, considered himself the mightiest among all the immortals, but he couldn't suppress both Jieyin and Chen-jie at the same time. Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't either.
The four immortals could only come up with a vague plan. They would let the disciples compete first, and then decide how to proceed after they've obtained the fragments.
The situation with this item fluctuates with the circumstances. It is impossible for the saints to continuously pour their divine powers into the chaos while facing Master Tung, even if he is straightforward. At that time, he would be able to see the problem.
The avatars of the immortals can provide assistance in critical moments, but the main characters now are still the disciples.
They all unanimously opposed the suggestion to bring Hao Tian back to Hongwang made by Master Tung, and dispersed both the four-person group and the five-person group, focusing their divine thoughts once more within the six-person group.
Chen-jie said: "The disciples are accustomed to a life of ease and dislike hardship. They have no idea about the danger in the chaos, nor do they understand the hardship we elders endured when establishing Hongwang. As a humble disciple, I think this is a rare opportunity, so let's allow them to undergo further trials?"
Jieyin remained silent. It was generally Chen-jie who spoke on his behalf in such situations, and Chen-jie's words were as if they were coming from him.
Yuanshi Tianzun spoke with a tone of disappointment: "Unpolished jade does not become a vessel, they need to be refined through trials and tribulations. Some exposure to hardships will be beneficial for them."
Taiqing nodded: "Xuandu has never understood the true doctrine of tranquility and inactivity. The craftsmanship is too heavy, and the cultivation is too cumbersome. This is not a blessing; it's better to experience some setbacks."
Seeing that they had all made their statements, Nüwa, who was not directly involved, casually added a couple of sentences: "My incompetent disciples have been cultivating for too short a time and indeed need some time to consolidate."
Master Tung: "?"
Do everyone's opinions really agree on this? He didn't notice anything amiss.
The relationship between Master Tung and Hao Tian has always been strained, possibly due to the shared character "Tian" in their names.
Taiqing directly dispatched a clone to the heavenly court. There were disciples of Yuanshi, Nüwa, and Xuandu serving as officials in the heavenly court, as well as disciples of Western Paradise involved in the earthly realm. This represented their willingness to accept the jurisdiction of the heavens. Only the disciples of Jieyin followed the principle of being unbound by rules and regulations, as they disliked being confined by the laws and regulations of heaven.
Since all the immortals don't want Hao Tian to return immediately, why should I oppose it? Do I have any problems?
Master Tung agreed magnanimously: "Alright, then let the disciples train for a while longer."
As he saw that the several sages were intimidated by their "victories," he raised a personal matter.
"According to my teachings, there should be four disciples under our banner. Now that Guishling has perished, I am inclined to make Zhao Gongming my direct disciple in order to fulfill the destined path. I would like to hear the esteemed opinions of all."
His tone was not one of negotiation but rather like a notification.
However, as he had a good mood today, his attitude slightly softened, and there was a hint of asking for opinions.
If you agree, I will accept Zhao Gongming into my sect; if you disagree, I will also accept.
In fact, his relationship with Zhao Gongming as a teacher and student is somewhat lacking. For many years, he has been teaching him as an outer disciple, which ultimately stems from the lack of a suitable relationship. This is attributed to destiny.
The Three Pure Ones place great importance on this, in a sense, the law of heaven and destiny also serves as a legal basis for them to overpower Nüwa.
The teachings of the Western Paradise are to widely open the door to convenience, and they don't care about this at all. They say, "If you have a connection, you have a connection; if not, it's still a connection! Come on in!"
When Nüwa accepted Tang Dan Yu as a disciple, the relationship between them was not strong enough. It was transferred from Li Sheng Lao Mao. Nüwa believed that whether the disciples had enough fate was all up to her, so she didn't pay much attention to destiny.
In the future, there will be several beautiful female generals waiting to be admitted into Nüwa's sect. She doesn't care much about this destiny issue.
However, this also relates to the time when she was "expelled" from the Xuanmen sect. If you all don't want to play with me, why should I still follow your rules?
Although Master Tung of the Tenth Heaven can neglect the opinions of Taiqing and Yuanshi, at least he knows that they are still one family. He believes that Taiqing and Yuanshi also think like this.
