Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Hongyun remained silent.

Are you willing to accept this?

Anyone would be unwilling to accept this.

Not to mention that lofty Dao Ancestor.

Not to mention that sage who is about to attain enlightenment.

Will he come again?

Hongyun asked in a low voice.

Zhen Yuanzi shook his head:

"I don't know."

"But with that senior in charge, he dared not act rashly."

"only......"

He paused:

"He won't let this go."

The Kunpeng huddled in a corner, its black wings tightly folded.

He gazed at the rescued figures, and at those who were just as disheveled as he was.

A sense of relief suddenly welled up in my heart.

I'm so glad I knelt outside Jin'ao Island back then.

I'm glad I dispersed my cultivation and started over.

I'm glad I didn't have to wait for a third sermon.

Otherwise, I'm afraid I'd end up like those people right now.

Half-dead.

Life is better than death.

Jieyin and Zhunti sat side by side.

The golden light around the two was dim, and their auras were weak.

But when they looked at the rescued figures, their eyes were full of compassion.

"Senior brother."

Zhunti spoke in a low voice:

"We can't save them."

"But the sect leader saved them."

"That senior saved us."

The guide nodded:

"Yes."

"This is the way of the Jie Sect."

"Seize a glimmer of hope."

"We caught them back then, and they've caught them today."

Zhunti looked towards the mountain peak:

"Then... we'll be fellow disciples from now on."

Jieyin smiled slightly:

"Yes."

"Fellow disciple."

The twelve ancestral witches sat in a circle.

Dijiang gazed at the rescued figures, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

"Gonggong".

He spoke:

"Do you think the Daoist patriarch will ever preach again?"

Gonggong was taken aback:

"What does Big Brother mean?"

Dijiang said in a deep voice:

"The first sermon plants chains."

"The second sermon was delivered on the path to ruin."

"The third sermon was a trap."

"What if there's a fourth time..."

He paused:

"What could it be?"

All the ancestral witches paled in shock.

Zhu Rong gritted his teeth:

"Whatever it is, it's definitely not a good thing!"

"That Dao Ancestor had no good intentions!"

Dijiang nodded:

"Therefore, we need to be on guard."

"From this day forward, the teachings of Zixiao Palace shall no longer be heeded."

"The methods of severing corpses and the methods of primordial chaos are absolutely forbidden to be touched."

"Let's stay in the Jie Sect and cultivate diligently."

"Start fixing it from scratch."

All the ancestral witches nodded in unison:

"good!"

Lao Tzu and Yuan Shi stood side by side at the foot of the mountain.

They gazed at the rescued figures, at those who were even more disheveled than they had been back then.

A complex feeling welled up inside me that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

"Brother."

Yuanshi spoke in a low voice:

"Tell me, what is my third brother... thinking?"

Lao Tzu shook his head:

"I don't know."

"But I know he saved them."

"He did it."

Yuanshi nodded:

"Yes."

"Back then, we knelt outside the island, begging him to take us in."

"He accepted it."

"These people are in a worse situation than we were back then."

"He accepted it too."

"My third brother..."

He paused:

"They're better than us."

Lao Tzu remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke:

"Yes."

"They're better than us."

"From now on, we are not just his brothers."

"He is also his disciple."

"His disciples."

Yuanshi nodded:

"Yes."

"disciple."

"Disciples".

At the foot of the mountain, all was silent.

Three thousand figures sat cross-legged on the ground, some panting, some weeping, and some in a daze.

They just narrowly escaped death.

needs time.

It needs to be restored.

I need to confront myself again.

The mountaintop.

Outside the main hall.

Tongtian stood with his hands behind his back, his black robe fluttering in the wind.

He gazed at the three thousand disheveled figures at the foot of the mountain.

He gazed at those he had rescued from Zixiao Palace.

His gaze was calm and unwavering.

Behind them, the palace doors opened silently by themselves.

Kong Xuan walked out slowly and stood beside him.

His dark robe fluttered lightly, and his black hair fell down.

"Three thousand were saved."

He spoke, his voice calm:

"How does it feel?"

Tongtian remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke:

"not enough."

Kong Xuan's eyes flickered slightly:

"not enough?"

Tongtian nodded:

"Yes."

"not enough."

"The primordial world was vast, teeming with countless living beings."

"Those bound by the shackles of Heaven's will are far more than three thousand."

"How many more than three thousand people have been harmed by the method of dismembering corpses?"

"How many more than three thousand people have been deceived by the Hunyuan Trap?"

He gazed into the depths of chaos, into that vast, primordial world:

"The three thousand I saved are just the tip of the iceberg."

"There are many more people heading towards their doom."

"There are many more people being devoured by the Heavenly Dao."

"disciple......"

He paused:

"They can't be saved."

Kong Xuan looked at him.

Looking at that face filled with struggle and exhaustion.

A slight upturn of the corners of his mouth:

"Saving one is saving one."

"That's what you said back then."

Tongtian nodded:

"Yes."

"As I have said."

"But only after saving these three thousand today did I truly understand."

"Saving one is saving one."

"That's easier said than done."

"Let's get started..."

He looked towards the three thousand figures at the foot of the mountain:

"Look at how disheveled they are."

"The lingering fear of seeing them escape death."

"Look at the bewilderment in their eyes, a look of relief after surviving the ordeal."

"My heart is heavy with sorrow."

"There is only powerlessness."

"only......"

He paused:

"I'm not reconciled."

Kong Xuan nodded slightly:

"Being unwilling to accept it is a good thing."

Tongtian was taken aback:

"Good news?"

Kong Xuan looked at him:

"Only when you're not satisfied will you continue."

"Only when you're unwilling to accept defeat will you fight with all your might."

"It's because of dissatisfaction that..."

His eyes were deep and unfathomable.

"Go further."

Tongtian shuddered.

He looked at Kong Xuan, at those all-seeing eyes.

Suddenly I understood something.

"senior."

He spoke, his voice hoarse:

"Back then, you..."

"Did you get through it this way too?"

Kong Xuan remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly spoke:

"Yes."

"No, not exactly."

Tongtian looked at him, waiting for what would happen next.

Kong Xuan gazed into the depths of chaos, towards that endless void:

"Back then, I was just like you."

"Watching helplessly as countless people headed towards their doom."

"Watching them being swallowed up, destroyed, and forgotten."

"I want to save them."

"It's too late to save him."

"I also feel resentful."

"But what happens after you're unwilling to accept it?"

He paused:

"Continue the rescue."

"Saving one is saving one."

"Those who cannot be saved, keep them in your heart."

"Transform into the force that propels us forward."

"Transform into the thought of becoming stronger."

"Transformed into..."

He looked towards the heavens:

"One day, those behind the scenes will pay a heavy price."

Tongtian was stunned.

He looked at Kong Xuan, at those calm, unfathomable eyes.

Suddenly, I realized that something was hidden deep within those eyes.

That is the sedimentation of endless years.

It was a series of disappointments and hopes.

It is countless times of unwillingness and moving forward.

"senior......"

Tongtian bowed deeply:

"Disciple understands."

Kong Xuan nodded slightly:

"Good that you understand."

"You saved these three thousand people."

"Next, let them start repairing from scratch."

"Let them become the backbone of the Jie Sect."

"Let them..."

He paused:

"I want to go with you to save more people in the future."

Tongtian nodded emphatically:

"Your disciple will remember this."

Kong Xuan turned around and walked towards the main hall.

He paused as he approached the palace gate.

There was no turning back.