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

A wave of indescribable sorrow welled up in Jieyin's heart.

He suddenly understood why Tongtian had said, "What does it have to do with me?"

Because it really has nothing to do with him.

After the Investiture of the Gods, the Jie Sect disappeared.

Of those four direct disciples, Duobao became a Buddhist monk, Jinling was listed on the Investiture of the Gods, Wudang disappeared without a trace, and Guiling died an unnatural death.

Those countless disciples of the Jie Sect, including Zhao Gongming, the Three Immortals of Sanxiao, and the Ten Heavenly Kings, all perished and their cultivation vanished.

Tongtian watched them die.

They watched helplessly as the Jie Sect was destroyed.

Watching helplessly as his long-standing tradition vanished into nothingness.

What can he do?

There's nothing he can do.

Because that was the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.

Because that is the predetermined fate of Heaven.

Because those were rules personally set by Hongjun Daozu.

Even a sage should not intervene.

He could only watch.

He could only watch as his disciples died one by one.

We could only watch as the Jie Sect crumbled little by little.

They could only watch as the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation was broken by the combined efforts of the Four Saints.

Then he went into hiding there.

Endless years.

Don't ask about world affairs.

Now, they have arrived.

They came to ask about Sun Wukong.

They came to ask about the Great Tribulation of Journey to the West.

They came to ask about the eastward transmission of Buddhism.

But what do these things have to do with Tongtian?

What does it have to do with that Shangqing sage who watched the Jie Sect perish?

The guide closed his eyes.

Take a deep breath.

When he opened his eyes again, they were filled with sincerity.

He stood up.

He knelt down on the ground.

"Thump!"

His forehead slammed heavily onto the ground.

Zhunti was stunned.

He looked at his senior brother, at this patriarch of the West, at this master of Buddhism.

He actually knelt before Tongtian.

next moment.

He knelt down as well.

"Thump!"

His forehead hit the ground.

The two knelt on the ground, motionless.

Tongtian looked at them.

Looking at the two Western patriarchs kneeling on the ground.

His gaze was calm and unwavering.

But beneath that calm surface, a faint hint of complexity flickered.

"stand up."

He spoke, his voice still calm.

The guide remains unmoved.

Zhunti remained motionless.

Tongtian frowned slightly:

"Stand up and speak."

The guide slowly raised his head.

His forehead was bright red.

He gazed at Tongtian, his eyes filled with pleading:

"Your Majesty, we were wronged by what happened back then."

"The destruction of the Jie Sect is our fault."

"Those four personal disciples are the result of our own actions."

"Those countless disciples of the Jie Sect are our fault."

"Today we kneel here, not seeking the forgiveness of the sage."

"I only ask a sage to point out a clear path."

"So, who exactly saved Sun Wukong?"

"What exactly is the person behind this trying to do?"

"How should we respond?"

"I beg for guidance from a sage!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he kowtowed heavily.

"Thump!"

Zhunti also kowtowed.

"Thump!"

The two knelt on the ground, their foreheads touching the earth, motionless.

Tongtian looked at them.

Looking at these two once-arrogant founders of the West.

They knelt before him like two children who had done something wrong.

The weariness in my heart grew even stronger.

He picked up his wine glass.

Take a small sip.

The wine tasted bitter as it went down my throat.

a long time.

He spoke slowly:

Get up.

Receptionist Heading:

"saint......"

Tongtian raised his hand to stop him:

"Kneeling makes talking tiring."

Jieyin was taken aback.

Zhunti was also taken aback.

The two exchanged a glance, slowly rose, and sat back down on the prayer mats.

Tongtian looked at them and said calmly:

"You want to know who that person is?"

The guide nodded frantically.

Zhunti nodded vigorously.

Tongtian's gaze narrowed slightly:

"As I just said, that person is not within the Heavenly Dao."

"But do you know what it means to be outside the Heavenly Dao?"

The guide shook his head.

Zhunti shook his head.

Tongtian slowly said:

"This means he came from chaos."

"This means that he is not under the control of Hongjun Daozu."

"It means he can do whatever he wants."

"It would mean flattening Mount Ling, destroying Buddhism, and ruining this great Journey to the West."

"And nobody can stop him."

The guide's face turned deathly pale.

Zhunti trembled all over.

To flatten Mount Ling?

The destruction of Buddhism?

Did it ruin the Journey to the West calamity?

this......

Tongtian looked at their terrified faces, a slight smile playing on his lips, almost imperceptible.

"Scared?"

The two words, spoken lightly, weighed on their hearts like a thousand-pound boulder.

The guide took a deep breath and put his hands together in prayer position:

"Sage, if that person is truly so terrifying, then if Sun Wukong is taken away by him, wouldn't the Buddhist sect's three-thousand-year-old plan be...?"

He paused, not daring to continue.

Tongtian picked up his wine glass and took a small sip.

As the wine went down his throat, he squinted slightly, gazing at the churning chaos outside the island.

a long time.

He slowly opened his mouth:

"We should ask Ancestor Hongjun about this matter."

Jieyin was startled.

Zhunti's expression changed drastically.

Hongjun Dao Ancestor?

That being who merges with the Dao?

That primordial army of all spirits?

That which has been high above since the beginning of time, never concerning itself with worldly affairs...

Dao Ancestor?

The guide's voice was hoarse.

"Your Majesty, do you mean... to go to Zixiao Palace?"

Tongtian nodded:

"Those who are not within the Heavenly Dao are unknown to anyone in the primordial world."

"Even Lao Tzu, Yuan Shi, and you and I cannot detect the slightest trace of his presence."

"Perhaps there is one person who knows."

He paused, his gaze fixed on the depths of chaos:

"That is the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, who merged with the Dao through his own body."

"Within the Heavenly Dao, there is nothing that the Dao Ancestor does not know."

"That person is outside the Heavenly Dao. Although the Dao Ancestor may not know everything, he can see things more clearly than you can."

Zhunti said urgently:

"Sage, will the Dao Ancestor see us?"

Tongtian looked at him, his gaze calm:

"If you go to seek an audience, there is always a glimmer of hope."

"If you don't go, you won't know anything."

Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance.

They both saw the same complexity in each other's eyes.

There is reverence.

There is fear.

There was a hint of... indescribable anticipation.

Zixiao Palace.

That was the Daoist temple of Hongjun Daozu.

That was the sacred place in the hearts of all living beings since the beginning of time.

Many great powers, throughout their entire lives, have never been able to set foot in it.

Many sages only get to see it once when they hear the teachings.

Now, are they going to seek an audience?

Zhunti's voice was hoarse:

"Sage, after the Dao Ancestor merged with the Dao, he never appeared in the world again."

"Even during the Great Tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods, he only issued a decree and did not appear in person."

"If we go there, will he...see us?"

Tongtian said calmly:

Whether he sees me or not is his business.

"Whether you go or not is your business."

"If you don't even have the courage to ask for an audience, then go back and wait for that person to flatten Mount Ling."

Jieyin was startled.

He stood up.

A deep bow:

"Thank you for your guidance, sage."

"We will go to Zixiao Palace now."

Zhunti also stood up and bowed deeply.

The two turned to leave.

"Wait a minute."

A gate leading to the heavens.