Chapter 653: The Ancestor of the Dao's Transaction

Can he be saved?

Di Jun was stunned, looking at Hongjun in disbelief, his voice trembling violently from agitation.

"You... are you serious?"

"Ancestor of the Dao, can you really save Taiyi?"

But immediately after, boundless wariness and suspicion made him calm down in an instant.

Ancestor of the Dao Hongjun, an existence merged with the Heavenly Dao, views all things as straw dogs.

Why would he save Taiyi?

In this world, there is no free lunch.

Especially, the "goodwill" from this supreme existence who holds the Heavenly Dao Chessboard of the Great Wasteland.

What is the price?

"What do you want?" Di Jun stared dead at Hongjun, the hand gripping the Heavenly Emperor Sword bulging with veins, "As long as you can save my younger brother, no matter the price, We will pay!"

Hongjun did not answer immediately.

He merely extended that withered hand, pointing in Gu Yuan's direction, and beckoned lightly.

Hum—

A wisp of golden flame, weak to the point of near invisibility, seemingly about to extinguish at any moment, along with several dozen fragments of the Donghuang Bell stained with Gu Yuan's aura, flew uncontrollably into his palm.

Hongjun lowered his eyelids, looking at that frail wisp of Primordial Spirit Fire in his palm.

His gaze seemed to penetrate the flame's surface, seeing the soul from another world, filled with anomalous aura, fused as one with the flame.

He also saw, in the depths of that soul, a World Tree Virtual Image rooted in the Void, its branches and leaves seemingly connecting the myriad heavens and worlds, emitting endless vitality.

"So it is like this..."

Hongjun's lips moved slightly, uttering four words of unclear meaning.

This voice was extremely soft, so soft that even Di Jun, right before him, did not hear clearly.

"His Primordial Origin is not of this world. His Dao, likewise, is not within this heaven and earth."

Hongjun raised his head, looking at Di Jun, his voice still flat.

"His Primordial Spirit has already completely fused with that Innate Supreme Treasure. To save him, one must reshape his Primordial Origin and re-refine his magic treasure. Such means cannot be done by anyone below a Saint."

"We don't care about any Saint methods!" Di Jun roared, "We only want you to save him! State your conditions!"

"Conditions?"

The corner of Hongjun's mouth seemed to hook into an extremely faint, almost imperceptible arc.

"Very simple."

"This child has a fated connection with my Profound Gate."

Hongjun spread his hand, that wisp of weak Primordial Spirit Fire in his palm jumping lightly.

"This Seat can act, using the power of the Creation Jade Disc to reverse time and space, regather his scattered Primordial Spirit. Then draw Primordial Chaos Qi from the Nine Heavens to reforge the Donghuang Bell for him, even reshape his body for him."

"But, as the price."

Hongjun's gaze became deep and indifferent, as if transforming into the Heavenly Dao itself high above.

"From now on, he is no longer the Yao Clan's Donghuang."

"He will enter my Zixiao Palace sect, becoming this Seat's Eighth Personal Disciple."

"Without this Seat's Decree, he may not step out of Zixiao Palace a single step. He may not be contaminated by Wu-Yao Karma again, may not interfere in Great Wasteland secular affairs again."

"Until... he has repaid the sky-high Cause and Effect of this life-saving."

Boom!

Hongjun's words pressed heavily on Di Jun's heart.

Is this saving someone?

No!

This is imprisonment!

To take Taiyi away from his side, from the Yao Clan, completely seize him, turning him into a prisoner in the Ancestor of the Dao's hand who can be manipulated at will, never free for all eternity!

The younger brother he painstakingly, at any cost, wanted to protect, in the end still falls into Hongjun's schemes, becoming a chess piece on his Heavenly Dao Chessboard?

"Impossible! We absolutely will not agree!"

Di Jun blurted out without thinking.

He would rather perish together with the Wu Clan, would rather the Yao Clan perish right here, than accept his younger brother ending up in such a plight!

"Oh?" Hongjun raised a brow, his tone without the slightest change, "If you don't agree, he can only die. True Spirit dissipated, absolutely no possibility of return."

"You..."

Di Jun only felt a surge of blood Qi rush to his head, his vision going dark in waves.

On one side, his younger brother's life.

On the other side, his younger brother's freedom.

How should he choose?

How can he choose?

At this moment, this Yao Clan Heavenly Emperor who overbears the universe, for the first time felt powerlessness and despair deep into his bones.

He looked at that wisp of flame in Hongjun's palm that might extinguish at any moment, then looked at Hongjun's face, indifferent to the extreme.

He knew, he had no choice.

Before absolute power, before the Heavenly Mandate and Great Trend, all his struggles, all his anger, were merely a joke.

"Haha... hahahaha..."

Di Jun suddenly laughed, the laughter bleak, filled with endless self-mockery.

He slowly sheathed the Heavenly Emperor Sword, gazing at Hongjun, his golden eyes devoid of any trace of anger.

"Good... a fine Ancestor of the Dao. A fine Heavenly Dao Saint."

"I... promise you."

Every word Di Jun spoke was like grinding his teeth.

"But, I have a condition."

"Oh? You still have conditions?"

Hongjun's tone carried a hint of amusement.

He seemed quite curious, wanting to hear what fantastical demands this ant, stripped of its claws and fangs, could still make.

The Three Purities, Nüwa, the Western Two Saints—all the great beings observing this place—focused their divine senses to the utmost.

Di Jun ignored those probing gazes.

He merely stared fixedly at Hongjun, enunciating each word with deliberate pauses:

"I demand you swear an oath in the name of the Great Dao."

"First, my younger brother Taiyi, within the Zixiao Palace, you may only impart his Dao teachings; you must not probe his soul, explore his origin, or harm his true spirit in the slightest!"

"Second, after he 'settles his karmic debts,' you must release him to return to Yang, grant him freedom, and not obstruct him for any reason whatsoever!"

"Third, and most importantly!"

In Di Jun's eyes, a flicker of mad flame reignited.

"I demand you swear that after this Quantity Calamity passes, if my Yao Clan is not destroyed, I will personally welcome him back to the Heavenly Court!"

"At that time, you, and even the entire Heavenly Dao, must not obstruct!"

"If you agree, I will today scatter three-tenths of the Yao Emperor's Origin to atone for the Wasteland. If you do not agree..."

Di Jun's lips curled into a grim smile.

"Then let us war."

"I today, perhaps will die."

"But before I die, I will surely detonate the entire Yao Clan's fortune, dragging along this remnant of the Wu Clan, together with this half of the Wasteland, to be buried with me!"

"By then, you, this Heavenly Dao Saint, will still be perfected?!"

Gu Family Divine Island Interior.

Gu Yuan's true form, through the perspective, watched the "elder brother" who was self-destructing to seize a sliver of life for himself, his heart filled with myriad emotions.

He knew this involved "Taiyi" himself and Di Jun's brotherly karmic ties.

But more so, it was his own years of performance and effort that had utterly won this demon emperor's unreserved trust and affection.

This affection was so profound it emboldened him to confront Saints directly and threaten the Heavenly Dao.

"Tsk, it's made me feel a bit embarrassed."

Gu Yuan played with the Donghuang Bell fragment in his hand, helplessly shaking his head.

"Elder brother, from now on, you are my real older brother..."

"But even if I 'die,' I can merely change my identity and re-infuse—no need to deal with this old yin bitch."

Only unfortunately.

In the Wasteland world, he, by exerting beyond his own power and hard-blocking a strike from a supreme immortal king, had nearly reached the point of kicking the bucket.

Though with the World Tree present, he would at least need to sleep for a thousand years to recover.

Hongjun was precisely taking advantage of this opportunity to deceive Di Jun, claiming he was about to "die."

"Really an old yin bitch."

However...

"What does Di Jun's agreed condition have to do with me, Gu Yuan?"

Donghuang Taiyi?

Not acquainted, not recognized.

Zixiao Palace.

Hongjun gazed at the madman-like Di Jun before him, and for the first time, fell silent.

In his ancient well-like eyes, a flash of extremely complex emotion passed.

There was surprise, there was incomprehension, and even a trace of imperceptible appreciation.

He had calculated the fate of the Wu and Yao, calculated the birth of Saints, even calculated that Taiyi this aberrant number would become the key to stirring up storms.

But he had not calculated that Di Jun's obsession with this brother would actually run this deep.

He would not hesitate to self-destruct his origin, not hesitate to burn jade and stone together with the Heavenly Dao, merely to exchange for his brother a future of illusory freedom in the void.

Is it worthwhile?

In Hongjun's view, this is undoubtedly an act of extreme foolishness.

Yet for some unknown reason, his heart, long since merged with the Heavenly Dao, at this moment gave rise to a trace of extremely unfamiliar ripple.

"Agreed."