Chapter 108: Senior Brother, Let Us Surrender to the Heavenly Emperor

Although the Saints had returned to the Heaven Beyond Heaven, their hearts were far from as calm as they appeared on the surface.

First were the Western Two Sages; the Western Two Sages truly could not fathom it.

Since when did a Saint become so worthless?

Had Saints not always been high above, with not even one easily born in countless eons?

Yet now, within the Heavenly Court, one person after another was attaining the Dao and becoming a Saint.

Zhunti Daoren sighed and said, "Senior Brother, Zhenyuanzi has also attained the Dao and become a Saint."

Once Zhunti Daoren spoke, a long silence followed.

Jieyin Daoren did not know what to say for a moment, and could only remain silent.

"The Heavenly Court now has six Saints; Senior Brother, do you think the Four Sage Alliance is still of any use, and can it withstand the aggressively surging Heavenly Court?"

Zhunti Daoren asked with suspicion.

This was as much a question for Jieyin Daoren as it was for Zhunti Daoren himself.

"Junior Brother, there are indeed six Saints in the Heavenly Court, but five of them are newly born Saints."

Jieyin Daoren thought for a moment, then comforted him, "The strength of the Taiqing Saint can be called the first among all Saints, and that Yuanshi Tianzun is not weak either; plus, with the two of us brothers, there is no need to fear those six Saints of the Heavenly Court."

Within the Four Sage Alliance, Taiqing Laozi was no weakling, and his One Qi Transforms into Three Purities was incomparably powerful.

Relying on this One Qi Transforms into Three Purities, Taiqing Laozi might even be able to hold off three Saints.

As one of the Three Purities, Yuanshi Tianzun's strength was also not weak.

As for the Western Two Sages, they knew themselves well.

Among the Saints, their strength was truly not very strong.

Primarily, they still owed a debt to the world, and the Three Thousand Great Grand Vows had yet to be repaid.

All along, whenever the Western Two Sages took action, they did so together; their individual strength was not high among the Saints.

But even so, the Western Two Sages still felt.

They, the Western Two Sages, were indeed not strong, but no matter what, they were veteran Saints who had attained sainthood many years ago.

Why should they compare themselves to the newly born Saints of the Heavenly Court?

Jieyin Daoren's analysis was meant to comfort both himself and Zhunti Daoren.

"Junior Brother, as Saints, how can we fear that Heavenly Court?"

Zhunti Daoren hesitated for a moment, then said, "Senior Brother, that may be so, but can you be certain that there are only six Saints in the Heavenly Court? Will the Heavenly Court not give birth to more Saints in the future?"

With that one sentence, Zhunti Daoren silenced Jieyin Daoren once again.

If it were before, Jieyin Daoren would have refuted it immediately.

After all, it was not so easy to become a Saint.

But now, given the situation in the Heavenly Court, who could be certain that the Heavenly Court would not give birth to a seventh, or even an eighth or ninth Saint in the future?

That was exactly what Zhunti Daoren believed; no matter how he looked at it, he felt that being an enemy of the Heavenly Court was truly unwise.

Of course, most importantly, being an enemy of the Heavenly Court seemed to offer no chance of victory at all.

Jieyin Daoren looked at Zhunti Daoren with a faint gaze and asked, "Junior Brother, do you have any suggestions?"

"Senior Brother, I do indeed have a somewhat immature suggestion."

Zhunti Daoren hesitated for a moment, then said directly, "How about we surrender to the Heavenly Court and suppress the Heavenly Court?"

As the saying goes, if you can't beat them, join them.

The Heavenly Court is so powerful now that being its enemy clearly offers no chance of victory, so it would be better to join the Heavenly Court directly.

No matter how much the world might curse them, the Western Two Sages could not hide the fact that they were Saints.

If two Saints joined the Heavenly Court, they could still occupy a certain status within it.

The only downside might be having to obey the orders of the Heavenly Emperor.

But aren't there so many Saints in the Heavenly Court who already obey the orders of the Heavenly Emperor? That shouldn't be a problem!

This was Zhunti Daoren's thought.

"Join the Heavenly Court? Are you joking?"

Jieyin Daoren subconsciously retorted, "We are Saints."

"Saints? It's not as if there are no Saints in the Heavenly Court."

Zhunti Daoren shook his head and said, "Perhaps in the near future, Saints will be worthless in the Heavenly Court as well."

With this one sentence, Zhunti Daoren left Jieyin Daoren unable to say another word.

Because what Jieyin Daoren had said held a grain of truth.

Jieyin Daoren looked toward the Thirty-Three Heavens and felt immense distress.

After the Investiture of the Gods ended, he had originally thought that Buddhism would flourish.

He had even ignored the tiny Heavenly Court entirely.

He had hinted to Buddhism that they should seize as much authority as possible.

He even intended to strike at the authority of the Heavenly Court so that Lingshan could replace the Heavenly Court as the orthodoxy of the Honghuang Continent.

But who would have thought that the emergence of a Heavenly Emperor would destroy everything.

Forget about striking at the authority of the Heavenly Court; now, under the rule of the Heavenly Court, Western Lingshan didn't dare to make a peep.

Never mind Buddhism flourishing; it would be good enough if Buddhism could just preserve its foundation now.

Buddhism had changed from its former state of having only a few followers, and now had many Great Divine Abilities presiding over it.

But even the most powerful Great Divine Ability could not withstand a single Saint of the Heavenly Court.

The Heavenly Court was too powerful, and perhaps it would only become more powerful in the future.

But he, Jieyin Daoren, was a Saint—a Saint who had created his own path.

Jieyin Daoren indeed does not care much about his reputation, but he has his own persistence.

He spoke leisurely to Zhunti Daoren, "Junior Brother, perhaps you are right, but this brother still does not wish to join the Heavenly Court; at least, to join the Heavenly Court just like this, this poor Daoist is not reconciled."

"It is fine, Senior Brother. Since we are not joining the Heavenly Court, then we shall fight the Heavenly Court to the end. No matter what, we are still Saints."

Zhunti Daoren did not have any hesitation and directly took over the conversation.

Although Zhunti Daoren had this idea, since Jieyin Daoren refused, Zhunti Daoren naturally chose to stand with Jieyin Daoren.

This is the survival strategy of the Western Two Sages; as the "Loan Sages" among the several Saints, many of the other Saints look down upon them.

But why is it that whether it was competing for the Saint position in Purple Heaven Palace or the Investiture of the Gods Great Calamity, they were able to become the biggest winners?

That is because they have always worked together with one heart.

Once a decision is made, they exert their strength in the same direction.

The Three Pure Ones are the orthodox lineage of Pangu; their strength is powerful enough, right?

Yet they still reached this point today because of the discord that grew between them.

Instead, it was the Western Two Sages who picked up a bargain.

Therefore, after Zhunti Daoren made the proposal and Jieyin Daoren refused, Zhunti Daoren immediately decided to stand with Jieyin Daoren.

How could Jieyin Daoren not understand what Zhunti Daoren was thinking? He said to Zhunti Daoren, "Let this poor Daoist think about it a little longer."

Speaking of another Saint—Tongtian Jiaozhu, he was also having a conversation with his disciple at this time.

After Taishang Laojun stayed in the Heavenly Court for a period of time, he wanted to persuade Taiqing Laozi to join the Heavenly Court.

Now, Duobao Daoren also has such an idea.

Especially after seeing that Zhenyuanzi had attained the Dao and become a Saint, this idea of Duobao Daoren became even stronger.

Old Ancestor Minghe and Zhenyuanzi have all attained the Dao and become Saints, so does he, Duobao Daoren, also have a chance to attain the Dao and become a Saint?

In terms of strength, it can be said that Duobao Daoren is not much worse than Old Ancestor Minghe and Zhenyuanzi.

Duobao Daoren is also a Quasi-Sage Great Perfection existence.

The only gap might be in their foundations.

Old Ancestor Minghe and Zhenyuanzi can be said to be Innate Holy Spirits born at the beginning of the creation of the world.

They are as ancient as the Three Pure Ones and the Western Two Sages.

But Duobao Daoren is a generation later than them; he is of the next generation.

Yet Duobao Daoren is only worse than them in this one point.

Now that they have all attained the Dao and become Saints, Duobao Daoren naturally also gave birth to hope.

Of course, at the same time, Duobao Daoren also developed the intention to persuade Tongtian Jiaozhu to join the Heavenly Court, which is why he contacted Tongtian Jiaozhu.

"Master, the Heavenly Emperor of this Heavenly Court has unfathomable methods, and the Heavenly Court is currently surging with momentum. Moreover, the disciples of my Jie Sect from the past are all here now. Master, why don't you join the Heavenly Court like this disciple?"

Duobao Daoren and Tongtian Jiaozhu communicated through magic, and Duobao Daoren spoke directly as soon as he started.

In fact, ever since joining the Heavenly Court, Duobao Daoren had been in contact with Tongtian Jiaozhu.

It was mainly for Duobao Daoren to report to Tongtian Jiaozhu about the situation of his former junior brothers and sisters.

After all, the main force of the immortals in the Heavenly Court today can be said to be the former Jie Sect disciples.

Tongtian Jiaozhu repeated in surprise, "Join the Heavenly Court? Why do you have such an idea today?"

Duobao Daoren advised Tongtian Jiaozhu, "Master, now that the former Jie Sect disciples are all there, wouldn't it be convenient for Master to join the Heavenly Court and take care of these disciples?"

Hearing Duobao Daoren's words, Tongtian Jiaozhu fell silent.

Through his exchanges with Duobao Daoren during this period, Tongtian Jiaozhu naturally understood the situation of the former Jie Sect disciples.

During the Investiture of the Gods Great Calamity, almost all Jie Sect disciples were listed on the Investiture of the Gods.

After being listed on the Investiture of the Gods, their path to the Great Dao was severed; it can be said that it is difficult to cultivate through ordinary cultivation methods, and the Investiture of the Gods also became their shackles.

But ever since the Heavenly Emperor established the Qi Luck Heavenly Court, these shackles no longer existed.

Jie Sect disciples could still cultivate, and even because they were in the Heavenly Court and protected by Qi Luck, their cultivation became even faster.

After a long time, Tongtian Jiaozhu sighed and said, "I do not have the face to see them."

As a Saint, Tongtian Jiaozhu now only feels deep guilt toward his disciples.

During the Investiture of the Gods Great Calamity, they were clearly excellent one by one, yet they were all sent to the Investiture of the Gods.

During his time in the Heaven Beyond Heaven, Tongtian Jiaozhu had been thinking about how the Jie Sect lost.

The Jie Sect was entangled with Tribulation Qi, and the fact that the disciples he accepted were of mixed quality was one reason.

In short, the Jie Sect accepted disciples without discrimination, and many disciples lacked moral character.

Some disciples even committed many sins and slaughtered the innocent.

For example, Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal, one of the seven personal attendants accepted by Tongtian Jiaozhu, directly became a traitor.

The seven personal attendants—this belonged to the closest position beside Tongtian Jiaozhu, yet a traitor had entered.

Tongtian Jiaozhu understands now: accepting disciples without discrimination is fine, but at least their character must be up to standard.

Most of the Jie Sect disciples still possessed merit; for example, the Sanxiao sisters—they were sent to the Investiture of the Gods, and this was the fault of Tongtian Jiaozhu, their master.

When the Investiture of the Gods Great Calamity ended, Tongtian Jiaozhu was full of dissatisfaction with the behavior of Yuanshi Tianzun and Taiqing Laozi, who used their status as Saints to bully the small and deal with the Jie Sect disciples.

But later, thinking about it carefully, more of the reason was his own inaction.

When the small ones were beaten, the old ones came out.

This kind of protective behavior is very detestable when standing from the enemy's perspective.

But if one were an ordinary disciple, who wouldn't want their master to step up forcefully when they couldn't win a fight?

Being a disciple of Tongtian Jiaozhu, Tongtian Jiaozhu let them handle things themselves.

Being a disciple of Yuanshi Tianzun, Yuanshi Tianzun would handle things personally.

If you were asked to choose, whose disciple would you choose to be?

Tongtian Jiaozhu naturally understood this point, and thus was filled with guilt toward the disciples of the Jie Sect.

In the beginning, Tongtian Jiaozhu resented Yuanshi Tianzun and Taiqing Laozi, but later, as Tongtian Jiaozhu began to reflect on himself, he finally understood this point.

Duobao Daoren said calmly, "Master, you taught us divine arts and Dao methods, bestowed upon us skills; that we ascended the Investiture of the Gods during the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods was, in the end, simply because our skills were inferior to others. Moreover, we disciples of the Jie Sect joining the Heavenly Court now can be considered a blessing in disguise."

Duobao Daoren sensed Tongtian Jiaozhu's silence and continued to persuade him, "Master, our Jie Sect lineage is precisely at a time when it needs your protection. If Master joins the Heavenly Court, you will certainly be able to protect our Jie Sect lineage."

Although it is said that the Jie Sect was wiped out, the influence of the Jie Sect lineage still remains to this day.

The Jie Sect now occupies an important position within the Heavenly Court.

However, as other major powers join the Heavenly Court one after another, it will sooner or later form a challenge to the Jie Sect.

That is why Duobao Daoren came over to persuade Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Of course, Duobao Daoren also had his own considerations in his heart.

That is, he wanted Tongtian Jiaozhu to join the Heavenly Court to see if it could resolve Tongtian Jiaozhu's troubles, or even help Tongtian Jiaozhu break through to a realm above that of a Saint.

In the final battle of the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, Tongtian Jiaozhu wanted to perish together with his enemies and directly restart Earth Water Wind Fire.

But he was stopped by Dao Ancestor Hongjun and fed the Saint-Slaying Pill.

This Saint-Slaying Pill also causes harm to Saints and can restrict the strength of Tongtian Jiaozhu.

The formidable strength of the current Tongtian Jiaozhu has been restricted in part by the Saint-Slaying Pill.

What Duobao Daoren thought was that after Tongtian Jiaozhu joins the Heavenly Court, he could go and ask His Majesty for guidance, which might just help his Master resolve this trouble.

Duobao Daoren's words ultimately formed a stir within Tongtian Jiaozhu.

During the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, he was indecisive and failed to protect the Jie Sect disciples, causing the tragedy of the Jie Sect being wiped out.

This time, should he still hesitate?

No, this time he wants to protect the Jie Sect disciples and let the Jie Sect disciples know that behind them still stands him, Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Protecting his own disciples is now the only pursuit of Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Perhaps he was truly not suited to be a qualified leader of a major power, which is why he caused the Jie Sect to be wiped out in the past.

If he joins the Heavenly Court and protects his former disciples within the Heavenly Court, he will have no regrets.

Tongtian Jiaozhu pondered for a moment and said to Duobao Daoren, "Very well. You go and speak to the Heavenly Emperor, and say that your Master wishes to join the Heavenly Court."

"Master, this Disciple will report to His Majesty immediately; I believe His Majesty will certainly be very welcoming upon learning that Master is joining the Heavenly Court."

Duobao Daoren spoke with joy.

Here, Duobao Daoren went to the Heavenly Court to report to the Heavenly Emperor the intention of Tongtian Jiaozhu to join the Heavenly Court.

Qin Hao had a certain expectation regarding Tongtian Jiaozhu joining the Heavenly Court.

Because before Qin Hao took control of the Heavenly Court, he had been trying to win over Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Qin Hao was even thinking about when to make a trip to persuade Tongtian Jiaozhu to join the Heavenly Court.

He did not expect that Tongtian Jiaozhu would actually take the initiative to join the Heavenly Court now.

Qin Hao naturally expressed his welcome for Tongtian Jiaozhu joining the Heavenly Court.

【Ding-dong! Tongtian Jiaozhu has joined the Heavenly Court; congratulations to the Host for obtaining 1.2 billion Qi Luck.】

Although Tongtian Jiaozhu was forced to take the Saint-Slaying Pill, his strength among the various Saints is definitely not that of a weakling.

Joining the Heavenly Court now has added a massive amount of Qi Luck to the Heavenly Court.

Currently, within the Heavenly Court, there are five Saints on the surface.

The three Sage Emperors of the Human Race, Empress Thick Earth, Great Immortal Zhenyuan, and Old Ancestor Minghe.

And since Taiqing Laozi and Tongtian Jiaozhu have also joined the Heavenly Court, the Heavenly Court actually already possesses eight Saints.

Among the various Saints, only Yuanshi Tianzun, Empress Nuwa, and the Western Two Sages have yet to join the Heavenly Court.

Yuanshi Tianzun has always followed in the footsteps of Taiqing Laozi, so the chance of him joining the Heavenly Court is still quite high.

Empress Nuwa also has a bit of certainty in winning her over.

As for the Western Two Sages, it all depends on them.

With all the Saints joining the Heavenly Court, as for the remaining Western Two Sages, whether they join the Heavenly Court or not will not affect the overall situation.

Qin Hao went into seclusion again to cultivate, using Qi Luck to deduce the Three Thousand Great Daos.

And now he has already mastered nearly two thousand five hundred Great Daos.

On the other side, in the land of Heaven Beyond Heaven, Tongtian Jiaozhu felt the power of the Saint-Slaying Pill within his body, and a faint cold sneer appeared at the corners of his mouth.

The Saint-Slaying Pill contains a kind of Great Dao principle that is binding the strength of Tongtian Jiaozhu.

Among the various Saints, Tongtian Jiaozhu, holding the Immortal-Slaying Sword, is known as the number one in slaughter, yet his strength has been bound.

Tongtian Jiaozhu looked toward the Honghuang Continent, and his gaze finally landed on the land of Western Lingshan.

"Some traitors have been free and unfettered for too long; it is time to make these traitors pay the price."

Tongtian Jiaozhu did not hesitate at all and struck out with a palm toward Western Lingshan.

The powerful Saint's might enveloped Lingshan, causing all the Buddhas of Lingshan to feel a trembling of their souls.

Who is it?

Which Saint is attacking a Saint?

What is the meaning of a Saint attacking Lingshan?

Is this to be an enemy of their Lingshan, of their Fomen?

One must know that behind their Lingshan, there are also two Saints.

In Lingshan, Dingguang Huanxi Fo only felt his soul freezing; the terrifying murderous intent of a Saint had locked onto him firmly.

He understood in an instant that this was aimed at him; this was to kill him.

Tongtian Jiaozhu finally could not help but attack him.

He had originally thought that since so much time had passed since the Great Calamity of the Investiture of the Gods, Tongtian Jiaozhu had long since forgotten him.

Who would have thought that Tongtian Jiaozhu would still come to kill him now.

Tongtian Jiaozhu is truly senseless; as a dignified Saint, he does not even know how to be magnanimous, instead making things difficult for a small character like him.

Dingguang Huanxi Fo opened his mouth in terror to beg for help, "Saint, save me! Saint, save me!"

(End of this chapter)