FVN Chapter 177 The Battle of the Saints
Chapter 177 The Battle of the Saints
Chapter 177 The Battle of the Saints
"What brings you here, fellow Daoists?" Styx sat atop the Twelve-Petaled Red Lotus of Karmic Fire, with auspicious clouds above his head, bathed in the countless treasures that hung down from them, and looked at the Three Pure Ones before him, asking.
Before Styx, the clouds surrounding the Three Pure Ones' towers were visible. Laozi's cloud was the highest, while Tongtian stood on a formation diagram, which Styx recognized as the formation diagram of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation.
That terrifying killing intent could only be found in the array diagram of the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation.
"Styx, do not play dumb. Today, we have come to seek retribution for past transgressions."
"You have your methods, but we cannot be fooled by these tricks of demons forever!" Yuanshi held the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi and looked at the Styx River in front of him.
Compared to the Pangu Banner, which was not yet fully refined, Yuanshi preferred to use the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi at this moment.
"Then, I wonder how Fellow Daoist Yuanshi intends to resolve this?" Styx looked at Yuanshi and continued to inquire.
"The land of reincarnation is of great importance. Fellow Daoist Styx is only in a position to manage it alone. I'm afraid it's beyond his capabilities. How about we have all the sages jointly manage it?" At this moment, Laozi, the leader of the Three Pure Ones, looked at Styx and spoke.
As fellow sages, Lao Tzu was absolutely certain of victory against three against one. However, the most important question was whether he could obtain sufficient benefits from the Styx River after his victory.
As a sage, Lao Tzu was well aware of the abundant resources that the Styx River possessed at this moment. The merits and fortune provided by the Six Paths of Reincarnation and Taoism were enough for the Styx River to live on forever. And for a sage to improve his cultivation, the most indispensable thing was merits and fortune.
The matter of Taoism and the fate of humanity can be dealt with slowly, but the matter of the Six Paths of Reincarnation cannot be delayed any longer.
Most importantly, Lao Tzu still doesn't know what the Dao Ancestor, his own teacher, will think. If they defeat Styx, but his teacher disagrees, then this battle will have been fought in vain.
Therefore, Lao Tzu had no choice but to involve the other sages. If each sage received a share in the distribution of spoils after the war, then perhaps by doing so, the Dao Ancestor would not be so biased towards the Styx River.
"Fellow Daoist Laozi, this statement is utterly wrong, utterly wrong."
"The matter of reincarnation is of great importance. If its operation becomes chaotic, I fear the primordial world will be in turmoil, and karma and cause and effect will be disordered. Let's just forget about it." Styx looked at Laozi in front of him and smiled calmly.
"In that case, we shall have no choice but to fight it out and let our methods speak for themselves." Behind Tongtian, the phantoms of the Four Swords of Zhuxian faintly appeared, and the sword intent of the four killing swords condensed into an incomparably terrifying killing intent, pressing down on the Styx River and the Netherworld Blood Sea.
"Fellow Daoist Tongtian, do not fight with the people of the primordial world. Have you forgotten what the Dao Ancestor said beforehand?" Styx looked at Tongtian in front of him and said with a smile.
"Hmph!" Tongtian snorted coldly, then transformed into a beam of clear light and headed straight for the chaos beyond the heavens, with Laozi and Yuanshi following closely behind.
Upon seeing this, the Styx River also went to the primordial chaos beyond the heavens.
Inside the Netherworld, Zhunti and Jieyin were dumbfounded as they watched this scene.
Things took an unexpected turn for the two of them.
"Senior brother, what should we do?"
"How about—" As he said this, a hint of ruthlessness appeared in Zhunti's eyes.
Clearly, Zhunti is hinting at whether to assist the Three Pure Ones in conquering the Styx River and then sharing the six realms of reincarnation.
After all, Lao Tzu's proposal was indeed very tempting to him, as it would allow them to control the Six Paths of Reincarnation with almost no effort and without incurring any karmic debt to the Styx Saint.
They already have a lot of karmic debts on them, including the karmic debts owed to the Heavenly Dao for making grand vows, the karmic debts for attaining enlightenment when Hongyun abdicated in Zixiao Palace, and the current situation in the West. They really cannot owe any more.
-
Even a saint's body cannot carry it now.
Not to mention, they owe Styx a debt of karma. Who is Styx?
Even a small karmic debt falling into the hands of the Styx River, after its deductions, could be an inexhaustible debt that would last for countless lifetimes.
However, if they were to fight against the Styx River together with the Three Pure Ones, the outcome would be very different. The Three Pure Ones possess the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation, which cannot be broken by anyone other than the Four Sages. At the very least, they would be in an invincible position. It can be said that the Three Pure Ones are almost certain to win this battle.
At that time —
"No." Jieyin decisively rejected Zhunti's suggestion.
"Laozi doesn't genuinely want to share the Land of Reincarnation with other sages. You and I both know that the Land of Reincarnation is of great importance, containing merit and fortune that are endless and inexhaustible. How could you fellow disciples not know this?" Jieyin looked at Zhunti and reminded him, "He just wants to use our strength to prevent that one from taking sides with Styx."
"Junior brother, have you forgotten the humiliation on Mount Buzhou, beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens?"
"If we act now and offend the Styx River, we'll only end up pleasing neither side," Jieyin continued. These words essentially made Zhunti understand the crux of the matter.
"What you say is very true, senior brother. I was impulsive." Zhunti sighed softly, abandoning his dangerous idea.
Zhunti is adept at adapting to changing circumstances and is clear-headed about important matters. The two cooperate with each other and have survived countless terrifying calamities along the way, including the last great calamity and the conflict between the Dao and the Demon.
Given the intensity of the struggle between Hongjun and Luo, Luo's influence in the West, and the extent of his control over the West, it is remarkable that Zhunti and Jieyin, with their cultivation levels, were able to avoid this great calamity and were not completely affected by Luo, thus forging their own paths. This demonstrates their formidable abilities.
"What if Fellow Daoist Styx is no match for the three Pure Ones? What should we do then?" Zhunti asked, looking at Jieyin beside him.
It wasn't that Zhunti was acting impulsively. From Zhunti's perspective, as fellow Heavenly Saints, it was impossible for him to defeat the other three Saints alone. Moreover, the Three Pure Ones were not lacking in innate treasures. If the Three Pure Ones were guarding the Immortal Slaughtering Sword Formation together, along with the Taiji Diagram and the Heaven and Earth Xuanhuang Exquisite Pagoda, Zhunti truly didn't know who could defeat the Three Pure Ones.
"Then I'll wait there." Jieyin shook his head.
They don't need to lend a helping hand to the Styx in its time of need, nor will they add to the glory of the Three Pure Ones' impending victory.
Whether they can take control of reincarnation depends not only on whether the Three Pure Ones can defeat the Styx River, but also on how the Dao Ancestor arranges things afterward.
If the Dao Ancestor agrees, then they can take advantage of Laozi's distribution to obtain a portion of the reincarnation control. If the Dao Ancestor disagrees, then they can talk to the Styx River.
In the vast world, almost nothing is untradeable as long as the price is right.
Thinking of this, Jieyin couldn't help but feel a little regretful. He never expected that although his teacher had merged with the Dao, he was not completely absorbed into the Heavenly Dao and could still retain some autonomy.
Moreover, who knows if their own teacher will ever fully take control of the Heavenly Way and revive?
If they had known, they would have followed Styx's example and done some image projects to curry favor with the Dao Ancestor, at least to gain favor with their own teacher.
"Senior brother is wise, junior brother has learned a lot." Zhunti said with his palms together.