Chapter 53

The prosperity of the截教 (Jie Jiao) is unstoppable. Just by looking at the number of people participating in this discussion, one can imagine its influence.

The截教 has a hundred Golden Immortals and twelve Great Ethereal Realm disciples, among whom the four major disciples possess extraordinary powers, standing out among the disciples of many sages!

As for the other sages, although the Sage of Great Purity has only one disciple, who usually acts without much effort,

no one would ignore him. Even if the截教 disciples were a hundred times stronger, they would not overlook this great deity.

Therefore, the Sage of Great Purity remains calm and composed, always maintaining a light and serene demeanor.

As for the other sages, the Empress Nüwa has not taken any disciples, but as the Holy Mother of the Human Race, her moral authority is even more solid than that of the Sage of Great Purity. No one would dare to offend her, the former Empress of the Divine Race.

Moreover, Empress Nüwa has not established a teaching, so she does not need to compete for fortune, making her a mere observer!

As for the two sages of the West, they have few followers and little influence, often being squeezed out by the sages of the three teachings before any decisions are made, leaving them in a very difficult position.

Fortunately, the two sages are very united; otherwise, they might not even get a taste of the soup.

Therefore, among the many sages, the截教 and the阐教 (Chan Jiao) are the most competitive, and the doctrines of the two teachings are completely opposite, with inherent contradictions that cannot be resolved.

A hundred years passed in the blink of an eye, and the entire Three Realms were bustling. The topic of conversation among the beings of the Three Realms was naturally the upcoming discussion at Kunlun Mountain.

Opinions varied, and all the great sages in the Three Realms paid close attention.

Many of the great sages who received invitations arrived at Kunlun Mountain in advance.

After all, this discussion concerns the treasures of the human race, a major event in the Three Realms, and who could remain indifferent?

Jin'ao Island!

A bell rang, and the sect leader sat on a large ox, his blue robe fluttering, a precious sword on his back, with the four major disciples standing behind him.

Then, beams of immortal light shone from various parts of Jin'ao Island, leaping up and flashing, gathering behind the sect leader, standing silently in the air without a word!

"Let's go!" the sect leader said softly.

The ox mooed and took a step, with a rainbow cloud appearing under its hooves, leading the way.

Kunlun Mountain!

"Welcome, Uncle!" At the mountain gate, Guangchengzi, responsible for welcoming guests, saw the截教 group and immediately came forward to greet the sect leader.

"Rise!" The sect leader nodded at him and entered Kunlun Mountain.

Guangchengzi stood up and watched the sect leader enter Kunlun Mountain.

But when the other截教 disciples arrived, Guangchengzi's expression changed slightly, his smile becoming stiff, and his gaze turning complex and gloomy!

"Hmph!" Ding Yue coldly snorted in his heart, entered Kunlun Mountain without changing his expression, and even smiled and greeted Guangchengzi as he approached.

After many截教 disciples entered the mountain gate, Guangchengzi's expression became noticeably worse, as the overwhelming aura almost made his heart tremble!

The prospects of this discussion are worrying! Guangchengzi thought, his eyes flickering, pondering something.

"Brother!" On the side, Chijizi hurried over, his face urgent: "Those截教..."

"Brother!" Guangchengzi interrupted, scolding: "Panic is unbecoming!"

Chijizi's face turned red; he had been stunned by the many截教 disciples, causing his mind to become flustered.

But as a true immortal with ten thousand years of cultivation, Chijizi quickly recovered after Guangchengzi's reminder, his gaze returning to calm.

"Brother, my cultivation is still lacking. Thank you, Brother."

Guangchengzi calmly said, "Brother, gather the other disciples. When I'm done here, we'll meet and discuss."

"Yes, Brother."

Just as Chijizi left, a rainbow cloud appeared in the sky, carrying the Sage of Great Purity and the Great Master Xuandu.

"Welcome, Great Uncle!"

The截教 disciples returned to the peak where they had previously stayed. The peak's scenery and buildings were not destroyed by the阐教 disciples, so everyone returned to their respective homes, cleaned up, and settled down.

Not long after, dozens of截教 disciples gathered at Ding Yue's residence, holding a secret meeting.

This situation left the other disciples puzzled.

Because these dozens of disciples were all elite截教 disciples, with most of the inner disciples and some well-known outer disciples like the Ten Celestial Sovereigns present.

Is something going on?

This situation also made the探得风声 (tandefengsheng) (those who got the wind) of the阐教 disciples somewhat anxious, speculating and discussing.

Finally, the two sages of the West arrived, but they looked rather pitiful, bringing only about thirty to forty disciples, including a dozen Celestial Immortals and True Immortals, which was quite disappointing.

However, the sages' realms were clearly extraordinary, and the two walked into the Jade Void Palace without changing their expressions.

Especially the Lord of Ten Thousand Buddhas, Jieyin, who even made the usually calm Sage of Great Purity's eyes flash with surprise!

"Boom!!" The golden bell resounded, echoing throughout Kunlun Mountain.

In front of the Jade Void Palace, a square paved with white jade, covered with Daoist symbols, and enveloped in clouds and mist, resembled a fairyland.

On the square, the sages sat on cloud beds, chatting and laughing, while dozens of Great Luo Immortals conversed with each other, some catching up and others trying to build connections, all looking amiable.

These great sages brought one or two disciples each, standing behind their respective masters, whispering to each other.

Among them, the Great Celestial Sovereign and the Queen Mother of the West laughed and chatted with the others, seemingly having endless topics.

"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh!!" The sound of breaking air!

First, over a hundred阐教 disciples landed in the square, but only about thirty were Golden Immortals, and only Guangchengzi, Yunzhongzi, and Taibizhenren were in the Great Ethereal Realm.

"Your disciples are all dragons and phoenixes!" a great sage said to the lofty Primordial Heavenly Sovereign.

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign smiled and said, "You flatter me, Daoist friend."

Although very humble, the Heavenly Sovereign looked at his disciples with satisfaction, and the approval in his eyes was obvious to anyone with a bit of discernment.

"Indeed, they are all promising talents," the Sage of Great Purity also praised.

"They are not as good as Xuandu's pure Daoist heart!" the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign said, looking at the always calm Great Master Xuandu behind his eldest brother.

At this moment, streams of light from the distance converged, breaking through the sky, and in the blink of an eye, they all landed in the square, their auras unrestrained and unhidden!

Everyone present was momentarily stunned.

The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign's expression turned slightly unpleasant, but he did not say anything.

"What a strong aura from the截教!"

"Over a dozen Great Ethereal Golden Immortals; in the current Three Realms, the截教 stands out."

"Indeed, the disciples of Tongtian Daoist friend are extraordinary..."

...

The great sages began to discuss, looking at the截教 with shock and caution.

Some great sages, thinking of their own one or two Golden Immortal disciples, felt a bit envious, and the most heated among them was a certain sage.

"Let's begin!" The Primordial Heavenly Sovereign lightly tapped his jade ruyi, and the clear sound drew everyone's attention.

The Sage of Great Purity smiled and said, "Let me start, then."

The audience straightened their postures.

The Sage of Great Purity's lecture was profound, mainly explaining the realms of Golden Immortals and Great Ethereal Golden Immortals, which was rare for the disciples.

Even some great sages listened attentively, as each person has their own Dao, and the wisdom of others can be beneficial.

Afterward, the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, Tongtian Sect Leader, the two sages of the West, and Empress Nüwa each spoke, though briefly, with only a few hundred words, but the audience benefited greatly, feeling that the trip was worthwhile.

Next was the main focus of the discussion.

The discussion was just a surface; the real focus was the competition. Otherwise, why would everyone rush here?

Only by being stronger than others can one prove that one's Dao is correct. That's the only way!

The disciples of the various sages all looked at the floor in front of them, not glancing around, fully focused.

No one wanted to be the first to step forward.

But Kunlun Mountain was the home of the阐教, so it could not let the cold atmosphere continue.

"Chuang Jiao's Huanglong, please, fellow Daoists."

Huanglong Zhenren, in a yellow robe, saw Guangchengzi's signal, reluctantly stood up, entered the square, and slowly said, looking around.

A cannon fodder! Ding Yue, sitting among the截教 disciples, sneered inwardly.

Huanglong Zhenren was also a mid-stage Golden Immortal, with considerable power, but standing alone in the square, he looked somewhat desolate.

"截教's Wang Chan, I come to learn the great Dao of the阐教!"

A figure stood up among the截教 disciples, loudly speaking, and in a flash, was already in front of Huanglong Zhenren.

Ding Yue recognized Wang Chan as a Golden Toad who had attained the Dao, also a mid-stage Golden Immortal.

"Please, Daoist friend," Huanglong Zhenren said respectfully, his body emitting Qingqing Immortal Light, with streams of light and color.

"Be careful, Daoist friend," Wang Chan said, extending his hand, and a colorful light ball appeared, emitting a fragrant aroma.

With a reverse slap, the colorful light ball landed on the ground, transforming into a large colorful golden toad, which spat out a stream of colorful light!

"Good! Watch my Qingqing Divine Thunder!"

Huanglong Zhenren shouted, making a hand gesture and summoning a divine thunder, which struck the stream of light, causing a sizzling sound as the divine thunder dispersed the colorful light.

The stream of light, when dispersed on the floor, emitted a thick mist, trying to corrode the floor.

But the Daoist venue of the sages was no ordinary place; the symbols on the floor flashed, instantly turning the colorful light into ashes.

"Five Poison Divine Thunder!" Wang Chan, seeing this, summoned a five-colored divine thunder, which immediately extinguished Huanglong Zhenren's Qingqing Divine Thunder.

Both had similar cultivation and skills, so they were evenly matched, exchanging techniques and secret arts of their respective teachings, which, though spectacular, did not harm either of them.

After a while, Huanglong Zhenren's expression turned somewhat anxious. After all, he was a disciple of the Primordial Heavenly Sovereign, while the other was an unknown disciple of the截教. Even a draw would be a loss.

Huanglong Zhenren's expression turned cold, and he transformed into a huge yellow dragon, roaring and extending his claws, slapping toward Wang Chan!

"Hmph!" Wang Chan snorted, transforming into a golden toad, flying into the air to battle the yellow dragon...