Upon seeing these two Daoists, Kunpeng's expression shifted instantly, his complexion turning a sickly, mottled shade of fury.
"Jieyin, Zhunti... do you also intend to feast upon my Primordial Violet Qi?"
Kunpeng felt as if his very chest might explode from the pressure of his rage. Back in the Zixiao Palace, it was these two shameless scoundrels who had orchestrated the scheme to trick Hongyun out of his seat before snatching his own prayer mat as well.
Not content with having stolen his rightful place in the past, they were now coming to strip him of his future Saintly foundation.
The Two Sages of the West merely offered a thin, placid smile, their silence speaking volumes of their intent.
Kunpeng let out a discordant roar of fury. "You already possess the Primordial Violet Qi bestowed by the Dao Ancestor! Why must you descend like common thieves to snatch mine?"
Zhunti replied with a soft, patronizing smile. "The Primordial Violet Qi is a divine object of the highest order. Who in this world would ever complain about having too much of it?"
Jieyin offered a slight nod of agreement from the side. Having traveled all the way from the scorched lands of the West, they simply could not justify returning with empty hands. They had failed to secure any Opportunity on the Three Immortals Island and had been repelled from the Innate Supreme Treasures; they had to bring something back to their mountain, did they not?
How could any rational being think they possessed an excess of an object as rare as the Primordial Violet Qi?
With an additional strand of the Violet Qi, perhaps they could even accelerate their ascension to Sainthood.
"Fellow Daoists, I set my sights on Kunpeng first. Why not show a bit of professional courtesy and leave this strand to me? I shall consider it a significant favor owed to you both."
Styx spoke with a dry chuckle, maintaining a facade of gentleness. He had no desire to enter into a direct conflict with Jieyin and Zhunti. In the privacy of his mind, however, he was already cursing their ancestors back through eight generations.
They were truly insatiable—inconceivable and appalling in their greed. Even a man as dark-hearted as Styx found it preposterous; they clearly already held the key to the Dao, yet they still circled like vultures for more. Did they truly have nothing better to occupy their time?
Jieyin let out a soft, airy laugh. "Fellow Daoist Styx, only a future Saint is truly qualified to safeguard the Primordial Violet Qi. We are merely retrieving it to prevent such a treasure from gathering dust in unworthy hands."
He spoke with such an air of natural righteousness that it made Styx's scalp tingle with a cold sweat. This was his first time witnessing the true depth of the Westerners' shamelessness; it had reached a Transcendent level—unprecedented in history and unsurpassed in the present.
Just as Styx prepared to voice a sharp, biting rebuke, Jieyin spoke once more.
"However, everything in this world has a cause. If we should happen to encounter someone truly predestined for it, we can always be flexible."
"It is just that we have traveled a vast distance. If we return to the West with nothing to show for it, it would be somewhat improper."
As he spoke, Jieyin's gaze drifted pointedly toward the Abi and Yuantu twin swords gripped in Styx's hands. He made no effort to hide his meaning; it was a blatant, cold hint.
As long as a suitable 'passage fee' is paid, the problem of Kunpeng can be overlooked.
Styx felt as if he were being suffocated by their gall, wanting nothing more than to drive his blades through these two shameless entities. They had prepared an entire sermon on destiny, only to target his birthright swords in the end.
Those two swords were his lifeblood. Now, before the Primordial Violet Qi was even in his grasp, was he expected to lose his primary weapons as well?
While Styx remained locked in his dark contemplations, Kunpeng was a swirling mixture of bewilderment and white-hot rage.
He was standing right there! Yet these three filthy things had already begun to discuss the division of his spoils as if he were already a corpse!
Did they truly treat the Master of the North Sea as if he were mere air?
At that thought, Kunpeng could no longer restrain his instincts. He instantly shed his human form, transforming into his gargantuan True Body and taking flight.
He was incredibly fast, his movements possessing a silk-like smoothness as he attempted to tear through the sky.
But Jieyin, Zhunti, and Styx were cunning beyond measure; they had been waiting for exactly this moment!
The very second Kunpeng manifested his True Body, the three of them struck in unison. Fierce, world-shaking attacks blanketed the sky and the earth, a collective pressure designed to suppress him from above!
Boom!
With an earth-shattering roar of impact, Kunpeng let out a miserable, shrill scream. His massive body, which was supposed to blot out the sun, was hammered out of the sky like a falling black sun, crashing into the North Sea and splashing up cataclysmic walls of water.
Kunpeng was an amphibious terror; he could fly through the clouds or swim through the abyss, being a top-tier predator in both. Enduring the agonizing pain, he transformed into a gargantuan fish beneath the waves, moving ten thousand miles in a single pulse of his tail, his speed a dizzying blur.
"Where do you believe you are escaping to?"
Jieyin, Zhunti, and Styx set off at the same time, physically shattering the Void Realm to maintain their chase.
In his broken and injured state, Kunpeng's speed within the sea was not nearly as staggering as his flight in the open sky.
Seeing the three shadows closing in, Kunpeng was seized by a tragic madness and an extreme, soul-deep unwillingness. He had finally obtained the Primordial Violet Qi; he was destined to be a Saint. To encounter such a catastrophe now—how could he possibly accept it?
A future Saint dying halfway to his throne—who could ever be content with such a fate?
"Kunpeng, you are a figure of great renown. Why not grant yourself a modicum of dignity? Hand over the Primordial Violet Qi voluntarily, and perhaps we can find the mercy to let you go."
Styx shouted the offer, yet the killing swords in his hands did not slow their rhythm for a heartbeat, continuously lashing out at Kunpeng's wake.
"In your twisted dreams!" Kunpeng roared back. He knew the nature of his pursuers far too well; even if he were to hand over the treasure, his only reward would be a swifter death.
He understood them because he was like them; if he were in their position, he would never let an injured rival live to tell the tale!
As his voice fell, Kunpeng fled with everything he had left. Suddenly, his gaze froze, followed by a look of wild, hysterical joy.
"I am saved!"
At the same moment, the expressions of Jieyin, Zhunti, and Styx shifted. They all looked toward the horizon simultaneously.
There, several powerful, soaring auras were approaching with a terrifying speed.
Fuxi had arrived, leading several of the Great Yao of the Yao Race to provide support.
"Fellow Daoists! What is the meaning of this? Do you truly intend to declare yourselves enemies of my Yao Race?"
Fuxi's voice thundered across the sea before his form even materialized, his grand, Daoist tone resonating through the heavens.
Jieyin and Zhunti stopped in their tracks immediately, their faces shifting into masks of peaceful tranquility. They said, "Fellow Daoist Fuxi, you have surely misunderstood the situation. We merely had a small, private disagreement with Fellow Daoist Kunpeng; we harbor no intention of becoming enemies with the Yao Race."
"Well, it seems the misunderstanding has been resolved. Please, convey our warmest regards to Fellow Daoist Nuwa."
"Farewell!"
Jieyin spoke with a serene smile, showing not a single hint of hesitation. As the words left his lips, he turned and vanished into the void.
Since they had been caught in the act by Fuxi, they could no longer afford to continue the hunt. Nuwa was a Personal Disciple of the Dao Ancestor, and it was political suicide to form a blood grudge with her race in broad daylight.
This was a task that could only be completed in the shadows. Now that the light of witnesses had fallen upon them, they could only stop.
Once the Westerners had vanished, only Styx remained. At this moment, his face was a dark mask of frustration, his expression flickering with a dangerous uncertainty.
Just then, Kunpeng let out a long, vengeful cry and charged back toward him.
"You evil, blood-soaked creature! Give me your life!"
Now that his reinforcements had arrived, Kunpeng was no longer the prey. He immediately turned the tables, intent on tearing Styx apart.
Styx did not waste a single word; he turned and fled the North Sea immediately!
After chasing for a few minutes to vent his mounting rage, Kunpeng slowed to a halt. He knew Styx was not a man easily killed and he did not wish to waste what little strength he had left.
"Many thanks for your timely assistance, Fellow Daoist Fuxi."
Kunpeng transformed back into his human form and cupped his hands toward Fuxi, feeling a genuine sense of gratitude toward another living being for the first time in his long life.
Without the intervention of Fuxi and the other Yao, the consequences of this day would have been unthinkable.
This time, he had learned his lesson. He had believed his old nest was a fortress, but it was actually a death trap because everyone knew exactly where to find him.
From now on, he would remain at the Yao Race headquarters to Cultivate in absolute peace, refusing to give his enemies even a single Opportunity until he finally achieved Sainthood.
"There is no need for such formalities. We had not heard word from you for a long time, so I decided to travel to the North Sea to check on your status. I did not expect to run into such a scene by mere chance."
Fuxi explained the situation casually.
Afterward, Kunpeng, Fuxi, and the other Great Yao departed the area, returning to the safety of the Hundred Thousand Great Mountains...
A thousand years later, the war between the Yao Race and the Wu Race erupted with a renewed, terrible violence. This time, the Wu Race was exceptionally fierce, their strikes filled with a desperate, crushing power.
On the other side of the world.
Ling Xiao, Dijun, and Taiyi had finally concluded their looting of the Three Immortals Island.
"We are returning to the Sun Star for seclusion. We shall not emerge again until we have each become a Grand Unity Golden Immortal!" Dijun once again uttered his signature vow.
They were Golden Crows, and when it came to the matters of seclusion and Cultivation, the Sun Star remained the most potent and suitable place in existence.
Afterward, they established a powerful defensive Formation on the island and vanished, returning to the searing heart of the Sun Star.