49: Hongjun suffered a setback

Originally, Hongjun had planned for the Ancestor of Yin-Yang to bring up the subject by asking him the purpose of his visit.

Unexpectedly, once the Ancestor of Yin-Yang finished his flattering remarks, he simply sat there calmly without moving.

He showed no intention whatsoever of asking Hongjun about the purpose of his visit.

Hongjun had no choice but to awkwardly state his purpose himself.

His eyes were filled with deep sincerity; had the Ancestor of Yin-Yang not been warned by the Ancestor of the Five Elements,

The Ancestor of Yin-Yang truly would have been deceived by Hongjun's sincere expression.

'Good for you, Hongjun, you're even setting traps regarding the spoils of war after the battle?'

'Fellow Daoist Five Elements was right; you intend to pit your old friends against each other.'

'If the battle itself doesn't kill us, you still have this trick of dividing the spoils?'

'If the distribution is uneven, we will surely end up fighting each other.'

'You, Hongjun, would instead extract yourself cleanly and watch the tigers fight from the mountain.'

'Waiting for us to fight until we're both wounded from the uneven distribution, then you'll jump out to pick up the pieces, right?''

Every single word out of Hongjun's mouth was a massive trap for them.

Just the statement that he, Hongjun, wouldn't take a single cent of the spoils, and that it would be entirely up to the assisting experts to take what they wanted—

That sentence alone was a huge trap. If they were lucky enough not to be killed by Hongjun's schemes during the battle,

They would certainly end up wounding each other because of an uneven distribution of spoils.

At that time, Hongjun would be the final winner.

Not only could he easily eliminate his old friends, but he could also obtain all the spoils for himself.

He didn't even plan to let go of the Spirit Treasures on these assisting experts.

Hongjun truly had a fine scheme going.

One had to admit, Old Thief Hongjun's methods of calculation were truly formidable.

If not for the reminder from Five Elements, and with Yin-Yang's preconceived notions,

Yin-Yang would likely have been plotted to death by Old Thief Hongjun.

"I know a thing or two about the battle between Fellow Daoist Hongjun and Fellow Daoist Luo Hou."

"It is merely the Heavenly Dao selecting one of you two to be the One who merges with the Dao to compensate for its own deficiencies."

"This is a good thing; as long as one merges with the Heavenly Dao, it is a literal ascent to heaven in a single step."

"Perhaps if you obtain the final victory, Fellow Daoist, you can even have the Heavenly Dao weaken its suppression on us."

"I just don't know which Fellow Daoists you have invited to assist you, Fellow Daoist Hongjun?"

"Which Fellow Daoists did you invite before me?"

"I wonder if you have invited Fellow Daoist Five Elements?"

"Let me say this first: if Fellow Daoist Five Elements doesn't go, I won't go either."

"It's not that I am rejecting you, Fellow Daoist Hongjun."

"But Fellow Daoist Five Elements and I are close friends; if he doesn't go, naturally, I won't go either."

As soon as Yin-Yang said this, the Ancestor of the Five Elements, who was hiding deep within the Dojo of the Ancestor of Yin-Yang, almost burst out laughing.

'Yin-Yang, you really know how to be sarcastic.'

He directly made Hongjun look as awkward as if he were constipated.

The Dao-Demon Conflict between Hongjun and Luo Hou was no secret among the Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods.

The fact that the Heavenly Dao was incomplete and needed to select One who merges with the Dao was also no secret to them.

And these Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods also knew that the Heavenly Dao suppressed all living beings from practicing the Path of Law.

There was nothing wrong with the Ancestor of Yin-Yang's words.

The implication was that if you want our help, verbal promises of spoils are not enough; you need to give some actual benefits.

After you merge with the Dao, you must have the Heavenly Dao reduce its suppression on us Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods, right?

Although the suppression of the Heavenly Dao could not prevent these Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods from cultivating,

It could greatly slow down their speed of cultivation.

If not for the suppression of the Heavenly Dao, the Ancestor of Yin-Yang would have already attained the Dao as a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal.

At this moment, Hongjun couldn't be more embarrassed.

He, Hongjun, couldn't do a single thing that the Ancestor of Yin-Yang mentioned.

First, let's talk about letting the Heavenly Dao lower its suppression on the Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods.

That was simply impossible; the goal of the Heavenly Dao was to kill off all of these Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods.

Lower the suppression? It was pure wishful thinking.

Hongjun himself was only allowed to exist because he had obtained the largest fragment of the jade disc of creation,

And because he practiced the Way of Severing Three Corpses instead of the Path of Dao Attainment through Law, and was almost pre-selected by the Heavenly Dao as the One who merges with the Dao.

Only then was he permitted to exist.

As for inviting the Ancestor of the Five Elements, that guy—who knows what had gotten into him—insisted on refusing Hongjun's invitation.

When did you, Ancestor of Yin-Yang, become so close to the Ancestor of the Five Elements?

So close that you're practically joined at the hip.

"Uh~, well~, Fellow Daoist Yin-Yang, matters regarding after merging with the Dao should wait until after I have defeated Luo Hou."

"As for Fellow Daoist Five Elements, the first person I thought of was to invite you, Fellow Daoist Yin-Yang."

"Therefore, I haven't been to see Fellow Daoist Five Elements yet."

"How about this: Fellow Daoist Yin-Yang, you agree to help me first."

"Afterwards, I will go and invite Fellow Daoist Five Elements to join us. How about that?"

"In that case, the result is the same."

"By then, since you have already agreed, Fellow Daoist Yin-Yang, Fellow Daoist Five Elements will surely agree as well."

Old Thief Hongjun explained forcedly.

Once he merged with the Dao, he naturally wouldn't need to care about the Karma of these promises.

By then, these Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods would all be dead under the schemes of the Heavenly Dao.

Where would there be any need for the Heavenly Dao to reduce the suppression on the Reincarnated Experts of Chaos Demon Gods?

That Karma, naturally, would not need to be repaid by Hongjun.

As the saying goes, if you can't afford to pay back, then don't; if I just get rid of the creditor, isn't it the same?

There were two very famous guys in later generations who acted this way.

They were the shame of the Great Desolation—the two Saints, Jieyin and Zhunti.

In Zixiao Palace, the Karma of the Ancestor of the Red Cloud giving up his seat was too immense.

Jieyin and Zhunti's strategy was simply not to pay it back if they couldn't afford it.

Therefore, Jieyin and Zhunti plotted the death of the Ancestor of the Red Cloud.

If they had stepped in to save Red Cloud when he was being besieged by Kunpeng and the others, how could Red Cloud have died by self-detonation?

Back to the present.

As for Five Elements, as long as the Ancestor of Yin-Yang agreed, it would be enough; Hongjun wouldn't bother inviting the Ancestor of the Five Elements at all.

Once the Ancestor of Yin-Yang went to the Western Continent to participate in the Dao-Demon Conflict, he would have no chance to care about anything else.

Why would he still care about some Ancestor of the Five Elements?

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, I will not agree to your request until Fellow Daoist Five Elements agrees."

"Do not mention this matter again."

"Fellow Daoist Five Elements and I have our own agreement; if he doesn't agree first, my loss will be great."

"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, you cannot compensate me for my losses."

"Therefore, I'm afraid I cannot agree."

"You should go and invite Fellow Daoist Five Elements first, or other Fellow Daoists."

"I will absolutely not agree before Fellow Daoist Five Elements."

Looking at Old Thief Hongjun's awkward and anxious expression, the Ancestor of Yin-Yang couldn't be happier.

'You, Old Thief Hongjun, finally have a day like this.'

'The taste of suffering a setback isn't pleasant, is it?''

However, as a veteran actor, Yin-Yang did a good job with his facial expressions.

He didn't show any exaggerated expressions.

"Fellow Daoist Yin-Yang, you..."

Ancestor Hongjun felt speechless, utterly speechless.

How could this guy be so stubborn? He insisted on having the Ancestor of the Five Elements agree first.

What, is the Ancestor of the Five Elements your father? You just have to make this demand.