Chapter 146: Let's Aim for Harmony

Not long after, Yaochi hurried over and bowed repeatedly to the several sages.

"Yaochi pays her respects to the Celestial Emperor and the sages!"

"Yaochi, why are you not in the mortal realm assisting Haotian in presiding over the Conferment of Gods, and what brings you to the Heavenly Court instead?" Li Tian looked at her and asked.

"Yaochi has come here because the war in the mortal realm has spiraled out of control. The brutality of the combat is unprecedented since the creation of the heavens and the earth... To prevent utter devastation and the destruction of all living beings, I earnestly hope the Celestial Emperor and the sages will intervene in time to stop it..."

Out of control?

Upon hearing this, the sages couldn't help but look down toward the mortal realm. When they saw the disciples of the截教 (Jiejiao) and 阐教 (Chanjiao) locked in chaotic battle, along with the corpses covering the ground... both Tongtian and Yuanshi turned red in the eyes.

After all, those who had died were their own disciples!

Yuanshi was slightly better off, because by comparison, the casualties and fatalities of Chanjiao were far fewer than those of Jiejiao.

"This is the tribulation of your teachings." Taishang Laojun glanced down at the mortal realm and uttered these words lightly, without much emotional fluctuation on his face.

Although the war in the mortal realm was fierce, it had nothing to do with Laojun, because his only disciple, Xuandu, was in the Heavenly Court and couldn't possibly be involved.

As for the mediocre disciples Xuandu had accepted over countless years, most of them were now cultivating in the secular world.

The few who had meddled in the conflict lived or died by fate, so he naturally wouldn't care too much in his heart.

As for the others, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors were simply shocked by the brutality of the battle. As for Zhunti of the West?

He wished that everyone from all other sects except the Western Teachings would perish entirely, so that his Western Teachings might finally have a chance to rise...

"Fellow apprentice brother, I need to descend to the mortal realm. I'm afraid I cannot attend this Flat Peach Banquet."

Tongtian suppressed the anxiety in his heart, bowed to Li Tian, and said.

"Fellow apprentice brother, please go ahead." Li Tian naturally smiled and nodded.

"Thank you, fellow apprentice brother." Tongtian nodded, flashed, and disappeared from the spot. Seeing this, Yuanshi also bowed to Li Tian and closely followed, flying down toward the mortal realm.

Laojun sat in place, pondering for a moment. Feeling somewhat uneasy after careful consideration, he ultimately chose to follow closely behind.

The losses of Jiejiao in this battle were so tragic that he truly feared Tongtian might act on impulse and strike at the remaining disciples of Chanjiao... At that point, the situation would become completely irrepressible.

"Nuwa, stay and guard this place. I will go down and take a look as well."

Seeing that Laojun had also chosen to descend to the mortal realm, Li Tian couldn't help but feel restless. He gave instructions to Nuwa, turned around, and also vanished from the spot.

He was very curious in his heart: would Tongtian still set up the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation in a fit of rage, just like in the original history of the Primordial World?

If he did set it up, whose side should he help?

Nuwa stood in place, watching Li Tian's disappearing back with a trace of helplessness, and then cast her gaze downward to observe the mortal realm.

Although she had anticipated it, she had never expected the outcome to be so disastrous and tragic.

At this moment, Tongtian had already arrived above the battlefield of Xiqi, and instantly unleashed the exclusive pressure belonging to a sage.

"Stop your hands at once!"

Accompanied by a low roar, a mysterious and supreme might descended, enveloping the disciples of both sects and rapidly separating them.

"Master!"

The surviving Jiejiao disciples snapped out of their daze. Seeing Tongtian's arrival, they cried out with grief-stricken expressions.

By now, among Tongtian's top direct disciples, apart from Duobao who was in the Heavenly Court, the only ones remaining were Our Lady of Turtle Spirit and Yunxiao.

Out of more than three thousand ordinary disciples who had come, fewer than a hundred remained...

As for the others who hadn't come, they were simply those mediocre ordinary disciples and outer sect disciples.

Tongtian slowly landed on the battlefield, which was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood. Witnessing everything around him, his eyes turned slightly red.

"Disciples pay respects to Master."

Our Lady of Turtle Spirit and Yunxiao led the remaining hundred-odd Jiejiao disciples before Tongtian, dropping to their knees with sorrowful expressions.

Clearly, they were also deeply remorseful for the consequences brought about by their momentary impulsiveness.

"Speak, what on earth happened?"

After a long while, Tongtian finally suppressed the grief in his heart and asked.

"Master..." Hearing this, Our Lady of Turtle Spirit hurriedly raised her head and slowly recounted the cause and effect of the events.

Upon hearing the account, Tongtian never imagined that such events could have transpired during his absence...

Yet, knowing that the fault did not lie with his disciples, he sighed softly and told them to rise.

Deep down, he still felt a sliver of self-blame; such a massive incident had occurred in the mortal realm, yet he had been indulging in earthly pleasures in the Heavenly Court without the slightest awareness...

Immediately afterward, however, he couldn't help but raise his head to look at the disciples of Chanjiao, a trace of icy coldness flashing in his gaze.

"Fellow apprentice brother, the two of us both originate from the Zixiao Palace, and the disciples of our teachings are like close relatives. This battle should truly never have happened. Why not disperse them now?"

At this moment, Yuanshi had also descended. Seeing that his twelve direct disciples, though somewhat disheveled, were all still alive and well, he breathed a sigh of relief and slowly spoke to Tongtian.

As for those third-generation disciples who had died, their status in his eyes was far inferior.

"Are my disciples supposed to have died in vain?" Tongtian's face grew somewhat gloomy.

"Then what does the fellow apprentice brother propose to do?" Yuanshi also furrowed his brows slightly, locking eyes with Tongtian.

Above the heavenly realm, Nuwa and the others watched this scene, all of them sensing the tense atmosphere.

Zhunti, on the other hand, was secretly overjoyed in his heart, eagerly anticipating whether these two would actually start fighting.

If a fight truly broke out, it would be immensely entertaining!

"Will you not withdraw at once? Must you drive the living beings to utter ruin before you are satisfied?" Laojun also flew over slowly. Seeing Tongtian and Yuanshi confronting each other, he couldn't help but utter a stern reprimand.

Tongtian lowered his head with a gloomy expression. Yuanshi let out a cold snort; although somewhat displeased by Laojun's righteous posturing and meddling, he said nothing more.

Even with his inherent pride, he held a trace of apprehension toward the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation—which Hongjun had declared could only be broken by the joint effort of four sages.

At this moment, Li Tian had likewise appeared above the Xiqi battlefield. However, seeing Tongtian, Yuanshi, and Laojun confronting one another, he chose not to reveal himself immediately.

Right then, he still felt a trace of hesitation in his heart.

Should he add fuel to the fire once more?

From his perspective, it was entirely clear.

At this moment, Tongtian was already on the verge of erupting at any second. With just a little provocation from him, Tongtian might well deploy the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation...

However, if Tongtian were to set up the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation, would it bring him more benefits or more drawbacks overall?

After weighing the pros and cons, Li Tian ultimately abandoned the idea of provoking Tongtian.

After all, the war between sages involved stakes far too immense, and no one knew how much devastation it would inflict upon all living beings...

Therefore, harmony should remain the priority.

——
[Experiencing writer's block, apologies~]