“Pfft!” Jieyin and Zhunti both spat out mouthfuls of blood.
Turning back, they kowtowed in unison: “Master, the demoness Xihe has destroyed our Western Dao lineage. The Western lands are far; we beg Master to use his great powers to send us back. Upon Lingshan, we shall seek justice ourselves!”
Tongtian’s eyes darkened as he was about to speak, but his elder and second brothers simultaneously restrained him with their magic power.
He transmitted a cold voice: “Elder and second brothers, you have gone too far!” The two remained silent but united in suppressing him.
Hongjun waved his sleeve once more, and Jieyin and Puti had already appeared atop Lingshan.
“Demoness, do not be so arrogant!”
Xihe stopped her sermon, looking surprised: “Back so soon? Could it be that the Dao Ancestor, a Saint, would intervene in such trivial matters?”
Jieyin’s eyes darkened: “Fellow Daoist, watch your words. Our master is a Saint; what is wrong with him caring for the Primordial World?”
“Nothing at all. The question is, why do you come with such accusatory expressions? I, taking pity on the poverty of the West, came here specifically to preach and teach, harming no living beings in the West.”
“Both of you attained the Dao in the West. Not only do you show no gratitude, but you also appear ready to fight. Even having bowed to the Dao Ancestor as your master, such overbearing behavior is unjustified, is it not?”
Zhunti could no longer hold back. Ever since meeting Xihe, nothing had gone smoothly for him.
“Cease your sophistry! The West is the Dao lineage of my senior brother and me. You have destroyed our lineage—this enmity is irreconcilable. It is only right that this humble monk delivers you!”
The two exchanged glances, and the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree and the Twelve-Grade Merit Golden Lotus emerged together. They launched a killing move from the start, clearly intending not to let Xihe go again.
Xihe sneered: “The Dao Ancestor is watching. It was they who struck first. I beg the Dao Ancestor not to blame Xihe for offending his disciples.”
The three thousand Purple Heaven Palace guests looked up to see Xihe standing barefoot on the Twelve-petaled Pure World White Lotus, her thin red dress fluttering fiercely in the wind.
Her Daluo cultivation transformed into a Taiyin phenomenon. Her red lips moved slightly: “Dharma Form, emerge!”
A goddess statue stood towering between heaven and earth. With one palm descending, Jieyin and Zhunti both spat blood, defeated and sent flying far away.
Xihe knew the two had already entered the Dao Ancestor’s school and must not cross the line, so she did not pursue them.
Seeing this goddess Dharma Form, the living beings of the Western World knelt and kowtowed one after another.
Xihe’s eyes flickered, and her expression turned solemn.
“Heavenly Dao above, Taiyin Xihe questions today upon Lingshan. I, pitying the severed Spiritual Veins of the West and the difficulty of cultivation for its beings, have preached in the West for three thousand years without harming any living being. Has this journey harmed heaven and earth? Has Xihe committed any fault?”
The sky trembled, and a golden light pillar descended.
Nuwa cultivated Merit, and now, even across space, she was shocked: “It’s Heavenly Dao Merit!”
What was even more astonishing followed. Xihe respectfully said: “Xihe’s sermon in the West comes entirely from my own heart. I seek no reward from the Heavenly Dao, only that the Heavenly Dao witness Xihe’s original intent. Permit the Palace of Ultimate Bliss to be passed down in the West. All Merit shall be bestowed upon the Western Ultimate Bliss!”
The Heavenly Dao trembled again. This time, even more Merit descended, but it was not given to Xihe. Instead, it dispersed into many streams, falling into each of Xihe’s divine statues.
Xihe smiled, genuinely happy.
Merit could indeed lead to Sainthood, but it would also bind one to the Heavenly Dao. By not taking the Merit for herself, she had broken the notion that the West belonged solely to the Buddhist Sect. From now on, it would be difficult for Jieyin and Zhunti to achieve Sainthood.
When the phenomenon faded, Xihe happily tore through space. It was time to return.
The System began to announce.
[Congratulations, host, for completing the task of sweeping through the West with style. Rewards distributed.]
[Congratulations, host, for completing the Purple Heaven Palace style task. Additional rewards: Primordial Spiritual Treasure Water Spirit Pearl, Primordial Spiritual Treasure Western Cloud Realm Plain-colored Banner, 10 Primordial Ren Water Peaches.]
Seeing this long list of rewards, Xihe’s joy lasted only a moment before she quickly restrained herself.
So everyone at Purple Heaven Palace had seen her attack Jieyin and Zhunti…
This was bad. Hongjun was about to merge with the Dao, yet he couldn’t calculate everything she had done. He must be increasingly irritated by her as a variable—would he resort to bullying the weak?
After a moment’s thought, she shook her head. The Witch-Demon Tribulation had just begun, so he probably wouldn’t have time to deal with her for now. Tsk, if only the System could let her keep a lower profile…
Hurrying back to Taiyin Star, Xihe gave the Twelve-Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus to Changxi. Immediately, Changxi’s origin grew, and the Moon Cassia Tree slowly recovered.
Retrieving the Heaven-Suppressing Coffin that had been suppressing Changxi’s origin, Xihe affectionately kissed the little white rabbit.
Just as she was about to enter seclusion, a visitor arrived at Taiyin Star.
It turned out to be the Golden Crow Dijun, bringing the severely injured Taiyi to her door.
“Fellow Daoist Xihe, on our way back to Taiyang Star, we were ambushed by the Witch Clan. Taiyi was struck by the Drowning Water of the Ancestral Witch Gonggong. I cannot resolve this Dao technique, so I implore you to help save him. I am willing to offer a Fusang Branch as compensation!”
Fire and water are incompatible. The Golden Crow’s nature clashed with Gonggong’s water-based rules, so naturally, Dijun couldn’t resolve it.
She, as Taiyin, though not cultivating water-based rules, was inherently attuned to them.
Glancing at Dijun’s somewhat unnatural expression, Xihe refrained from kicking him while he was down. Accepting the Fusang Branch, she began circulating Taiyin Power to expel the Drowning Water from Taiyi’s body.
Seeing this, Dijun breathed a sigh of relief. Xihe’s returning good for evil made him feel utterly ashamed—the hostility between them had originally been stirred up by his younger brother’s arrogance.
His gaze toward Xihe softened, and he sat to the side, guarding them both.
Taiyin and Taiyang inherently attracted each other, and the Path of Yin and Yang was highly compatible. As Xihe’s magic power flowed into Taiyi’s body, he let out a comfortable moan. Dijun’s face flushed red, then darkened, glaring fiercely at his embarrassing younger brother.
Once all the Drowning Water was expelled, Xihe collected it into a jade vial. When she regained her focus, she saw Taiyi staring at her with intense fervor.
“Let’s dual cultivate!”
Dijun slapped him: “Taiyi!”
“Brother, why did you hit me? She’s been spreading the Path of Yin and Yang everywhere anyway. Our Daos are compatible—dual cultivation would allow us to reach Quasi-Saint rapidly. The Witch Clan bullied us; don’t you want revenge, brother?”
Seeing Dijun hesitate, Taiyi pressed on: “Or how about you join us, brother? It’s just pursuing the Dao—I don’t mind.”
Xihe stared woodenly at the two brothers: “Stop fantasizing. Although I propagate the Western Path of Ultimate Bliss, I myself do not cultivate the Path of Yin and Yang. The reason I saved you is, first, the compensation was suitable, and second, I wanted to resolve our previous karma.”
“If you hadn’t looked down on my sister that first day we met, I wouldn’t have spoken harshly either. In any case, we were all born from Pan Gu’s Eyes. Consider this rescue as settling our ill fate. How about it?”
Dijun immediately bowed: “That is only fitting. The fault was ours before. I hope Fellow Daoist will not hold it in your heart. We must return to Taiyang Star to deal with matters concerning the Witch Clan. We will trouble you again when we have time.”
Taiyi tried to bring up dual cultivation again but was silenced by Dijun’s fierce glare.
They left Taiyin Star, looking back every few steps.
At the edge of the formation, Xihe sighed. It was always better to have fewer enemies; she had no desire to oppose the entire Primordial World.
Just as she was about to return and rest, someone leaned against the gate: “You actually saved your enemies? Did you take a fancy to those two ruffians?”
“Tongtian! What are you doing here?”
“What, those two ruffians can come, but I can’t?”
His words carried an inexplicable anger. Unwilling to provoke another enemy, Xihe had no desire to engage. She lifted her foot to enter the formation, intending to shut him out.
Yet Tongtian forcibly squeezed in right next to her, making himself at home as he strolled around her territory.
“Oh, this palace is entirely silver-white and quite beautiful indeed. Fitting for a little rabbit—everything here is white everywhere. Is your true form also white fur with red eyes? Why not transform into your original form and let me see how you differ from your sister?”