Chapter 72 Appeasement
"Don't change the subject..." Chang Hao was furious. What do you mean there's no chance to hear it a second time? You bastard, didn't you already cover everything in the last lesson?
“Master, Chang Hao has his own path, and cultivation is up to the individual. Since he is unwilling, why force him?” Yuanshi looked at the two suspiciously. Forcing someone to change their cultivation was absurd. He felt that his master would not do something so outrageous, and there must be a reason.
“What you say makes sense,” Hongjun said reasonably. “Since that’s the case, I won’t force you.”
A look of doubt appeared in Chang Hao's eyes. It was that simple? Then why did he go through all that trouble just now?
"Then I'll be going?" Chang Hao asked tentatively.
"No, you must stay in Zixiao Palace." Hongjun's expression suddenly changed, and his previous kindness vanished.
"Master, Yuanshi has the audacity to stay in Zixiao Palace to cultivate. Please give him some guidance." Yuanshi changed his mind immediately. Chang Hao couldn't leave Zixiao Palace, so what was the point of him going to Lishan alone?
Tongtian thought for a moment and chimed in, "Master, please take me in too. Kunlun is a peaceful place, but recently that immortal palace has been causing a great uproar in Kunlun. It is not a good place for cultivation."
"Third brother is right, Master cannot send people away." Laozi lowered his eyes and stared at the whisk, as if trying to count the number of whisks.
"I..." Nuwa and Jieyin and Zhunti spoke at the same time.
"Forget it, you have nowhere else to go? Don't keep me from having any peace and quiet." An impatience flashed in Hongjun's eyes.
Nuwa glanced at Chang Hao from afar, thinking, "Chang Hao, are you going to disappear just like that?"
Chang Hao keenly sensed Nuwa's gaze and shook his head almost imperceptibly at her. What use was there in keeping him here? She couldn't get him out of there anyway.
Nuwa was relieved, bowed, and resolutely turned to leave.
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, and could only leave reluctantly. The difference between a direct disciple and a nominal disciple was like heaven and earth.
The Purple Cloud Palace is hidden in the vast chaos; as long as Hongjun is determined, no one can find it.
"Chang Hao, how badly are you injured? Are you alright?" Tongtian, seeing that there were no outsiders present, lifted Chang Hao's arm to check and immediately gasped.
The winding wounds cut through flesh and bone, golden blood dripping down. The flesh and bone tried their best to heal, but the lingering aura on the wounds repeatedly tore the flesh and bone apart, like a slow, agonizing death, without end.
"Master, you went too far. You could even see Chang Hao's immortal bones. How much pain must that have caused?" Tongtian complained.
A barely perceptible look of doubt flashed in Hongjun's eyes. Does it hurt a lot? He raised his hand and touched the wound left by Chang Hao's sword. It was indeed a little numb.
Yuanshi dispelled the spiritual energy left by Hongjun from Chang Hao's wounds. He gently placed his hand on the wound, and as his palm slowly brushed over it, the flesh and bones healed. Apart from the blood-stained and torn sleeves and the slightly disheveled Taoist robe, no one could tell that a fierce battle had just taken place here.
Hongjun felt inexplicably disgusted by this scene. These were his children, whom Yuanshi cared about so much. He always felt that Yuanshi had ulterior motives. "Since the three of you want to stay, go to the Peach Forest to meditate and cultivate. I have some things to say to Chang Hao."
“There’s nothing you can’t say to anyone. Master can speak frankly with me. I can then mediate between you and Chang Hao to prevent you from getting into another fight.” Yuan Shi didn’t want to leave. Did his master want to send them away so he could take action against Chang Hao?
After the fight, Chang Hao had vented his anger and calmed down. "I've calmed down and there won't be any more fighting. You can all rest assured."
"While you're at it, check on Yaochi for me. I wonder if she's been frightened." Chang Hao offered everyone a way out, otherwise, how could the master and disciples, who had just announced their relationship to the prehistoric world, suddenly develop a grudge?
Besides, with the Three Pure Ones present, Hongjun is a respectable person and would never force him to change his cultivation in front of them. For a cultivator, not being able to find the Dao is like being a rootless duckweed, and forcing someone to change their cultivation is tantamount to destroying their foundation.
"Alright, whatever misunderstanding Master and Chang Hao have, it's best to clear it up. We're just getting in the way here." After a moment's thought, Laozi understood Chang Hao's meaning and went along with it, taking his two troublesome younger brothers with him.
Hongjun used the Jade Disc of Creation to create a realm that temporarily shielded the Heavenly Dao. After realizing that Chang Hao was not responding to force, he promptly changed his strategy.
"What do you want to say to me?" Seeing Hongjun's seriousness, Chang Hao also became extremely cautious. As long as his will was firm, no matter how eloquent Hongjun was, he could not sway him.
Hongjun sighed, "Chang Hao, my time is running out. Even if I want to protect you, it will be difficult."
"What do you mean your time is running out?" Chang Hao asked incredulously, wondering if he had misheard. "You are a saint, living as long as heaven and earth, shining as brightly as the sun and moon, with an immeasurable lifespan. Even if my Five Signs of Decay of Heaven and Man arrive, you will be fine."
“A thousand years from now, I will merge with the Dao. At that time, Hongjun will be the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao will not be Hongjun. Even if I can break free and attain the supreme Dao, I don’t know when or how long it will take. I will also be unable to interfere with the great trend of the prehistoric world. I can only follow the will of Heaven and go with the flow. Do you understand?” A sense of desolation appeared on Hongjun’s body.
"You are not a primordial being, why sacrifice yourself like this? Even if merging with the Dao can make your strength surpass your current level, it will be a loss that does not outweigh the gain. At that time, how will you be different from a puppet?" Chang Hao was somewhat hesitant. Hongjun was both a teacher and a friend to him, and merging with the Dao was tantamount to suicide in Chang Hao's eyes.
"Can't you go against the Dao?" Chang Hao asked hopefully.
“No, I fell for Luo Hou’s scheme. If there were another way, I wouldn’t have…” Hongjun shook his head. “The situation is what it is, I have no way out.” From the day Luo Hou framed him, he knew there was no way out, but he was just unwilling to accept it.
He originally intended to manipulate things after merging with the Dao, causing the Heavenly Dao, which was born from the Great Dao, to gradually collapse and drag the entire prehistoric world down with it, but in the end, he couldn't bear to part with the person he had raised by his side.
"What can I do for you?" Chang Hao asked, his eyes filled with confusion. Even though he often acted childishly in front of Hongjun, he knew subconsciously that Hongjun was very indulgent towards him.
“You just need to take care of yourself and not worry me,” Hongjun said, his tone unusually gentle. “Are you really not considering severing your three corpses? I know you are still bothered by Rahu’s existence, but I can assure you that Rahu was just an accident.”
Chang Hao was not unaware that Hongjun's words contained an element of using himself to gain sympathy, but what could Chang Hao say in the face of Hongjun who was wholeheartedly thinking of him?
Chang Hao hesitated, and his attitude became less forceful than before.
Hongjun noticed Chang Hao's wavering attitude, and a barely perceptible glint of secret joy flashed in his eyes. Just as he was about to press his advantage, the Heavenly Dao once again placed him under surveillance.
Hongjun found it troublesome. He hadn't expected the Heavenly Dao to pay so much attention to Chang Hao. This was troublesome. He wondered what fate awaited Chang Hao.
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