The crowd, hearing Taishang's frenzied laughter, felt no joy but rather a sense of desolation!
Taishang roared with maniacal laughter, repeatedly chanting, "The Great Daos clash, eternal enemies, the Sage is invincible!"
At the same time, everyone noticed that Taishang's face was already streaked with tears!
Upon hearing "The Great Daos clash," Yuan Shi and Tong Tian's heads buzzed. In an instant, they felt as if they had lost all their strength.
Seeing this, Qilin Chen and Tai Yi quickly supported Tong Tian and Yuan Shi, two dignified Sages, to prevent them from falling.
Qilin Chen and Tai Yi hastily asked,
"Master, Uncle-Master, what do their words mean? What is 'The Great Daos clash, eternal enemies, the Sage is invincible'?"
Zhen Yuanzi was also bewildered, not knowing what had befallen the Three Pure Ones.
Tong Tian and Yuan Shi ignored Qilin Chen and Tai Yi, their eyes fixed blankly ahead!
Tai Yi and Qilin Chen, receiving no answers from the Three Pure Ones, turned to Zhen Yuanzi, hoping he could enlighten them!
Seeing Qilin Chen and Tai Yi look at him, Zhen Yuanzi shook his head, indicating he also did not know!
Qilin Chen immediately burst into tears, crying,
"Master, don't frighten Chen'er. Father is gone, you are the only Master I have!"
Although Qilin Chen had only become Tong Tian's disciple, after the fall of Shi Qilin, Tong Tian had doted on this disciple immensely!
Tong Tian seemed not to hear Qilin Chen's voice. He slowly stood up and began to walk outside!
Yuan Shi did the same, standing up stiffly and slowly walking out of the Taiqing Palace!
The moment Taishang uttered "The Great Daos clash," Yuan Shi and Tong Tian knew what it signified!
They might not have known the specifics of what was happening to them, but after Taishang spoke, they found the meaning of that phrase within the Pangu legacy in their minds!
Zhen Yuanzi, Tai Yi, and Qilin Chen watched Yuan Shi and Tong Tian slowly walk out of the Taiqing Palace. The three wanted to speak but did not know what to say! The two brothers left the Taiqing Palace one after the other!
After Yuan Shi and Tong Tian exited the Taiqing Palace, they walked, one after the other, down Taiqing Peak!
At the foot of Taiqing Peak, many disciples had gathered, drawn by the loud noise from the peak. They wished to go up the mountain but were blocked by the formations laid by Tong Tian. Unable to ascend, they waited at the foot.
Upon seeing Tong Tian and Yuan Shi appear, the disciples quickly greeted them,
"Greetings, Master!"
However, Tong Tian and Yuan Shi seemed not to hear the disciples' voices, walking like soulless beings. The disciples exchanged glances and hastily made way for them.
After passing the disciples, Yuan Shi and Tong Tian parted ways. Yuan Shi headed towards his Yuqing Peak, while Tong Tian went towards Shangqing Peak.
Inside the Taiqing Palace, after Yuan Shi and Tong Tian's departure, Qilin Chen threw himself into Taishang's embrace, tearfully asking,
"Eldest Uncle-Master! What happened to Master and Second Uncle-Master!"
Taishang looked at Qilin Chen in his arms and said,
"Be good, Chen'er. Your Master and Second Uncle-Master are fine! Stop crying!"
As Taishang spoke, Qilin Chen cried even harder, saying,
"Master and they are ignoring me!"
Seeing that Taishang had finally returned to normal, Zhen Yuanzi asked,
"Fellow Daoist Taishang, what has happened to the other two?"
Taishang glanced at Zhen Yuanzi and asked,
"Fellow Daoist, have you ever heard of 'the Sage is invincible'?"
Zhen Yuanzi shook his head. Tai Yi then asked,
"Does it mean no one can defeat a Sage?"
Taishang shook his head, then nodded, and explained,
"'The Sage is invincible' does not mean a Sage cannot be defeated. No matter how strong a Sage is, they are not ultimately invincible. 'The Sage is invincible' means that on the Great Dao they cultivate, no one can surpass them!"
Qilin Chen, whimpering in Taishang's embrace, then asked,
"Eldest Uncle-Master, but why did Master and Second Uncle-Master become like this?"
Taishang looked at Qilin Chen, raised a hand to wipe the tears from his face, and sighed,
"Your Master and Second Uncle-Master have experienced a clash of their Great Daos."
Zhen Yuanzi asked,
"A clash of Great Daos? What is that?"
Taishang explained,
"A clash of Great Daos refers to a conflict within the Great Dao one cultivates. As one comprehends the Great Dao more deeply, the influence of the Great Dao becomes greater. It is like darkness and light, eternally opposed! Eternal enemies, with no possibility of reconciliation!"
"The Great Daos of my second and third brothers have clashed, thus they are destined to be rivals. That is why they could not accept it for a moment, leading to this..."
Upon hearing this, Zhen Yuanzi understood why Yuan Shi and Tong Tian had such expressions. Anyone would find it unbearable. If one day someone told him that Hong Yun was his mortal enemy and only one of them could live, it would be more agonizing than killing him. It was no wonder Yuan Shi and Tong Tian looked that way!
Zhen Yuanzi asked,
"Even water and fire can coexist, are there truly Great Daos that are completely opposed?"
Taishang took a deep breath and replied,
"Water and fire coexist because there is a transcendent force that neutralizes them, allowing water within fire and fire within water!"
Zhen Yuanzi, puzzled, asked,
"If that is the case, Fellow Daoist Taishang could have completely neutralized the clash of Great Daos between Yuan Shi and Tong Tian!"
Taishang shook his head and said,
"It's useless. Because the Sages are invincible, if they were not Sages, I might have a way. But now... alas!"
Tai Yi looked at Taishang and asked,
"Eldest Uncle-Master, is there no solution? Must Master and Uncle-Master Tong Tian remain enemies until one perishes?"
Taishang shook his head bitterly and said,
"This is unsolvable! The Great Daos clash, eternal enemies, the Sage is invincible!"
After Tong Tian and Yuan Shi parted at the foot of Taiqing Peak, all the disciples followed behind them. Tong Tian's disciples all followed him, taking a step when he took a step!
Similarly, the twelve disciples behind Yuan Shi followed him, taking a step when he did. They could all see that Yuan Shi was not in the right state, yet they dared not speak.
The crowd followed Yuan Shi and Tong Tian all the way to Yuqing Palace and Shangqing Palace. Only after Yuan Shi and Tong Tian entered their respective palaces did they dare to speak!
The disciples had felt too stifled following Yuan Shi and Tong Tian all the way. They only dared to speak after the gates of Yuqing Palace and Shangqing Palace were closed!
They were all discussing what had happened to their Masters!
After receiving their answers from Taishang, Qilin Chen and Tai Yi immediately returned to their respective peaks!
As Tai Yi arrived in front of Yuqing Palace, the disciples surrounded him and said,
"Senior Brother, please go and see Master!"
Tai Yi, being Yuan Shi's chief disciple, was addressed as Senior Brother by them.
Tai Yi nodded and said,
"I know. You all may disperse."
The situation was the same in front of Shangqing Palace. As soon as Qilin Chen arrived, the disciples surrounded him, saying,
"Eldest Senior Brother!"
Qilin Chen, his eyes still red, nodded to them and entered Shangqing Palace.