Chapter 1445: 518: Expelling Maitreya
Chapter 1445: Chapter 518: Expelling Maitreya
In the Grand Hall, the Heavenly Emperor and the Saint faced each other directly.
The various Great Ability and Great Divine Power Holders watching the spectacle were about to lose their composure.
This scene at Ling Mountain seemed reasonable yet somewhat unreasonable to them.
What was reasonable was using counterattacks to turn the tables, capitalizing on opportunities, and bullying others with power — these were commonplace actions for Daoist Zhunti.
What was unreasonable was that Daoist Zhunti was now the ‘target’.
This kind of aggression towards Zhunti, who anciently claimed “this belongs to me by fate”, was indeed rare.
Li Ping’an had calculated the reactions of the two Saints from the Western Sect upon his arrival.
What if the Western Sect didn’t let him in, or directly shut the doors on him, or attacked him… etc.
But he hadn’t expected that among many possibilities, Zhunti would choose the most hypocritical, yet also the most favorable route for Li Ping’an.
— Zhunti opened the grand array of Ling Mountain, letting him in without closing it, leaving it completely unguarded.
If Zhunti now chose to close the array, or use the Saint’s Dao Charm to block others from probing, it would only result in ridicule, giving others the impression that Saint Zhunti was at a loss.
The current situation in the Grand Hall was that Li Ping’an had made a move, but Zhunti had yet to respond.
Expelling Maitreya.
If Zhunti agreed to this, the malicious demons depending on the Western Sect would inevitably have second thoughts, and the morale of the Western Sect would greatly diminish.
The Heavenly Emperor forced the two Saints of the Western Sect to sever ties with their great disciple, as if slapping both Saints directly in the face.
However, if Zhunti defended Maitreya, it would also present significant problems.
It was long established that Maitreya had previously allied with Kunpeng.
The crimes perpetrated by Calamity Venerable were excused as a distorted mindset and straying off the path, with no connection to the sect, and since Calamity Venerable was dead, the matter dissipated.
At that time, Kunpeng intended to destroy heaven and earth, eradicating all living beings’ physical forms, and Maitreya shared in these crimes, making him equally guilty as Kunpeng.
This was almost on par with the crimes of Luohou from the end of the ancient era, which were considered ‘just’ by the standards of the Vast Wilderness Heaven and Earth from antiquity.
The Western Sect’s future official actions would inevitably be restrained.
Zhunti slightly smiled and said softly, “The Maitreya Your Majesty speaks of, perhaps is not a disciple of our Western Sect.”
“Maitreya, a nephew disciple, is not a disciple of the Western Sect?”
Li Ping’an smiled awkwardly:
“Such a statement is truly unheard of and unseen.”
“This matter can be verified by the Heavenly Dao.”
Zhunti calmly explained:
“In ancient times, Maitreya and Calamity had a conflict leading to a major battle. My senior brother only scolded Maitreya a few times, and Maitreya then fled far away and never returned. Thus, whether Maitreya counts as a disciple of our Western Sect now is debatable.”
Li Ping’an’s mind stirred.
Zhunti deliberately mentioned Calamity Venerable as a bait in his words.
If Li Ping’an were to shift to accusing Calamity Venerable, the matter of Maitreya would be downplayed; while Calamity Venerable’s crimes were abundant, seeming easier to grasp, the nature of the issue would change.
Thus, Li Ping’an quickly made a decision…
Stay unwavering like the green mountain!
He immediately said: “Since the two Junior Brothers did not expel Maitreya, and it was Maitreya himself who left, how can Maitreya not be considered a disciple of the Western Sect? The crimes of Maitreya are not something the two Junior Brothers can bear, so heed an elder’s advice and take decisive action.”
Daoist Zhunti’s nostrils flared as he continued, “If the crime of a long-absent disciple must be borne by the teacher, then since Your Majesty formally took a Transcender from the Outer Realm Great Demon as a master, are you also responsible for the crime of endangering earth and sky in the future?”
No counterargument.
Li Ping’an said directly, “If the two Junior Brothers do not expel Maitreya, how can it be proved that Maitreya’s actions were not under the guidance of the two Junior Brothers? Today, Junior Brothers only need to issue a Saint’s decree severing ties with Maitreya and order the Western Sect’s disciples to capture Maitreya; this will ensure the innocence of the two Junior Brothers.”
Zhunti said: “Is Your Majesty teaching a Saint how to behave?”
“This is just a suggestion from an elder brother to the two Junior Brothers.”
Li Ping’an smiled:
“Of course, the two Junior Brothers may also choose not to accept this suggestion.
“Then I will turn and leave at this moment, and never bother the Western Sect again. The Heavenly Court will list the Western Sect as a great harm to the world, and the entire Western Sect will share the guilt with Maitreya.
“Harboring is the same crime; this is the revised version of the Heavenly Rule Article 1002, amended two hundred years ago.”
Zhunti sighed: “I thought that upon becoming the Heavenly Emperor, a Dao friend might progress, but I didn’t expect such a narrow perspective and shallow outlook.”
Li Ping’an reminded: “Junior Brother doesn’t need to digress; just answer me directly — will the Western Sect expel Maitreya today? If so, issue a decree for pursuit; if not, the Western Sect stands as a co-conspirator with Maitreya!”
“Was Your Majesty premeditating today’s attack for quite some time?”
Zhunti laughed:
“Is it because the return of the Six Saints made Your Majesty feel his dignity undermined, thus seeking to suppress a Saint here and assert the Heavenly Emperor’s authority?”
Li Ping’an no longer answered, merely staring intently.
Zhunti’s surroundings emanated the Saint’s Dao Charm, his expression gradually becoming indifferent. He intended to subdue Li Ping’an directly with the Saint’s oppressive power.
He took action first.
Inside the Holy Mother Palace, Nüwa immediately wanted to throw the Red Embroidered Ball to protect Li Ping’an, but as soon as she started to move, she suddenly discovered…
Li Ping’an was unharmed.
Although the aura around Li Ping’an was pushed back into his body by Zhunti’s Saint Dao Charm, his Dao Body remained entirely unmoved, and the flow of his internal energy showed no signs of stagnation.
In fact, the Dao Body of Li Ping’an had three Great Daos activated simultaneously by the Saint’s oppressive power.
To Nüwa, this seemed very strange.
Li Ping’an’s Dao Body appeared to have ‘independent’ Great Daos?
These three Great Daos were not controlled by Li Ping’an’s Primordial Spirit, but his Dao Body had direct control, much akin to the form of the Ancestral Witch.