"If you cannot give me a sufficient reason, brother, I cannot risk the entire Western Sect in a bet with you!"
Saint Zhunti did not even lift his eyelids as he replied, "Even if I wish to gamble, does my brother have no faith in me?"
"No way!" Saint Jiang Ziya shook his head, "Unless you can give me a sufficient reason!"
Saint Zhunti sighed lightly and looked at Saint Jiang Ziya, "What if I say, forming this good cause now may well be the key to the flourishing of the Western Sect in the future?"
"You mean to say, the rise or fall of our Western Sect rests solely upon this Yu Yuan?" Saint Jiang Ziya asked incredulously while frowning at Saint Zhunti, "Where does this assertion come from, brother?"
Saint Zhunti smiled faintly, offering no explanation, and only said, "At this moment, it is just a bit of speculation on my part that is yet to be confirmed, but I feel it is very much worth a shot."
Saint Jiang Ziya's expression turned somewhat somber, "Brother, no matter what, the Western Sect is our shared commitment. Your decision could bring catastrophe upon us, it is only proper that you inform me in advance."
Saint Zhunti smiled and replied, "You speak sense, brother, indeed this was an oversight on my part. However, you need not worry, soon Heavenly Master Tongtian shall likely come knocking, and by then I will leave the Pure Land with Yu Yuan.
If I lose this gamble, all you need to do, brother, is to pretend you never knew about it."
Having said this, Saint Zhunti stood up, "Xi Qi has already begun its campaign against Shang, it is time for you, brother, to make preparations."
Saint Jiang Ziya stared at him intently and after a short pause, slowly stood up with a worried look still flickering in his eyes, "Be cautious in everything, brother!"
Saint Zhunti looked back at him deeply, "Rest assured, brother."
With a light sigh, Saint Jiang Ziya's figure slowly faded away and disappeared.
Meanwhile, Yu Yuan, guided by the child, also arrived at a palace filled with Western elegance and charm.
The room was empty except for a soft cushion in the very center.
Yu Yuan sat cross-legged on it, finding the comfort quite satisfactory.
Reflecting on his recent conversation with Saint Zhunti, he could not decipher the Saint's intentions and decided to stop pondering over it.
For him, the most important thing now was to preserve his life from Heavenly Master Tongtian's pursuit.
Then, it was to find a way to suppress the evil corpse within Heavenly Master Tongtian's body, so he could return to his normal state.
Apart from that, his goal was to attain enlightenment and become a Saint as soon as possible.
Moreover, his original plan had to be completely overturned.
Initially, he was worried about Tongtian being overwhelmed by the impending calamity, thinking regardless of the path taken, to become a Saint first was the priority.
However, during Tongtian's misadventure in search of Zixiao Palace where he consumed the Fallen Saint Pill, which allowed an evil corpse to take over his body, warning bells rang loud in Yu Yuan's mind.
Without a doubt, if Heavenly Master Tongtian had turned into this state, Hong Jun Taoist Ancestor, who embodies Heavenly Dao, could not be absolved of suspicion.
From the moment the decree was issued, defaming him as an outer realm demon, it seemed as if a great hand was behind the scenes, manipulating everything, leading the various Saints to emerge from their Daoist abodes and participate in the great calamity, whether willingly or under coercion.
Though his purpose remains unknown, one thing is sure—Saints like Heavenly Master Tongtian, who possess the Merit of Heavenly Dao, cannot stir any significant trouble before him!
With this in mind, Yu Yuan did not hesitate to abandon any shortcuts, that is, the path of Merit to Saint.
His current enemy was no longer just Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Taiching Saint, but Hong Jun Taoist Ancestor, who issued the decree to claim his life, was his greatest foe!
Thus, both paths to Sainthood, Merit to Saint and Cutting Three Corpses, could be forsaken.
Now, the only paths to Sainthood before him were Law Saint and achieving it through sheer power.
However, both of these are incredibly difficult and completely elusive.
The Law Saint path was relatively understandable.
It is said that once one fully comprehends three thousand Daoist Laws, one can become a Saint and stand equal to Heavenly Dao.
The problem is that many powerful beings have spent countless years only to grasp a superficial understanding of the laws, and finding enlightenment of even a single Dao is extremely challenging, let alone mastering three thousand Dao Laws.
It's practically an impossible task.
Even Yu Yuan's practice of the Great Dream Heart Sutra, which allows him to multiply and enlighten in dreams, seems of no critical importance.
Yet however daunting the path to Law Saint might be, at least there is a direction; the path of achieving Sainthood through power, however, really has no clues at all.
The method of achieving Sainthood through power is a pioneering path set by Pangu God.
Simply put, by becoming supremely powerful, enough to overpower all Dao, one can be successful on the path to Sainthood and become a supreme being above the three thousand Dao, known only in legends as the Great Dao Saint.
It is said that Pangu God's creation of Heaven and Earth was to suppress all Dao, and as a result, he was besieged by legions of Dao Demons.
After a fierce and brutal battle, Pangu God vanquished most of these Dao Demons but ultimately fell, his flesh transforming into Primordial Heaven and Earth—constellations and all beings—with his Primordial Spirit becoming The Three Pure Ones.
Yu Yuan's information extended only to this point.
In his view, the path of achieving Sainthood through power was even more preposterous than that of Law Saint.
If the latter has a semblance of a chance, the former is pure fantasy.
After all, even Pangu God had failed!