Jieyin and Zhunti leaped up upon hearing this. "Taishang, do not spout nonsense. This Duobao rat is merely weak and has fainted. He is fated to be with us in the West, how could we have harmed him?"
Taishang sneered and coldly looked at Jieyin and Zhunti. "I say Duobao is heavily injured, and he is heavily injured. Would I still deceive you two fellow Daoists!"
After speaking, Taishang glanced at the Eight Treasures Merit Pool. With lightning speed, he formed a sword finger with one hand and struck towards the Eight Treasures Merit Pool!
A streak of sword energy burst forth from Taishang's sword finger, heading straight for the Eight Treasures Merit Pool. Upon receiving this blow, the Eight Treasures Merit Pool was immediately split in two. Taishang quickly took half of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool away and then slowly said:
"This half of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool will serve as the healing item for Duobao, gifted by you two fellow Daoists!"
Jieyin, seeing his treasure of origin being snatched away by half by Taishang, gnashed his teeth and exclaimed, "Taishang, I will fight you to the death!"
As Jieyin was about to make a move, Houtu frowned and shouted, "Jieyin, have you thought this through clearly?"
Houtu and Nuwa glanced at Taishang, inwardly lamenting. It was clear to anyone with eyes that Duobao was fine, yet Taishang had snatched away their treasure of origin. How truly cunning!
Having secured half of the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, Taishang did not linger. He said to Tongtian, "Third Brother, Ma Yuan is crippled. Let's go!"
Tongtian had not expected his elder brother to act so swiftly. He chuckled and said, "As Big Brother commands!"
After speaking, Tongtian hugged Duobao and looked at the assembled saints. "Fellow Daoists, my brother and I shall take our leave first!"
With that, Tongtian followed Taishang, carrying Duobao.
The others, seeing this, also spoke, "Fellow Daoists Jieyin and Zhunti, we shall depart as well!"
Below Mount Sumeru, Taishang administered a drop of Three-Light Divine Water to Duobao, and Duobao slowly woke up.
Taishang took out the half Eight Treasures Merit Pool and handed it to Duobao. "Duobao, this Eight Treasures Merit Pool is the object that nurtured Jieyin. It will be of great benefit to you. Take good care of it!"
Tongtian's smile reached the back of his head as he grinned at Taishang. "Big Brother is truly amazing! I've been coveting this Eight Treasures Merit Pool for a long time. Big Brother should have just snatched it all away, instead of only taking half!"
"The Eight Treasures Merit Pool is Jieyin's foundation. If I only take half, Jieyin can restore it with some effort. If I took it all, Jieyin would fight me to the death!"
Tongtian nonchalantly replied, "So what if he fights to the death? Are we afraid of him?"
Taishang looked at Tongtian. "You are a master of formations, how did you get trapped by Jieyin and Zhunti's formation?"
Tongtian scratched his head awkwardly. "Big Brother, Duobao was beside me, so I couldn't use my full strength. Next time, I'll show you how I break their rotten formation!" Su Dan Novel Network.
Taishang had also witnessed the Bodhi White Lotus Formation. Hearing Tongtian's words, he immediately shook his head. "I've seen that formation as well. It gives me a feeling of being naturally formed, capable of merging Jieyin and Zhunti's powers into one. We cannot be careless!"
Duobao looked at the half spring in his hand, incredulously realizing that in just a moment of unconsciousness, he had acquired half of a saintly treasure!
Duobao carefully put away the Eight Treasures Merit Pool and suddenly remembered the purpose of their trip. "Right, Eldest Martial Uncle, how is Ma Yuan?"
Taishang looked at Duobao. "Ma Yuan has been crippled by me. I have also extracted his intelligence. He is now nothing more than a beast with good potential!"
Upon hearing this, Duobao realized that nearly a saintly war had erupted because of Ma Yuan, and in the end, he could not escape punishment.
Seeing Taishang and Tongtian's attitude towards Ma Yuan, Duobao's trace of guilt towards him vanished.
Taishang sensed Duobao's change and, seeing that Duobao had achieved clarity of mind, nodded with satisfaction.
Just then, a voice suddenly came from afar:
"Sect Leader, wait for us!"
Taishang turned around and saw Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun. He immediately said, "This time, thank you both Hall Masters for coming to our aid!"
Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun chuckled. "Sect Leader Taishang is too kind. It is our duty, our duty!"
Hongyun looked at Taishang and burst into laughter. "Sect Leader left so quickly, he didn't see how heartbroken Jieyin was! I suspect he'll run out to chase after you, it's hilarious!"
On Mount Sumeru, after all the saints had left, Jieyin looked at the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, which was now only half, and was heartbroken. This was his treasure of origin. Zhunti looked at the fainted Ma Yuan on the ground. "It's all this scoundrel's fault, causing my senior brother's treasure to be damaged. I shall kill him now!"
As Zhunti spoke, he raised his hand to strike Ma Yuan. Ksitigarbha and Medicine King trembled nearby, afraid to speak, lest they incur Zhunti's wrath!
Jieyin, unable to continue lamenting his Eight Treasures Merit Pool, glanced at Ksitigarbha and Medicine King beside him and quickly stopped Zhunti.
"Junior Brother, you must not. Since Ma Yuan has joined our sect, he is also a member of the Western Teachings. Taishang's bullying is excessive, there is no need to take your anger out on him!"
After speaking, Jieyin let Randeng, Ksitigarbha, and Medicine King leave.
Zhunti saw the three depart and immediately said, "Senior Brother, why are you stopping me? This beast is already ruined, what use is there in keeping him!"
Jieyin shook his head and said earnestly, "Junior Brother, Ksitigarbha, Medicine King, and Randeng were all present. How could you speak such rash words! Although Ma Yuan is now useless, he is still your disciple. The Three Pure Ones can nurture a group of damp-born and egg-born creatures on Mount Kunlun, so why can't we on Mount Sumeru nurture Ma Yuan? Moreover, his potential is still there, he is not entirely without merit! Leaving him on Mount Sumeru to fend for himself will prevent the disciples from becoming disheartened. If he can transform again, he would still be a good disciple!"
Zhunti nodded grimly. Then, he looked at Jieyin with concern. "But Senior Brother, your Eight Treasures Merit Pool..."
Jieyin shook his head. "Do not worry. Although it is only half, we can restore it with some effort. Fortunately, the golden lotus is still there!"
Zhunti snorted coldly. "Taishang has gone too far. If there is an opportunity in the future, I will also destroy his Tai Chi Diagram to avenge you, Senior Brother!"
Jieyin shook his head. The Eight Treasures Merit Pool held extraordinary significance for him. If not for the arrival of all the saints from Kunlun, he would have debated with Taishang to settle the score!
"Junior Brother, this battle was not without its gains. Our Bodhi White Lotus Formation still has many shortcomings, and we should study it further!"
Zhunti nodded and waved his hand, sending the half-dead Ma Yuan outside the Mount Sumeru Palace.
Outside the Mount Sumeru Palace, Randeng looked at Jieyin and Zhunti, who had been bullied into submission by Tongtian and Taishang, and sighed inwardly, wondering if coming to Mount Sumeru had been the right decision.
Ksitigarbha and Medicine King also looked thoughtful. If they made mistakes in the future, would they be the next Ma Yuan?