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*****
"Whoosh!"
The moment he broke free, Shen Gongbao lashed out with his lightning whip, attempting to snatch the Divine Pen right out of George's hand.
Having weathered all manner of darkness and schemes, he was not as naive as his foolish senior brother, Taiyi. He would never blindly trust a cultivator of unknown origin. His plan was to secure the Divine Pen first, take Ao Bing, and escape the Mountain and River Diagram. He needed to hold the initiative in his own hands.
However, just as his lightning whip was about to make contact, George's figure flickered and vanished from the spot.
"I know a thing or two about teleportation techniques. So, Fellow Daoist Shen, please refrain from trying to snatch it. Otherwise, I will simply return this Divine Pen directly to the Perfected One."
George reappeared in mid-air and slowly descended. He knew Shen Gongbao wouldn't listen to reason easily, so he had long since prepared for this.
In terms of raw power, even without drawing upon his own world, George was stronger than any of the four present. In terms of methods—spanning different worlds and laws, various systems of magic and Daoist arts—he knew far too many to fear being countered. Thus, even if Shen Gongbao, Taiyi, Nezha, and Ao Bing were to join forces against him right now, he was confident he could handle it.
This confidence was the very foundation of his willingness to act as a mediator.
"Fine, fine... How do you propose we talk?"
Seeing that George possessed teleportation skills, Shen Gongbao realized that snatching the Divine Pen by force would be incredibly difficult, especially with Taiyi and Nezha eyeing him like tigers nearby. He sensibly desisted from further testing and sat down cross-legged.
George's strength was not inferior to theirs. If Shen Gongbao pushed him to Taiyi's side, he and Ao Bing could forget about ever leaving the Mountain and River Diagram.
Seeing Shen Gongbao sit, Ao Bing followed suit. Taiyi breathed a sigh of relief and sat down as well. Nezha didn't want to sit, but Taiyi pressed his head down, forcing him to sit alongside them.
"First, we must clarify one thing: the swap of the Spirit Pearl and the Demon Pill is already an established fact. Regardless of whether this is reported to the Heavenly Lord later, that result will not change."
George sat before the four and looked at Taiyi Zhenren. "So, the most important issue right now isn't exposing this matter, but finding a way to help Nezha survive the Heavenly Tribulation first, correct?"
Taiyi Zhenren nodded upon hearing this. "As long as we can help Nezha survive the Heavenly Tribulation, I won't pursue the past events."
He felt that although his junior brother Shen Gongbao had gone astray, his nature wasn't inherently evil. Taiyi was still willing to give Shen Gongbao a chance to turn over a new leaf.
Seeing no objection from Taiyi Zhenren, George looked at Nezha.
Nezha tossed his head defiantly. "Little Master here doesn't care about some Spirit Pearl. If I want to be a demon, I'll be a demon; if I want to be an immortal, I'll be an immortal. If he wants it, just give it to him."
Ao Bing was his only friend. Nezha knew that Ao Bing was kind by nature and had been forced into this situation out of helplessness.
With Taiyi Zhenren and Nezha settled, George turned his head to look at Shen Gongbao and Ao Bing.
"Nezha has been treated as a monster for years and is about to die from the Heavenly Tribulation strike. This is all because you switched the Demon Pill and the Spirit Pearl, correct?"
"I let Nezha down. I owe him a life!" Ao Bing lowered his head, his face full of guilt.
Shen Gongbao, however, remained expressionless; he wouldn't be shaken by a few mere sentences.
"You want to keep this from reaching the Heavenly Lord. That involves not just silencing all the people of Chentang Pass, but also silencing Taiyi Zhenren," George said, staring intently at Shen Gongbao. "But Taiyi Zhenren is one of the Heavenly Lord's most beloved disciples. If he were killed, the Heavenly Lord would inevitably investigate deeply."
"At that time, the Spirit Pearl that was supposed to be born in Li Jing's family turns out to be the Dragon King's third prince, Ao Bing, with you, Shen Gongbao, as his master. Do you think the Heavenly Lord wouldn't be suspicious? With the Heavenly Lord's power, he only needs to suspect and perform a simple divination, and the matter won't be hidden. Once the Heavenly Lord knows what you've done... well, I shouldn't need to describe the consequences."
George laid out the stakes clearly. After listening, Shen Gongbao's expression shifted uncertainly.
"If it is as you say, then even if we don't silence anyone, Master might still find out in the end."
"That is why you need the Perfected One's cooperation. As long as you help Nezha withstand the Heavenly Tribulation, the Perfected One can make up an excuse to play along. Both Ao Bing and Nezha can become immortals. If the victim doesn't pursue it, even if the Heavenly Lord calculates the truth, he likely won't delve further into it," George explained with clear logic.
The Spirit Pearl and the Demon Pill were roughly equal in power. If the Demon Pill could be controlled, the Chan Sect would gain another expert. Why would Yuanshi Tianzun refuse? Of course, the premise was that Taiyi Zhenren did not pursue the matter; otherwise, Yuanshi Tianzun couldn't pretend not to know.
"Master's Heavenly Tribulation Curse is not so easily withstood..."
Shen Gongbao didn't doubt that Taiyi would go back on his word afterward, because he understood Taiyi's character. Throughout the entire Chan Sect, this damn fatty Taiyi was the most simple and kind-hearted, and the only senior brother who didn't discriminate against his demon origins. He trusted Taiyi's integrity.
However, he was also deeply jealous of Taiyi.
In terms of effort, he worked much harder than Taiyi. In terms of cultivation base, he was higher than Taiyi. In terms of strength, he was stronger than Taiyi. Yet, simply because of his demon origin, he faced discrimination everywhere in the Chan Sect. He did countless dirty and tiring jobs for the sect but could never get promoted, and was barely granted a few immortal pills.
Meanwhile, this damn fatty Taiyi didn't work hard at cultivation, was gluttonous, sleepy, and a drunkard. Yet, because he was doted on by the Heavenly Lord, he ate immortal pills until he was sick of them and possessed a heap of magical treasures. Even the last position among the Twelve Golden Immortals was reserved for him by the Heavenly Lord.
"I have the Wanlong Armor bestowed by my Father King; it can help Nezha block the Heavenly Tribulation!" Ao Bing stood up immediately and said.
He didn't want to hurt the innocent people of Chentang Pass, nor his only friend Nezha. He also didn't want to disappoint his father or let the Dragon Clan continue to be trapped in purgatory. So, he truly hoped his master, Shen Gongbao, would agree.
"Even with your Wanlong Armor, you cannot stop Master's Heavenly Tribulation." Shen Gongbao shook his head.
Taiyi Zhenren took out a magical treasure emitting a seven-colored glow. "As long as we can withstand it for a period, even if the physical body is destroyed, I can use the Seven-Colored Precious Lotus gifted by Master to protect the soul. Then, I can use the immortal energy within the lotus to reconstruct their bodies."
Seeing the Seven-Colored Precious Lotus, Shen Gongbao was finally moved.
Looking at it this way, with the four of them working together, success was actually possible. At worst, he and Taiyi would lose significant cultivation, and Ao Bing and Nezha would have to reconstruct their bodies. But at least there would be no more conflict between the two sides, and no future trouble.
For the sake of his apprentice, losing some cultivation was fine; he could slowly cultivate it back later.
"I also know a bit of lightning magic and am willing to lend everyone a hand."
George sensed that Shen Gongbao was tempted, so he added more fuel to the fire.
For him, this was just a matter of lending a hand. If it worked, he would gain the friendship of Taiyi Zhenren—one of the future Twelve Golden Immortals—as well as the friendship of the future Great God of the Santan Haihui, the friendship of the future military leader of the Heavenly Court, Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King Li, the friendship of the three-sect socialite Shen Gongbao, and the friendship of the Dragon Clan.
If it didn't work, he could just dust off his hands and leave without losing anything.
(End of Chapter)