"You are, by any chance, a disciple of the Great Sage Sun?"
"Please, come in."
"A rare visitor, a rare visitor indeed! My humble, barren abode of a Daoist temple finally welcomes its first esteemed guest since the heavens and earth were created. I wonder if you are here for my wayward disciple, Qingfeng?"
"Alas, speaking of this matter, I am truly ashamed. I am usually negligent in my discipline, resulting in these disciples being more untamable than the last."
"But this time, by heaven and earth, by the sun and moon, I truly did not order Qingfeng to cause trouble for the Western Teachings' second trial of the Journey to the West. It was his own decision. Perhaps, let me deal with him?"
"Once this is settled, I will certainly discipline him strictly, and such a situation will not arise again. Please rest assured, Great Sage Sun!"
Zhen Yuanzi was truly a cunning old fox.
He knew that if he didn't speak up to explain and appease Sun Kong's anger, given Sun Kong's fiery temper, it was highly probable that not only would Qingfeng die.
Furthermore, Wuzhuang Temple would also be marked by Sun Kong for retaliation.
Even as the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, a peak quasi-saint, he dared not provoke Sun Kong, this fearless Great Sage Sun who feared nothing and dared to court death with anyone.
Thus.
Before Sun Kong's monkey hair clone could even mention the specific reason, Zhen Yuanzi directly admitted that Qingfeng was Liu Hong, and Liu Hong was Qingfeng.
However, regarding Qingfeng's audacity in colluding with demons and the Heavenly Emperor of the Jade Heaven to attack the Human Sect, the Chan Sect, Spirit Mountain, and the New Flower-Fruit Mountain,
He vehemently denied it.
In his explanation, it was as if Qingfeng was sent by him to cooperate with Sun Kong and his group, and should not have been so rebellious. It was all the fault of the demons' new Six-Eared Macaque and the Heavenly Emperor of the Jade Heaven who brainwashed him.
At this moment.
Before Sun Kong's monkey hair clone had even stated what needed to be done next to satisfy him, Zhen Yuanzi had already taken the initiative to propose various compensation measures!
"First, I will immediately take the Great Sage Sun's clone to Wanhua Inn and personally deal with my unworthy disciple Qingfeng."
"I will certainly not disappoint you."
"Second, the Book of Earth was indeed stolen by him stealthily. I was completely unaware. If anyone was injured this time, I will compensate them with the broth of the Ginseng Fruit afterward."
"Although it is only broth, its effects are astonishing, several times more potent than immortal peaches."
"Third, after this incident, the Wuzhuang Temple lineage will never easily get involved in the karma of the Journey to the West. If this is violated, please let the Great Sage Sun punish us as he sees fit. I and my disciples will have no complaints."
"But if I can quell this dispute later, I implore the Great Sage Sun to consider that we are all fellow Daoists and not pursue the matter further, lest our two families fall out."
Zhen Yuanzi's few words were quite humane, causing Sun Kong's monkey hair clone and his main body to secretly commend him for being sensible after hearing them.
Seeing that Wuzhuang Temple had made such a statement, Sun Kong found it difficult to escalate further and force all the people of Wuzhuang Temple and Zhen Yuanzi to their deaths.
He could only proceed with the next step according to this plan for now.
This would not only save Zhen Yuanzi's face.
But also be considered a recompense to Wu Zhiqi, Guangchengzi, Zhou Wuxian, He Xiangu, Jin Chanzi, Feng'er Chen Guangrui, Huang'er Yin Wenjiao, and others who had suffered this calamity.
Thinking of this.
Sun Kong immediately, through his monkey hair clone, engaged in his first dialogue with Zhen Yuanzi after crossing over!
"Since Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi has said so, I, Old Sun, have no objections."
"However, Qingfeng is easy to handle. The crucial matter is how to prevent others from Wuzhuang Temple from causing trouble in the future and affecting the overall situation."
"Furthermore, I will send a monkey hair clone to accompany them and supervise. I believe Great Immortal Zhen Yuanzi will not be overly sensitive and will not object, right?"
As expected, seeing that Zhen Yuanzi, while appearing to apologize voluntarily, actually had ulterior motives and might not truly punish his own people, Sun Kong added a few more sentences without hesitation.
This statement clarified that he did not fully trust Zhen Yuanzi and had to send his own monkey hair clone as a third party.
It was a significant slap in the face to Zhen Yuanzi.
Unexpectedly.
Zhen Yuanzi's magnanimity and astuteness were truly extraordinary.
Despite being lectured by Sun Kong in such a manner, he could still laugh out loud. With one hand pressing down the dissatisfaction of his many disciples, he reached out with the other and sealed the deal with Sun Kong from afar.
The next second.
Sun Kong's monkey hair clone transformed into a strand of hair and attached itself to Zhen Yuanzi's sleeve.
And Zhen Yuanzi, being one of the nine quasi-saints and having lived through so many epochs, naturally possessed some skill. With a wave of his sleeve, he then sped towards Wanhua Inn.
Although this speed could not compare to Sun Kong's Chaotic Somersault Cloud, it was still more than ten times faster than the speed of ordinary immortals.
As the man and the monkey hair landed on the ground and arrived before the fiercely battling crowd, Sun Kong of the New Flower-Fruit Mountain felt a temporary sense of relief!
...
New Flower-Fruit Mountain.
At the summit, beneath the oldest and largest peach tree, Sun Kong sat cross-legged on a rock, continuing to silently cultivate and strengthen his power.
At the same time, because this incident involved Zhen Yuanzi and one of his favorite disciples, Qingfeng, he dared not truly doze off.
Instead, he allocated a tenth of his mind to monitor the situation at Wanhua Inn.
As expected.
Zhen Yuanzi indeed kept his word. Without Sun Kong's urging or any explanation from either side on the spot, he directly took action!
" 'Heaven and Earth Membrane, Source of Earthly Immortality, the Three Talents of Heaven and Man, for my use, return!' "
He uttered the "Return" mantra from the Book of Earth.
In less than a second.
The barrier of earth element power that had originally sealed Wu Zhiqi, Guangchengzi, He Xiangu, Jin Chanzi, Huang'er Yin Wenjiao, and others, dissipated.
The Book of Earth, like a child seeing its parents, returned to Zhen Yuanzi's sleeve.
Deep and unseen.
Upon witnessing this scene, both sides engaged in battle were startled.
The difference was:
Wu Zhiqi and others thought of Sun Kong's help, and their respect and admiration for him grew.
As for Qingfeng's side, apart from him seeing Zhen Yuanzi appear and kneeling in terror, the Rose Dragon King, the Golden Carp Demon, and the thousands of aquatic soldiers,
Were still unwilling to yield.
They still wanted to press forward.
But at this moment, with the Book of Earth no longer restraining them, Wu Zhiqi and the others unleashed their full power without holding back, and decisively re-engaged in battle with the Rose Dragon King and his forces.
The scales of victory thus tipped, little by little, towards Wu Zhiqi and his group.
Seeing this.
The demon servant who had been intercepting Zhou Wuxian in the west, thousands of miles away, was shocked.
He felt a pang of unease.
On Qingfeng's side, it seemed he had not suffered any substantial punishment. He was merely sealed in his cultivation, confined, and was about to be taken back by Zhen Yuanzi to reflect on his actions.
Yet, unexpectedly.
His actions displeased all three parties present.
The Rose Dragon King and the demon servant naturally did not want to lose Qingfeng, a powerful ally.
They were still trying to sway Zhen Yuanzi.
Wu Zhiqi and the others, however, were overjoyed.
Only Sun Kong, seeing that Zhen Yuanzi was indeed lenient, and despite promising severe punishment for Qingfeng, ended up handling it so casually and cheaply.
Instantly, he was displeased!