Until this moment, the seven immortals related to "Tiger" felt an urge to curse their ancestors and the Jade Emperor for his haphazard arrangements!
Not for any other reason.
It was because assigning them to be responsible for the fifth tribulation was too insulting, too much of a trap!
The strongest among the seven, Xue E Hu, the God of Depleted Fortune, barely reached the low-grade Taiyi Golden Immortal realm.
Sending him to face Chan Master Wu Chao, a cultivator at the Great Perfection of Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal, was no different from sending him to his death.
Perhaps he wouldn't even last ten moves.
Perhaps he would die in a single strike.
The others weren't even Taiyi Golden Immortals.
Even if they weren't facing Chan Master Wu Chao, but rather Wu Zhi Qi at the Great Perfection of Taiyi Golden Immortal, Zhou Wu Xian at the Great Perfection of Taiyi Golden Immortal, and the Seven Immortals of Chan Sect, also at Great Perfection.
It would still be a tough fight!
They had initially thought this would be an easy way to earn merit for the Journey to the West.
But they never expected.
What arrived were not ordinary individuals, but a pack of hungry wolves led by Chan Master Wu Chao!
In other words.
This job was absolutely impossible!
"Damn it, what's wrong with this Jade Emperor? Ever since he defected to the demon race, his brain has become increasingly sluggish. Seeing a powerful figure like Chan Master Wu Chao, who is close to a quasi-sage, being deployed, and then sending us to our deaths?"
"Exactly, exactly. And also the Eight Immortals of Chan Sect, and the second and third great kings of the new Flower Fruit Mountain."
"Why does this fifth tribulation feel more like a test for us?"
The seven gathered together, without the initial thought of potential competition amongst themselves. Instead, due to the overwhelming power of Chan Master Wu Chao and the others, they found it difficult to resist.
Each of them wore a troubled and embarrassed expression.
Then.
They began to discuss what to do next, one after another.
Should they "cool it" or...
"soften it"?
"Brothers, if you ask me, we have only two paths now: 'cool it' or 'soften it'."
"'Cooling it' needs no further explanation. The Jade Emperor has betrayed the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Way, making us cannon fodder. A prime example of suffering immense losses is the Dragon King of Qiangwei and the Dragon King of Jing River."
"Although we seven are said to be immortals on the Investiture of the Gods, under the Jade Emperor's jurisdiction, he has no legitimate reason to send us to our deaths."
"We are either disciples of the original Chan Sect, Ren Sect, or Jie Sect, and should follow the arrangements of our respective masters."
"If we truly don't want to fight, and cannot win, it's better to retreat. Return to our respective sects. I don't believe that a mere Jade Emperor would dare to provoke a Saint?"
"But if we are to 'soften it', it would be much more difficult. May I ask everyone, who has a connection with Chan Master Wu Chao, Golden Cicada, or the Great Sage Sun?"
"If the relationship is strong enough, we can have a good talk with them, each taking a step back, and it would be a win-win situation."
"But if not, then it's hard to say..."
While the others were silently weeping and complaining, the only two disciples of Chan Sect among the seven, Long Xu Hu, the Star of Nine Evils, and Xue E Hu, the God of Depleted Fortune, surprisingly maintained a degree of composure.
It was understandable. The former was one of Jiang Ziya's disciples, and the latter was one of the Eight Immortals of Chan Sect, a disciple of the Heavenly Venerable Daoxing.
Although the two were deified after their deaths and placed on the Investiture of the Gods, controlled by the Jade Emperor, deep down, they were very displeased with the Jade Emperor's betrayal of the Heavenly Way and the Dao Ancestor.
Therefore.
Where else would they want to see the Seven Immortals of Chan Sect and prioritize peace and resolve the fifth tribulation peacefully?
Upon hearing their words, the other five, who had been somewhat fearful and hesitant.
Zhu Zhao, the Star of Wei Huo Hu.
Yin Cheng Xiu, the White Tiger Star.
Wang Hu, the Moon Breaking Star.
Wang Hu, the Heavenly Sword Star.
And Lan Hu, the Earth Horn Star, and the other four.
Had to engage in deep thought.
The identities of the five were naturally different from Long Xu Hu and Xue E Hu. They were subordinates of Luo Xuan, a second-generation disciple of Jie Sect, or the sons of Yin Po Bai, a general of the Shang Dynasty.
Or they were ordinary registered disciples of Jie Sect.
None of them were core elites of Jie Sect or the Heavenly Court.
Therefore, before they came, they had eagerly wished to show loyalty to the Jade Emperor and the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning, and perform meritorious deeds. But at this moment, they had to start calculating their own interests!
After a few breaths.
The five expressed their stances one after another.
As expected.
They were almost unanimously in agreement.
"Cool it!"
And "soften it"!
Moreover.
These five were quite cunning, actually delegating this matter directly to Long Xu Hu and Xue E Hu!
This instantly made the two of them furious!
"Oh, my brothers, you five have quite the grand ideas. You want to 'cool it' and 'soften it', but do you know how to go about it?"
"Surely you're not suggesting that 'cooling it' means you return to the Heavenly Lord of Primordial Beginning, while we two go find Chan Master Wu Chao, the Great Sage Sun, and Golden Cicada to negotiate?"
"And 'softening it' means utilizing our connections with Chan Sect?"
"That's a clever thought, but unfortunately, we are only third-generation disciples in Chan Sect. Let alone figures like Yang Jian, Nezha, and Huang Tian Hua, we have no right to converse with Chan Master Wu Chao, or even our uncles."
"If you ask me, it's better if we disband ourselves, or simply commit suicide collectively, to avoid implicating our sects, and to avoid being hunted by the Jade Emperor. Wouldn't that be a good outcome?"
Seeing that these five only knew how to assign them to do the work while they reaped the rewards, Long Xu Hu and Xue E Hu exchanged glances.
Seeing the deep dissatisfaction and anger in each other's eyes.
They intentionally spoke sarcastically, which indeed made the five uncomfortable, and under duress, they could only subtly plead!
"Brother Long Xu Hu, Brother Xue E Hu, please don't mind us."
"Exactly, exactly. We are also helpless and dare not flee on our own, which is why we proposed this. Besides, you are truly third-generation disciples of Chan Sect, and even if not particularly important, you still have status."
"Your intervention is much better than ours. I believe that even if Golden Cicada and the others don't give us face, they will give face to the Eight Immortals of Chan Sect."
"Therefore, we five are willing to show some sincerity. Let's not be lazy, quickly bring out your collected gold and silver jewelry and rare treasures from these years, and hand them over to the two brothers."
"Without their efforts, and without further support from the Jade Emperor, we will surely lose lives."
As Zhu Zhao, the most astute among the five, said this, the other four dared not delay and truly took out a pile of gold and silver jewelry and rare treasures.
Unfortunately, not a single one of them was a congenital spiritual treasure.
This left Long Xu Hu and Xue E Hu speechless.
How could they have such teammates?
How could they be bribed with these worthless trinkets used by mortals?
This was not bribery.
This was an insult!
The two almost lost their temper.
Even more frustratingly, under such circumstances, they had to consider their own future and safety. To leave the Jade Emperor and return to Chan Sect in the future, they could only swallow this bitter pill!
"Five brothers, you have worked hard."
"Just wait and see. We are, after all, people of Chan Sect. We don't need these broken... these things, and should still be able to persuade Golden Cicada and the others."
After saying this.
Without waiting for the five to further disgust them, the two immediately came forward proactively, waiting for Golden Cicada and his group!