163 Three Pure One’s Troubles

"You fool! We must retreat at once!"

"Dammit, we're outnumbered!"

"Men! We are in luck! They don't seem to be pursuing."

"Turn this around, I cannot accept failing now!"

"Brother wait!"

"ARGH!"

Yuanshi sat crossed with his head downcast. Repeating everything he'd said again for a dragon scribe to jolt down forced him to relive the past again in vivid detail. Events he'd felt nothing but shame.

From their positions, the innate god Yuanshi and the dragon he was speaking with, Yuanshi was slouched like an inferior. It was almost as if he were a child being scolded. Anyone could easily tell the actual cultivation difference was the other way around.

Either way, a certain monkey found it an unbelievable sight.

"So if I'm getting this right, a large portion of Primal Zenith Chaos Immortal level devils are colluding. Hm, and you really don't have a clue other than it may've been important."

"With so many experts in one place, given the war I couldn't think of any other possibilities," Yuanshi said softly.

The dragon nodded writing down more notes on a scroll on his lap. He seemed to be in deep thought, and before long a frown birthed from his lips.

"And when Hundun appeared, despite his highness ordering a retreat. You fought anyway."

"No, when he appeared I had all intentions to run. But he moved so fast."

"So our elders died for nothing then."

"Seniors destroyed many bases and homes of devils. Their foundations will never be the same."

"Hmph." The dragon stood up with contempt. "I'll report this to his majesty before he leaves. You're free to do as you wish for now. Be obedient this time and don't force this army against impossible odds will you?"

The walked away from Yuanshi and left the tent without much applause. If it were a previous Yuanshi, he'd feel insulted. Except the only thing on his mind was the status of his fellow siblings.

Yuanshi sighed loudly once left alone. Why had everything come to this? He had no evil intentions to begin with. All he wished was for their investigation to not go to waste. They've come so far despite being clueless at the beginning. They've finally found substantial suspicious activity as well, can anyone blame him for charging in against Yinglong's wishes?

"I miscalculated," he admitted aloud. "And everyone else payed the price. And in the end I could only run."

He took a look at his ruyi leaning against his chair. It was an extremely precious treasure, a top grade xiantian spiritual treasure formed from one of the five lotuses born out of the 36 Petals Chaos Green Lotus. It was one of his proudest belongings, one worthy of a deity transformed by Pangu's nascent soul.

Yet now he felt unworthy of it.

"I need to see how they're doing."

Yuanshi picked up his ruyi and slid it into his sleeve. He followed after the trail the dragon who'd questioned him left on. Yet as soon as he opened the tent flap he heard a voice he'd long found irritating.

"So, the craven Yuanshi finally shows his face," Liu Er mocked him with the most condescending expression he could manage. It was so forced that it seemed he was waiting out here specifically to pull this on Yuanshi.

Liu Er wasn't injury free however. He sported a large bruise on his ape like face and much of his teeth had shattered beyond repair. Yuanshi idly wondered why he hadn't used his own magical powers to restore his appearance. Da Hai certainly hadn't hit him with a debilitating curse, just raw physical force.

"What do you want?" Yuanshi asked with a large splash of irritation. Though he was feeling downcast about himself, he was also in a hurry. He most certainly didn't want to hear anything from this individual.

"What do I want? You really asked that? I should be asking you what do you want."

"What?"

"After all! You just happened to wonder here with so much injuries leading a giant army of weird devils at us."

"What are you insinuating?" Yuanshi snarled.

"Oh I don't know," Liu Er's ugly bruised mug released a smirk. "I wouldn't put it past someone like you do betray us."

Yuanshi felt his blood boil at Liu Er's words. He ran because he had no other choice, because he had to save Taishang and Tongtian. Not whatever fantasy this demented ape dreamt up!

Despite Liu Er obviously goading him, Yuanshi tried his best to calm down. There was no point picking a fight with the monkey no matter how tempting it would be to finish off what the Oceanic Suppression Heavenly Lord started.

"I did no such thing monkey," Yuanshi said. "I failed, that is true. It is on me that so many experts lost their lives. It's on me that senior dragon king was abandoned. But do not think for a minute that I'd ever betray the alliance. I am as dedicated to eradicating the western devils as any of you. Unlike a creature like you."

Yuanshi turned to march away. He didn't want to spare a creature he found so repulsive another glance. The army camp was being laid to rest as he did so. The gash across the land that Da Hai made was still there, but the tents set up were already being stored away while fighters moved to make formations in the sky.

"Creature like me?" Liu Er uttered those words with visible anger. Quickly, that anger turned to satisfaction. "I knew it!" He proclaimed.

So loud were his words that cultivators moving around within several hundred metres radius all heard him with no need of magical aid.

"What's going on there?" Spectators looked over due to the noise. Liu Er smiled even harder because of the sudden attention.

"You always had a problem with me!" Liu Er half spat half yelled. "The same problem you have with all innate creatures and especially the dragons and phoenixes. You and your disdain for creatures of fur and armour!"

'Yuanshi is just like what the books say,' Liu Er thought triumphantly. The humiliation he experienced against Da Hai's slap was being quelled by him exposing Yuanshi for the racist he was.

Everyone who's like him or Da Hai, people who'd read plenty of novels will know of Yuanshi's disdain for creatures of fur and armour. Though Liu Er wasn't quite sure what it meant since it was all machine translated, he was sure it meant animals and demons.

If anything, he was surprised Yuanshi wasn't more hostile to the people around him. Though he supposed even Yuanshi wasn't dumb enough to pick fights with titans of power like Zulong.

"Fur and armour? What's he talking about?" A random avian said.

A dragon beside him shrugged.

"Does he mean fur in our true forms? Wait I have scales," a fish cultivator said.

"Armour? What armour?"

Even Yuanshi was confused by Liu Er's words. He turned to examine Liu Er's form. He certainly did have fur but he wasn't wearing armour. What's more, spiritual treasures which were armour was very valuable. Bodily protection of any kind complimented cultivators with weaker fleshy bodies well.

"Fur and what?" Yuanshi asked genuinely.

"Eh? Uh… you know? Fur and armour, the people you hate," Liu Er accused. "You think I can't see through your looks?"

Liu Er considered himself knowledgable. He'd had twelve years of mandatory education after all.

"You're not wearing armour," Yuanshi pointed out. "Why would I hate armour? I wear armour in battle. My robes act as my armour."

Plenty of spectators were also confused despite secretly loving the drama. How could they not when otherwise the atmosphere would be too depressing. Some of their chuckles drew no small amount of ire from Liu Er.

This conversation was not going the way he expected. Where were the agreements? Where was Yuanshi's stupid wining that's supposed to follow?

"Monkey, I think you've you need a medic to check your head. Clearly senior Heavenly Lord has damaged."

"Why you! Mock me?" Liu Er blushed as he heard several chuckles outside his purview. He marched for Yuanshi, fully intending to get physical.

"Woah woah woah!" Hongyun, another innate god wearing red robes was already on the scene. Seeing these two Primal Origin level Chaos Immortals about to get rough, he opted to step in before a bigger scene is created.

The innate god born of the first cloud in the world, red cloud attempted to mediate between the two. He glanced back indicating for Leizhu, another innate god to come help him. He also hoped Zhurong and Jizi of the twelve brothers from Mt Buzhou would also step in to support him as they too was enjoying the drama.

Liu Er's focus quickly changed when he saw Hongyun. He chuckled as if he'd found a clown on the street.

"What do you want retard?"

Hongyun's face changed instantly, yet he followed his own heart and spoke calmly anyway. "Look, things are a bit tense right now and the Dragon Sovereign is anything but patient these days. Do you really want a cause a big scene in this circumstance?"

He waved around at the negative attention concentrated around them. He was sure Yuanshi already noticed, and so did Liu Er. Hongyun knew the two were not that popular due to their arrogant attitudes, but due to their relation as fellow innate gods born of the Primitive World, he felt kinship with them. Through this kinship, the kind hearted Hongyun was compelled to at the very least, look out for them.

Yuanshi nodded grimly while Liu Er only scoffed disdainfully.

"And who are you to get in my business? Are you so blind to let this shit stain manipulate you? Jesus, I know you're stupid Hongyun but not this stupid." Liu Er began ranting about various things, many of which left Hongyun confused.

They were all missing context to fully understand what Liu Er was ranting about. But they knew for certain that Liu Er's words were both condescending and spite filled.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Zhen Yuanzi quickly approached to help his friend before he too was drawn into a fight. It wasn't just him, Fuxi, Gonggong, Zhurong, and even groups of cultivators form other regions were coming before things really exploded.

"As fun of a show as it'll be," Gonggong said. "Fighting among ourselves does nothing. Isn't that right Zhurong?"

"Yeah yeah whatever," his fiery brother grunted.

"Daoist Liu Er, whatever grievances you have please save it until after the war." Fuxi's words sounded condescending in Liu Er's sensitive ears.

"Soldier, do I need to report to his majesty about disrupting the peace?" A turtle immortal said.

"You all!" Liu Er's practically growled. He'd always figured that with the nature of the Primitive World, everyone will be against him. He just didn't figure it will be in defense of Yuanshi of all people.

Yuanshi was a troublemaker who discriminates others based on appearance alone. He was in the right, not him.

'You'd expect this from people as dumb as the twelve witches, but a human sovereign of all people? I should've figured. Can't trust anybody in this dog eat dog world. Sooner or later, they'll all backstab each other. Except of Hongyun, good guy's too dumb.' Liu Er wisely stepped back. He'll have to tell that Jiang Koilong guy some things in the future after memorizing the sea creatures who stood against him just now.

"Hmph." Liu Er summersaulted away.

"You as well Yuanshi, you're on thin enough ice as is," the turtle from earlier said.

"Understood," the innate god replied feeling wronged. He waited until it was just the innate gods who were left before speaking again.

By then, since the drama had ended, people began minding their own business again. Even the powerful beings who'd stepped in were leaving without a second notice. Some moved to follow eastwards back home to defend them, while others were moving towards the group staying in the western offensive.

Yuanshi stopped his fellow contemporaries before they could leave however.

"Fellow daoists, I wish to know. Where has the medical wards been placed?"

"Your brother and sister?"

It wasn't any of the innate gods who spoke up. Surprisingly, it was Zhurong who did. The twelve mysterious beings from Mt Buzhou had never truly socialized with anyone else outside of the commanders. Like the Three Pure Ones, they also flaunted their lineage as authentic descendants of Pangu. Only instead of the Nascent Soul, they were true blood descendants.

Simple and unfetter beings who cared not for anyone bar themselves save for those they respected. Qinglong and his extended family belonged to the latter and nobody else was within their eye.

Hence Yuanshi was startled to find Zhurong of all people to know.

"My own sister was treating them. Seeing family in pain hurts, I feel yah," Zhurong said gruffly.

Yuanshi nodded in understanding. It seemed while he was away adventuring with Yinglong, Houtu and Zhen Yuanzi, two experts in the ways of the earth had taken care of the injured. Apparently their skills lay greatly in extending the vitality of others.

Once Zhurong brought it up, Zhen Yuanzi was more then willing to lead Yuanshi to the medical wards.

Yuanshi, despite hearing of their supposed abilities, still couldn't clamp down the worries in his chest.

"Here," Zhen Yuanzi pointed at a pavilion shaped spiritual treasure standing in the field. "A dragon from the North Sea donated it for our use. We're gonna move it soon though."

Yuanshi entered the building to find what he'd hoped. Tongtian lay unconscious, pale but still alive. Taishang was much the same, though he appeared much healthier.

Within the pavilion, thousands of individuals rested. Since the inside of the spiritual treasure folded space and contained numerous dimensions, there could potentially be hundreds of thousands to even millions of injured individuals stored within. Yuanshi's only focus though was on his siblings.

"Tongtian, Taishang, I am so sorry," he muttered. Staring at their broken forms, he felt heartbroken.

"This one was lucky," a soft feminine voice said.

Yuanshi caught an earthly coloured slender arm pointing at his sister's prone form. The figure who did so appeared very tried. She had seven arms and a long serpentine body. Yet everywhere she moved, a rich vigorous energy moved with her.

"You are Houtu from Mt Buzhou," Yuanshi said.

"Daoist Houtu!" Zhen Yuanzi greeted. "Sorry, I got caught up in something. I'll see to the room 476 now."

The other innate god teleported away swiftly. For a brief moment, Yuanshi caught the glimpse of a tree in his hand.

"You're the other group of 'authentic Pangu descendants,' right?" Houtu asked. "Any lesser heritage would've died from the level of damage sustained.

"She withstood a blow from a Limitless Supreme Chaos Immortal in my place," Yuanshi admitted. "Any lesser creature would've died in an instant."

Houtu hummed and examined Tongtian's condition again. "She'll recover in due time. Though don't expect any fighting for a while. The war may as well be over before she takes to the field again.

"Our sister is stronger then that. It shouldn't be more then a few decades before she's back in fighting shape." An old wizened voice that was certainly not Yuanshi said.

"You shouldn't be awake yet," Houtu said in amazement.

Taishang, the third of the Three Pure Ones opened his eyes and stared at Yuanshi. There was no hint of emotion in his gaze, no anger nor joy. It was unnerving for the healthiest brother.

"Brother I have failed you," Yuanshi said dropping to a knee before Taishang's bedside. He took out a profound pagoda from his sleeve and presented it to the elderly man. It was the Heaven and Earth Exquisite Pagoda. "I have kept it safe for you."

"Keep it for now. I'm in no condition to use it," Taishang denied. "Thank you for your aid daoist Houtu."

"It was nothing. It's good that you survived. Too many have already died," the goddess sighed regretfully. Despite the air of life around her, she also had an air of depression.

"So many fallen already. So many regrets, so many screams," she muttered.

"It is not your fault. You tried your best to save their lives as you did mine and my sisters," Taishang said. "There was nothing else you can do for the dead."

"Nothing huh?" Houtu chuckled bitterly. "That's what my eldest brother said as well."

She slithered away tending to other patients. This Houtu was completely different from the one Yuanshi briefly interacted with when they were both present at East Sea Dragon Palace. Yuanshi watched her go before relaying his further intentions to Taishang. Despite Zulong's anger at him already, he had a feeling the dragon would be enraged with him more.

"Let's leave the western offensive," he said. "Kunlun is a better resting place."

"Not a bad idea. But it has its own flaws as well," Taishang replied. "Kunlun may be our home. But it isn't exactly a place with rich healing properties. Tongtian's recovery would slow down then staying here."

"Not to mention ghost devils invading the east as well," Yuanshi added.

"If you're concerned about healing, you could always try the South Sea Dragon Palace. I heard some dragons say they have the premiere recovery chamber built there." Evidently, Houtu had heard them as well. "I suggest you stay here though. I don't know about the south but I swear to not allow any to die in my watch."

"An impossible promise," both brothers countered. Houtu had no retort for that, she only appeared more depressed.

"I'll speak to the Dragon Sovereign," Yuanshi said getting up. And that was exactly what he did.

Yi Fei'e, Zulong, and dozens of dragons and seafolk cultivator commanders were planning to execute their orders. Yi Fei'e above all others was going to move west again.

Zulong meanwhile would hold the ground of already conquered territories. Others would relieve their homes but he will stay and continue to pressure these devils. He didn't acknowledge Yuanshi When he first approached until a while later.

"What do you want?" He snarled in displeasure.

Yuanshi relayed his desire much to both Yi Fei'e and Zulong's ire.

"How audacious," the female immortal spat. "You forced my second senior brother into a trap and now dare demand more? Master has already allowed you to keep your life, you should sacrifice yourself to the devils for your sins!"

Yuanshi swallowed a gulp. He knew how he sounded, but he'd gladly take it if it meant moving Tongtian to safety.

"Leave, get out of our sight," Zulong spat. "We do not wish to see any trace of you here." The dragon was feeling irrational when he saw Yuanshi. When dealing with matters of his own family, any lesser attempt at withholding his rage would've led to Yuanshi's blood being spilt.

He'd rather pretend Yuanshi not exist at all.

"And about the healing chambers in the…"

"I SAID GET OUT OF OUR SIGHT!"

After that, Yuanshi had no choice but to retreat. Zulong gave no indication wether he will allow it or not. But Yuanshi took this opportunity to take Taishang and Tongtian away. He didn't give up however.

He'd go directly to the South Sea Dragon Palace and try there. If he were lucky, the chaos of the war may even leave the palace in the dark regarding Zulong's feelings about him.