Within the arena.
The mysterious woman continued to berate the Xuantian Immortal Dao, each word of her tirade dripping with disappointment.
The Ancestral Patriarchs from the various Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands hidden within the void, most of whom belonged to the Immortal Dao, did not step forward to refute her—not a single word. If they could, they would even have come out to applaud what the mysterious woman said.
The reason was simple.
They all knew the mysterious woman was speaking the truth. One could say her words were exactly what they had always wanted to say.
The mysterious woman said these Immortal Dao Ancestral Patriarchs only cared about their own Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands. This was true, and they did not deny it. However, this was not their original intention. They too wished for the Immortal Dao to prosper, for it to become the true master of the Great Dao. After all, most of them were Ancestral Patriarchs of the Immortal Dao. Not only them, but most disciples of the Thirty-Six Grotto Heavens and Seventy-Two Blessed Lands also cultivated the Immortal Dao. If the Immortal Dao flourished, they would benefit as well.
Such a simple principle, they were not ignorant of it.
The problem was, ever since the Primordial Era, the Immortal Dao had been without a master. This led to the various Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands becoming fragmented and embroiled in open and covert strife in their struggle for the position of Immortal Dao Master, with everyone viewing each other with disdain. Some Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands did not wish to contend, but sometimes, you had no choice but to compete. Moreover, the relationships between the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands were complex and intertwined; even if you did not contend, you could not remain aloof.
Later, they finally produced a Great Sun Yaohuang.
Great Sun Yaohuang had strength, influence, prestige, and achievements. If he had ascended to become the Immortal Dao Master, although it might not have been universally welcomed and some would have been dissatisfied, his strength was undeniable—those dissatisfied would have had no choice but to accept it.
Yet, the Immortal Elder Ancestral Patriarchs guarding the Immortal Dao's origin simply would not acknowledge Great Sun Yaohuang, insisting on cultivating an Immortal Dao Master of their own.
Just as the mysterious woman said, if Great Sun Yaohuang had become the Immortal Dao Master back then, even if he couldn't have ushered in a golden age for the Immortal Dao, it would at least not be as scattered and disunited as it is now, with everyone only looking out for themselves.
Initially, those Ancestral Patriarchs of the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands also did not want to secretly cultivate Original Sin individuals, making dual preparations by guarding the Great Dao while scheming for Original Sin. It was only because the Immortal Dao offered them no hope that they had no choice but to consider the future of their own Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands.
Originally, they had held some hope for the Mysterious Heaven Grotto-Heaven. If Xuantian could truly cultivate an Immortal Dao Master, perhaps all the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands would submit. Who could have imagined that the so-called Immortal Dao Master cultivated by Xuantian turned out to be a pair corresponding to the Calamity Constant and the Original Sin Variable?
This pair, corresponding to the Calamity Constant and the Original Sin Variable, was said to be the legendary Dual Polarities of Yin and Yang, the Auspicious Dragon and Phoenix, the mutual interplay of Black and White, the Boundless Supreme Ultimate, the Unpredictable Fate...
However.
Legends are, after all, legends.
Moreover, even if the legend were true, what kind of existence this pair of Dual Polarities, Boundless Supreme Ultimate would ultimately become, no one could be sure. It was not impossible that they might even ascend to become the True Lord of Original Sin.
Considering that even Xuantian, which guarded the Immortal Dao's origin, was making dual preparations, what could these Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands do?
To put it bluntly, the reason the Immortal Dao has ended up in its current state is entirely due to the actions of those few Immortal Elder Ancestral Patriarchs of Xuantian who guard the Immortal Dao's origin.
If not for this, it was entirely possible for the Immortal Dao to become the dominant hegemon ruling heaven and earth.
This statement was not an exaggeration in the slightest.
After the Desolation Era ended and the Primordial Era began, the Three Thousand Great Daos either vanished or fell into slumber. The Sacred Ground was like this, the Heavenly Dao was like this; only the Immortal Dao recovered the fastest and became the most powerful. Precisely because of this, after the Primordial Era, the Immortal Dao spread throughout the myriad realms.
Yet, with such an excellent hand of cards and such great odds of winning, they were ultimately played into utter ruin by Xuantian's Immortal Elder Ancestral Patriarchs.
This could not help but make one feel regretful, could not help but make one feel disappointed.
"The Immortal Dao is like this, and the Sacred Ground is no exception!"
The mysterious woman's voice rang out again. She had first scathingly mocked those Original Sin Ancestral Patriarchs, then expressed extreme disappointment while reprimanding the Xuantian Immortal Dao. Now, she seemed to be turning her spear toward the Sacred Ground.
"Your Sacred Ground produced such a brilliant leader as Xuanyuan Wuji, yet your so-called Sacred Ground is just as foolish and selfish as those Immortal Elder Ancestral Patriarchs of Xuantian, suppressing Xuanyuan Wuji at every turn—even more detestable than Xuantian! At least Great Sun Yaohuang had the ambition to ascend as Immortal Dao Master, while Xuanyuan Wuji doesn't even have the ambition to become the Sacred Ground Master. Even so, your Sacred Ground still doesn't trust him. Utterly laughable!"
If the mysterious woman's berating of the Immortal Dao struck a chord with those Immortal Dao Ancestral Patriarchs of the Grotto Heavens and Blessed Lands, then her current berating of the Sacred Ground truly resonated with some of the Sacred Ground's own Ancestral Patriarchs.
Xuanyuan Tong was one, Xunfeng Ancestral Patriarch was one, including many, many elders and disciples of the Sacred Ground.
Xuanyuan Wuji held extremely high prestige within the Sacred Ground. Whether in terms of strength or character, he was universally admired. They all hoped Xuanyuan Wuji could ascend to become the Sacred Ground Master, and they all believed only Xuanyuan Wuji had the capability to recreate glory and make the Sage Path the leader of the Great Daos once more.
However.
The Holy Temple, which presided over the Sacred Ground, did not acknowledge Xuanyuan Wuji.
Yet.
This was not the reason why these Sacred Ground elders and disciples resented the Holy Temple. After all, Xuanyuan Wuji himself did not wish to become the Sacred Ground Master.
What truly made them resent the Holy Temple was that it did not trust Xuanyuan Wuji. Not only did it not trust him, it suppressed him at every turn.
This made many within the Sacred Ground feel indignant on Xuanyuan Wuji's behalf.
Because of this, several senior elders of the Sacred Ground had jointly demanded an explanation from the Holy Temple, only to be punished by it. In the end, it was Xuanyuan Wuji himself who stepped forward to bring those elders back.
Was that all?
In order to suppress Xuanyuan Wuji, the Holy Temple would stop at nothing. It actually tried to win over the disciples personally cultivated by Xuanyuan Wuji—the so-called Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground.
Xuanyuan Tong regarded Xuanyuan Wuji as a father and would naturally not betray him, but not all disciples were like her.
For example, Xuanyuan Hao. He betrayed Xuanyuan Wuji and pledged allegiance to the Holy Temple.
Not only Xuanyuan Hao, but of the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground, a full five betrayed Xuanyuan Wuji and joined the Holy Temple.
Because of this, the Nine Sacred Sons of the Sacred Ground even came to blows. The incident caused a huge uproar at the time, with many elders and disciples of the Sacred Ground getting involved, angrily denouncing Xuanyuan Hao and the others for forgetting righteousness in the face of profit.
If Xuanyuan Hao and the others had merely joined the Holy Temple, that might have been one thing. The key issue was that after pledging allegiance, Xuanyuan Hao and the others opposed Xuanyuan Wuji at every turn, even openly challenging his authority, completely forgetting the master-disciple bond.
After this incident, the elders and disciples of the Sacred Ground hoped Xuanyuan Wuji would leave the Sacred Ground. If he left, they were all willing to follow him.
Unfortunately, Xuanyuan Wuji had no intention of leaving the Sacred Ground. Despite his disciples' betrayal and the Holy Temple's distrust, he still would not leave. Moreover, he persuaded those elders willing to follow him, hoping they would no longer engage in any disputes with the Holy Temple over matters concerning him.