[CHAT GROUP]
Lucas: "The conflict between their teachings is one aspect, but when a calamity appears, many immortals must perish. Moreover, do you think the immortal calamity is a joke? One of its vital functions is to eliminate immortals with insufficient qualifications."
Zhao Gongming said in shock: "The Imperial calamity has this ability? Why didn't I know about this?"
Lucas sneered: "Emperor calamity is the will of Honghuang Heaven and Earth—Honghuang Tiandao—put into action. What do you think immortals represent to Honghuang Tiandao?"
Zhao Gongming hesitated: "Well..."
Lucas: "Let me tell you—it can be summarized in one sentence: all things are born to nurture immortals, yet immortals give nothing back to heaven. For the prehistoric world, immortals are parasites living off it."
Lucas: "You absorb Qi, collect treasures, and receive enlightenment. You've gained countless benefits from the prehistoric world, yet you only think about your own happiness and longevity, never considering what you might return to the prehistoric world."
Lucas: "If you were the Great World, could you tolerate such existence? The Great World's calamities are its regular cleansing of immortals. Of course, while cleansing you, the Great World also seeks ways to reclaim what you've taken."
Lucas: "Each calamity cannot end without the deaths of sufficient immortals. This battle was inevitable from the beginning, which is why it's unsurprising that the three saints didn't unite to stop it."
Hongyun: "What does Honghuang Tiandao mean by 'reclaiming what we've taken'?"
Lucas: "War is one of the main driving forces for civilizational progress, and progress requires competition. Although the Lich War caused enormous damage to Honghuang, countless powerful spells and formations emerged during that period."
Zhao Gongming: "So that's the reason and purpose behind calamities. Heaven and earth aren't benevolent—they treat all things like straw dogs. Even we powerful immortals are no different from straw dogs in heaven's eyes."
Lucas smiled and said, "Isn't this appropriate? A ruler who treats the strong and weak equally is the best ruler. And wasn't the fundamental reason for the Tongtian sect's massive losses simply that you were too numerous?"
Dongfang Yuechu: "That makes sense! If the Tongtian sect hadn't been so populous, the Chan and Human sects wouldn't have united against it. If the Tongtian sect had only one or two core disciples, none of this would have happened."
Zhao Gongming said dissatisfiedly: "What do you know? It's incredibly difficult for beings in the wilderness to cultivate, and gaining strength without guidance is nearly impossible. Among the six saints of the wilderness, only a few are willing to educate all living beings."
Zhao Gongming: "The sage of Taiqing, who leads the Human sect, emphasizes purity and non-action. He's too detached from emotions to guide all living beings—that's why he has only one disciple. Very few can learn from him."
Zhao Gongming: "Only my Group Leader, the Tongtian sect Leader, believes in teaching without discrimination and willingly intercepts that ray of hope for all sentient beings in the wilderness. How do you think the 'Ten Thousand Immortals' congregation formed? They all came to hear my Group Leader's sermons."
Lucas: "Indeed! The Tongtian sect Leader has excelled in educating all beings. Moreover, he's the one I admire most among the six sages of the Great Desolation—he's not as detached and ruthless as the other sages."
Zhao Gongming: "Exactly! During the God-conferring battle, the Chan and Human sects were the aggressors, determined to place Tongtian disciples on the List. Meanwhile, our sect's disciples, out of respect for the Group Leader, repeatedly showed restraint."
Lucas: "Speaking of which, I wonder why you were so merciful toward the Chan sect disciples? If you had been ruthless and placed them on the List of Gods, perhaps the outcome of the God-conferring battle would have been different."
Lucas: "After your death, your sister Sanxiao took action. They used the Nine-Bend Yellow River Formation to severely damage the twelve golden immortals of the Chan sect, but like you, they showed restraint. Unsurprisingly, the saints eventually intervened to defeat them."
Zhao Gongming said angrily: "What? The saints actually moved against juniors like my sister? Have they no shame?"
Lucas: "They had no choice! If the saints hadn't personally intervened, the combined forces of the Chan and Human sects couldn't have defeated the Tongtian sect. You could have overwhelmed them by sheer numbers alone."
Hongyun: "When you put it that way, the Tongtian sect's decline is truly regrettable."
Lucas: "Regrettable? Not at all. In my opinion, the Tongtian sect deserved its fate."
Zhao Gongming said unhappily: "Group Leader, what do you mean by this? You just said you greatly admire my Group Leader."
Lucas laughed: "Yes, I do admire the Tongtian sect Leader. But haven't you forgotten how I evaluated him? He places great importance on compassion and goodness, and isn't as ruthless as other saints. These qualities are both his strengths and his weaknesses."
Zhao Gongming asked curiously, "What do you mean by that?"
Lucas: "The Tongtian sect Leader isn't just one of the six saints of the prehistoric era—he's also the leader of a sect. A leader who lacks ruthlessness and decisiveness cannot be an effective leader."
Lucas: "While the Tongtian sect's mission to transform all living beings is commendable, its excessive membership is problematic. Why do you think the witch clan and demon clan declined? Because they became too powerful."
Lucas: "The Dragon, Phoenix, and Qilin were so dominant that other races were oppressed and denied room to grow. The Witch and Demon clans were so powerful that other races had no chance to rise, forced to live in their shadows."
Lucas: "I mentioned before, right? Honghuang Tiandao prefers to see mutual hostility and competition, as the development arising from this conflict is exactly what it needs. So it absolutely forbids any single stable, powerful force from dominating the Great Desolation."
Lucas: "The Tongtian sect had too many members, and it's the instinct of life to form groups. Surely you've noticed how common it was for Tongtian sect disciples to unite and suppress other forces in the primeval times?"
Lucas: "Could Honghuang Tiandao tolerate such a situation? The dragon, phoenix, and qilin clans jointly ruled Honghuang, but this wasn't permitted; the witch and demon clans together dominated Honghuang, which wasn't allowed; do you think your Tongtian sect alone would be permitted to control Honghuang?"