The Kunpeng patriarch was only a Small Tribulation Celestial Venerable. Had he faced a primordial spirit of the same rank, he certainly would have felt no fear and would have moved to kill it without hesitation.
The problem, however, was that the Buddha before him was not a Small Tribulation Celestial Venerable, nor even a Great Tribulation Celestial Venerable, but a far more formidable Condensed Dan Celestial Venerable.
Although the Buddha was merely a primordial spirit, the Kunpeng patriarch lacked absolute confidence in his ability to suppress such an opponent. If he failed, it would spell disaster not only for him but for the entire Kunpeng clan. That was a result he was most unwilling to see. As patriarch, he could not allow his kin to come to harm.
Chapter 1733