At this moment!
Between heaven and earth, wondrous phenomena abounded!
Heavenly flowers drifted down, while golden lotuses sprang from the earth!
Auspicious radiance rose and filled the sky, rosy clouds bursting forth.
Endless laws and orders intertwined, profound beyond measure.
Though Hongjun's voice had merely been transmitted through the Great Dao and resounded throughout the world, it still exuded overwhelming saintly might, shaking the nine heavens and ten lands, making all living beings' scalps tingle and their hair stand on end.
In short, it was as though the entire primordial world had shifted beneath Hongjun's single sentence, its scenery utterly transformed.
One could well imagine how incomparably powerful a Saint's cultivation was, standing proudly above all ages.
"The third sermon has begun so soon?!"
Chen Ku murmured to himself, gazing toward the Outer Chaos Domain with undisguised longing in his eyes.
During their travels, they had not felt the passage of time.
Yet now that he thought about it, the three of them had been traveling for hundreds, even thousands, of years.
Naturally, he was quite curious about the first Saint in heaven and earth and wished to see for himself.
Jie Yin and Zhun Ti, who stood nearby, were overjoyed once they came to their senses.
"Haha, the third sermon has finally begun."
"This is a tremendous opportunity for us. We absolutely cannot miss it."
Zhun Ti laughed heartily, seeming even more eager than Chen Ku.
Jie Yin nodded as well.
"Indeed. Listening to the Dao at Purple Cloud Palace takes priority."
"Other matters can be set aside for now and planned for later."
Clearly, having attended the previous two sermons, they understood far better just how extraordinary and invaluable Dao Ancestor Hongjun was.
What was more, they had only obtained Old Ancestor Hong Yun's Enlightenment Mat by playing the victims. Naturally, they could not give it up so easily.
Hearing Jie Yin and Zhun Ti's words, Chen Ku fell into thought and said quietly,
"I did not attend the first two sermons."
"I wonder whether I am qualified to enter Purple Cloud Palace for the third one."
At that, Jie Yin waved a hand without hesitation.
"Haha, there is no need to worry, my disciple!"
"You are already a Grand Luo Golden Immortal. You are more than qualified to attend the sermon."
"Say no more. Follow your masters at once to Purple Cloud Palace."
"As for how to deal with the Qilin Seal, we can decide after the sermon. It will not be too late."
A Saint's sermon!
To any cultivator, it was a supreme blessing and opportunity beyond compare—an opportunity that, once lost, would never return.
How could Jie Yin bear to let his disciple miss it?!
Not to mention that Chen Ku's cultivation was more than sufficient. Even if it had not been, Jie Yin and Zhun Ti would not have minded bearing the insults of being "thick-skinned" and "shameless" once more if it meant bringing Chen Ku into Purple Cloud Palace.
In any case, the two of them had long grown accustomed to it.
Though Zhun Ti said nothing, he nodded from the side, signaling his agreement with Jie Yin.
Though he was Chen Ku's martial uncle in name, he was practically no different from a master.
Both Jie Yin and Zhun Ti wanted to spare no effort in raising Chen Ku into a true powerhouse.
There was no question of their sincerity.
These words completely settled Chen Ku's heart.
Naturally, he had no objection to Jie Yin's proposal.
First Qilin had already perished countless ages ago.
In other words, the Qilin clan's loss of the Qilin Seal had long since become impossible to trace.
Not to mention that Chen Ku had yet to make a decision—even if he chose to return it, there was no need to rush.
Chen Ku nodded and said no more, immediately putting away the Qilin Seal.
Then, the three of them set off at once, crossing the boundless high heavens toward the Outer Chaos Domain.
At this time, figures were already streaking around them like shooting stars, transforming into streams of light at no slow speed.
They were the countless great powers and mighty figures likewise heading to Purple Cloud Palace to hear the Saint's sermon.
The moment he entered the Outer Chaos Domain, Chen Ku's expression turned solemn.
As far as the eye could see, there was only chaos and disorder.
All manner of fierce and unmatched laws and orders drifted about in shattered forms, moving without pattern or track, impossible to grasp.
Earth, water, fire, and wind repeated themselves, resembling the terrifying state before heaven and earth had opened.
Moreover, Chen Ku's pupils contracted as he saw vast swathes of tribulation light surging billions of miles away, as though they could swallow everything.
Even enormous stars would instantly be reduced to dust and vanish completely once swept into them.
And all of it happened in utter silence, making one feel even more uneasy and terrified!
The Outer Chaos Domain was fraught with danger indeed, true to its reputation!
However, as the saying went, opportunities and risks coexisted.
Though Chaos was terrifying, legend said it also contained countless opportunities.
When Pangu had fought the Three Thousand Demon Gods, it had been precisely within this Outer Chaos Domain.
Perhaps countless lost Chaos Spiritual Treasures and the like lay hidden in some corner of the Outer Chaos Domain.
Of course, such thoughts could only remain thoughts.
With Chen Ku's current cultivation, seeking opportunities in the Outer Chaos Domain would be no different from courting death.
Chen Ku thought to himself.
Just then, a profound light of merit suddenly appeared above his head.
Chen Ku looked up and saw that his master had summoned the Twelfth Grade Merit Golden Lotus to protect him. The various disordered auras within Chaos could not harm him in the slightest.
At the same time, Jie Yin's voice sounded.
"My disciple, while within the Outer Chaos Domain, you must never let down your guard!"
"The endless elements here are great terrors capable of crushing countless experts."
"Especially the Chaos storms. If one is caught within them, even quasi-Saints may perish."
There was no need to say more. Jie Yin treasured Chen Ku, his personal disciple, dearly and feared that he might suffer even the slightest injury.
As he spoke, Jie Yin's gaze also fell upon the tribulation light that blanketed the distant expanse.
That was the "Chaos storm" he had mentioned.
Judging from Jie Yin's grave and solemn expression, even quasi-Saint experts were deeply wary of those Chaos storms.
A warm current surged through Chen Ku's heart. He smiled and nodded, committing the warning to memory.
He did not take Jie Yin's warning lightly.
As they traveled onward, Chen Ku gained an even deeper understanding of Jie Yin's words.
Looking around, he saw corpses lying scattered throughout the Outer Chaos Domain, buried in the cosmos.
Though they had long lost all traces of life, their bones still faintly glimmered, carrying wisps of Dao rhythm.
Clearly, the owners of those bones had been cultivators of great attainment in life, at the very least Taiyi Golden Immortals or Grand Luo Golden Immortals.
Because they had lacked sufficient strength or had been utterly unprepared, Chaos had ground them to death, leaving them with both body and soul destroyed.
"In the primordial world, the weak are prey to the strong. Strength is supreme. That is the way of things."
Chen Ku sighed inwardly.
Of course, it was not as though he felt particularly sorrowful.
After all, there were countless living beings in the primordial world, each with their own fate.
There was truly no need to grieve over beings he had never known.
Before they realized it, the three of them had already ventured millions upon millions of miles into Chaos.
Yet the surroundings remained steeped in ancient deathly silence and disorder.
Moreover, the deeper they ventured into the Outer Chaos Domain, the more terrifying killing intent surrounded them, impossible to guard against.
Chen Ku was just about to withdraw his gaze and focus on crossing the Outer Chaos Domain.
But at that moment, his Heaven-Defying Comprehension began operating on its own.
Before his eyes, all manner of obscure, profound, and indescribable principles of Dao rhythm appeared.
Chen Ku was immediately delighted.
Was this... another sign that he was about to comprehend a divine ability or great art?!
Sure enough!
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