Kunpeng's heart pounded wildly, setting off enormous waves within him.
During the first sermon, he had originally occupied one of the cushions.
But Hong Yun had foolishly believed Jie Yin and Zhun Ti, causing Kunpeng himself to be targeted as well.
With Yuanshi and the others adding fuel to the fire, Kunpeng had been driven from his cushion and replaced by Jie Yin.
Thus, after three sermons, Kunpeng had long harbored resentment and fury in his heart.
Now, as the Primordial Purple Qi drifted toward him, Kunpeng could not help but speculate.
Although he had missed the chance to become "Hongjun's disciple," could this Primordial Purple Qi still belong to him?
The more he thought about it, the more excited he became, his breathing growing heavier.
Fortunately, with Duke of the East's example before him, Kunpeng desperately suppressed the overwhelming joy and anticipation on his face, appearing rather calm instead.
Yet as one might imagine, by the unseen decree of fate, this Primordial Purple Qi did not belong to Kunpeng.
It had all been nothing more than his own fantasy and wishful thinking.
Sure enough!
Just as the Primordial Purple Qi descended in immortal radiance and was about to merge with Kunpeng—
The earlier scene repeated itself.
The Primordial Purple Qi gave another nimble leap, streaking past Kunpeng in a flash of astonishing light.
In the blink of an eye, Kunpeng's heart sank, and his expression froze.
But this time, before he could react further, the Primordial Purple Qi seemed to have finally ended its "teasing" of the crowd.
It did not linger above anyone else's head. Instead, it seemed to have finally found its last target.
With a flash of divine light, it plunged directly into Hong Yun's sea of consciousness.
Another feint!
The gathered great cultivators stared in stunned disbelief, their faces twitching.
Damn...
This Primordial Purple Qi was far too infuriating.
They were practically beginning to wonder whether this thing had developed sentience and was deliberately toying with the three thousand great cultivators.
Likewise, seeing the Primordial Purple Qi ultimately fall into Hong Yun's hands, everyone burned with jealousy.
After a brief daze, Kunpeng immediately came back to his senses.
His face darkened like water, blood-red light bursting from his eyes as boundless hatred surged forth!
Hong Yun again!
Back then, he had implicated Kunpeng and caused him to lose the Enlightenment Mat!
And today, he was going to snatch away the Primordial Purple Qi that had practically been within Kunpeng's grasp?!
Killing a man and attacking his heart!
This was simply naked cruelty, killing a man and attacking his heart!
Needless to say, the hatred in Kunpeng's eyes seemed almost tangible, filling the space around him with a bone-chilling cold.
As for Hong Yun—
Feeling the Primordial Purple Qi enter his sea of consciousness, he first froze. Once he recovered, he was instantly overjoyed.
"This... the final strand of Primordial Purple Qi belongs to this poor Daoist?"
"Haha, Hong Yun thanks Dao Ancestor!"
Unable to conceal his excitement, Hong Yun immediately bowed in gratitude to Hongjun.
Compared to the fanatical expectations of the many great cultivators, Hong Yun instead possessed a calm attitude of "if I gain it, it is my fortune; if I lose it, it is my fate."
Precisely because of this, when the Primordial Purple Qi truly descended upon him, it became an even greater and more unexpected delight.
Hong Yun made no effort to hide it; his excitement was plain for all to see.
Yet he failed to notice that the gazes of the great cultivators upon him were filled with envy, jealousy, hatred, sharp glints, and intense covetousness.
Kunpeng, in particular, gnashed his teeth, consumed by both hatred and rage.
Meanwhile, Zhen Yuanzi, dressed in plain Daoist robes, wore a worried expression.
He and Hong Yun were well-known sworn friends.
If there were only one person in all heaven and earth who did not covet Hong Yun's opportunity, it was likely Zhen Yuanzi.
Thus, he worried only for Hong Yun.
Chen Ku, meanwhile, quietly shook his head and muttered in an extremely low voice:
"A common man commits no crime, but he is guilty for possessing jade!"
"Hong Yun is still smugly celebrating, unaware that a great calamity is already upon him."
Even leaving aside someone like Kunpeng, the other great cultivators now revealed killing intent in their eyes as well.
After all, Hong Yun was different from the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jie Yin, and Zhun Ti.
Those six were, after all, disciples under Hongjun, and their own strength was already earth-shattering, placing them among the foremost figures of the age.
Therefore, no matter how precious the Primordial Purple Qi was, the other great cultivators naturally did not dare entertain any unusual thoughts or schemes against those six.
But Hong Yun had no background or patron to speak of.
Moreover, his excessively kind nature made others feel that he was someone they could provoke and bully at will, without needing to fear any consequences.
It was not difficult to imagine that from this day onward, Hong Yun would face countless malicious eyes watching him from the shadows.
Hearing this, both Jie Yin and Zhun Ti stirred, casting Chen Ku surprised looks.
This kid's insight was actually so sharp that he had already seen through the true nature of Hong Yun obtaining the Primordial Purple Qi?!
Rare, truly rare!
At once, Jie Yin and Zhun Ti looked upon him with even greater satisfaction.
Before Jie Yin and Zhun Ti could say anything more—
Having distributed the Primordial Purple Qi, Hongjun shone with immortal light, his saintly might surging as he became increasingly imposing.
"The three sermons have now completely concluded!"
"When you return to the primordial world, you shall spread the Dao and transmit its teachings, using the Immortal Dao to enlighten all living beings."
"I shall now merge myself with the Dao and no longer appear in the world!"
With these words, Hongjun declared the complete end of the three sermons.
Had that been all, the three thousand great cultivators would not have found anything amiss.
But Hongjun paused, his gaze sweeping across the crowd before he continued:
"Chen Ku, remain behind!"
The moment these words fell, every great cultivator present was shocked and puzzled!
Why had Hongjun singled out Chen Ku to stay behind?!
After all, although some of Chen Ku's previous actions had greatly surprised everyone and could barely be called impressive—
In terms of cultivation, eighty or ninety percent of those present surpassed Chen Ku.
By all reason, he should never have drawn such special attention from Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
"Hehe, now that the treasure bestowal and the Primordial Purple Qi have all been settled..."
"Could Dao Ancestor be planning to soften him up before cracking down, to settle accounts with Chen Ku?"
Some great cultivators whispered among themselves, their faces wearing gloating expressions.
If that truly was the case, some of them would be delighted to see it.
After all, during this sermon and treasure distribution, Chen Ku had reaped an overflowing harvest.
They were unwilling to see him grow too pleased with himself.
At the side, Jie Yin and Zhun Ti both halted, their brows furrowing as they looked utterly bewildered.
Chen Ku was ultimately Jie Yin's disciple, yet Dao Ancestor Hongjun was being so forceful.
He had not even asked for Jie Yin's opinion before directly declaring that Chen Ku would remain behind.
Jie Yin and Zhun Ti could not help but feel conflicted, half pleased and half worried!
Yet despite the thoughts churning in their hearts, neither showed anything on their faces.
After pondering for a moment, they could only cast Chen Ku a discreet look that said, "Good luck," before leaving Purple Cloud Palace first.
It was not that they were cowardly or choosing to abandon Chen Ku!
They simply understood clearly that before Dao Ancestor Hongjun, they had no right to refuse at all.
As for what was truly going on, they could only wait until this matter was over before asking Chen Ku about it.
Before long, figure after figure departed.
Within the vast and empty Purple Cloud Palace, only Hongjun and Chen Ku remained.
And naturally, the one with the strongest reaction was Chen Ku himself.
His heart suddenly sank, and an immense sense of unease rose within him.
As he uncertainly studied Dao Ancestor Hongjun's calm expression, a deeply suppressed thought flashed through Chen Ku's mind.
Could my identity as a transmigrator have been exposed?!
Did Dao Ancestor Hongjun want to erase this anomaly and silence me?!
Before you continue