Hongjun Steals a Chicken to Prove the Dao

Having placed the island deep within the South Sea, Cheng Yue finally let out a sigh of relief after finishing everything.

"No one should be able to find this place, right?"

With that said, he sat down in his training ground.

"Finally, I can cultivate in peace. For the next ten thousand years, I won't emerge until I reach Grand Unity Immortal."

He had no choice. He wanted to attain Quasi-Sage, even Sagehood, but his only foundation was the Daoist Canon, which could only guarantee his cultivation up to Grand Unity Immortal.

Nuwa stood in the Great Hall at that moment, having silently complained about her master a hundred times over.

Yet she still refused to reveal what she had discovered. After all, a master like this seemed rather amusing.

At the entrance to the side hall, watching her master let out a long, relieved breath, she couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile.

She stepped out, a grin on her face, and began to ask.

"Master, why are you so afraid of the name Hongjun?"

Cheng Yue sat on the upper seat, recalling that rambling old man, and felt a flicker of irritation.

"Heavenly secrets cannot be casually revealed, but I can tell you a little."

"High above the nine layers of clouds, on a cushion, he realized the truth. Beyond Heaven and Earth, before the yellow and dark, I shall be the leader of the teachings. Pangu gave birth to the Supreme Ultimate, and the two principles and four symbols followed. One path passed to three friends, two teachings split into Chan and Jie. The leader of the Mystic Gate, one breath transformed into Hongjun."

After speaking, he glanced at Nuwa, sighed inwardly, and continued.

"Remember these words. They record the great deeds of Hongjun. The destined Sages—never form a karmic bond with them, whether good or evil. Neither is acceptable."

Hearing this, Nuwa grew even more puzzled, her mind swirling with thoughts.

Only Cheng Yue knew the reason. Back then, Hongyun had formed a good karmic bond with the Western Sages, yet when he died, those two never appeared to save him.

Good karma, evil karma—all were karma.

The Sages' positions were untouched by karma.

On the contrary, they all harbored great schemes.

As long as the Heavenly Dao lived, great theft would never cease.

Nuwa, however, didn't understand this. A good cause brought a good result—why couldn't one form a good bond with a Sage?

Still, seeing her master's cowardly demeanor, she figured he meant well for her.

She silently committed this to memory.

Nuwa even conjured a book in her hand, modeled after the Daoist Canon.

On the cover, she wrote: Master's Guide to Survival in the Primordial World!

On the first page, she inscribed in Daoist script Li Dao's words: if you kill someone, make sure their soul scatters; if you can't win, call your elders.

On the second page, she wrote: never form a karmic bond with a Sage.

As for the third page, after a moment's thought, she added.

"Whenever you break through, attain the Dao, or obtain a fortune, grab it and leave immediately. Never linger—it only invites trouble."

By now, Nuwa had realized that the only reason she had become his disciple was that Cheng Yue had been too afraid of trouble that day to refuse.

This master of hers truly feared trouble and death to the extreme.

In the South Sea, Hongjun found a random place to rest.

His face was pale, still carrying a look of lingering terror.

The calamity of Pangu's creation hadn't killed him, yet in the Primordial World, he had nearly died here.

He still couldn't understand why the other party harbored such hostility toward him.

Just for speaking a single name, they had tried to kill him.

If the Heavenly Dao hadn't taken the blow for him, he might have already perished.

He hadn't expected that the other's attack would be so powerful, wounding even the Heavenly Dao.

Blood rain fell from the sky.

The Heavenly Dao was likely suffering now.

The Heavenly Dao suffering?

Hongjun suddenly thought of something.

"If I attain the Dao now, could I snatch some benefits?"

"To attain the Great Dao through the Heavenly Dao, I need its power. If I do it now, I'll surely gain more."

"Right now, the Heavenly Dao is weak—I can take advantage of its vulnerability."

He finished speaking and rose, flying toward his own Jade Capital Mountain.

In his heart, he secretly mused that it truly proved the saying, "Fortune favors the bold."

Though this experience had been arduous, it allowed him to find an opening to exploit, which counted as a stroke of luck.

There was some excitement in his heart, but today's events had also planted a thorn in Hongjun's mind.

"When I attain the Hunyuan, I will surely make this fellow understand that a Sage cannot be humiliated. I have noted this karmic debt."

As he spoke, the fear in his eyes vanished, replaced by anger.

His mind had already begun to envision himself proving the Dao as a Sage, then seizing the Heavenly Dao for himself.

He followed the path Cheng Yue had worn down.

This fantasy persisted all the way until he returned to Jade Capital Mountain, where he finally collected his thoughts.

Back at Jade Capital Mountain, Hongjun went straight into his cave dwelling.

He sat cross-legged, the Jade Plate of Creation slowly rotating above his head.

A flash of Purple Halo flickered through his Primordial Spirit.

Then it seemed to turn into liquid, enveloping the entire Primordial Spirit.

Golden Lotuses bloomed around him, and countless Celestial Music filled the sky.

The Purple Halo on Hongjun's body gradually deepened.

Such phenomena surrounded Jade Capital Mountain.

Haotian and Yaochi, busy in the mountain, stopped their work at the sight, both frozen in place.

"Has the master broken through?"

"Is he about to prove the Dao as a Sage?"

Hearing this, they exchanged glances, light shining in their eyes.

When one man attains the Dao, even his chickens and dogs ascend to heaven. They were already fantasizing about the days of thriving in the Primordial World.

After all, their master was the first Sage of the Primordial World.

But Yaochi had some doubts.

"How strange. The master left in a hurry, returned in a hurry, and was in a disheveled state. And now he can prove the Dao just like that? Why?"

Haotian was all smiles, even a little excited.

"It must be that the master obtained some opportunity, though it was a difficult one. Why else would he prove the Dao right after returning?"

Hearing this, Yaochi could only nod in agreement, but she still couldn't figure out what kind of opportunity could have left the master in such a state.

The two stood guard outside the cave, absorbing quite a bit of the Golden Lotuses.

Even as Boy Servants, they wouldn't let such an opportunity slip by.

After a shudder, phenomena began to appear on their bodies as well.

The Three Flowers bloomed atop their heads, a clear sign they were about to break through to the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.

Time passed swiftly, a hundred years gone.

The phenomena at Jade Capital Mountain had also lasted a hundred years.

Yaochi and Haotian had long reached the early stage of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. Every day, they looked up at the phenomena above, their eyes always carrying a hint of excitement.

But they never forgot their daily duties, always waiting for Hongjun to succeed in proving the Dao.

Suddenly, the Celestial Music in the sky faded, and all the heavenly phenomena vanished.

Hongjun had finally proven the Dao and become a Sage.

After flying out of the cave, Hongjun was all smiles. He stood in the sky, gazing toward the South Sea, his eyes filled with hatred.

Then he restrained himself. He was still no match for that person.

With a single strike, the other had gravely wounded the Heavenly Dao. He had only just become a Sage, not yet strong enough to fight him.

But having succeeded in proving the Dao, his heart stirred as if sensing something.

He nodded and then spoke directly.

"I am Hongjun. Today, I have become a Sage. In three thousand years, I will begin preaching the Great Dao in the Purple Cloud Palace in the Chaos. All who are fated may come to listen."

After speaking, he glanced at Jade Capital Mountain, waved his hand, and swept Haotian and Yaochi into his sleeve, then flew toward the Chaos beyond the heavens.