Nuwa Breaks Through in Purple Cloud Palace

"Daoist friend, many thanks for bestowing the Dao upon me?"

Cheng Yue was full of question marks. Just one sentence—he'd glanced at it and moved on.

Was this really considered bestowing the Dao?

If this counted, then he could just pull something from the Daoist Canon to show off.

Wouldn't that make every encounter a fate of Dao-bestowing?

Thinking back, he'd even directly taught the Yellow Court Classic to the creatures on this island last time.

A moment later, two small birds flew into the Great Hall.

They held two red fruits in their beaks, turned, and placed them on Cheng Yue's table.

Then several white wolves ran in, carrying some Spiritual Fruits, and set them down in the hall.

Cheng Yue looked at these Spiritual Fruits with some helplessness.

They were all acquired Spiritual Fruits. He'd eaten them before.

When he first arrived in the Primordial World, he was still a mortal.

While cultivating the Daoist Canon, he'd encountered many Spiritual Fruits, eaten them, and increased his cultivation.

But after reaching Refining Qi into Spirit, these fruits lost their effect.

After that, he only ate them to satisfy a craving.

Still, they were inferior to the food he made himself.

Now, looking at these fruits, he knew the little creatures meant well, but he waved his hand and said, "You need not do this. The Dao lecture earlier was to repay the karmic debt for occupying this land. These Spiritual Fruits are useless to me. Take them back, refine them well in your cultivation, and strive to take human form soon."

The many spirit beasts heard this, glanced at the fruits, but none took them back. They just left them there.

Cheng Yue was a bit resigned. Leaving them here was pointless too.

"Ah, fine. I'll accept them. You all go back and cultivate well. Don't do this again."

With that, the spirit beasts dispersed.

Beside him, Yangmei was curious. A Dao lecture—what was it about?

He was intrigued. A Great Power like this, casually lecturing on the Dao, must be extraordinary.

So he asked, "Daoist friend, what Dao did you lecture on?"

Cheng Yue waved his hand.

"Just some minor, trivial Dao. Not worth mentioning—it can't be brought to the table."

Yangmei didn't think so. The Dao was not lightly transmitted. Surely there were reservations.

Still, after a moment, his curiosity lingered.

"Daoist friend, I've troubled you enough. I'll take my leave now. In the future, I will surely return to repay your kindness in bestowing the Dao."

Cheng Yue nodded at this, then stood up. The two walked outside.

After some pleasantries, he finally saw Yangmei off.

This old Daoist was much better than that one who'd suddenly shown up a while back, calling himself Hongjun.

Turning, he thought of something, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth. Then he lay back in his seat and began to comprehend the Dao.

He pulled out the Black Purity Transmission in his hands.

He read it with great relish, all of it conjured from memory.

Beside Cheng Yue lay a pile of books like Silver Vase Plum.

He indulged day and night, growing thinner, and a hundred years passed in a flash.

In the Purple Cloud Palace, Nuwa had cultivated for a hundred years and finally reached the True Immortal realm.

Her aura surged, and she broke through in an instant.

Sensing the commotion, the Three Pure Ones and others beside her woke up. Many were roused by the disturbance.

They looked at Nuwa before them, a bit bewildered.

His lecture this time, though not profound, had thoroughly explained the issues before the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm. As for the Quasi-Sage method, he'd planned to save it for later.

But he never expected Nuwa to become a Quasi-Sage so quickly.

And from her aura, she wasn't weak.

The Three Pure Ones and the others exchanged glances. Yuanshi was shocked.

He could also sense that she had taken a step forward.

That step was fatal.

He had offended her. Now that she'd taken this step, it was a realm they didn't understand at all.

If this continues, once the sermon ends and the reckoning comes, won't my life be in danger?

There was one even more panicked—Zhunti, sitting at the very back among the three thousand Dust Travelers.

He also had a grudge with her.

She had even said, right in front of the Dao Ancestor, that she wanted to kill him.

If he waited until the end, wouldn't he be dead?

He glanced at the door behind him, thought it over, then couldn't help tugging Jieyin and whispering.

"Brother, when this ends, shouldn't we make a run for it?"

Jieyin smiled bitterly and nodded. There was no other choice—if they stayed, they'd likely face a reckoning.

"Junior brother, from now on, when we see this Nuwa, we'd better steer clear. Otherwise, we might end up dead here."

Zhunti was nearly in tears. Of course he'd have to dodge her. Back then, he thought their cultivation was the same—both Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.

With the two of them together, he wasn't afraid at all and had planned to settle scores after the sermon.

Now it seemed that when the sermon ended, there would indeed be a reckoning—but it would be her dishing it out to him.

Nuwa opened her eyes at that moment.

She examined the changes in herself, then took a moment to sense them.

"Finally broke through. Old man, this Purple Cloud Palace of yours isn't bad—way more spiritual energy than my master's little broken island."

Hearing this, Hongjun's brow twitched wildly.

This little girl's breakthrough was utterly absurd. Without the method of cutting off the Three Corpses to reach Quasi-Sage, she had gone straight down the path of Proving the Dao by Force.

Thinking back, Yangmei seemed to have taken that same route.

And he, Hongjun, had once been ambitious and considered walking that path too.

But after a long time, he realized just how difficult it was.

Only later, after comprehending the Heavenly Dao, did he come up with the method of cutting off the Three Corpses.

And since he had transformed from an Earthworm, this method suited him perfectly.

Now, seeing others achieve Proving the Dao by Force so easily, he was grinding his back teeth in frustration.

He had planned to teach the path to Quasi-Sage in his next sermon, and then he could also share his method of cutting off the Three Corpses.

But now that Nuwa had already achieved Proving the Dao by Force on her own, what was he supposed to say?

A deep sense of grievance welled up in his heart.

This wasn't going the way he had imagined at all.

Wasn't the script supposed to be different?

After speaking, Nuwa sat there feeling a bit bored. Hongjun's face kept shifting like a changing mask.

One moment it was flushed red, the next pale white.

"Old man, are you going to keep preaching or not? If not, I'm leaving. I promised my master I'd hurry back."

Come to think of it, she had been out for a few thousand years now. She had no idea how her master was doing.

And being gone for thousands of years right after leaving—this was probably going to be trouble.

Would she be punished when she got back?

Thinking this, Nuwa felt a flicker of fear.

"Why does it feel like that might actually happen?"

"No, I'll just act cute and beg for mercy when I get back?"

Having made up her mind, she prepared herself.

Hongjun let out a long breath, then stood up directly.

"This sermon is concluded. In three thousand years, the Purple Cloud Palace will open again to teach the path to Quasi-Sage!"

Hearing this, everyone was overjoyed. Just from the name, they knew—this was the step Nuwa had taken.

The path to Quasi-Sage?

One by one, they were trembling with excitement. But the moment the palace gates swung open, two figures at the very back turned into streaks of light and shot out of the Purple Cloud Palace.