Cheng Yue Preaches, Hongjun Approaches

Three days passed in the blink of an eye as he sat cross-legged in the hall.

It was now time for the sermon Cheng Yue had scheduled.

Rising, he stepped outside to find countless beings already kneeling on the mats before him.

Cheng Yue scanned the crowd—all seemed present, every mat occupied.

Nodding at the gathered beings, he casually conjured a cloud.

Seated atop it, he began to speak at length.

"Above is the Yellow Court, below the Pass of Origin; behind the Dark Gate, before the Door of Fate. Breath circulates through the chambers into the Elixir Field; the Jade Pool's water waters the Spiritual Root. Cultivate this with care, and you may live long. The one in the Yellow Court wears crimson robes; the Pass of Origin opens and closes with two doors. The Dark Gate towers high and mighty; within the Elixir Field, essence and energy are subtle. The Jade Pool's water rises as fertile growth..."

He recited the Yellow Court Classic, unsure if the scripture held any real effect.

After all, this was the Primordial World, and this acquired text was merely a Daoist inner alchemy manual.

As for the Daoist Canon, Cheng Yue had no intention of revealing it.

The Dao must not be lightly passed; the Dharma does not reach the Six-Eared Macaque.

This was his foundation for survival—passing it to disciples was one thing, but casually spreading it would ruin his standing.

Soon the Primordial World would be filled with Golden Immortals wielding the Heavenly Eye and Mind-Reading.

What if he couldn't make a living then?

So he simply pulled out the Yellow Court Classic and recited it.

Luckily, he'd skimmed it in the past; after cultivating immortality, his memory had sharpened, and now those scenes were crystal clear.

Eyes closed, he calmly chanted the Yellow Court, unaware that above the island, purple qi streamed from the east, while golden lotuses bloomed across the land.

The beings attending the sermon all benefited from the golden lotuses.

Some even broke through on the spot, their aura surging as they touched a lotus.

Countless streams of purple qi poured into Cheng Yue's body.

But he knew nothing of this—he didn't even feel it.

He simply continued speaking slowly.

The Yellow Court Classic wasn't long; half a day was enough to finish it.

He was now resigned to his fate, thinking only of wrapping up quickly and returning to cultivation.

Hongjun had yet to attain sainthood; if he worked hard, he might still catch the sermon at Purple Cloud Palace.

With luck, he might even snag a mat.

But the six destined saints were fixed—even if he sat on one, the outcome wouldn't be good.

Hongjun, wandering the Primordial World, had been searching aimlessly for signs of upheaval or eavesdropping on disputes over newborn treasures.

All was calm until he spotted purple qi rising over the South Sea. He frowned.

"Purple qi from the east—could a fortune or a Great Power have emerged?"

Puzzled, Hongjun flew toward the island.

But judging by the distance, it would take some time.

Since such an omen appeared, he wanted to see what was happening—perhaps another opportunity awaited him.

With that thought, he quickened his pace.

On the island, Cheng Yue finished the entire scripture and stopped.

"Alright, the scripture is complete. If there's nothing else, disperse."

The listening beings opened their eyes.

One by one, they imitated a cupped-fist salute, bowed, and departed.

Cheng Yue looked at the mats, shook his head, and left them in place. He returned to his palace and sat cross-legged inside.

Nuwa then hopped out.

"Master, that scripture you taught was so simple."

Cheng Yue's mouth twitched. Of course it was simple—he didn't know anything harder.

"You want me to teach the Daoist Canon? The Dao must not be lightly passed. They aren't my disciples. If they joined my sect, learning the Daoist Canon would be fine, but they haven't."

Nuwa nodded, glanced at the thick book in her hand, and smiled.

She silently thought that taking him as her master was the right call—otherwise, she might never have met such an amusing teacher.

She hadn't cultivated these past two days, instead reading the Daoist Canon.

The cultivation methods recorded in it far exceeded her imagination.

After understanding it, she realized why her master had confused the realms.

The Grand Unity Immortal described in the Daoist Canon was omniscient and omnipotent, capable of reversing time, reshaping heaven and earth, and even flipping Yin Yang with a thought—absurdly powerful.

That realm was beyond anything Nuwa could conceive.

Even at the Golden Immortal realm, one is ageless, deathless, and exists with a single thought.

Looking at myself, a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, compared to what's recorded in the Daoist Canon, it's like two completely different realms.

She doesn't have the power to reverse Yin Yang or reshape heaven and earth, let alone the ability to reverse time's flow. Something like the River of Time—if she so much as touched it, she'd likely perish on the spot.

In contrast, Nuwa increasingly felt the depth of her cheap master's power.

She had no idea where her master had obtained such texts.

But she wasn't about to tell him what she'd discovered.

The way Cheng Yue was so cautious about everything now—for some reason, she found it rather amusing.

"Go cultivate quickly. With your current cultivation, you probably wouldn't last three seconds in the Primordial World."

Lost in thought, Cheng Yue's voice rang in her ears again, leaving Nuwa feeling a bit helpless.

"Master, isn't that a bit much? I'm still an immortal, after all."

Cheng Yue shook his head, then looked out beyond the hall and spoke.

"Are immortals that impressive? Is the Primordial World short on immortals? You could pick up a rock in the Primordial World and it might be an immortal!"

"Don't get complacent just because you're an immortal. This is the Primordial World, and it's about to fall into chaos. When that time comes, Quasi-Sages will be everywhere, and Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals will be worse than dogs. Don't think your cultivation is enough—even I, your master, wouldn't dare claim I can survive safely."

"The Saint Positions are about to be decided, and heaven and earth will be unsettled again. Don't let your guard down. For a while, we'll stay here and not go out, so we don't get caught in the great calamity and die in it."

With that, Cheng Yue returned to his seat and sat cross-legged.

A hint of worry showed on his face.

Beside him, Nuwa was curious about the terms Quasi-Sage and Saint Position.

And what was this great calamity?

"Master, what are Quasi-Sages and Saint Positions? And what is this great calamity you mentioned?"

Just as Cheng Yue was about to speak, he hesitated and couldn't help looking up at the sky.

Was this kind of thing considered heavenly secrets?

If he revealed it carelessly, would he get struck by lightning?

Should he try?

But what if trying meant dying on the spot?

Just as he was about to hint at it vaguely, Cheng Yue suddenly sensed that the formation he'd set up outside had been triggered.

After sensing carefully, he found that the intruder's cultivation seemed low.

They must have wandered onto the island by accident, unaware of his formation.

Thinking this, Cheng Yue rose and turned into a rainbow light, flying straight to the formation he'd set up.

He saw lightning and flames raging within, and an old Daoist, already charred black, his hair completely burned off.

At this moment, Hongjun's heart was full of bitterness.

He'd been hurrying along the way, and when he saw the strange phenomena vanish, he grew anxious. Marking the location, he sped up.

But when he arrived and saw the hall on the small island, he figured something must have happened here. He decided to go ashore and ask. The moment he stepped onto the island—

He felt the earth, fire, wind, and water all go into chaos at once.

Thunder and lightning mixed in too.

He tried to resist, but found he couldn't fight back at all, only barely defend.

Seeing Cheng Yue flying toward him, Hongjun grew anxious.

But then he saw the man stretch out a finger, and the surrounding earth, fire, wind, and water all settled down.

Hongjun lay on the ground, somewhat disheveled.

Staring at the sky above, he felt a lingering fear.

"You old Daoist, a True Immortal, why aren't you cultivating in your cave? What made you barge into my island?"