Cheng Yue: True Immortal, Trash!

Hongjun was somewhat puzzled upon hearing this.

A True Immortal?

He himself was a dignified Quasi-Sage—even in terms of realm, the correct term should be Golden Immortal of the Origin.

Even as a Good Corpse, he still possessed early-stage Quasi-Sage cultivation.

How could he possibly be a True Immortal?

At this, Hongjun even checked his own cultivation to confirm his realm hadn't dropped.

He then stood up, looked up, and saw Cheng Yue before him.

The other seemed utterly ordinary, save for the Golden Wheel of Merit behind his head, which piqued his curiosity.

Upon closer inspection, he found he couldn't see through the man's cultivation at all.

Frowning deeply, Hongjun grew somewhat confused.

If the man had no cultivation, he couldn't have just rescued him.

Moreover, the man was already in a Dao body—though its origin was unknown, the fact that he had taken form meant he definitely possessed cultivation.

That cleared things up: the man had cultivation, but Hongjun simply couldn't perceive it.

This inability to see through him unsettled Hongjun.

Could this person have already attained sainthood, or proven the Way to become a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin?

Curious, he spoke up.

"Esteemed Daoist, I am Hongjun. I haven't yet asked—what cultivation level do you currently hold?"

Cheng Yue watched the Old Daoist. After standing up and staring at him for a long while, the man turned around and claimed to be Hongjun.

Did Cheng Yue not know Hongjun's cultivation?

He hadn't become a saint yet—at the very least, he was a peak Quasi-Sage, one step away from proving the Way and becoming a saint.

And what about this guy's cultivation?

Ha, a pathetic True Immortal.

Someone he could crush with ease.

This fool was putting on airs in front of him. If later on, that sly old fox Hongjun became a saint and found out about this, and blamed him, what would he do?

This guy was clearly setting him up.

Cheng Yue's expression shifted instantly, a hint of anger creeping in.

"You say you're Hongjun?"

"If you're Hongjun, then I'm the Heavenly Dao. A mere True Immortal, claiming to be Hongjun—get out of here, stop spouting nonsense in my presence."

With that, Cheng Yue simply flicked his hand. A gentle breeze swept by, and Hongjun blinked. When he turned his head, he found himself already outside the island.

Curious, he wanted to go back in and clarify things with Cheng Yue.

But glancing at the island and recalling the chaotic earth, fire, water, and wind, he felt a lingering fear.

Yet, a moment later, something even more terrifying struck him.

He realized there was something more frightening than that great formation—Cheng Yue's cultivation.

He was a Quasi-Sage, yet the man had effortlessly sent him off the island.

He hadn't even had time to resist.

This cultivation clearly surpassed Quasi-Sage—it had likely reached the realm of Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin.

The more Hongjun thought about it, the more plausible it seemed, and a chill crept into his heart.

He just couldn't understand why the man didn't believe him.

But then, on second thought, it seemed impossible.

"Impossible. I should be the first saint of this era. Within the Primordial World, there can be no other saint. I have not yet proven the Way, so there should be no Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal in the Primordial World!"

He stared at the island before him, yet his recent experience forced him to believe otherwise.

At this thought, Hongjun's Evil Corpse felt a deep unease.

If this truly was a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin, then he was far from safe.

It might even interfere with his grand plan.

After a whirlwind of thoughts, he decided to return first and discuss matters.

"I need to go back and confer with the Original Body. If a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal truly exists in this world..."

He dared not dwell on what came next.

Cheng Yue had driven Hongjun away, his face full of anger.

Returning to the main hall, he saw Nuwa standing there, looking somewhat curious.

"Master, you were in such a hurry just now. Did something happen?"

Cheng Yue glanced at Nuwa. This disciple of his had done the same back then.

Opened her mouth and claimed to be Nuwa herself.

"An old Daoist, just a True Immortal, opened his mouth and said he was Hongjun. I chased him away."

"Xiao Wa, you must remember: when you go out, never speak carelessly. Like that old Daoist today—he impersonated Hongjun. When Hongjun becomes a Saint, that karma won't be something a mere True Immortal can bear."

Hongjun?

Become a Saint?

She knew of Hongjun. After all, the Dao-Demon Conflict and the explosion of the Western earth veins were major events. Of course she knew.

And Hongjun was a Great Power who surpassed the Grand Unity Immortal.

She hadn't expected her master to know even this. A little curious, she pressed on with the question that had gone unanswered.

"Master, what are these realms you mentioned—Quasi-Sage, attaining the Dao and becoming a Saint? Can Hongjun become a Saint?"

Cheng Yue sat there, still fuming, but he nodded anyway.

"Quasi-Sage is just a title. The actual realm name should be Golden Immortal of the Origin. As for a Saint, that's a Heavenly Dao position, with cultivation equivalent to a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin."

"As for Hongjun, he's the first Saint ordained by Heaven. His day of attaining the Dao should be near."

Nuwa was still a little curious about all this. Curious about these realms.

"Master, how do you know all this? This is the Heavenly secret of becoming a Saint, isn't it?"

Cheng Yue froze for a moment. He'd said too much, too fast. He'd forgotten that these weren't things he could talk about now.

He looked at Nuwa's puzzled expression, cleared his throat, and spoke with a slightly reddened face.

"Ahem, what do you know? This is called divining the Heavenly secrets. When you reach your master's Golden Immortal realm, you'll be able to do it too."

Nuwa watched Cheng Yue's expression and couldn't help the smile tugging at her lips.

She understood now. So a Golden Immortal could divine the Heavenly secrets of a Saint.

That meant the Golden Immortal her master spoke of was greater than a Saint. So what was the point of becoming a Saint?

Only by surpassing someone's cultivation could you accurately divine their secrets.

In other words, her master's current realm...

Sigh.

If she became a Golden Immortal, on the same level as her master...

Wouldn't that mean she surpassed a Saint?

And if she went beyond Taiyi Immortal to the Grand Unity Immortal realm recorded in the Daoist Canon... wouldn't she be completely invincible?

At that thought, Nuwa's heart raced with excitement.

But after thinking it over again, her master had just said that old Daoist was a True Immortal.

One realm higher than her. That meant the other party really might have been Hongjun.

But considering her master's situation, it was normal for him to misidentify someone.

"Master, do you think I have a chance to become a Saint?"

Cheng Yue glanced at Nuwa, then the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

A chance? No way. Heavenly Dao Saints were fixed. And the path of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal of the Origin was destined to be difficult.

Later, when Hongjun came up with the Three Corpses method, he cut that path off entirely.

When the Purple Cloud Palace preached the Dao and taught the Three Corpses method, everyone in the Primordial World thought it was the only path to Quasi-Sage.

From then on, this incomplete method severed the path to the Origin for everyone in the Primordial World.

They all stopped at the Golden Immortal of the Origin realm.

Thinking of this, Cheng Yue couldn't help but sigh.

Maybe that was why his Daoist Canon only went up to Grand Unity Immortal.

Helpless, Cheng Yue could only keep it in his heart, unable to speak it aloud.

If he said it now, who knew if Heaven would strike him with a divine thunderbolt?

Back when he was a Mystic Immortal, he'd been struck by lightning. That feeling was unbearable—he'd almost been roasted.

He didn't want to go through that a second time.

"You? No. Don't aim too high. Just focus on your cultivation. If you can survive the Mystic Immortal tribulation and reach Golden Immortal, at least I'll be able to relax a little."