As everyone in Purple Cloud Palace held their breath and awaited Hongjun's appearance, two somewhat bedraggled figures burst out of the storm.
The two wore washed-out Earth-yellow Daoist Robes, their hems stained with Chaos dust.
Their hair was disheveled and their faces covered in travel grime. They were none other than Jieyin and Zhunti from the Western Land.
"Fellow Daoists, wait! Don't close the gates!" Zhunti shouted urgently as he staggered forward.
"My brother and I have come all the way from the Western Land only to hear the Dao Ancestor's teachings. We beg you to make an exception!"
Outside Purple Cloud Palace, everyone turned at the sound. Three thousand years had already passed, and they had all assumed no one else would come.
Yet there were still living beings capable of making their way through the perilous Chaos Storm.
Haotian stood before the steps, one brow slightly raised. He had long known that the two would arrive, so he said nothing.
He merely moved his fingers slightly, undoing the barrier around Purple Cloud Palace and allowing them inside.
The instant Jieyin and Zhunti stepped through the barrier, they felt an unfathomable pressure bearing down on them.
The pressure was not deliberately released, yet it was as heavy as a deep sea of Chaos, instantly putting them on edge.
They looked up at Haotian and saw that this Mystic Gate disciple wore a dark green Daoist Robe. Faint streams of law-light shimmered around him, and his bearing was steady and imposing.
Startled inwardly, they hurriedly bowed. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist, for allowing us entry. We are deeply grateful."
Haotian gave a slight nod but said nothing more.
Seeing this, the two dared not delay and quickly entered Purple Cloud Palace.
But the moment they entered the hall and saw the arrangement of the Cushions, their already sorrowful expressions darkened.
The six Cushions at the very front had already been claimed by the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Kunpeng, and Hongyun. Most of the remaining Cushions also had owners, leaving not a single empty seat.
Zhunti's eyes darted about. He suddenly grabbed Jieyin beside him, his legs gave way, and his eyes instantly reddened as his voice took on a sobbing tone.
"Senior Brother, look... the cushions in Purple Cloud Palace are all taken."
"My brother and I came from the Western Land, braving Chaos and avoiding storms all the way here, only to seek the Dao Ancestor's guidance and restore the barren land of the Western Land."
"And now we do not even have a place to sit and hear the teachings. What are we to do?"
As he spoke, he began wiping away tears, his sobs growing ever more miserable.
"The Western Spirit Vein has been severed, and spiritual energy is scarce. It is difficult even to find a decent place to cultivate."
"My brother and I worry day and night over our survival. If we cannot hear the Dao Ancestor's teachings this time, then the sentient beings of the Western Land... ah!"
Jieyin also sighed in cooperation, his face full of grief, as if he had truly suffered an immense injustice.
But everyone in the hall was a great power of the Primordial Wilderness. Who among them had not weathered great storms?
There were no shortage of Grand Unity Golden Immortals, and even those Grand Unity Golden Immortals with slightly lower cultivation possessed resolute hearts.
To them, Zhunti's tearful display was nothing more than a pitiful act.
Though a few were moved, not one was willing to give up their cushion.
Everyone sitting here had earned their place through their own cultivation and fortune. How could they surrender it over a few tearful pleas?
Zhunti cried for quite some time. When no one responded, his wailing grew even louder, nearly making the Dao Rhythm tassels on Purple Cloud Palace's ceiling sway.
At that moment, Hongyun in the front row suddenly sighed. Ignoring Zhenyuanzi tugging at him from beside him, he slowly rose.
"Fellow Daoists, please stop crying." Hongyun's voice was gentle as his gaze fell upon Jieyin and Zhunti. "You may have my cushion."
The moment he said this, everyone in the hall was stunned. Some looked confused, while others stared at Hongyun as though he were a fool.
Zhenyuanzi anxiously tugged at his sleeve again and again, whispering, "Hongyun! Have you lost your mind? This cushion holds hidden fortune. How can you so easily give it to others?"
Hongyun merely shook his head and gave Zhenyuanzi a reassuring look.
When he had taken the sixth cushion, he had vaguely sensed that his Fortune did not align with it.
Now that Jieyin and Zhunti had arrived, giving up his seat suited his wishes instead.
At Zhunti's words, his crying instantly stopped, and the sorrow vanished from his face. He hurriedly cupped his hands. "Thank you, Fellow Daoist! My brother and I will surely remember your great kindness and righteousness!"
With that, he turned and sat down without the slightest hesitation. His movements were so swift that even Hongyun was slightly taken aback. That miserable appearance from before had all been an act.
Hongyun gave a bitter smile but did not mind. He turned to find a cushion in the back rows.
But after taking only two steps, he heard Zhunti speak again, his tone filled with righteous certainty. "My senior brother still has no seat. Would any Fellow Daoist be willing to show further kindness?"
Everyone fell silent at those words. No one wished to be the next fool.
Zhunti's gaze swept across the hall. The Three Pure Ones were united as one and could not be provoked. Though Nuwa was a woman, Fuxi stood behind her, making her no easy target either.
After looking around for a while, his gaze finally landed on Kunpeng, who sat on the fifth cushion, and he suddenly attacked.
"You feathered beast, what right do you have to sit in the front row with us Innate Deities? Hurry up and surrender your seat to my senior brother!"
Kunpeng had already been displeased by Hongyun yielding his seat. Hearing this, he flew into a rage, cold energy spilling from his body. "You dare insult me?"
"So what if I insult you?" Zhunti refused to yield an inch, his gaze sharp. "How can Innate Deities allow trash like you to defile our company?"
At that moment, Yuanshi in the front row suddenly spoke, his tone filled with disdain. "Fellow Daoist Zhunti speaks correctly. Such trash is indeed unworthy of sitting in the same row as us."
With Yuanshi taking the lead, several Innate Deities in the hall who had long disliked Kunpeng also began jeering.
"That's right! Make him get lost! He thinks he deserves to occupy a front-row cushion? What a joke!"
Kunpeng's face turned ashen, his hands clenching into fists as the law fluctuations around him became chaotic.
Though his cultivation was profound, he knew that if he truly fought Zhunti, Yuanshi, and the others, he would gain no advantage at all.
Just as the standoff continued, Zhunti suddenly moved. Fast as lightning, he struck Kunpeng's back with his palm!
Caught off guard, Kunpeng's blood and qi churned from the blow, and he was knocked straight off the cushion.
Before he could react, Jieyin had already stepped forward and firmly taken the fifth cushion.
"You!" Kunpeng glared at Zhunti, his eyes filled with killing intent.
He was about to strike, only to see Zhunti and Jieyin sitting side by side.
Venerable Yuanshi also cast him a warning glance, while the other jeering spectators vaguely closed in around him.
He knew the situation was against him. In the end, he could only grit his teeth and swallow his anger, resentfully finding a cushion in the back rows.
His gaze swept viciously over Hongyun. If not for that fool giving up his seat, how could all this have happened afterward?
Hongyun sensed Kunpeng's gaze and merely shook his head helplessly.
Meanwhile, Haotian and Jade Pool, seated on the Cushions above, quietly watched the farce from beginning to end without interfering.
At that moment, golden light suddenly lit up the elevated platform at the center of Purple Cloud Palace, and Hongjun's figure slowly appeared.
He wore plain white ceremonial robes and held the Jade Disk of Creation, his calm gaze sweeping over everyone in the hall.
"Within Purple Cloud Palace, the seats have been decided. They may not be changed again."
Hongjun's voice was indifferent, yet carried unquestionable authority. "This lecture will last ten thousand years. The first three thousand years will cover the Way of Grand Unity."
As his words fell, heavenly phenomena descended. Countless golden lotus platforms surged up from the floor of Purple Cloud Palace, wreathed in faint Dao Rhythm.
Purple Qi gathered from Chaos, flooding into Purple Cloud Palace and coiling around everyone's bodies.
Vaguely, Great Dao runes flickered through the void, seemingly expounding the true meaning of Great Luo.
Everyone in the hall instantly calmed their minds. No longer paying attention to the earlier farce, they sat cross-legged and focused intently on Hongjun's teachings.
Even Kunpeng, still resentful within, and Zhunti, secretly pleased with himself, closed their eyes and immersed themselves in the sound of the Great Dao.
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