The conflict within Zixiao Palace naturally could not escape Hongjun's eyes.
However, all beneath the saints were ants. Such minor squabbles were not worth his intervention.
Minor trends in the Primordial World could be changed, but the greater course could not be reversed. In his eyes, Hou Tu and Dijun occupying the meditation cushions was nothing of consequence.
Though the six meditation cushions represented saintly positions, the Primordial Violet Qi was in his hands. Who became a saint was still his decision.
His gaze shifted to Jieyin and Zhunti, who were still wiping away tears in the corner, and an almost imperceptible trace of disgust flashed through Hongjun's eyes.
They were dignified Great Golden Immortals, yet they had lost control so badly, bursting into tears at every turn. They had utterly disgraced the Primordial Chaos mighty figures.
Those two were simply unworthy of sitting on the meditation cushions.
Therefore, when Qin Xuan had beaten them savagely just now, Hongjun had not only failed to stop him, but had even taken out spirit fruit and watched the show with relish.
However... recalling the karmic ties from back then, Hongjun still gave a light wave of his hand.
Two meditation cushions identical to the previous ones appeared out of thin air beside Jieyin and Zhunti.
Yet upon closer inspection, one would find that these two cushions lacked a trace of that natural Dao charm.
He had not wanted to concern himself with those two shameless disciples, but when he had fought Luo Hou to the death back then, the entire Western Earth Veins had been detonated.
Luo Hou had died cleanly enough, but someone still had to repay this towering karma.
And that massive burden had landed squarely on Hongjun's shoulders.
For the sake of smoothly merging with the Dao in the future, this karmic debt had to be settled.
Yet among the three thousand guests in the hall, the only ones born in the west were these two weeping brothers.
He had no choice. Not only did he have to give them meditation cushions, he would also have to accept them as disciples in the future and help them become saints...
At the sight of this, Jieyin and Zhunti's sorrow vanished at once. They hurriedly crawled up and sat on the cushions, kowtowing in mingled surprise and joy.
"Many thanks for the Dao Ancestor's mercy!"
Hongjun gave a slight nod, his voice indifferent yet majestic.
"From this day onward, the seating order is fixed and shall not be changed."
Qin Xuan took in everything before him, understanding dawning in his heart.
The moment Hongjun gave them those meditation cushions, his meaning had become obvious.
Even if Hou Tu sat on a meditation cushion, the future six saints of the Heavenly Dao would still be the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, and the two from the west.
Just as Qin Xuan was quietly making calculations, Hongjun's ethereal, emotionless voice rang out once more, echoing throughout Zixiao Palace.
"My Dao shall be taught three times, three thousand years each. This time, I shall teach the Dao of the Great Golden Immortal."
As his words fell, boundless, profound Dao sound accompanied by swirling violet qi instantly filled the entire hall.
No one dared to be negligent. They promptly calmed their minds, immersed themselves in it, and strove to comprehend it.
Before long, the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, and Dijun on the meditation cushions all revealed delighted expressions.
The instant they entered meditation, they felt waves of cool Dao charm emanating from the cushions beneath them and pouring into their Primal Spirits. The originally obscure and incomprehensible Dao sound seemed to be dissected, becoming clear and easy to understand, while all manner of profound truths came readily to hand.
Jieyin and Zhunti, however, did not receive such favorable treatment.
Their meditation cushions were imitation products casually created by Hongjun. They merely resembled the originals; how could they possess any ability to aid enlightenment?
The two listened in utter confusion, their faces filled with misery, yet they did not dare complain.
Naturally, they did not know that the six Innate meditation cushions had been ordained by the Heavenly Dao. They contained a thread of the Heavenly Dao's origin and were opportunities prepared for future saints.
As for Qin Xuan and Hou Tu, neither of them listened at all.
Qin Xuan was no fool. Listening to Hongjun teach the Dao was equivalent to owing him karma. Though they lacked the name of master and disciple, there was the reality of transmitted teachings.
Not only would they become entangled beyond resolution in the future, but who knew whether this Dao Ancestor might take advantage of the opportunity to seize his fortune? He had his own Great Dao, so why should he become involved in such matters?
Hou Tu, meanwhile, completely followed Qin Xuan's lead. Since Qin Xuan would not let her listen, she obediently closed her eyes and cultivated the Law of Earth on her own.
Just as everyone was listening with rapt fascination, Hongjun's voice abruptly paused, and he said blandly:
"The Dharma shall not be transmitted to Six Ears!"
After speaking, he continued his lecture as though nothing had happened.
At the same time, in a mountain forest somewhere on the distant Primordial Continent, the Six-Eared Macaque, who had been secretly listening with his ears pricked, suddenly let out a miserable scream. Clutching his ears, he collapsed to the ground and convulsed without pause as blood poured from his ear canals, staining the earth beneath him red...
Time passed swiftly, and three thousand long years vanished in the blink of an eye.
During that time, the radiant phenomena caused by breakthroughs within Zixiao Palace had almost never ceased.
Upon the meditation cushions, Taiqing Laozi and Dijun gained the most, both breaking through to the peak of the Great Golden Immortal realm.
Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Nüwa followed close behind, steadily entering the late stage of the Great Golden Immortal realm as well.
Only Jieyin and Zhunti were in the most miserable state.
They had already been injured, and their meditation cushions had no effect. They spent most of their time healing and stabilizing their cultivation. After three thousand years, their cultivation had only improved slightly within the middle stage of the Great Golden Immortal realm.
"This lecture has concluded. After one yuan epoch, I shall teach the Dao of the Quasi-Sage."
As Hongjun's voice fell, his figure vanished from the throne like a phantom bubble.
The people within the hall awoke as if from a dream. They rose one after another, exchanged farewells, then turned into streaks of light and departed, each returning to their own Dao fields to enter seclusion and digest their gains.
Qin Xuan took Hou Tu by the hand and returned directly to Buzhou Mountain.
I wonder whether my brothers have found the Innate Gourd Vine yet.
On Kunlun Mountain.
Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Tongtian sat cross-legged facing one another, each digesting the insights they had gained from listening to the Dao in Zixiao Palace.
This had been Dao Ancestor Hongjun's first lecture, and the amount of information had been immense. Every shred of insight was incomparably precious.
Suddenly, Tongtian seemed to sense something. His brows lifted slightly, and he rose directly to his feet.
"Eldest brother, second brother, come with me."
Before his words had even faded, he had transformed into a streak of sword light and shot straight toward a certain place within the Kunlun Mountain range.
Taiqing and Yuanshi exchanged a glance.
Though Tongtian was straightforward by nature, he never acted without cause. The two understood at once and immediately rose to follow him.
Not long after, Tongtian halted above a seemingly unremarkable clearing, his eyes filled with unconcealed astonishment.
Taiqing and Yuanshi arrived right after him. Seeing Tongtian's expression, Yuanshi, the most impatient of the three, could not help but ask:
"Third brother, you have not yet fully comprehended the Dao Ancestor's wondrous teachings. Why did you rush all the way here?" His tone carried obvious impatience, along with displeasure at having his cultivation interrupted.
Tongtian frowned slightly, but still explained patiently.
"I sensed that a supreme treasure is about to emerge here, so I hurried over."
He was proficient in the Dao of formations and could clearly sense that an Innate Grand Formation lay within this seemingly ordinary clearing, with terrifying fluctuations faintly emanating from it.
Could something protected by an Innate Grand Formation possibly be ordinary?
The moment Yuanshi heard the words "supreme treasure," his eyes immediately lit up.
The three brothers could be said to be utterly poor. Aside from Taiqing, who had been born with the accompanying supreme treasure Heaven and Earth Exquisite Pagoda, Yuanshi had yet to find a single worthwhile treasure.
"Then what are we waiting for?" Yuanshi immediately perked up. "The three of us can join forces and break this formation directly!" As he spoke, he began forming hand seals.
Taiqing and Tongtian exchanged a glance, then both made their moves as well.
"Taiqing Divine Lightning!"
"Yuqing Divine Lightning!"
"Shangqing Divine Lightning!"
In an instant, three vast streams of entirely different yet mutually connected mana surged into the heavens, causing the winds and clouds above Kunlun Mountain to change color.
Thick black clouds gathered from nowhere. Countless lightning serpents danced wildly within them, rapidly condensing into three enormous thunderballs brimming with terrifying power and rumbling deafeningly.
The next instant, the three thunderballs exploded at the same time, transforming into waterfalls of lightning that crashed violently down upon the clearing below!
Crack!
The Innate Grand Formation, which had already been on the verge of emergence, shattered under the Three Pure Ones' combined strike!
As the lightning and dust gradually dispersed, a strange pool was revealed upon the previously empty ground.
The water was no ordinary water. It was crystal-clear to the bottom, wreathed in a faint layer of violet qi, and emitted a refreshing fragrance.
At the center of the pool, a lotus platform floated quietly.
Emerald-green lotus leaves supported a jade-white lotus root. Above it, a delicate red flower swayed in the wind as it slowly bloomed.
Almost the moment they saw it, information about the object naturally surfaced within the Three Pure Ones' Primal Spirits.
This object had once been the Chaos Supreme Treasure, the Thirty-Sixth Grade Creation Green Lotus. After it shattered during the Great Tribulation of Heaven Opening, one of its lotus seeds fell into the Primordial World. Nurtured by Kunlun Mountain's spiritual qi over countless yuan epochs, it had finally taken form.
The three were deeply shaken and nearly cried out in unison:
"24th Grade Creation Green Lotus!"
This was an Innate supreme treasure!
Yuanshi's heart burned with desire. Unable to restrain himself any longer, he took a step forward and reached out to seize this supreme opportunity.
Before you continue