Heavenly Dao Shackles! Are Sages Actually High-Level Prisoners?
"The Primordial Violet Qi is the foundation of the Great Dao and the guide to sainthood."
Hongjun paused for a moment.
"Obtaining it would indeed offer a glimpse into the realm of the Sage, who is indestructible and lives as long as the heavens."
Each word seemed to possess substantial weight, striking deep into the primordial spirits of the six beings: Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti.
"But, do you know?"
Hongjun's tone, which was always indifferent, was tinged with an indescribable desolation.
"Under the laws of nature, there is no such thing as a free lunch."
"If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight."
He spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice turning cold and menacing.
"This Primordial Violet Qi is both an unparalleled creation and..."
"The heaviest Shackles!"
The last six words, though lacking the force of thunder, were like an invisible ice needle, precisely piercing the most sensitive nerves of all the powerful beings.
"The heaviest... Shackles?"
The expressions on the faces of the six future Sage, who had just been so overjoyed that they lost control of their Dao Heart, froze completely in that instant.
The flames burning in their eyes were instantly extinguished by those four words, leaving only cold ashes and rising astonishment.
Shackles?
How could it be Shackles?
Aren't Sage supposed to represent supreme freedom, complete liberation, and ultimate liberation?!
"Teacher, what... what do you mean by this?"
The Daoist Jieyin was the first to speak out, his perpetually pained face now filled with genuine fear.
"This disciple is dull-witted and begs for your guidance, Master!"
Zhunti bowed deeply, his voice trembling without him even realizing it.
It's not just them.
At the summit, the usually composed Three Pure Ones and Nuwa now had furrowed brows and looked more solemn than ever before.
Hongjun was the first saint in the Primordial World.
What he is saying now must be the most fundamental and cruel truth about the realm of "Sage"!
Hongjun did not answer.
He raised his hand and pointed at the six slowly drifting Primordial Violet Qi from afar.
Buzz--
The six streams of purple energy trembled violently.
The next moment, under the wide-open gaze of everyone, a mark emerged deep within the core of each wisp of purple energy.
A gray mark, exuding an aura of supreme arrogance and cold indifference!
The mark seemed not to be a physical entity, but rather a manifestation of some kind of rule.
With just one glance, the Daluo Golden Immortal present felt their "self-awareness" being stripped away, their primordial spirit being assimilated, and they were about to become insignificant cogs in the operation of some grand will.
"This is the Heavenly Dao Mark."
Hongjun's voice was so calm it was almost cruel.
"The Primordial Violet Qi is the origin of the Heavenly Dao Origin, and naturally, it also bears the most fundamental will of the Heavenly Dao."
"When you refine this energy and become saints, you will completely merge your primordial spirit with this Heavenly Dao Mark."
"From that time onward, the primordial spirit, entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, became immortal and indestructible; this is indeed a fact."
Hongjun's tone suddenly turned cold.
"But at the same time, your every action and thought will be completely bound to the Heavenly Dao!"
"When Heaven prospers, you prosper; when Heaven perishes, you perish."
"You will become the agents of the Heavenly Dao in the Primordial World, and maintaining the operation of the Heavenly Dao is your inescapable duty."
"But because of this, you will forever lose your true 'self,' and forever lose your true 'freedom'!"
"Because, from the moment you refined it, you ceased to be yourselves."
Hongjun's gaze swept over the six faces that had instantly lost all color, and he uttered two words that chilled the hearts of all the immortals.
"Instead... tools."
Tool!
Immortal and indestructible, a high-ranking prisoner eternally imprisoned!
Boom!
These words were like a magnitude 12 earthquake that shattered the beautiful fantasies of all the great beings about "Sage"!
The six future Sage were ashen-faced.
They stared blankly at the six streams of Primordial Violet Qi that still exuded a deadly allure, yet now appeared incredibly ferocious, their eyes filled only with pain, struggle, and boundless fear.
The Qiankun Ancestor felt a chill rush from his tailbone straight to the top of his head.
He instinctively hugged his "Xuanhuang Son" tightly, as if that was the only real warmth in the world.
He imagined himself after becoming a saint, facing a whole roasted lamb formed from the Essence of Innate Geng Metal, about to take a bite when a cold voice echoed in his mind, "This action is detrimental to the operation of the Heavenly Dao; you should refrain from it."
That kind of Sage is worse than death!
The Ancestor Minghe's knuckles turned white as he gripped the Yuantu and Abi swords.
He could feel that the boundless Aura of Slaughter within his twin swords had become deathly still after Hongjun's words fell. It was as if it were a premonition of the future after he became a saint, his swords covered in dust and his killing intent extinguished.
If it cannot vent its anger and avenge its grievances, if it cannot unleash boundless carnage, then is the Minghe still the Minghe?
A deep sense of apprehension flashed in the eyes of the Old Ancestor Kunpeng.
He seemed to see his wings, which could have soared to great heights, now bound by invisible chains, forever confined to the Primordial World, never again able to reach the true freedom beyond the boundless expanse of time and space.
This is imprisonment! The greatest imprisonment imaginable for Kunpeng!
Jieyin and Zhunti were ashen-faced, their Dao Heart nearly collapsing.
These fellow disciples were willing to be shameless and sacrifice everything for the sake of bringing glory to the West.
But if they become puppets of the Heavenly Dao, even the thought of "wanting to go to the East to beg for a spiritual treasure" will be judged by the Heavenly Dao as "violating the will of Heaven." Then what's the point of them glorifying the West?!
Are we destined to remain confined to barren lands in the West, chanting to the heavens, "We are merely tools for maintaining order"?
In an instant, those six streams of Primordial Violet Qi that once represented supreme glory turned into six honey-sweetened contracts of servitude in their eyes.
Once you sign, you'll be forced to serve Heaven as its slave for eternity!
At the foot of the mountain, countless lives were plunged into deathly silence.
Those powerful figures who had previously been consumed by jealousy now felt a sense of relief.
Di Jun and Tai Yi, in particular, exchanged a glance and both saw the complexity in each other's eyes.
There was a sense of relief, but more than anything, there was a chilling feeling of shared sorrow.
If even Sage are merely tools, then what are these ants struggling beneath Sage?
The entire Kunlun Mountain were shrouded in a heavy, suffocating atmosphere of oppression.
Only Lin Shen was still unaware of the situation.
He didn't understand what Shackles or prisoners meant.
All he saw was that the six old men who had just been so happy now had wrinkled faces, more bitter than the bitterest coptis he had ever tasted.
Shouldn't everyone who comes to Kunlun Mountain have a happy time?
Lin Shen blinked his big eyes, looked at the six worried old men, and then at the six "purple earthworms" swimming in the air.
An incredibly simple thought sprouted in his pure little heart.
The grandfathers are unhappy...
Is it because these "purple earthworms" don't taste good?
He remembered that the last "grape-flavored Popping Candy" (Pangu's Heart Blood) was also hard at first and didn't taste good at all.
It was only when I held it in my mouth and soaked it in the warm, bubbly air from my body that it became fragrant and sweet.
That...
Could we soak these "purple earthworms" in that warm steam to make them taste better?
If it becomes delicious, the grandfathers will definitely be happy!
Yes! That must be it!
Lin Shen nodded vigorously in his heart at his "brilliant" idea.
I'm such a helpful and good baby!
So, in the blink of an eye, before anyone could react...
While Hongjun Daozu was lamenting the ruthlessness of the Heavenly Dao, while the Three Pure Ones and others were pondering the essence of Sage, and while the six future Sage were still in a desperate struggle between Heaven and humanity.
Lin Shen moved.
He struggled to poke his chubby little body out of Grandpa Hongjun's arms.
He stretched out that chubby little hand that had once grasped Pangu's Heart Blood and crushed the Chaos Divine Thunder.
He gently reached out and grabbed the Primordial Violet Qi that was closest to him.
"Don't cry, don't cry."
The voice was childlike and sweet, yet carried a hint of earnestness.
"Let Lin Shen help you make it taste better!"