No sooner had Taiqing Laozi finished speaking than the smiles vanished from Yuanshi Tianzun and Tongtian Jiaozhu's faces.
They were now Primordial Golden Immortals. With a single thought, their divine senses could cover the entire primordial world.
Naturally, they had also sensed that aura approaching Kunlun Mountain.
That aura was utterly different from the overwhelmingly tyrannical presence of the Ancestral Dragon and the others.
It was ethereal, vast, and profound, as though it had merged with the entire heaven and earth of the primordial world.
You could not sense its existence, yet it was everywhere.
It was the heavens. It was the Dao.
"It is Hongjun."
Yuanshi Tianzun slowly uttered those two words, his gaze becoming incomparably sharp.
He had always remained wary of this being who was just as ancient and unfathomable as they were.
"That Old Fellow could have come at any time, yet he waited until after we broke through."
Tongtian Jiaozhu snorted coldly as sword intent flowed through the Qingping Sword in his hand.
"I say he has come with ill intentions as well!"
In Tongtian Jiaozhu's eyes, Hongjun and Luohu were birds of a feather.
One followed the path of obeying heaven, while the other followed the path of defying heaven, but their ultimate goal was the same: to control the entire primordial world.
Now that the three brothers had risen abruptly and attained the Primordial Dao, they had become the greatest variable in the primordial world.
Hongjun's purpose in coming now was self-evident.
"Third Brother, do not act rashly."
Taiqing Laozi waved a hand, signaling for him to remain calm.
"Fellow Daoist Hongjun was formed from the first wisp of pure qi after Great God Pangu's World Creation. He and we can be considered of the same origin. He bears the will of heaven and guards the primordial world, having accumulated Great Merit for it."
"Whether he comes as friend or foe remains unknown. We must not abandon proper courtesy."
Taiqing Laozi was thinking further ahead.
He knew that now that the three brothers had attained the Primordial Dao, the future primordial world would inevitably become a standoff between their Kunlun Mountain lineage and Hongjun's Orthodox Xuanmen.
Before they completely tore off all pretense, maintaining superficial harmony was necessary.
Listening to his Masters' conversation from the side, Lin Shen began to feel uneasy as well.
Hongjun?
Was he the ultimate big boss from the legends, the one who merged himself with the Dao and became heaven's spokesperson?
He was coming too?
Lin Shen felt a little nervous.
After all, that was the legendary Dao Ancestor!
Would this Little Ginseng Spirit be seen through at a glance before him? Would he discover that Lin Shen was a transmigrator with a system?
But on second thought, with the system protecting him, it should not be a big problem.
Even if he really was discovered, Lin Shen could just act cute and play innocent!
Lin Shen instinctively shrank farther behind Taiqing Laozi, revealing only his round, bright eyes as he secretly peeked outside.
During the brief time they had been talking, that aura had already arrived before Kunlun Mountain.
There was none of the earth-shaking fanfare of the Ancestral Dragon and the others, nor were there any dazzling phenomena.
A Daoist in a plain gray robe, with an ancient and unadorned face, looking like an ordinary old country farmer, silently appeared outside the Daoist grounds.
He was clearly standing there, yet he had merged with the surrounding rocks, grass, trees, clouds on the horizon, and passing winds.
If one did not deliberately look at him, one might even directly overlook his existence.
Returning to simplicity, the Great Dao was most simple.
This was Hongjun, the future Dao Ancestor.
Hongjun's gaze did not first fall upon the Three Pure Ones.
Instead, it landed on the little baby peeking out from behind Taiqing Laozi.
The instant his gaze met Lin Shen's clear, curious eyes,
even with Hongjun's supreme state of mind, one that had merged with the heavenly Dao, he could not help but tremble slightly.
He could not see through him!
He actually could not see through this little baby's origins at all!
He could see that the little baby's true form was an Innate Spiritual Root, containing a Life Origin so vast that it was unimaginable.
He could see boundless World Creation merit wrapped around the little baby, whose fortune was even more abundant than that of the Three Pure Ones combined.
Yet he simply could not see through what this little baby's "essence" was.
When his divine sense swept over him, it vanished like a stone sinking into the sea, effortlessly dissolved by a power that was more fundamental and more ancient.
This little baby did not exist within this heavenly Dao at all.
What an anomaly!
Hongjun exclaimed inwardly.
In an instant, he understood why the Three Pure Ones had suddenly attained the Primordial Dao and why the Dragon-Phoenix Calamity had come to an abrupt end.
The root of everything lay with this little fellow!
"Great God Pangu... you truly left behind a contingency."
Hongjun felt deeply moved.
He had always believed that, by inheriting Pangu's legacy and guarding the primordial world, he was the sole embodiment of Pangu's Will.
Now, it seemed that he had been wrong.
Great God Pangu's true contingency, his true hope, was the Three Pure Ones formed from his primordial spirit, as well as this mysterious little baby protected by them!
Having understood this, Hongjun felt no jealousy at all. Instead, a sense of comfort and relief rose within him.
As long as the primordial world could prosper, what did it matter who became its guardian?
The expression on his face softened as he gave the Three Pure Ones a slight Daoist salute.
"Three fellow Daoists, this humble Daoist is Hongjun. Greetings."
"Congratulations to you three for seeing through your confusion and attaining the Primordial Dao. From this day onward, you shall roam freely and never fall into reincarnation."
He lowered his posture greatly, treating them entirely as equals.
One did not strike a smiling face.
Seeing Hongjun act so courteously, the Three Pure Ones could not very well keep their faces stern.
Taiqing Laozi stepped forward and returned the salute.
"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, you are too kind. We merely had the good fortune to borrow some external help before we managed to take this step. Compared to you, we still have far to go."
"Hehe, Fellow Daoist, you are too modest."
Hongjun smiled, his gaze falling upon Lin Shen once more.
"This humble Daoist came not only to congratulate you three, but also to meet this young friend who calmed the calamity and rendered boundless merit to the primordial world."
As he spoke, he slowly walked toward Lin Shen.
Tongtian Jiaozhu instinctively stepped across, blocking Lin Shen from view, his eyes filled with vigilance.
"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, my disciple is young, timid, and afraid of strangers."
The meaning was obvious: Stay away from my disciple!
Hongjun did not grow angry at this. He merely stopped and smiled gently.
"No matter, no matter."
He looked at Lin Shen, and the more he looked, the more he liked him.
This little fellow possessed a pure Dao Heart, untouched by even a trace of dust. He was practically the embodiment of the Great Dao.
Hongjun had not come with any malice to begin with. Rather, he wished to forge a good bond.
With that thought, Hongjun's mind stirred.
A wisp of purple mist, radiating an unfathomably mysterious aura, slowly emerged from his fingertip.
The moment Lin Shen saw that violet qi, his eyes lit up.
Wasn't that Primordial Violet Qi?!
The Foundation for Becoming a Saint!
This old man was offering such a treasure right from the start?
Lin Shen was thrilled, but he still maintained his cute-baby persona on the surface. Tilting his little head, he wore the expression of a curious child.
"This is Primordial Violet Qi, the foundation of the Great Dao and the essence of a Sage."
"This humble Daoist sees that you possess exceptional innate qualities and are fated with the Dao. Since we are meeting for the first time today, and I have brought no suitable gift, I shall give this wisp of Primordial Violet Qi to you, young friend, as a little toy to play with."
Hongjun spoke lightly, as though what he was giving away was not the Foundation for Becoming a Saint that could drive the entire primordial world mad, but a worthless lollipop.
Yet the moment those words left his mouth,
everyone present froze into stone.
The Three Pure Ones' eyes instantly widened into perfect circles.
Tongtian Jiaozhu nearly failed to hold onto the sword in his hand.
Even a crack appeared in Yuanshi Tianzun's eternally unchanged Ice Mountain expression.
Primordial Violet Qi?
For... for my disciple... as a toy?
Had that Old Man Hongjun gone mad?!
Even Lin Shen himself was a little dumbfounded.
Was this the bearing of a legendary powerhouse?
Did he just casually give away an opportunity for Sagehood as a toy?
Before you continue