Hongjun's bow came from the depths of his heart, one of utter sincerity and complete submission.
He was bowing not only for the opportunity to attain the Dao that Lin Shen had bestowed upon him.
He was also bowing to that indescribable, supreme Great Dao!
The toddler before him was the incarnation of the Great Dao itself!
The Three Pure Ones had only just recovered from the wild joy of their breakthroughs when they saw Hongjun's earth-shattering gesture.
The three of them froze once again.
"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, what is the meaning of this?"
Taiqing Laozi hurried forward, intending to help him up.
What kind of joke was this?!
Who was Hongjun?
The Dao Ancestor of the Profound Sect, the future Heavenly Dao Sage!
If word got out that he had performed such a grand salute to their disciple, Kunlun Mountain's threshold would probably be trampled flat!
More importantly, this karmic debt was far too great!
They feared their little disciple would not be able to bear it.
Yet Hongjun avoided Taiqing Laozi's hand.
He insisted on completing the bow.
He straightened up and looked at the Three Pure Ones, a complicated smile on his face.
"You three have taken in an excellent disciple."
"Only today have I come to understand what it means."
His voice was not loud, yet it contained the deepest principles of heaven and earth.
It made the Three Pure Ones' hearts tremble.
They could sense that Hongjun was completely different from before.
If the previous Hongjun had been an unfathomable sea.
Then the current him was the entire heaven and earth that bore that sea!
Though he had yet to become a Sage, the perfectly harmonious aura around him, resonating with the Heavenly Dao, had already far surpassed them, who had only just entered the Mid-stage Primordial Golden Immortal realm.
"Fellow Daoist Hongjun, you..."
Yuanshi Tianzun looked at him, his eyes full of shock and uncertainty.
"I have already glimpsed the path to becoming a Sage."
Hongjun did not hide it and spoke frankly.
"When I return and enter seclusion, I should be able to bring my merit to completion and attain the Mixed Yuan Great Luo Dao Fruit."
Prove the Dao and Become a Saint!
Those four words struck the hearts of the Three Pure Ones.
Even though they had just broken through two realms in succession and their states of mind were no longer what they had once been.
Their breathing still caught at that moment.
A Sage!
That was a legendary realm!
It was the ultimate goal dreamed of by all living beings in the Primordial World!
Hongjun was actually about to become a Sage?
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist."
Taiqing Laozi was the first to recover. Suppressing the shock in his heart, he cupped his hands to congratulate Hongjun.
"The joy is mutual, the joy is mutual."
Hongjun returned the salute with a smile, his gaze falling on Lin Shen again.
His eyes softened as though they could drip with water.
"If not for Little Friend's guidance, I do not know how many epochs I would have wandered before that gate."
"I will remember this favor in my heart."
As he spoke, he bowed slightly to Lin Shen again.
Lin Shen was currently in Tongtian Jiaozhu's arms, gnawing on a Phoenix Wing bone as though it were a teething stick.
When he saw that formidable old grandpa bowing to him again, he shyly buried his little face in Tongtian Jiaozhu's embrace.
This old grandpa is so polite. He keeps bowing. It's kind of embarrassing.
That bashful appearance made his Dao Heart seem even purer and untouched by karma in Hongjun's eyes.
Hongjun felt even more deeply moved.
Only such a childlike heart could be closest to the Great Dao.
"Fellow Daoists, my realization is imminent. I must immediately return to Zixiao Palace and enter seclusion."
"I will not disturb you any longer."
Hongjun spoke to the Three Pure Ones.
He was like a student whose head was filled with exam material, anxious to hurry home and complete his papers.
He did not want to stay for even another moment.
"As you wish, Fellow Daoist."
Taiqing Laozi nodded.
"When I achieve success, I will surely expound the Great Dao at Zixiao Palace and point out the path ahead for all beings of the Primordial World."
Hongjun looked at the Three Pure Ones and spoke solemnly.
"When that time comes, I hope you three will bring Little Friend along as well."
His gaze lingered on Lin Shen for a moment before he added meaningfully.
"Little Friend's seat shall be above all living beings."
The Three Pure Ones' hearts trembled again at those words.
A lecture at Zixiao Palace, with a seat above all living beings!
This was no simple courtesy.
Hongjun was declaring Lin Shen's status to the entire Primordial World!
With those words from Hongjun, anyone who dared touch Lin Shen in the future would first have to consider.
Whether they could withstand the fury of a Heavenly Dao Sage!
He was repaying Lin Shen's favor!
He was also showing goodwill toward the Three Pure Ones!
"We will certainly accept the invitation."
Taiqing Laozi answered on behalf of his two brothers.
Hongjun nodded in satisfaction and said no more.
He cast one final, deep look at Lin Shen.
That gaze seemed to carve the little figure into his very Dao.
Then his figure slowly dissolved into the air like ripples on water.
It did not cause even the slightest fluctuation of laws.
He had come silently and departed without a sound.
Only after Hongjun's aura had completely vanished did Tongtian Jiaozhu let out a long breath.
Patting his chest, he said, "Good heavens! That Old Fellow's presence was way too overwhelming!"
"When he looked at me just now, I felt like I could barely hold my sword!"
"He is already a venerable Quasi-Saint, only one step from the threshold. Such pressure is nothing unusual."
Yuanshi Tianzun spoke in a deep voice, though his eyes were equally solemn.
Though they had proven the Mixed Yuan Dao and did not fear Sages.
Hongjun was, after all, the pioneer walking ahead of everyone else.
What he represented was the greater trend of the Heavenly Dao.
"Big Brother, what exactly do you think Hongjun means by all this?"
Tongtian Jiaozhu could not help asking.
"First he gave us the violet qi, then he promised the foremost seat. What is he after?"
"He is after a good karmic bond."
Taiqing Laozi saw through the truth in a single sentence.
He looked at Lin Shen, who was still gnawing on the bone in his arms, wisdom gleaming in his eyes.
"Hongjun wishes to merge with the Dao and become a Heavenly Dao Sage. Yet Lin Shen is an anomaly beyond the Heavenly Dao."
"His existence itself poses a kind of threat to the Heavenly Dao."
"Hongjun may originally have come here intending to bring him within a range he could control."
"But after witnessing Lin Shen, he changed his mind."
"He chose to forge a good karmic bond, because he knows that the future tide of the Primordial World may no longer be his alone to decide."
"Our Kunlun Mountain, our little disciple, will stand alongside him—or perhaps even surpass him!"
Taiqing Laozi's analysis plunged Yuanshi and Tongtian into thought.
That was right.
Their little disciple was simply too monstrous!
He ignored the Primordial Violet Qi and treated the Sage position as nothing.
He swallowed the foundation of the Great Dao in one bite, suffered no harm, and even raised the cultivation of his three Masters and the future Dao Ancestor by a huge margin!
Who would dare believe such a thing if it were told aloud?
This could no longer be explained by "Profound Fortune."
This was clearly... the Child of the Great Dao!
The ultimate trump card Pangu Father God had left for them, for the entire Primordial World!
"I get it now!"
Tongtian Jiaozhu slapped his thigh as realization dawned on him.
"That Old Fellow Hongjun is scared! He's afraid we'll take our disciple and tear down his Zixiao Palace someday, so he came early with gifts to make peace!"
Yuanshi Tianzun's eye twitched, but for once, he did not refute him.
Though his third brother's wording was crude, the reasoning... did seem to be correct.
"Hahaha! We found a treasure! This time, we truly found an incomparably precious treasure!"
Tongtian Jiaozhu held Lin Shen and planted another hard kiss on his face.
"Beloved Disciple, you really are your Master's lucky star! No, you are the lucky star of our entire Kunlun Mountain!"
Lin Shen's face was covered in saliva from the kiss, and he wiped it off with his little hand in disgust.
He could not understand what his Masters meant by "Heavenly Dao" or "anomaly."
He only knew that the formidable old grandpa had left.
And now, his Masters seemed very happy.
If his Masters were happy, that meant he would get more tasty food and fun things!
Lin Shen became happy as well and let out a giggling laugh.
At that laugh, the Three Pure Ones' hearts nearly melted.
Who cared about Hongjun or Sages?
As long as they could look upon their precious disciple's innocent smile every day, even if they had to give up their Mixed Yuan Dao Fruits, they would do so willingly!
Just as the three great figures were immersed in the immense happiness of watching their disciple grow up.
Another gentle and sacred aura quietly approached from outside Kunlun Mountain.
Taiqing Laozi's brows moved again.
"Hm? Kunlun Mountain is truly lively today."
Before you continue