Jie Yin sat down without hesitation. Zhunti then looked at Hong Yun on the Fifth Cushion, intending to use the same trick again, when Qing Xuan and Zhen Yuanzi walked over.
"Long time no see. Have your injuries healed?" Qing Xuan asked Zhunti with a smile.
"It's you!" Zhunti and Jie Yin's expressions changed drastically. The moment Zhunti saw Qing Xuan, he felt a faint ache throughout his body.
"Hmph! Since you two have already obtained a seat, if you still do not know contentment, then let us witness your abilities ourselves." Zhen Yuanzi greatly despised what Zhunti and Jie Yin had just done.
"Hehehe, a misunderstanding, merely a misunderstanding. Junior Brother, go find a seat elsewhere," Jie Yin hurriedly said.
Zhunti reluctantly walked to the side. He had already been unable to defeat Qing Xuan, and now Qing Xuan had two helpers. His day of revenge seemed impossibly distant.
"Hehe!" Qing Xuan chuckled and returned to his seat with Zhen Yuanzi.
After everyone waited for a while, a figure suddenly appeared upon the Dao Platform. Seeing this, everyone hurriedly rose and bowed.
"Greetings, Sage!"
Hongjun looked over everyone's seats. He did not speak at first, instead turning his gaze toward Qing Xuan.
"Little Friend Qing Xuan, long time no see!"
"Congratulations on attaining the Dao, Senior," Qing Xuan replied.
Everyone was startled. They had not expected this person to know Hongjun, and they all memorized Qing Xuan's appearance.
After greeting Qing Xuan, Hongjun spoke.
"I shall give three sermons, once every five thousand years, with each sermon lasting one thousand years. The first shall cover the Three Thousand Great Daos; the second, the path of the Quasi-Saint; the third, the path to becoming a Sage. All those with affinity may come and listen. The first sermon now begins!"
Qing Xuan was rather surprised. He did not assign seats. It seems the butterfly effect has indeed arrived!
Hongjun then began his sermon. Old Ancestor Hongjun sat upright upon the Dao Platform, his form seeming to fade in and out of sight. His voice seemed to come from between Heaven and Earth, every word containing boundless Dao essence.
As he preached, the sounds of Heaven and Earth rang out, echoing through the great hall of Zixiao Palace. Marvelous phenomena appeared in endless succession. Golden lotuses sprang from the ground, and waves of profound aura filled the air. Everyone who had come to hear the Dao listened with rapt attention, utterly intoxicated, completely immersed in Old Ancestor Hongjun's sermon.
Is this the Three Thousand Great Daos contained within the Jade Disc of Creation? Qing Xuan marveled inwardly.
Qing Xuan had originally obtained an image of Pangu splitting Heaven and Earth at Buzhou Mountain. Combined with his cultivation of the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Origin Technique, his cultivation of the Law of Strength had become incomparably smooth.
Now, Qing Xuan's Law of Strength was already nearing minor completion. This time, as he listened to Hongjun's sermon, some of the doubts in his heart were resolved. He felt that he might be able to seize this opportunity to break through to the Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
Qing Xuan then immersed himself in Hongjun's sermon. Magic Power surged around him, and he seemed ready to break through at any moment.
There were quite a few people in the great hall displaying signs of a breakthrough like Qing Xuan. Among them were the six people seated on the Cushions beneath the Dao Platform. Seeing this, everyone felt regretful. Had they known, they would have fought harder to seize a Cushion.
There was no passage of time in the Primordial Wilderness. In the blink of an eye, a thousand years had passed, and Hongjun stopped his sermon.
"The thousand years are up. This sermon has ended. You may each depart!" Having said that, Hongjun disappeared without even waiting for everyone to awaken.
The people in the hall had yet to emerge from their immersion in Dao essence when Magic Power suddenly surged from Qing Xuan's body. Spiritual energy poured into him, and Qing Xuan naturally broke through into the Peak Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.
Qing Xuan's breakthrough was like a fuse. The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa and Fu Xi, Jie Yin and Zhunti, Di Jun and Tai Yi, as well as great Primordial Wilderness experts such as Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun, all broke through their own realms.
Only one person watched this scene with a complicated expression. It was Ancestral Witch Houtu. Houtu did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit, so during Hongjun's sermon, she could not understand any of it.
Yet she could not possibly leave early. She could only remain seated in Zixiao Palace for a full thousand years, and she was quite helpless about it.
Does my Wu Clan truly have no path forward?
Houtu thought of the Wu Clan's innate cultivation technique, the Eight-Nine Arcane Art. They cultivated only the body and did not cultivate the Primordial Spirit. They also could not use Spiritual Treasures. Though they possessed various Laws by nature, they had no way to advance further. What were they supposed to do?
After considering this, Houtu decided she would return for the next sermon. Even if she had to sit in vain for another thousand years, she would find a path forward for the Wu Clan.
Once everyone in the hall had awakened, they all rose and bowed toward the Dao Platform in thanks before walking outside.
"Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan, let us leave as well," Zhen Yuanzi said as he rose after paying his respects.
Qing Xuan thought for a moment, then left with Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun. When they reached the entrance, Qing Xuan walked over to the boy and girl attendants.
"I must trouble you two to report to Sage Hongjun that Qing Xuan, an old acquaintance from the past, requests an audience," Qing Xuan said sincerely.
The boy and girl attendants exchanged surprised looks. Then the boy said.
"Master has said that if Senior Qing Xuan comes seeking an audience, then once everyone has left, you may enter Zixiao Palace."
Qing Xuan was slightly surprised. He had not expected Hongjun to have already made arrangements. Looking at the boy and girl attendants, an idea suddenly came to him.
"Then if I had not requested an audience, would Senior have made any arrangements?" Qing Xuan asked with a smile, though he already knew the answer.
The boy and girl attendants again exchanged astonished glances. After considering for a moment, the girl spoke.
"Master said that if you did not ask, he would pay you no further heed and let you leave."
Just as I thought.
Qing Xuan understood at once. This was more in line with the image of Hongjun in his mind. It seemed Hongjun had only just begun to merge with the Dao and still possessed the seven emotions and six desires. Otherwise, he would not have played such a little trick.
Qing Xuan then said to Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun.
"Fellow Daoists, I still have matters to discuss with Senior Hongjun. Afterward, I will return directly to the Three Immortal Islands to visit my disciples, so let us part here!"
The two expressed their understanding and bid him farewell.
"In that case, Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan, until we meet again," Zhen Yuanzi said.
"Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan, just say the word if you encounter any trouble. This poor Daoist will certainly help!" Hong Yun replied, patting his chest.
Qing Xuan felt rather moved. Compared to the others of the Primordial Wilderness, these two were truly people of sincere temperament. He then said earnestly.
"If either of you has free time, you may also visit my Three Immortal Islands. I certainly will not treat you poorly!"
"Hahahahaha, you said it! Once I return to Huoyun Palace and stabilize my cultivation, I'll come find you for Hotpot. When the time comes, don't complain if this poor Daoist eats the Three Immortal Islands bare!!!" Hong Yun was extremely delighted. Ever since tasting the Hotpot Qing Xuan had created, he had become fascinated by this novel way of eating.
Zhen Yuanzi teased him from the side.
"Hahaha, the Three Immortal Islands are vast and rich in resources, with countless spiritual objects. How could Fellow Daoist Qing Xuan possibly fear that the two of us might eat too much?"
"Hahahaha, eat all you want! I'm only afraid you'll burst from overeating. Even then, my Three Immortal Islands would lose no more than a fraction or two!" Qing Xuan said grandly.
The three then parted ways. Hong Yun returned to Huoyun Palace, Zhen Yuanzi returned to Wuzhuang Temple, and they agreed to gather at the East Sea Three Immortal Islands a thousand years later.
Qing Xuan then waited at the entrance for everyone else to leave. When the demon clan passed by, he also reminded Da Bai to cultivate diligently and return to the Three Immortal Islands in a hundred years.
Before you continue