Hongyun Is a Practical Person!

Outside the Purple Firmament Palace, chaotic energy still surged, but at this moment, the square was eerily… quiet, more so than usual.

Great powers from all paths arrived, tearing through the chaos on various streams of light. Upon landing, they all suppressed their aura and remained silent. At most, they would nod to each other; there was no boisterousness.

Even Di Jun and Taiyi, who were usually the most arrogant, merely swept their gazes coldly across the crowd this time. They cast a particularly fierce glare in the direction of the Witch Race before finding a spot near the front to meditate with their eyes closed, not rushing forward as they had last time.

The reason was simple: the Dao Ancestor's previous display of power had resulted in the most disruptive individuals being thrown out of the palace and blacklisted. His lingering might was still palpable.

No one wanted to court disaster at this juncture. If they missed out on hearing the final teachings of a Saint, they would have nowhere to turn to weep.

Chen Song, true to his word, acted like a well-behaved child. He followed the Three Pure Ones and landed at the edge of the square, finding an inconspicuous corner. Mimicking his master, he sat down cross-legged, his gaze focused on his nose, his nose on his heart, doing his best to appear as if he were "diligently absorbing the lingering essence of the Great Dao."

On the Witch Race's side, the eleven Ancestral Witches were also unusually "well-behaved."

They surrounded Houtu and took their positions at the edge of the square on the other side. Each of them stood tall, their expressions serious, attempting to project an aura of "solemn guardian." Unfortunately, the boundless, suppressed Blood Essence and the occasional stray glances made their efforts appear somewhat comical. Di Jiang even tightly held onto the pouch on Gonggong's back, warning him with his eyes not to let any "entertainment items" inside be revealed.

Houtu felt the "heavy" concern from her brothers, and while touched, she also felt helpless. She could only silently recite a calming mantra, hoping everything would go smoothly.

This delicate calm persisted until the grand doors of the Purple Heaven Palace slowly opened.

Two young Daoists emerged and announced crisply, "The time has come. Esteemed guests, please enter the palace to hear the Dao."

As the palace doors swung open, a profound and mysterious aura of the Great Dao permeated the air, invigorating all the great powers.

This time, although it wasn't as chaotic as before, the allure of the six futons at the front was too great, leading to a scramble!

Led by the Three Pure Ones, they were the first to step inside, heading straight for the three futons at the very front. However, Di Jun and Taiyi transformed into streams of golden light, arriving later but aiming to seize the advantage with their Golden Crow transformation technique! Taiyi even summoned a phantom image of the Chaos Bell, its chimes resonating and attempting to slow the Three Pure Ones.

"Hmph, ignorant of the heavenly mandate!" Laozi snorted coldly. A phantom image of the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda appeared, impervious to all attacks, and directly stabilized the Chaos Bell's waves. That's right, Chen Song felt he was under his master's watchful eye, so he let his master recall the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda. It was absolutely not because he felt monitored by it.

Yuanshi flicked his sleeve, and the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi flashed with brilliance, an invisible force pushing back the two golden rainbows. Sect Master Tongtian was the most decisive. Although the Qingping Sword was not unsheathed, its soaring sword energy sent shivers down Di Jun and Taiyi's skin, forcing them to evade its edge.

The Three Pure Ones, working together, effortlessly resolved Di Jun and Taiyi's contention and steadily occupied the first, second, and third futons.

The struggle for the fourth futon unfolded between Nuwa and Kunpeng.

Kunpeng, relying on his unparalleled speed, flashed a black light and was about to take his seat when he saw Fuxi playing his zither nearby. The melodious notes subtly aligned with formations, disturbing his state of mind. Nuwa seized the opportunity, stepped forward, and with the Qi of Creation flowing around her, calmly sat on the fourth futon. Seeing this, Kunpeng knew he couldn't force his way, so he gave up with a sullen expression and turned his attention to the futons behind.

Of the remaining two futons, Old Ancestor Hongyun, still maintaining his cheerful, good-natured demeanor, saw Nuwa take her seat and then stepped forward to claim the fifth futon. The sixth futon was then seized by that unwilling black light – Old Ancestor Kunpeng.

He had transformed into a sinister-looking Daoist, casting a cold glance around him. An aura of "stay away" emanated from him, clearly indicating his lingering resentment over his earlier defeat.

"Brother, you..." Nuwa saw that Fuxi had helped her, but he himself had not obtained a futon.

Fuxi simply smiled, "It's alright, little sister."

With the futons settled, it seemed the matter was concluded. Outside the palace gates, Chen Song watched the scene from afar and muttered to himself, "Oh wow, the scramble was quite intense! Old Brother Hongyun has good luck, but… the real show is about to begin!"

Indeed, just as the Dao Ancestor Hongjun's figure was about to manifest on the cloud bed, a sorrowful cry suddenly came from outside the palace:

"Senior Brother! I rushed as fast as I could, but I'm still a step too late! The journey to the West is long, the land is barren, and we faced countless hardships, nearly missing the Dao Ancestor's sermon!"

Jieyin and Zhunti appeared, travel-worn and with sorrowful expressions. Zhunti, in particular, was beating his chest and stomping his feet, as if he had missed the opportunity to become a Saint (which, in a way, he had). They stumbled into the Purple Heaven Palace.

Their eyes swept over the six occupied futons, and their faces immediately turned "pale," their eyes filled with "despair."

Daoist Zhunti's gaze swept across the six futons. He didn't dare provoke the Three Pure Ones or Nuwa. Kunpeng looked difficult to deal with. Finally, his gaze settled on Hongyun, who seemed the easiest to persuade.

He staggered over to Hongyun, tears flowing before he even spoke, "Fellow Daoist Hongyun! My brother and I come from the West. We endured hardships all the way, solely to listen to the Saintly Dao and enlighten the beings of the West. Alas, our karma is shallow, and we don't even have a place to sit! You are known as the foremost benevolent person in the Great Wilderness, with compassion in your heart. Could you… could you pity the suffering of the beings in the West and temporarily lend this seat to my Senior Brother? I would be eternally grateful, and the beings of the West would also remember your great kindness!"

This performance, complete with dramatic gestures and heartfelt emotion, skillfully played on the "barrenness of the West" and the "suffering of all beings."

Hongyun had never encountered such a situation. He was already soft-hearted, and being praised as the "foremost benevolent person in the Great Wilderness" left him flustered.

Although Chen Song had reminded him when they were playing cards at the Wuzhuang Temple that he shouldn't be too sympathetic towards the two from the West in the future.

However, he looked at the sorrowful Jieyin and Zhunti, then at Zhenyuanzi, whose seat was empty, and felt the gazes of the many great powers in the palace. His good-natured instincts kicked in, and he felt that listening while standing wouldn't be too bad. With a resolute heart, he stood up:

"Alas, there's no need for you two Daoists to be like this. Since the beings of the West are suffering, I shall yield this seat to Daoist Jieyin."

With that, he actually vacated the fifth futon!

Jieyin immediately expressed his thanks and sat down, his sorrowful expression slightly abating.

Hongyun's yielding of his seat had truly put Kunpeng, who was sitting on the sixth futon, in a difficult position!

Seeing his brother secure a seat, Zhunti immediately turned his gaze to Kunpeng. He used the same rhetoric, but his eyes carried a subtle hint of coercion, "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, you see… our West…"

The atmosphere in the Purple Firmament Palace grew even more tense. The Three Pure Ones in the front row meditated with their eyes closed, as if detached from worldly affairs. Lady Nuwa lowered her gaze, seemingly lost in thought. The other great powers were content to watch the unfolding drama.

However, it was precisely this silent pressure, coupled with Zhunti's incessant lamentations about the "suffering of the West" and the barely concealed Quasi-Saint pressure he exuded, that made Kunpeng feel a sense of isolation far worse than verbal humiliation.

He clenched his fists tightly, veins bulging on his forehead. If he refused, he would be making an enemy of the two from the West and potentially be seen as disregarding the "great righteousness of the Great Wilderness." If he yielded, how could he bear such a profound humiliation?

Ultimately, under Zhunti's seemingly endless complaints and the silent gaze of the entire hall, Kunpeng gritted out a single word from between his teeth: "...Fine!" He stood up abruptly, without even looking at Zhunti, and walked directly to the back, finding a corner to sit down grimly. However, his gaze, filled with venom, was fixed firmly on Hongyun! It was all this fool's fault for starting it!

Zhunti, having achieved his goal, smiled and sat on the sixth futon.

Outside the palace gates, Chen Song, who could hear everything clearly with his Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation, put his hand to his forehead, "It's over, it's over. Senior Hongyun, oh Senior Hongyun, you really are a straightforward person, but this time you've truly… dug your own grave and offended Kunpeng to death! This karma is immense. Those two from the West are not good people…"

And within the Purple Firmament Palace, the six futons were finally settled: the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti.

The Dao Ancestor Hongjun's figure silently appeared on the cloud bed.