Burning Lamp: Do You Submit?

The purple-gold qi in the sky continued to seethe without end.

Everyone's gaze was locked tightly on the heavens above.

"Hurry up and come out—I want to see what treasure could possibly rank above the Cosmos Ruler."

"A treasure in the top fifty must be incredibly powerful, right?"

"This poor Daoist is also very curious. After this treasure appears, I wonder if it will make Taoist Randeng admit defeat?"

All eyes remained fixed on the sky, but that didn't stop them from chatting among themselves.

The purple-gold qi in the heavens grew denser and denser.

Then a fierce golden light flashed in the air.

It eventually transformed into a bamboo pole.

This bamboo pole looked somewhat withered, and its appearance was far from pleasing.

But the moment this bamboo pole appeared—

The entire Primordial Land erupted in a collective gasp.

No matter how much they calculated, no one had expected this treasure to show up.

It was simply too baffling.

Everyone recognized it: this was Sage Zhunti's signature treasure, the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo.

It was made from the immensely powerful spiritual root known as the Bitter Bamboo, and legend said its might was extraordinary.

It had always been a beloved possession of Sage Zhunti.

Yet it had actually ranked fiftieth?

That position was rather awkward.

Not too high, not too low.

But for a sage, it was somewhat low.

At this moment, the two sages on Western Mount Sumeru also wore grim expressions.

The bald-headed Jie Yin Daoist exclaimed, "Junior brother... what's going on? How could your Six Roots of Purity Bamboo only rank fiftieth?"

Zhunti Daoist even began to doubt the authority of this ranking.

He knew very well just how powerful his junior brother's Six Roots of Purity Bamboo truly was.

For such a mighty treasure to rank only fiftieth was utterly unbelievable.

Jie Yin Daoist's mouth hung open, his gaze dazed as he stared at the sky.

Above, the endless purple qi manifested into several lines of Grand Dao Script:

["Treasure Ranking, Fiftieth Place: Six Roots of Purity Bamboo. Rank: Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Original form: one of the ten Innate Spiritual Roots, the Bitter Bamboo. Refined by Zhunti Daoist into a Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure. Can seal a person's six senses, close their six consciousnesses, and reduce them to a human husk—even sages find it hard to evade. It can also aid in cultivation. 'When the six roots are pure, that is the Dao; without desire or seeking, one becomes emptiness.' Master: Zhunti!"]

Seeing these words, Zhunti Daoist's expression grew complicated, then he let out a bitter smile:

"Brother Jie Yin, this Hongmeng Purple Gold List possesses such power that it can even mend the boundless sky—it surely cannot be wrong."

He paused briefly, then continued:

"It seems that this vast Primordial Land still holds many things unknown to us. The West's path to prosperity is long and arduous..."

With that, he shook his head with a wry smile.

Jie Yin Daoist, standing beside him, nodded in agreement.

His face also turned serious.

Even his junior brother's immensely powerful Six Roots of Purity Bamboo only ranked fiftieth.

It seemed the Primordial Land truly hid many secrets...

Only then did the crowd in the Primordial Land snap out of their shock.

Then, like a pot boiling over, they erupted into chaos.

A sage's treasure had made the list... and it only ranked fiftieth?

"Is this for real? A treasure this powerful only ranks fiftieth? That's way too unbelievable!"

"If the fiftieth-place treasure is this strong, how powerful must the ones ahead be? I can't wait to see..."

"Indeed, the more you think about it, the more terrifying it gets. A sage's mighty treasure only ranks fiftieth—it seems the Primordial Land still hides many opportunities... Today has truly been an eye-opener..."

In the boundless Heavenly Court, two peerlessly majestic emperors sat overlooking heaven and earth.

One was the Sovereign of All Demons, Emperor Jun.

The other was the Peerless Eastern Emperor, Taiyi.

Taiyi let out a disdainful laugh:

"That bitch Zhunti's Six Roots of Purity Bamboo? Only ranked fiftieth? Seems it's nothing special after all."

The Myriad Demon Sovereign, Emperor Jun, also nodded:

"Ever since the West was drained of its fortune by the Demon Ancestor Rahu, it has become barren and impoverished. Those two Sages barely have a few treasures worth mentioning. For their artifact to make the list at all is already decent!"

Hearing his elder brother's words, Taiyi nodded as well, deeply agreeing.

Yet the mockery in his eyes grew even heavier.

Emperor Jun spoke again:

"Though the West is barren, those two Sages should not be underestimated. Neither of us has yet found the Method to Become a Sage—we must not be careless."

Taiyi nodded, then glanced at the Chaos Bell in his hand.

A strange expression gradually crept across his lips.

Within the Golden Turtle Island's Biyou Palace, Sage Tongtian had already taken out a gourd of wine and begun to drink.

The potency of that Jade Nectar was immense, enough to intoxicate even a Sage.

By now, Sage Tongtian was already slightly drunk.

Seeing the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo appear on the ranking, even Tongtian was somewhat taken aback.

He knew something of that bamboo—it was one of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots of Heaven and Earth.

That bitch Zhunti had taken the top six joints and refined them into the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo.

When they had sparred before, he had witnessed its power firsthand.

By all reason, it shouldn't be ranked this low...

Yet now it appeared in fiftieth place...

That was rather thought-provoking.

With a hint of drunkenness, Tongtian revealed a peculiar expression, as if he could hardly believe it.

There even seemed to be a trace of mockery at the corner of his lips.

Inside the Jade Void Palace, Yuanshi Tianzun watched the Six Roots of Purity Bamboo make the list, and a sneer gradually curled at the corner of his mouth.

He had always looked down on the two Sages of the West.

Those two Western Sages had received their chance to become Sages from their master.

They possessed the Merit of protecting the West, founded the great Western teachings, and were laden with multiple layers of Merit—yet still could not become Sages.

In the end, they had to swear the Forty-Eight Great Vows in succession, borrowing Merit from the Heavenly Dao, barely scraping by to Sagehood.

How could such Sages compare to the orthodox lineage of his Mystic School?

That Six Roots of Purity Bamboo was nothing more than a common trinket. Ranking fiftieth was already generous.

What more could it want?

The mockery on Yuanshi Tianzun's lips grew more pronounced. Then he turned his head to glance at the Pangu Banner standing behind him, a smug expression spreading across his face.

His Pangu Banner was unmatched in slaughter and possessed the power to suppress fortune.

Beyond that, he had many other powerful treasures, all surely capable of making the list.

It seemed that in this ranking, he, Sage Yuanshi, would inevitably dominate.

It wasn't just these Heavenly Dao Sages—others also found it hard to believe.

The Six Roots of Purity Bamboo was a renowned artifact that shook the Primordial Wilderness, a common tool of Sage Zhunti.

Yet now it was only ranked fiftieth.

Wasn't that a bit too low?

At that moment, everyone began to murmur among themselves.

But out of respect for Sage Zhunti's face, they could only whisper in hushed tones.

For a time, the skies above the Primordial Wilderness were filled with a buzzing hum of hushed voices.

Sage Zhunti's expression was extremely sour. A stifled rage churned in his chest, yet he could find no release.

Finally, he fixed his gaze on Taoist Randeng:

"Randeng, This Saint's Six Roots of Purity Bamboo ranks below your Cosmos Ruler. Do you accept this?"