Apart from the Creation Daoist, everyone else in the main hall looked completely bewildered.
But the reasons for their confusion are quite different.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng and the others were wondering: What exactly is the Primordial Purple Qi?
Zheng Fa was thinking... What is Lu Mo anyway? How could he possibly possess such a treasure?
Seemingly amused by the expressions on their faces, Creation Daoist laughed.
The Gu God frowned slightly and asked, "What exactly is this Primordial Purple Qi? What Divine Ability does it possess?"
"I told you, I don't know either," the Creation Daoist shook his head. "There's only one thing I'm certain of."
"What?"
"Fellow Daoist Lu Mo once said that the Primordial Purple Qi symbolizes the supreme and most noble status in the world."
Upon hearing this, the main hall fell silent. Even Zheng Fa had to admit that if the Primordial Purple Qi was truly as he thought, then this statement was indeed correct.
"The highest and most supreme being in heaven and earth..." The Lu Clan's Grand Elder spoke in a low voice, glancing around at everyone with a wary expression.
A hint of ruthlessness flashed across the Golden-Winged Great Peng's face.
Zheng Fa was secretly on guard. Although this group of people did not know the name of the Primordial Purple Qi, they could understand the power of this treasure, so they were naturally more hostile to others.
All of the Creation Daoist's claims about ceasing hostilities seem difficult to realize.
But the Creation Daoist seemed oblivious to the shrewdness in their eyes, and his smile deepened.
At this moment, a Spirit Transformation from the Lu Clan spoke up, "If that's the case, why doesn't the Holy Ancestor come to retrieve it himself?"
"He tried," the Creation Daoist answered decisively, "But he didn't have the fortuitous opportunity."
The Lu Clan who had asked the question immediately turned grim. "Even our Holy Ancestor, with his unparalleled strength, couldn't obtain this Primordial Purple Qi. We..."
Zheng Fa nodded inwardly. To put it bluntly, these people were all Lu Mo's men. If even Lu Mo couldn't get his hands on this treasure, why should they?
Even Zheng Fa himself is well aware that he is still far behind Lu Mo.
Seeing that everyone's expressions lacked confidence, the Creation Daoist said quietly:
"Firstly, to obtain this primordial energy, one cannot rely on combat techniques, nor can one depend on any Divine Ability."
"Secondly, Fellow Daoist Lu Mo only sent us to test the waters. He..." At this point, a hint of awe crept into the Creation Daoist's tone, "... He has never been attached to any treasure."
Even Zheng Fa couldn't refute this statement.
He had also dealt with Lu Mo a few times. Lu Moji's talent and strength were beyond question, and his temperament was indomitable.
Reincarnated three times, just as he was about to attain enlightenment, he was struck by a sword by Venerable Tianhe and immediately entered Thunderclap Temple.
Previously, he was forced back by the Nine Nether Emperor in the Underworld, but he showed no signs of weakness and seemed to be making plans in the Northern Continent.
Despite being on opposing sides, Zheng Fa had to admit his admiration.
"What do you mean by 'not relying on magical combat'?"
The Gu God asked.
"It's not that we don't rely on magical combat, but rather that we can't engage in it."
"What's the meaning?"
"Because the situation in the Nine Luminaries Heaven is special."
The crowd was naturally even more puzzled.
"Look."
The Creation Daoist pointed outside the temple, and everyone turned around to look down the mountain. Their faces immediately showed surprise.
The land, which was just scorched black, is now a beautiful landscape of mountains and rivers.
Looking into the distance, the continent of the Nine Luminaries Heaven seemed much wider, stretching as far as the eye could see.
At the foot of the mountain, a large city appeared, bustling with activity, merchants thronging the streets, a scene of bustling prosperity.
On the distant green mountains, immortals and celestial beings rose up on clouds, their laughter faintly audible.
"Who are they?"
"Fellow Daoist White Bone, do not be impatient."
Seeing the expectant expression on the Creation Daoist, Zheng Fa knew there was something strange going on, so he looked closer.
This observation gave him a jolt, and he blurted out, "Is time flowing backward?"
In one household in the city, white mourning clothes were hung. In the main room lay an old man, already dead. Beside the bed, his filial sons and grandsons knelt, wailing and crying.
Then, the mourning hall gradually disappeared, and a middle-aged man came out. His face looked six or seven parts similar to the old man lying on the deathbed. He seemed to be going out to make a living. Behind him, his wife and son were reluctantly seeing him off.
Zheng Fa watched him celebrate his wedding night, watched him grow into a little boy and play at the alley entrance, and finally, watched him be born.
Later, even the city at the foot of the mountain disappeared, leaving only a desolate wasteland beyond civilization.
Only their mountain remains frozen in time.
Why is this happening...?
The White Bone Devil Ancestor's voice had always been hoarse, but at this moment, Zheng Fa could tell that he was genuinely nervous.
Zheng Fa looked up at the nine Golden Crow flying from west to east.
"Young friend Shi has good taste," the Creation Daoist praised, "This is the memory of the Fusang Wood."
"Memory?"
"Fellow Daoist Lu Mo set down the altar to control these nine Golden Crow, making them fly backward and allowing the memories of the Fusang Wood to reappear."
"So that's how it is..." the Grand Elder of the Lu Clan murmured, "Was this arranged by the Holy Ancestor?"
"No, it's a trial given to us by the Fusang Wood."
"Trials?"
Everyone looked at the Creation Daoist, who said, " The Fusang Wood has its own method for selecting those with affinity."
"We... are we going to the First Era?"
The Gu God suddenly realized.
"Yes, the First Era." Creation Daoist nodded. "I don't know exactly what we will encounter, but Fellow Lu Mo seems to have glimpsed the First Era and told me that the ownership of the Primordial Purple Qi was predetermined."
"..."
The crowd grew increasingly confused, but the White Bone Devil Ancestor sneered, "You've said so much, but I don't believe you!"
The Creation Daoist turned his head to look.
"Why would you tell us about so many secrets and such a priceless treasure?"
Everyone looked at the Creation Daoist, filled with doubt and even great vigilance.
"I already said, we are all Fellow Lu Mo's people."
No one spoke.
"Okay, because the First Era we're going to is fake."
"Of course we know it's fake!"
The White Bone Devil Ancestor said impatiently.
Zheng Fa also agreed in his heart. To put it bluntly, what they were going to enter was a slice of the Fusang Wood's memory, not a real return to High Antiquity.
" The Fusang Wood has fallen, and this spacetime is now extremely fragile."
"..."
The White Bone Devil Ancestor was taken aback, then understood. "Can't withstand the aftershocks of a battle?"
"That's exactly right."
No wonder the Creation Daoist wanted to end the fight as soon as they met.
According to this theory, if this group were to fight indiscriminately, it could easily shatter this illusory space-time, causing everyone to lose this fortuitous opportunity.
The Creation Daoist shook his whisk, his gaze sweeping across everyone's faces. "What do you all think?"
After a moment of silence, it was the Golden-Winged Great Peng looked the fiercest, who spoke up, "I have no objection."
The White Lotus monk of Thunderclap Temple smiled kindly and said softly, "This humble monk dislikes conflict; this is very good."
The others nodded slightly.
We're all here to eat, who wants to smash the pot?
Even the Lu Clan's Grand Elder deliberately avoided looking at Zheng Fa at this moment.
Zheng Fa nodded in agreement, secretly hoping for the best.
Seeing that everyone agreed, the Creation Daoist seemed extremely pleased and said with a smile, "Fellow Daoists, you are all true cultivators who understand the ways of the world. There's nothing much to offer you in my humble abode."
He pointed to the jade boxes on each low table and explained solicitously, "I only refined a few pills myself, just to show my courtesy."
The group exchanged glances. The White Lotus monk clasped his hands together, thanked the Creation Daoist, and gently opened the jade box in front of him.
The others glanced over furtively, their faces changing color.
Inside the jade box lay a baby with fair and rosy skin!
The baby was only half the length of a hand, with its eyes closed, long eyelashes covering its face, and limbs like lotus root segments, round and chubby.
The White Bone Devil Ancestor let out a hoarse laugh, "This is the pill you refined?"
The Creation Daoist opened the jade box on his table, held the infant between his index finger and thumb, gestured to Zheng Fa and the others, and said, "This is the Grass-Returning Pill, a unique Pill Formula of mine, made using the spiritual herbs in my temple. It has endless wonders when consumed."
With that, he opened his mouth, and his two rows of cold teeth, like a guillotine, severed one of the baby's arms.
"Wow!"
A piercing cry rang out from his fingertips, but he seemed not to hear it. In a few bites, he chewed the little thing up and swallowed it, his expression one of satisfaction.
Seeing that no one else moved, he grinned, white bits of food sticking out of his gums, and urged Zheng Fa, "Eat! One of these Grass-Returning Pill will increase your cultivation by a thousand years!"
Zheng Fa looked down at the jade box, showing no intention of opening it.
Not only him, but no one in the hall took a bite. Even the Gu God, who loved to eat people the most, seemed to be picky about what he ate.
It wasn't that she didn't want to eat people, but cultivators had some good habits from a young age, the most important of which was not to eat pills given to them by strangers when traveling.
This Grass-Returning Pill seems far too strange, and the thoughts of this Creation Daoist are even more unpredictable. Who wouldn't be wary?
Seeing their wariness, the Creation Daoist shook his head, lamenting, "Blind to the truth! Blind to the truth!"
He didn't force the crowd, but instead shouted:
" Clearwind! Take the Grass-Returning Pill back and store it carefully."
"Yes!"
Clearwind led Brightmoon in through the door, carrying the jade box from the table. He swallowed hard and said, "Master, may I...?"
"You greedy glutton! The next batch will be enough for you!"
"Yes!"
Watching the two young Daoist disciples leave the main hall, Zheng Fa was somewhat surprised. Could this Grass-Returning Pill really be something special?
After this incident, the atmosphere in the main hall turned cold. Even the local lord, Creation Daoist, seemed to be angered and stopped speaking.
The crowd sat in the hall, watching the nine Golden Crow streak across the sky again and again, amidst the ever-changing winds and clouds of the Nine Luminaries Heaven.
After an unknown amount of time, the nine Golden Crow suddenly stopped in the sky, cried out in unison, and scattered golden light onto the earth.
"They've arrived."
The Creation Daoist appeared at the doorway at some unknown time, looking up at the sky with fervent eyes.
Zheng Fa looked down at the ground and was secretly surprised. There was no trace of civilization on the ground, not even a person. There was only a dark and desolate forest and fields covered with wild grass.
The distant celestial mountain where immortals and celestial beings had just been found is now shrouded in a powerful Yao Qi.
Although he knew that everything in front of him was an illusion, Zheng Fa had a feeling that the Demon Beast in the mountain was even stronger than the Golden-Winged Great Peng!
Is this the Ancient Immortal Realm?
Something feels off.
Just as Zheng Fa was filled with doubt, a magnificent sound suddenly came from the sky:
"I am Hongjun, born at the beginning of Chaos, who obtained the Creation Jade Disc and understood the profound mysteries of the Great Dao. Now, feeling that the beings of the Primordial Wilderness are ignorant and do not know the will of Heaven, I have opened an altar in the Purple Cloud Palace to preach the Dao, to transmit the Hunyuan Method, and to impart the ultimate principles of the Heavenly Dao. Those who are destined may come to listen to my lectures."
Zheng Fa stood in the main hall, feeling utterly bewildered. Where had he been brought here?
Looking up, one feels as if the Chaos of the heavens is pressing down, with the Chaos energy constantly churning like a pot of boiling black rice porridge.
Suddenly, a purple light ripped through the sky and landed in front of everyone, looking like a tunnel.
While the people in the hall were still hesitating, the Creation Daoist seemed to have been prepared. He flicked his whisk and said without turning back, "This humble Daoist will take his leave first!"
Having said that, he flashed into the purple light, swaying and staggering as he flew towards the Chaos.
The others exchanged glances, the Golden-Winged Great Peng sneered, spread its wings, and flew into the Chaos, with the White Lotus Monk following closely behind.
Zheng Fa no longer hesitated and followed Gu God and the others into the area shrouded in purple light.
He felt as if someone was supporting his legs and pushing him forward from behind.
Passing through the swirling, Chaos air, Zheng Fa came across a magnificent and ancient palace.
The palace gates were wide open, with no beams or pillars, only three thousand floating prayer mats. At the very front, seven prayer mats were surrounded by purple purple qi, giving them an air of nobility and grandeur.
Most of the prayer cushions were occupied; nearly three thousand powerful beings, all seemingly waiting for them, were there to hear the teachings.
Zheng Fa realized that this was not the real scene of the sermon at the Purple Cloud Palace, but a phantom conjured by the Fusang Wood —otherwise, where would they get such a big face?
This group of people is somewhat like NPCs, while Zheng Fa and his fourteen companions are the players. The sermon only truly begins when they arrive.
Just as he was pondering, a tremendous force suddenly came from behind him, and Zheng Fa stumbled and landed on an empty prayer mat.
Looking up, this futon was one of the very last ones, closest to the temple entrance.
As soon as he sat down on the futon, a message entered his mind, and Zheng Fa immediately understood—his seating position depended on two factors: his current cultivation level and his comprehension of the teachings. In simple terms, it was what cultivators called their spiritual attainment.
He looked ahead and, sure enough, the Creation Daoist and the others were positioned much further ahead of him.
The Gu God and the White Bone Devil Ancestor were in the middle, the Golden-Winged Great Peng was almost in the top thousand, and the Creation Daoist, for some reason, was sitting behind those seven futons.
What surprised him even more was the White Lotus Monk's seat—he was actually sitting next to the seven prayer cushions, and the two people in front of him were also dressed as monks.
The three Golden-Winged Great Peng relied on their own cultivation.
This Creation Daoist is truly unfathomable; Zheng Fa cannot see through him at all. The fact that this person revealed too many secrets only makes one more wary.
But is this White Lotus... someone with connections or someone with extremely high cultivation?
As for himself, having not Dao Fruit attained enlightenment, he could only sit at the very bottom of the list, feeling rather aggrieved. He turned his head and suddenly laughed.
The eight Spirit Transformation of the Lu Clan sat behind him, staring at him with dark expressions.
Seeing him smile, the Lu Clan's Grand Elder said coldly, " Shi Nandang, don't be so smug! After we hear the sermon, we'll see who comes first and who comes last!"
Zheng Fa smiled lightly, not even bothering to answer, and simply turned to look at the seven prayer cushions.
The Grand Elder of the Lu Clan was right about one thing: it was probably a rule set by the Fusang Wood that the positions of the prayer cushions were not fixed—after each listening session, they would be rearranged according to the person's cultivation level and comprehension.
Until the third sermon...
Zheng Fa stared at the seven prayer cushions at the very front. Six of them already had owners, and he could only see their backs.
The last one was left blank.
Only the person who sits on the seventh futon will be able to obtain the Primordial Purple Qi.
Only now did he understand Lu Mo's words. "The master of the Primordial Purple Qi was destined long ago."
Zheng Fa felt as if his early memories were attacking him: This trial really doesn't look at magical combat, it looks at the damn exam results, and the rankings are even made public!
(End of this chapter)