Hongjun Attains Sainthood, Great Powers Emerge

Li Cha, with his Half-step Quasi-Saint cultivation, was already considered a major power in the current Primordial World. Aside from Yang Mei, who had long attained Primordial Da Luo and transcended worldly affairs, Hongjun, who was about to take that final step, and Fairy Wang Shu at Peak Quasi-Saint, the rest—such as the Three Pure Ones, Di Jun, Taiyi, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches—were at most at Late Da Luo in cultivation.

Through his discussions with Yang Mei, Li Cha had clearly understood the fundamental difference between Primordial Da Luo and a Heavenly Dao Saint:

Primordial Da Luo relied on one's own supreme perseverance, wisdom, and accumulation to forcibly capture, comprehend, and ultimately refine an entire Great Dao from beginning to end, inside and out, merging it into oneself. From then on, I am the Dao, the Dao is me—independent, autonomous, and free from worldly constraints.

A Heavenly Dao Saint, on the other hand, had the Primordial World's Heavenly Dao, with its supreme authority, "help" the cultivator refine a Great Dao. It seemed like a shortcut to the top, but in truth, the ultimate ownership and interpretive rights of this Great Dao remained firmly in the hands of the Heavenly Dao. The Saint merely obtained the "right to use it," akin to a "senior employee" of the Heavenly Dao. Thus, while a Heavenly Dao Saint's power was immense, they had to rely on the Heavenly Dao, be bound by its restrictions, and be tied to the rise and fall of the Primordial World.

Li Cha's Dao was the Great Dao of Tea. This Dao encompassed tolerance, enlightenment, and harmony. Though not adept at slaughter, it pointed directly to the origin of all things' harmony, with limitless potential. He deeply understood his own path. Now, he only awaited Hongjun's Preaching the Dao, and then he would have the opportunity to go to the summit of Buzhou Mountain, obtain the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil, refine a Tea Cup, perfect the foundation of his Tea Dao, gain the recognition of the Dao, and truly begin his assault on the Primordial Realm.

With his path clear, he no longer rushed to cultivate. Recently, Li Cha had begun to regularly preach his Tea Dao within the Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven.

Although the Tea Cup was not yet complete and the foundation of his Tea Dao was still missing a link, unable to trigger resonance from the Great Dao or manifest visions, explaining some superficial concepts of the Tea Dao—methods for cultivating the mind and body, and the principles of harmonizing all things—was actually easier for the "little ones" within the grotto-heaven to understand.

That's right, "little ones."

In the past, the spiritual rain diluted and transformed from the Primordial Chaos Spirit Tea had granted intelligence to countless flowers, plants, trees, birds, and beasts within the grotto-heaven, setting them on the path of cultivation. They had observed Li Cha, Mo Ran, Shi Qing, and others cultivating daily, learning some methods of breathing and refining Qi, but they lacked the key points and had not yet taken form. Now, being able to hear the "Ancestor" preach the Dao in person, each was incredibly excited, focusing intently, afraid of missing a single word from Li Cha's mouth.

Li Cha sat cross-legged beneath the Enlightenment Tea Tree, in front of the Sacred Spirit Table, his voice calm as he spoke eloquently. He did not speak of profound divine abilities, only elaborating on the basic spirits of the Tea Dao—"Purity," "Stillness," "Harmony," "Respect," "Joy," "Truth"—and how to use these to regulate body and mind, perceive nature, and discern one's true heart. His words were like a gentle stream, moistening things silently, yet they made the little ones listening to the Dao increasingly clear-minded, giving them a clearer understanding of their own cultivation paths.

This preaching session lasted a thousand years.

A thousand years of preaching yielded remarkable results. Within the grotto-heaven, spiritual energy grew more peaceful, and the relationships among living beings became more harmonious. More importantly, seven little ones with outstanding roots and exceptional comprehension had finally accumulated enough and welcomed their opportunity to take form!

From various parts of the grotto-heaven, spiritual light shot into the sky, and Dao rhythms converged. After undergoing a baptism of heavenly tribulation, within the Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven, there were suddenly four boys and three girls—seven little immortals, Delicate and Exquisite, looking like three or four-year-old children. Though they had taken form, their cultivation was still shallow, only at the True Immortal realm. They stared with big, dark eyes, looking at Li Cha with curiosity and a hint of timidity.

Li Cha observed their roots and origins, understood in his heart, and conveniently accepted these seven little ones as registered disciples, entrusting them to the steady and reliable Mo Ran for unified instruction in basic techniques and the rules of the grotto-heaven.

Based on the characteristics of their origins, he bestowed Dao names upon them:

The Azure Jade Spirit Bamboo, which had taken root beside the Sacred Spirit Table and taken form nourished by its Dao rhythms, was named Qing Xuan (male).

Born from the eye of a Spiritual Spring, its original form a Seven-Colored Spirit Carp, was named Lianyi (female).

Its original form was a piece of jade that had absorbed the fragrance of tea diffused when Li Cha preached, warm and smooth all over, named Yu Qing (male).

A Star Pattern Grass plant enlightened by the power of stars, lively in nature, named Xing Tong (female).

Originally a spark of Fire Essence scattered when Li Cha refined the Five Elements Furnace, named Yan Yang (male).

A piece of Five-Colored Spirit Earth that had become enlightened by listening to the Dao's sound, steady and deep, named Hou Pu (male).

Its original form was a Spirit Charm Immortal Butterfly that had long lived on the Enlightenment Tea Tree, named Die Wu (female).

The seven little children, with childish voices, kowtowed to their master and then paid respects to Senior Disciple Brother Mo Ran, officially joining the Yun Hua lineage.

Just at that moment, the entire Primordial World shook violently!

Endless, profound auspicious clouds spread from beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, covering the entire sky of the Primordial World with myriad rays of light and countless auspicious ribbons. In the void, celestial music naturally arose, cleansing the mind. On the earth, golden lotuses surged, Qilin shadows appeared auspiciously, Phoenixes sang in congratulations...

A vast, majestic, indifferent, and lofty voice, like a decree from the Heavenly Dao, resounded clearly in the depths of every intelligent being's mind:

"High above the nine-layered clouds, on a cattail mat, the Dao's truth is realized... ...One Qi transforms into Hongjun."

"I am the Dao Ancestor Hongjun. Today, I have attained the Saint fruit position. Sensing that the Great Dao of the Primordial World is incomplete and that the myriad beings find cultivation difficult, I will, ten thousand years hence, preach the Great Dao in the Purple Firmament Palace beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens, expounding the mysteries of Primordial. All beings of the Primordial World who are fated may come to listen to the Dao."

Hongjun had finally become a Saint!

Li Cha looked up at the sky, his gaze calm, with no great turmoil in his heart, only a sense of relief that "what was meant to come had finally arrived." Hongjun becoming a Saint and the Purple Firmament Palace preaching the Dao meant that the structure of the Primordial World would enter a new phase, and also that the time for him to obtain the Nine Heavens Breathing Soil was approaching.

With Hongjun's attainment of Sainthood, the Heavenly Dao's fortune surged, as if a floodgate had been opened. Many innate great powers, who had either remained hidden or whose time had not yet come, emerged in response to fate, manifesting in the Primordial World.

Not far from Li Cha's Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven, at the foot of the other side of Buzhou Mountain, two pure, sacred, and harmonious auras shot into the sky, one yin and one yang, intertwining and circling. It was none other than Fuxi and Nuwa, the siblings! Their Dao fields were also located in the Buzhou Mountain region. During Li Cha's seclusion and preaching, their Spiritual Senses had curiously swept over the Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven, enveloped by the great formation, several times, clearly paying considerable attention to this neighbor.

Immediately after, from the depths of Buzhou Mountain came twelve earth-shattering roars! Sha Qi shot into the sky, blood and Qi like dragons, drawing down boundless blood rain! It was the Twelve Ancestral Witches emerging simultaneously! The Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation they triggered was so vast in scale and fierce in its tribulation lightning that it was almost comparable to the Heavenly Punishment tribulation Li Cha had once crossed, filled with the Heavenly Dao's deep wariness and disapproval of the descendants transformed from Pangu's essence blood.

That day, Fairy Wang Shu once again visited the Yun Hua Grotto-Heaven, and this time, she was accompanied by two young girls of peerless beauty but distinct temperaments. One was bright and grand, the other cold and ethereal, with the aura of the moon lingering around them. They were none other than Xi He and Chang Xi, nurtured on the Moon Star! Their appearance also heralded that the two future Demon Race emperors on the Sun Star—Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi—had certainly taken form and were gathering strength, waiting for their moment to step onto the stage of the Primordial World.

At the same time, deep within the boundless Netherworld Blood Sea, where blood waves surged, a massive Karma Fire Red Lotus slowly bloomed. A figure in a blood-colored Dao robe, with a cold and gloomy face, stood up from the lotus heart, surrounded by interwoven killing intent and Resentment Power. It was the master of the Blood Sea—Minghe—also taking advantage of the Heavenly Dao's fortune to officially emerge!

And in the Nether Sea of the far north, a Kun's cry, as if from the ancient Primordial World, tore through the sky! A Giant Kun of unimaginable size leaped violently from the deep sea, its body blotting out the sky and covering the sun! It circled in the air and transformed into a great Peng whose wings were like clouds hanging from the sky! Fearlessly facing the Form Transformation Lightning Tribulation, it charged directly into the deepest part of the Tribulation Clouds, letting the lightning baptize it! Finally, the Tribulation Clouds dispersed, and a sinister, sharp figure stood proudly in the void. It was the one who had devoured all the remnants of his corrupted elders, merged their origins, and emerged—Kunpeng!

These Innate God-Demons and great powers that emerged in response to fate all had extraordinary roots. Upon taking form, they were at least at Early Da Luo cultivation. The Three Pure Ones, Di Jun, and Taiyi even directly reached Late Da Luo. Their starting point was so high that ordinary beings could never hope to catch up.

Ten thousand years was but a snap of the fingers for these great powers who had already achieved longevity.

The day of the Purple Firmament Palace's preaching was drawing nearer day by day. The gaze of the entire Primordial World was fixed on the chaotic realm beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. A grand event that would determine the structure of the Primordial World for billions of years was about to begin.