Reminding Hong Yun, the Two from the West Arrive

Inside Purple Firmament Palace, all was solemnly silent.

Three thousand Great Powers sat quietly, some with their eyes closed as they regulated their breathing, others discreetly sizing up their fellow Daoists around them.

Though no one spoke, undercurrents churned through the hall; the atmosphere was far from calm.

Especially the six Cushions at the front, which invisibly drew every gaze.

Upon the Cushions sat the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Kunpeng, and Hong Yun. Each was seated in quiet composure, their auras deep and still, naturally setting them apart from the other Dao listeners.

Wu Ming looked toward Daoist Hong Yun, seated on the sixth Cushion. At that moment, Hong Yun wore a radiant smile as he conversed quietly with Zhen Yuanzi beside him, clearly quite pleased with having seized this spot.

Thinking of this good old man's fate in the future, Wu Ming's heart stirred.

After a brief moment of consideration, he said to Hong Yun, "Daoist Hong Yun."

Hong Yun had been quietly speaking with Zhen Yuanzi beside him. Hearing this, he turned around, that characteristically kind smile still on his face. "Daoist Wu Ming, what is it?"

"Daoist, since you have claimed this Cushion, it is your fated opportunity. By no means should you lightly yield it to another." Wu Ming's gaze was calm, but his tone carried a trace of solemnity.

Hong Yun froze at that. He clearly had not expected Wu Ming to suddenly say such a thing.

He lowered his head to look at the Cushion beneath him, then looked back at the serious-faced Wu Ming. Though puzzled, he still replied, "Thank you for the reminder, Daoist Wu Ming. Rest assured, this is the Sage's Dao ground, and this Cushion bears great significance. Why would I lightly yield it to someone else?"

He merely assumed that Wu Ming had seen his kindly nature and feared he might be taken advantage of, and a measure of gratitude rose in his heart.

Wu Ming nodded, said no more, and closed his eyes once again to rest his mind.

He had given the warning he needed to give. As for whether Hong Yun would take it to heart, that was Hong Yun's own choice.

The great tide of the Heavenly Dao and one's personal fate often turned upon a single thought.

Just then, Two somewhat bedraggled figures stumbled in through the gates of Purple Firmament Palace.

One was sallow and emaciated, his brow tightly furrowed, as though all the suffering in the world had gathered upon his body.

The other looked somewhat better, yet his expression was equally sorrowful. He appeared travel-worn and weathered, steeped in the vicissitudes of countless hardships.

These two were none other than Jieyin and Zhunti, who had hurried over from the distant western lands.

They were covered in travel dust, their auras weak and unsteady, their faces thick with exhaustion. Clearly, they had expended tremendous effort to cross Chaos and reach this place.

The instant they entered Purple Firmament Palace, their gazes were drawn to the six extraordinary cushions at the very front!

Dao resonance flowed across those Cushions, mysterious and profound. One glance was enough to tell they were no ordinary treasures!

This was absolutely a heaven-shaking opportunity!

The two exchanged a glance, and each saw the other's longing and resolve!

Damn it! They had still arrived a step too late!

All six Cushions were already occupied!

The two looked at each other again. Their long years of tacit understanding let them instantly grasp the other's intentions.

Zhunti's eyes rolled, and a scheme sprang to mind.

"Wuwuwu..."

Without warning, Daoist Zhunti burst into mournful sobs. His voice was full of grief, thick with tears. "Our Western lands are barren, and the journey is long. My senior brother and I heard that the Sage would expound the Dao, and our hearts yearned for the Great Dao. Thus, we traveled countless billions of miles, rushing day and night without daring to slacken in the slightest!"

Daoist Jieyin also wore a bitter expression as he cooperatively sighed. "Yes! Yes!"

"How perilous Chaos is! The two of us nearly lost our way within it and perished, our Dao extinguished!"

"After finally finding the Sage's Dao ground, yet..."

His voice caught in his throat as sorrow welled up from within. "Yet we do not even have a place from which to hear the Dao!"

"Could it be that the living beings of the West are truly so ill-fated, forever without affinity with the Great Dao?!"

Zhunti beside him became even more theatrically possessed, plopping straight down onto the floor. Beating his chest and stamping his feet, he began wailing loudly, his voice echoing throughout all of Purple Firmament Palace.

"O heavens! O earth!"

"My brother and I crossed mountains and rivers, traversed endless Chaos—how much hardship have we endured, how much suffering have we borne? Has it been easy for us?!"

"We thought we would be able to listen to the Sage's teachings and seek the true transmission of the Great Dao, but who could have thought... who could have thought..."

"We do not even have a place to sit!"

"Our hearts in pursuit of the Dao are so utterly sincere—why was not even a seat left for us?!"

"Wuwuwu... the Heavenly Dao is unjust, the Heavenly Dao is unjust! Better to return, better to return!"

The two played off each other, weeping so earth-shakingly and heaven-stirringly that their miserable appearance and sorrowful tones would break the heart of any who heard them and bring tears to the eyes of any who saw them.

The hall's formerly quiet atmosphere was immediately shattered.

Quite a few Great Powers furrowed their brows, looks of contempt or impatience appearing on their faces.

Di Jun and Taiyi in particular, having just had their places snatched away by Hong Yun, looked upon these two weeping and sniveling figures with icy gazes and undisguised disdain.

Primordial Lord Tianzun, seated upon the second Cushion, showed even greater disgust and let out a cold snort.

He was utterly disgusted by and scornful of such behavior—disregarding all decorum and wailing and throwing a tantrum in a Sage's Dao Field.

"Hey! These two are shameless beyond belief!" Zhu Rong had never seen such a spectacle. Rolling up his sleeves, he was about to let loose with a torrent of abuse.

"Quiet." Wu Ming flicked him a calm glance, signaling for him to stay composed.

Wu Ming's expression did not change, but his gaze settled on Hong Yun.

He wanted to see whether, after his warning, Hong Yun would still give up his seat as he had in his memories.

At this moment, Hong Yun truly was caught in a fierce struggle.

Softhearted by nature, he could not help feeling some pity as he watched Jieyin and Zhunti weep so miserably.

He recalled Daoist Friend Wu Ming's earlier warning and cautioned himself: I can't give it up! This is my opportunity!

"But..."

Hong Yun's expression shifted uncertainly.

"Alas..."

In the end, Hong Yun let out a long sigh.

He rose to his feet, his face filled with deep helplessness and bitterness, and spoke to the still-wailing Jieyin and Zhunti.

"Very well, very well."

"You two Daoist Friends have come from afar, and your sincerity is commendable. This poor Daoist... this poor Daoist shall yield this seat to you."

The instant his words fell, Jieyin and Zhunti's crying abruptly ceased!

Ecstasy immediately bloomed across their faces. Where was even the slightest trace of their earlier grief?

Zhunti reacted with extraordinary speed, springing up from the ground in a kip-up and, before anyone could react, planting his backside on the Cushion Hong Yun had yielded!

Jieyin hurried forward as well and repeatedly bowed to Hong Yun.

"Thank you, Daoist Friend! Thank you, Daoist Friend!"

"Daoist Friend, you are compassionate! Daoist Friend, you are righteous and noble!"

"We two brothers will never forget Daoist Friend's kindness today, for all eternity. One day, we shall surely repay it handsomely."

Having said that, without waiting for Hong Yun's response, he hastily sat down in the empty spot beside Zhunti, afraid that some new complication might arise.

Hong Yun looked at the Cushion that had been snatched away in an instant. His mouth opened as though he wanted to say something, but in the end, it became nothing more than a silent, bitter smile.

The sense of crisis in his heart had vanished, yet he could not shake the feeling that... he had lost something important.

Seeing this, Zhen Yuanzi let out a heavy sigh and patted Hong Yun on the shoulder in consolation.

Wu Ming glanced at Jieyin and Zhunti, whose faces were overflowing with tearful gratitude while their hearts were secretly wild with joy, then looked at the somewhat dazed Hong Yun.

Just as expected.

The Heavenly Dao Trend surged on, vast and mighty.

Even a single well-intentioned warning from him had ultimately been unable to shake it.

So be it. Perhaps this... was simply his fate.