Dao Ancestor Hongjun

Hongjun's gaze swept over Di Jun, then slowly passed across everyone in the hall.

"No."

"There are four methods of becoming a Saint."

At those words, every Great Power in the hall pricked up their ears.

This was a Saint personally expounding upon the path to becoming a Saint!

"First, Prove Dao with Strength."

"This was the path Great God Pangu walked. He cleaved Heaven and split Earth, seeking to break through the shackles of the Great Dao with supreme power and attain the Hunyuan Fruit."

Hongjun's tone carried an indescribable complexity, as though he were reminiscing, praising, and lamenting all at once.

"Yet Great God Pangu also failed, transforming into all things within the Primordial World."

Those words made the hearts of quite a few Great Powers in the hall sink.

Great God Pangu, who cleaved Heaven and split Earth! What unimaginable power! Even he had failed?

This path was fundamentally beyond anything they could hope for.

Yet Wu Ming's heart stirred. Hongjun was swapping concepts.

He deliberately exaggerated the difficulty of Proving Dao with Strength, attributing Great God Pangu's failure in attaining Dao to the method itself, while never mentioning that what Great God Pangu had sought to attain was not something as simple as a Primordial Chaos Sage, but the Great Dao at an even higher level.

Still, Wu Ming also knew that Proving Dao with Strength truly was as difficult as ascending to Heaven.

The laws of the current Primordial World had already been set, and the environment had changed drastically. Replicating Father God's path was almost impossible.

Hongjun continued his explanation, his voice utterly calm.

"Second is the method I just discussed: attaining Dao through Slaying Three Corpses."

"This method requires the aid of Innate Spiritual Treasures to sever the three corpses of good, evil, and self. Once the Three Corpses Unity is achieved, one may also Attain the Primordial Chaos."

"This method is comparatively reliable, and it is also the method this poor Daoist used to attain Dao."

He ranked this method second and made clear that it was the method he himself had used. His favor toward it went without saying.

The Three Pure Ones exchanged glances. Primordial Lord Tianzun gave a slight nod, Laozi remained expressionless, while Tongtian seemed lost in thought.

As beings transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, their foundations were profound, their Fortune enduring, and they did not lack high-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. The path of Slaying Three Corpses suited them well.

"Third, Prove Dao with Laws."

Hongjun's gaze seemingly casually swept over Wu Ming and the twelve Ancestral Wu behind him.

"Comprehend the laws of Heaven and Earth, cultivate the laws one has comprehended to the realm of perfection, and take control of the origin of a single path; one may likewise achieve the exalted status of a Saint."

"This method demands extremely high aptitude and comprehension. The process is also arduous, requiring one to constantly verify one's own Law Great Dao and push one's understanding and deduction of laws to the utmost limit."

"Though it is not as close to a dead end as Proving Dao with Strength, its difficulty still far exceeds ordinary imagination."

Wu Ming understood. This was the path the Wu Clan should take!

The Wu Clan was born with control over laws. They tempered their Physical Bodies and Primordial Spirits with laws. If they could comprehend laws to their utmost limit and grasp their origins, their power would be no weaker than those who became Saints through Slaying Three Corpses.

Although the Wu Clan now possessed Primordial Spirits, Wu Ming would never allow them to take the path of Slaying Three Corpses.

The path of Slaying Three Corpses appeared reliable, a path personally verified by a Saint, but it required Innate Spiritual Treasures as vessels. It was wholly different from the Wu Clan's path of tempering their Physical Bodies and controlling laws.

Besides... the Saint Positions had long since been predetermined by the Heavenly Dao. If the Wu Clan chose this path, then even if they severed all three corpses, they would never be able to become Saints.

Other than those six Saints, under the Heavenly Dao, no one else could become a Saint.

Proving Dao with Laws was difficult, but it was not without hope.

The Wu Clan had to Prove Dao with Laws!

This was their only chance!

"Fourth, Prove Dao with Merit."

"This method involves accumulating boundless merit and gaining the recognition of the Heavenly Dao, thereby achieving the position of a Heavenly Dao Saint."

"To become a Saint through this method, one must make great contributions to the Primordial World and obtain a vast amount of merit. None but those with great perseverance, great fortune, and great merit can accomplish it."

Proving Dao with Merit. Zhen Yuanzi seemed somewhat tempted. He controlled the Earth Book and was closely tied to the earth. If he could sort out the earth veins and benefit the Primordial World, perhaps he might have a chance to accumulate merit.

But the words "vast amount" made him hesitate again.

Prove Dao with Merit... Wu Ming looked in Houtu's direction. Houtu... she could perhaps attempt to Prove Dao with Merit.

But Wu Ming immediately rejected the thought.

Houtu transforming into Reincarnation and using herself to suppress the Netherworld might seem like boundless merit, but in truth, she would be trapped in one place and lose her freedom. That was not the ending he wished to see.

Di Jun and Taiyi frowned deeply. The two Golden Crows exchanged a look, seemingly weighing the pros and cons.

Slaying Three Corpses required Spiritual Treasures. Proving Dao with Laws seemed unrelated to them. Proving Dao with Merit... perhaps it could be planned for?

Would establishing order and ruling over all living beings count as great merit?

After Hongjun briefly explained the four paths, he spoke no further and quietly waited for the next person to ask a question.

The hall sank into a long silence.

Four paths lay before them. Each seemed bright, yet each was strewn with thorns.

All the Great Powers were digesting the information Hongjun had brought, weighing their own paths.

Time trickled by bit by bit. Within Purple Firmament Palace, one could hear a pin drop.

After a long while, Hongjun slowly opened his eyes. His gaze swept over the people below, who were still deep in thought. Seeing that no one else wished to ask a question, he seemed to recall something.

He suddenly spoke in an indifferent tone. His voice was not loud, yet it clearly reached every ear.

"East King, West Queen Mother."

The two whose names had been called were both startled, then hurriedly rose to their feet.

"You two were formed from the innate qi of yin and yang. Your origins are extraordinary; you should be the leaders of all immortals."

"East King, you shall be the Head of Male Immortals of the Primordial Wilderness. I bestow upon you the Dragon Head Cane, granting you authority over all male immortals under heaven."

A streak of light flew forth, transforming into an ancient, imposing Dragon Head Cane that landed before East King.

"West Queen Mother, you shall be the Head of Female Immortals of the Primordial Wilderness. I bestow upon you the Western Plain Cloud Realm Banner, granting you authority over all female immortals under heaven."

Another streak of light flew forth, transforming into an apricot-yellow treasure banner. It radiated a gentle immortal glow as it landed before West Queen Mother.

Hongjun's words were like the laws of heaven, directly establishing the two's titles and authority.

The moment these words were spoken, the expressions of quite a few people in the hall subtly changed.

The Three Pure Ones remained calm and detached.

Di Jun and Taiyi's brows creased almost imperceptibly.

The other Great Powers each had their own thoughts, but none dared reveal them before a Sage.

"Many thanks, Sage!"

The two were both shocked and overjoyed. They hurriedly bowed and accepted the Spiritual Treasures.

East King, in particular, was flushed with excitement. He felt unprecedented authority settle upon him, and his spirits soared.

As if divinely inspired, he bowed deeply to Hongjun once more and spoke aloud, his voice brimming with reverence and flattery:

"Sage Hongjun is merciful. You have pointed out the direction of the Great Dao for us Living Beings of the Primordial Wilderness and imparted supreme wondrous methods. You are the ancestor of all paths and should be—Dao Ancestor!"

His sonorous voice echoed throughout Purple Firmament Palace.

The instant the words "Dao Ancestor" were uttered, the atmosphere in the hall turned strange.

Quite a few Great Powers cursed inwardly: This East King really knew how to kiss up!

The Three Pure Ones were expressionless.

Di Jun and Taiyi wore cold sneers at the corners of their mouths.

Zhen Yuanzi frowned.

Hong Yun habitually wanted to smooth things over, but after looking at the situation, he kept his mouth shut.

Wu Ming was speechless inside. This East King had gotten a little benefit and no longer knew his own measure. "Leader of all immortals"? He was truly courting death.

Hongjun neither approved nor disapproved of the title, and his face remained utterly expressionless.

He spoke again, his voice filling the Great Hall.

"In thirty thousand years, I will reopen Purple Firmament Palace and expound upon the Hunyuan Fruit."

"You must cultivate diligently."

As his words fell, Hongjun's figure dispersed like a reflection in water, vanishing without a trace.

The high platform was empty once more, as though no one had ever been there.

The people in the hall stood stunned for a moment before finally coming back to themselves.

They all rose and bowed toward the empty high platform.

"Farewell, Dao Ancestor!"

As Hongjun departed, the gates of Purple Firmament Palace opened without a sound.

One after another, the crowd rose, each carrying different thoughts as they began to make their way out.