Heavenly Dao Intervenes, Laozi's Startling Discovery

With a casual palm strike from Hong Yun, his all-out sword attack had ended in such a wretched defeat.

For a moment, Eastern Prince felt utterly humiliated. How could someone who fancied himself the future number one beneath Hongjun possibly accept such a result?

"Die, This poor Daoist!"

Like a madman, Eastern Prince drew the Pure Yang Sword and charged in to kill once more.

"You brought this beating on yourself, so don't blame This poor Daoist!"

Hong Yun sighed inwardly and prepared to strike.

He was even wondering whether he ought to fleece Eastern Prince a little less in the future.

After all, if he fleeced too much from an idiot who had lost his mind like Eastern Prince, he feared he might become stupid along with him.

Just as Hong Yun was about to strike heavily, an emotionless, utterly impartial, selfless voice rang out!

"Outside Purple Cloud Palace, fighting is forbidden!"

In an instant, a mysterious, vast, boundless great power suppressed everyone present. The gathered Great Powers could not even circulate the Mana within their bodies.

This was the power of the Heavenly Dao!

Everyone was very familiar with that voice, having heard it for so many years.

That was right—the voice came from Hongjun, yet it was not Hongjun. It was Heavenly Dao Hongjun!

"My disciple, under the Heavenly Dao Trend, Eastern Prince is not yet meant to die. He still bears some fortune; spare his life for now!"

Hongjun's emotional voice sounded in Hong Yun's mind, also making him understand that it had been the Heavenly Dao that acted just now.

Hong Yun did not care whether Eastern Prince lived or died. It was only a matter of sooner or later, anyway.

But this was the first time Hongjun had called him "my disciple." Didn't that mean he had latched onto a golden thigh?

At that thought, joy rose in Hong Yun's heart.

"Understood, Master. Your disciple obeys!"

Hongjun's voice did not sound in his mind again, and Hong Yun withdrew his hand as well.

Only after a quarter of an hour did the Heavenly Dao's great power completely dissipate.

"Wait, didn't This poor Daoist forget something? Damn it, I forgot to praise the Heavenly Dao—what a colossal loss, what a colossal loss!"

Only then did Hong Yun recall that he had failed to praise the Heavenly Dao in Its presence.

Painful!

Too painful!

That was the Heavenly Dao!

Who knew what good stuff he might have gotten out of It!

For a time, Hong Yun was utterly dejected, his whole person sunk into a daze, leaving the Ancestral Witches and Zhen Yuanzi beside him quite puzzled.

Setting Hong Yun aside, everyone now gained a fresh understanding of Hongjun's strength. Their hearts burned with fervor, each of them wishing that one day they themselves would attain the Dao and become Saints.

Eastern Prince, who had seemed possessed by madness, felt as though a basin of icy water had been poured into his mind.

He abruptly calmed down!

Recalling how he had just tried to stake his life against Hong Yun, Eastern Prince could not help feeling a lingering fear.

That person could casually inflict grave injuries on him—just where had he gotten the courage to attack him?

Had This poor Daoist swallowed a Dragon Race heart or a Qilin Race gall?

Hmm, perhaps it was Liang Jingru!

"Fortunately, the Dao Ancestor intervened! This poor Daoist knew the Dao Ancestor would not Stand By and Watch. Just wait, Hong Yun and Twelve Ancestral Witches—when This poor Daoist becomes a Quasi-Saint, or even a Saint, I will grind your bones to ash..."

Eastern Prince lowered his head, unwilling to look directly at Hong Yun. His mind was filled with thoughts such as, "The Dao Ancestor still loves me."

Hong Yun, who had just suffered an immense loss, had no desire to pay attention to this fool.

Once the fortune on him was exhausted, with that "Emperor" fate of his, Di Jun and Tai Yi would not let him off in the future.

Even if he somehow survived, Hong Yun could simply kill him with a casual strike.

The atmosphere in the square outside Purple Cloud Palace gradually became lively again. Eastern Prince gave a cold snort, transformed into a golden rainbow, and vanished into Chaos, not even waiting for Western Queen Mother.

Watching Eastern Prince's retreating figure, Western Queen Mother's feelings were complicated.

At this moment, she felt that accepting the title of Head of Female Immortals had been nothing but taking hold of a burning hot potato.

Especially with an idiot like Eastern Prince as the Head of Male Immortals—no matter how many lives she had, they probably would not be enough to lose in the future.

"No. From now on, Eastern Prince can play by himself. I must draw a clear line between us and cultivate properly in West Kunlun."

After glancing at the once again refined and amiable Hong Yun, as well as the powerfully built Twelve Ancestral Witches, Western Queen Mother made up her mind.

As for the mission bestowed by the Dao Ancestor?

Heh. Whoever wants to play can play—this old lady was not keeping them company!

Western Queen Mother resolved to build good relationships with the female cultivators of the Primordial Wilderness. When anything happened, they could discuss it together; as long as appearances were maintained, that would be enough.

"Fellow Daoist, you truly have a fine sense of humor. This method is exquisite, beyond improvement. This poor Daoist shall not gild the lily."

Hong Yun forcibly suppressed the frustration in his heart, putting on a smiling face as he exchanged pleasantries with a Great Power who had just sought his guidance on divine abilities and Dao arts. After all, life had to go on.

At this moment, he no longer wore the cold demeanor he had shown when facing Eastern Prince.

Yet most people knew that everything had changed.

With combat strength like Hong Yun's, he was likely invincible among those of the same rank in the Golden Immortal realm. Behind him stood twelve Ancestral Witches of equally formidable strength, as well as Zhen Yuanzi, his inseparable friend.

He could not be provoked. Absolutely could not be provoked!

After today, Hong Yun's name would surely resound throughout the Primordial Wilderness.

"Perhaps only Grand Pure One Laozi, who has successfully slain his Evil Corpse and become a Quasi-Saint, can keep Hong Yun down by a notch?"

Some Great Powers muttered to themselves, and the more they thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed.

In terms of cultivation, Laozi still stood above Hong Yun. A whole major realm lay between them like an insurmountable heavenly chasm. No matter how heaven-defying Hong Yun's combat strength was, he was likely no match for Laozi.

Moreover, Hong Yun had the Twelve Ancestral Witches and Zhen Yuanzi behind him, while Laozi also had two deeply cultivated brothers at his back.

Taking everything together, Hong Yun and Laozi, along with the forces behind them, could be considered evenly matched!

Before anyone realized it, the Primordial Wilderness had already shifted from so-called lone duels into a contest of factions and backgrounds.

Perhaps this change had begun after the Heavenly Dao designated Eastern Prince and Western Queen Mother as the "Heads of the Immortals"?

There was likely also some calculation of the Heavenly Dao involved.

After all, consolidating resources and strength was more conducive to the development of the Primordial Wilderness.

With his Quasi-Saint realm, Laozi naturally overheard the mutterings of the Great Powers. Yet upon hearing that he and Hong Yun were evenly matched, a trace of shame arose in his heart.

"Do these people really think Hong Yun is at Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Perfection?"

Laozi curled his lip inwardly. He had originally believed himself to be the first person in Purple Cloud Palace, apart from Hongjun, to attain the Quasi-Saint Dao.

But after witnessing Hong Yun casually crush Eastern Prince's palm strike—

Only then did Laozi realize that some people were really damn good at hiding!

Those Great Powers at the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm could not see through it, but could he, a Quasi-Saint, possibly have mistaken what he saw?

That palm strike of Hong Yun's had clearly condensed a thread of the power of Dao. Though it had been extremely well concealed, Laozi's Primordial Spirit had still sensed it.

"I just wonder when that fellow Hong Yun attained the position of Quasi-Saint. Could it have been before the Dao teachings?"

"That's not right! Before the Dao teachings, the Dao Ancestor had not even imparted the Corpse Slaying Method. How could Hong Yun have Severed Three Corpses? Or does he possess another method for attaining the Hunyuan Realm?"

The more Laozi thought, the more tangled his thoughts became, and the more unfathomable Hong Yun seemed.

Even his original intention of seeking Hong Yun out to discuss the Dao—while actually showing off a little—vanished completely.

At that thought, the faint restlessness Laozi had developed after breaking through to the Quasi-Saint realm immediately disappeared without a trace, and he returned to his detached state of mind toward all things.

Hong Yun had broken through long ago, yet he had not become arrogant. As a latecomer, Laozi had even less reason to act that way.

In the original timeline of the Primordial Wilderness, there was a reason Laozi firmly held the position of foremost among the Xuan Sect's disciples.

With such a temperament alone, he stood above the rest.

Seeing Laozi recover his detached state of mind so swiftly, Yuanshi and Tongtian beside him could not help but hold him in even greater respect.

They exchanged a glance without prior agreement, then saw the same sentence in each other's eyes.

"Your Big Brother is still your Big Brother!"