Hongjun Dao Ancestor, are you serious?

As Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, appeared on the cloud platform, Nan Ji curiously stole glances at him.

Indeed, Nan Ji found he couldn't see Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor's, face clearly and quickly lowered his head.

"Hmph!"

Hongjun surveyed his surroundings, then his gaze stopped as he looked at the two from the West.

"Jieyin, Zhunti."

Upon hearing Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor call them, the two quickly replied, "Your disciples are here."

"You two, so full of emotion, aren't you going to cry this time?"

Pfft~

As Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, spoke, many powerful beings present couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Nan Ji's mouth gaped in shock at Hongjun's words.

Was he praising them or mocking them? Was this the Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, he remembered?

Although many powerful beings present laughed out loud, Jieyin still replied with a sorrowful expression, "Replying to the Dao Ancestor, the suffering in the West is immense, and we two must firm our resolve and not fear hardship."

"Hmm, I thought you two, with your extraordinary talent, would cry and fuss in my Purple Cloud Palace again. What a pity!"

Hongjun nodded, speaking to himself, then swept his gaze over everyone again.

"Kunpeng."

Hearing Hongjun call his name, Kunpeng quickly bowed and said, "Dao Ancestor!"

At this moment, all eyes in the Purple Cloud Palace turned towards the entrance.

Nan Ji, sitting next to Kunpeng, was terrified that Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, would discover he was a transmigrator, and lowered his head like a quail.

"Last time you gave up your seat, and this time you're sitting by the entrance. Your heart for listening to the Dao is truly steadfast."

"Good! Very good!"

The Dao Ancestor looked at Kunpeng with a smile, praising him repeatedly.

Given the precedent set by Jieyin and Zhunti, Nan Ji realized the Dao Ancestor liked to speak sarcastically, so was he starting to scold Kunpeng now?

"Hahaha..."

Hong Yun couldn't hold it in again and was the first to laugh.

Hearing the Dao Ancestor's scolding, Kunpeng quickly lowered his head and replied, "Your disciple dares not."

But no one noticed that as Kunpeng lowered his head, hatred flashed in his eyes.

"Hmm, last time I said seats could not be changed. Since you like that spot, you shall sit there from now on."

Hongjun's words at this moment were extremely humorous, yet they made Kunpeng break out in a cold sweat.

So, instinctively, he kowtowed repeatedly, shouting, "Kunpeng knows his mistake, Dao Ancestor, please forgive me!"

Hongjun seemed not to hear him and spoke again, "Haotian, pour a cup of tea for your senior brother Kunpeng! He has also guided you in the Dao here in the Purple Cloud Palace. Even this old Daoist must admire him. Good, good, good."

As he spoke, a tea tray appeared before Haotian. In the center of the tray was a crystal-clear jade cup, containing tea emitting a faint mist.

"Yes, Master!"

Haotian's expression remained unchanged as he lifted the tea tray. With a slight step, he glided over the heads of the assembled beings.

"Senior Brother Kunpeng, please have some tea!"

Saying this, Haotian placed the tea tray down and returned to Hongjun's side.

Kunpeng's eyes fell on the tea. He didn't know what was in the middle, but his intuition told him it was not a good thing.

He wanted to refuse, but found his body suddenly unresponsive. His hands, beyond his control, raised the teacup and he drank it down in one gulp.

As the last sip of tea entered his stomach, Kunpeng felt his destiny begin to flow away.

"Dao Ancestor..."

Kunpeng trembled with fear, filled with immense regret. Who else could he have offended, but Haotian?

Yet, he found his body instinctively dared not utter another word.

One had to know, the concept of destiny was profound and mysterious.

Kunpeng vaguely sensed that while the loss of his destiny wouldn't lead to his death, his opportunities for cultivation in the future would be exceedingly scarce.

Many powerful beings felt this subtle change and understood that Kunpeng had been cast aside by the Dao Ancestor.

At the same time, they roughly guessed the reason: disrespecting Haotian and Yaochi in the Purple Cloud Palace was akin to slapping Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, in the face, wasn't it?

Instantly, everyone lowered their heads as much as possible, recalling if they had ever offended the Dao Ancestor's attendants like Kunpeng.

Meanwhile, Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor, no longer paid attention to Kunpeng and turned his gaze back to the crowd.

Although Hongjun, the Dao Ancestor's, words were always amusing, no living being wanted their name to be called.

Even Nan Ji felt a heavy sense of pressure.

If it were a friend, then sarcasm would be a joke.

But if the difference in strength was too great, these sarcastic remarks would turn into fatal scars.

Just as Nan Ji was thinking about this, the Dao Ancestor's voice came from ahead, "Hmm! Nan Ji!"

Nan Ji was startled by the Dao Ancestor's voice.

He intended to reply as a disciple, but Nan Ji feared disrupting the seniority, so he subconsciously replied, "Ah!? Di... I... I'm here."

"Have you changed allegiance?"

Hongjun asked casually, but he unintentionally glanced at Jieyin and Zhunti, then continued, "It's not time for you to sit behind your master. Haotian, get a futon for your nephew Nan Ji and place it behind your senior brother Yuanshi."

Hongjun's words at the beginning made Nan Ji feel like he had thorns on his back, and cold sweat poured down his face.

But then, he understood.

The Dao Ancestor wanted him to sit in the front row.

"Yes."

Nan Ji replied respectfully, but he didn't dare to be presumptuous like Haotian and step over everyone's heads. Instead, he walked through the crowd.

Because of the pressure from Dao Ancestor Hongjun, everyone present silently lowered their heads and moved aside, making a small path for Nan Ji, fearing that Dao Ancestor Hongjun would notice them at that moment.

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor!"

Seeing the futon that had already been placed there, Nan Ji quickly bowed to the ground and said, while also giving Haotian a grateful look.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun, as if nothing had happened, opened his mouth and said, "Hmm! Now I will lecture on the realm above Da Luo..."

Upon hearing this, the hearts of the Great Desolation powerhouses instantly settled down.

Nan Ji sat upright on the futon, but he also discovered that the futon was actually an Innate Treasure. He immediately steadied his mind and listened intently to the Dao Ancestor's lecture.

"Three and five combine qi to return to the origin..."

"The external origin of the three yangs brings forth things naturally..."

The Dao Ancestor's lecture was not accompanied by flamboyant phenomena like heavenly flowers falling and golden lotuses springing from the earth. However, every word could penetrate Nan Ji's soul, causing Nan Ji's magic power to circulate unconsciously.

The Great Desolation powerhouses were also mesmerized, lost in their contemplation for a long time.

And within Nan Ji's enlightenment, the Dao Ancestor also spoke of the cultivation path of a Quasi-Saint, focusing particularly on the method of severing three corpses.

Soon, three thousand years passed.

"The lecture is now concluded."

The Dao Ancestor's words were like magical sounds entering their ears, instantly awakening the great powerhouses.

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor, for the grace of your teachings!" the Great Desolation powerhouses said hurriedly.

"Hmm, within the Heavenly Dao, it is destined that this old man should take in a few disciples."

After Hongjun finished speaking, his eyes swept over everyone again.

Unlike before, the great powerhouses now raised their heads, hoping that Hongjun's gaze would fall upon them.

But Hongjun ignored them and, seeing the futons in the first row, said, "Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, are you willing to be my disciples?"

Upon hearing the Dao Ancestor's words, the three of them hurriedly prostrated themselves and said, "This disciple is willing!"

Seeing his elders prostrating themselves, Nan Ji also bowed to the Dao Ancestor.

"Hmm!" Dao Ancestor Hongjun nodded with satisfaction.

Then he continued, "Nuwa! Are you willing to be this old man's registered disciple?"

Although she had anticipated this, Nuwa found it different from what she had imagined, but she still joyfully replied, "This disciple is willing!"

"Hmm!"

Hongjun nodded, then fell silent.

Of the six futons in the first row, Hongjun had already accepted the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, leaving only the last two unspoken for.

This immediately made Jieyin and Zhunti anxious.

The two of them hurriedly began to kowtow and then wailed, "My Western lands are barren. We implore the Dao Ancestor to accept us as disciples."

"We beg the Dao Ancestor for mercy!"