Kept After Class by Hongjun

At that moment, the two of them paid no heed to anyone's opinions as tears and snot streamed down their faces together.

Nan Ji watched the scene and naturally knew that the Dao Ancestor would take them in.

In truth, both the Dao Ancestor and the Western Two Sages knew that the bond of master and disciple between them was not particularly deep.

The Dao Ancestor wished to shift the karmic burden of the Western spiritual veins' destruction, while the two from the West sought strength. Both sides had powerful motives.

Thus, Nan Ji could not help but admire the two from the West.

But the others did not know this and all scoffed at their appearance.

"Heh, do you think you can become the Dao Ancestor's disciple just by crying?"

"Even Nuwa of our East is only a nominal disciple. What place could there possibly be for you two?"

The words of the Great Desolation's mighty figures poured forth as densely as raindrops.

But Jieyin and Zhunti acted as though they had heard nothing and continued to weep. "We beg the Dao Ancestor for mercy."

After watching them cry for quite some time, Hongjun finally spoke. "Are you two certain that you wish to enter my sect?"

"Yes!"

"We beg the Dao Ancestor to grant our request."

The moment they heard this, their tears immediately stopped, and they hurriedly answered.

"Very well. Although the master-disciple fate between you two and me is not deep, your wills are resolute, and you will have great missions to fulfill in the future. I shall accept you as nominal disciples."

Hongjun's words, unlike his usual sarcastic remarks, left everyone utterly confused.

But upon hearing them, Jieyin and Zhunti immediately smiled through their tears. "Thank you for your compassion, Teacher!"

Only Nan Ji understood that the Dao Ancestor was using the name of master and disciples to shift the Western karmic burden onto the two of them.

In other words, if the West was restored in the future, it would only be as it should be.

If it could not be restored, then the karmic burden would be borne by those two.

The Great Desolation's mighty figures, who had been watching the joke unfold, immediately regretted not crying themselves.

Everyone came to the same thought: if even the two from the West could be accepted, why couldn't they?

Thus, many Great Desolation mighty figures began putting on all sorts of performances. Some wailed bitterly, some rolled about on the ground, and some even claimed that if the Dao Ancestor would not accept them, they would die in Purple Cloud Palace.

Neither the Three Pure Ones nor Nuwa, not even the now-calm pair from the West, said anything.

One day, two days...

The Dao Ancestor merely watched the crowd before him in silence, saying nothing at all.

Only after everyone gradually quieted down did the Dao Ancestor sweep his gaze over them and say, "I thought you all found this old Daoist far too boring, so you deliberately put on this performance to entertain me. It truly was magnificent."

Just like his earlier sarcastic words, this immediately startled countless mighty figures.

Recalling what they had just done, the mighty figures guiltily lowered their heads.

"However, if you are willing to use the time for the next sermon first, this old Daoist would be more than happy to oblige!"

The moment everyone heard that, they panicked.

They all fell to their knees, hoping to obtain Hongjun Dao Ancestor's forgiveness.

But the Dao Ancestor merely shook his head and flicked the whisk in his hand. In an instant, the three thousand guests of Purple Cloud Palace were transported back to the Great Desolation.

In that dizzying instant, the mighty figures who returned to the Great Desolation gained an even deeper understanding of a Sage's methods.

At that moment, Tongtian cried out among the crowd, "Oh no, where is my grand-nephew?"

"Did he fall into the chaos?"

"Little Nan Ji! Little Nan Ji!"

Tongtian shouted as he channeled his mana, his voice instantly resounding throughout the Great Desolation.

But before Yuanshi could speak this time, Laozi barked with a dark expression, "Enough! Nan Ji was kept behind by Master."

Perhaps because Tongtian was rarely scolded by Laozi, his voice immediately fell silent.

Feeling the gazes of many fellow cultivators from Purple Cloud Palace upon him, Laozi could only say, "We Three Pure Ones must return to comprehend the Dao taught by our master. Fellow Daoists may visit Xuanqing Peak of Kunlun Mountain in the future for a discussion."

With that, Laozi departed with Yuanshi and Tongtian.

Elsewhere, Nan Ji watched as the Dao Ancestor flicked his whisk, and everyone vanished from before his eyes.

The once-noisy Purple Cloud Palace was left with only Hongjun, Haotian, Yaochi, and Nan Ji.

Sensing the change, Nan Ji immediately felt that something was wrong.

I've been kept after class by Hongjun Dao Ancestor!

If Hongjun Dao Ancestor's presence among a crowd was like the suffocating pressure of a river, then Nan Ji now felt as though his entire body had plunged into the depths of the sea.

Could it be that the Dao Ancestor discovered it?

Nan Ji panicked at the thought.

But then he thought that the Dao Ancestor had not erased him immediately, which meant there was still a chance of survival.

Just then, the Dao Ancestor's voice came from above.

"Do you have nothing to say to this old Daoist?"

The Dao Ancestor's voice was still as sarcastic as ever.

After hearing this, Nan Ji helplessly looked at Yaochi and Haotian, only to see pure bewilderment in their eyes.

"Ancestor Master..."

Thinking that he was, after all, the chief disciple of the Three Pure Ones, Nan Ji hurriedly called out.

"Mm, you do understand proper etiquette."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor did not deny Nan Ji's status. With neither joy nor anger on his face, he said, "As the foremost third-generation disciple of the Profound Sect, what do you think of the greater trend and the lesser trend?"

Hearing Hongjun ask this, Nan Ji let out a long sigh of relief.

Just as he had suspected, Hongjun Dao Ancestor already knew that he was a transmigrator.

At this thought, Nan Ji could not help ridiculing some transmigration stories.

Could it be that, early on, they could say that only so-and-so would be able to block the road behind them in the future?

Even if the Sages could not deduce the future midway through, could the Dao Ancestor not deduce it? Would he simply ignore it?

Perhaps because Nan Ji had not answered for a long while, he felt the pressure of a Sage slowly descend upon him.

Looking at the expressionless Hongjun Dao Ancestor, Nan Ji hurriedly said, "Ancestor Master, this disciple believes that the lesser trend can be changed, but the greater trend cannot."

Nan Ji had contemplated that answer countless times in his mind.

As soon as Nan Ji finished speaking, he immediately felt the pressure on him vanish.

"Hahaha."

The Dao Ancestor did not answer Nan Ji. Instead, he stretched out his hand, and a jade cup appeared before him.

Then the Dao Ancestor said to Nan Ji, "Why have you not taken out your Enlightenment Tea and served tea to your Ancestor Master?"

Hearing this, Nan Ji finally relaxed.

He hurriedly rose to his feet, crossed the distance to Hongjun in a few quick steps, and took out all the Enlightenment Tea he had stored away.

At the same time, he placed several leaves into the Dao Ancestor's jade cup.

After waiting for a moment and seeing that the Dao Ancestor still made no move, Nan Ji hurriedly poured a stream of spiritual water into the cup.

Then, once the leaves began to unfurl, Nan Ji lifted the jade cup and said to Hongjun, "Ancestor Master, please have some tea."

"Mm."

Hongjun Dao Ancestor accepted the tea, took a light sip, and said, "This old Daoist had wondered how the Three Pure Ones had accepted such an intelligent disciple. Yet when serving tea to his Ancestor Master, he still needed his Ancestor Master to pour in the water himself. How truly excellent."

Nan Ji nearly lost his footing upon hearing that.

Ancestor Master is saying that I'm foolish. At that thought, Nan Ji hurriedly tried to explain himself.

But Hongjun Dao Ancestor continued, "As the foremost third-generation disciple of my Profound Sect, your Ancestor Master naturally will not mistreat you."

As Hongjun's voice fell, Nan Ji immediately felt a torrent surge into his body, while the sensation of an invisible shackle around him dissipated.