Beneath a Sage, All Are Ants

Qing Huan immediately swept through the interior of the grand formation with his primordial spirit and divine consciousness, searching every inch with meticulous care.

Aside from the Immortal Apricot Tree, an Innate Spiritual Root, there was also a strange bamboo plant.

The golden bamboo was brilliant gold from top to bottom, as though it had condensed from the radiance cast down by the blazing sun.

Each joint exuded a vast aura, while golden lightning coiled and darted around it like agile flood dragons, rumbling without end.

The golden bamboo had a total of eleven joints, as though it contained some power of heaven and earth.

With a flash, Qing Huan appeared before the golden bamboo and clicked his tongue in wonder.

"It is actually the Innate Spiritual Root, Evil-Warding Golden Bamboo. This bamboo is said to be able to cleave through all evil beings. The golden divine thunder surrounding it must be Evil-Warding Divine Thunder."

A glint flashed through his eyes as he secretly pondered.

Hehe, if I refine this Evil-Warding Golden Bamboo into a spiritual treasure, another Mid-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure may soon be born.

However, Qing Huan promptly shook his head.

"Forget it. Innate Spiritual Roots are already rare. How can I casually take an Innate Spiritual Root to refine a spiritual treasure? It is better to let it grow properly here."

Then Qing Huan turned his gaze toward a cave entrance atop the mountain peak.

Three large characters were carved above the entrance—

"Jade Pillar Cave."

The lettering contained dense laws of heaven and earth, as though proclaiming the extraordinary nature of this Cave Mansion.

"Not bad, not bad. As expected of a Blessed Land. Unfortunately, a Blessed Land can usually only support one Ultimate Innate Spiritual Root."

Qing Huan returned to the Immortal Apricot Tree, plucked two Immortal Apricots, and transformed into a streak of light that entered the cave.

Standing in the center of the cave, he saw a floor formed from condensed stone marrow, its cold gleam flowing with a mysterious aura.

At the entrance stood a pillar that held up the heavens, over a thousand zhang tall, entirely jade-white and seemingly formed by nature itself.

The pillar was covered in runes, and faint patterns of dragons and serpents seemed to writhe between them.

The pillar's radiance shone upon the cave walls, scattering into countless points of starlight, dreamlike and illusory.

The Spiritual Energy of Heaven and Earth within the cave was so dense that it had already liquefied, forming a thin mist that drifted everywhere like gauze.

The cave itself contained a self-contained middle world, filled with countless Acquired Spiritual Roots in dazzling abundance.

"Haha, good. From now on, this shall be my Dao Field."

With that, Qing Huan directly brought out the Xuanhuang Seal.

The Xuanhuang Seal blazed with light. Qing Huan circulated his Magic Power and firmly placed it at the core of the Cave Mansion, using it to suppress the Luck of Jade Pillar Cave.

One had to know that every High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure could suppress the Luck of a Blessed Land. One must not underestimate High-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.

Among the three thousand Innate Spiritual Treasures of the Primordial Wilderness, there were only a few dozen top-grade treasures and merely one or two hundred high-grade treasures. Most of the rest were mid-grade or low-grade.

Refining any Innate Spiritual Treasure was exceedingly difficult, even for a Sage. Only with the Cauldron of Creation—Qiankun Ancestor's Qiankun Cauldron—could one turn the acquired into the innate.

However, doing so required drawing out one-tenth of one's own Luck.

For this reason, even Sage Nuwa, despite possessing the Cauldron of Creation, did not dare casually refine Innate Spiritual Treasures for herself.

After all, if a Sage's Luck fell by one level, it would be no different from severing their own path of cultivation.

Even the later Twelve Golden Immortals possessed only high-grade or mid-grade treasures as their cave-suppressing spiritual treasures.

Unless it was a Blessed Land such as Kunlun Mountain, Jin'ao Island, or Penglai Immortal Island, which required a Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure to suppress its Luck. Of course, if one possessed an Innate Supreme Treasure, that Luck would be even more stable.

After Qing Huan made some simple arrangements within the Cave Mansion, the two Immortal Apricots appeared in his palm.

Looking at the two Immortal Apricots containing immense power, Qing Huan pondered for a moment. Now was the perfect time to absorb their effects.

Thus, he swallowed both Immortal Apricots at once.

The instant they entered his mouth, dense and mellow spiritual energy spread through it, as though the purest essence of heaven and earth had gathered together. (Tastes like chicken, crunches like crackers, with dozens of times the protein of beef.)

In an instant, the Law of Wind and Thunder surged through his body like a raging torrent.

Qing Huan hurriedly focused his mind and began rapidly comprehending the power of this law.

He was already a Grand Unity Golden Immortal. Consuming Immortal Apricots would mainly increase his Magic Power by tens of thousands of years and allow him to comprehend laws. He would not grow twin wings of wind and thunder like small fry such as Earth Immortals and Heavenly Immortals, but this was still an enormous opportunity.

The effects of these two fruits were comparable to tens of thousands of years of bitter cultivation. It was only a pity that eating them again would not produce such remarkable results.

Time flowed on, and in the blink of an eye, eight Huiyuan Eras had passed.

On this day, an overwhelmingly powerful pressure swept through every corner of the Primordial Wilderness like mountains collapsing and seas overturning.

Countless living beings trembled in terror beneath this pressure.

Qing Huan instantly sensed the pressure while cultivating. Startled, he hurriedly brought out the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Seven Symbols Treasure Umbrella, and transformed into a streak of light against the pressure, swiftly arriving in the sky beyond the grand formation.

He secretly began to speculate.

Could it be that Dao Ancestor Hongjun has attained Sagehood? Just as the legends say, beneath a Sage, all are ants. The saying is indeed true.

Those so-called combat powers comparable to Sages are simply high-martial-arts jianghu fantasies.

A Sage is a Sage. Even one who has only just attained Sagehood cannot possibly be challenged by a Quasi-Sage at the peak.

Even wielding an Innate Supreme Treasure, there would still be no chance of victory.

Otherwise, the Witch Clan and Demon Beast Clan could simply join forces, wipe out the Six Sages, and divide their Luck among themselves. Why would they need to fight each other to the death?

With Eastern Emperor Taiyi holding the Chaos Bell, would he not be able to effortlessly crush a Sage? If we are talking about combat power...

The Witch Clan's physical bodies are even invincible, comparable to spiritual treasures.

If those two clans did not both possess immense Luck, Zhunti alone would probably be enough to toy with them.

It is not that Sages cannot defeat them, but that they fear the Heavenly Dao settling Karma. With those who possess immense Luck and great Merit, what idiot Sage would personally act to kill them?

If a Sage released their pressure without restraint, who knew how many Quasi-Sages would be reduced to ashes in an instant...

As the pressure gradually dissipated, auspicious clouds stretched for countless trillions of li across the heavens, surging together like a tide as though they would fill the entire sky of the Primordial Wilderness.

Upon the Primordial Earth, Golden Lotuses bloomed one after another like stars. Each lotus radiated a gentle and sacred light.

The Three Thousand Laws appeared like brilliant stars, intertwining into a vast and mysterious tableau.

This sight stunned countless living beings of the Primordial Wilderness.

At that moment, a grand and majestic voice rang through every corner of heaven and earth.

High above the Ninth Layer of Clouds I recline,

Upon a prayer mat, the true Dao I refine.

Beyond heaven, earth, Xuan Huang, I stand as honored teacher supreme.

Pangu birthed Taiji; the Two Principles and Four Symbols follow their stream.

Leader of the Mysterious Gate, one breath became Hongjun.

"I, Hongjun, have attained Sagehood today. Ten thousand years from now, I shall expound the Dao at Purple Cloud Palace in the chaos beyond the Thirty-three Heavens. All those with affinity may come and listen."

As Hongjun's declaration ended, heaven and earth gradually returned to their former tranquility.

The living beings of the Primordial Wilderness were all filled with questions.

What exactly did attaining Sagehood mean?

Could they themselves be among those with affinity?

After all, the Gale Winds of chaos were exceedingly terrifying, not to mention the many Demonic Beasts roaming within it.

Without an Innate Spiritual Treasure for protection, they would likely have no chance at the great opportunity of Purple Cloud Palace.