Hongjun Grants a Seat

When his gaze inadvertently swept over Qing Huan, a strange glint seemed to flash in the depths of Hongjun's eyes, fragments of the River of Time flickering and vanishing—

At the dawn of the Primordial Wilderness's Heaven-Opening, Great God Pangu casually sent a Chaos Undying Spiritual Light containing complete Great Dao laws crashing down beside the Innate Spiritual Root Plantain...

"So it's a Dao Foundation personally bestowed by Great God Pangu... what tremendous fortune."

A ripple stirred in Hongjun's Dao heart, a sliver of enlightenment rising within him.

"Only... this path is perilous, and in this Primordial Wilderness heaven and earth, it is even more thick with thorns, with no smooth road in sight.

Ah well, since even Great God Pangu granted a Great Dao law, I too shall go with the flow and give him a thread of opportunity."

As the thought turned in his mind, Hongjun's robe sleeve seemed to brush lightly, casually.

Hum!

Before the Three Pure Ones, on that empty ground, radiant light swirled—the Seventh Cushion, exuding ancient Dao resonance, materialized out of thin air!

Hiss—!

A wave of sharp intakes of breath echoed through the entire Purple Firmament Palace!

A Sage personally adding a cushion?

This unprecedented upheaval instantly ignited the minds of all the mighty beings present!

"Who could it be?!"

"Is the heavenly fortune descending at this very moment?!"

"Could the Sage's intent have shifted?!"

Countless gazes, brimming with shock, envy, jealousy, and even greed, wove together like tangible threads, probing and searching within the hall.

Old Ancestor Minghe's eyes flickered with hidden bloodlight; Di Jun and Tai Yi furrowed their brows slightly; East Prince's expression shifted; Zhenyuanzi stroked his beard in contemplation... countless experts' hearts churned, guessing at the Heavenly Mandate's ownership for the Seventh Cushion.

"Young friend Qing Huan."

Hongjun's gaze finally settled on Qing Huan in the corner, a faint smile on his face—gentle yet lofty and distant.

"You are the Transformation of one of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots, bearing the great Luck of the Primordial Wilderness. In this session of Dao-listening at the Purple Firmament Palace, you shall have this seat."

All eyes, like a spotlight, instantly focused sharply on Qing Huan, on that newly appeared Seventh Cushion!

"Me?!"

Qing Huan's mind went blank, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest.

The six fixed Saint Position cushions were deeply ingrained in everyone's minds—how could Dao Ancestor Hongjun break the rules for him?

This sudden "favor" left him dazed and at a loss, immense pressure and confusion surging into his heart.

Yet, facing a Sage personally offering a seat, facing the burning gazes of three thousand mighty beings, Qing Huan dared not hesitate for a moment.

Forcing down the turmoil in his heart, Qing Huan immediately bowed in salute, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor:

"This junior, Qing Huan, kowtows in gratitude for the Sage's grace!"

Then, under countless complex and unreadable stares—envy, scrutiny, curiosity, and even veiled hostility—

Qing Huan's form transformed into a streak of Green Light, flying straight toward the front of the high platform, and sat properly on the brand-new Seventh Cushion, his position precisely before the Three Pure Ones.

Shangqing Tongtian's eyes gleamed with interest; Yuqing Yuanshi gave a slight nod, thinking to himself:

"Since the Sage says he bears great Luck, sitting before us is no trouble.

The rootstock of the Ten Great Spiritual Roots is indeed extraordinary, no less than our own."

Taishang Laojun's expression remained as calm as an ancient well.

The moment he sat down, Qing Huan felt as though he were sitting on needles. His doubts, far from fading, only grew stronger:

"I clearly hid in the corner—how did the Dao Ancestor notice me?"

Little did he know that Hongjun, as the first Sage between heaven and earth, transmitting the Dao on behalf of Heaven, could see the entire River of Time of any living being with a single glance.

As long as one cultivated in the Primordial Wilderness heaven and earth, it was impossible to hide from the Heavenly Dao.

What was the Heavenly Dao?

It was the Rules of all things. By adjusting the Rules of heaven and earth, it could guide the development of all things to align with its own will. No schemes were needed—relying solely on the momentum of heaven and earth, no one could resist.

Did they truly think the Primordial Wilderness beings' moments of enlightenment came of their own accord?

These were merely the guidance of the Rules of heaven and earth. Yet the Rules of heaven and earth also left a thread of life...

"From now on, when you listen to the Dao, you shall follow this seating order."

Hongjun's voice rang out again, calm yet carrying undeniable authority, as if sealing the fate of this cushion dispute.

These words struck like a thunderbolt!

Many sharp-minded mighty beings instantly understood—this cushion seating was no ordinary arrangement; it surely contained unimaginable Dao affinity and Karma!

Unfortunately, the die was cast now, and regret was useless!

"We humbly obey the Sage's decree!"

The crowd bowed in acknowledgment, their voices echoing through the hall, but their thoughts were far from unified.

At this moment, a rancorous aura, nearly condensed into substance, erupted from Old Ancestor Kunpeng!

Staring fixedly ahead at Jieyin, Zhunti, and Hongyun—especially Hongyun, whose face bore a faint, "good-natured" smile of bewilderment and relief—his eyes blazed with fury, and his heart seethed with boundless hatred:

"Were it not for you! Were it not for your glib tongues, forcibly seizing this old one's opportunity... one of these seven seats would surely have been mine, how could it have fallen to another!

Hongyun! Jieyin! Zhunti! This day's humiliation, this Karma—I, Kunpeng, shall engrave it in my heart. The days ahead are long, and there will be a heavy reckoning!"

Qing Huan simply could not fathom Hongjun's intent, and could only cast aside all his worries, sighing inwardly:

"Ah, well. Since things have come to this, overthinking is pointless. The urgent task now is to quietly listen to the Dao Ancestor's exposition on the path of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal!"

He resolutely cast aside his tangled thoughts, eyes watching his nose, nose watching his heart, sinking his mind into utter stillness.

"I shall expound the Great Dao to you three times."

Hongjun's voice rang out like a Great Bell and Large Lyre, purifying the mind and spirit.

"The first lecture spans three thousand years, on the path of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal;

the second lecture spans three thousand years, on the path of the Quasi-Sage;

the third lecture spans three thousand years, on the path of attaining Sagehood. Quiet your hearts, focus your minds, and listen well."

With that, Hongjun's gaze swept calmly over the varied expressions of the assembled beings, and he raised a hand to lightly tap toward the direction of the Primordial Wilderness.

"The Great Dao is impartial; those with affinity may enter this palace gate to listen.

Those who vainly attempt to steal Heavenly secrets with innate divine abilities are courting death."

As his words fell, an intangible Dao resonance transformed into a stream of light, piercing through the void.

"Ah—!"

Deep within Buzhou Mountain in the Primordial Wilderness, the Six-Eared Macaque, hidden behind a massive boulder, was struck as if by a heavy hammer, letting out a miserable scream.

His Magic Power scattered, his origin wounded, he was instantly severely injured and weakened.

With a single word, Hongjun had set the Heavenly Dao's iron law: "The Law is not transmitted to the ears"!

Within Purple Firmament Palace, the three thousand listeners all revealed expressions of contempt.

When the Great Dao lies before you, pursue it openly and honorably. To resort to such sneaky eavesdropping is the lowest of acts, inviting disaster upon oneself.

"'The Law is not transmitted to the ears'... heh."

A thought flickered through Qing Huan's mind. This Six-Eared Macaque was truly unlucky.

A perfectly fine Innate Lifeform of the Primordial Wilderness...

But after this incident, his path was largely ruined. In the future, he would likely have to struggle for the Dao at the bottom of the Primordial Wilderness, just like that Stone Monkey who would come later.

At this time, no cultivation techniques had yet spread across the Primordial Wilderness. Even Pangu's Three Pure Ones were still groping their way toward creating the Eight-Nine Arcane Arts and the Three Pure Ones' Dao Methods.

As for the Thirty-Six Heavenly Spirits and Seventy-Two Earthly Fiends transformation arts, which could evade the Three Calamities and Nine Disasters, they would not be deduced and perfected until they reached the Quasi-Sage realm.

For now, all living beings relied on comprehending the fundamental laws of Heaven and Earth as the foundation of their cultivation, with no ready-made "techniques" to follow.

Qing Huan himself was no different, relying entirely on his origin to resonate with Heaven and Earth, grasping the laws.