Thread of Life

Upon the high platform, Hongjun lowered his gaze and swept it over Qing Huan, whose aura had surged dramatically. A faintly satisfied smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

During the final thousand years of the sermon, seemingly inspired by Qing Huan's breakthrough, auras erupted one after another throughout the hall!

Some beings successfully stepped into the Mid-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, while others finally condensed their Dao Fruits and attained the initial stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

Even the weakest among them now stood firmly at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm, only lacking their final opportunity and accumulation before reaching Great Luo.

"Enough. This three-thousand-year sermon has concluded. The next sermon shall be held after one Kalpa.

You may disperse."

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's calm voice echoed through the grand hall.

As his words fell, the Three Thousand Mortal Guests seemed to awaken from a dream. Every one of them wore expressions of lingering satisfaction and reluctance to depart.

The gains from this sermon had simply been too immense.

Qing Huan collected his thoughts, and the Seven Symbols Treasure Umbrella above his head turned into a streak of light and entered his body.

Feeling the surging power within himself and the Dao path that had never before seemed so clear, countless emotions welled up in his heart:

"Listening to the Dao in Purple Heaven Palace truly was the most correct decision I ever made!

In merely three thousand years, it spared me hundreds of thousands of Kalpas of blind exploration... and laid the road ahead of the Great Dao directly before my eyes..."

Hongjun's sermon had practically conveyed the "answer" to reaching the next realm directly to all living beings in its most fundamental form.

"We thank the Dao Ancestor for the grace of his sermon!"

The three thousand cultivators rose together and bowed deeply toward the figure upon the high platform with utmost reverence.

At this moment, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had become, in their hearts, an insurmountable monument to the Dao that held up the heavens.

Seeing everyone rise, some gathering in groups to discuss while others pondered alone as they prepared to leave—

Qing Huan took a deep breath. Rather than leaving at once, he solemnly bowed to Hongjun once more and voiced the doubt that had long remained in his heart:

"I, Qing Huan, dare to ask the Dao Ancestor: this cushion upon which I sit... does it hold some other mystery, perhaps involving Karma?"

His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly to the high platform.

Hongjun, seated upon the cloud bed, revealed a gentle smile upon hearing this, as though he had seen through Qing Huan's caution:

"Haha, little friend Qing Huan, there is no need for such concern.

These nine cushions are merely little trinkets I casually refined long ago. They borrow a trace of Chaos Legacy and Star Power of the Heavens, allowing one to gather one's mind slightly faster and comprehend the Great Dao Rhythm, nothing more.

There is no deliberately imposed Karma upon them."

After a pause, his tone became even more profound, as though he were expounding a supreme principle of heaven and earth:

"The Great Dao is impartial, and the Heavenly Dao is just. Saint Positions are exalted and are determined by the will of Heaven. They shall naturally be inherited by those most suited to them."

"Little friend Qing Huan, although you share affinity with the Heavenly Dao, the workings of heaven and earth have their own unchanging laws.

As the saying goes: 'The Great Dao has fifty; Heaven Deduces Forty-Nine, with one escaping.'

Beneath the Heavenly Dao, no matter how difficult it may be, every living being is still left a Thread of Life to transcend and a hope of achievement!"

"Only..." Hongjun's gaze seemed to pierce through time and space.

"Whether one can seize that faint and elusive Thread of Life and ultimately attain the supreme Dao Fruit depends on one's own Creation, fate, and... choice."

Qing Huan was suddenly enlightened!

Hongjun's meaning was already clear: the Saint Positions ordained by Heaven had their own owners and were difficult to alter.

Yet the Saint Positions ordained by Heaven were not the only destination! All living beings possessed a Thread of Life through which they might become Sages!

Whether one followed the example of the Three Clans of old, or the Witch and Demon races in the future, seeking to forcefully attain the Dao by using overwhelming Luck to sweep along the will of heaven and earth—

There was a prerequisite... they could not destroy the Primordial Wilderness or create boundless slaughter...

Or, as Hongjun had said, one could do things beneficial to heaven and earth, help the Heavenly Dao perfect the Three Thousand Laws, establish a new order aligned with the Heavenly Dao...

All were paths leading toward that supreme realm!

He suddenly recalled some vague ideas he had once entertained... If he could truly continue along this path... then would that not mean...?!

"This junior... understands!"

An unprecedented brilliance gleamed in Qing Huan's eyes. He bowed deeply once more, his gratitude this time coming from the bottom of his heart and utterly sincere.

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor, for resolving my doubts!"

According to the Primordial Wilderness novels he had read in his previous life, all ten out of ten claimed that Hongjun schemed against heaven and earth and manipulated all living beings.

Yet now, standing personally before Dao Ancestor Hongjun's seat, feeling his Dao aura and hearing his true words, Qing Huan felt a powerful doubt toward such views for the first time.

The general trend of the Primordial Wilderness was right there. Even if Hongjun did nothing, they could still destroy the Primordial Wilderness themselves...

The Investiture of the Gods was the best example...

But... the height at which the Dao Ancestor stood and the scale of his considerations were likely far beyond what the word "scheming" could encompass...

He mused inwardly.

Even dynastic changes seek unification to bring peace to the common people. How much more so the rules of the Heavenly Dao, which sustain the workings of the Primordial Wilderness and the evolution of countless living beings?

Its fundamental purpose likely lies in "optimization," in "perfection."

Those who follow it prosper; those who oppose it... perhaps they are not simply annihilated, but naturally eliminated by this process of optimization...

Hongjun nodded slightly and said no more.

Within Purple Heaven Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun's decree had concluded, and his figure gradually faded from the high platform.

At that moment, the Ancestral Witch Houtu stepped forward. She respectfully bowed toward the direction in which Hongjun had vanished, her voice carrying deep anticipation:

"Ancestral Witch Houtu dares to ask the Sage: is there a method that can help my Witch Clan Complete Primordial Spirits?

Since Heaven-Opening, the true spirits of my clan have been eroded by the Miasma of the Great Earth. Our primordial spirits are incomplete, and our Great Dao cannot be whole..."

A soft sigh seemed to come from the void as Hongjun's voice echoed through the empty hall:

"The Witch Clan has been steeped in innate turbid baleful qi. This is a fixed destiny formed at Heaven-Opening and rooted in the origin of your bloodline.

To Complete Primordial Spirits and defy Heaven to change your fate... even I have no feasible method."

A trace of helplessness colored Hongjun's tone.

"The general trend of heaven and earth is vast and mighty.

Even if it were forced, should the Witch Clan gain primordial spirits, the Malevolent Qi in your bloodline combining with them would likely result in an even harsher backlash and greatly increase your ferocity.

The Heavenly Dao has its own balance in its workings and will not permit such a variable. You... should submit to the Heavenly Mandate."

"...I understand. Thank you, Sage, for resolving my doubts."

Houtu's body trembled slightly, and she slowly lowered her head. A deep loneliness and bitterness appeared uncontrollably upon her beautiful face.

The shackles that had plagued the Witch Clan for countless ages were beyond even a Sage's ability to resolve.

"Let's go."

Qing Huan walked to her side and gently patted her firm shoulder, comforting her warmly:

"Fellow Daoist Houtu, the Great Dao has fifty, Heaven Deduces Forty-Nine. In the end, there will always be a Thread of Life."

Houtu abruptly raised her head, the hint of desolation in her eyes instantly replaced by an unyielding flame.

She straightened her back, her delicate face filled with stubborn determination.

"Fellow Daoist Qing Huan is right! Even if our primordial spirits cannot be made whole, my Witch Clan stands tall beneath heaven and earth. We can prove the Dao through strength, temper the supreme Ancestral Witch True Body, and still attain the Primordial Unity and achieve the Great Dao!"

Her refusal to yield seemed as though she intended to contend with this predetermined Heavenly Mandate.

Qing Huan watched the light rekindle in her eyes and smiled. He said no more, merely signaling for them to leave together.

The two stepped side by side through the gates of Purple Heaven Palace, their figures vanishing into the chaos.