Thread of Life

Above the high platform, Hongjun's gaze lowered, sweeping over Qing Huan, whose aura had surged dramatically, and a faint, satisfied smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

In the final millennium of the sermon, as if spurred on by Qing Huan's breakthrough, bursts of aura erupted one after another within the hall!

Some beings had successfully stepped into the mid-stage of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, while others had finally condensed their Dao Fruit and achieved the early stage of the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.

At the very least, all present now stood firmly at the peak of the Primordial Unity Golden Immortal realm, only a final stroke of opportunity and accumulation away from the Great Luo.

"Alright, this sermon of three thousand years is now complete. The next sermon shall take place one Kalpa from now.

You may all disperse."

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

As his words fell, the Three Thousand Mortal Guests awoke as if from a dream, each face bearing an expression of lingering satisfaction and reluctant attachment.

The gains from this sermon were truly immense.

Qing Huan composed himself, and the Seven Symbols Treasure Umbrella above his head transformed into a streak of light that merged into his body.

Feeling the surging power within him and the unprecedented clarity of his Dao path, his heart swelled with myriad emotions:

"Attending the sermon at the Purple Firmament Palace was indeed the most correct decision I have ever made!

In just three thousand years, it has spared me the confusion and groping of tens of thousands of Kalpas... presenting the path ahead of the Great Dao directly before my eyes..."

Hongjun's sermon was practically a direct transmission of the "answer" to the next realm, delivered to all beings in its most fundamental form.

"We all bow in gratitude to the Dao Ancestor for the grace of his sermon!"

The three thousand cultivators rose in unison and bowed with utmost reverence to the figure on the high platform.

At this moment, the image of Dao Ancestor Hongjun had become an insurmountable, towering monument of the Dao in their hearts.

Seeing the crowd rise one after another, some pairing off to discuss, others lost in thought, preparing to leave, Qing Huan took a deep breath. Instead of departing immediately, he solemnly bowed once more to Hongjun and voiced the doubt that had lingered in his heart:

"I, Qing Huan, humbly dare to ask the Dao Ancestor: this cushion I sit upon... does it perhaps hold some hidden mystery, entangled with Karma?"

His voice was not loud, yet it reached the high platform with perfect clarity.

Seated on the cloud bed, Hongjun heard this and revealed a warm smile, as if he had seen through Qing Huan's caution:

"Haha, young friend Qing Huan, there is no need to worry.

These nine cushions are merely trifles I casually refined in ages past, borrowing a sliver of Chaos Legacy and the Star Power of the Heavens. They help one focus the mind slightly faster and perceive the Great Dao Rhythm.

No Karma has been deliberately attached to them."

He paused, his tone growing deeper, as if expounding the ultimate principles of heaven and earth:

"The Great Dao is selfless, the Heavenly Dao is supremely just. The veneration of the Saint Position is determined by the heart of heaven, and it will naturally choose the one most suited to bear it."

"Young friend Qing Huan, though you share a bond with the Heavenly Dao, the operation of heaven and earth has its own constant and unchanging rules.

As the saying goes, 'The Great Dao is fifty, Heaven Deduces Forty-Nine, and one escapes.'

Beneath the Heavenly Dao, no matter how difficult the path, a thread of transcendence and a hope of achievement are left for every living being!"

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

"Whether one can grasp that faint thread of life and ultimately achieve the supreme Dao Fruit depends on each one's own Creation, fate, and... choice."

Qing Huan's mind suddenly cleared!

Hongjun's meaning was clear: the heaven-ordained Saint Positions had their fixed owners, difficult to alter.

But the heaven-ordained Saint Positions were not the only endpoint! Every living being had a thread of opportunity to become a Saint!

Whether it was like the Three Clans of old, or the Witch and Demon afterward, seeking to borrow overwhelming Luck to coerce the will of heaven and forcibly prove the Dao;

But there was a prerequisite... one could not shatter the Primordial Wilderness or create boundless slaughter...

Or, as Hongjun had said, to "do things beneficial to heaven and earth," to help the Heavenly Dao "perfect the Three Thousand Laws (Rules)," and establish a new order that aligns with the Heavenly Dao...

All were paths leading to that supreme realm!

Suddenly recalling some vague ideas he had previously entertained... if he could truly walk this path... wouldn't that mean...?!

"Junior... understands!"

Qing Huan's eyes sparkled with an unprecedented, brilliant light. He bowed deeply once more, this time with heartfelt, sincere gratitude.

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

Recalling the Primordial Wilderness novels he had read in his past life, every single one claimed that Hongjun schemed against heaven and earth and manipulated all beings.

But now, standing in person before Dao Ancestor Hongjun, feeling his Dao resonance and listening to his true words, Qing Huan felt a strong doubt arise in his heart for the first time against such views.

"The grand momentum of the Primordial Wilderness is right there. Even if Hongjun did nothing at all, they would still shatter the Primordial Wilderness on their own...

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

But... the height at which the Dao Ancestor stands, and the scope of his considerations, likely far surpass what the word 'scheming' can encompass..."

He mused silently.

"Even the rise and fall of dynasties seeks unification to bring peace to the people, let alone these Heavenly Dao Rules that sustain the operation of the Primordial Wilderness and evolve countless living beings?"

Its fundamental essence likely lies in 'optimization,' in 'perfection.'

Those who follow it prosper; those who go against it... perhaps it is not simple annihilation, but natural elimination by this process of optimization..."

Hongjun nodded slightly and said no more.

In the Purple Firmament Palace, the Dao Ancestor Hongjun's decree was complete, and his figure gradually dissipated upon the high platform.

At this moment, the Ancestral Witch Houtu stepped forward, bowed respectfully toward the direction where Hongjun had vanished, and spoke with deep longing in her voice:

"Ancestral Witch Houtu dares to ask the Sage: is there a method to help my Witch Clan complete our Primordial Spirit?

Since the Heaven-Opening, our clan's True Spirit has been eroded by the Miasma of the Great Earth; our Primordial Spirit is incomplete, and the Great Dao is hard to achieve..."

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

"The Witch Clan has been stained by the innate Miasma of the Great Earth. This is the fixed fate of Heaven-Opening and Dao-establishment, rooted in the origin of your bloodline.

To complete the Primordial Spirit and defy Heaven to change fate... This Humble One has no feasible method either."

A trace of helplessness tinged Hongjun's tone.

"The momentum of Heaven and Earth is vast and unstoppable.

Even if it were forced, and the Witch Clan obtained a Primordial Spirit, the combination of bloodline Malevolent Qi and Primordial Spirit would likely cause even greater backlash, multiplying your ferocity.

The Heavenly Dao operates with its own balance; it will not permit such a variable. All of you... follow the Heavenly Mandate."

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

Houtu's body trembled slightly. She slowly lowered her head, and a deep loneliness and bitterness that was hard to conceal surfaced on her beautiful face.

The shackles that had plagued the Witch Clan for eons—even a Sage was powerless against them.

"Let's go."

Qing Huan walked to her side, gently patted her sturdy shoulder, and comforted her warmly:

"Daoist Friend Houtu, the Great Dao is fifty, Heaven Deduces Forty-Nine; in the end, there will always be a Thread of Life."

Houtu lifted her head abruptly, and the trace of loneliness in her eyes was instantly replaced by an unyielding flame.

She straightened her back, her small face filled with stubbornness.

"Daoist Friend Qing Huan is right! Even if the Primordial Spirit is hard to complete, my Witch Clan stands tall between Heaven and Earth, proving the Dao through strength, tempering the supreme Ancestral Witch True Body—we can still attain Hunyuan and achieve the Great Dao!"

That defiant expression seemed ready to contend with this predetermined Heavenly Mandate itself.

Qing Huan looked at the rekindled light in her eyes, smiled, said nothing more, and merely gestured for them to leave together.

The two walked side by side out of the Purple Firmament Palace's gates, their figures vanishing into the chaos.