Yet the countless living beings did not receive Jieyin's and Zhunti's visions of Dao attainment. Instead, news of the Three Pure Ones opening their mountains and accepting disciples once again set the entire Primordial World ablaze.
Saints stood supreme, immortal and indestructible, existing alongside the Heavenly Dao and maintaining the operation of the world. As long as one became a disciple of a Saint, one could not only learn supreme techniques and listen to the Saint expound the Great Dao, but also receive the Saint's protection and avoid dying amid the war between the Witches and Demons.
"Merciful Saints!"
Across the Primordial World, countless living beings faced "Mount Kunlun," performed grand rites, kowtowed in worship, and shouted.
His Second Senior Brother and teacher had attained the Dao. Li Yunjing had once again listened to the Great Dao of a Saint twice. This was already the fourth time he had attended a Saint's lecture, and every Saint possessed his own understanding of the Great Dao.
These words of supreme wisdom had provided Li Yunjing with different perspectives and lines of thought for understanding the "Dao." This was the benefit of being a disciple of a Saint. Without the Three Pure Ones' reputation, how could he have obtained such an opportunity?
Because guests had come from all directions, Primordial Heavenly Venerate and Sect Master Tongtian only lectured for three years, stopping after a brief taste. After all, the Dao could not be transmitted lightly, so they naturally could not truly explain the finest things to all the great experts of the Primordial World.
"What a pity! Second Senior Brother and my teacher have founded their sects. They'll definitely split up in the future. While I have the chance, I must get more benefits from Uncle-Master Laozi and Uncle-Master Primordial."
After the lecture ended, Li Yunjing looked worried. Even when Winged Immortal called out to him, he barely heard.
"Hey! Senior Brother Li, what are you thinking about? Did the teacher's lecture give you a great awakening, and are you preparing to sever the corpses?" Winged Immortal teased.
"Bullshit! How could I have that kind of aptitude? Sever the corpses? What would I use to do it? There are simply some principles I don't understand, so I'm thinking about them!" Li Yunjing laughed and cursed. He and Winged Immortal were old friends, so he naturally acted much more casually with him than with the others.
Throughout "Mount Kunlun," aside from Winged Immortal, Li Yunjing wore a hypocritical mask and dealt cautiously with everyone else. Here, he was careful with every word and action, afraid that he might offend someone and form a karmic debt.
Only after recently advancing to the "Grand Unity Golden Immortal" realm and greatly increasing his strength did Li Yunjing relax somewhat. Unless some renowned figure in the Primordial World wanted to kill him, he would basically not encounter any danger.
Moreover, his teacher, Sect Master Tongtian, had attained the Dao. With such a protective teacher, which Quasi-Saint in the entire Primordial World would dare provoke a true disciple of a Saint?
"Come on! Accompany me to the 'Chaos Palace' for tea!"
After adjusting his mindset, Li Yunjing suppressed his worries about the future, broke into a smile, and invited Winged Immortal to taste his "Five Elements Spirit Fruit" and "Enlightenment Tea Leaves."
While Li Yunjing was relaxing, the Three Pure Ones established their sects and became the topic discussed most throughout the Primordial World.
Time flew by, and a full thousand years passed.
Countless living beings hurried to "Mount Kunlun" from all over the Primordial World.
All kinds of primordial living beings, the demon race, and even the Human Race gathered at the foot of Mount Kunlun. Aside from those without a Nascent Soul, who could not cultivate the profound sect's Great Dao, every being with some ambition and aptitude had come.
The Primordial World was far too vast. During those thousand years, no one knew how many living beings who sought the Dao had died on the way. Whether due to the Primordial World's perilous regions, the Ancestral Witches, the demon race, or conflicts among other living beings, fewer than one in a hundred of those who set out had reached "Mount Kunlun."
At this moment, after enduring countless hardships on a journey even more brutal than the later pilgrimage to the West, hundreds of thousands of living beings stood at the foot of the mountain. They gazed at the Three Pure Ones Palace, sometimes hidden and sometimes visible atop Mount Kunlun, excitement and anticipation showing in their eyes.
"Rumble!"
Amid the thunder of the Ninth Heaven, the "Three Pure Ones Palace," originally hidden atop Mount Kunlun, emerged from the void.
Vast purple qi stretched thirty thousand miles, while streams of auspicious radiance hung across the sky.
Countless golden lotuses appeared between heaven and earth. As they half-opened and half-closed, they breathed in and out endless auspicious qi. In the void, a vision of heavenly maidens scattering flowers appeared, while profound sounds of the Great Dao rang out like massive bells and resonant chimes, echoing throughout heaven and earth.
When a Saint traveled, heaven and earth celebrated!
Three figures that shattered heaven and earth suddenly appeared before the "Three Pure Ones Palace."
As the light and shadows dispersed, the Grand Pure Saint, the Jade Pure Saint, and the Upper Pure Saint appeared.
Taishang Laojun of the Grand Pure lineage wore a Taiji Daoist robe and sat atop the Taiji Diagram. A gigantic yin-yang symbol faintly appeared behind him, yin and yang giving rise to each other and the five elements revolving as he expounded the profound principles of the Heavenly Dao to all living beings.
Yuanshi Tianzun of the Jade Pure lineage held the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi and sat upright atop a lotus platform. Noble and dignified, his aura shook the heavens, while images of the primordial opening of heaven and earth appeared behind him.
Sect Master Tongtian of the Upper Pure lineage wore a blue Daoist robe and held the Qingping Sword in both hands. Phantoms of four Killing Swords appeared around him, their sword intent surging into the clouds. The sun, moon, and stars dimmed before them, while the Four Seas and Eight Wastelands fell silent.
The three Saints appeared at the same time, and countless wondrous phenomena were born between heaven and earth, making all things and living beings in the Primordial World once again feel the Saint's ocean-deep, hell-like majesty.
"We pay our respects to the Three Pure Ones! May the Saints enjoy boundless longevity!"
At the foot of Mount Kunlun, countless living beings were incomparably excited as they knelt and bowed toward the Three Pure Ones.
"Rise."
The majestic voice of the Dao echoed in all directions. An invisible force swept across heaven and earth, and all the living beings involuntarily stood up.
Before the Three Pure Ones Palace, Primordial Heavenly Venerate swept his gaze over the foot of the mountain. In an instant, he saw through the origins and backgrounds of every living being. His brows furrowed almost imperceptibly as he spoke in a deep voice.
"You were able to reach Mount Kunlun, which shows that you possess some destiny. Starting today, the Exposition Sect will select and accept disciples based on merit. Those of you who pass may become disciples under me."
After saying this, Primordial Heavenly Venerate fell silent. With a sweep of his broad sleeve, countless Heavenly Dao talismans transformed into the foundations of a formation. One section of Mount Kunlun became a formation plate of heaven and earth, which then transformed into a trial formation that completely concealed the heavenly staircase leading to the Jade Void Palace.
Primordial Heavenly Venerate founded the Exposition Sect and followed the principle of obeying Heaven and responding to humanity. He divided the beings of the Primordial World into ranks, and only those with profound origins could become his disciples.
In his view, most of those who had come to seek discipleship were from the demon race. They were violent and warlike, ignorant of the Heavenly Mandate, entangled in karmic sin, and lacking in merit.
Among the remaining living beings, only a small portion barely met his standards. Thus, he laid down this trial formation to conduct the strictest possible selection.
"The Great Dao has fifty paths, while Heaven derives forty-nine. The Interception Sect seizes that one thread of life. Anyone with a heart that seeks the Dao who passes through this Mind-Questioning Formation and climbs Mount Kunlun may become my disciple!"
Before Tongtian finished speaking, the four phantom divine swords around him suddenly trembled. They landed at another section of the mountain foot and transformed into a resplendent formation whose sword intent soared into the heavens. Anyone who passed through this formation could enter the Interception Sect—far easier than joining the Exposition Sect.
Sure enough, when Primordial Heavenly Venerate heard Tongtian's words, his brows creased slightly. Because of their doctrines, the two great sects began to clash from that moment onward.
Taishang Laojun, however, remained silent and showed no intention of accepting disciples. He was the leader of the Three Pure Ones and also the head of the Human Teaching. He should have opened his mountain gates wide, but Laozi pursued purity and inaction and did not wish to spend more energy teaching disciples. Previously, he had only accepted a mortal named Xuandu at Shouyang Mountain as his successor, which could also be considered a clever shortcut.
The task of glorifying the profound sect would still fall to these two great sects of the profound sect: Primordial Heavenly Venerate's Exposition Sect and Sect Master Tongtian's Interception Sect.
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