The ten-thousand-year period arrived in the blink of an eye.
On this day, Nuwa and Fuxi awoke from secluded cultivation. Dao Charm flowed harmoniously around them, their magic power surged, and their essence, spirit, and vitality were all at their peak.
The two exchanged a glance, both seeing gravity and resolve in the other's eyes.
"The time has come."
Nuwa spoke, her voice clear and bright, carrying a trace of barely perceptible tension.
Fuxi nodded heavily.
"The Chaos is perilous, and the opportunities in Zixiao Palace are shrouded in hidden currents. Little Sister, you must stay close by my side."
Their gazes swept, almost in unison, toward Qingxuan, who was reclining on a piece of innate warm jade nearby, his entire body radiating languor and Grand Unity Golden Immortal Dao Charm.
Qingxuan sensed their gazes, lazily sat up, and waved.
"Master, Martial Uncle, have a safe journey! Remember to seize a good seat!"
You must get a front-row seat! Especially Master's meditation cushion. It concerns your room to maneuver in the future, so guard it at all costs!
Although he had decided to help Nuwa break free from the Heavenly Dao's control, for now, they still had to follow the script to avoid alerting the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun.
Hearing this, Nuwa and Fuxi felt warmth in their hearts, but they also became even more vigilant.
"Rest assured."
Nuwa gave Qingxuan a deep look, as though she wanted to memorize his appearance. Then she waved her sleeve, and a dazzling spiritual light sank into the core of the Dao Field. The protective array of the entire Fengqi Mountain instantly blazed with radiance. Dao patterns interwove, and its aura became incomparably stern.
"Focus on your cultivation and do not leave."
She offered another reminder before she and Fuxi nodded at the same time.
In the next moment, the vast magic power around them erupted with a boom. Space twisted, and they transformed into two astonishing streaks of blue and white light that tore through the sky, shooting upward and instantly disappearing into the Thirty-Three Heavens as they sped toward the boundless Sea of Chaos, where a faint resonance of Dao Charm had reached them.
As soon as they entered the Chaos, terrifying pressure squeezed in from all directions.
Chaotic, violent earth, water, fire, and wind surged forth. The aura of chaos eroded all things. An ordinary Grand Unity Golden Immortal likely would not last more than a moment before both body and spirit were destroyed.
Even existences like Nuwa and Fuxi, who had reached the perfection of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, needed to constantly circulate their magic power to protect themselves, and their speed inevitably slowed.
Looking out, the Chaos was not completely empty.
Faintly, powerful auras could also be seen advancing with difficulty in other directions. The Three Pure Ones had the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda above their heads, making them impervious to all techniques.
Di Jun and Tai Yi held the Chaos Bell in their arms. The bell's chimes sent layers of ripples spreading outward, stabilizing the space around them.
Zhenyuanzi unfurled the Earth Book, its thick and heavy aura of Wutu earth incomparable.
There were even twelve giants tens of millions of zhang tall, crossing the Chaos solely by relying on their physical bodies.
Everyone was heading in the same direction.
Time had no meaning in the Chaos. After who knew how long, the aura of chaos ahead suddenly grew thin. An ancient, majestic purple palace, formed naturally from Dao Charm, floated quietly within the Chaos, as though it had been waiting for them for a long time.
Zixiao Palace!
The Great Powers' spirits lifted, and they all sped up.
However, the closer they drew to Zixiao Palace, the greater the invisible pressure became, as though it were screening the qualifications of those seeking to hear the Dao.
The fastest to arrive at the palace gates were naturally the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa and Fuxi, Di Jun and Tai Yi, and the other figures with the deepest cultivation and most powerful treasures.
Everyone landed on the square before Zixiao Palace.
They formed groups and spread out, remaining wary of the others while doing their best to recover their condition.
Before long, Di Jun and Tai Yi walked toward where Fuxi and Nuwa stood.
Di Jun carried himself with the bearing of an emperor. Although Tai Yi lacked an emperor's aura, the sun laws radiating from his entire body still made him impossible to look at directly.
Upon arriving, Di Jun was the first to clasp his hands in greeting.
"Daoist Fuxi, how have you been lately?"
Although he already knew from Qingxuan's inner voice that the Monster Race was a huge pit destined to decline, Fuxi still smiled and returned the greeting when facing Di Jun and Tai Yi.
"I have been well. Daoist Di Jun, it has been a long time. Your bearing has grown even more impressive."
The two smiled and exchanged pleasantries for quite some time before finally getting to the point.
"Daoist Fuxi, regarding what we discussed last time—the establishment of a race—how have you considered it?"
Di Jun asked with a slightly solemn expression.
Fuxi's expression did not change. He still appeared gentle and refined.
"The matter is of great importance. Please allow me a few more days to consider it."
Just as Di Jun was about to say more, the gates of Zixiao Palace slowly opened from within.
An ancient, solemn aura carrying a faint trace of Saintly Dao Charm gradually spread outward.
A male and a female child attendant walked out from inside the gate.
"The time has come. Fellow Daoists, please enter and hear the Dao."
As soon as Haotian finished speaking,
the Three Pure Ones had already transformed into streaks of light and entered the hall.
Fuxi and Nuwa, who had been watching Zixiao Palace closely, were no slower. They entered Zixiao Palace almost at the same time as the Three Pure Ones.
The inside of the palace was vast and boundless, seemingly a world of its own.
Dao Charm filled the air, and the sounds of the Great Dao drifted in and out of hearing.
At the very front was a high platform with a cloud bed, clearly the seat of Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
Below and in front of it were six simple, ancient-colored meditation cushions arranged in neat rows. They radiated unique Dao Charm, and anyone could tell at a glance that they were extraordinary.
Fuxi and Nuwa knew that these were the meditation cushions Qingxuan had mentioned in his inner voice, the ones representing the Saint positions.
Almost at the same time, Lao Tzu, Primordial, and Tongtian also discovered the extraordinary nature of the six meditation cushions.
Lao Tzu held the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda above his head, enveloping the three brothers.
Primordial and Tongtian poured their magic power into Lao Tzu while remaining wary of everyone else's movements.
Working together, the three brothers instantly occupied the first three meditation cushions.
Lao Tzu's expression was calm, Primordial looked pleased with himself, and Tongtian curiously surveyed his surroundings.
Nuwa did not hesitate either. Under Fuxi's protection, her figure was like a startled swan as she landed on the meditation cushion in the middle-left position.
The instant she sat down, she felt a clear and lucid Dao intent surge into her Primordial Spirit, faintly resonating with her Dao of Creation.
Fuxi stood behind Nuwa, glaring menacingly at the others.
Only then did the Great Powers react. They each employed their own methods and charged toward the two remaining meditation cushions.
Among them, Di Jun and Tai Yi were especially conspicuous.
Tai Yi held the Chaos Bell in his arms and casually struck it. Waves of bell chimes transformed into sound waves that spread in every direction.
The Great Powers affected by the sound waves immediately found their bodies frozen. Though it lasted only a brief instant, it was enough to make everyone wary of them.
This also caused most of the people to attack the two brothers.
For a moment, multicolored torrents of magic power flew chaotically throughout Zixiao Palace, creating an extremely lively scene.
Just as everyone surrounded and attacked the two brothers, Di Jun and Tai Yi, Zhenyuanzi held up the Earth Book and sent his close friend, Ancestor Hong Yun, onto the fifth meditation cushion.
The sixth meditation cushion was occupied by Ancestor Kunpeng, who possessed both the laws of water and wind.
Thus, all six front-row meditation cushions before Zixiao Palace had masters.
Those who had failed to seize a meditation cushion instantly lost their targets for combat and began finding places to sit.
Nuwa and Fuxi watched the struggle among the Great Powers with cold eyes.
Because Qingxuan's inner voice had revealed the truth beforehand, Fuxi and Nuwa both knew that all six meditation cushions were schemes of the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, aside from Nuwa, who needed to temporarily lull the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun into complacency and thus still chose to sit on a cushion, Fuxi had not competed for one.
However, they knew that the struggle over the meditation cushions was not over yet.
Sure enough.
A burst of mournful wailing came from outside the palace.
"Senior Brother, the two of us came from the barren western lands, enduring countless hardships and crossing the boundless Chaos. Could it be that there is not even a seat near the front for us? How pitiful it is that the life of the western beings is so miserable and their paths so arduous!"
Jieyin and Zhunti stumbled inside. Their Daoist robes were torn, and their faces were filled with sorrow.
Zhunti in particular beat his chest and stamped his feet, wailing as though he had suffered an enormous injustice.
Their gazes immediately locked onto the six meditation cushions at the front.
The two swept their eyes over the people seated on the six cushions.
The Three Pure Ones had linked auras, and with the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda above their heads, they were not to be provoked—not to be provoked!
Nuwa and Fuxi had no supreme treasures, but their auras were linked, and the cultivation of two perfected Grand Unity Golden Immortals was on full display.
They were not easy targets either.
When they saw Ancestor Hong Yun, Jieyin and Zhunti's eyes lit up.
Hong Yun's reputation as the great good man of the Primordial World was truly renowned.
The two exchanged a glance and immediately began wailing even harder.
"Senior Brother, how bitter our lives are! The western lands were already barren, and our ley lines have been shattered. To restore the west, we brothers braved hardship and crossed the Chaos, all for the sake of listening to the Saint's Dao sounds up close and finding a way to restore our homeland. Yet the western lands are so far away that we do not even have a seat. How are we supposed to hear the Saint's Dao sounds? How are we supposed to restore the west? We might as well go smash our heads against this place and die!"
Jieyin also wore an expression of sorrow.
"Junior Brother, you must not do this. Perhaps this is simply the fate of our western lands."
The two wept with such sincerity that it was almost convincing.
Unfortunately, none of the Great Powers bought it.
Everyone was a thousand-year-old fox. Who did not understand whom? Their ostentatious performance was even amusing.
Jieyin and Zhunti wept as they edged toward Hong Yun.
When they arrived before him, Zhunti wore a sorrowful expression, his voice even carrying a sob.
"Daoist Hong Yun, please, for the sake of the beings of the western lands, give this seat to us brothers. All the beings of the west will be grateful for your great kindness!"
Hong Yun had intended to refuse. Although he was a good man, he was not a fool.
How could he give away a great opportunity that had already fallen into his hands to people with whom he had no ties?
Moreover, even if he gave up his seat, his good friend Zhenyuanzi was right behind him. Hong Yun had been able to sit on this meditation cushion thanks to Zhenyuanzi's Earth Book.
Hong Yun had just been about to refuse when his eyes suddenly grew distant for an instant.
"Very well. Since you have asked, I shall give this seat to you."
With that, he stood up without the slightest hesitation, leaving the words Zhenyuanzi had wanted to use to stop him stuck in his throat.
Fuxi and Nuwa exchanged a glance, both feeling a chill in their hearts!
The siblings had been watching Hong Yun closely the entire time. They had clearly seen that Hong Yun himself had intended to refuse, yet his Primordial Spirit suddenly fluctuated ever so slightly, after which he had given up his seat without hesitation.
If they had not been staring intently at Hong Yun, they would never have noticed that fleeting fluctuation in his Primordial Spirit.
To possess such ability and conceal it from everyone present, there was only one possibility: the methods of the supreme Saint.
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