Wu Ming led the Twelve Ancestor Witches toward Zixiao Palace.
The closer they got, the deeper and more boundless the Dao Rhythm emanating from Zixiao Palace became.
The Zixiao Palace before them hung silently in the air, wreathed in purple qi. It seemed to exist beyond space and time, unchanged since antiquity.
"Good grief... This place is something else." Zhurong rubbed his chin, his eyes opened wide.
"It truly is extraordinary." Dijiang also studied the legendary Sage's Dojo with a solemn expression.
Only when they reached the palace gates did they discover that the enormous gates of Zixiao Palace were tightly shut. Clearly, the Sage had not yet begun his lecture.
"Hey, are we supposed to sit around and wait?" Gonggong craned his neck, looking somewhat displeased.
Wu Ming remained calm. He signaled for everyone to stay patient, then found an empty patch outside the palace gates, sat down cross-legged, and closed his eyes to rest.
Seeing this, the Twelve Ancestor Witches had no choice but to suppress their impatience and imitate Wu Ming, finding places to sit.
They were nowhere near as composed as Wu Ming, however. Their eyes darted around as they examined the Sage's Dojo in the Chaos, as well as the "neighbors" who had already arrived.
They were not the first to arrive. Several figures had already been sitting there before them.
Not far away, three figures wreathed in Clear Qi sat side by side. They were the Three Pure Ones transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit—Taiqing Laozi, Yuqing Yuanshi, and Shangqing Tongtian.
A short distance away, there were two more imposing figures. The illusory forms of two enormous Three-Legged Golden Crows flickered behind them, while Solar True Fire shimmered around their bodies. Their gazes were haughty and disdainful. They were the future emperors of the Demon Clan, Di Jun and Taiyi.
These people were all the most supreme Innate Great Gods in the Primordial Wilderness!
Invisible auras collided among these mighty figures, making the atmosphere somewhat subtle.
All of them had extraordinary origins and refused to submit to one another. They refrained from acting only because this was the Sage's Dojo.
As time passed, streaks of light flashed continuously through the Chaos, and one powerful aura after another arrived in succession.
Amid Auspicious Clouds and brilliant Immortal Light, Nuwa and Fuxi arrived together. One was peerlessly elegant, while the other was refined and easygoing.
They glanced at the situation before them. Their gazes lingered briefly on the group from the Witch Clan before they sat down not far from the Three Pure Ones.
Next, East Prince Gong and West Queen Mother arrived together, one overflowing with immortal aura and the other dignified and noble.
Then a Blood-Colored Rainbow split through the void. Ancestor Minghe, standing atop the Twelve-grade Karmic Fire Red Lotus and holding Yuantu and Abi, landed in a corner somewhat distant from everyone else. His killing intent remained hidden, yet ready to erupt.
One after another, the Innate Great Gods of the Primordial Wilderness gathered here.
For a time, the most supreme forces in the entire Primordial Wilderness assembled before the gates of Zixiao Palace, and the atmosphere imperceptibly grew tense.
Just then, two figures arrived together.
One possessed an immortal bearing and held the Earth Book in his hand. He was none other than Zhen Yuanzi of Wuzhuang Temple.
The other wore a warm smile, with red light flickering faintly around him. He appeared exceptionally amiable and was the famous good-natured man of the Primordial Wilderness, Daoist Hongyun.
When the two saw Wu Ming sitting there, their eyes lit up, and they walked straight toward the Witch Clan's group.
"Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, I didn't expect you to arrive so early!" Daoist Hongyun was cheerful by nature. Before he even arrived, his voice had already reached them.
Zhen Yuanzi also saluted with a bow. "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, it's been a long time."
Wu Ming rose and returned the salute with a gentle smile. "Greetings, Fellow Daoist Zhen Yuanzi and Fellow Daoist Hongyun. The Sage's lecture is an event rarely encountered in ten thousand ages. Naturally, my Witch Clan had to be proactive."
"Haha, exactly, exactly!" Hong Yun said with a laugh. His curious gaze swept over the Twelve Ancestor Witches behind Wu Ming. "May I ask the names of these Ancestor Witch fellows?"
Seeing this, Dijiang, Zhujiuyin, and the others also rose to exchange greetings with the two and briefly introduced themselves.
The two sides exchanged a few brief pleasantries, and the atmosphere was quite harmonious.
Afterward, Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun sat down beside the Witch Clan, waiting for the palace gates to open.
Naturally, this scene also fell into the eyes of the other great gods nearby.
The Three Pure Ones merely glanced over indifferently before withdrawing their gazes and continuing to rest with their eyes closed.
Di Jun and Taiyi exchanged a glance, a strange glimmer flashing through their eyes. When had the Witch Clan become acquainted with Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun?
Deep within Zixiao Palace.
Upon the Cloud Bed, Hongjun slowly opened his eyes. His gaze pierced through the palace and landed on the living beings waiting outside.
His eyes swept over the Three Pure Ones, Di Jun and Taiyi, Nuwa and Fuxi...
When his gaze passed over Wu Ming and the Twelve Ancestor Witches, even his state of mind as a Sage could not help but falter slightly.
"The Witch Clan... thirteen of them?
"And all thirteen of them... actually possess Primordial Spirits?!"
Hongjun was incomparably astonished. How could this be possible?
The Witch Clan had been born bearing Pangu's baleful qi. They possessed naturally powerful bodies and controlled laws, but did not cultivate Primordial Spirits and did not understand the workings of Heaven. This was a fixed destiny!
Yet the thirteen members of the Witch Clan before him not only included one extra person, but each and every one of them clearly radiated fluctuations of a Primordial Spirit!
Compared with Immortal Dao cultivators of the same realm, their Primordial Spirits still appeared somewhat immature, but they were undeniably Primordial Spirits!
How had this happened?
Who was this additional member of the Witch Clan? And how had they condensed Primordial Spirits?
Hongjun pinched his fingers to calculate, but all he sensed was a chaotic blur in the Heavenly Secrets. He could not deduce the slightest thing about this sudden change in the Witch Clan!
It was as if an invisible force were interfering with the Heavenly Secrets!
Could it be a remnant of Pangu's Will? Hongjun's brows furrowed briefly before relaxing once more.
Forget it. As long as the general trend of the Heavenly Dao remains unchanged, a small variable is harmless.
Perhaps this mutation in the Witch Clan is another possibility arising from the operation of the Heavenly Dao?
He glanced at the two boys beside him, Haotian and Yaochi, and instructed them calmly, "The time has come. Open the palace gates."
"Yes, Master." Haotian and Yaochi bowed and replied.
Creak—
The heavy, ancient gates of Zixiao Palace slowly opened to either side.
An indescribable aura spread out from within the palace gates, invigorating all the great gods waiting outside!
"It's open! The palace gates are open!"
"Quick! Get a spot in the front rows!"
Almost the moment the palace gates opened, the many mighty figures of the Primordial Wilderness who had long since been unable to hold themselves back transformed into streaks of light and charged into the palace!
Their target was unmistakably the six Cushions at the very front of the palace, each radiating a profound aura!
Anyone could tell that these six Cushions were far from ordinary. They certainly contained an immense opportunity!
For a time, divine abilities collided and Magic Power surged!
Although no one dared to fight to the death out of consideration for the Sage's Dojo, the hidden struggle was still incredibly fierce!
"Get lost!"
"This spot is mine!"
"Don't even think about it!"
The Three Pure Ones acted almost simultaneously. A Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda appeared above Taiqing Laozi's head, raining down myriad strands of Golden Light of Merit. With all techniques unable to harm him, he firmly occupied the first Cushion.
Venerable Lord Yuanshi and Sect Master Tongtian followed close behind, taking the second and third Cushions.
With her brother Fuxi's full protection, Nuwa steadily sat upon the fourth Cushion.
Kunpeng's speed was peerless. He transformed into a streak of light and seized the fifth Cushion.
The struggle for the final Cushion was the fiercest of all!
Just as Di Jun and Taiyi were about to obtain it, Zhen Yuanzi shouted coldly. The Earth Book blazed with light and forcibly stopped them for an instant!
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Daoist Hongyun transformed into red light and, under Zhen Yuanzi's protection, sat down upon it by the narrowest of margins!
In the blink of an eye, the six Cushions had found their masters!
Those who had been a step too slow or had lost in the struggle, such as Di Jun, Taiyi, and East Prince Gong, all wore unwilling expressions. Yet there was nothing they could do, and they could only find other places to sit.
"Hmph, a bunch of brutes." Zhurong looked at the chaotic scene ahead and curled his lips in disdain.
Gonggong chimed in. "Exactly. Is it really necessary to fight over a lousy cushion?"
Wu Ming had not joined the scramble. He had merely watched everything unfold in silence.
He knew the meaning of these Cushions very well. They were the seats of the future Sage's disciples.
But his Witch Clan did not follow the Immortal Dao of the Mystic Gate, so the Cushions were useless to them.
Besides, even if he wanted to fight for one, Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao would never permit the Witch Clan to sit upon Cushions representing the fortune of the Mystic Gate.
Once the hall had quieted down somewhat, Wu Ming led the Twelve Ancestor Witches forward unhurriedly. They found a place behind and near Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun, then sat down cross-legged.
Zhen Yuanzi glanced back at Wu Ming and nodded at him in goodwill.
Hong Yun also smiled and nodded in greeting.
Wu Ming gave a slight nod in response, then closed his eyes, gathered his mind, and quietly waited for Hongjun to appear.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches followed his example. They put away their usual ostentation and sat quietly behind Wu Ming.
Within the vast Zixiao Palace, the Three Thousand Red Dust Guests gathered together, waiting for the legendary Sage to expound the Great Dao!