Buzhou Mountain, Pangu Hall.
Thirteen figures tore through the void and landed steadily before the hall.
They were Wu Ming and the Twelve Ancestor Witches, returning from Zixiao Palace.
"Phew... It's still more comfortable at home!" Zhurong said boisterously.
"Staying in Chaos for too long was suffocating." Gonggong shook his head, scattering the Chaos aura clinging to him.
Wu Ming said nothing and walked straight toward the depths of Pangu Hall.
At the center of the hall, a figure had already been standing there in silence. Dao Rhythm was restrained around him—it was Zhou Ming.
"Fellow Daoist." Wu Ming stepped forward and gave a slight nod.
Zhou Ming nodded in response. "Sorry for the trouble, fellow Daoist."
Wu Ming stepped forward and shared everything he had seen and learned while listening to the Dao in Zixiao Palace, along with his own insights, with Zhou Ming.
Zhou Ming listened quietly, his expression as still as an ancient well.
Through his Primordial Spirit connection with Wu Ming, he already knew the general situation. But hearing Wu Ming recount it personally made the details clearer.
After listening, Zhou Ming pondered briefly before making a decision.
"Although Hongjun preached the immortal path of the Mystic Gate, there are three thousand Great Daos, and different paths ultimately lead to the same destination."
"You should all retreat into seclusion with me."
"Combine the essence of the immortal path taught by Hongjun with the Law of Strength inherited by our Witch Clan. Verify them against each other and draw inferences from one example."
"Yes, Big Brother!" the Twelve Ancestor Witches answered in unison.
Pangu Hall fell silent once more. Only invisible fluctuations of laws intertwined, collided, and sublimated within the hall.
At the same time, the innate mighty figures who had returned to various parts of the Primordial Wilderness, such as the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Di Jun and Taiyi, also chose to enter seclusion.
That statement—"All beneath Sage are ants"—was like a heavy hammer pounding against everyone's hearts, igniting an unprecedented passion for cultivation.
For a time, the Primordial Wilderness saw fewer conflicts and gained a rare measure of peace.
The years flowed on. In the blink of an eye, ten thousand years passed.
Buzhou Mountain, inside Pangu Hall.
Powerful auras revived one after another, shaking the void.
Wu Ming and the Twelve Ancestor Witches successively emerged from seclusion.
Ten thousand years of seclusion had brought them tremendous gains!
They had combined the profundity of Hongjun's immortal path with the laws they controlled, verifying them against each other. Their cultivation had made great strides.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches had all reached the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. Laws swirled around them, and their auras were more than a level stronger than they had been ten thousand years before.
Dijiang and Zhujiuyin had even faintly touched that mysterious threshold. They were only one step away from the Primordial Golden Immortal realm.
Wu Ming's own cultivation had also stabilized at the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, and his understanding of the Law of Strength had grown increasingly profound.
At the same time, the mighty figures in seclusion throughout the Primordial Wilderness also gradually awakened.
After ten thousand years of digestion, everyone's cultivation had advanced considerably, and the lands of the Primordial Wilderness once again grew lively.
Some mighty figures chose to continue their seclusion and strive for higher realms. Others began traveling throughout the Primordial Wilderness in search of opportunities, or visited fellow Daoists to discuss and verify the Great Dao.
On this day, two figures crossed endless mountains and rivers and arrived beneath Buzhou Mountain.
They were Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun.
After ten thousand years, Hong Yun seemed to have emerged from the dejection of losing his Cushion. His face had regained some of its former easygoing warmth.
"Fellow Daoists Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun, it has been a long time." Wu Ming personally came out to greet them, with the Twelve Ancestor Witches following behind him, their auras restrained.
"Fellow Daoist Wu Ming remains as impressive as ever—indeed, even more so than before." Zhen Yuanzi returned the greeting with a bow, his gaze sweeping over Wu Ming and the Twelve Ancestor Witches.
Hong Yun also smiled and cupped his hands. "Sorry for disturbing you, fellow Daoist."
"You two have come from far away. Please, come inside." Wu Ming turned sideways and led the way.
Inside Pangu Hall, host and guests took their seats.
After fragrant Spirit Tea was served and they exchanged a few simple pleasantries, they went straight to the main topic.
A discussion of the Dao began.
Wu Ming and the Twelve Ancestor Witches expounded on their understanding and application of laws.
Taking the Earth Book, formed from the Amniotic Membrane of the earth, as his foundation, Zhen Yuanzi spoke of his Dao of bearing all things with profound virtue and possessing unparalleled defense.
Hong Yun, meanwhile, shared his insights into following nature and possessing profound blessings.
The immortal path of the Mystic Gate and the path of the Witch Clan's laws collided, blended, and verified one another here.
At times, laws manifested. At times, Dao Rhythm filled the air.
This discussion of the Dao continued for a full thousand years.
After a thousand years, the discussion ended, and both sides had gained immensely.
The atmosphere within the hall also became much more harmonious as a result.
Wu Ming lifted the warm Spirit Tea before him,
Wu Ming lifted the Spirit Tea before him, took a sip, and slowly set it down again.
He looked at Hong Yun, his tone calm.
"Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, there is something I have never understood and have kept in my heart. Today's discussion has been most satisfying, so I shall presumptuously ask. I hope you can tell me the truth."
Hong Yun set down his teacup, a trace of confusion on his face. "Ask whatever you wish, fellow Daoist Wu Ming. If I know the answer, I will not conceal it."
Zhen Yuanzi also looked at Wu Ming, unaware of what he intended to ask.
"The matter of the Cushion in Zixiao Palace." Wu Ming slowly spoke, his tone completely flat. "Why did you give the Cushion to Zhunti back then?"
The smile on Hong Yun's face instantly froze, and the hand holding his teacup paused slightly.
The atmosphere in the hall seemed to turn cold in an instant.
"You should remember that I warned you at the time. The opportunity tied to that Cushion was immense, so you must not give it up lightly." Wu Ming continued questioning him, giving Hong Yun no chance to evade.
"I could sense that when you gave up the Cushion, your heart was filled with struggle and reluctance."
"But in the end, you still chose to give up your seat."
"Why?"
Hong Yun's expression shifted repeatedly, and his fingers tightened slightly around the teacup.
That scene in Zixiao Palace was an indelible pain in his heart.
Over the past ten thousand years, he had thought he was gradually letting go. But now that Wu Ming had asked him about it face-to-face, his regret, unwillingness, and deep confusion surged back into his heart.
Zhen Yuanzi watched his friend from the side and let out a soft sigh, but said nothing.
He knew that this was a question Hong Yun would eventually have to face.
After a long silence, Hong Yun raised his head, his face filled with bitterness and helplessness.
He set down his teacup, his voice somewhat hoarse.
"I won't hide it from you, fellow Daoist Wu Ming... Sigh..."
"I did take your warning to heart at the time. I also knew that the Cushion was extraordinary and concerned my future path."
"At first, I had indeed made up my mind never to give it up."
"But... but when Jieyin and Zhunti began to weep and complain, especially when they cried so miserably, sobbing blood-tears as they spoke of the West's barrenness and the difficulty of seeking the Dao..."
"I... I just couldn't help softening."
"I admit that my temperament really is... Sigh, I simply can't bear to see others suffer."
Zhen Yuanzi added from the side, "Fellow Daoist Hong Yun has always been kindhearted. That is simply the way he is."
"That was only one reason." Hong Yun shook his head, a trace of fear and even deeper confusion appearing on his face. "More importantly, at the time... a powerful Sense of Crisis inexplicably rose within my heart!"
"Somewhere in the unseen, a voice—or perhaps an instinct—was frantically telling me..."
"If I refused to give up that seat, I would be seizing a great opportunity that did not belong to me. In the future... in the future, a catastrophe capable of shaking the heavens would surely descend upon me!"
"That feeling made no sense at all, yet it was incomparably clear and real! It was as if the Heaven Dao were warning me!"