Hongjun Dao Ancestor

Hongjun's gaze swept over Di Jun, then slowly passed across the crowd within the hall.

"No."

"There are three methods to attain Sainthood."

As these words fell, every great power in the hall pricked up their ears.

This was a Sage personally expounding the path to Sainthood!

"First, Prove Dao by Force, also called Prove Dao by Law."

"This method is the path walked by Great God Pangu. He split Heaven and Earth, seeking to shatter the shackles of the Great Dao with supreme might and attain the Hunyuan Dao Fruit."

Hongjun's tone carried an indescribable complexity—part recollection, part admiration, and part regret.

"Yet, Great God Pangu did not succeed. His body transformed into the myriad things of the Primordial Wilderness."

These words weighed heavily on the hearts of many great powers in the hall.

Great God Pangu, who split Heaven and Earth! What immense power! Even he failed?

This path was utterly beyond their reach.

Wu Ming's heart stirred, however. Hongjun was twisting the truth.

He deliberately exaggerated the difficulty of Proving Dao by Force, attributing Pangu's failure to the method itself.

But he never mentioned that what Pangu sought to prove was not the simple Sainthood of a Hunyuan Saint, but a higher level of the Great Dao.

Still, Wu Ming understood that Proving Dao by Force was indeed extremely difficult.

The laws of the Primordial Wilderness were now fixed, the environment vastly changed. Replicating Father God's path would be hard to succeed.

Yet the Witch Clan was an exception—they were born to control laws, and they still had Father God's inheritance.

Hongjun continued his explanation, his voice utterly flat.

"Second, as I just mentioned, Prove Dao by Severing Three Corpses."

"This method requires using innate spiritual treasures to sever the Good, Evil, and Self corpses. When the three corpses merge, one can also prove the Dao and attain Hunyuan."

"This method is relatively stable, and it is the one I used to prove the Dao."

By listing it second and stating it was his own path, his endorsement was unmistakable.

The Three Pure Ones exchanged glances. Yuanshi nodded slightly, Taiqing remained expressionless, and Tongtian seemed lost in thought.

As incarnations of Pangu's Primordial Spirit, they had deep roots, long-lasting Destiny, and no shortage of High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures. The Method of Severing Three Corpses suited them well.

"Third, Prove Dao by Merit."

"This method involves accumulating boundless merit, gaining the recognition of the Heavenly Dao, and thus achieving the position of a Heavenly Dao Saint."

"To become a Saint this way, one must make great contributions to the Primordial Wilderness, amassing vast merit. Only those with great perseverance, great opportunity, and great merit can succeed."

Prove Dao by Merit. Zhen Yuanzi seemed somewhat intrigued.

He held the Earth Book, closely tied to the land. If he could regulate the earth veins and benefit the Primordial Wilderness, he might accumulate merit.

But the word "vast" gave him pause.

Wu Ming understood clearly. Prove Dao by Law was the path the Witch Clan should take!

The Witch Clan was born to control laws, tempering their flesh and Primordial Spirit with them.

If they could comprehend laws to their utmost and master the origin, their power would far exceed those who became Saints by Severing Three Corpses.

Though the Witch Clan now had Primordial Spirits, Wu Ming would not let them walk the path of Severing Three Corpses.

The path of Severing Three Corpses seemed stable, personally verified by a Sage.

But it required innate spiritual treasures as anchors, completely different from the Witch Clan's path of tempering flesh and controlling laws.

Moreover... the Saint positions had long been predetermined by the Heavenly Dao. If the Witch Clan chose this path, even if they severed all three corpses, they could never become Saints.

Aside from those six Sages, no one else under the Heavenly Dao could ever become a Saint.

Prove Dao by Law, though difficult, was not without hope.

The Witch Clan must walk the path of Proving Dao by Law!

It was their only chance!

As for Proving Dao by Merit... Wu Ming glanced toward Houtu. Houtu... she could try Proving Dao by Merit.

But Wu Ming immediately dismissed the thought.

Houtu transforming into the cycle of reincarnation, suppressing the Netherworld with her body, seemed immensely meritorious, but in truth, she would be trapped in one place, losing her freedom. That was not the outcome he wanted to see.

Di Jun and Taiyi frowned deeply. The two Golden Crows exchanged glances, as if weighing the pros and cons.

Severing Three Corpses required spiritual treasures. Prove Dao by Law seemed unrelated to them. Prove Dao by Merit... perhaps they could scheme for it?

Establishing order, ruling over all living beings—would that count as great merit?

Hongjun finished outlining the three paths and said no more, waiting silently for the next questioner.

A long silence fell over the hall.

Three paths lay before them, each seemingly bright yet thick with thorns.

All the great powers were digesting the information Hongjun had brought, weighing their own paths.

Time trickled away, drop by drop. Inside Zixiao Palace, a pin drop could be heard.

After a long while, Hongjun slowly opened his eyes. His gaze swept over the still-contemplating crowd below. Seeing no one else step forward with questions, he seemed to recall something.

He suddenly spoke, his voice low but clear in everyone's ears.

"East Prince Gong, West Queen Mother."

The two named were both startled, then quickly rose to their feet.

"You two were born from the primordial yin and yang qi, with extraordinary roots. You should be the leaders of all immortals."

"East Prince Gong, you shall be the chief of male immortals in the Primordial Wilderness. I grant you the Dragon Head Staff to govern all male immortals under heaven."

A streak of light flew out, transforming into an ancient and majestic Dragon Head Staff that landed before East Prince Gong.

"West Queen Mother, you shall be the chief of female immortals in the Primordial Wilderness. I grant you the Western Plain Colored Cloud Banner to govern all female immortals under heaven."

Another streak of light flew out, transforming into an apricot-yellow banner radiating gentle Immortal Light, landing before West Queen Mother.

Hongjun's words, like heavenly decrees, directly fixed their titles and authority.

At these words, the expressions of many in the hall shifted slightly.

The Three Pure Ones remained indifferent.

Di Jun and Taiyi's brows furrowed almost imperceptibly.

The other great powers had their own thoughts, but none dared show them before a Sage.

"We thank the Sage!"

Both were startled and delighted, quickly bowing to accept the spiritual treasures.

East Prince Gong was especially flushed with excitement, feeling an unprecedented authority settle upon him, his spirits soaring.

Inspired, he bowed deeply to Hongjun once more and spoke in a clear voice filled with reverence and flattery:

"Hongjun Sage, in your compassion, you have shown us beings of the Primordial Wilderness the direction of the Great Dao and imparted supreme wondrous teachings. You are the ancestor of all paths—you should be called the Dao Ancestor!"

His voice boomed, echoing through Zixiao Palace.

The moment the words "Dao Ancestor" left his mouth, the atmosphere in the hall turned somewhat strange.

Many great powers cursed inwardly: This East Prince Gong sure knows how to suck up!

The Three Pure Ones were expressionless.

Di Jun and Taiyi wore cold sneers on their lips.

Zhen Yuanzi frowned.

Hongyun habitually wanted to smooth things over, but after sizing up the occasion, he kept his mouth shut.

Wu Ming was speechless inside. This East Prince Gong, given a little benefit, had no idea of his own place. Calling himself "chief of all immortals"—he was practically asking for death.

Hongjun made no comment on the title, his face still devoid of any expression.

He spoke again, his voice carrying through the great hall.

"After thirty thousand years, I will open Zixiao Palace once more to lecture on the Hunyuan Dao Fruit."

"All of you, cultivate well."

With these words, Hongjun's figure dissolved like a bubble in water, vanishing without a trace.

The high platform was empty once more, as if no one had ever been there.

The crowd in the hall was stunned for a moment before snapping back to reality.

They all rose together and bowed toward the empty platform.

"We respectfully see off the Dao Ancestor!"

As Hongjun departed, the doors of Zixiao Palace opened silently.

One by one, the crowd rose and, each harboring different thoughts, began to file out.