Mount Sumeru.
A thousand years passed as quietly as sand slipping through one's fingers.
The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti—the six top experts of the Primordial Wilderness—stared at one another. Their faces all bore the same two words: No way.
After pooling the strength of all six and bitterly studying it for a thousand years, they had not comprehended a damn thing.
The Hongmeng Purple Qi was still the Hongmeng Purple Qi, suspended deep within their Primordial Spirits without the slightest reaction.
"What... what exactly is going on?"
Zhunti was the first to lose his patience. His face was so bitter it looked as if he could wring water from it.
"A thousand years! An entire thousand years! The six of us joined forces, yet we haven't even touched a single hair of this Hongmeng Purple Qi!"
He had voiced what everyone else was thinking.
Taiqing slowly opened his eyes. Even those eyes, which should have been as still as an ancient well, now held a rare trace of confusion.
He shook his head. "A thousand years of effort, all no more than a dream."
Yuanshi's expression darkened, and he let out a cold snort.
He had always been arrogant, considering himself a descendant of Pangu and the one favored by fate.
Yet now, he had been stumped by this mere strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi for a thousand years. An indescribable fury had long since built up in his heart.
"Since that's the case, there's no need for us to sit here wasting away."
Taiqing spoke, his voice calm and revealing nothing of his emotions.
"I intend to return to Kunlun and seek another method."
Nuwa also let out a soft sigh. "I'm preparing to return to Phoenix Nest Mountain as well."
Clearly, continuing like this was completely pointless.
Everyone began to consider leaving.
"Fellow Daoists, wait!"
At that moment, Daoist Zhunti suddenly spoke, his urgent voice stopping everyone.
His eyes shifted, and his face took on an expression that seemed to say, I have a brilliant idea.
"Three Senior Brothers, Senior Sister Nuwa, the six of us have spent a hundred years comprehending the Hongmeng Purple Qi without success."
"Could it be... because there aren't enough of us?"
As soon as he said this, everyone froze.
Nuwa's delicate brows drew together as she looked at Zhunti. "What do you mean?"
Jieyin also looked at his junior brother in confusion.
Zhunti chuckled.
"Back then, our teacher bestowed seven strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi in Zixiao Palace."
"Apart from the six of us, isn't there still one in Kunpeng's hands?"
"If the six of us can't do it, why not invite Kunpeng as well?"
"Perhaps this Hongmeng Purple Qi has to gather all seven strands before it can reveal its true mysteries!"
The moment he finished speaking, the entire hall fell silent.
A thoughtful look appeared in Nuwa and Jieyin's eyes.
This suggestion... seemed, perhaps, to make a tiny bit of sense?
Taiqing's brows furrowed slightly, but he said nothing.
"Ridiculous!"
Yuanshi flew into a rage and rose from his seat, slamming his hand on the table.
"Zhunti! Stop spouting nonsense!"
"Who has the seventh strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi? Kunpeng!"
"What is Kunpeng supposed to be? Does he even deserve to comprehend this foundation for becoming a Saint alongside us?"
The more Yuanshi spoke, the more agitated he became. His spit nearly sprayed onto Zhunti's face.
"We are all personally taught disciples of our teacher. This Hongmeng Purple Qi was bestowed by our teacher himself!"
"And Kunpeng? He merely received it because that fool Hong Yun was foolishly benevolent enough to give away an opportunity that never belonged to him!"
"He obtained it through another person's charity, and he still thinks he deserves to touch the path to sainthood?"
"Besides, which one of us six doesn't have an impressive lineage and extraordinary comprehension?"
"If even the six of us can't understand it, what use could adding Kunpeng possibly be?"
"This is simply laughable!"
After being rebuked so fiercely, Zhunti's face shifted between green and white. He opened his mouth, but could not say a word.
It had merely been a desperate thought, an attempt to revive a dead horse by treating it like a living one.
Who could have expected Yuanshi to react so violently?
Taiqing slowly spoke as well.
"What Second Brother said is not without reason."
"The mysteries of the Hongmeng Purple Qi do not seem to be something that can be solved simply by increasing our numbers."
"Without the right method, adding more people would likely be futile."
With Taiqing speaking up, Zhunti's proposal was essentially sentenced to death.
If even Taiqing said so, then there was no hope for this plan.
Zhunti's face completely collapsed.
"Then... what are we supposed to do?"
His voice carried a hint of sobbing.
"We've exhausted ourselves studying it for a thousand years, yet we haven't even touched the door."
"How exactly are we supposed to use this Hongmeng Purple Qi?"
"Could it be that we truly have no connection with the Saint position?"
By the end, a trace of despair had even entered Zhunti's voice.
The West was barren. After finally awaiting this foundation for becoming a Saint, he would never accept it if it ended up becoming nothing more than a useless ornament!
The hall fell silent once more.
A heavy stone seemed to weigh on everyone's heart.
The Saint position!
Who did not yearn for it?
But this thing was simply too damn tormenting!
Just as everyone was frowning in worry, Nuwa, who had been furrowing her brows in thought, suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Kunpeng... Hong Yun... Hongmeng Purple Qi... Wu Ming!
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
"Fellow Daoists!"
Nuwa's voice was clear and pleasant, like heavenly music. It instantly shattered the dullness and oppression in the hall.
Everyone turned toward her in unison.
"I just remembered someone. Perhaps... he may know something about the secrets of the Hongmeng Purple Qi."
"Oh?" Taiqing looked at her. "Who do you mean, Junior Sister?"
Nuwa gathered her thoughts.
"Wu Ming of the Witch Clan."
The moment this name was spoken, the hall fell silent again.
The Three Pure Ones exchanged glances, and each saw a trace of surprise in the others' eyes.
Wu Ming of the Witch Clan.
That mysterious and unfathomable witch whom even they could not see through.
"Why do you say that, Junior Sister Nuwa?" Taiqing looked at her. His tone remained calm, but a trace of inquiry appeared in his eyes.
Nuwa sorted through her thoughts before explaining.
"Fellow Daoists, do you still remember what happened with Fellow Daoist Hong Yun?"
"Back then, the reason Fellow Daoist Hong Yun gave the Hongmeng Purple Qi to Kunpeng seemed to be because he received guidance from Fellow Daoist Wu Ming."
"Moreover, what concerns me most is that Fellow Daoist Wu Ming seemed to have mentioned this before our teacher bestowed the Hongmeng Purple Qi in Zixiao Palace!"
"He... he seemed to have predicted the fate of the Hongmeng Purple Qi long ago, and even foresaw Hong Yun's tribulation!"
"Therefore, I believe Fellow Daoist Wu Ming may know some secrets concerning the Hongmeng Purple Qi."
Once she said this, everyone in the hall wore different expressions.
A sharp glint flashed through Taiqing's eyes as he fell into thought.
Yuanshi's brows knitted tightly. His impression of the Witch Clan had always been complicated. Although the Ancestral Witches had now cultivated Primordial Spirits and the two sides had not yet erupted into any major conflict, asking him to seek help from someone of the Witch Clan... was still somewhat humiliating.
Tongtian stroked his chin, deep in thought.
Zhunti's eyes darted rapidly, and he was the first to speak.
"Senior Sister Nuwa, that Wu Ming... will he tell us?"
"After all, if we remain unable to become Saints, that would be a tremendous boon to the Witch Clan!"
"Why would he help us potential competitors?"
"If he doesn't kick us while we're down or stab us in the back, we should already consider him a paragon of virtue!"
His words were realistic, and they struck painfully close to home.
Nuwa said, "I can't guarantee that either."
"But this is the only lead we have at present."
"Trying is still better than sitting here doing nothing and waiting for death."
"Even if... even if we have to pay some price, I'm willing to give it a try!"
She looked at the Three Pure Ones, then at Jieyin and Zhunti. "What do you all think?"
Daoist Jieyin sighed. "If there truly is a method, then although the West is barren, it is only right for us to pay some price."
He had made his position clear. As long as they could become Saints, everything was negotiable.
Tongtian had always been decisive.
"There's no harm in asking!"
"Wu Ming is indeed extremely mysterious. Perhaps he really does know something."
"It's still better than blindly pondering here!"
Yuanshi let out a cold snort and said nothing, but he did not explicitly object either.
He was also calculating in his heart. Wu Ming was indeed unfathomable.
If Wu Ming truly knew the secrets of the Hongmeng Purple Qi, there would be no harm in asking him.
It was merely that this was a matter of face...
Taiqing finally nodded slowly. "Very well. Wu Ming is indeed extraordinary."
"Since Junior Sister Nuwa has made the suggestion, we shall make a trip to Buzhou Mountain and ask him."
"If he can truly point us in the right direction, we will naturally repay him."
His words gave everyone a way to step down.
Everyone reached an agreement.
Without further delay, six figures shot out of Mount Sumeru and headed straight toward Buzhou Mountain.