Not Inferior to Supreme Grade Spiritual Treasures

Hongjun continued to expound the Dao.

Two thousand five hundred years later, after he finished explaining the method of Severing the Three Corpses, he stopped.

Hongyun, however, frowned and thought to himself, "The Dao Ancestor said that refining the three corpses makes one a nascent Quasi-Saint, and severing one corpse raises one's rank."

"After severing them three times, one will be at the peak of the Quasi-Saint realm!"

"But he's hiding the key point – he didn't say the three corpses must be carried by Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures or higher!"

"If ordinary spiritual treasures are used, when the three corpses merge to become a Saint later, it simply won't work!"

Hongyun's eyes flickered. He was no novice in the Great Desolation.

"Hongjun intends to trick everyone here. No wonder he schemed against me later. He's truly insidious!"

He sneered inwardly.

However, he didn't care.

Although Severing the Three Corpses could lead to the Quasi-Saint realm or even Sainthood.

There were still differences in strength among Saints.

If Nuwa and the Three Pure Ones didn't use Top-grade Spiritual Treasures, they could only achieve Sainthood through merit.

This was the weakest form, subject to the dual constraints of the Heavenly Dao and Hongjun.

Tongtian being confined to the Purple霄 Palace after the Investiture of the Gods was an example.

As fellow Saints, why could Hongjun do this?

Because he was stronger.

Above merit Saints were those who achieved Sainthood by Severing the Three Corpses, like Hongjun.

Higher still were those who merged with the Dao, which only Hongjun had achieved.

After merging with the Dao, Hongjun was even more formidable than he was now.

Beyond that were those who achieved Sainthood through their physical bodies and those who achieved it through their Primordial Spirits.

It was hard to say who was stronger between the two, as no one in the Great Desolation had achieved either.

But if Hongyun's Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique and Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique were cultivated to the highest level, he could become a Saint.

The Mysterious Technique was a physical body method, and the Primordial Technique was a Primordial Spirit method.

Even higher was the Great Dao Saint, like Pangu, who proved the Dao through sheer power.

With so many methods to prove the Dao, Hongyun had many choices.

He listened to the teachings to gain insights, not to rigidly practice this particular method.

After Hongjun finished teaching, he scanned the three thousand guests.

"I have finished expounding my teachings. You may ask any questions you have!"

He spoke calmly.

Instantly, countless powerful beings in the Great Desolation within the Purple Heaven Palace eagerly threw out their doubts, yearning for the Saint's guidance.

Hongyun, however, remained indifferent to the clamor.

Seated on the Great Dao Cushion, he had listened to Hongjun's teachings for over two thousand years, and his comprehension of the Severing the Three Corpses method was already nearly comparable to the Dao Ancestor himself.

He had no unresolved questions from this session.

This was the heaven-defying power of the Great Dao Cushion!

Hongyun secretly extended his divine sense, infiltrating the Qiankun Cauldron. He had already refined 41 of the 48 restrictions on the Great Dao Treasure Gourd.

At the same time, he had also completely grasped the wondrous functions of this treasure gourd.

The Great Dao Treasure Gourd contained three great miraculous effects.

As early as when he refined the 25th restriction, he had unlocked the first effect – defensive power.

The protective capabilities of this gourd were incomparably strong. Although not as invincible as the Chaos Bell, it far surpassed the acquired defensive treasure, the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda.

After refining the 36th restriction, the second effect was revealed – the ability to trap enemies.

Hongyun estimated that if he unleashed this treasure, he could imprison enemies one realm higher than him.

If he advanced to the late Quasi-Saint stage, no one below the Saint realm could escape its confinement.

However, even with this treasure's formidable power, trapping a Saint was still a pipe dream.

Saints were beings who had transcended the mortal world, eternally immortal, and impervious to all tribulations.

In these past two thousand years, Hongyun had also advanced both his Nine Revolutions Primordial Technique and Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique to the sixth revolution!

His gains from this trip to the Purple Heaven Palace could be described as extremely abundant.

At this moment, everyone in the palace had finished their inquiries with Hongjun.

Hongjun spoke again, "Esteemed guests, since the conflict of the demonic path, the immortal path has flourished in the Great Desolation, with countless immortals emerging, ushering in an era of prosperity and strife..."

"I have a proposal. What do you all think?"

Upon hearing this, everyone quieted down, filled with confusion, unsure of what the Saint intended.

Only Jieyin and Zhunti's eyes flashed with fanaticism.

Jieyin whispered, "Fellow Daoist Hongyun truly didn't lie to us. The Dao Ancestor is about to choose the leader of all immortals!"

Zhunti eagerly chimed in, "Senior Brother, we must quickly recommend ourselves to the Dao Ancestor!"

The other great powers focused their gaze on Hongjun, awaiting his next words.

Hongjun announced loudly, "My intention is for Eastern Prince Gong to be the leader of the male immortals, bestowing upon him the Dragon Head Staff; and for Queen Mother of the West to be the leader of the female immortals, granting her the Kunlun Mirror. Together, they shall govern all immortals in the Great Desolation. What say you?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Eastern Prince Gong and Queen Mother of the West were overjoyed.

They had never expected a Saint to personally appoint them to lead all immortals; this was an immense stroke of fortune.

Jieyin was the first to shout, "Dao Ancestor, my junior brother and I are willing to be the leaders of all immortals!"

Zhunti pleaded tearfully, "Dao Ancestor, our Western Lands are barren and our cultivation is arduous. How can this position of leader of all immortals fall upon us two!"

Before Eastern Prince Gong and Queen Mother of the West could even express their gratitude, their expressions drastically changed upon hearing this.

These two from the West were so shameless, daring to snatch their heaven-sent opportunity.

Bound by the Saint's majesty, they dared not act out.

Hongjun paused slightly upon hearing this.

These two actually dared to play the victim before him and attempt to seize the positions he had already decided upon. They were truly audacious.

The other great powers exchanged glances, then, with the mindset of watching a good show, awaited the Saint's judgment.

At the same time, a voice sounded in Hongyun's mind: "Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully causing trouble. Reward: Mythical Grand Unity Cultivation Method!"

Instantly, Hongyun's heart bloomed with joy.

The Mythical Grand Unity Method was a supreme cultivation technique.

It could bypass the Quasi-Saint realm and directly attain the Great Dao.

Once one cultivated the Mythical Grand Unity, Saints would be no more than ants before him.

The Heavenly Dao and Saints alike would be insignificant.

"Wonderful! It's the Mythical Grand Unity Method!"

Hongyun almost burst out laughing.

He suppressed his delight.

At this moment, he sensed that the Mythical Grand Unity Method rewarded by the System could be retrieved with just a thought.

However, being in the Purple Heaven Palace, he decided to examine the method in detail after returning to Fire Cloud Cave.

Previously, he had still been weighing the path to becoming a Saint.

Now, it seemed, all other methods of achieving sainthood were as insignificant as dust compared to the Mythical Grand Unity Method.

Inside the Purple Firmament Palace, Hongjun's expression grew colder.

He rebuked, "The two of you are insatiably greedy. If you continue like this, you may find it difficult to attain the Great Dao!"

"The positions of leader of the male immortals and leader of the female immortals are decided and cannot be changed!"

Hongjun's tone was icy, and he reprimanded Jieyin and Zhunti without mercy.

His previous inquiry was merely a formality.

He had expected no one would dare to disrespect a Saint's face.

Who would have thought Jieyin and Zhunti would jump out to compete, nearly causing him to lose face.

After this farce, Hongjun held considerable reservations about these two.

Upon hearing this, Eastern Prince Gong and Queen Mother of the West felt a great weight lifted from their hearts.

However, their gazes towards Jieyin and Zhunti now carried a hint of hostility.

Eastern Prince Gong gritted his teeth and said, "Jieyin, Zhunti, I've noted this down. In the future, I will lead all immortals to flatten the Western Lands and show you what it means to be the leader of all immortals!"

Queen Mother of the West snorted, "Jieyin, Zhunti, I, this Queen Mother, have also taken note of you!"

Jieyin and Zhunti also regarded Eastern Prince Gong and Queen Mother of the West as thorns in their side.

In their eyes, it was these two who had stolen their fated opportunity to revitalize the Western Lands.

If they had become the leaders of all immortals, they could have summoned all immortals to the Western Lands and restored its former glory.

Now that their grand plan was ruined, they were burning with rage.

As for Hongyun, they were grateful to him, so how could they have suspected they had fallen into a trap?

Hongjun waved his hand and said, "This lecture has concluded. In ten thousand years, the next lecture will be on the path to becoming a Saint!"

"Everyone, disperse!"

The lecture ended, with the next session directly addressing the path to sainthood.

This statement stirred fervent anticipation among countless great powers.

"I'll definitely come back for the lecture next time!"

"Absolutely can't miss it, becoming a Saint is my lifelong wish!"

"The Dao Ancestor is selfless, bestowing upon us the method to become Saints, this is truly a great kindness!"

"I need to hurry back and cultivate diligently. I'm only in the early stage of Grand Unity. This Severing the Three Corpses method already feels profound; I fear it will be even harder to comprehend next time!"

"Right, back to cultivation quickly!"

Most of the Three Thousand Guests were stuck in the early stage of Grand Unity, and they were all burning with anxiety at this moment.

They vowed to reach the peak of Grand Unity before the next lecture.

After the Three Pure Ones left the palace, they went their separate ways.

The harvest from this time had filled them with confidence.

Within a few thousand years, they could reach the peak of Grand Unity, and with the Severing the Three Corpses method, reaching the early stage of Quasi-Saint wouldn't be difficult.

Within ten thousand years, if they were lucky, they might even be able to contend for the middle stage of Quasi-Saint.

Nuwa was also in the same situation, returning with a full harvest.

Only Dijun, Taiyi, Old Ancestor Minghe, and others gathered in a corner, plotting in low voices.

Old Ancestor Minghe exclaimed in surprise, "Fellow Daoist Dijun, is what you said true?"

Dijun said gravely, "I am the Demon Emperor, how could I deceive you! I saw with my own eyes that Hongyun monopolized seven Innate Gourds at Buzhou Mountain!"

Just now, he had told Old Ancestor Minghe everything about Hongyun obtaining treasures.

Old Ancestor Minghe said fanatically, "That's great! Won't you help me? If we take down Hongyun, the gains will be substantial!"

Dijun shook his head, "Hongyun is already at the peak of Grand Unity. We need to rush back and cultivate, striving to enter the Quasi-Saint stage as soon as possible. We won't participate this time!"

Taiyi added, "Minghe, don't forget our agreement. If you manage to snatch the seven gourds, you must give two to us!"

This was the condition for Dijun leaking the information.

Old Ancestor Minghe said magnanimously, "No problem! If Hongyun truly has seven gourds, I will definitely snatch them!"

Kunpeng questioned, "Minghe, you and Hongyun are both at the peak of Grand Unity, and he broke through before you. Are you truly confident you can defeat him?"

In a fight between cultivators of the same realm, unless the gap was enormous, it was difficult to determine a victor.

Dijun and Taiyi also looked at Old Ancestor Minghe with doubt.

Old Ancestor Minghe sneered, "As long as Hongyun doesn't have a supreme treasure to protect him, I will ensure he has no escape!"

Dijun patted his chest, "I guarantee it, Hongyun has absolutely no supreme treasure!"

Old Ancestor Minghe grinned sinisterly, "Then he's dead!"

Upon learning that Hongyun possessed seven gourds, each capable of refining a Supreme Grade Spiritual Treasure, he was extremely tempted.

He only possessed the Yuantu and Abi swords as Supreme Grade Spiritual Treasures; the more the better.

Afterward, Dijun, Taiyi, Kunpeng, and Old Ancestor Minghe bid farewell.

They were only in the late stage of Grand Unity and were eager to break through to Quasi-Saint, paving the way for becoming Saints. They wouldn't get involved in this encirclement.

On the other side, outside the Purple Heaven Palace.

Zhenyuanzi walked towards Hongyun, "Fellow Daoist, would you be willing to visit my Wuzhuang Temple for a while?"

Hongyun smiled, "I haven't finished the Ginseng Fruit you gave me last time, so I won't go this time!"

From his last visit to Wuzhuang Temple, he had brought back five fruits, and now three remained.

He invited in return, "If you have time, Fellow Daoist, you can come to Fire Cloud Cave for a chat."

Zhenyuanzi happily replied, "After I comprehend this lecture, I will definitely pay you a visit!"

He said in a low voice, "I saw Kunpeng, Old Ancestor Minghe, and a few others colluding in private. I'm afraid it might be disadvantageous for you. Shall we travel together?"

Hongyun waved his hand, "Thank you for your concern, Fellow Daoist. I don't fear them! You should return to Wuzhuang Temple first."

Zhenyuanzi nodded, bid farewell to Hongyun, and flew towards Wuzhuang Temple.

Hongyun rode on auspicious clouds, heading towards Fire Cloud Cave at a leisurely pace.

He vaguely sensed someone following him from behind.

After flying tens of thousands of miles across the Great Desolation, he stopped his auspicious clouds.

He suddenly turned around and shouted, "Sneaky scoundrel, come out!"

Old Ancestor Minghe appeared, sneering, "It's good that you noticed. I'll send you to the west sooner!"

There was no one here, which suited his intentions.

Hongyun looked at him coldly, "Minghe, it's you again! Wasn't the lesson last time enough?"

Old Ancestor Minghe roared in fury, "You tricked me last time and destroyed ten of my Blood Rivers! This time, I will make you pay a hundredfold!"

He waved his hand, and over a hundred Netherworld Blood Rivers surged out.

Swish, swish, swish!

The blood river instantly surrounded Hongyun.

Minghe laughed maniacally, "This time I've even brought the Netherworld Blood Sea, let's see if you don't die!"

He summoned Yuantu and Abi, and the twin swords stabbed directly at Hongyun.

Hongyun, however, remained calm.

A mere hundred blood rivers were now just an appetizer.

Last time, when his Devouring Divine Ability was newly formed, he had devoured ten blood rivers.

Now that his divine ability was perfected, and he had also comprehended the laws of the Great Dao of Devouring.

He estimated that he could swallow ten million blood rivers in one gulp.

But he wouldn't act yet.

He had to wait for Minghe to unleash the entire blood sea before he could catch him in one fell swoop.

Otherwise, if his divine ability were revealed, he feared Minghe wouldn't dare to release the blood sea.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Yuantu and Abi arrived in the blink of an eye.

The twin swords exuded a sinister and sharp aura.

Hongyun mused, "Last time, Pangu's Essence Blood wasn't fully refined, and my physical body wasn't as good as a Supreme Grade Spiritual Treasure. Now..."

He neither dodged nor evaded, instead his fighting spirit ignited.

Pangu's Essence Blood had been fully refined, and with the Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique's enhancement, his physical body was comparable to the Twelve Ancestral Witches.

"Compared to a Supreme Grade Spiritual Treasure, it should be no inferior!"

He summoned the Great Dao Treasure Gourd, which spun around him.

With this treasure protecting him, he had no reservations.

He threw out his fists, directly meeting Yuantu and Abi!

Bang! Bang!

The two loud noises almost merged into one.

Fists and swords clashed head-on, and the twin swords were sent flying, their bodies covered in cracks.

Minghe was stunned, "How is this possible!"

He knew Hongyun's physical body was strong, but last time it was still inferior to his spiritual treasures.

Now, his spiritual treasures were actually damaged.