When they saw the six meditation cushions, everyone felt an inexplicable jolt, as if some unseen force of fate were pulling at them.
Almost instantly, the Three Pure Ones used their cultivation and tacit understanding to claim the first three cushions.
With Fuxi's covert help, Nuwa snatched the fourth.
Ancestor Hong Yun's softhearted nature kicked in. Seeing Kunpeng dart toward the fifth cushion, he was about to yield it, but Zhenyuanzi, standing beside him, yanked him sharply aside, and Hong Yun sat down in his place.
Seeing this, Kunpeng hurried to set his sights on the final cushion.
Just as he was about to claim it, a figure in blue got there first.
It was Xuan Qing, transformed from a seed of the Thirty-Six-Grade Creation Green Lotus!
After his Devouring System consumed the Primordial Violet Qi, it could provide him with an enormous number of points.
Once the time was right and he broke through to the Quasi-Saint realm, he could take revenge on the Three Pure Ones!
Kunpeng glared resentfully at Xuan Qing. Feeling the other's Late Grand Unity cultivation, he was startled, then retreated into the crowd.
Most of the Transmigrators didn't act rashly in this scramble.
The Primordial Violet Qi was precious, but who knew whether Hongjun had poisoned it?
Besides, they had systems. They had no need to become Saints through merit.
Even Li Shou, who had no system, had only helped his three elder brothers compete for cushions. He simply watched to see what would happen.
His thinking was simple.
The six destined Saints were set in stone, but Hongjun would surely decide who they were.
Whether they fought over these cushions or not, Hongjun would still decide who got the Primordial Violet Qi.
At the same time, just as the gates of Zixiao Palace were about to close, two figures appeared, arriving late.
They were Jieyin and Zhunti.
Seeing that all six cushions were occupied, they exchanged glances, their faces instantly taking on a sorrowful expression, and silently retreated to the back rows.
The Transmigrators in Zixiao Palace all turned their attention to them. Seeing that the two weren't crying or making a fuss, they were dumbfounded.
What was going on?
Weren't the two of them supposed to cry, make a scene, and threaten to hang themselves, only for the softhearted Hong Yun to give up his seat?
And wasn't Kunpeng supposed to be sitting on the sixth cushion?
Who was that person holding onto a lotus leaf and refusing to let it out of his sight?
Wait... why was this different from what the novels said!
Most of the Transmigrators were keeping their heads down and building up their strength, so they didn't know that the Western ley lines had already been repaired. Jieyin and Zhunti weren't nearly as impoverished as they imagined.
At the same time, a conflicted look appeared on Ancestor Hong Yun's face. In the end, he seemed to make up his mind.
Seeing this, Zhenyuanzi hurriedly sent him a voice transmission. "Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, don't! This seat is of great importance. How can you give it away?"
Hong Yun hesitated for a moment, but still stood up and cupped his hands toward Kunpeng. "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, you've traveled a long way. My blessings are meager, and I have no fate with this cushion..."
Hong Yun rose and offered his cushion to Kunpeng.
Zhenyuanzi was so angry that his beard bristled, but there was nothing he could do.
Though Kunpeng didn't understand what was going on, how could he give up an opportunity already in his grasp? He sat down on the cushion.
"Thank you, Fellow Daoist." Though Kunpeng couldn't stand Hong Yun's softhearted ways, he still thanked him sincerely.
The Transmigrators were dumbstruck. It really was true—you couldn't trust everything you read in Prehistoric World novels.
Li Shou watched everything unfold, anxious in his heart. Fellow Daoist Hong Yun, you fool! This isn't just a seat—it's a Saint's position!
But his cultivation was low, and no one would listen to him. All he could do was fret.
Chen Tian watched coldly from the sidelines. He had some guesses about what the cushions meant, but he didn't care.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches didn't cultivate the Primordial Spirit or sever their Three Corpses. He himself also wanted to pursue the Hun Yuan Great Dao, rather than become a Saint through the Primordial Violet Qi and merit.
The cushion was of no use to him.
He was more concerned with the contents of Hongjun's lecture, as well as... the "variables" present.
Qin Yuan hid behind the crowd, scribbling furiously. "Shocking! The mystery of the Zixiao Palace cushions! The untold secrets between Hong Yun, Zhenyuanzi, and Kunpeng."
"Points +50"
Qin Yuan tugged Tai Yi along and stood far away in a corner, firmly resolved not to go anywhere near the front rows.
Tai Yi, however, still couldn't give up on his designs. His eyes kept drifting toward Nuwa and Xi He.
Xuan Qing sat cross-legged on his cushion, staring viciously at the Three Pure Ones beside him and the empty cushion where Hongjun would sit.
The other Great Powers found places to stand or sit, waiting for the lecture to begin.
Just as every sort of person was gathered there, the space atop the dais rippled faintly.
A figure appeared without warning.
He wore hemp robes and straw sandals, his white hair hanging to his shoulders. His features were ancient and weathered, his eyes deep as an abyss. His aura seemed to resonate with Zixiao Palace itself, and even with the Heavenly Dao beyond the mortal realm.
It was Hongjun!
The moment he appeared, Zixiao Palace—which had still been filled with faint sounds—fell so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Every Great Power, whatever their thoughts, felt an invisible, boundless pressure. It came from the absolute difference in their level of existence and their understanding of the Great Dao.
The dignity of a Saint could not be profaned.
Hongjun's gaze swept calmly across the beings below. It lingered briefly on several "key targets," and he understood the situation.
Zhang Hao was also keeping a close eye on everything in Zixiao Palace.
He swept his gaze over the crowd, and his mind went blank.
Of the three thousand guests of the mortal world, nearly a thousand were Transmigrators.
"Lao Hong, if you're feeling pressured, just tell me."
Zhang Hao contacted Hongjun.
Hongjun's mouth twitched when he heard that.
You're telling me this when I'm about to begin lecturing?
At worst, I'll do what Yangmei did and run off into Chaos. These systems are plundering your origin, anyway.
Zhang Hao: But they all think you're the Heavenly Dao's incarnation, so you'll have to take the blame for everything!
Hongjun: ?
Hongjun ignored Zhang Hao's complaints and slowly began to speak. His voice wasn't loud, but it entered the ears of every living being clearly, reaching the depths of their Primordial Spirits:
"High above the clouds of the nine heavens, I sit upon a cushion and comprehend the truth. Beyond Heaven, Earth, and the mysteries of the universe, I shall hold the honored seat of the teacher..."
After reciting his opening verse, Hongjun said no more and began his lecture.
"The Great Dao is nameless, yet it nurtures all things. The Great Dao is formless, yet it governs the sun and moon..."
"This Poor Daoist will lecture on the Dao three times. This is the first, and it concerns the Great Luo Dao."
The words of a Saint carried the authority of Heaven. Golden lotuses sprang from the earth, and auspicious signs descended from the sky.
Boundless Dao Rhyme took the form of solid runes, flowing through Zixiao Palace as it expounded the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth and the mysteries of the Primordial Realm.
The beings below listened as if entranced.
The Four Pure Ones looked delighted and nodded repeatedly, clearly gaining a great deal.
Nuwa seemed to grasp something, and the aura of creation around her grew ever richer.
Jieyin and Zhunti scratched their heads as they listened, now delighted, now deep in thought.
Qin Yuan furrowed his brows as the Wild History System worked furiously. Before long, he had come up with another piece of wild history:
The Heavenly Dao is unfair, so the Heavenly Dao must be a woman! Hongjun attained Dao Integration with the Heavenly Dao, so maybe that means...
I forgot the rest.
The Heavenly Dao and Hongjun really are a pair of star-crossed lovers!
Zhang Hao: ...
Hongjun: ...
As for Tai Yi, he'd been sneaking glances at his goddess at first, but in the latter half, the Great Dao's celestial music drew him in as well.
The Many Sons, Much Fortune System had even begun extrapolating the question, "How to conceive higher-quality offspring," based on the contents of the lecture...
Meanwhile, the Twelve Ancestor Witches had no interest in the lecture, since they didn't cultivate the Primordial Spirit. They simply fell asleep right there in Zixiao Palace.
Seeing the Twelve Ancestor Witches fall asleep, Chen Tian shook his head helplessly. Just as the novels described.
The Twelve Ancestor Witches had come to hear the lecture mainly to keep Chen Tian safe. Who knew whether the Four Pure Ones might imitate them and kidnap him?
After thinking this over, Chen Tian focused all his attention on Hongjun's lecture. His physical body and Primordial Spirit resonated together.
Li Shou listened ravenously. This was the key to changing his fate and catching up with his elder brothers!
As Xuan Qing listened, he suppressed his hatred for the Three Pure Ones and Hongjun with all his might. His system told him that paying close attention to the lecture would help him "revive" his Dao companion sooner.
For a time,
all the living beings present were immersed in the Saintly Dao Rhyme released by Hongjun.
Even the Transmigrators who knew the "plot" had to admit that Hongjun truly was the greatest in the Prehistoric World.
If they didn't have systems, they would probably never reach Hongjun's level, let alone escape the Heavenly Dao's schemes and achieve transcendence.