Amid Chaos, the thirty-six coiling-dragon pillars before Purple Sky Palace breathed out purple qi, stirring the boundless Chaos Gale into a vortex.
"Clang!"
The bronze gates of Purple Sky Palace rumbled and trembled, their gilded runes rolling back like a river of stars.
Two child attendants stepped out side by side, the Innate Dao Patterns embroidered in shadow on their moon-white robes flickering with every step.
These two were the child attendants at Hongjun's side, named Haotian and Yaochi.
Their true forms were two stubborn stones from within Chaos. One had been stained with Innate Yang Energy, the other with Innate Yin Qi.
In the original course of events, after the Witch-Demon Tribulation, Hongjun would appoint Haotian Heavenly Emperor and Yaochi Queen Mother, entrusting them to rule the Heavenly Court together.
It was worth noting that this Queen Mother Yaochi had no connection to Queen Mother of the West.
The child attendants' eyes were clear as ancient pools. Their gazes swept across the gathering figures on the plaza, and at a light tap of their jade fingers, two thousand nine hundred and eighty-six shimmering points of Dao resonance appeared in the air.
"Two thousand nine hundred and eighty-six." Haotian and Yaochi exchanged a glance, both frowning. "Fourteen are still missing."
They had been ordered to open the gates and welcome the guests, and had been told that the Great Dao's number was three thousand. There should have been three thousand guests at Purple Sky Palace.
Yet three thousand years had passed, and sixteen Purple Sky Guests were still missing.
"Crack!"
"Thud, thud, thud!"
Before the words had faded, space-time suddenly twisted to the southeast. Corpses of Gu Worms fell from Pan Wang, who excelled in the Gu Dao, their life force fading away.
Beside him, eleven mighty cultivators who had originally had no chance of finding Purple Sky Palace were also swept up and dropped down by a purple, mysterious Space-Time Turbulence.
Their clothes were torn, their primordial spirits trembling. Clearly, they had endured a great ordeal in Chaos.
These twelve mighty cultivators had originally had no chance of arriving because Xuanyuan, Tongtian, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches had not come to listen to the Dao. Only Da Yi and Kuafu had come, leaving twelve places open.
Karma was the Chain of Destiny; fortune was the Trajectory of Heavenly Numbers.
In the unseen order of things, fortune and karma alike were bound by the Heavenly Dao. All were subject to chains and fixed numbers.
And the fixed number for Purple Sky Palace's preaching corresponded to the three thousand Great Daos of the three thousand Chaos Demon Gods.
"This poor Daoist and my junior brother arrived late, but fortunately, we made it."
In the West, a ray of Qi of Light transformed into Jie Yin, his face full of sorrow. Beside him, the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree above Zhun Ti's head shone with divine light.
Earlier, in the Western Land, Zhun Ti had taken Xuanyuan's full-force arrow.
Although the fortune of the Western Land had protected his life, he had still been badly wounded. He had spent these Eons recuperating in seclusion, and had nearly missed this great opportunity.
"All are here."
Yaochi's lips curved faintly. She lifted a hand and swept it through the air, and the three thousand meditation cushions immediately glowed with spiritual light.
"The time has come."
Haotian waved the horsetail whisk in his hand. The bronze gates of Purple Sky Palace slowly swung open, and thirty-six layers of Innate Spiritual Charm poured out like a waterfall.
"Bong!"
The peal of bells and chimes, carrying the Great Dao's teachings, rang out with a thunderous crash, making the primordial spirits of the mighty cultivators on the plaza tremble.
After Haotian and Yaochi briefly explained the rules, they stepped aside from the entrance. The three thousand mighty cultivators straightened their robes and looked up, only to see six meditation cushions inside.
At once, some of them felt a sudden stirring in their hearts, as if fortune had come to them.
These cushions were an opportunity!
One mighty cultivator after another immediately used their own means to claim a seat, all scrambling to be first.
Yuanshi declared that they had all come from Kunlun and should stand together as one, looking out for one another. Then he joined forces with Laozi and Queen Mother of the West, and the three claimed three cushions and sat down.
With Fuxi's help, Nuwa quickly claimed the fourth cushion;
Kunpeng, who had taken form and emerged in the North Sea, possessed no powerful treasures, but his speed was unmatched, and he claimed the fifth cushion;
Hong Yun, relying on the innate advantage of having manifested from the first cloud in Heaven and Earth, was almost neck and neck with Kunpeng as he claimed the last cushion. Behind him, Zhen Yuanzi backed him with the Top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Earth Book.
Thus, each of the six cushions had its owner.
Dong Wang Gong, Di Jun, Tai Yi, and the others were dissatisfied and wanted to keep fighting for seats. But then they remembered that the cushions had already been claimed and that they were in a Saint's Daoist sanctuary. It would not do to attack again.
So the mighty cultivators who had failed to claim cushions sat on the floor behind them and waited quietly for Hongjun to appear.
Just then, the brothers Jie Yin and Zhun Ti began beating their chests and wailing, lamenting how difficult life was in the Barren West.
Di Jun and the other mighty cultivators capable of contesting the cushions were contemptuous of such shameless behavior, but they had their dignity to maintain.
They moved well away from the pair, and lost all desire to fight over the cushions.
"Woe is me! Woe is me!" Zhun Ti beat his chest again, his hair and beard quivering violently with each sob. "The West is barren, with no blessed immortal mountains. Countless living beings are mired in a sea of suffering, and yet they don't even have the chance to seek the Dao..."
Before he could finish, he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his tattered robe red.
Jie Yin trembled as he supported Zhun Ti, wisps of black qi seeping from his seven orifices. "The two of us crossed countless miles of Chaos, hoping to find a glimmer of hope for the West. Now every cushion is taken. How can I face the living beings of the West?"
As he spoke, he even removed his Daoist crown. His hair turned white as frost, wrinkles instantly covering his once-smooth face. His breathing grew labored, his robe fluttered without a breeze and tore apart piece by piece, revealing ulcerated bloodstains all over his body, as if he were being burned by an invisible karmic fire.
A mighty Grand Unity Golden Immortal was already showing signs of the Five Declines of Heaven and Humanity!
Zhun Ti and Jie Yin kept lamenting, every word wrung from them like blood.
Silence filled the hall. The Three Saints of Kunlun frowned slightly, and Empress Nuwa furrowed her delicate brows.
Ancestor Hong Yun was famous throughout the Primordial World for being a Good Old Person. His heart softened, and at the sight of the pair, clouds and mist surged violently around him.
He was just about to rise when Zhen Yuanzi held him down. Then Zhun Ti suddenly staggered toward them, crying out, "Rather than return empty-handed, I might as well smash my head against this place and die!"
"Fellow Daoist, wait!" Hong Yun hurriedly reached out to stop him. Clouds and mist surged from his sleeve, catching Zhun Ti.
Before Hong Yun could react, Daoist Jie Yin pressed his palms together and bowed deeply to him. "The West will remember your great kindness forever! The karma of Fellow Daoist Hong Yun giving up his seat will surely be repaid one day!"
A flash of Qi of Light, and Jie Yin was already seated on the cushion Hong Yun had given up. Though he was still coughing blood, he no longer looked like he was about to take his own life.
"This..." Hong Yun stood there, dumbfounded.
"Alas." Zhen Yuanzi let out a long sigh.
Then Jie Yin and Zhun Ti turned their eyes to Kunpeng. He remained motionless, so the brothers resorted to their bitter act once more.
If that had been all, it would have been no more to Kunpeng than a gentle breeze. He was no Hong Yun.
"Those born from dampness and eggs, those covered in fur and bearing horns—how can they be worthy of standing among us?"
Just then, Yuanshi, seated on the second cushion, inexplicably burst into a furious tirade. His words made many of the mighty cultivators frown.
Even Kunpeng, with his origins, was treated by him as something born from dampness and eggs... Yu Qing Yuan Shi really was arrogant beyond measure!
Of course, though they were displeased, none of them spoke up. They did not want to offend the Three Saints of Kunlun over such a trivial matter.
Laozi gently stroked the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda. Mysterious Yellow Qi spilled down like a curtain, weaving together with Yuanshi's oppressive aura;
Queen Mother of the West sighed softly, recalling her earlier words about East and West Kunlun standing together as one, and added her own oppressive aura.
Seeing this, Jie Yin and Zhun Ti quickly joined in.
Kunpeng was extremely swift, but he had always traveled the Primordial World alone and made no friends. Two fists could not stand against four hands, and without a powerful treasure to protect him, he had no choice but to give up his cushion under the combined pressure of the five mighty cultivators.
From that moment on, he hated the shameless brothers, and he also came to resent Hong Yun.
Grinding his teeth, he committed this karma to memory, waiting for a day when he could settle the score!
"Hum!"
Space-time within Purple Sky Palace suddenly shattered. A white-haired Daoist slowly appeared, treading on the Twelve Petaled Merit Golden Lotus, with Heavenly Dao Law coiling around him. The Jade Disc of Creation floated behind his head, and ten thousand golden patterns streamed down like a waterfall.
He was once Old Ancestor Hongjun, now Daoist Hongjun, and would one day become Dao Ancestor Hongjun.
"Fate has been decided. Cease your quarrels."
Hongjun raised a hand and waved it lightly. The ancient Jade Disc of Creation floated in the air, and countless Innate Dao Patterns slithered across it like living snakes. Wherever they passed, spiritual qi condensed into golden seal characters, sketching out various visions in the air.
"This poor Daoist will obey."
A fleeting smile tugged at Zhun Ti's lips as he exchanged a glance with Jie Yin. In an instant, the signs of the Five Declines of Heaven and Humanity around them vanished completely.
Seeing this, Kunpeng hated Hong Yun even more.
"Oh?"
Just then, Hongjun's gaze swept over Laozi, Yuanshi, Kuafu, and Da Yi. He gave a startled exclamation and frowned slightly.
Neither three nor four?
The Pangu Primordial Spirit had given rise to neither the Three Pure Ones nor the Four Pure Ones, but only two?
And the beings formed from Pangu Essence Blood were so weak?
He had no idea that Xuanyuan, Tongtian, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches were still cultivating in seclusion at Pangu Hall, paying no heed to the outside world.
He had simply mistaken Da Yi and Kuafu for beings formed from Pangu Essence Blood.
The latter had been nurtured from Ancestral Witch Essence Blood in the Pangu Blood Pool, and did indeed possess a faint trace of Pangu's aura, almost too slight to notice. But Hongjun knew nothing of Pangu Hall or the Ancestral Witches, and was immediately at a loss.
In the eyes of the three thousand mighty cultivators, this revered Heavenly Dao Saint began to fully activate the Jade Disc of Creation and divine the secrets of Heaven.
But with Pangu Hall blocking the way, all his efforts were ultimately in vain.
Within the Primordial World, the Heavenly Dao reigned supreme, but even it could do nothing to Pangu Hall.
Those within it were untouched by karma and could not be divined.
"Very well. This time, there will be three sessions of preaching. The first will last ten thousand years and cover the Dao of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal."
After a long while, Hongjun gave up divining the secrets of Heaven and prepared to begin his sermon.
"Boom!"
With a light wave of his hand, the dome of Purple Sky Palace burst open. Thirty-six layers of Chaos Qi surged inward, but the instant they touched the Dao Sound, they transformed into Heavenly Flowers filling the sky.
Crimson, indigo, and golden-purple lotuses bloomed in midair. Where their petals fell, the Great Dao's teachings appeared and disappeared. Even the coiling dragons on the bronze pillars opened their golden eyes, and the mist they breathed out condensed into seal characters.
For a moment, Heavenly Flowers rained down and Golden Lotuses surged from the earth.
As the preaching at Purple Sky Palace began, Xuanyuan and the others were still cultivating in seclusion inside Pangu Hall, yet they had also touched the threshold of the Primordial Golden Immortal.
"After too long in stillness, it's time to act. The preaching has begun, and the treasures across Primordial World Earth are due to emerge. Besides, the mighty cultivators are all away from the Primordial World, so they must be fated for my brothers and me." Xuanyuan ended his cultivation and smiled faintly.
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