Meanwhile, Hongjun narrowed his eyes slightly and looked Qin Mu over. A strange glint flashed quickly through his gaze.
He had noticed Qin Mu earlier, during the lecture.
There was something strange about Qin Mu, but Hongjun couldn't see through him.
This kid is rather interesting.
Now, seeing that Qin Mu hadn't fought over the spiritual treasures inside Treasure Distribution Cliff, but had instead carried the entire cliff back with him, Hongjun couldn't help but regard him in a new light.
After examining him briefly, Hongjun withdrew his gaze and swept his eyes over everyone present.
"This lecture is over. You may all return!"
Hearing Hongjun's words, no one dared disobey. They bowed and took their leave one after another.
Led by the Three Pure Ones, Qin Mu bowed to Hongjun before heading out of Zixiao Palace with them.
But as soon as they left Zixiao Palace, Qin Mu suddenly stopped.
"Hm?"
Seeing this, Tongtian furrowed his brow slightly and asked in confusion,
"Disciple, what is it?"
Qin Mu looked straight at Tongtian and asked,
"Master."
"May I ask how long the Dao Ancestor's lectures were supposed to last?"
Tongtian paused, then replied,
"Three thousand years each, three lectures in total, for a combined duration of nine thousand years."
A gleam flashed in Qin Mu's eyes as he asked, puzzled,
"But the Dao Ancestor has only lectured for two thousand five hundred years this time!"
At Qin Mu's words, the Three Pure Ones all froze.
After thinking it over, they realized Qin Mu was right.
"Come on, let's go back!"
After a brief hesitation, Taishang spoke urgently and hurried back into Zixiao Palace.
Seeing this, Qin Mu and the others didn't dawdle. They quickly followed Taishang.
Before long, the four of them had returned to the Dao Field inside Zixiao Palace.
At the entrance to the Dao Field, the two attendants, Haotian and Yaochi, furrowed their brows slightly at the sight.
Seeing the Three Pure Ones return with Qin Mu, Haotian looked surprised and was the first to ask,
"Senior Brothers of the Three Pure Ones, why have you come back?"
Tongtian glanced at the two of them indifferently and replied,
"Teacher hasn't finished lecturing."
Hearing this, Haotian and Yaochi exchanged a glance. Though they were puzzled, they didn't dare stop them and could only step aside.
The four of them then returned to the Dao Field.
Sure enough, when they looked, Dao Ancestor Hongjun was still seated on the dais, boundless Daoist aura swirling around him.
Seeing that Hongjun hadn't left, delight flashed in the Three Pure Ones' eyes. They hurriedly bowed to him with respect.
"Greetings, Master!"
Seeing this, Qin Mu bowed deeply as well.
"Greetings, Grandmaster!"
At their words, Hongjun slowly opened his eyes. His gaze swept over the Three Pure Ones and Qin Mu, and a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.
After a brief silence, he finally asked,
"Which of you knew I had yet to finish?"
Hearing Hongjun's question, the Three Pure Ones paused, then turned to look at Qin Mu in unison.
Tongtian stepped forward and bowed as he replied,
"Reporting to Master, it was my disciple, Qin Mu."
As he spoke, Tongtian gave Qin Mu a meaningful glance.
Seeing this, Qin Mu bowed to Hongjun once more and said,
"Disciple Qin Mu pays his respects to the Ancestor."
"Oh?"
Hongjun narrowed his eyes slightly and studied Qin Mu with a deep, faintly amused gaze.
He had noticed Qin Mu earlier, during the lecture.
Qin Mu had only been a Golden Immortal, yet he had come to Zixiao Palace.
And during the distribution of treasures, Qin Mu had acted even more astonishingly, carrying back Treasure Distribution Cliff, which held so many spiritual treasures.
This young man's cultivation is still shallow, yet he acts in such an unusual way.
As he thought this, Hongjun's gaze grew sharper as he stared directly at Qin Mu.
It was obvious that he was examining Qin Mu.
"Hm?"
Suddenly finding Hongjun staring at him like this, Qin Mu's heart gave a jolt, and he began to feel nervous.
When Hongjun had first begun lecturing, Qin Mu had noticed that an Extra-Large Red Packet had appeared.
He had been about to open it when Hongjun glanced in his direction.
At the time, Qin Mu had found it strange.
He'd had the feeling that Hongjun had discovered something.
Now Hongjun was looking at him like this again. Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat, and he muttered to himself,
Did Hongjun realize I'm a transmigrator?
That can't be right!
With the system here, it should be able to conceal the secrets of heaven.
While Qin Mu was privately speculating, Hongjun was equally shaken.
Strange!
Qin Mu's fate isn't within the Primordial Heavenly Dao.
As everyone knew, all beings of the Primordial Wilderness, whether born of the innate or the acquired, were under the Heavenly Dao's control. Their traces could all be found in the River of Fate.
There are Fifty Great Daos, and the Heavenly Dao evolves forty-nine, leaving one to escape. Thus, the Heavenly Dao is incomplete!
That one that escaped...
Could this young man be the one?
Suddenly, this thought came to Hongjun.
At the thought, his mind filled with countless new speculations.
After all, he intended to merge with the Heavenly Dao and make up for the Escaped One.
The Three Pure Ones watched Hongjun stare at Qin Mu, utterly at a loss.
What's going on?
Why is Master looking at Qin Mu like that?
Did Qin Mu offend him somehow?
Tongtian wondered anxiously, his heart uneasy.
Just then, Hongjun came back to himself. Though deeply shaken inside, he still appeared calm on the surface. Smiling, he said,
"Qin Mu."
"Since you are the foremost disciple of our Xuanmen..."
"This Grandmaster will naturally not be stingy."
"I see that your true form is a plant, and that you are an Innate Sacred Being. I bestow this upon you!"
With that, Hongjun swept his wide sleeve.
A streak of light flew down before Qin Mu and transformed into a seed, hovering in his palm.
Qin Mu lowered his eyes to look. The seed was crystalline all over, with strands of Chaos Qi swirling around it.
The instant it appeared, the surrounding Daoist aura trembled and sent out ripples.
When the Three Pure Ones saw the seed in Qin Mu's palm, their hearts trembled.
They couldn't explain why, but they sensed a familiar aura from it.
To the Three Pure Ones,
the seed seemed to be closely connected to them.
"A seed?"
"This is..."
Taishang narrowed his eyes slightly, certain that the object was extraordinary.
Yuanshi and Tongtian felt the same when they saw it.
Qin Mu was puzzled too.
He's giving me a seed?
What's it for?
Just as Qin Mu hesitated, Hongjun explained,
"This is a lotus seed formed when the Creation Green Lotus, which gave birth to Great God Pangu, was damaged!"
At Hongjun's explanation, Qin Mu and the others immediately understood.
No wonder it felt familiar. So it was formed when the Creation Green Lotus was damaged!
Taishang murmured in awe.
The Creation Green Lotus had been Great God Pangu's Companion Treasure. Along with the Creation Divine Axe and the Creation Jade Tablet, it was known as one of the Three Great Creation Treasures.
The Three Pure Ones had been formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit.
Seeing this lotus seed, it was only natural they would find it familiar.
So it came from the Chaos Green Lotus?
Qin Mu was secretly astonished.
He understood that the Creation Green Lotus Hongjun had mentioned was the Chaos Green Lotus.
After Pangu created the world, the Chaos Green Lotus shattered.
In accordance with the will of heaven, it broke apart and transformed into the Four Twelve-Grade Lotus Thrones, the Five Directions Banner... the River Chart and Luo Writing, the River-Mountain Sheji Map, the Nine Heavens God-Slaying Spear, the Qiankun Cauldron, and many other Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Before you continue