Hongjun Punishes Zhunti, Explaining the Path of Quasi-Saints

Inside Purple Sky Palace, there was deathly silence.

Everyone's gaze focused on the blue-robed Daoist in the corner—he looked utterly ordinary, and his early-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation was inconspicuous among the Great Luo and Quasi-Saints gathered here.

Yet Dao Ancestor had specifically called on him!

Lu Chen's heart jolted, but he forced himself to remain calm. Bowing, he said, "This junior Qingyunzi greets Dao Ancestor."

Hongjun's gaze fell upon him, deep as Chaos, as though it could see through every disguise. Lu Chen felt the Chaos Brick within him tremble faintly, while the aura of half a strand of violet qi nearly burst from his body—but he gritted his teeth and suppressed it.

"Your foundation is rather unusual." Hongjun slowly spoke, his voice neither pleased nor displeased. "Though you appear to be at Grand Unity Golden Immortal, you possess the substance of Great Luo. You also have the rudiment of the Law of Strength and merit protecting your body... Qingyunzi, is that truly your name?"

Those words struck like thunder!

Cold sweat instantly soaked Lu Chen's back. He forced a smile. "Dao Ancestor, you jest. This junior..."

"Never mind." Hongjun waved a hand, seemingly unwilling to pursue the matter. "A name is merely an outward form. Are you willing to accept this strand of violet qi?"

In his palm floated the strand of Primordial Violet Qi tainted by demonic qi, its black-red patterns writhing like venomous snakes. Though corrupted, it was still the foundation for becoming a Saint, containing the true essence of the Great Dao!

The entire hall erupted in an uproar.

"Dao Ancestor! What virtue or ability does this boy possess?" Kunpeng was the first to leap out, his eyes bloodshot. "My Demon Clan's two majesties, Di Jun and Taiyi, have achieved profound mastery and rule over all demons. They are the most suitable candidates for the violet qi!"

Though Di Jun and Taiyi said nothing, their burning gazes clearly conveyed the same sentiment.

Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Dijiang snorted coldly. "A Saint Position should belong to one of virtue. My Witch Clan is Pangu's orthodox lineage—how are we not more deserving?"

Nuwa softly said, "Dao Ancestor, this violet qi has already been tainted by demons. I'm afraid it may bring disaster..."

Even the Three Pure Ones frowned slightly. A new competitor had suddenly appeared. Though they were confident in becoming Saints, they had no desire for further complications.

Only Hongyun, weakly leaning against Zhen Yuanzi's shoulder, struggled to speak. "Dao Ancestor... since this violet qi has been demonically tainted... it would be better to... destroy it... lest it harm others..."

He had experienced it firsthand and knew the agony of demonic qi corroding one's Primordial Spirit.

Yet Hongjun looked at Lu Chen. "Do you dare accept it?"

Lu Chen took a deep breath.

Of course, he knew it was a trap—if he accepted it, he would inherit Luohu's karma and become a target for everyone; if he refused, he would miss a chance to become a Saint and might even arouse Dao Ancestor's suspicions.

But Old Sixth's instincts made his decision in an instant.

"This junior is willing!" Lu Chen declared. "Though demonic qi is fierce, it is also a part of the Great Dao. This junior is willing to test the Dao with his own body, purify this demonic taint, and forge a new path for the Primordial World!"

It sounded so righteous that even he nearly believed it himself.

A nearly imperceptible smile flashed through Hongjun's eyes. "Good."

The violet qi drifted toward Lu Chen.

Under everyone's complicated gazes, Lu Chen reached out and caught it. The instant the violet qi entered his body, violent demonic qi erupted and slammed into his Primordial Spirit!

"Hmph!" Lu Chen groaned. Half a strand of pure violet qi within him automatically surged forward. Sky-Opening Merit shone with brilliant golden light, the Chaos Brick trembled in his dantian, and the Law of Strength transformed into an invisible giant hand that firmly pinned down the demonic qi.

The three forces acted together and actually suppressed the demonic qi!

Though he could not completely purify it, he had at least stabilized it for the moment.

"Oh?" Hongjun nodded slightly. "You truly do have some skill."

He said no more and turned to the crowd. "The violet qi has been distributed, and the Saint Positions have been decided. Next, I shall explain the final realm of the Quasi-Saint path—Three Corpses Unity, proving the Dao of the Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal."

The lecture resumed.

This time, Hongjun explained how to unite the Good Corpse, Evil Corpse, and Self Corpse, using Primordial Violet Qi as a guide to entrust oneself to the Heavenly Dao and achieve Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

The content was profoundly mysterious. Heavenly flowers rained down while golden springs burst from the earth.

As Lu Chen listened, he secretly suppressed the demonic qi within his body. He discovered that his half-strand of pure violet qi was slowly "devouring" the demon-tainted violet qi—extremely slowly, but it was undeniably working!

Could I completely purify this strand of violet qi and make it my own? His heartbeat quickened.

If that were true, he would possess an entire strand of Primordial Violet Qi! His hopes of becoming a Saint would rise dramatically!

But he soon calmed down—how could Dao Ancestor fail to notice? This was probably intentional.

Sure enough, during a pause in the lecture, Hongjun's voice sounded in his mind.

"Little friend, I will not ask where the half-strand of violet qi inside you came from. But Luohu's Demonic Seed is no trivial matter. Within a hundred years, you must completely purify the demonic qi. Otherwise, the violet qi will backlash, and even a Saint may not be able to save you."

Lu Chen hurriedly replied through divine sense, "This junior understands. I will certainly not disappoint Dao Ancestor's expectations."

"To purify it, you need Three Lights Divine Water, Sky-Opening Merit, and the Law of Strength. You already possess all three. But you also need a medicinal catalyst—the lotus seed of the Twelve-petal Pure World White Lotus. That item is in Jieyin's possession. Though he has fallen, before his True Spirit reincarnated, he hid his storage treasure beneath Spirit Mountain. You may take it yourself."

Dao Ancestor was even telling him this?

Lu Chen's heart chilled as he respectfully replied, "Thank you for your guidance, Dao Ancestor."

"No need to thank me." Hongjun's voice was indifferent. "Luohu is not dead. The revival of the Demonic Dao is imminent. You bear the Law of Strength and have a connection to Pangu. You will have great use in the future tribulation. Cultivate well, and do not squander this opportunity."

With that, the divine transmission ended.

Lu Chen understood—Dao Ancestor was treating him as a chess piece, using him to balance Luohu and the future Demonic Dao!

Still, even a chess piece had its benefits. At the very least, Dao Ancestor would secretly protect him for now.

The lecture continued for three hundred years.

When it ended, Hongjun announced, "The three lectures are temporarily concluded. In ten thousand years, Saints shall emerge and govern the Primordial World. Take care of yourselves."

The palace doors slowly closed.

The crowd departed one after another.

Di Jun and Taiyi gave Lu Chen a deep look before leaving with the Demon Clan. The violet qi had already been distributed, so there was no point in fighting further. It would be better to return and prepare for the Heavenly Court.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches also left. They had never expected to become Saints in the first place. The Witch Clan's path lay in the flesh, not the Primordial Spirit.

The Three Pure Ones and Nuwa departed separately to enter seclusion and comprehend the violet qi.

Supported by Zhen Yuanzi, Hongyun approached Lu Chen and cupped his hands. "Fellow Daoist Qingyun, thank you for today... Though I do not know why you helped me, Hongyun will remember this favor."

He had clearly recognized Lu Chen's true identity, but tacitly chose not to expose it.

Lu Chen returned the gesture. "Senior Hongyun is too polite. This junior merely did what he should have done."

The two exchanged smiles, understanding everything without needing words.

Once everyone had left, Lu Chen was about to depart when a figure suddenly blocked his path.

It was Kunpeng!

"Brat, hand over the violet qi!" Kunpeng's gaze was venomous. "A Grand Unity Golden Immortal ant like you isn't worthy of becoming a Saint! Hand it over, and I'll spare your life!"

Lu Chen smiled.

"Kunpeng, have you forgotten... back in Chaos, who was it that I beat until he fled in panic?"

"You!" Kunpeng flew into a rage, but then sneered. "I was injured back then! Now my injuries have fully recovered, and I'm already a Mid-Stage Quasi-Saint. Killing you will be as easy as slaughtering a dog!"

He revealed his colossal true form, his wings blotting out the sky as his sharp talons tore toward Lu Chen.

"Is that so?" Lu Chen neither dodged nor evaded. He removed his disguise and returned to his original appearance. "Then what about now?"

The aura of Grand Unity Peak erupted! The Chaos Sky-Opening Brick appeared in his hand, its Axe Blade Sharpness tearing through Chaos!

"You're Lu Chen?!" Kunpeng's pupils constricted as he turned and fled!

"Too late!"

The brick came crashing down!

Bang—!!!

Kunpeng screamed as he was sent flying. Half his wing was smashed to pieces, and blood sprayed across Chaos.

"This brick is for your false accusations!" Lu Chen caught up and brought down a second brick.

"This brick is for your pursuit and attempted murder!"

"This brick... forget it. I just feel like beating you up!"

After three bricks, Kunpeng had been reduced to a pile of mangled flesh, barely clinging to life.

Lu Chen stepped on his head and bent down to whisper, "Go back and tell Di Jun and Taiyi that I'm taking the violet qi. If they have the ability, they can come take it. Also, I took the treasures from Treasure Distribution Cliff. If they have any objections... tell Taiyi to bring the Chaos Bell and find me."

With that, he kicked Kunpeng away.

Watching the fellow's bedraggled fleeing figure, Lu Chen grinned.

"That felt good!"

He turned toward the west.

"Next, it's time to head to Spirit Mountain and take the lotus seeds of the Pure World White Lotus... while I'm at it, I'll see what other good things Jieyin and Zhunti have hidden away."

Brick Escape activated, and his figure vanished.

After he left, a phantom strand of violet qi slowly emerged within Chaos.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun gazed in the direction Lu Chen had gone and quietly muttered to himself:

"Successor of the Law of Strength, nemesis of the Demonic Dao, variable of the tribulation... little fellow, don't disappoint me."

"This game of chess has only just begun."

Meanwhile, in the Primordial World.

Friction between the Witch Clan and Demon Clan continued along their borders, and their first great war was on the verge of erupting.

Deep within the Sea of Blood, Minghe refined the avatar he had lost to the Karma Red Lotus, his fury reaching the heavens. "Lu Chen... I will definitely refine you into a Blood God Son and torment you for eternity!"

Within the Demon Abyss, Luohu's remnant soul sensed that the Demonic Seed had been suppressed and sneered. "Hongjun, old fool, do you think finding a chess piece will let you balance me? Once my demonic body is restored, the first person I kill will be Lu Chen!"

And Lu Chen had already arrived at the foot of Spirit Mountain. Looking at the holy land with its dim golden glow, he licked his lips. "Jieyin and Zhunti's family fortune... should be quite substantial, right?"