The Third Sermon, Eve of the Storm

The Demon Clan declared war, and the Primordial World shook.

Di Jun and Taiyi's imperial edicts spread across the heaven and earth: "The Witch Clan is arrogant, repeatedly violating Heavenly Might, slaughtering Demon Saints, and plundering supreme treasures. Now that the Demon Clan Heavenly Court is established, we act on behalf of the heavens to mete out punishment and conquer the insubordinate!"

Outside the Thirty-Three Heavens, three hundred and sixty-five star palaces lit up simultaneously as the Great Formation of the Stars took its initial shape. The power of billions of stars cascaded down like a waterfall, shrouding the entire Demon Clan Heavenly Court in magnificent starlight.

At the foot of Buzhou Mountain, the Twelve Ancestral Witches gathered and responded with furious roars: "How dare mere beasts with fur and horns call themselves the heavens? Today, we shall make you know what the authentic lineage of Pangu truly is!"

The Great Heavenly God-Demon Array unfolded, and twelve pillars of heaven-supporting bloody aura soared into the sky, faintly condensing into a Pangu Phantom that stood between heaven and earth. Although it possessed only thirty percent of his might, it already made all living beings in the Primordial World tremble with cold terror.

The Witches and Demons confronted each other, the tribulation baleful aura permeating the heaven and earth to the point that even the Heavenly Dao grew dim because of it.

Yet Lu Chen, the instigator of all this, was currently squatting in an inconspicuous rock crevice on Buzhou Mountain, holding the Chaos Brick in his left hand and the God-Slaying Remnant Spear in his right, with the newly acquired Chaos Bell (the one Taiyi had lost) hanging on his back, looking precisely like a mobile arsenal.

Fight, fight with all your might. While gnawing on a roasted beast leg pilfered from the Witch Clan's kitchen, he watched the show through the rock crevice. It would be best if both sides suffer heavy losses so I can go pick—cough, go clean up the aftermath.

His self corpse, Hun Yuanzi, drifted over in the form of a wisp of cyan smoke and reported in a low voice, "Master, the Demon Clan has already mobilized eighty billion demon soldiers and deployed 'Starfall', the first stage of change in the Great Formation of the Stars. On the Witch Clan's side, the Twelve Ancestral Witches are using their primordial blood as a catalyst, and the Great Heavenly God-Demon Array can be maintained for three days."

"Three days?" Lu Chen raised an eyebrow. "Enough. When they fight to the most tragic point, let's go steal the core eye-of-the-formation of the Great Formation of the Stars—the formation flags of the Solar Star and the Lunar Star. Without these two formation eyes, the power of the grand array will be halved at the very least."

"Then on the Witch Clan's side..."

"Ancestral Witch Houtu owes me a favor. I'll give her a word of warning so she preserves her strength and doesn't charge too far forward." Lu Chen wiped his mouth. "As for the other Ancestral Witches... it won't matter if a few die; they are destined to fall sooner or later anyway."

These words were ruthless, yet they were the truth. Lu Chen had read the "script" and knew very well that few of the Twelve Ancestral Witches would survive in the end. He could not change the grand trend, so he could only try his best to protect the ones who were useful to him.

Hun Yuanzi nodded. "Understood. In addition, the reincarnated bodies of Jieyin and Zhunti have already arrived at Western Spirit Mountain, begun rebuilding the Western Teachings, and renamed it 'Buddhism'. They seem to have received Heavenly Dao compensation, and their cultivation levels have recovered extremely quickly, already reaching Grand Unity Peak."

"Two old schemers..." Lu Chen sneered. "Let them toss about. Once we finish dealing with the Witches, Demons, and Luohu, we'll settle accounts with them."

As he spoke, three thousand miles of purple Qi suddenly came from the east above the Nine Heavens!

A vast Dao sound resounded through the Primordial World:

"The third lecture at Zixiao Palace, the final lecture, shall begin immediately. All those with affinity may come and listen."

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's imperial edict had actually descended at the critical moment when the Witch-Demon War was on the verge of breaking out!

Both sides of the battlefield froze simultaneously.

Di Jun frowned. "What does the Dao Ancestor mean by this? Why must he lecture at a time like this?"

Taiyi had his chest wrapped in bandages (the wound from the God-Slaying Spear was extremely difficult to heal) and gritted his teeth. "Older brother, let's go! The third lecture involves the secret of becoming a Saint; we cannot miss it. Besides, when the Dao Ancestor lectures, both the Witch and Demon factions must cease hostilities. This is the rule."

On the Witch Clan's side, Ancestral Witch Dijiang also said in a deep voice, "Houtu, Xuanming, the two of you go listen to the Dao, and the rest stay behind. We must give the Dao Ancestor face, but if the Demon Clan dares to launch a sneak attack, kill without mercy!"

Thus, a bizarre scene unfolded—

The Witch and Demon clans, which had been at daggers drawn just the moment before, each dispatched representatives to rush into the Chaos the very next moment, while the remaining troops confronted each other in place, staring at one another with wide eyes.

Lu Chen was stunned as well.

Didn't the third lecture just end? Oh right, the last one was a pseudo-lecture, the time when purple Qi was distributed. This time is truly the final lecture... But I heard this one is about 'The Way of the Saint', which you can only understand after becoming a Saint. I haven't become a Saint yet, have I?

Just as he was muttering to himself, a strand of purple Qi voice transmission fell into his mind:

"Little friend Lu Chen, you come too."

It was the Dao Ancestor's voice!

Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat, but he immediately felt relieved—Hongjun had even allowed him into the core of the Treasure Distribution Cliff, so what was listening to a lecture?

"Hun Yuanzi, stay behind and continue to keep an eye on the battlefield. I'll go listen to what high insights the Dao Ancestor has."

Brick Escape activated, heading straight into the Chaos.

Outside Zixiao Palace, most of the Three Thousand Red Dust Guests had already arrived.

Lu Chen low-key blended into the back row of the crowd, spotting quite a few acquaintances:

The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Hongyun (accompanied by Zhenyuanzi), the reincarnated bodies of Jieyin and Zhunti (now renamed Amitabha and Patriarch Bodhi), Di Jun, Taiyi, Houtu, Xuanming, and Old Ancestor Minghe (this old demon had actually come too)...

Kunpeng hadn't come; he was probably nursing his injuries or hiding from Lu Chen.

Not a single one of Luohu's people was anywhere to be seen.

The Dao Ancestor appeared, still maintaining that expressionless composure, and opened his mouth straight to the core:

"Today I lecture on the Way of the Saint. What is a Saint? Under the Heavenly Dao, a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal passes through myriad kalpas undestroyed, untainted by karma. The Saint practices non-action, hence suffers no defeat; holds no grasping, hence suffers no loss."

"There are three methods to become a Saint: the first is becoming a Saint through Merit, such as Nuwa creating humans; the second is becoming a Saint by severing the three corpses, such as the Three Pure Ones; the third is Proving the Dao through Strength, such as Pangu."

Lu Chen pricked up his ears—Proving the Dao through Strength!

Sure enough, the Dao Ancestor continued, "Proving the Dao through Strength is the strongest, yet also the most perilous. One must use one's own strength to shatter the shackles of the Heavenly Dao and forcefully prove the Hun Dao. Since ancient times, only Pangu succeeded in this method, and he subsequently fell and transformed the Primordial World."

"Today, I impart to you all the Primordial Dao Proving Art, which I created by deducing Pangu's method. It can increase the success rate of proving the Dao by thirty percent."

The entire crowd erupted!

Increasing the success rate by thirty percent? This was simply a heaven-defying technique!

The Dao Ancestor raised a hand, and three thousand streaks of purple light flew into the glabella of everyone present. What each person received was a portion of the technique suited to their own path.

What Lu Chen obtained was the Primordial Dao Proving Art: Strength Chapter, which specifically detailed how to push the Law of Strength to its absolute extreme and shatter the Dao with strength.

He scanned it roughly, and shock filled his heart—this technique was actually seventy percent similar to the content he had obtained from the Strength Demon God Inheritance, yet it was far more systematic and complete!

The Dao Ancestor is truly unfathomable; he can even deduce the inheritance of a Chaos Demon God... Lu Chen inwardly sighed.

The lecture lasted a hundred years.

During these hundred years, time in the Primordial World practically stagnated. Under the Saintly might of the Dao Ancestor, the Witch and Demon clans dared not act rashly, maintaining a bizarre peace.

As for Lu Chen, he eagerly and greedily absorbed the essence of the Way of the Saint. He had already possessed the Strength Demon God Inheritance, and now, with the Dao Ancestor's systematic explanation, his understanding of Proving the Dao through Strength advanced by leaps and bounds each day.

When the hundred years were up, the Dao Ancestor finally spoke:

"The Way of the Saint has been imparted, and the Primordial World shall have seven Saints. Yet the Heavenly Dao is flawed, with one path escaping, thus there are eight Saint positions, and the final Saint position... shall be contested among yourselves by your own efforts."

"Ten thousand years from now, the eight Saints shall take their positions and govern the Primordial World. The tribulation is about to arise, so take care of yourselves."

As the voice faded, the Dao Ancestor's figure dissolved into nothingness.

The doors of Zixiao Palace slowly closed, and the third lecture came to a complete end.

The crowd departed, each harboring their own thoughts.

Just as Lu Chen was about to leave, Hongyun and Zhenyuanzi approached him.

"Little friend Lu Chen," Hongyun said with a solemn expression, "what the Dao Ancestor said at the end... that there are eight Saint positions, and the final one is to be contested by us ourselves—what does that imply?"

Lu Chen narrowed his eyes. "It implies that over the next ten thousand years, the Primordial World will fight tooth and nail for that final Saint position."

Zhenyuanzi sighed. "A kalpa..."

"The two seniors need not worry," Lu Chen smiled and said. "You already possess the purple Qi within your bodies; simply cultivating step by step will allow you to become Saints, so why bother getting entangled in the struggle? Instead, you should be careful of those who didn't obtain the purple Qi..."

He cast a pointed glance into the distance—Minghe, Kunpeng (who had recovered from his injuries and rushed over), and certain hidden old monsters of the Primordial World all had greed and madness flashing in their eyes at this moment.

The final Saint position and the ownerless purple Qi were enough to make anyone fight to the death!

"Is the little friend also going to contend for it?" Hongyun asked.

"I am not contending for a Saint position," Lu Chen shook his head. "The path I wish to walk is Proving the Dao through Strength. To me, the position of a Saint is instead a shackle."

These words were half true and half false. He genuinely wanted to prove the Dao through strength, but if the opportunity arose to casually pick up a Saint position for free, he wouldn't mind it either.

Bidding farewell to the two of them, Lu Chen returned to the Primordial World.

As soon as he stepped out of the Chaos, he sensed that the tribulation baleful aura between heaven and earth had grown so dense it had become tangible. Heavenly secrets were thoroughly chaotic, making it difficult even for Saints to calculate the future.

"The storm is coming..." he muttered.

Sure enough, the moment he returned to Buzhou Mountain, Hun Yuanzi delivered an urgent report:

"Master, something major has happened! Taking advantage of the Ancestral Witches listening to the Dao, the Demon Clan launched a sneak attack on the rear of the Witch Clan. The Zhu Rong Tribe was wiped out, suffering a million casualties! Upon returning, Ancestral Witch Zhu Rong flew into a furious rage, single-handedly slaughtered his way into the Demon Clan's encampment, beheaded eighteen demon gods in succession, and was ultimately trapped by the Great Formation of the Stars, leaving his life or death unknown!"

"Ancestral Witch Gonggong went to reinforce him and was likewise trapped within the array!"

"The remaining ten Ancestral Witches of the Witch Clan have all mobilized. The Great Heavenly God-Demon Array and the Great Formation of the Stars have officially collided—the First Witch-Demon War has fully erupted!"

Lu Chen's gaze turned cold.

The Demon Clan truly had no shame.

"Let's go, to the battlefield." He lifted the God-Slaying Remnant Spear. "It's time to pull in the net."

Meanwhile, at the center of the battlefield.

The Great Formation of the Stars was operating to its absolute limit, with billions of stars plunging downward; within the Great Heavenly God-Demon Array, the Pangu Phantom roared toward the heavens, cleaving the galaxy apart with a single axe.

The aftermath of the collision between these two peerless killing arrays shattered even a corner of Buzhou Mountain!

Deep within the fissures of that collapsing mountain, a wisp of faint yet exceptionally pure Chaos Qi leaked out—

That was the location of the final fragment of the Sky-Opening Axe!

Lu Chen and countless gazes hidden in the shadows simultaneously cast their eyes toward it.

The storm had arrived!

Buzhou Mountain collapsed, the firmament cracked open a breach, and the Chaos Qi poured backward in reverse.

Nuwa looked up at the sky, seeming to sense something: "Mending Heaven merit... My opportunity to become a Saint lies right here."

The Sea of Blood churned, and Minghe smiled hideously: "When the great kalpa arises, it is precisely the opportunity for this seat to blood-sacrifice all living beings and prove the Dao through slaughter!"

Deep within the Demon Abyss, Luohu's remnant soul infused his final demonic thought into the Myriad Demon Banner, causing the banner body to completely solidify: "The Myriad Demon Banner is complete! Primordial World, it is time to return to the Demonic Dao."

As for Lu Chen, he had already quietly slipped away to the Solar Star formation eye of the Great Formation of the Stars, knocked out the Demon Saint guarding the array with a single brick, and flashed a grin:

"Stealing homes is my specialty."