Jieyin and Zhunti both froze.
They stared at Xuanyuan in bewilderment.
Was there something wrong with this guy's head?
How was there only one cushion left?
Did he even have a cushion?
And he wanted two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures!
He was insane!
"Go on, get out of here and keep dreaming!"
Jieyin snapped impatiently, his eyes darting around.
He sized up Zhurong and Gonggong, and when he saw that neither of them had a single treasure on them, he immediately smiled. "I won't make you give up your seats for nothing. I'll trade two Houtian Spiritual Treasures for your cushions. What do you say, fellow Daoists?"
Jieyin stared at the cushions beneath Zhurong and Gonggong. He didn't know what they represented, but Sanqing and Nuwa were sitting on them, so they had to be good things.
He'd trick them into handing them over first.
If the cushions turned out to be useless, he could just take the treasures back.
"Heh heh heh!"
Zhurong sneered repeatedly. "We brothers already said it: two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures for one cushion. Take it or leave it!"
"What?"
"You're all in this together?"
Only then did Jieyin and Zhunti realize that all these people were on the same side.
Wait!
Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, Zhen Yuanzi, Ancestor Hong Yun, Ancestor Minghe, Old Ancestor Kunpeng...
The Primordial World's famous powerhouses were all gathered around the person who'd just spoken, apparently discussing treasures and Ginseng Fruits.
They'd been so focused on figuring out how to swindle the cushions that they hadn't paid much attention before.
But now that they thought about it...
Were they really planning to trade Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures for a cushion to sit on?
And had Sanqing and Nuwa really traded Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures for the cushions they were sitting on?
Good heavens!
Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures?
Traded for a lousy cushion?
Were people in the Eastern World all mad?
Was this really the Saints' sacred ground, Zixiao Palace, and not a bandit den?
This was blatant robbery!
"I'd have to be out of my mind to trade a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure for a lousy cushion!"
Jieyin snorted. His mind raced, then he turned and bowed to Sanqing. "Fellow Daoists, the three of you were formed from the Nascent Soul of Great God Pangu and represent the Pangu Orthodox. Will you really let these bandits run wild in a Saint's sacred ground?"
Sanqing, Nuwa, and Fuxi all looked livid as they glared at Jieyin.
The cushions beneath them had been bought with Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Who are you calling a bald donkey?
Yuanshi sneered. "Jieyin, Zhunti, the two of you are also top powerhouses of the Western World. Surely you can afford two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures?"
Fuxi said disdainfully, "Beggars don't deserve cushions!"
What was going on?
Were these people from the Eastern World all crazy?
Jieyin and Zhunti stared in confusion.
Especially Jieyin. Hadn't he said anything wrong?
What normal person would trade a Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure for a lousy cushion?
Did they think Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures grew on trees?
"Two it is, then. I'll make the trade!"
Just then, Ancestor Minghe gritted his teeth and took out Yuantu and Abi, two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, to trade with Xuanyuan.
Zixiao Palace had been open for a while already. If he didn't hurry, he'd lose his chance once Old Ancestor Hongjun arrived.
"I'll offer two Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, plus twenty top-grade Ginseng Fruits, for the last cushion!"
Zhen Yuanzi gritted his teeth as well, determined to get a cushion for his good friend Hong Yun.
With Ancestor Minghe and Zhen Yuanzi leading the way, the others began making offers too, raising their bids like mad.
Everyone wanted the last cushion.
Jieyin and Zhunti were dumbfounded.
What in the world was going on?
Were all these people crazy?
They looked around and saw that everyone else seemed to think this was perfectly normal!
Even Sanqing and Nuwa, sitting on their cushions, looked smug, as if they'd gotten an incredible bargain.
What the hell?
Was that big fellow telling the truth?
Had Sanqing and Nuwa really traded Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures for their cushions?
Jieyin and Zhunti couldn't figure out where these cushion sellers had come from.
How dare they openly peddle cushions in a Saint's sacred ground?
Were they people of Old Ancestor Hongjun?
Jieyin and Zhunti thought they'd figured out the key. Since everyone wanted a cushion, it must serve some important purpose.
They couldn't afford to take it lightly!
A glint flashed in both their eyes, and they made their decision at once.
Get the cushions first.
They could worry about the rest later!
If they really got duped, they could always tear off the mask and take their treasures back!
So the two of them joined the bidding as well.
Jieyin and Zhunti had taken the bait, and Xuanyuan smiled.
"You're guests from afar, fellow Daoists Jieyin and Zhunti. You've gone countless millennia without being able to afford even a change of clothes. That's truly tragic. We've decided to give you the last cushion!"
Xuanyuan accepted the Green Lotus Precious Color Banner and Eight Treasures Qiankun Bag from Jieyin, then signaled Zhurong to give up his cushion.
He then went and sat on the last cushion himself.
Everyone in the main hall of Zixiao Palace looked at Xuanyuan, seated upon his cushion, and felt a wave of emotion.
In such a short time, he'd acquired six Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures—countless times more than they'd accumulated in their entire lives.
The Six-Eared Macaque and the others Xuanyuan had brought to Zixiao Palace secretly vowed to make him their role model. He would be the one they strove toward, the direction they would follow from then on.
And so the contest over the cushions in Zixiao Palace came to an end.
The moment Xuanyuan sat down, the Sound of the Great Dao suddenly echoed through Zixiao Palace.
High above the ninefold clouds, I sit upon a cushion and expound the truth of the Dao.
Beyond Heaven, Earth, and Mystery, I shall be honored as the one who leads the teachings.
Pangu gave birth to the Supreme Ultimate, from which the Two Forms and Four Symbols arose.
One path split into three friends; two teachings divided into the Chan and Jie sects.
The Xuanmen's foremost leader, the primordial energy transformed into Hongjun.
A white-robed old man appeared on the cloud bed above. Daoist aura swirled around him. He looked utterly ordinary, yet seemed to embody the ultimate principles of Heaven and Earth. One glance was enough to draw a person helplessly into his depths.
Xuanyuan, whose cultivation was the highest, was the first to wake. The Twelve Ancestor Witches standing behind him were next.
They were all Daluo Golden Immortals.
They didn't feel much awe toward Hongjun.
Naturally, they weren't like the others, who had been completely won over by a single glance.
Even so, they broke into a cold sweat.
Especially Dijiang and the other Ancestor Witches.
Only now did they truly understand why Xuanyuan had repeatedly warned them before they came to Zixiao Palace: they could offend anyone they liked, but they must never offend Hongjun.
Strong!
Far too strong!
Absurdly strong!
It even gave them the illusion that if Hongjun glanced their way, none of their secrets would remain hidden.
Was this what a Saint was?
No wonder Brother Xuanyuan had said that beneath the Saints, all were mere ants.
Dijiang felt fortunate. It was a good thing he'd listened to Xuanyuan and brought the Heavenly Mystery Bead. Otherwise, standing before Hongjun would have been like standing there naked.
Xuanyuan couldn't help sighing inwardly, too. Hongjun was stronger than he'd expected. Bringing him down would be a long and difficult road!
"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have completed the task—Saint Cushion. Would you like to claim your reward?"
"Not yet!"
The task reward was the Houtian Merit Supreme Treasure—the Hong Meng Measuring Heaven Ruler.
It was a Houtian Supreme Treasure, yet far more powerful than most Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Furthermore, as a merit treasure, the Hong Meng Measuring Heaven Ruler could kill without incurring karmic retribution.
Even Hongjun would covet a treasure like that.
It was safer to leave it in the system's storage space.
Now that the task was complete, he'd more or less achieved what he'd come to Zixiao Palace for.
Xuanyuan immediately relaxed.
He discreetly sized up Hongjun. The might of the Saint was as vast as chaos; with his late Daluo Golden Immortal cultivation, Xuanyuan couldn't begin to see through him.
Hongjun gave Xuanyuan a faintly amused look, then raised his hand slightly. "Awaken!"
Everyone in Zixiao Palace came to their senses. They looked at Hongjun with awe and admiration.
So this was a Saint?
He was incredibly powerful!
Everyone yearned to be like him.
Yuanshi, Donghuang Taiyi, Jieyin, Zhunti, and the others who held grudges against Xuanyuan couldn't wait for the lecture to begin. Once they improved their strength, they'd settle the score with him.
"I have attained sainthood. Seeing how difficult cultivation is for all living beings in the Primordial World, I shall lecture here in Zixiao Palace and pass down the Three Thousand..."
Before you continue