As early as the second lecture at Zixiao Palace, Houtu had been on the verge of successfully severing a corpse to prove the Dao.
But at the time, with Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao watching, Xuanyuan had been forced to interrupt her.
A thousand years had passed since then.
For some reason, Houtu had still been unable to successfully sever a corpse.
Now, after witnessing the entire process of Xuanyuan severing a corpse to prove the Dao,
she seemed to have gained some insight.
Houtu's gaze was resolute. She sat down cross-legged and began severing a corpse to prove the Dao.
Seeing this, Xuanyuan, Dijiang, and the others held their breaths and stepped aside, afraid of disturbing Houtu.
Time flew by, and a hundred years passed in the blink of an eye.
Seven-colored light bloomed around Houtu, and a mighty surge of Spiritual Power gushed forth. A moment later, a figure slowly appeared—it was Houtu's Good Corpse.
The Good Corpse bowed slightly to Houtu, then looked toward Xuanyuan.
"Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist!"
Xuanyuan smiled and nodded, though he secretly let out a sigh of relief.
Houtu had successfully severed a corpse to prove the Dao. They could begin the next part of the plan.
But before that, he would head to Buzhou Mountain and seize the Innate Gourd Vine and the Thirty-Six-Petaled Creation Green Lotus.
"Brother Xuanyuan, we'll go with you!"
"And us!"
Dijiang, Zhurong, Gonggong, and the others spoke up one after another, eager to accompany Xuanyuan to Buzhou Mountain.
They trusted Xuanyuan's strength, but he would be competing against the Sanqing, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhunti, Dijun, Donghuang Taiyi, and many other powerful figures of the Primordial World. Even with his strength, going alone could still lead to unforeseen trouble.
"No need. I'm enough on my own!"
Xuanyuan glanced over the group and replied with a smile.
Before, facing so many Quasi-Saints, he would have been wary.
But now that he had severed a corpse to prove the Dao and successfully reached the Quasi-Saint realm, the Sanqing, Jieyin, Zhunti, and the others posed no threat to him at all.
"Big brother!"
Xuanyuan looked at Dijiang and instructed him, "The third lecture is about to begin. Once it's over, the war will begin. Stay here at Qianyuan Mountain and focus on cultivating. Strengthen yourselves!"
Dijiang thought for a moment, then nodded. "All right. We'll do as you say!"
Since Xuanyuan was confident he could deal with the Sanqing, Jieyin, Zhunti, and the others, they would stay at Qianyuan Mountain and improve their strength in preparation for the coming war.
Xuanyuan then pulled Houtu aside and gave her careful instructions. After that, he left Qianyuan Mountain and set off for Buzhou Mountain.
Along the way, he encountered many strange beasts of the Primordial World. He released only a trace of his aura, and they fled in terror.
Before long, Xuanyuan arrived at Buzhou Mountain.
Buzhou Mountain was bustling with activity. Besides the Sanqing, Jieyin, Nuwa, Zhunti, Dijun, and Donghuang Taiyi, who had arrived long ago,
Old Ancestor Kunpeng, Ancestor Minghe, and others had also made their way there.
Many powerful figures from the Primordial World had gathered, all for the Innate Gourd Vine.
When they saw Xuanyuan appear again, they couldn't help frowning.
"Haha, I never thought you'd dare show your face here again, you brute!"
The moment Donghuang Taiyi saw Xuanyuan, he laughed in scorn.
"Hmph. You're nothing but a defeated loser!" Xuanyuan shot back.
"If that old scoundrel Hongjun hadn't taken your side last time, you'd have been reduced to ashes by now!"
Donghuang Taiyi snapped. "If you've got the guts, let's settle this with our fists!"
"Oh? The sky's cleared, the rain's stopped, and now you think you're hot stuff again?"
Xuanyuan scoffed.
He was puzzled, though.
He had dealt with Donghuang Taiyi more than once.
Every time, Donghuang Taiyi had taken a beating.
No matter how much he hated Xuanyuan, he had never dared to be so brazen in front of him.
Could he have something up his sleeve?
As he mocked Donghuang Taiyi aloud, Xuanyuan quietly sent out a trace of his Spiritual Sense to probe him.
A moment later, Xuanyuan smiled.
So he had successfully severed a corpse to prove the Dao and broken through to the Quasi-Saint realm. No wonder he was acting so cocky.
"Enough nonsense!" Donghuang Taiyi snorted. "Hand over the Taiji Diagram and leave at once, or don't blame me for what happens next!"
A flicker of surprise crossed Xuanyuan's eyes. He hadn't expected Donghuang Taiyi to be so shameless. They hadn't even seized the Innate Gourd yet, and here he was, demanding the Taiji Diagram from him again in front of everyone.
"The Taiji Diagram is my treasure. Why should I give it to you?" Xuanyuan sneered.
"Because I'm a Quasi-Saint!" Donghuang Taiyi declared proudly.
He channeled his Spiritual Power. A flash of light passed, and a figure appeared beside him, dressed in a golden imperial robe and wearing a crown.
It was his Self Corpse.
In truth, Donghuang Taiyi's talent was peerless, surpassing even Yuanshi, Jieyin, and Zhunti, who would become Heavenly Dao Saints.
But as the Demon Emperor of the Demon Clan, he was caught in the Calamity of the Lich War, and ultimately met his end.
He was one of the tragic figures of the Primordial World.
If Xuanyuan weren't an Ancestor Witch of the Witch Clan, with the two of them on opposing sides and a great battle inevitable,
he would have had a great deal of respect for Donghuang Taiyi.
It was all because Hongjun and the Heavenly Dao were scheming behind the scenes, intending to use these primordial gods and demons as sacrifices to refine the Primordial World and complete the Heavenly Dao.
"Hahaha..."
Xuanyuan burst out laughing.
"Did you think you were the only one who'd severed a corpse to prove the Dao?" Xuanyuan shouted. A figure identical to him appeared behind him.
Even its aura was exactly the same.
At the sight of this,
the powerful figures were all taken aback.
Though they didn't want to admit it, they knew that Xuanyuan had been hiding his strength all along. He was absolutely not the so-called peak Taiyi Golden Immortal he had seemed to be.
It was one thing to suspect as much, but seeing Xuanyuan reveal his full strength still shocked them.
Especially when they sensed the terrifying aura emanating from Xuanyuan's Evil Corpse, their faces changed dramatically.
"Early Quasi-Saint! His Evil Corpse actually has the cultivation of an early Quasi-Saint!"
"How is that possible? Even if someone uses a Supreme Grade Innate Supreme Treasure to sever a corpse, their cultivation will still be a whole realm lower. At most, they can reach the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. How can his Evil Corpse have the strength of an early Quasi-Saint?"
Shocked and bewildered, they all took a few steps back.
Xuanyuan's appearance had repeatedly shattered their understanding of what was possible.
Even Taiqing Laozi, who had bloomed nine petals upon breaking through to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm and was hailed as having Immeasurable Potential, couldn't help frowning.
When he severed his corpse, he had used the Heaven and Earth Mysterious Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, also a Supreme Grade Innate Supreme Treasure.
Yet the Good Corpse he severed had only reached the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. A thousand years later, it had barely reached the full Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
Who knew how long it would take to break through to the Quasi-Saint realm?
And he was the first person in the entire Primordial World, besides Dao Ancestor Hongjun, to sever a corpse and prove the Dao.
If even he hadn't managed it, yet Xuanyuan had,
there was only one possible answer: when Xuanyuan severed a corpse to prove the Dao, his Evil Corpse had reached the early Quasi-Saint realm right away.
That was even harder for him to accept.
All along, though he cultivated the Dao of Nonaction, he had actually been more competitive than anyone.
He only acted as if he wanted nothing because he believed himself to be the most talented cultivator in the Primordial World.
He simply didn't consider anyone else worth competing with.
Before you continue