The little monkey was delicate and bright-eyed, clever and charming. He scratched his ears and cheeks, looking quite adorable.
Beichen knew at a glance that he was Six-Eared Macaque.
Six-Eared Macaque was skilled at listening, discerning truth, and knowing what came before and after. He understood all things and was the cleverest of the Four Mixed-World Monkeys.
Beichen knew full well that when Hongjun lectured on the Dao, he would say, "The Dharma is not passed on to Six Ears; the Dao is not passed on to the unworthy." Those words would shut Six-Eared Macaque out of the hall, turning away the monkey who had endured countless hardships to get there. He would not hear even a trace of the Dao's meaning.
It all stemmed from Six-Eared Macaque's gift for listening and his ability to perceive the myriad principles and comprehend the Great Dao Law.
He had once pried into certain matters concerning Hongjun, angering him. As a result, Hongjun would not let him enter the Purple Heaven Palace.
Hongjun had not yet arrived, and the Purple Heaven Palace was still sparsely occupied. Only the three Destined Saints who had gotten there early, along with a few nearby Grand Unity Golden Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals, had entered the hall.
The three saints sat quietly on three of the six cushions at the very front, waiting for Hongjun to arrive.
The Grand Unity Golden Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals who had already arrived were not especially powerful. They did not dare sit at the front, so each found a suitable spot and settled down, some in the middle, others toward the back, to wait for the lecture.
Beichen glanced inside and chuckled to himself. One of those six cushions is mine!
"Do you know me, Daoist?"
The little monkey's eyes lit up. It seemed he had many things he wanted to tell someone.
"If I'm not mistaken, you must be Six-Eared Macaque?"
"Mhm, that's me!"
"Why aren't you going inside?" Beichen asked.
"Daoist, are you the Mystic Turtle?"
Six-Eared Macaque stared at Beichen for a moment, then froze.
"Heh, no wonder you're Six-Eared Macaque, skilled at discerning the myriad principles. I am indeed the North Sea Black Tortoise!"
Six-Eared Macaque fell into thought. A moment later, he seemed to suddenly understand. "Mystic Turtle Daoist, you've earned the favor of the Heaven and Earth Great Dao. What good fortune!"
With that, Six-Eared Macaque beckoned Beichen closer.
Then, looking aggrieved, he said, "I probed the karmic opportunity surrounding Dao Ancestor Hongjun and angered him. I'm afraid he won't let me through the door, so I don't dare go in by myself!"
Six-Eared Macaque knew Hongjun loathed him. If he went in and got thrown out, he might not make it out alive.
"And then? What is it you want to tell me?" Beichen asked with a smile.
"Daoist, I know you have the Universe Great Dao Mystic Turtle Shell, a treasure that can divine the secrets of Heaven. Could you calculate this monkey's fate?"
Six-Eared Macaque was humble and spoke with great courtesy.
Though he knew many secrets of Heaven, he only ever whispered them. He did not dare shout them out carelessly.
Beichen had a sudden inspiration. This monkey and I are destined to meet!
"Very well!"
Beichen readily agreed, pretending to divine the matter with the Universe Great Dao Mystic Turtle Shell.
In truth, he did no divination at all. He simply said, "Six-Eared Macaque, Dao Ancestor Hongjun will declare that the Dharma is not passed on to Six Ears. You cannot enter the Purple Heaven Palace, and the Dao taught there cannot be passed outside. So you won't be able to hear this lecture!"
As he spoke, Beichen kept watching Six-Eared Macaque.
The monkey's cultivation was not very high, only at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level.
But after hearing the teachings of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, he would understand the meaning of a higher level of the Dao. Breaking through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm would be no problem.
So this lecture was very important to him as well.
Hearing Beichen's words, Six-Eared Macaque's expression fell, and he sighed. "If that's the case, then this little monkey will take his leave. It seems the Dao taught at the Purple Heaven Palace isn't meant for me!"
As he spoke, Six-Eared Macaque turned to leave.
"Wait, Daoist Six-Eared!" Beichen hurriedly called after him.
"Mystic Turtle Daoist, is something the matter?"
Six-Eared Macaque looked at Beichen expectantly.
"You want to hear the lecture. What's so difficult about that? Why leave already?" Beichen said with a smile. "Once I'm inside, I'll record the voice of the Dao in my Divine Turtle Shell and pass it on to you. Then you'll be able to hear the Dao, won't you?"
"Ah? Can you really do that?" Six-Eared Macaque perked up at once.
"Of course."
"But what if Dao Ancestor Hongjun finds out and punishes you?" Six-Eared Macaque worried.
"I'm not afraid of being punished," Beichen said without the slightest concern.
"Oh!" Six-Eared Macaque slapped his forehead. "I get it! Then I'll wait outside the door. Three thousand years from now, when you come out, I'll follow you wherever you go!"
Six-Eared Macaque was clever enough to realize Beichen was trying to win him over, so he made his intentions clear at once.
Beichen also understood that Hongjun's refusal to pass the Dharma to Six Ears was not because he disliked him. Six-Eared Macaque was simply too clever, and Hongjun feared he would comprehend the Dao and surpass Sanqing and the others, harming the reputation of his disciples.
Six-Eared Macaque's talent truly made countless powerful cultivators and gods wary.
Six-Eared Macaque simply sat down to rest in a corner by the Purple Heaven Palace's entrance, no longer thinking about going inside.
I'll enter the palace and borrow a meditation cushion to sow a karmic bond!
With his arrangement with Six-Eared Macaque settled, Beichen flew into the Purple Heaven Palace. His gaze swept over the hundreds of thousands of seats inside, and he flew straight to the front, landing on the fourth cushion.
"Hm? Mystic Turtle?"
He had landed beside Lingbao Moral Heavenly Venerate.
Tongtian glanced at him, his eyes narrowing. "Mystic Turtle has actually reached the peak of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm?"
He looked at Yuqing Primordial Heavenly Venerate, Grand Pure Lord of Morality, and himself. They had only reached the late stage of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. Their cultivation was even a little weaker than Beichen's.
"Daoist, ten thousand years have passed since we last parted. I never thought we'd sit together on meditation cushions and listen to the Dao," Lingbao Moral Heavenly Venerate said warmly.
"Daoist Tongtian, greetings!" Beichen replied politely. "This cushion isn't mine. I'm saving it for someone else."
"Oh?" Tongtian was puzzled, but did not ask further.
Nearby, Yuqing Primordial Heavenly Venerate was seething with jealousy. "You creature born of wetness and hatched from an egg, get off that cushion! How dare you sit in the foremost seat of the Dao!"
"Shut your mouth, you old coot! Want to see how we measure up?" Beichen snapped.
Yuqing Primordial Heavenly Venerate had always been prejudiced against cultivators born from beasts, which greatly displeased Beichen, a North Sea Black Tortoise. Compared with Tongtian, Yuanshi was far less likable in his eyes.
Grand Pure Lord of Morality said nothing. He merely made a hand seal to calculate the matter, then sighed softly. "I wonder if this Mystic Turtle will stir up trouble by coming to hear the Dao."
In the primordial world, years had no meaning. The sun and moon wheeled onward, and time flowed by.
Dijun and the others entered the Purple Heaven Palace one after another alongside the other Grand Unity Golden Immortals and Grand Unity Golden Immortals.
Seeing their master in the front row, they hurried over.
"We should take our seats behind our master!"
So the four of them found seats in the second row.
Ling Cair and the other two were also in the middle or late stages of the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm. They sat in the same row as Dijun and Taiyi, forming a single faction.
In the blink of an eye, all the hundreds of thousands of seats in the hall were filled. Each cultivator had found a place to sit.
Half the cultivators in the hall were Grand Unity Golden Immortals, and the other half were Grand Unity Golden Immortals. Not a single one had cultivation below the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.
Beichen glanced around. "Nuwa really is arriving late, just like the histories say. Women take so long to put on their makeup!"
As it happened, Nuwa had spent decades doing her makeup on Buzhou Mountain for this lecture, out of respect for her master. She had nearly missed the time to hear the Dao.
At that moment, one person was anxiously waiting for Nuwa, glancing toward the back from time to time.
It was her elder brother, Fu Xi, seated in the second row.
"There are still two cushions left. I, Kunpeng, will claim one!"
Kunpeng entered the hall and was delighted to see them. He landed on a cushion beside the aisle.
Kunpeng was proud and cold, leaving one seat between himself and Beichen.
Just then, a streak of red qi drifted through the air. An old Daoist in a red robe looked around, his eyes brightening when he spotted a place. He flew down beside Beichen. "Greetings, Mystic Turtle Daoist and Kunpeng Daoist!"
Beichen nodded, then began chatting with Hong Yun.
Nuwa arrived late and looked around. There were empty seats in the second row, but none suited her.
Just then, Beichen waved to Nuwa with a smile. "Daoist Nuwa, come sit here. I saved this cushion for you, so you can uphold the prestige of being Dao Ancestor Hongjun's disciple!"
Before you continue