Heavenly Secrets Change, Hongjun Seeks to Merge with the Dao

Taishang interrupted Houtu and Randeng's conversation, "Fellow Daoist Randeng, we have known each other for so long, we can be considered close friends. Why have I never heard you mention being familiar with the Fellow Daoists of the Witch Clan?"

Randeng was startled. He knew that the relationship between the Ancestral Witches and the Three Pure Ones was not harmonious, and he could feel the subtle tension in the air.

"Among the Witch Clan, I only know Fellow Daoist Houtu, and that was by chance."

For some reason, ever since Houtu appeared, all eyes in the cave abode had turned to him.

Fuxi, sensing the subtle atmosphere, spoke up, "May I ask what gains you all had in Buzhou Mountain?"

Randeng then recounted the encounter they had with Minghe.

"You fought with Minghe?"

Fuxi was somewhat surprised. Ten thousand years ago, Minghe had passed by Phoenix Perch Mountain and mistook the mountain protection Great Array for an Innate Great Formation protecting Spiritual Treasures. He and Nuwa had also clashed with him then.

With a cultivation base close to the mid-stage of Grand Unity, coupled with three Supreme Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, Fuxi and Nuwa had only managed to deter him with the mountain protection Great Array at the time, without directly engaging him.

"We both fancied the same Innate Spiritual Treasure at the time, so naturally, we had to spar."

Randeng smiled and nodded. Minghe, though seemingly arrogant, was actually very cautious and would never provoke someone stronger than him.

After the Witch-Demon Tribulation in later generations, countless Innate Divine Saints perished, yet he roamed freely in the Sea of Blood. When Nuwa created the Human Race, he established the Asura Clan; he did not get involved in the Witch-Demon War; and when Houtu transformed into Reincarnation by the Sea of Blood, he merely watched from the sidelines with cold eyes.

"It wasn't just a sparring match; Fellow Daoist Randeng basically had Minghe on the defensive. How laughable that Minghe thought he had picked the easiest opponent."

Tongtian vividly recounted the scene to the others.

"I never imagined that after tens of thousands of years, Fellow Daoist Randeng's cultivation would not only reach a new level but that he would also have other fortuitous encounters."

Since the last Ginseng Fruit gathering, Fuxi had returned to Phoenix Perch Mountain and cultivated in seclusion with Nuwa. He had also broken through to Grand Unity Golden Immortal ten thousand years ago.

In fact, it wasn't just Fuxi and Nuwa. Everyone who had attended the Ginseng Fruit gathering seemed to have been spurred on by Randeng and focused solely on cultivation upon their return.

Among them, Di Jun, Tai Yi, and Fuxi were the most driven. Di Jun and Tai Yi were both defeated by Randeng, so they naturally thought about how to win the next encounter. Fuxi, on the other hand, was purely driven by his competitive spirit, especially since he had a fated-to-be-a-saint sister.

"Fellow Daoists, your cultivation has all been progressing rapidly. In such a short time, haven't you all broken through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm? My reaching it a step ahead was merely by luck."

Randeng thought to himself, however, that he had the advantage of foresight and numerous fortuitous encounters. For these top-tier Innate Divine Saints to be able to keep pace with him was remarkable, especially Taishang, who was likely to break through to the mid-stage of Grand Unity soon.

This also put unspoken pressure on Randeng. As Hongjun's first disciple, it would be embarrassing if he wasn't as cultivated as other Innate Divine Saints when Hongjun lectured in Purple Heaven Palace.

He was determined to obtain that Primordial Violet Qi, whether as a fallback for not having cultivated to Hunyuan Grand Unity or simply to comprehend laws with it; it was a top-tier opportunity in the Great Desolation.

Furthermore, he was no longer alone. He also intended to secure positions for Jieyin and Zhunti as direct disciples of the Dao Ancestor, rather than just nominal disciples as before, facing the exclusion of the entire Xuanmen.

After this casual chat, the group exchanged insights on their breakthroughs to Grand Unity Golden Immortal within the cave abode of Phoenix Perch Mountain.

Such an opportunity for several Grand Unity Golden Immortals to discuss the Dao together was extremely rare, especially since, apart from Randeng, the others had only recently broken through to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

Surprisingly, Fuxi had not chosen the Grand Dao of Yin as his first Grand Unity Dao Fruit, but had instead cultivated the Grand Dao of Wind to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level.

Nuwa, as expected, had cultivated the Creation Law as her first Dao Fruit.

Fuxi was very willing to discuss Dao with his sister, as her Creation Law was something he desperately needed. It had an inseparable relationship with his initial intention of condensing the Grand Dao of Reincarnation.

Meanwhile, in the Chaos Bell, Purple Heaven Palace.

Hongjun sat cross-legged on a cushion, his brow furrowed, his fingers ceaselessly calculating.

"This is truly strange. According to my previous calculations, it should have been when I integrated with the Dao that the Innate Divine Saints of this era would reach the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, thus allowing me to weed out many Innate Divine Saints with insufficient cultivation and talent."

However, no matter how Hongjun calculated, a group of Innate Divine Saints had already reached the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm.

This would lead to a problem: when he integrated with the Dao and opened the Purple Heaven Palace for lectures, the number of Grand Unity Golden Immortals arriving at the Chaos Bell might far exceed the original number.

But the three thousand guests of Purple Heaven Palace were meant to correspond to the three thousand Great Daos of the Great Desolation, and the number was difficult to change.

Helpless, Hongjun lightly tapped his finger, summoning a jade butterfly that hovered above his head. It was like refined mutton-fat jade, exuding a faint glow of Primordial Violet Gold. It was three feet six inches in diameter, uniformly thin like a cicada's wing, with fine cracks from the creation of heaven along its edges, and inscribed all over with the runes of the Three Thousand Great Daos.

Using his Primordial Spirit to propel the jade butterfly, he meticulously investigated the events that had transpired in the Great Desolation over these two Aeons.

Countless nodes of variable change emerged, yet behind all these nodes, they all pointed to one person.

Randeng!

"I never expected it to all be because of this brat Randeng."

Hongjun carefully examined the Creation Jade Disk and discovered that the nodes in the long river of time indicated that Randeng had emerged early, repaired the Western Earth Veins, collected most of the Western opportunities, gained the favor of the Western Heaven and Earth's Destiny, and then helped Zhunti and Jieyin with their Form Transformation.

Upon arriving in the East, he had also decisively defeated Di Jun and Tai Yi, who were on the rise, at the Ginseng Fruit gathering.

In a corner of the Great Desolation's future, events that were originally meant to occur tens of thousands of years or even several Aeons later had happened much earlier due to Randeng's premature intervention.

"No wonder this brat was favored by both Luo Hou and myself. His ability to disrupt heavenly secrets is first-class."

Hongjun did not consider Randeng an anomaly because of this. What he had glimpsed was merely the most probable timeline among many. Randeng was, at best, a variable.

However, in the next instant, the light in Hongjun's eyes vanished, and his entire aura changed, becoming indifferent and emotionless.

"This is the disciple you have taken? Disrupting heavenly secrets warrants execution!"

Hongjun spoke, his tone icy.

Then, a look of struggle appeared on Hongjun's face, as if two different consciousnesses within his body were vying for control.

"Hmph, my disciples are none of your business. Living beings are always full of change, not static. Stop meddling, and wait for me to merge with you."

Hongjun waved his hand and put away the Jade Butterfly of Creation. His expression shifted constantly before finally settling into calmness.

"This Great Desolation ultimately belongs to all living beings. This is what Pangu wished to see. The Heavenly Dao was never meant to have its own consciousness."

Hongjun left these words in the empty Purple Heaven Palace and then vanished entirely.

No one knew what transpired between the Dao Ancestor and the Heavenly Dao in the depths of Chaos.