Randeng stepped forward and bowed respectfully.
"Your disciple Randeng pays his respects to Master. Congratulations on proving the Great Dao. May your Dao fruit endure forever!"
Randeng understood that, aside from the possibility that Ancestor Yang Mei was hidden somewhere in the chaos, Hongjun was now the only saint in the entire Primordial World. He was unquestionably the foremost being in the world. Randeng simply didn't know why Hongjun had summoned him. Could it be that, in his good mood, Master was going to bestow another treasure?
Hongjun sat upright on a meditation cushion, clad in a Hunyuan Daoist robe embroidered with the sun, moon, and stars, as well as mountains and rivers. Countless streams of Purple Qi swirled around him. His eyes shimmered with endless Dao insight, as deep as the eternal starry sky, as though they could reflect every illusion in the world.
He gazed at Randeng, his eyes piercing layer after layer of appearances and reaching the very origin of Randeng's Primordial Spirit, as if he meant to see through him completely.
Before Hongjun had become a saint, Randeng's Karma had been shrouded in mist, impossible to make out. Now that Hongjun had become a saint and begun to merge with the Primordial Heavenly Dao, he should, in theory, be able to see the Karma and fortune, past and present, of every living being born after the Heavenly Dao came into existence.
And yet Randeng's Karma remained a tangled knot, roots intertwined and obscured by layers of mist. Even a saint like Hongjun could hardly glimpse its full extent. This stirred a peculiar feeling in Hongjun's heart.
After a long while, he withdrew his gaze and sighed softly.
"Becoming a saint is no more than that. How can it be called proving the Great Dao? I am still far from Pangu's realm. Besides, bound by the Primordial World, I cannot attain true freedom."
At these words, Randeng froze for a moment, his body swaying almost imperceptibly as waves surged through his heart.
The path to sainthood really was limited. Even Master Hongjun couldn't escape those constraints. When the time came for Randeng to merge with the Heavenly Dao, should he choose to fuse with it completely, or take the opportunity to break free?
Seeing Randeng below him lost in thought, Hongjun spoke up to interrupt him.
"Don't worry. You're still far from that realm, and it's too soon for you to consider such things. Once I've perfected the Method of Severing the Three Corpses, I may have a chance to prove the Hunyuan Grand Unity directly."
Hongjun paused. His discerning eyes pierced through outward appearances and settled on the Three Flowers above Randeng's head. One flower was wreathed in Annihilation energy, so chilling it seemed capable of extinguishing all life in the world. Another was solid and steady, containing the profound depths of the Law of Earth, as steadfast as a mountain.
The Annihilation Law and the Law of Earth. What Great Dao is this boy pursuing that calls for such a combination of laws? Still, his cultivation is advancing quickly.
Hongjun spoke again. "I summoned you because I need to prepare for my merger with the Dao in the thirty thousand years before the Sermon at Purple Cloud Palace. I won't be able to watch over the Primordial World, so I need your help."
"What would you have me do, Master?" Randeng wondered. Could anything in the Primordial World really affect a saint?
"The Sermon at Purple Cloud Palace will determine whether I can successfully merge with the Dao. It is no small matter."
Hongjun spoke slowly, his voice calm yet filled with unquestionable authority.
"I will preach to all living beings, guiding them to glimpse the entrance to the Great Dao. At the same time, I can use the fortune of those who listen to aid my cultivation and accumulate the merit and opportunities needed for my merger with the Dao. By setting all living beings on the right path through my words, I can also repay some of my Karma to the Primordial World. This benefits both me and them."
Hongjun didn't directly tell Randeng what he needed him to do. Instead, he explained his purpose for holding the Sermon at Purple Cloud Palace.
Randeng immediately understood his master's intention. For such a crucial matter as merging with the Dao, Master had told him everything without reservation. Clearly, he regarded Randeng as a true direct disciple. The trust and esteem filled Randeng with warmth.
"Does Master mean that, during these thirty thousand years, someone might stop the other Innate Divine Saints from attending the sermon? You want me to ensure the Primordial World remains stable in the meantime?"
Randeng quickly grasped what Hongjun wanted him to do. The signs that had appeared when Hongjun became a saint had set the entire Primordial World abuzz. Listening to a saint preach would surely be far more effective than struggling to cultivate alone. But it wasn't impossible that some faction might try to monopolize this opportunity and prevent the Innate Divine Saints from traveling to Purple Cloud Palace.
As far as Randeng knew, both the Demon Clan and the Witch Clan had the strength to do so.
Hongjun nodded gently, growing even more satisfied with Randeng. As expected of the disciple he had personally chosen—he was indeed perceptive.
"Besides that, when I merge with the Dao, I'll need to devote myself completely to the task, and my suppression of Luohu will be at its weakest. That Demon Ancestor is ambitious and treacherous. To prevent him from taking the opportunity to emerge and mislead the beings of the Primordial World, disrupting the order of Heaven and Earth and interfering with my merger and the sermon, I want you to keep him under guard."
"What?"
Randeng jerked his head up to look at Hongjun, his eyes full of incredulous surprise.
He wondered if he'd misheard. He hurriedly said, "Master, did you misspeak? You want me to keep Luohu under guard? He was the Demon Ancestor! It's not that your disciple fears death. It's simply that my strength is insufficient, and I fear I can't handle the task and will betray your trust."
Luohu's greatest strength wasn't his cultivation, but his skill at manipulating people and stirring up conflict. In the past, he had nearly brought about the extinction of both the Dragon and Phoenix Clans single-handedly, dragging the Qilin Clan into disaster as well. This had made him feared by the myriad clans of the Primordial World.
What's more, Luohu had once been able to fight four clan ancestors by himself. Now that Hongjun had become a saint, the two of them had been evenly matched at their full strength. Keeping someone like that under guard would be like constantly walking a tightrope.
"Of course, I'm not asking you to keep him under guard with nothing more than your own strength. Luohu once came infinitely close to the Hunyuan Grand Unity realm. His surviving Primordial Spirit can only be suppressed by an Innate Supreme Treasure."
Hongjun raised a hand and beckoned. A black-and-white diagram flew out of the space beside him.
Neither metal nor jade, neither silk nor cloth, its body had been formed from the origin of the Great Dao.
Black and white, the twin Yin-Yang fish circled, their heads and tails joined. Their slow rotation turned the earth, water, fire, and wind, and stabilized the universe, sun, and moon.
The white fish contained Yang and released countless streams of Taiqing Purple Qi. The black fish concealed Yin and absorbed boundless Netherworld light.
A single point in each fish's eye was the first spark of spiritual light from before the primordial world had opened. It seemed tiny, yet could illuminate the eternal chaos.
"This is one of the three supreme treasures transformed from Pangu's Sky-Opening Axe: the Taiji Diagram. It can stabilize the earth, water, fire, and wind, and divide Yin from Yang, the pure from the turbid. I've sealed Luohu's surviving Primordial Spirit inside it. You can refine the treasure a little and bring it under your control. That way, you can keep Luohu under guard and use the Taiji Diagram to hold back any other factions."
Randeng reached out and accepted the Taiji Diagram.
"Your disciple thanks you, Master. With this Innate Supreme Treasure, I'm confident I can keep Luohu under guard. Please focus on your merger with the Dao without worry."
Seeing Randeng's resolute expression, Hongjun nodded in satisfaction, a glimmer of approval in his eyes.
"Good. Thirty thousand years will pass in the blink of an eye. Don't let your guard down. Luohu is cunning. Even sealed, he may try to bewitch you or call on other remnants of the Devil Dao for help. You must hold fast to your convictions and remain unmoved by outside influences. Study the power of the Taiji Diagram carefully; it will greatly benefit your cultivation in the future."
With that, the Daoic music of Purple Cloud Palace continued to echo, and Purple Qi swirled through the air. But Hongjun had vanished from the cushion at the head of the hall. Randeng didn't linger either. He turned and left Purple Cloud Palace, heading into the chaos.