Xuande closed his eyes and silently sensed the changes within his primordial spirit space.
The two supreme treasures rested quietly there, ready to be called upon or deployed at any time.
Their power was now completely under his control. They were no longer hidden dangers, but part of his strength.
He opened his eyes and rose to his feet.
The clear spring still babbled in the valley, and spiritual herbs still filled the air with fragrance.
The Spiritual Energy around him remained dense, though it was slightly thinner than when he had entered.
It had been absorbed and consumed while he refined the supreme treasures.
However, given the foundation of Mount Sumeru's Spiritual Vein, it would not take long to recover completely.
Xuande straightened his Daoist robe and headed toward the valley entrance.
The restriction at the entrance was still there, golden Sanskrit flowing across the curtain of light and giving off an aura of solemn Purity.
The moment Xuande approached, the restriction automatically parted to reveal a gateway and the scene beyond the valley.
Jieyin and Zhunti sat cross-legged on either side of the entrance. When they saw him emerge, they opened their eyes at the same time.
A smile immediately bloomed across Zhunti's face as he rose to greet him.
"Congratulations, Dao Brother! Congratulations! This period of seclusion must have allowed you to completely refine those two supreme treasures, right?"
Jieyin also slowly stood. The sorrowful look on his face had now been replaced by relief, and his voice was low and gentle.
"Judging by your aura, Dao Brother, you are more composed and restrained than before your seclusion, yet there is a faint sharpness within it.
"It seems those two supreme treasures have truly become yours to command."
Xuande solemnly bowed to the two of them.
"I was only able to refine them in peace thanks to the two of you standing guard. Xuande is deeply grateful."
Jieyin hurriedly helped him up. "You give us too much credit, Dao Brother. The three of us are united as one; protecting you was simply our duty. Why thank us?"
Zhunti also smiled. "Exactly! If you truly wish to thank us, then discuss the Dao with us more often in the future!
"My senior brother and I have guarded this valley entrance these past days. Though we could still cultivate, it felt rather dull without you by our side."
Xuande could not help laughing and nodded.
"Naturally. Once I return and make a few arrangements, we can discuss the Dao beneath the Bodhi Tree."
Talking and laughing, the three left Spirit Spring Valley and followed the mountain path toward the main peak.
Once they returned beneath the Bodhi Tree, the three sat down again.
Zhunti impatiently asked about the refinement process, and Xuande did not hide anything, roughly recounting how he had refined the black lotus and the God-Slaying Spear.
He only omitted the scenes of Creation of Heaven and Earth contained within the God-Slaying Spear's memories.
They were too ancient, too shocking. He needed time to slowly digest them and did not wish to speak much of them for now.
After listening, Jieyin slowly nodded.
"That you obtained these two treasures and refined them so smoothly is truly a blessing for the West.
"Though the Twelve-Petal Destruction Black Lotus is of an opposing nature to yours, Dao Brother, if used properly, it will surely become a powerful weapon for protecting the West.
"As for the God-Slaying Spear..."
He paused, his expression growing more solemn.
"This spear's vicious reputation is too great, and its murderous aura too heavy.
"Though you have refined it, Dao Brother, you must still exercise caution when using it in the future. Unless necessary, it would be best not to reveal it lightly."
Zhunti nodded as well. "Senior Brother is right. Once this spear appears in the world, it will certainly draw countless eyes. Dao Brother, you must be careful."
Xuande nodded solemnly. "What you two have said is absolutely right. I will remember it."
After chatting for a while longer, the three went their separate ways. Jieyin and Zhunti returned to their cave abodes to cultivate, while Xuande returned to his own mountain peak.
He sat cross-legged in his cave abode, calming his mind and regulating his breath as he further consolidated the gains from refining the two supreme treasures.
The Primordial Wilderness did not mark the passing of years.
Spring came and autumn passed, flowers bloomed and withered, and no one knew how many ages went by.
For Grand Unity Golden Immortals, the passage of time was already difficult to measure.
Perhaps one Kalpa had passed, perhaps even longer.
Until that day.
The entire Primordial Wilderness suddenly changed.
Xuande was meditating within his cave abode when his mind suddenly trembled, and he opened his eyes.
He had sensed something.
An indescribable, supreme aura rose from somewhere beyond the heavens.
That aura was vast as the sea and deep as the abyss, as though it contained every principle of heaven and earth, yet also transcended heaven and earth.
It was not pressure, yet it made one's heart tremble more than any pressure.
It was not Dao intent, yet it was more unfathomable than any Dao intent.
Xuande abruptly rose and stepped out of his cave abode.
Outside, all of Mount Sumeru was trembling faintly.
Countless spiritual birds and beasts lay prostrate on the ground, shivering.
The grass and trees throughout the mountains swayed without wind, rustling as though they were bowing in worship.
The East.
Xuande looked up and saw a stream of purple qi burst across the eastern horizon, stretching for countless thousands of miles!
Never before had he seen purple qi so abundant, so pure, so vast.
Like a purple river of heaven descending from beyond the skies, it stretched across the firmament of the entire Primordial Wilderness and dyed heaven and earth violet.
Purple qi came from the East for thirty thousand miles.
At the same time, strange phenomena appeared throughout heaven and earth.
Above the nine heavens, boundless auspicious qi descended, transforming into billions of golden flowers that drifted down across the Primordial Wilderness.
Beneath the earth, countless sweet springs surged forth, clear and refreshing. Drinking from them left one clear-minded and invigorated.
Mountains and rivers alike gave voice to joyful resonance.
Plants and living beings alike felt an unprecedented surge of vitality.
What shocked Xuande even more was that the pressure coming from the direction of Buzhou Mountain had dissipated by more than half.
Buzhou Mountain, formed from Great God Pangu's spine, had radiated immense pressure ever since Creation of Heaven and Earth.
Back then, even with his late-stage Grand Unity Golden Immortal cultivation, he had exhausted every ounce of strength merely to climb halfway up the mountain.
Yet now, that pressure was receding like the tide. Though it had not vanished completely, it had weakened far too much.
With the cultivation of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, and enough effort, perhaps... one could reach the summit.
Xuande was deeply shaken and could not speak for a long while.
He knew what this was.
Hongjun had become a Sage.
The victor of the Dao-Devil War, the ancient being who controlled the Jade Plate of Creation.
He had finally taken that final step, attained Hunyuan, and ascended to the rank of Sage.
At this moment, the Heavenly Dao had also undergone earth-shaking changes.
Before this, the Heavenly Dao had remained hidden and aloof, operating all things only through unseen laws.
Though living beings knew of its existence, they could neither sense nor touch it, much less peer into it.
But now, the Heavenly Dao seemed to have awakened from slumber.
It had fully emerged and fused with the entire heaven and earth of the Primordial Wilderness.
Xuande closed his eyes and could clearly sense the Heavenly Dao's supreme, impartial, selfless existence as it operated all things and controlled everything.
It was no longer distant or obscure. It truly existed within every inch of empty space, every wisp of Spiritual Energy, and every Great Dao.
From this day onward, the path of cultivation would become clearer, and heavenly tribulations and heavenly punishments would become more severe.
The rank of Sage would also become the ultimate goal pursued by all great powers.
Two streams of Escape Light rose from the depths of Mount Sumeru and landed beside Xuande.
They were Jieyin and Zhunti.
Both wore expressions of undisguised shock.
Zhunti stared at the purple qi stretching across the eastern sky and muttered.
"This... this is the might of a Sage?
"Purple qi comes from the East for thirty thousand miles, while heavenly phenomena descend across the Primordial Wilderness... It is simply unbelievable."
Jieyin's expression was grave as he slowly said, "Hongjun... has become a Sage."
The three stood side by side, silent for a long while.
The appearance of a Sage meant that the Primordial Wilderness was about to enter an entirely new era.
Those previously accepted rules might all change.
Those Great Daos that had remained hidden might all be revealed.
The purple qi gradually dispersed, and the strange phenomena slowly subsided.
Yet the feeling that "the Sage is above" had deeply branded itself upon the heart of every living being.
Some time later.
On this day, a grand and majestic voice descended from above the nine heavens, echoing throughout all heaven and earth in the Primordial Wilderness—
"I am Hongjun. I have now become a Sage.
"Three thousand years from now, within Zixiao Palace in Chaos, I shall expound the Sage's Path.
"All those fated may come and listen."
The voice was not loud, yet it seemed to resound directly within the depths of every living being's primordial spirit.
No matter where they were or how high or low their cultivation, as long as they possessed intelligence, they could hear it clearly.
At this moment, Xuande, Jieyin, and Zhunti were gathered beneath the Bodhi Tree.
Upon hearing those words, the three exchanged glances and saw shock and... anticipation in one another's eyes.
Three thousand years from now, the Sage's Path would be expounded within Zixiao Palace in Chaos.
"Dao Brothers."
Xuande slowly spoke. His voice was calm, but it carried a trace of irrepressible excitement. "Three thousand years from now... shall we go together?"
Jieyin and Zhunti exchanged a glance, then nodded at the same time.
"We shall go together," Jieyin said.
"Of course we shall go together!" Zhunti said with a smile. "How could we miss such an opportunity? Three thousand years is just enough time to make some preparations."