Hongjun Attains Sainthood, Heavenly Dao Manifests

Xuande closed his eyes, silently sensing the changes within his Primordial Spirit space.

The two supreme treasures rested quietly there, ready to be summoned and deployed at any moment.

Their power was now fully under his control—no longer a hidden threat, but a part of his strength.

He opened his eyes and rose to his feet.

Within the valley, the clear spring still murmured, and the spiritual herbs exuded their fragrance.

The surrounding Spiritual Energy remained dense, yet slightly thinner than when he had first entered.

It had been absorbed and consumed during his refinement of the treasures.

But with the foundation of Mount Sumeru's Spiritual Vein, it would recover to its former state before long.

Xuande straightened his Daoist robe and stepped toward the valley's entrance.

At the entrance, the barrier still stood, golden Sanskrit characters flowing across its luminous surface, radiating an aura of solemnity and Purity.

The moment Xuande approached, the barrier parted on its own, revealing the scene beyond the valley.

Jieyin and Zhunti sat cross-legged on either side of the entrance. As he emerged, they opened their eyes simultaneously.

A smile immediately spread across Zhunti's face as he rose to greet him:

"Congratulations, Daoist brother! Our congratulations! This seclusion must have allowed you to fully refine those two supreme treasures?"

Jieyin also rose slowly, the usual sorrow on his face replaced by relief. His voice was low and gentle:

"Judging by your aura, Daoist brother, it is more condensed and restrained than before your seclusion, yet faintly edged with a sharpness.

It seems those two treasures have truly come into your service."

Xuande bowed solemnly to the two of them:

"To have been able to refine them in peace is entirely thanks to your protection, Daoist brothers. Xuande is deeply grateful."

Jieyin quickly steadied him: "Daoist brother, you speak too gravely. The three of us are bound together as one; guarding your seclusion was only our duty. There is no need for thanks!"

Zhunti laughed as well: "Exactly, exactly! If you truly wish to thank us, Daoist brother, just come discuss the Dao with us more often!

My senior brother and I have been guarding this valley entrance all these days. Though we could still cultivate, it felt dull without you by our side."

Xuande smiled and nodded:

"Naturally. Let me return and settle a few things first, then we shall sit beneath the Bodhi Tree and discuss the Dao."

The three of them chatted and laughed as they left Spirit Spring Valley, following the mountain path toward the main peak.

Back beneath the Bodhi Tree, they sat down once more.

Zhunti eagerly asked about the process of refinement. Xuande did not hold back and gave a general account of refining the Black Lotus and the God-Slaying Spear.

He only omitted the visions of the Creation of Heaven and Earth from the spear's memories.

Those were too ancient, too overwhelming. He needed time to digest them slowly and did not wish to speak of them for now.

After listening, Jieyin nodded slowly:

"That you, Daoist brother, could obtain these two treasures and refine them smoothly is truly a blessing for the West.

The Twelve-Petal Destruction Black Lotus, though its nature opposes yours, can become a great tool for protecting the West if wielded well.

As for the God-Slaying Spear..."

He paused, his expression growing more serious:

"This spear carries a fearsome reputation and an overwhelming aura of slaughter.

Though you have refined it, Daoist brother, you must still use it with caution. Unless necessary, it is best not to reveal it lightly."

Zhunti also nodded: "Senior brother is right. Once this spear appears in the world, it will draw countless eyes. You must be careful, Daoist brother."

Xuande nodded gravely: "Both Daoist brothers speak truly. This humble one takes your words to heart."

After a while longer of idle talk, they parted ways. Jieyin and Zhunti returned to their cave dwellings to cultivate, while Xuande went back to his own peak.

He sat cross-legged in his cave, calming his breath and further consolidating the gains from refining the two treasures.

Time passed unrecorded in the Primordial Wilderness.

Springs came and went, flowers bloomed and fell. None could say how many ages had passed.

For a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, the flow of time was beyond counting.

Perhaps an epoch, perhaps longer.

Until that day.

The entire Primordial Wilderness suddenly changed.

Xuande was meditating in his cave when his mind trembled. He opened his eyes.

He sensed something.

An indescribable, supreme aura, rising from somewhere beyond the heavens.

That aura was vast as the ocean, deep as an abyss, as if it contained all the principles of heaven and earth, yet transcended them entirely.

It was not a pressure, yet it was more unsettling than any pressure; it was not the resonance of the Dao, yet it was more unfathomable than any resonance of the Dao.

Xuande rose abruptly and stepped out of his cave dwelling.

Outside, the entire Mount Sumeru trembled faintly.

Countless spirit birds and beasts lay prostrate on the ground, shivering in fear.

The plants on the mountainside rustled without wind, as if bowing in worship to something.

To the east.

Xuande looked up and saw, at the horizon of the eastern sky, a streak of purple light spanning across the heavens, stretching for tens of thousands of miles!

The purple light was so vast, so pure, so boundless—he had never seen its like.

It was like a purple celestial river, cascading down from beyond the heavens, cutting across the entire dome of the Primordial Wilderness, dyeing heaven and earth in a wash of violet.

Three thousand miles of purple vapor came from the east.

At the same time, myriad omens unfolded between heaven and earth.

Above the nine heavens, immeasurable auspicious vapors descended, transforming into billions of golden blossoms, drifting and scattering across the Primordial Wilderness.

Beneath the earth, countless sweet springs gushed forth, clear and refreshing, drinking from them left one's spirit clear and invigorated.

Mountains and rivers emitted joyful resonances.

All plants and living beings felt an unprecedented surge of vitality.

What shocked Xuande even more was that the oppressive pressure emanating from Buzhou Mountain had mostly dissipated.

Buzhou Mountain, formed from the spine of the great god Pangu, had radiated an overwhelming pressure since the Creation of Heaven and Earth.

Back when he was at the late-stage Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm, he had exhausted all his strength just to climb halfway up.

But now, that pressure receded like a tide. Though not completely gone, it had weakened far, far too much.

With the cultivation of a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, with some effort, perhaps... one could reach the summit.

Xuande's heart trembled; for a long time, he could not speak.

He knew what this was.

Hongjun had become a sage.

The victor of the Dao-Demon Conflict, the ancient being who held the Jade Plate of Creation.

He had finally taken that last step, attaining Hunyuan and achieving the status of a sage.

At this moment, the Heavenly Dao also underwent earth-shattering changes.

Before, the Heavenly Dao remained hidden and aloof, governing all things through the obscure laws of fate.

Living beings knew of its existence but could not perceive it, could not touch it, and even less could they glimpse it.

But now, the Heavenly Dao seemed to awaken from slumber.

It had fully emerged, merging completely with the entire world of the Primordial Wilderness.

Xuande closed his eyes and could clearly sense the presence of the Heavenly Dao—supreme, utterly impartial, governing all things, controlling everything.

It was no longer distant, no longer obscure, but truly existed within every inch of void, every strand of Spiritual Energy, and every Great Dao.

From now on, the path of cultivation would be clearer; heavenly tribulations and punishments would be stricter.

And the position of sage would become the ultimate goal pursued by all great beings.

Two streaks of light shot up from the depths of Mount Sumeru and landed beside Xuande.

They were Jieyin and Zhunti.

Both wore expressions of undisguised shock on their faces.

Zhunti stared at the ten-thousand-mile purple vapor in the eastern sky and murmured:

"Is this... is this the might of a sage?

Three thousand miles of purple vapor from the east, heavenly omens falling across the Primordial Wilderness... it's too incredible."

Jieyin's face was solemn as he said slowly: "Hongjun... has become a sage."

The three stood side by side, silent for a long time.

The appearance of a sage meant that the Primordial Wilderness would enter a new era.

The unwritten rules of the past might all change.

The hidden and unrevealed Great Dao of the past might all become manifest.

The purple vapor gradually dissipated, and the omens slowly subsided.

But the feeling that "a sage is above" in heaven and earth was deeply etched into the hearts of every living being.

Some time passed.

On this day, a vast and majestic voice descended from the nine heavens, resounding throughout the entire Primordial Wilderness—

"I am Hongjun, and I have now attained sainthood.

Three thousand years hence, within the chaos, inside the Purple Cloud Palace, I shall expound the way of sages.

All who are fated may come to listen."

The voice was not loud, yet it seemed to ring directly in the depths of every living being's Primordial Spirit.

No matter where they were, no matter their level of cultivation, as long as they possessed intelligence, all could hear it clearly.

Xuande, Jieyin, and Zhunti were at this moment gathered beneath the Bodhi Tree.

Hearing these words, the three exchanged glances, each seeing the shock and... anticipation in the others' eyes.

Three thousand years hence, within the chaos, inside the Purple Cloud Palace, the way of sages would be expounded.

"Two Daoist brothers."

Xuande spoke slowly, his voice calm yet carrying a trace of barely restrained excitement, "Three thousand years from now... shall we go together?"

Jieyin and Zhunti looked at each other and nodded in unison.

"Together," Jieyin said.

"Naturally, together!" Zhunti laughed. "How could we miss such an opportunity? Three thousand years—just enough time to make some preparations."