Afterward, Xuande drew a deep breath and stood up.
"Fellow Daoists," he said softly, "let's go in."
Jieyin, Zhunti, Zhenyuanzi, and Hong Yun rose as well.
The five of them led the way toward the door.
Behind them, the Three Pure Ones exchanged glances, then stood and followed.
Nuwa and Fuxi got up and went after them.
Then Di Jun and Tai Yi, King Father of the East and West Queen Mother, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, Randeng, and the other powerful figures rose one after another and entered Zixiao Palace.
The moment Xuande stepped through the palace gate, purple light seemed to flow before his eyes.
When the light faded, the scene before him gradually came into focus.
It was a grand hall.
The hall was vast enough to hold several thousand people.
It was bare, without a single decoration.
Only on the raised platform at the front sat a cushion—the seat of the one who would preach.
Below the platform, six cushions were arranged in neat rows.
Six.
Xuande's gaze fell on them, and his pupils contracted slightly.
The cushions looked ordinary, no different from those cultivators used when meditating.
Yet Xuande's keen spiritual sense could perceive something upon them.
A faint, almost imperceptible Dao aura flowed around them—the Dao aura of a Sage. They were cushions placed there by Ancestor Hongjun himself.
The powerful figures present might not all know what the six cushions signified.
But no one who had made it here was a fool.
They were placed at the very front, closest to the raised platform. Clearly, they were the best seats for listening to the Dao.
Who would sit in them?
Xuande didn't hesitate. He strode toward the six cushions.
Jieyin, Zhunti, Zhenyuanzi, and Hong Yun followed close behind.
The five stopped before the cushions and exchanged glances.
"Let's sit," Xuande said.
He moved to sit on the first cushion.
Just as his body was about to touch it—
An invisible force surged forth!
It was gentle, yet impossible to resist. It pushed him away, preventing him from sitting down.
Xuande was startled, but didn't panic.
He steadied himself and tried again, only to be gently pushed away by the same force.
At the same time, Jieyin tried to sit on the second cushion.
He was pushed back too, though the force was clearly weaker.
Jieyin furrowed his brow and tried again. This time, though the force remained, it could no longer keep him from sitting.
He lowered himself onto the second cushion.
Seeing this, Zhunti moved to sit on the third.
He was pushed back as well, but the force was weaker than the one Jieyin had faced.
With a little effort, he settled onto the third cushion.
Zhenyuanzi tried to sit on the fourth.
The force swept over him, far stronger than what Jieyin and Zhunti had encountered.
Zhenyuanzi furrowed his brow and channeled his magic power, trying to force his way down. The force held him firmly aloft, and no matter what he did, he couldn't sit.
Hong Yun tried to sit on the fifth cushion. He was pushed away and couldn't sit down either.
Xuande tried the sixth, but was pushed away as well.
Of the five, only Jieyin and Zhunti managed to sit: Jieyin on the second cushion and Zhunti on the third.
The first, fourth, fifth, and sixth cushions remained empty.
"What...?" Zhunti sat on his cushion, looking bewildered. "What's going on?"
Jieyin's expression was grave, and he seemed deep in thought.
Xuande stood to one side, his thoughts racing.
He knew what was happening.
The six cushions had been allotted by fate.
They weren't open to just anyone.
Only those acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao, those destined to become Sages, could sit on them.
Jieyin and Zhunti could sit there because they were destined to become the Two Sages of the West.
And he, Zhenyuanzi, and Hong Yun...
Xuande had no time to dwell on it. The Three Pure Ones were already approaching from behind.
Laozi led the way, with Yuanshi and Tongtian close behind.
The three stopped before the six cushions. Laozi glanced at Xuande without a word, then went straight to sit on the first.
He faced no resistance.
Laozi settled onto the first cushion.
Yuanshi headed for the second cushion, where Jieyin was already seated.
He paused and glanced at Jieyin, his brow furrowing.
Jieyin shifted slightly, but showed no intention of giving up his seat.
After a moment of silence, Yuanshi turned toward the third cushion, where Zhunti sat.
He paused again, then finally walked to the fourth cushion.
He faced no resistance either.
Yuanshi settled onto the fourth cushion.
Tongtian glanced at Jieyin and Zhunti, then at Yuanshi. Grinning, he strode toward the fifth cushion.
He settled onto it.
The Three Pure Ones occupied the first, fourth, and fifth cushions.
Jieyin and Zhunti occupied the second and third.
The six cushions still had one empty—the sixth.
Xuande stood to one side, his thoughts racing.
He wasn't surprised that the Three Pure Ones could sit there.
They were of the Pangu Orthodox Lineage, favored by the Heavenly Dao's fortune and destined to become three Sages. It was fated.
He wasn't surprised that Jieyin and Zhunti could sit there either. Their destiny as the Two Sages of the West was just as certain.
But Laozi had taken the first cushion, Jieyin the second, Zhunti the third, Yuanshi the fourth, and Tongtian the fifth...
What about the sixth?
According to the legends, the sixth was supposed to be Nuwa's.
But she hadn't come over yet.
Xuande looked up. Nuwa and Fuxi were standing not far away, quietly watching everything unfold.
Nuwa's expression was calm, but a hint of emotion flickered in her eyes.
Fuxi's brow furrowed slightly, as though he, too, was pondering something.
The other powerful figures—Di Jun and Tai Yi, King Father of the East and West Queen Mother, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, and Randeng—were also watching the six cushions from nearby.
No one moved, but Xuande sensed complicated emotions in their gazes.
The sixth cushion was still empty.
Xuande drew a deep breath, then suddenly strode toward Nuwa.
"Fellow Daoist Nuwa."
He stopped before her and said softly, "The sixth cushion is still empty."
Nuwa paused and looked at him.
Xuande didn't explain further. He simply said, "Please."
He extended a hand and gently lifted it.
A soft golden radiance flowed from his fingertips.
It was Merit Golden Light, gentle and warm. It enveloped Nuwa and guided her toward the sixth cushion.
Nuwa didn't resist.
She let the force guide her to the cushion and slowly sat down.
She settled onto it.
There was no resistance.
The sixth cushion now had an occupant.
The grand hall fell silent.
Everyone watched the scene.
The Three Pure Ones looked grave. Realization dawned in Jieyin and Zhunti's eyes. Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun seemed thoughtful. Fuxi nodded slightly, gratitude in his eyes.
The other powerful figures—Di Jun and Tai Yi, Minghe, Kunpeng, King Father of the East and West Queen Mother, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, and Randeng—wore varied expressions.
Some were surprised, some confused, and some seemed faintly unwilling to accept it.
But no one spoke, and no one stepped forward to seize a seat.
All six cushions were occupied.
Xuande withdrew his hand and stepped back, standing behind Jieyin and Zhunti.
His mind was clear.
He knew what he had just done.
He had used Merit Golden Light to protect Nuwa and help her take her seat.
It had been an act of kindness, an expression of the bond between him and Nuwa forged by the "Morning Glory flower," and an investment in the future.
But he knew even better that the six cushions weren't his to sit on.
He had undergone Form Transformation from the Merit Golden Lotus.
But he was a transmigrator. His origins, his fortune, and his ties to this Primordial Wilderness... none of them were enough for him to claim a Sage Position cushion.
He felt neither resentment nor disappointment.
The chance to hear the Dao at Zixiao Palace was already a great opportunity.
To witness the six cushions being claimed with his own eyes, and personally help Nuwa take the sixth—
That was enough to make him part of an event that would shape the future order of the Primordial Wilderness.
That was enough.
The six cushions at Zixiao Palace were now occupied.
Laozi sat on the first, Jieyin on the second, Zhunti on the third, Yuanshi on the fourth, Tongtian on the fifth, and Nuwa on the sixth.
The six sat upon their cushions, their auras faintly resonating with the Dao aura that surrounded them.
At the rear of the hall, Fuxi stood not far behind Nuwa. His expression was calm, but his eyes held relief and gratitude.
He looked at Xuande and nodded slightly. His gaze held so much gratitude and acknowledgment, along with a weighty bond of friendship.
Xuande nodded back.
Zhenyuanzi came over to him and said softly, "Fellow Daoist Xuande..."
Xuande shook his head and replied quietly, "It's fine. The chance to hear the Dao is already a great opportunity."
Hong Yun came over too and murmured, "It's a shame we couldn't get a seat.
"But never mind. Listening while standing is just as good! I refuse to believe standing will make it any harder to hear than sitting!"
Zhunti turned around on his cushion and glanced at Xuande, guilt in his eyes.
Jieyin also looked back, his expression complicated.
Xuande gave them a gentle, sincere smile.
Deep within Zixiao Palace, a figure slowly appeared atop the raised platform.
He was an old Daoist with a lean face, white hair and beard, and a simple gray robe. He gave off no aura at all, looking like an ordinary old man.
Yet the instant he appeared, all of Zixiao Palace fell silent.
Everyone bowed.
"Greetings, Dao Ancestor."
Ancestor Hongjun gave a slight nod and looked across the hall.
By now, the hall was filled with cultivators who had come from every corner of the Primordial Wilderness.
At a rough count, there were around three thousand.
Most were Innate Divine Beings, though many were also unaffiliated Grand Unity Golden Immortals who had cultivated diligently for countless years.
They stood or sat, densely filling every part of the hall, yet not one dared to speak out of turn.
Hongjun's gaze lingered on the six cushions before sweeping over those standing behind them. A trace of unfathomable meaning flickered in his eyes.
"Sit," he said flatly.
The six on the cushions settled into their seats.
The others behind them also sat cross-legged, some on the floor, others wherever they could find space.
The hall was spacious, but crowded with three thousand people. No one complained. Every gaze was fixed on the unassuming figure atop the raised platform.
Hongjun's gaze swept over the crowd once more, then came to rest at the center of the hall.
"This lecture,"
He spoke slowly. His voice was not loud, yet it reached every person's ears clearly.
"Will last three thousand years. Those with the fortune to hear it may stay; those without may leave."
Three thousand years.
The number stirred a faint commotion in the hall, which soon settled into silence.
To a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, three thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.
But to hear a Sage lecture for three thousand years—that would be an extraordinarily profound blessing.
Silence filled Zixiao Palace.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the first Sage lecture since the Creation of Heaven and Earth.
Xuande sat cross-legged among the crowd, his gaze resting on the old Daoist on the high platform. His heart was calm.
A new era in the Primordial Wilderness was about to begin.