Repaying Karma

On the high platform, Ancestor Hongjun's figure was plain and unadorned, yet it seemed to merge seamlessly with the entire Chaos.

"These lectures will last three thousand years. I shall begin expounding the Sage's Path."

His voice was not loud, yet it reached every ear with perfect clarity.

Within the great hall, the Three Thousand Cultivators held their breath, focusing their minds as they awaited the supreme Great Dao.

Hongjun began to speak slowly.

"The Sage's Path..."

His voice remained calm, still that same plain and unadorned tone, but this time, every word he uttered seemed to contain boundless heavenly secrets.

The audience below listened intently, but soon, many faces showed confusion.

They could not understand.

Not at all.

Those words echoed in their ears—each character they recognized—but strung together, they read like a Heavenly Book.

The mysteries of the Heavenly Dao, of the primordial source, of Hunyuan, surpassed the scope of their comprehension.

Some furrowed their brows, some broke out in cold sweat, and some wore pained expressions.

Too profound.

The Sage's Path was far too profound for Zenith Heaven Golden Immortals.

The six seated on the Cushions—Laozi, Jieyin, Zhunti, Yuanshi, Tongtian, and Nuwa—wore solemn expressions.

Though they too struggled to fully grasp it, they desperately memorized every word, carving each one into the depths of their hearts.

As for the great cultivators in the rear, they could only do their utmost, retaining as much as possible.

Xuande sat cross-legged among the crowd, likewise immersed in that obscure and abstruse Great Dao.

He knew this was the Sage's Path—the final step toward the supreme realm.

Given his current level, fully understanding it was impossible.

All he could do was desperately memorize it, saving it for gradual enlightenment later.

Time slipped away quietly during the lectures.

One year, ten years, a hundred years, a thousand years...

Hongjun's voice remained steady, unchanging.

But among the great cultivators below, over this long span of lectures, some showed signs of enlightenment, some sank into deep thought, and others remained lost.

Two thousand seven hundred years passed without notice.

On this day, Hongjun's voice suddenly stopped.

The great hall fell into utter silence.

Everyone snapped back from that mysterious state, turning their gazes to the high platform.

Hongjun's eyes swept slowly across the hall, finally settling on the six Cushions in front.

More precisely, on one figure among them.

Laozi.

"Laozi," Hongjun spoke.

Laozi was slightly startled, then rose, stepped forward a few paces, and bowed with respect: "Your disciple is here."

Hongjun looked at him, his gaze calm and profound.

"You are the true lineage of Pangu, the foremost of the Three Pure Ones, with deep roots and surpassing comprehension.

Today, I grant you the position of the Mystic Gate's first disciple. In the future, you shall serve as a model for all immortals."

First disciple of the Mystic Gate!

Those four words echoed through the hall, and envy shone in everyone's eyes.

What glory was this! What did it mean to be personally appointed as the first disciple by the Ancestor?

It meant that from now on, under the Ancestor's tutelage, Laozi would be the foremost!

Laozi's expression remained calm, but deep in his eyes, there was a barely restrained excitement. He bowed again: "Your disciple thanks the Ancestor for his grace."

Hongjun nodded slightly and raised his hand in a light gesture.

A beam of light flew from his sleeve and landed before Laozi.

It was a diagram.

The scroll unfurled, its body colored in black and white, with a Taiji pattern slowly rotating within, radiating a vast, ocean-like pressure.

The force of that pressure was so strong that everyone in the hall felt a tremor in their hearts.

An Innate Supreme Treasure—the Taiji Diagram!

"This treasure is called the Taiji Diagram, an Innate Supreme Treasure. It can stabilize earth, water, fire, and wind, and transform into the myriad manifestations of Taiji. I bestow it upon you now; may you wield it well."

Laozi accepted the Taiji Diagram with both hands, and for the first time, a flicker of excitement stirred on his perpetually calm face.

"Your disciple kowtows in gratitude to the Dao Ancestor!"

Within the great hall, a wave of murmurs erupted.

An Innate Supreme Treasure! That was an Innate Supreme Treasure!

The Dragon Head Cane and Purple Sandalwood Pure Water Bowl previously granted to East King Duke and West Queen Mother were indeed supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, but compared to an Innate Supreme Treasure, they fell a tier short.

Treasures like the Taiji Diagram were few and far between across the entire Primordial Wilderness!

The eyes of the assembled great beings brimmed with envy, and some even betrayed faint traces of jealousy.

But no one dared to speak out.

That was the Dao Ancestor's decree.

Laozi, cradling the Taiji Diagram, retreated to the first cushion and slowly sat down. He gently stroked the supreme treasure in his hands, and on that placid face, a rare smile emerged.

Xuande, seated behind, watched this scene and nodded inwardly.

He knew that the three treasures of Creation—the Taiji Diagram, the Pangu Banner, and the Chaos Bell—were rightfully meant for the Three Pure Ones. Yet these three supreme treasures had scattered across the land after the Creation of Heaven and Earth. The Three Pure Ones, though the true heirs of Pangu, had emerged too late to claim them. Now, with the Dao Ancestor bestowing the Taiji Diagram upon Laozi, it was as if the treasure had returned to its rightful owner.

As for the other two...

The Pangu Banner would likely be granted to Yuanshi. As for the Chaos Bell...

Xuande lifted his gaze toward Dijun and Taiyi not far away.

At Taiyi's waist hung a small bell. Its body bore a chaotic hue, faintly radiating a pressure that suppressed time and space—it was the Chaos Bell.

This treasure now rested in Taiyi's hands. In the future...

Xuande did not dwell on it. He withdrew his gaze.

He knew that matters of the future could wait. For now, he only needed to watch quietly.

Hongjun's gaze swept across the hall once more.

This time, he looked toward two others.

Jieyin. Zhunti.

The two paused briefly, then rose, stepped forward, and bowed.

"Your disciples are here."

Hongjun regarded them, his gaze still calm.

"In the days of the Dao-Demon Conflict, the Devil Ancestor Rahula detonated the Western Earth Veins, plunging the West into suffering. You two were born in the West, grew up in the West, and share an unbreakable bond with it. Though the Western Earth Veins have now been restored, its foundation remains shallow, and its fortune has yet to coalesce. This is a karmic debt the Heavenly Dao owes the West—and today, it shall be repaid."

A karmic debt owed to the West!

These four words echoed through the hall, and astonishment flickered in the eyes of all present.

The Dao Ancestor was saying that the Heavenly Dao owed the West a karmic debt?

Jieyin and Zhunti were stunned as well, and a complex, indescribable emotion surged within them.

Born and raised in the West, they had witnessed firsthand its decline and suffering. They knew of the West's barrenness, of its waning fortune, but they had never imagined that the Heavenly Dao itself owed the West a karmic debt.

"Today," Hongjun continued, "I accept you two as registered disciples."

Registered disciples!

These four words struck like a thunderclap, exploding within the hall.

Laozi had been accepted as the first disciple of the Mystic Gate, personally proclaimed by the Dao Ancestor.

And now, Jieyin and Zhunti were also being taken in as registered disciples!

Though only registered, they were still disciples—disciples of the Dao Ancestor!

The great beings' eyes brimmed with shock and envy.

Jieyin and Zhunti froze as well, then bowed deeply.

"Your disciples... kowtow in gratitude to the Dao Ancestor!"

Hongjun nodded slightly and raised his hand in a gentle gesture.

Two beams of light flew from his sleeve and landed before the two of them.

Before Jieyin lay a lotus flower.

The lotus was pure white, with twelve petals unfurling layer by layer, radiating a pure and serene radiance.

Within that light, it seemed to contain endless purity and compassion, bringing peace to the heart at first glance.

The Twelve-Petal World-Purifying White Lotus!

Before Zhunti lay a demon-subduing pestle.

The pestle's body was golden, engraved with countless true words, exuding a fierce and majestic aura. It was a treasure for subduing demons and upholding the Dao, capable of breaking all evil.

The Vajra Demon Subduing Pestle!

The two accepted the treasures with both hands and kowtowed once more.

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor!"

Yet Hongjun did not stop there.

His gaze still rested upon them.

After a moment of silence, he raised his hand again.