The Hunyuan Realm, Hongjun Recalls the Past

Donghua and Nuwa left Taisu Heaven and went directly to the Chaos Purple Cloud Palace.

To be honest, Donghua was quite looking forward to this journey through chaos. After all, since his rebirth, he had been living in the Primordial Wilderness and had almost never survived in chaos, which was a regret.

The fact that they were able to go to Chaos this time meant that things were definitely not simple. According to Donghua's guess, this matter must be related to the Primordial Wilderness.

Within the chaos, anything related to the Primordial Wilderness must be another world. Although Donghua had never seen a world other than the Primordial Wilderness world, he believed that it must exist.

After all, the Primordial World was created by the tangible Dao Pangu, and the tangible Dao was definitely not just Pangu.

This matter seems quite simple. Take the current Primordial Wilderness Heavenly Dao as an example; it can give birth to seven strands of Primordial Violet Qi, thus creating seven Saints.

For the Primordial World, Saint is like Pangu to the Great Dao; although there are great differences between the two, they are essentially similar.

Therefore, Donghua was looking forward to the upcoming journey through chaos, believing it would be exciting and that he would witness a world different from the Primordial Wilderness world.

I just don't know how strong the world's power is.

When Donghua and Nuwa entered Purple Sky Palace, Hongjun was already seated on a high throne, clearly waiting for the two of them, or rather, waiting for Nuwa.

"Greetings, Master!"

Hongjun chuckled softly, waving his whisk and saying, "No need for formalities, please sit!"

As Hongjun finished speaking, an extra seat appeared in the middle of the original six seats in the Purple Sky Palace, positioned after Nuwa and before Jieyin and Zhunti.

Nuwa sat directly in the spot where she had previously listened to the teachings, while Donghua sat in the newly appeared position.

"I never imagined that I, Donghua, would one day be able to secure such a prominent position. I couldn't force it when I was listening to the teachings, but now I've so easily taken this seat. It truly is a matter of timing and fate!"

Seeing the two seated, Hongjun didn't waste any words and said directly, "Originally, I planned to send Nuwa alone this time, since this matter is not simple and may involve facing Hun Yuan of the same level. However, I didn't expect that you, Donghua, could also come. But it's good, your current combat strength is barely enough to be considered Hun Yuan. I can feel more at ease knowing that the two of you are going together."

Donghua asked, puzzled, "May I ask, Master, what realm am I currently in? I call it the Quasi-Saint Realm, is that correct?"

Hongjun smiled and said, "This is not a secret. It's just that I didn't say much before you all Hun Yuan Hunyuan. Originally, I was going to explain the Great Dao to you all after you all attained enlightenment, but things happened so suddenly, so it's fine to tell you in advance!"

"You've already stepped one foot into the Hun Yuan, only needing the final blessing of heaven and earth, which is the so-called practice of your own Great Dao. You call it the Quasi-Saint Realm, which is both right and wrong."

"I previously called it the Perfection Realm because after reaching this realm, the path of Quasi-Saint has come to an end, and one has also gained some of the abilities of Hun Yuan Primordial Chaos, but it is difficult to make any further progress in strength and the Great Dao. If one wants to make further progress, one must practice one's own Great Dao and receive the blessing of Heaven and Earth and the Great Dao."

"However, your situation is quite special. After all, the Path of the Emperor, like the Power Great Dao, is a very special path. As your fortune increases, your strength is also constantly improving."

"So you can call this realm whatever you want; perhaps only you in the Primordial World would exist in this situation."

After listening, Donghua nodded, finally understanding his own realm and why he could always feel his strength increasing, but he had not yet broken through to the Hun Yuan. He was very clear about this.

After Hongjun finished speaking, he looked at the two of them again, making his meaning very clear: if they had any questions, they should ask them quickly, and then it would be time to get to work!

Nuwa asked, "May I ask, Master, are there different realms within the Hun Yuan realm? If so, how are they divided? Please enlighten me, Master!"

Hongjun replied, "As long as there is cultivation, there is no end. As long as the Great Dao is immortal, cultivation will never cease!"

"Nine is the ultimate number in the Dao. I have divided the Hunyuan Realm into nine levels, also known as the Nine Heavens. Each Heaven represents a Dao Realm Cultivation and also represents the extent to which one has opened up the Dao!"

Although Donghua knew that Hun Yuan must have realm divisions, he never expected there to be as many as nine heavens. This was simply unbelievable!

Nine Heavens—that's nine different realms! It's truly hard to accept. The prestige of Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal seems to have vanished all at once.

Nuwa frowned upon hearing Hongjun's words, displaying the same expression as Donghua.

After all, you've painstakingly cultivated to the Hunyuan Realm, only to be suddenly told that your current cultivation level is roughly equivalent to the Immortal Dao Fruit Realm. Who could accept that? Who could feel good about it?

Seeing the two looking dejected, Hongjun said, "I have divided the Hunyuan Realm into nine heavens, representing the nine heavens of the Dao, and also representing Pangu's realm. Pangu spent nine heavens creating the Primordial World."

"Eighty-one transformations a day, one hundred and eight transformations, two hundred and fifty-six transformations, three hundred and sixty, seven hundred and twoty-two... three thousand transformations, until the final ten thousand transformations a day. I also call this the Dao Realm, or a realm between Hun Yuan and the Great Dao."

Upon hearing this, Donghua and Nuwa began to understand that the division of the Hunyuan Realm was actually a division of the Dao, with each of Pangu's transformations representing a different Great Dao.

When Nuwa attained the Primordial Chaos Attain Hunyuan Dao, her seventy-two transformations represented that she had perfected seventy-two Great Daos. Of course, if one only cultivates one Great Dao, then one needs to open a new Dao after achieving perfection. This is also a means of advancement in the Hunyuan Realm.

In other words, you may have already perfected the Great Dao, but you can continue to build upon that foundation and keep climbing until you reach the Dao Realm, because the highest standard that people currently know is the Great Dao.

"Master, I wonder what realm I am currently in? And what realm are you in?"

Nuwa asked the question without any hesitation. The first question was fine, but the second question was really bold. Asking about someone's cultivation level in the Primordial Wilderness was indeed a very taboo thing.

Being able to see through someone's cultivation level is your skill, but asking about someone's cultivation level is making an enemy.

Hongjun didn't care about these things, and directly said, "When you first broke through, you were at the Empress, and now you are at the peak of the first heaven. This is your original cultivation level as a Primordial Daluo Golden Immortal. If you use the Heavenly Dao Power with the status of Saint, you can have the cultivation level of the Third Heaven. As for me!"

At this point, Hongjun chuckled softly, a hint of pride in his eyes, and said, "When I first broke through to the Hun Yuan, I was at the Third Heaven; before I merged with the Dao, I was at the Sixth Heaven. As for now, you don't need to know. Just focus on your cultivation, and you'll naturally find out when the time is right!"

"The Hunyuan Triple Heaven? Master, is it possible to leap across Third Heaven from the Quasi-Saint Realm in one step?" Nuwa asked in surprise.

Hongjun nodded, then looked at Donghua and said, "The more you accumulate at the Quasi-Saint level, the more explosive you can be when you break through to Hun Yuan Primordial Realm, breaking through several realms at once."

"You have already broken through to the Hun Yuan, so you should have experienced this situation before. When you break through to the Hun Yuan, the Great Dao will descend, and you will be able to comprehend countless Great Daos. Therefore, your strength will experience a breakthrough."

"Just like Donghua, if he were to break through to the Hun Yuan now, he could reach the peak of the first level of heaven in one step, or even possibly the second level."

Upon hearing this, Donghua was overjoyed and immediately asked, "Master, what kind of accumulation is needed to reach the Third Heaven in one step, just like you?"

Hongjun swung his whisk and patted Donghua, saying, "When it's time to break through, you should break through. Don't deliberately pursue it. The Great Dao emphasizes going with the flow. If you force it, you'll only fall behind, because your heart determines how long you can accumulate power. Remember, water overflows when it's full!"

Donghua said in a deep voice, "Thank you for your teachings, Master!"

He didn't know how big his ambitions were, but he knew that his cultivation and strength were still breaking through, and that was enough, because it meant that he could continue to accumulate.

Nuwa was standing to the side, looked gloomy after hearing these words. When she broke through, she clearly felt that her strength could continue to grow. If she had not rushed to break through and had continued to accumulate strength, she might have been able to reach the second level in one step!

However, breaking through to the second level now is extremely difficult, and the difficulty has increased exponentially.

"I should have known better than to rush into the breakthrough!" Nuwa said directly, dissatisfied. It seemed that Nuwa was very comfortable in front of Hongjun and did not have so many schemes.

Hongjun replied, "That's alright. Breaking through early has its advantages. You are now the second Saint of the Primordial Wilderness, and the fortune and blessings you receive from the Great Dao are more than enough to make up for these losses, and there's even some left over."

Upon hearing this, Nuwa's brows relaxed, and she felt much better.

"Master, is breaking through to the Hunyuan Realm only a breakthrough in the Dao? Is it enough to perfect the existing Great Dao before opening a new one? Are there any other methods?" Donghua asked, voicing his doubts.

Because he cultivates the Three Thousand Great Daos, does he really need to perfect all Three Thousand Great Daos? That's a massive amount of cultivation. If he hadn't had the Jade Plate of Creation, he probably wouldn't have been able to cultivate the Three Thousand Great Daos.

Hongjun said solemnly, "There is no precedent for cultivation in the Hunyuan Realm; we must explore and cultivate on our own. I am considered a pioneer in this path, but so far I have not discovered any other Cultivation Method, only the cultivation of the Great Dao and the opening of the Dao."

"Besides that, I am also exploring the laws of the world, that is, using the Primordial World to improve my cultivation. This is the biggest reason why I am willing to merge with the Dao."

"After all, the primordial Primordial World was created by Pangu, and Pangu's realm at that time should have been the Great Dao, or somewhere between the Hun Yuan and the Great Dao. The strength of the Primordial Wilderness Heavenly Dao is also about the same. So if one can fully understand the Primordial World, one can probably also reach the realm of the Great Dao."

"However, this method is just my guess and has not been confirmed yet, because the current Primordial World is not yet suitable for me to reach this level."

"Besides, if you can discover a new Cultivation Method, you can also be called a Dao Ancestor, truly opening up a new path, with the potential to reach the realm of Pangu and the realm of the Great Dao!"

At this point, Hongjun looked at Donghua and said in a heavy tone, "However, you shouldn't be too ambitious. Only after you truly break through to the Hun Yuan will you understand the profound mysteries of this realm. The Three Thousand Great Daos will not be a burden to you, but rather your greatest asset!"

Upon hearing this, Donghua felt much relieved. Having such a master who had gone before him had indeed saved him from many detours, allowing him to progress smoothly through the early stages of the Primordial Hun Yuan.

Now that the Great Dao has been perfected, the Dao has been opened, and the laws of the world have been established, at least there is something to look forward to.

However, according to Donghua's speculation, among the six sages of the Primordial Wilderness in later generations, the Three Pure Ones and others chose the laws of the world and heaven and earth to compete for the Primordial Wilderness fortune, wanting to put the Primordial Wilderness into practice according to their own ideas.

Nuwa was forced to choose the path of enlightenment, single-mindedly pursuing the Great Dao. However, after the Investiture of the Gods, the Three Pure Ones and others likely failed completely.

Because the Primordial World did not improve but instead fell apart, it is undoubtedly a tragedy for everyone in the Primordial Wilderness.

"Thank you so much, Master, for enlightening us! We are deeply grateful!"

With the matter resolved, all their doubts were dispelled, and there were no other questions. All that remained was their pursuit and yearning for the Great Dao.

Hongjun said with a smile, "The path of the Great Dao is rugged and uneven, and it is indeed too lonely for this old Daoist to walk alone. Today you are my disciples, and I will lead you forward. From now on, we will be fellow Daoists and advance hand in hand."

"Perhaps one day in the future you will surpass me. When that time comes, you can become my teachers and guide me forward. Only then will my life have not been in vain!"

Upon hearing this, Donghua and Nuwa did not feign modesty; they both laughed heartily, perhaps secretly anticipating this day. After all, who would willingly remain subservient to someone else for long, even if that person is their master?

As practitioners of Daoism, what we need is to forge ahead without hesitation and to surpass our teachers.

"I wonder what task Master has asked me to perform? Today I brought Junior Brother Donghua here without permission, please forgive me, Master." After the matter was settled, Nuwa got to the point and inquired about the matter.

Hongjun waved his hand and said, "It's alright. With Donghua's current strength, he can also participate. However, remember to be careful, as this event is full of unknowns and dangers."

Hongjun paused here, as if organizing his thoughts, and after a long while, he slowly said:

"Strictly speaking, I am not the first person in the Primordial Wilderness to Attain Hunyuan Dao, but only the first to achieve the status of Saint. The first person in the Primordial Wilderness to Attain Hunyuan Dao was Yang Mei."

"Yang Mei?" Nuwa exclaimed in surprise. This was the first time she had heard this name, but she never expected that this person would be the first to Attain Hunyuan Dao. He must be a person of great ability.

However, this name caused a huge uproar in Donghua's heart. He originally thought it was a fictional character from later memories, but he never expected that it was a real person who had actually attained enlightenment before Hongjun. It was truly unbelievable.

"Could it be true that Hongjun was defeated by Yang Mei?"

Donghua looked at Hongjun with a puzzled expression; he really wanted to know the answer to this question.

Hongjun seemed oblivious, lost in some kind of reminiscence, and slowly said, "Years ago, after I attained enlightenment, I returned to Yujing Mountain. At that time, I was riding high, but on the way, I met Fellow Daoist Yang Mei and discovered that he had already Attain Hunyuan Dao."

"We fought in the chaos. Even though I possessed several supreme treasures, I still lost. No spiritual treasures or supreme treasures were of any use to him. He absorbed them all into his body and ultimately lost to Fellow Daoist Yang Mei."

"It was only afterwards that we learned that Yang Mei broke through to the Hunyuan Hun Yuan in the chaos, and his true form was a Hollow Willow in the Primordial World. He was a top-tier Innate Spiritual Root that took human form, and he mainly cultivated the Space Great Dao. He broke through Hun Yuan the Hunyuan realm through the Divine Dao, and he was also the founder of the Divine Dao!"

Hearing this, Donghua frowned and asked, "Master, is it really possible to break through to the Hunyuan Realm Divine Dao?"

He still vividly remembered Lu Ya's experience back then. Although there might be differences, it was indeed true that one could not attain enlightenment through the Divine Dao.

Hongjun smiled and said, "The Divine Dao can naturally Attain Hunyuan Dao, even in the present Primordial Wilderness. It will be very, very difficult, but there is still a chance. After all, the Great Dao is fifty, and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine. How can there truly be no dead end?"

"However, someone like Lu Ya, even if he reincarnates a thousand times, would never succeed in attaining enlightenment. How could someone with a flawed Dao Heart and a heart devoid of dragon and tiger succeed?"

Nuwa then asked, "Master, where is that Daoist Yang Mei now? After I Attain Sainthood, I searched the entire Primordial Wilderness but could not find him."

Hongjun smiled and said, "This matter relates to what I'm about to ask you to do."

"After losing to Yang Mei, I learned my lesson and abandoned the power boosts from spiritual treasures and supreme treasures. I focused on cultivating the Dao and eventually comprehended the ultimate principles of the Heavenly Dao, achieving the status of Saint. Only then did I challenge Yang Mei to another battle and finally defeat him, thus avenging my previous defeat."

"After Yang Mei lost, he once again traveled far into the Primordial Wilderness, wandering through the chaos to seek his own opportunities. Because after I Attain Sainthood, he would never be my match in the Primordial Wilderness world, especially since I have now merged with the Dao and can be compared to the Heavenly Dao!"

"Just before the First Yuan Gathering, I received a message from Yang Mei asking for help, saying that he had found another world in the chaos, a world that did not belong to the Primordial Wilderness world."

Just as I thought!

Upon hearing this, Donghua's heart skipped a beat. His guess was correct; this incident must be related to other worlds within the chaos.

Nuwa's eyes widened in disbelief as she asked, "Master, isn't the Primordial Wilderness World the only world? How can there be a world independent of the Primordial Wilderness? Could it be that Pangu also existed?"

After listening, Hongjun thought for a moment and said, "There is only one Pangu, but Pangu more than one tangible Great Dao that emerged from the Great Dao. You should know that Pangu is also a part of the Great Dao, and is a tangible Great Dao!"

"And according to my guess, there are no more than three thousand such tangible Great Daos, which means there are at most three thousand such worlds!"

"Pangu's realm is among the top in the tangible Dao. I don't know if there is anyone who surpasses Pangu, but his level and strength in the Primordial World are definitely among the best. After all, Hun Yuan is a being that stands at the peak of chaos no matter where he is."

"Moreover, the realm of the Primordial Wilderness Heavenly Dao is infinitely close to the Great Dao, differing from it by only a hair's breadth. From this, it can be concluded that the Primordial Wilderness must be the supreme world."

Hearing this, Donghua didn't know whether to be happy or disappointed.

The bad news is that there may be three thousand worlds like the primordial Primordial Wilderness within the primordial world.

Good news! The Primordial Wilderness might be the strongest wave yet, and the Hun Yuan isn't just any ordinary group; they're experts everywhere.

"I seem to be even more looking forward to the next stage of my cultivation. I really want to see what other worlds are like," Nuwa murmured.

Hongjun chuckled and said, "Expectation is a good thing, but don't be too happy too soon. Yang Mei actively searched for hundreds of Yuanhui before finding such a world. We may never encounter such a world again in our entire lives."

"After all, chaos is truly vast. The greater the Great Dao, the greater the chaos. Without attaining the Great Dao, one cannot know the immensity of chaos!"

Donghua asked, puzzled, "Master, isn't it said that chaos has no Time and Space? Why would you use the word 'vast' to describe chaos?"

Hongjun laughed and said, "Haha, how can an ant know the height of the sky? A mere acquired being will never know how vast the Primordial Wilderness in his entire life. Chaos indeed has no Time and Space, but there is the Great Dao within chaos. The Great Dao is the root of chaos, and Hongmeng is the reflection of chaos!"

Donghua looked somewhat ashamed, but upon reflection, it seemed true. Didn't the Time and Space of the Primordial Wilderness still originate from the Great Dao? Perhaps Hongmeng was indeed a true reflection of chaos. After all, weren't the River of Time and Space and River of Destiny the Primordial Wilderness world formed from the creation of Hongmeng by Pangu?

But if that's really the case, then wouldn't the Primordial Wilderness be able to devour other worlds, absorb the primordial chaos of other worlds, that is, time and destiny, and thus evolve and set off towards a higher level of world?

If one day the Heavenly Dao of the Primordial Wilderness were to evolve to the level of the Great Dao, then these people would naturally rise with the tide, and their cultivation would increase by leaps and bounds!

Thinking of this, Donghua immediately asked, "Master, if that's the case, can we use the Primordial World to devour other worlds in the Chaos, thereby reaching a higher level?"

Hongjun was also shocked by Donghua's bold idea. He frowned, but after thinking about it carefully, it seemed that it was not impossible. If this matter could be accomplished, wouldn't he, who merged with the Heavenly Dao, benefit the most? In this way, he would really have a chance to achieve the Dao Realm.

"Master, the Primordial Wilderness World isn't just capable of conquering other worlds; perhaps one day, we might even be able to directly..."

"Shut up!"

Before Donghua could finish speaking, Hongjun quickly stopped him, and the Jade Plate of Creation flew out, enveloping the entire Purple Sky Palace.

He then muttered curses, "Do you really think this old Daoist is omnipotent and invincible? How dare you say such things? Aren't you afraid that the Great Dao Divine Lightning will descend and pulverize us into nothingness?"

Donghua then belatedly realized that he had been too excited and had spoken without thinking. He laughed a few times, feeling embarrassed, before remembering that some things are truly better thought than spoken, and sometimes even better not thought at all.

Nuwa, standing to the side, also looked at Donghua, scrutinizing him carefully for a few moments, as if she were seeing Donghua for the first time. This showed just how shocked Donghua's words had been.

Hongjun coughed a few times, then said, "I was undecided before whether to send Nuwa to find Yang Mei, but now it seems you must go this time to test whether this method is feasible!"

Donghua and Nuwa nodded in agreement.

Nuwa then asked, "Did Yang Mei send any information describing what kind of world it was? And what was its strength like?"

P. S.: The two chapters are related, so I've combined them. 6,000 words. Please vote with monthly tickets and keep reading!