That was right. Countless powerful figures had actually sensed a terrifying fury within this dreadful Saintly might.
The laws of the Great Dao throughout heaven and earth were suppressed by that Saintly might, and the Gods' earth-shaking combat strength fell by more than half.
The entire Primordial Wilderness suddenly fell silent.
The power of all the raging battles swiftly faded away.
Under the pressure of the Saintly might, the force destroying the Innate Bodhi Tree gradually dissipated.
But by then, almost nothing remained except a wooden staff.
Only a faint trace of True Spirit lingered upon it.
Zhunti was as good as dead.
Perhaps there was a chance he could return, but at the very least, it would take a long time.
Chu Xuan let out a long breath, feeling a little exhilarated.
"It worked!"
It didn't matter whether Zhunti died or not. In fact, it would be best if he didn't—at the very least, not right now.
That way, he could tie Hongjun down for longer.
Hongjun bore the Karma of the West. A person's death didn't necessarily erase their debts, but it would still ease Hongjun's burden considerably.
After all, Jieyin was still alive and could shoulder most of the Karma. Even if some of it backfired, there were ways to make up for the loss.
Hongjun might not choose that course, of course, given that he was at a crucial point in Integrating with the Dao.
But this current state—where Zhunti was as good as dead, yet not actually dead—was even more troublesome for Hongjun.
Since Zhunti wasn't dead, the Karma still had to be repaid to him.
It wouldn't be difficult to bring Zhunti back, but it would take time—and time was exactly what they lacked right now.
Bringing a Great Divine Ability User back from the dead was no easy feat, not even for a Saint.
Otherwise, when Fuxi died in the future, why would Nuwa have him reincarnate into the Human Race and walk the path of a Human Saint Emperor?
The reason was naturally that a Great Divine Ability User needed to restore more than just his life. He also needed to restore his Great Dao laws.
The Great Dao laws had to be cultivated anew, and a Dao Fruit had to be formed again.
Even if he could do it faster than an ordinary being, it would still take a considerable amount of time, because he had lost the most important part of his innate divine origins.
The kind of origins that made one a Great Luo Golden Immortal from the moment of birth!
So even the elder brother of a Saint had to ride the rising tide of the Human Race, the fated protagonists of the age, to establish his Great Dao anew.
"The Saint Position has changed hands!"
Fuxi suddenly spoke from beside him.
What Chu Xuan had seen, Fuxi had seen too—or rather, many Great Divine Ability Users had noticed it.
Zhunti might still have a chance to return, but the Saint Position couldn't be pursued by someone who hadn't yet rebuilt his Great Luo Golden Immortal Dao Fruit.
Countless powerful figures had gotten what they wanted, but none had expected it to happen this way.
Zhunti had died, leaving the Saint Position vacant.
No one had obtained the Saint Position, but every powerful figure now had a chance to claim it.
Under normal circumstances, this was an outcome no one would have chosen. Yet, under the current Calamity of Killing, it was undeniably the most suitable solution.
There were simply too many powerful figures vying for it, and the tangled Karma was too great. Claiming a Cushion outright had become almost impossible.
Normally, if Hongjun hadn't descended, this group might have gone mad and decided to kill all the Future Saints, then rearrange the Cushion seats.
But Hongjun had descended!
"Perhaps this isn't so bad. At least now there's a Saint Position up for grabs!"
At one point, even Di Jun, who should have been furious, felt his heart leap.
He ruled the Demon Heavenly Court. Even if there were some minor disagreements within the court, with so many Great Luo Golden Immortals having lost their chance, they would surely support me!
Why shouldn't I have a shot?
Fuxi's thoughts stirred as well. With a sister who was a Saint, his chances were quite good.
As for the other Great Divine Ability Users and Great Luo Golden Immortals, their hopes were obvious. Even Queen Mother of the West, who had always kept to herself at home, couldn't help feeling her heart skip a beat.
Heaven and earth fell silent. At last, Hongjun descended.
He looked at the Innate Bodhi Tree, which had been reduced to little more than a wooden stalk, his expression complicated.
Jieyin, who had been under the Dragon Race's protection nearby, immediately rushed out and clutched the wooden stalk, wailing.
"Junior Brother, Junior Brother! It's all my fault. I failed to protect you, Junior Brother!"
"We brothers lived in the barren Western Land, cultivating day after day. We never made enemies with anyone. How could this calamity have befallen us, Junior Brother?"
"How could this happen? We were simply cultivating peacefully inside our mountain gate, when wicked villains suddenly came out of nowhere!"
"Teacher, I beg you to have mercy and restore my junior brother's Great Dao. The West has suffered so much. We brothers have suffered so much!"
The Gods watched Jieyin put on his act. He never mentioned the Dao Ancestor directly, yet every word and deed was aimed at him.
He kept using the Western Land to tug at their heartstrings, over and over emphasizing how hard they had it.
He was hoping to pull the same old trick and claim the Cushion.
The Gods used to be naïve. They hadn't understood and thought the two of them were simply shameless. But ever since they learned the Cushion represented the Saint Position, they saw the pair for what they were: sinister schemers.
Now Jieyin was crying his eyes out. Why hadn't he rushed out earlier? Why had he waited until the Dao Ancestor descended before suddenly appearing?
Bah! Shameless!
Still, the Gods couldn't help feeling nervous.
What if the Dao Ancestor really fell for it?
What if he truly revived Zhunti, pitied him, and left the Saint Position for him?
If so, even if Zhunti couldn't become a Great Luo Golden Immortal yet, they would have to wait for him to cultivate anew. They would be left dumbfounded!
The Gods were tense, but they didn't dare speak up.
After all, they had violated the unspoken pact of the lecture and helped bring about the Calamity of Killing.
After a long while, once Jieyin had cried for half a day, Hongjun finally spoke.
But he didn't mention Zhunti.
Instead, he brought up the Saint Positions.
Countless Gods were delighted and could hardly wait to strain their ears and listen.
"Karma has given rise to the Calamity of Killing!"
"This is the hidden opportunity behind the unsettled Cushions!"
"Yet what have the myriad living beings done to deserve this? I cannot bear it. Therefore, the competition for the Cushions is hereby settled. Those who sit upon them shall become my disciples and have the opportunity to become Saints in the future!"
"The Three Pure Ones were formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit. Their origins are profound, and they possess the Merit of Creation. They have the chance to become Saints and shall be my personal disciples!"
"Nuwa was formed from innate yin energy. Her blessings are immense, and she has the chance to become a Saint in the future. She, too, may be my personal disciple!"
"Jieyin bears the fate of the West and its Karma. This old man is setting aside his pride to ask for a chance for him to become a Saint in the future. He may be an outer disciple!"
"Heaven has decreed that there shall be eight Saints. The remaining two Saint Positions will be opportunities for the Gods of the future! Whoever is fated may become a Saint!"
As his words fell,
the Heavenly Dao descended from the vast heavens above, and purple qi surged eastward, spreading throughout the Primordial Wilderness.
As the Great Dao responded,
countless Gods understood.
From this moment on, the five Future Saints had been decided, and no one could contend for their positions!
But there were still two Saint Positions!
Good riddance!
Suddenly, even Di Jun couldn't help thinking that.
According to what Dao Ancestor Hongjun had just said, those six Saint Positions had already been assigned.
The Three Pure Ones had Pangu's Primordial Spirit and the Merit of Creation, so they were certain to become Saints. Nuwa, too, had some kind of future blessing.
Jieyin carried the Karma of the West, and was there to repay the Karma he owed the Dao Ancestor when the latter became a Saint.
If Zhunti hadn't died, he would probably have claimed one of the positions as well.
That left them with only one Saint Position! How infuriating!
Now that Zhunti was dead, they had one more chance!
Wonderful, wonderful!
If they weren't afraid of angering the Dao Ancestor—after all, he probably had to repay Zhunti's share of the Karma himself, and was likely troubled by it—the Gods would have been ready to sing and dance for joy!
Before you continue