Before the Purple Cloud Palace, Ten Thousand Immortals Paid Homage; Within the Sea of Chaos, Karma Ignited

Donghua and Taizhen transformed into streams of clear light and cloud-essence, breaking through the nine celestial gates, crossing the world barrier, and plunging straight into the boundless, trackless chaos, following a faint thread of Dao resonance in the unseen to seek the traces of the Purple Cloud Palace.

At the same time, Hongjun's grand Dao Sound of attaining sainthood spread like formless ripples to every corner of the Primordial World, casting boulders into the heart-lakes of all Innate Divine Beings.

For a time, the minds of great powers surged—some rejoicing that the path ahead now had a guide, others worrying that the balance of power would shift; some envying the supreme Dao Fruit, others fearing the might of a saint.

Yet with the Great Dao ahead, who could hold back?

Regardless of their thoughts, in the end, one dazzling escape light after another, one majestic Dharma form after another, rose from the Primordial World's famous mountains, great rivers, Grotto-heavens, and Blessed Lands, tearing through the void in unison and resolutely charging into the perilous, unpredictable chaos.

All to witness with their own eyes the first saint's sermon since the opening of Heaven and Earth.

On the Sun Star, the Solar True Fire surged without cease.

Di Jun's gaze was like a blazing torch, as if it could pierce through endless void and look straight beyond the Primordial World.

Imperial aura swirled around him as he spoke in a deep voice, his words still clear amidst the flames:

"Second Brother, Senior Hongjun has attained sainthood and will preach the Great Dao in the Chaos Purple Cloud Palace. This is an opportunity unseen since the opening of Heaven and Earth. If we can grasp it, perhaps our strength can advance further. When that time comes, our grand ambitions, brother, will surely take another step forward!"

"What you say, elder brother, is exactly what I have in mind."

Taiyi stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as a blade, battle intent soaring to the heavens around him, causing the Chaos Bell floating beside him to emit clear, resonant hums. The bell's ripples pushed back the surrounding flames, manifesting scenes of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind being re-stabilized.

"That day, Donghua wounded you, elder brother. Now that the Purple Cloud Palace is opening its sermon, he is sure to appear. When I meet him, I will settle old scores with him using the Chaos Bell!"

The two exchanged a glance and said no more.

The next moment, they transformed into two blazing rainbows spanning the starry river, tearing through the sky and plunging straight into the vast chaos beyond the heavens.

Atop East Kunlun, the ancestral vein of ten thousand mountains, purple qi billowed for thirty thousand miles.

Clouds steamed and mists blazed, Innate Spiritual Qi hanging like jeweled tassels in an unbroken stream.

Within the hall, three figures sat cross-legged, their auras distinct yet sharing the same origin—these were the Three Pure Ones, hailed as the true lineage of Pangu.

On the left sat a young Daoist, with an aura of destruction and rebirth cycling around him—this was Supreme Pure Tongtian.

On the right sat a middle-aged Daoist, his countenance majestic, as if the order of Heaven and Earth lay within a single thought of his—this was Jade Pure Yuanshi.

In the center sat an old man with white hair, his expression serene and non-acting, as if merged with the Great Dao itself, transcendent and aloof—this was Taiqing Laozi.

Dao resonance flowed through the hall. Yuanshi's gaze shifted slightly, his tone carrying a hint of emotion:

"The Primordial World is vast—truly worthy of being opened by Father God. That a cultivator has surpassed us is a testament to its endless wonders. Now that this senior is opening a sermon, should we three brothers go?"

"Of course we should go!" Tongtian clapped his hands and laughed heartily, sword intent bursting forth around him, his fierce aura piercing straight through the clouds, shaking the sea of clouds outside the hall into endless turmoil. "A saint's sermon—all the worthies will gather. This is the perfect chance to once again proclaim the might of us Three Pure Ones, the true lineage of Pangu!"

Laozi sat quietly in the center, his eyelids slightly raised, yin and yang seeming to revolve in the depths of his eyes, the Great Dao formless. His tone was calm, yet carried an unassailable detachment:

"The Great Dao knows no precedence—the one who attains it is the teacher. Since a saint has already walked ahead, we should naturally go and seek the Dao."

At these words, the last trace of hesitation in Yuanshi's eyes vanished, replaced by a pure light of seeking the Dao. He nodded solemnly and said:

"What the elder brother says is absolutely right. In that case, let us set out now, lest we miss this opportunity."

As his words fell, three beams of clear light shot up from the peak of East Kunlun—one calm and non-acting, one majestic and lawful, one fierce and sky-piercing—all three plunging into the chaos.

Jieyin and Zhunti of Mount Sumeru, Blood Sea Ming He, Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun of the Five Villages Temple, the Kunpeng of the Northern Sea, the Twelve Ancestor Witches...

One after another, the many Innate Divine Beings emerged from their various locations and stepped into the chaos.

But beyond the Primordial World, the vastness and danger of the boundless chaos far exceeded the gods' imagination.

As streak after streak of escape light left the world's barrier and vanished into the chaos, the first trial of journeying to the Purple Cloud Palace to hear the sermon quietly arrived.

Within the chaos, the myriad laws that governed the Primordial World's Heaven and Earth vanished in an instant.

Only chaos and disorder formed the sole theme here—or rather, a new and unfamiliar law unique to chaos itself was taking effect, utterly different from the orderly Primordial World.

Looking out, endless chaotic currents surged and raged like a furious sea, their roar like primordial divine thunder, shaking the void itself.

There were also the formless, intangible chaotic gale winds, threading through the gaps in the void, sharp enough to cut through time and space, erode all laws, and corrode bone and devour spirit.

The moment some cultivators stepped into the chaos, their protective immortal light shattered like Lapis Lazuli. Before they could even cry out in alarm, their Dao Bodies were ground into nothingness by the boundless, overwhelming chaotic currents.

No matter how many millennia of cultivation or thousands of Supernatural Abilities one had, in that moment, it was all like a dream or illusion, instantly crushed to dust—body dead, Dao extinguished.

This shocking sight terrified the many beings behind, shaking their spirits to the core and sending chills through their bodies.

Those below the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm had no qualification to set foot in this domain.

Even those who had attained the Zenith Heaven Dao Fruit, without an Innate Spiritual Treasure to protect themselves, would inevitably suffer damage to their Primordial Qi or even encounter fatal danger under the chaos's immense power.

Unlike the other cultivators' arduous struggles, a Pure World White Lotus bloomed serenely, standing tall and graceful.

On the lotus platform, Donghua and Taizhen sat peacefully, a clear Stream of Time flowing around them, quietly isolating the external chaos and violence, forming a tranquil Dao domain of their own.

Taizhen's gaze shifted as she looked around. Seeing the chaos unformed, time and space seemingly stripped of their inherent meaning, she furrowed her delicate brows slightly and spoke softly:

"This chaos is so vast—where exactly is the Purple Cloud Palace hidden?"

Beside her, Donghua's expression remained composed as he replied calmly:

"The saint once said that those with affinity may enter the palace to hear the sermon. If one's Dao affinity is sufficient, the Purple Cloud Palace may be right before one's eyes; if not, even if the palace is in front of you, its gate will be hard to find."

"What Donghua says is true." Taizhen's eyes showed a glimmer of understanding, and she steadied her mind, no longer fixated on searching.

The two walked side by side through the boundless chaos, resisting the encroaching disorder while mutually verifying their understanding of the Great Dao—and so they did not find the journey lonely or tedious.

In Chaos there is no cycle of day and night, and time and space exist in a state of distortion and disorder.

They did not know how long they had traveled—perhaps an instant, perhaps a thousand years.

Suddenly, in the hazy distance ahead, a trace of purple light sprouted, then rapidly expanded, transforming into a majestic palace that anchored itself at the center of Chaos!

That palace was ancient and grand, its entire form radiating a vast, primordial Dao resonance. Above its gates hung a dark-colored plaque, upon which three characters were inscribed with Dao Marks: Purple Cloud Palace.

When Donghua and Taizhen slowly stepped forward, they saw that several hundred fellow cultivators were already standing silently before the gates of Purple Cloud Palace, all of them renowned great beings of the Primordial Wilderness.

Gazing out, they saw that every Innate Divine Being was wreathed in flowing Dao resonance, their auras either sharp and fierce or deep and weighty. Some stood, some sat, all faintly gleaming with divine light, quietly awaiting the opening of the palace gates.

Just as the crowd waited in silence, a scorching, domineering heat suddenly swept in from the depths of Chaos! All the cultivators sensed it and looked up.

They saw that the originally gray, disordered Chaos was being violently torn apart by two blazing, resplendent "Great Suns," as brilliant as primordial stars!

Where the golden light reached, the chaotic currents retreated and churned. Those two figures, wrapped in the might to burn the heavens and boil the seas, sped straight toward the gates of Purple Cloud Palace!