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

Donghua and Taizhen transformed into wisps of pure light and cloudlike energy, breaking through the nine layers of heavenly gates and the world barrier before plunging straight into the boundless Chaos. Following a faint, mysterious trace of the Dao, they sought the Purple Heaven Palace.

At the same time, the grand Dao Sound of Hongjun's ascension to sainthood spread like invisible ripples to every corner of the Primordial Wilderness, casting a massive stone into the hearts of every Innate Divine Being.

For a time, powerful figures everywhere were swept by turbulent emotions. Some rejoiced that they now had a path to follow; others worried that the balance of power would shift. Some coveted that supreme Dao Fruit, while others feared the might of a Saint.

Yet with the Great Dao before them, who could hold back?

Whatever their thoughts, in the end, dazzling beams of light and majestic Dharma forms rose from the Primordial Wilderness's famous mountains and rivers, its Grotto-heaven Blessed Lands. As if in unspoken agreement, they tore through the void and resolutely ventured into the perilous, unknown Chaos.

They did so only to witness with their own eyes the first Saint's lecture since the creation of the world.

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

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

An imperial aura swirled around him as he spoke in a deep voice, still clear amid the flames:

"Second brother, Senior Hongjun has attained sainthood. He'll lecture on the Great Dao at the Chaos Purple Cloud Palace. This is an opportunity unlike any since the creation of the world. If we seize it, our strength may advance further, and our great plans will surely take another step forward!"

"What you say is exactly what I'm thinking, elder brother."

Taiyi stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as a blade and his fighting spirit soaring to the heavens. The Chaos Bell, floating of its own accord beside him, rang out in clear, resonant notes. Its waves swept aside the surrounding flames, revealing the scene of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind being reordered.

"Donghua injured you that day. He'll surely show up for the lecture at the Purple Heaven Palace. When I meet him, I'll use the Chaos Bell to settle our old score!"

The two exchanged a glance and said no more.

The next moment, they became two blazing rainbows spanning the starry river, tore through the firmament, and shot straight toward the boundless Chaos beyond the heavens.

At the summit of East Kunlun, the ancestral range of ten thousand mountains, purple qi stretched thirty thousand li.

Clouds steamed and rosy light shimmered, while Innate Spiritual Qi hung like strings of pearly beads, flowing without end.

Three figures sat cross-legged in the hall. Their auras differed, yet shared the same origin. They were the Three Pure Ones, known as the Pangu Orthodox Lineage.

The one on the left was a young Daoist, surrounded by the faintly shifting energies of destruction and renewal. He was Supreme Pure Tongtian.

The one on the right was a middle-aged Daoist with a dignified face, as if the order of heaven and earth rested upon a single thought of his. He was Jade Pure Yuanshi.

The one in the middle was an elderly, white-haired man, serene and unattached to action, as if he had merged with the Great Dao and transcended the mundane. He was Taiqing Laozi.

The Dao's aura flowed through the hall. Yuanshi's eyes stirred, and his voice held a trace of emotion:

"The Primordial Wilderness is vast indeed, worthy of being created by our Father God. A cultivator has actually reached the Dao before us—a testament to the endless wonders of creation. Now that this senior has opened an altar to lecture on the Dao, should the three of us go?"

"Of course we should!" Tongtian clapped his hands and laughed heartily. Sword intent surged around him, his imposing aura piercing the clouds and setting the sea of clouds outside the hall roiling without end. "A Saint is lecturing on the Dao, and all the worthy figures will gather. This is the perfect chance to proclaim the prestige of our Three Pure Ones and the Pangu Orthodox Lineage once more!"

Laozi sat quietly in the center, lifting his eyelids slightly. Yin and yang seemed to revolve in his eyes, while the Great Dao remained formless. His voice was calm, yet carried an unarguable certainty:

"The Great Dao has no first or last. The one who understands is the teacher. Since the Saint has already gone ahead, we should naturally go and seek the Dao."

At his words, the last trace of hesitation vanished from Yuanshi's eyes, replaced by a pure light of devotion to the Dao. He nodded solemnly and said:

"Elder brother is absolutely right. In that case, let's set off at once, lest we miss this opportunity."

As his voice fell, three beams of pure light shot up from the summit of East Kunlun: one calm and unattached to action, one dignified and orderly, and one fierce enough to pierce the heavens. Together, they entered the Chaos.

Jieyin and Zhunti of Mount Sumeru, Ming He of the Blood Sea, Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun of Wuzhuang Temple, Kunpeng of the Northern Sea, the Twelve Ancestor Witches...

Many Innate Divine Beings appeared in succession from their respective domains and entered the Chaos.

Yet the vastness and peril of the boundless Chaos beyond the Primordial Wilderness far exceeded the gods' expectations.

As one beam of light after another passed beyond the world barrier and disappeared into the Chaos, the first trial for those heading to the Purple Heaven Palace to listen to the Dao quietly descended.

Within the Chaos, all the myriad laws followed by the Primordial World Heaven and Earth vanished in an instant.

Only disorder and chaos made up the sole refrain of this place. Or rather, a new and unfamiliar law, unique to Chaos itself, was now in effect, utterly unlike the orderly Primordial Wilderness.

As far as the eye could see, endless streams of chaotic energy surged and rampaged like raging seas, roaring like the divine thunder of ancient times and shaking the void.

Formless, intangible gales of chaotic force also darted through the cracks in space. Their sharpness could slice through time and space, wear down the myriad laws, and gnaw at bone and spirit.

Some cultivators had barely stepped into the Chaos when their protective immortal light shattered inch by inch like Lapis Lazuli. Before they could even cry out, the boundless torrents of chaotic energy ground their Dao Bodies into nothingness.

No matter how many millennia they had cultivated or how many Supernatural Abilities they possessed, in that moment they were all like dreams and bubbles—crushed into dust in an instant, their bodies and Dao destroyed.

The horrifying sight made the many beings behind them tremble to their cores and turn cold all over.

Those who were not Great Luo Golden Immortals had no right to set foot in this domain.

Even those who had attained the Great Luo Dao Fruit could hardly avoid harm to their Primordial Qi under Chaos's might without an Innate Spiritual Treasure to protect them. They might even face unforeseen danger.

Unlike the other cultivators, a Pure World White Lotus had bloomed leisurely, its pristine petals rising above the water.

Donghua and Taizhen sat calmly upon the lotus platform. A clear Stream of Time flowed quietly around them, isolating them completely from the surrounding chaos and violence and forming a tranquil domain of their own.

Taizhen's gaze swept around. Seeing that the Chaos was formless and that time and space seemed to have lost their inherent meaning, she furrowed her delicate brows slightly and asked softly:

"The Chaos is so vast. Where exactly is the Purple Heaven Palace hidden?"

Donghua, beside her, remained composed and answered calmly:

"The Saint once said that all who are fated may enter the palace to hear the Dao. If our affinity with the Dao is sufficient, the Purple Heaven Palace may be just a stone's throw away. If we lack that fate, then even if it stands before us, we may still be unable to find its entrance."

"What you say is true, Donghua." A glimmer of understanding passed through Taizhen's eyes. She settled her mind and no longer fixated on searching for the palace.

The two traveled side by side through the boundless Chaos, resisting the surrounding corruption and discussing the Great Dao in their hearts. They did not find the journey lonely or tedious.

There was no day or night in the Chaos, and time and space were twisted and jumbled,.

No one knew how long they had traveled. Perhaps it was an instant; perhaps a thousand years.

Suddenly, amid the haze ahead, a speck of purple appeared. It swiftly expanded, transforming into a towering palace that stood at the center of the Chaos!

The palace was ancient and magnificent, radiating an aura of the primordial Dao. Above its entrance hung a dark plaque, with three characters inscribed in Dao Marks: Purple Heaven Palace.

When Donghua and Taizhen approached, they saw hundreds of fellow Daoists already waiting quietly before the palace gates, all renowned figures of the Primordial Wilderness.

Looking around, they saw Innate Divine Beings surrounded by the flowing aura of the Dao. Some had sharp auras, others weighty ones. Some stood, others sat. The glimmer of treasures shone faintly as they waited for the gates to open.

Just as everyone waited in silence, a scorching, domineering heat suddenly swept over from the depths of the Chaos! The cultivators sensed it and turned their eyes toward its source.

The gray, formless Chaos was abruptly torn apart by two brilliant, blazing "suns," like Primordial Stars!

Wherever their golden light reached, the chaotic currents recoiled and surged aside. Wrapped in the might of flames that could scorch the heavens and boil the seas, the two figures raced toward the gates of the Purple Heaven Palace!