The same six people still sat upon the futons.
Jie Yin and Zhun Ti should originally have remained seated at the back of Purple Cloud Palace, but this time, their seats were much farther forward.
Styx glanced around and found that none of the Twelve Ancestral Witches had come this time.
That was why Jie Yin and Zhun Ti had been able to take their places.
Furthermore, the number of people in Purple Cloud Palace had not changed. There were still three thousand.
Before long, Hongjun appeared before everyone. He did not waste words, cutting straight to the point after saying, "The Dao lecture begins."
"The three corpses are worms.
"The three corpses act three times a day: Qing Gu, the upper corpse, harms one's eyes; Bai Gu, the middle corpse, harms one's five organs; Xue Gu, the lower corpse, harms one's stomach and life..."
Hongjun began expounding the Great Dao of the Three Corpses, and the great powers listened in rapt attention.
Yet at the same time, Styx's soul once again left Purple Cloud Palace.
Hongjun continued his lecture, but a trace of displeasure had appeared in his eyes.
If Styx continued to occupy one of the Three Thousand Great Powers' seats in Purple Cloud Palace while he himself could not draw any providence from Styx, then he would be unable to achieve a perfect state when Harmonizing with the Dao in the future!
It seemed he would have to take some measures during the next lecture.
During the thousandth year of the lecture at Purple Cloud Palace, Laozi, seated upon a futon, made a move.
The three flowers manifested above his head, shining brilliantly with rosy light. Then a spiritual treasure flew from his sea of consciousness: the Taiyi Whisk.
This treasure had an extraordinary origin.
Tracing it back, it could even be traced to the Chaos Treasure, the Thirty-Six-Grade Creation Green Lotus.
After the Heaven-Opening Calamity, the Thirty-Six-Grade Creation Green Lotus ceased to exist, transforming into countless spiritual treasures.
For example, the Connate Supreme Treasure God Slaying Spear was formed from its lotus stalk; its five petals became the Innate Five Directions Flags; and its four seeds became four lotuses: the Twelfth Grade Creation Green Lotus, the Twelfth Grade Extinguishing Black Lotus, the Twelfth Grade Red Lotus of Karma Fire, and the Twelfth Grade Merit Golden Lotus.
The Extinguishing Black Lotus had originally been acquired by Rahula. Now, like the Karma Fire Red Lotus, it was in Styx's hands.
The Merit Golden Lotus was in Hongjun's hands and would be given to Jie Yin during the distribution of treasures after the third lecture.
The Creation Green Lotus, however, differed from the other three lotuses. The other three were merely Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, but because the Creation Green Lotus was the only mature one among the four lotus seeds, it was an existence at the Connate Supreme Treasure level.
Later, the Three Pure Ones discovered this treasure by chance. With the tacit approval of the Heavenly Dao, they divided it into three, turning it into three Top Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Laozi obtained the lotus flower, which became the Taiyi Whisk.
Yuanshi obtained the white lotus root, which became the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi.
Tongtian obtained the green lotus leaf, which became the Qingping Sword.
These three spiritual treasures were also the treasures through which the Three Pure Ones attained the Dao, and they held extraordinary significance for them.
Laozi's Taiyi Whisk flew into the Heavenly Flower among the three flowers. The Heavenly Flower swayed for a moment, and then Laozi shouted, "Sever!"
A Taoist immediately flew out of the Heavenly Flower and bowed to Laozi. "Greetings, Original Body."
Joy instantly appeared on Laozi's face. "Good. From now on, you shall be the Supreme Old Lord."
The Supreme Old Lord answered, "Yes."
Then he plunged back into the three flowers and vanished.
Laozi likewise closed his eyes and continued listening to the Dao.
The other great powers in Purple Cloud Palace were utterly shocked.
Hongjun's lecture this time was far more difficult than the last.
While they were still struggling to comprehend it, someone else had already severed a corpse?
It could be said that only after the second lecture at Purple Cloud Palace did the gap between the great powers of the Primordial Wilderness truly begin to widen.
An insurmountable chasm had also appeared between the top great powers and ordinary great powers.
In the fifteen-hundredth year, Yuanshi, the second person seated upon the futons, also severed his Good Corpse, Yuqing Taoist.
A nearly imperceptible trace of regret flashed through his eyes.
I was still one step slower than Eldest Brother.
Tongtian was only one step behind him. He likewise severed his Good Corpse, Shangqing Taoist.
Afterward, Purple Cloud Palace welcomed a great wave of Quasi-Sage breakthroughs.
Nüwa, Taiyi, Di Jun, Kunpeng, Hong Yun, Zhen Yuanzi, Jie Yin, Zhun Ti, Fuxi, Western Queen Mother...
Everyone seated upon the futons, aside from Styx, severed one corpse and attained Quasi-Sagehood.
Of course, Styx had long since become a Quasi-Sage. He simply had not severed a corpse.
A rough count showed that only a little over two thousand years had passed since the lecture began, yet more than fifty renowned great powers of the Primordial Wilderness had already broken through to Quasi-Sage.
It was worth mentioning that every one of the three corpses severed by the great powers had been either a Good Corpse or an Evil Corpse. Not a single one was a Self Corpse.
After all, good and evil were easy to sever, while one's obsessions were difficult to understand.
In the future Primordial Wilderness, there would be quite a few who could sever the Good and Evil Corpses among the three corpses yet could never comprehend their own obsessions.
Watching one great power after another break through, Eastern Duke secretly grew anxious.
His position as the leader of male immortals had never been stable. If he could not break through to Quasi-Sage during this lecture and was left behind by the many great powers, then he would truly have little authority left in the Primordial Wilderness.
Though he did not have much authority even now.
Finally, in the twenty-eight-hundredth year of Hongjun's lecture, when the lecture was nearing its end, he seized the opportunity and used the Dragon Head Crutch to sever his Evil Corpse, successfully breaking through to Quasi-Sage.
However, because he had not accumulated enough foundation at the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm, his aura after breaking through was clearly somewhat weaker than that of the other Quasi-Sages.
But a Quasi-Sage was still a Quasi-Sage. Even if he was somewhat weaker than the others, he still stood absolutely above Great Luo Golden Immortals.
Eastern Duke also became high-spirited once more.
After that, no other great powers broke through to Quasi-Sage.
Quite a few Great Luo Golden Immortals felt regretful.
Although they could return and enter seclusion to break through to Quasi-Sage.
If they could break through now, however, they would definitely be regarded as one of the foremost great powers, and their providence would grow invisibly.
Just as everyone thought that no one else would break through, the spiritual energy in Purple Cloud Palace suddenly gathered in one direction.
Clearly, someone else was about to break through!
"Who is it?!"
Everyone looked around, only to find that those below the futons were staring at one another. No one appeared to be on the verge of a breakthrough.
"It's Fellow Daoist Laozi!"
A sudden cry redirected everyone's attention to the futons.
The three flowers above Laozi's head appeared once again, and the Earthly Flower swayed ceaselessly.
The Eight Sceneries Palace Lantern flew out from Laozi's sea of consciousness and entered the Earthly Flower. Then Laozi severed his Evil Corpse.
After his breakthrough, Laozi's aura became several times stronger than before.
Everyone was shocked by the terrifying power unconsciously radiating from Laozi. Even the Quasi-Sages who had just broken through were no exception.
Within the Quasi-Sage realm, every stage was a world apart.
On the high platform, Hongjun secretly nodded at Laozi in satisfaction.
Such talent was not inferior even to those older existences of the Primordial Wilderness from the beginning of creation, let alone among their generation of innate sacred beings.
Laozi would become his disciple in the future and also become a sharp blade in Hongjun's hand. Naturally, Hongjun hoped he would grow stronger.
"Congratulations, Eldest Brother!"
At his side, Yuanshi and Tongtian were also sincerely happy for their eldest brother!
All three brothers were Quasi-Sages, and Laozi had even severed two corpses, reaching Mid Quasi-Sage.
Such cultivation could be said to surpass all the great powers of the Primordial Wilderness!
Laozi's second corpse severance became one of the greatest highlights of this lecture.
Until the lecture ended afterward, no one else achieved anything comparable.
Yet the person who shocked everyone the most was not Laozi, but Styx, who had never severed a corpse!
The moment the lecture ended, Styx's soul returned, and a terrifying wave of energy spread outward from him.
Everyone was greatly alarmed. They had actually sensed an aura even more terrifying than Laozi's within that wave of energy?
Before you continue