"Perform great deeds of merit for Honghuang Heaven and Earth and earn the Heavenly Dao's recognition, and immeasurable merit will descend. One can also attain Sainthood through the power of merit. This method is the easiest, but those who become Sages this way will be the weakest, and their Primordial Spirits will be entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, leaving them most deeply subject to its control."
The three paths to Sainthood were laid out clearly before everyone.
As Xuanqing listened, his resolve in his own path grew stronger.
Proving Dao by Force was out of the question. Slaying the Three Corpses was too slow, and required top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasures.
Only proving Dao through merit, combined with his Double Merit Fortune, was the path best suited to him!
"May I ask, Teacher, what constitutes great merit?" Nüwa rose and asked respectfully.
Hongjun Dao Ancestor glanced at her and slowly replied, "Completing the world and creating living beings both constitute great merit."
Nüwa sat back down, deep in thought.
Just then, Daoist Jieyin of the Western Lands rose to his feet, his face full of sorrow.
"Teacher, have mercy. The Western Lands are barren, their Spiritual Veins damaged, and their living beings few. How are we to prove Dao?"
Xuanqing, listening from behind, rolled his eyes.
Here it came again—the classic bout of pleading poverty.
Hongjun Dao Ancestor remained expressionless. "You have a great karmic connection with the Western Lands. You should establish a great sect and make great vows. By teaching the living beings of the West, you may also prove Dao."
Jieyin and Zunti exchanged a glance, both of them looking delighted.
"May I ask, Teacher, whether there is a path to Sainthood for the Witch Clan? We do not cultivate the Primordial Spirit, only the flesh."
Dijiang, one of the Twelve Ancestral Mages, rose and asked in a deep, rumbling voice.
Hongjun Dao Ancestor shook his head. "You were formed from Pangu's blood essence. Your physical bodies are naturally powerful, but your Primordial Spirits are incomplete. You have no connection to the Sagehood."
At his words, the Twelve Ancestral Mages all looked dejected.
"Teacher, my Yao Clan rules over the myriad beings of Honghuang and maintains the order of Heaven and Earth. If we unify Honghuang, can we prove Dao?" Dijun also stood and asked.
"You can," Hongjun replied, offering only that one word.
Dijun's eyes flashed with brilliance, and his heart filled with ambition.
For a time, the atmosphere in Zixiao Palace grew subtle.
Everyone had their own thoughts, calculating their path to Sainthood.
Hongjun Dao Ancestor took in their expressions but said nothing.
He continued his lecture. This time, he no longer spoke of specific methods, but of the Sage's Great Dao, something far more profound and mysterious.
Beneath the Sages, all were mere ants.
With a single thought, a Sage could know the past and future; with one palm, they could destroy boundless space and time.
Everyone listened, their hearts stirred, and their longing for the Sage realm reached its peak.
Xuanqing listened attentively too. Though he knew these theories, hearing them from the Dao Ancestor himself, with the Dao Rhyme they contained, would still greatly help him consolidate his Golden Immortal Realm and understand the laws.
Three thousand years of lectures passed in the presence of the Sage's Great Dao as if in the blink of an eye.
When Hongjun Dao Ancestor's voice fell silent, the three thousand Red Dust Guests in Zixiao Palace finally came to their senses, each wearing an expression of lingering reluctance.
Hongjun Dao Ancestor's gaze swept over them. His expression was calm, yet every great power held their breath.
He slowly opened his palm. Six streams of purple light appeared from nowhere, radiating the supreme aura of the Great Dao.
"This is Primordial Purple Qi, the Foundation of Sagehood. Under the Heavenly Dao, the number of Sage positions is fixed. There shall be six Sages."
Here it comes!
Everyone's eyes reddened, and their breathing grew unbearably heavy.
Primordial Purple Qi! Whoever obtained it could become a Sage! What an enormous temptation!
"Three Pure Ones, you are Pangu Orthodox, bearing the merit of creating the world. You are each destined for a Sage position."
Hongjun Dao Ancestor flicked a finger. Three streams of Primordial Purple Qi transformed into streaks of light and instantly sank into the brows of Taishang, Yuanshi, and Tongtian.
The Three Pure Ones shuddered. Dao Rhyme flowed around them, and their auras became even more mysterious. They rose together and bowed respectfully to Hongjun.
"Thank you, Teacher!"
Xuanqing watched from behind and nodded approvingly.
Next, Hongjun's gaze fell on Nüwa.
"Nüwa, you will one day earn great merit for Honghuang. You are also destined for a Sage position."
The fourth stream of Primordial Purple Qi flew out and merged into Nüwa's body. She looked delighted and hurriedly bowed in thanks.
Now, two streams of Primordial Purple Qi remained.
The atmosphere in Zixiao Palace grew unbearably tense.
Jieyin and Zunti of the Western Lands looked even more sorrowful, as if they were about to burst into tears.
"Teacher, have mercy! The Western Lands are barren. Without a Sage to teach us, what will become of the countless living beings there?" Zunti even prostrated himself, weeping bitterly.
Xuanqing's eye twitched at the sight. With acting like that, he deserved a Little Golden Man.
Hongjun Dao Ancestor seemed to have expected this. Without changing his expression, he said, "In the future, you shall establish a great sect and make the Forty-Eight Great Vows. Then you may obtain Sage positions."
With that, the last two streams of Primordial Purple Qi flew toward Jieyin and Zunti.
The two were overjoyed and repeatedly kowtowed. "Thank you, Teacher, for granting our wish!"
At last, all six Sage positions had been assigned.
The great powers who had not received Primordial Purple Qi, such as Dijun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Kunpeng, and Minghe, all wore expressions of disappointment and resentment.
Kunpeng, in particular, repeatedly swept his venomous gaze over Hong Yun and Zunti.
If Hong Yun hadn't given up his seat back then, how could Zunti have taken the Prayer Mat and gained this tremendous opportunity?
Just as everyone thought the matter was settled, another stream of Primordial Purple Qi appeared from nowhere in Hongjun Dao Ancestor's hand!
The seventh!
Zixiao Palace erupted into an uproar!
"Why is there another one?"
"Are there more than six Sage positions?"
Everyone fixed their eyes on the seventh stream of Primordial Purple Qi, their greed almost tangible.
Xuanqing's heart leaped into his throat.
The plot's here! Ancestor Hong Yun, are you ready?
He instinctively looked toward Hong Yun. The First Good Man of Honghuang was just as excited, his eyes filled with longing.
According to the original story, Hongjun would bestow this Qi upon Hong Yun, bringing disaster down upon him.
But Hongjun's next words left everyone dumbfounded.
"Under the Heavenly Dao, there are six Sage positions. This is a fixed number."
"Yet within what is fixed, there are also variables."
Hongjun's voice was ethereal and elusive.
"This seventh stream of Primordial Purple Qi is the One That Escaped the Heavenly Dao. It is the beginning of the variable. It does not lead to a Sage position, but it concerns the last glimmer of hope in the future."
"This Qi shall choose its own master from among the people of Honghuang Heaven and Earth."
As he spoke, Hongjun's indifferent gaze seemed to pause on Xuanqing for an instant, almost casually.
Xuanqing froze!
What did that mean? This was nothing like he'd expected!
Countless thoughts flashed through Xuanqing's mind, and a cold sweat broke out across his back.
While everyone was still pondering Hongjun's cryptic words, the Dao Ancestor gently waved his hand.
The seventh stream of Primordial Purple Qi transformed into a streak of light, pierced straight through the walls of Zixiao Palace, and vanished into the boundless Chaos, flying toward the Primordial Continent!
"This..."
Everyone was stunned.
He wasn't giving it to anyone—he was just throwing it away?
What kind of move was that?
After a brief silence, an uproar erupted!
Dijun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, Kunpeng, Minghe, Zhenyuanzi... Almost every great power's eyes lit up with an unprecedented gleam.
He'd thrown it away?
Good! Let him throw it away!
If it went to the Primordial Continent, that meant everyone had a chance!
In an instant, undercurrents surged through Zixiao Palace. Many had already begun calculating how they would search for this Foundation of Sagehood once the lecture ended.
Xuanqing was dumbfounded too.
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