Lei Jun Palace.
Lei Jun opened his eyes.
His expression was relaxed.
With matters having reached this point, he no longer needed to devote much of his Heart Spirit.
Because...
"The grand momentum is set!"
"Not only that, but I've also achieved my goal in battling the Heavenly Dao!"
"From this day onward, no one will be unfamiliar with the name Lei Jun Heavenly Dao!"
Seeing this.
Lei Jun was very satisfied.
After all, accomplishing just this goal meant his efforts had not been in vain.
The next moment.
The Taiji Diagram neither grew nor shrank.
Nor did it flee anywhere.
Instead, it gradually faded.
Before long, it completely vanished from sight.
It was as if it had merged into the world.
At once.
Lei Jun understood this information.
The Heavenly Dao had taken a step back.
It had established the fact that the Taiji Diagram would merge into the world, allowing all living beings in the Primordial Wilderness to comprehend it.
But only for one Tribulation Period.
Once Taiqing emerged, the Taiji Diagram would completely disappear.
The cultivators of the Primordial Wilderness would no longer be able to sense it.
Instead, it would belong entirely to Taiqing.
This was the Heavenly Dao's bottom line.
It was also the best way to resolve the current situation.
Because this way.
Not only would the Karma be repaid, but the strength of the Primordial Wilderness's living beings could also improve somewhat.
It could be considered...
A win-win situation?
"Playing chess against Heaven and winning by half a move!"
Lei Jun laughed heartily.
Elsewhere.
The Yin-Yang Ancestor was crying.
"My Supreme Treasure!"
"I haven't even warmed it up yet!"
"How did it just disappear?"
Unlike the others.
The others had gained a fortuitous opportunity, while he had lost his Supreme Treasure!
The key point was...
He could also sense the Array Diagram's existence!
He could even use it to comprehend something.
But the more this was the case.
The more his heart ached.
"Sigh!"
"I sacrificed myself for the sake of the entire Primordial Wilderness!"
"This hurts!"
Ziwei Star.
Inside the Dojo.
Lei Jun gazed at the Yin-Yang Ancestor for a while.
He felt no guilt.
Nor did he feel any pity.
Instead, he pondered how to repay this Karma.
Although with his current cultivation.
He could ensure that no Karma from the Primordial Wilderness touched him.
He still could not act recklessly.
Being untouched by Karma only meant that his realm and cultivation would no longer be affected by Karma or fall.
His cultivation would not regress either.
But his destiny and Source of Blessing were another matter.
Hadn't Hongjun still needed to repay the two Sage Positions owed to the Western Region after becoming a Sage?
Why?
Wasn't it all because of Karma?
Jie Yin and Zhun Ti had yet to repay the Karma they owed cultivators such as Hong Yun.
In order to make the Western Region prosper, they had even been forced to change the name of the Western Teachings.
Not only that.
They had also needed to hand over part of their teachings' authority.
All of this was related to Karma.
And the reason the Yin-Yang Ancestor had lost his Supreme Treasure was obviously Lei Jun's fault.
Therefore, it was best to repay the Karma he owed.
After all.
There was no good ending for a "deadbeat"!
"Ah, what a hassle."
"It seems I'll have to comprehend the Dharma Gate of artifact refinement and give the Yin-Yang Ancestor a fortuitous opportunity as compensation."
Lei Jun thought to himself.
Time passed without record of the years in the Primordial Wilderness.
Just as Lei Jun was immersed in the Dao of artifact refinement.
A vague sensation caused him to awaken.
"The deduction is complete?"
Lei Jun opened his eyes, a trace of amusement appearing within them.
In his perception.
After many tens of thousands of years, Hongjun had finally completed his deduction of the Three Bodies Technique.
Of course.
Hongjun did not know that the Three Bodies Technique was actually inside the Creation Jade Plate.
It was not hidden within the grotto-heaven.
However.
This was precisely the outcome Lei Jun wanted.
He wanted Hongjun to know that his opportunity had been bestowed by the "Lei Jun Heavenly Dao."
That he had comprehended it at the place where Lei Jun had transformed.
Rather than having simply deduced it from the Creation Jade Plate.
After pondering for a moment.
Lei Jun focused his gaze on the grotto-heaven.
With a wave of his hand, he sent out an invisible profound radiance.
It covered the area above the grotto-heaven.
The profound radiance seemed to consist of only a wisp.
Yet it was extremely wondrous.
The instant it appeared in the Primordial Wilderness, it transformed into layer upon layer of golden clouds.
And it continued to spread.
Not only that.
Golden Lotuses emerged, and Heavenly Sound rang out.
Strange Phenomena appeared in profusion.
For a time.
All the cultivators who could sense this scene could not help looking over.
Their eyes were filled with astonishment.
Then.
That astonishment turned into envy.
Because they could sense what these spreading golden clouds signified.
Merit!
"What mighty being is this? How could they possess such immense providence?"
"To be favored by the Heavenly Dao to the point that Merit descends—truly extraordinary!"
"I imagine it must be another existence no weaker than the Three Clans Ancestors!"
"Indeed! How envious we are!"
"I only wonder what brought about this Merit?"
Discussions like this.
Were not limited to one place.
As long as they were nearby and could sense it.
They could not avoid discussing it.
Quite a few.
Even grew eager to investigate and began considering heading over.
They wanted to see whether they might also possess such an opportunity.
At this moment.
A cultivator whose imposing aura was extraordinary and whose cultivation had reached the Late Da Luo stage.
With horns growing from his head and scales growing on his arms.
Also suddenly stopped in his tracks.
He began looking back.
Behind him, many cultivators followed.
There were even countless Spirit Beasts.
There were Celestial Hounds, Kui Niu, Dang Kang...
They came from different races.
But none of those races was ordinary.
At this time.
A cultivator spoke up and asked:
"Leader, why have you stopped?"
The one addressed as the leader.
Was precisely that cultivator in the Late Da Luo stage.
He merely muttered something under his breath.
Then his form transformed, changing from a human-shaped Dao Body into a qilin.
A Water Qilin!
"An opportunity may have descended near Qingqiu!"
"I intend to go over and investigate!"
"If there is no opportunity, then I'll ask about the Fox Clan's stance!"
"So much time has passed... It's time they gave us an answer!"
"Understood!"
After the Water Qilin finished speaking, all the beasts answered in unison.
Then they saw the qilin transform into a streak of blue light and vanish in an instant.
This was the nature of Spirit Beasts.
Transforming into human form could increase one's cultivation speed and opportunities for comprehension.
Returning to their true forms.
Could then increase their "all attributes."
Speed was one of them.
To prevent any changes to the opportunity,
Water Qilin temporarily set aside Shi Qilin's assignment to him: recruiting the land-dwelling myriad clans.
Anyone born with their feet on the land of the Primordial Wilderness
was a target for recruitment!
This would help increase the Qilin Clan's fortune.
With the help of that fortune, Water Qilin had already reached the Late Da Luo level of cultivation.
It was undeniably fast.
So this time,
he had set out determined not to return empty-handed.
If no opportunity presented itself,
then he would recruit the Qingqiu Fox Clan!
The Qilin Clan would claim half of the Fox Clan's fortune, no matter what!
At that moment,
Hongjun first froze, then his face lit up with joy.
He exclaimed again and again,
"Wonderful!"
"Truly marvelous!"
"It seems that my deduction of the Three Bodies Technique was a deed that benefited the Primordial Wilderness!"
"Otherwise, why would Merit have descended?"
"Hahaha!"
It was impossible for Hongjun not to be delighted.
After all, the Three Bodies Technique was profound,
and not easy to cultivate.
But with Merit to aid comprehension, it would clearly be much easier.
Just then,
the golden cloud of Merit finished gathering.
As Hongjun waited expectantly, Merit descended.
But to his surprise,
it wasn't just one stream of Merit. Instead...
There were two!
One stream, accounting for about half, descended from the heavens and landed on him.
The other was also half.
Yet it landed on that Little Fox!
Hm?
Wasn't it me, this old Daoist, who deduced the Three Bodies Technique?
Why did she get Merit too?
And so much of it?
Hongjun was baffled.
The key was, when the Merit descended,
that girl seemed to have...
just woken up?
Or perhaps the arrival of the Merit had roused her,
and that was why she had woken.
At once,
Hongjun felt even more dejected.
The Merit that had landed on him suddenly seemed less appealing, almost boring.
He had worked himself to the bone, exerting every effort,
constantly deducing the Dharma Gate.
Only after finally completing the deduction had he brought down the Merit.
And yet this girl—
she had done nothing and simply "got" half of it!
Anyone in his place
would surely have been just as frustrated.
"Hm?"
"Merit?"
"Getting this old man to cultivate is actually a deed worthy of Merit?"
Once she came to her senses, Little Fox fell into deep thought.
Then,
a flash of insight came to her, and she looked at Hongjun.
She said,
"Let me tell you, Merit is a wonderful thing. Cultivation, comprehension, deduction—it can do just about anything!"
"Old man, don't you want Merit? Or do you think you have enough?"
"This old Daoist..."
"Of course I want it. And I can never have too much."
"Then what are you standing around for? Keep cultivating!"
Zi Ling's tone made it sound obvious.
At those words,
Hongjun nearly choked.
Who had he offended to end up saddled with someone like her?
When he looked again,
Zi Ling, the Nine-Tailed Fox, had already started cultivating.
And she was cultivating the Three Bodies Technique!
At once,
Hongjun was both speechless and frustrated.
Why did he feel...
as if he had become a "wage laborer"?
But soon,
Hongjun composed himself and began cultivating too.
"The Three Bodies Technique!"
For a moment,
Hongjun felt a flicker of anticipation.
Time flew by.
Several million years passed.
When a hazy figure appeared before Hongjun,
he had already severed his Past Body.
His cultivation had also grown considerably.
It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say
that with his current cultivation, he could suppress his former self without even needing a finger.
"This old Daoist has severed his Past Body and erased every trace of his past."
"From now on, there will be no trace of me left in the River of Time!"
"This alone is an extraordinary power beyond what ordinary Da Luo can match!"
"I've heard that the Primordial Wilderness has a Fruit Position called 'Sage'! Though I can't compare to a Sage after severing one of my bodies, calling myself a 'Quasi-Saint' should be appropriate!"
"Since that's the case!"
"Anyone who cultivates the Three Bodies Technique and successfully severs one of their bodies may be called a Quasi-Saint!"
At that moment,
Hongjun established the Quasi-Saint realm!
He also became the first Quasi-Saint in the Primordial Wilderness.
He tested his cultivation once more.
The Innate Great Array could no longer hold him back.
He could leave whenever he wanted.
But before leaving,
Hongjun glanced at Zi Ling.
Before he could even form a thought, the terrifying energy she contained frightened it out of him.
Hongjun discovered with resignation
that even after breaking through, he was still no match for Zi Ling.
The Dharma Gates they cultivated were very different.
Take their magic power alone.
Zi Ling had at least ten times as much as he did!
If Zi Ling hadn't mastered the Method of Severing the Body, Hongjun would have been confident he could surpass her.
But clearly, Zi Ling had succeeded in severing a body too.
A slender figure had already manifested in front of her.
It simply hadn't fully solidified yet.
But her cultivation had undeniably risen.
Taken as a whole,
her cultivation was more than a level above Hongjun's!
"This old Daoist had better leave as soon as possible!"
"Otherwise, once she finishes her seclusion..."
"I'm afraid I'll be in trouble!"
For some reason, Hongjun remembered what had happened before.
Whenever Zi Ling gained some insight,
she would spar with Hongjun to test what she had learned.
But the gap in their cultivation was right there.
So,
how could that be called sparring?
It was clearly Hongjun taking a one-sided beating!
If he didn't leave soon, he would probably get beaten up again...
With that thought,
Hongjun didn't hesitate any longer.
Using his early Quasi-Saint cultivation, he worked out how to leave the array.
The next moment, he appeared outside it.
But just as he was about to flee farther away,
not far off,
something happening near an Immortal Mountain
caught his attention.
"Hm?"
"Why is the Qilin Clan causing trouble for the Qingqiu Fox Clan?"
Before you continue