Chapter 46

"What if..."

"What if I remove the extra Prayer Mats?" The thought surfaced in Hongjun's mind. But immediately.

He shook his head.

The "Two Purities" had already arrived at the Preaching Hall. Removing the "extra" Prayer Mats now would feel like plugging one's ears while stealing a bell.

Moreover.

The number three thousand carried meaning.

It corresponded to the Three Thousand Demon Gods.

It was both a legacy.

And a symbol of completeness.

If any were missing, the Heavenly Dao might not be able to mend itself.

With this thought.

Hongjun was deeply torn.

Removing them was wrong, not removing them was also wrong.

"Then what if..."

"What if I delay a little longer?"

That is, push the time of the sermon.

Back a bit further.

What if Nüwa and the others came over by then?

Harboring this idea.

Hongjun actually resorted to a "stalling tactic."

The moment the thought arose.

The opportunity of Lei Jun Palace grew even more indistinct.

The cultivators who had been on the verge of finding Lei Jun Palace immediately furrowed their brows.

They didn't understand the reason.

Of course.

What weighed more was their anxiety.

Because before long, the time Hongjun had set would soon come to an end.

If they still hadn't arrived by then.

It meant they could no longer listen to the Sage's words.

Then all the suffering they had endured over the years.

Would it all have been in vain?

Another unknown number of years passed.

Heaven Beyond Heaven.

Two cultivators, disheveled and filthy, as if they had weathered a great calamity, suddenly sensed an opportunity.

The direction the opportunity pointed was nowhere else.

But Lei Jun Palace.

Yet at this moment, the two cultivators' eyes held not a spark of hope.

But even deeper despair.

They couldn't help but cry out in grief.

"We're late by nearly double the time!"

"Senior Brother..."

"Do you think the sermon is already over?"

These two were none other than Jie Yin and Zhun Ti.

The two had come from the Western Region.

The one speaking now.

Was Zhun Ti.

Jie Yin's expression was no better, but he forced a faint smile.

"No matter what, since we can still sense the opportunity, even if the sermon has ended, there should still be some fortune left, right?"

"Otherwise..."

"Why would this opportunity appear?"

After listening.

Zhun Ti nodded.

But the sorrow on his face did not fade, only gaining a sliver of comfort.

After all.

Compared to hearing it properly from the start, they were nearly twice as late.

Even if they could still obtain opportunities.

They would probably be...

what others left behind, right?

And they couldn't even listen to the Sage's words!

But there was no choice.

A mosquito's leg is still meat; the Western Region was barren to the extreme.

If they wanted to revitalize the West.

They couldn't let go of even the smallest opportunity.

Carrying this thought.

The two headed toward the direction they sensed, their emotions tangled and heavy.

The rise of the West?

Without opportunities, how could it rise!

So their mood.

Was mostly despair.

After some time.

A magnificent Heavenly Palace appeared in their perception.

Before they could even sigh in awe.

They were stunned.

By the scene before them.

So much so that they froze in place.

Before them.

There were many cultivators.

Roughly counting, over two thousand.

All seated before the closed gates of the Lei Jun Palace.

Their cultivation levels were all considerable.

But at this moment.

Without exception, they were in a state of enlightenment.

As if...

they were comprehending something?

In an instant.

Zhun Ti understood.

The next moment.

He directly burst into sorrow.

His voice filled with grief.

"Senior Brother!"

"We have traveled from the distant Western Region, enduring eighty-one tribulations, seeking the true essence of the Heavenly Dao for all beings of the West, so that the West may recover from its barrenness."

"Unexpectedly, not only did the trials damage our cultivation, but we also missed hearing the Sage's lecture!"

"We finally rushed here, but how could the lecture..."

"have already ended!"

As he spoke.

He actually began to "cry."

Drawing sidelong glances.

For a moment.

Some cultivators withdrew from their enlightenment, their expressions quite strange.

And spoke up.

"Don't panic, fellow Daoist—the lecture hasn't even started yet!"

Hm?

Zhun Ti froze, his sorrow cut short.

He asked.

"Not started yet?"

"Then what are you all comprehending?"

That Daoist.

Pointed at the plaque inscription before the Heavenly Palace gates.

Spoke with high spirits.

"See that? Right there!"

"These two 'Daoist Script' characters—truly profound!"

"This Seat has pondered them for years, yet still, just like when I first arrived, I only grasp a fraction of their meaning."

"In fact, I could say..."

"I haven't even scratched the surface!"

"But even so, This Seat has already reached Late Da Luo!"

Hearing this.

Zhun Ti's heart jolted. He quickly looked at the plaque inscription.

In an instant.

The two characters "Lei Jun" met his eyes.

For a moment.

Only one thought filled Zhun Ti's mind.

Opportunity!

A great opportunity!

Just this plaque inscription alone was enough to say the trip was worthwhile.

If he could comprehend it.

There was a strong chance it would elevate his cultivation!

So then, whether to enter or not...

It seemed...

Not so important anymore?

No!

How could the lecture not have started yet?

Zhun Ti latched onto that question again.

He was already late—by twice the allotted time!

Had something happened at Lei Jun Palace?

That shouldn't be the case.

If so, how could this plaque inscription be explained?

After all.

Just sensing it was enough to raise one's cultivation.

Looking around.

Right now.

Before the gates of Lei Jun Palace, a dense crowd of Cultivators sat cross-legged, their cultivation levels mostly at Mid Da Luo, and many were even at Late Da Luo!

Higher than the two of them, master and junior.

And this...

Was clearly the work of the plaque inscription!

If such an opportunity existed outside the gates.

Then what about inside?

Unimaginable.

Or perhaps...

The true essence of the Heavenly Dao that the Sage was about to expound was actually contained within this plaque inscription?

In a certain sense.

So it was...

The lecture was about to begin?

Zhun Ti was a bit dumbfounded.

He was just thinking about it.

With a loud bang.

The gates of Lei Jun Palace had actually opened!

Jie Yin and Zhun Ti, who had been about to find a place to sit and contemplate the meaning of the two characters "Lei Jun,"

Suddenly froze.

Why had the gates of Lei Jun Palace opened?

Weren't they tightly shut just moments ago?

Could it be...

The true lecture was about to start?

Just as they were thinking.

After the gates opened.

A pair of Boy and Girl Attendants walked out.

Following them, There was also a voice.

"By the decree of the venerable master, the gates of Lei Jun Palace are now open. Fellow Daoists..."

For some reason.

The voice stopped mid-sentence.

As if stunned by the scene before it.

At this moment.

Haotian was utterly bewildered.

The scene before him was something he had never imagined.

Why...

Were the cultivators seated in the Heavenly Palace Front Plaza all so high in cultivation?

Looking out.

Those seated at the very front were nearly at Peak Da Luo!

That was even higher than the Three Purities inside Lei Jun Palace!

As for the others.

Their cultivation was not low either.

There were quite a few at Late Da Luo, and most were at Mid Da Luo!

Higher than him, Hongjun's attendant.

How could this be possible?

Wu Tian was stunned.

Because whether it was Taiqing and Yuanshi, or himself, Haotian, they should all be closer to the Heavenly Dao than these cultivators outside Lei Jun Palace.

Logically speaking.

Their cultivation speed should definitely be faster.

But why...

Were they the ones being crushed in cultivation?

Just then.

A cultivator spoke.

What he said left Haotian even more baffled.

"Daoist friend, could you... hold off for a while longer?"

"Hm?"

Haotian couldn't help but be taken aback, and asked back.

"Why?"

"The gates of Lei Jun Palace have opened, and the Sage's lecture is imminent!"

"You're not afraid of missing out on an opportunity?"

That cultivator looked a little embarrassed.

He spoke again.

"You wouldn't know, fellow Daoist!"

"I seem to have sensed a breakthrough opportunity!"

"I might need to calm my mind and contemplate a bit more!"

At these words, Haotian grew even more puzzled.

"Exactly!"

"The master is about to begin his lecture; sensing a breakthrough opportunity is only natural, isn't it?"

"You should go inside even more! Why delay for a while?"

Now, it was the speaking cultivator's turn to be confused.

Even more baffled than Wu Tian.

"Eh?"

"Does fellow Daoist not know?"

"These two characters 'Lei Jun' hold a Great Fortune! The reason my cultivation has advanced so much over these years is entirely because of him! When I first arrived here, I was barely at the early Da Luo stage, and now I'm about to step into the late Da Luo stage!"

"Is that so?"

Instantly, Wu Tian stood frozen on the spot.

Completely dumbfounded.

Instinctively, he was unwilling to believe it.

Because, if even the two characters on the Plaque Inscription held such fortune, then why bother listening to any lecture at all?

Just have all the cultivators sit in rows before the door.

Wouldn't that be enough?

With doubt, Wu Tian looked up at the Plaque Inscription above.

In that instant, his heart jolted, and his Eyes flickered with disbelief.

To be honest, ever since being enlightened by Hongjun, he and Yaochi had been the closest beings to a Sage in the entire Primordial Wilderness.

Whether in cultivation or comprehension, they far surpassed ordinary cultivators.

Because Hongjun had already Proven the Dao; not to mention listening to his lectures, just being near him brought boundless benefits.

But at this moment, this Plaque Inscription gave Wu Tian a feeling—as if it were even closer to the "Dao" than Hongjun!

This judgment

left Wu Tian utterly astounded.

Yet, what astounded him even more was yet to come.

His Primordial Spirit stirred.

In the unseen, he actually comprehended something from the two characters "Lei Jun."

Magic power flowed within his body.

Boom!

The next moment, he actually broke through!

From early Da Luo to mid Da Luo!

"This..."

For a moment.

Within Haotian's eyes, there was nothing but shock.

It was confirmed!

This plaque inscription was even closer to the Dao than the Sage Hongjun!

For a moment.

Haotian was stunned, unable to recover for a long while.

On the other side.

The other cultivators exchanged bewildered glances.

Those who had originally planned to enter hesitated for a moment, then actually returned to their original spots and sat down!

It seemed they intended to stay right before the gates of Lei Jun Palace...

And comprehend once more?

What choice did they have?

After all, Haotian's reaction said it all.

Clearly.

Haotian had no knowledge of the plaque's opportunity.

Perhaps...

The opportunities inside Lei Jun Palace were inferior to this?

Otherwise.

How else could Haotian's breakthrough be explained?

If the opportunities inside were greater.

He would have broken through.

While inside.

With this thought in mind.

The cultivators wavered.

Then.

A truly bizarre scene unfolded before the gates of Lei Jun Palace.

Though the palace doors stood wide open.

Not a single person entered.

Instead, they all sat upright before the entrance!

An outsider.

Might well think Hongjun was about to preach at the doorstep!

Fortunately, Yaochi could still react.

"Everyone!"

"Lord Hongjun has been waiting in Lei Jun Palace for quite some time!"

"If you delay any longer, you will miss the Sage's sermon!"

"When that time comes..."

"Do not come crying with regret!"

Her words fell.

The cultivators exchanged glances.

Weighing their options.

To enter.

Or to stay.

In the end, the former prevailed.

After all...

If mere Daoist Script was already so profound, how could the Sage's sermon possibly be any worse?

Moreover.

Lei Jun Palace was not always open for entry.

The plaque on the outer gate.

Could be examined anytime, couldn't it?

They could always come back to sense it later.

It shouldn't be too late?

And so.

The cultivators rose and vanished into the palace.