"Or..."
"Should I remove the extra Prayer Mats?" An idea occurred to Hongjun. But then—
He shook his head.
The Two Purities had already arrived at the Preaching Hall. Removing the "extra" Prayer Mats now would be like trying to cover up the truth.
Besides,
the number three thousand had its significance.
It corresponded to the Three Thousand Demon Gods.
It represented a legacy,
and completeness.
If there were fewer, perhaps the Heavenly Dao would be unable to complete itself.
At this thought,
Hongjun was utterly torn.
He couldn't remove them, but he couldn't leave them either.
"Then how about..."
"Waiting a little longer?"
In other words, he could push back the time for his lecture.
What if Nüwa and the others came in the meantime?
With this in mind,
Hongjun actually resorted to a "stalling tactic."
At the thought,
the location of Lei Jun Palace grew even more indistinct.
The cultivators who had nearly found Lei Jun Palace immediately furrowed their brows.
They had no idea why.
Of course,
most of all, they were anxious.
The time Hongjun had announced was about to run out.
If they still hadn't arrived by then,
it meant they would no longer be able to listen to a Sage's teachings.
Wouldn't all the hardship they'd endured over the years
have been for nothing?
An unknown number of years passed.
Heaven Beyond Heaven.
Two cultivators, their clothes in disarray and their hair matted and unkempt, as if they had just survived a great calamity, suddenly sensed an opportunity.
The direction it pointed to was none other than
Lei Jun Palace.
But at that moment, hope didn't flare in their eyes.
Instead, they grew even more despairing.
They couldn't help crying out in grief.
"We're nearly twice as late!"
"Senior Brother..."
"Do you think the lecture is already over?"
These two were Jie Yin and Zhun Ti.
They had come from the Western Region.
The one speaking now
was Zhun Ti.
Jie Yin looked no better, but managed a strained smile.
"Regardless, since we can still sense the opportunity, even if the lecture is over, there should still be some fortune waiting for us, right?"
"Otherwise..."
"Why would this opportunity have appeared?"
After hearing this,
Zhun Ti nodded.
But the sorrow on his face didn't fade; he had merely found a little comfort.
After all,
they were almost twice as late as they would have been to hear the lecture properly.
Even if they could still gain some fortune,
it was probably...
what others had left behind, right?
And they would miss the Sage's teachings!
But there was no helping it.
Even a mosquito's leg was meat, and the Western Region was already desperately impoverished.
If they wanted to revitalize the West,
they couldn't pass up even the smallest opportunity.
With this in mind,
the two headed toward the place they had sensed, their feelings impossibly complicated.
The rise of the West?
How could it rise without any opportunities?
So the two were
mostly just despairing.
After some time,
a magnificent Heavenly Palace appeared within their perception.
Before the two could marvel at it,
the scene before them
left them stunned.
They froze in place.
Before them
were countless cultivators.
A quick count put them at more than two thousand.
They were all seated before the gates of Lei Jun Palace, which were tightly shut.
Every one of them had a high level of cultivation.
But at that moment,
without exception, they were all in a state of comprehension.
It seemed...
they were comprehending something?
In an instant,
Zhun Ti understood.
The next moment,
he let out a cry of grief.
His voice was filled with anguish.
"Senior Brother!"
"We came all the way from the Western Region, endured eighty-one tribulations, and hoped to seek the truths of the Heavenly Dao for the beings of the West, so that the West might recover from its poverty."
"Who would have thought that our trials would damage our cultivation, and we wouldn't even get to hear the Sage's lecture!"
"We finally made it here, and the lecture has already..."
"Ended!"
As he spoke,
he actually began to "weep."
It drew everyone's attention.
For a moment,
some cultivators emerged from their state of comprehension, their expressions rather strange.
One of them spoke up.
"Fellow Daoist, don't panic. The lecture hasn't started yet!"
Huh?
Zhun Ti froze, stopping his lament.
He asked,
"It hasn't started yet?"
"Then what are you all comprehending?"
The Daoist
pointed to the plaque above the Heavenly Palace's entrance.
He spoke with great confidence.
"See? This!"
"These two Daoist Script characters are truly profound!"
"I've been pondering them for so many years, yet I still understand them no better than when I first arrived."
"You could even say..."
"I haven't grasped even the slightest bit of their essence!"
"And yet, even so, I'm already at the Late Da Luo stage!"
At these words,
Zhun Ti's heart shuddered, and he hurriedly looked at the Plaque Inscription.
At once,
the words "Lei Jun" met his eyes.
At that moment,
there was only one thought in Zhun Ti's mind.
An opportunity!
A tremendous opportunity!
Just seeing this Plaque Inscription made the trip worthwhile.
If he could comprehend it,
his cultivation might very well improve!
Then, whether he went inside or not
seemed...
not so important anymore?
No!
Why hadn't the lecture begun yet?
Zhun Ti realized this was still a problem.
He was already overdue—by twice the amount of time!
Had something happened to Lei Jun Palace?
That shouldn't be the case.
If so, how could the Plaque Inscription be explained?
After all,
just perceiving it was enough to improve one's cultivation.
Looking around,
at that moment,
the cultivators seated in a vast crowd before Lei Jun Palace were generally at the mid Da Luo stage, and quite a few were even at the Late Da Luo stage!
They were more powerful than the two brothers.
And this...
was clearly the result of the Plaque Inscription!
If there was such an opportunity outside the gates,
what would it be like inside?
It was impossible to imagine.
Or perhaps...
the truths of the Heavenly Dao that the Sage was going to expound were actually written on this plaque?
In a sense,
It could be said that...
The lecture was starting?
Zhun Ti was a little bewildered.
He was just thinking.
With a boom,
the gates of Lei Jun Palace actually opened!
Jie Yin and Zhun Ti, who had been about to find a place to sit and contemplate the words "Lei Jun,"
suddenly froze.
Why had the gates of Lei Jun Palace opened?
They had been tightly shut just moments ago.
Could it be...
The real lecture was about to begin?
Just as they were thinking this,
after the gates opened,
a boy and a girl walked out.
Then,
a voice rang out.
"By the decree of the venerable master, the gates of Lei Jun Palace are now open. Fellow Daoists..."
For some reason,
the voice stopped halfway through.
It seemed the sight before them
had left them stunned.
At that 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 highly cultivated?
Looking around,
those seated at the very front were nearly at Peak Da Luo!
They were even more powerful than the Three Purities inside Lei Jun Palace!
The others,
weren't weak either.
There were plenty in Late Da Luo, and most were at mid Da Luo!
They were even more powerful than him, Hongjun's attendant!
How could this be?
Wu Tian was stunned.
Whether it was Taiqing and Yuanshi, or Haotian himself, they should all have been closer to the Heavenly Dao than the cultivators outside Lei Jun Palace.
By rights,
their cultivation speed should have been faster.
But why...
were they the ones being utterly outclassed in cultivation?
Just then,
a cultivator spoke.
His words left Haotian even more bewildered.
"Fellow Daoist, could we... delay for a while longer?"
"Hm?"
Haotian couldn't help but stare in surprise and ask,
"Why?"
"The gates of Lei Jun Palace are open, and the Sage's lecture is about to begin!"
"Aren't you afraid of missing your chance?"
The cultivator looked a little embarrassed.
He spoke again.
"Fellow Daoist, you don't understand!"
"I seem to have sensed an opportunity to break through!"
"I may need to quiet my mind and contemplate a little longer!"
At these words,
Haotian was even more confused.
"Exactly!"
"My venerable master is about to begin his lecture. Isn't it only natural that you've sensed an opportunity to break through?"
"You should go inside all the more! Why delay?"
Now,
it was the cultivator who had spoken who was confused.
He was even more bewildered than Wu Tian.
"Huh?"
"Fellow Daoist, you don't know?"
"These two words, 'Lei Jun,' hold a Great Fortune! The reason my cultivation has improved so much over the years is entirely because of them! When I first arrived, I had only just reached early Da Luo. Now I'm almost at Late Da Luo!"
"Is that so?"
At once,
Haotian stood rooted to the spot,
completely dumbfounded.
Instinctively,
he was reluctant to believe it.
After all,
if the two characters on the plaque alone held such fortune, why bother listening to a lecture?
Wouldn't it be enough to have all the cultivators sit in rows outside the gates?
With that doubt in mind, Wu Tian looked up at the plaque.
In an instant,
his heart shuddered, and disbelief flashed in his eyes.
As it happened,
after Hongjun had enlightened him, he and Yaochi had once been the beings in all the Primordial Wilderness closest to becoming Sages.
Whether in cultivation or comprehension,
they had far surpassed ordinary cultivators.
Hongjun had already Proven the Dao. Forget listening to his lectures—even being near him brought boundless benefits.
But at that moment,
the plaque gave Haotian the feeling that it was even closer to the "Dao" than Hongjun!
This realization
left Haotian utterly astonished.
However,
what astonished him even more was yet to come.
His primordial spirit stirred.
In the depths of his mind,
he actually comprehended something from the two words "Lei Jun."
The spiritual power within him began to circulate.
Boom!
The next moment,
he broke through!
He went from early Da Luo to mid Da Luo!
"This..."
For a moment,
there was nothing in Haotian's eyes but shock.
It was confirmed!
The plaque was closer to the Dao than Sage Hongjun!
For a moment,
Haotian was stunned, unable to come back to his senses for a long while.
Meanwhile,
the other cultivators exchanged glances.
Those who had already planned to go inside hesitated for a while, then returned to their original spots and sat down again!
It seemed they intended to contemplate some more
in front of the gates of Lei Jun Palace...
There was nothing for it.
After all, look at Haotian's reaction!
It was obvious
that Haotian had no idea about the fortune hidden in the plaque.
Perhaps...
the opportunities inside Lei Jun Palace weren't as great as the ones here?
Otherwise,
how could Haotian's breakthrough be explained?
If the opportunities inside were greater,
he should have broken through in there.
With that thought,
the cultivators wavered.
Then,
a very strange scene unfolded in front of Lei Jun Palace.
The gates of Lei Jun Palace stood open,
yet not a single person went inside.
Instead, they sat in front of the gates!
Anyone who didn't know better
might have thought Hongjun was giving his lecture at the entrance!
Fortunately, Yaochi was still able to react.
"Everyone!"
"Venerable Hongjun has been waiting inside Lei Jun Palace for quite some time!"
"If you delay any longer, you won't be able to hear the Sage's lecture!"
"When that happens..."
"Don't regret it!"
When she finished speaking,
the cultivators exchanged glances.
They considered
whether to go inside
or stay where they were.
In the end, the former won out.
After all...
the Daoist Script alone was already so profound. How could the Sage's lecture possibly be any worse?
What's more,
they couldn't enter Lei Jun Palace whenever they wished.
The plaque above the gates outside
would always be there for them to look at, wouldn't it?
They could come back and contemplate it later.
That shouldn't be too late, right?
At once,
the cultivators rose and flew inside.
Before you continue