Hongjun's Schemes and the Initial Positioning of the Six Saints

Just as Haotian and Yaochi intended to close the gates of Purple Cloud Palace, two urgent shouts suddenly rang out from outside the hall:

"Fellow Daoists, wait!"

"We haven't entered yet!"

Before the words had even faded, two figures stumbled in.

The two were disheveled and covered in dust, looking quite wretched.

Haotian and Yaochi remained composed; they neither blocked them nor offered any courtesies, simply raising their hands to form seals once the pair had entered.

With a thunderous boom, the gates of Purple Cloud Palace slowly closed, and the figures of the two boy attendants faded away.

The commotion had drawn the attention of the cultivators inside the hall; assuming the Saint was about to descend now that the gates were shut, they ceased their meditation and waited quietly for the Saint to appear.

Zhunti and Jieyin entered the hall, their gazes piercing through the crowd of cultivators to lock directly onto the six prayer mats at the very front.

The two exchanged a glance, and in that meeting of eyes, they understood each other's intent.

There is an opportunity here; we cannot let it slip by. Let's do it!

Thus, Jieyin and Zhunti bypassed the many cultivators from the sides and reached the front row, their eyes sweeping over the six people on the prayer mats.

The Three Pure Ones had long since made a name for themselves in the Primordial Wilderness, and their auras were interconnected—they were not to be trifled with.

Nüwa and Bei Ming, along with Fuxi who sat behind them, also possessed closely linked auras.

However, the three were not high-profile in the Primordial Wilderness, and Zhunti and Jieyin could not confirm their identities or strength.

Yet, it was clear the three were a group; if a fight broke out, two against three would put them at a disadvantage, so they could only observe the situation and plan accordingly.

But upon seeing Hong Yun sitting on the sixth prayer mat, Zhunti and Jieyin were overjoyed; a single look between them was enough to hatch a scheme.

Hong Yun's reputation was widespread throughout the Primordial Wilderness, synonymous with being an "Old Good Person."

He was kind-hearted, benevolent, and often conceded benefits to others.

At a time like this, how could they not take advantage of that?

Meanwhile, after Zhunti and Jieyin had stumbled in, Hongjun was also observing the situation in the main hall.

During the Demonic Dao War of the past, the mountains and rivers of the West had been completely destroyed, and the ley lines shattered.

This left him owing a debt of karma to the West, requiring him to support the Western Prosperity.

This karma was owed to the West, not specifically to Zhunti and Jieyin.

Finding a way to bring about Western Prosperity was the grand trend; whether it was accomplished by Zhunti and Jieyin was merely a minor detail.

After becoming a Saint, Hongjun understood the state of the Primordial Wilderness perfectly.

In the future, he would eventually merge with the Dao.

At that time, many things would have to follow the rules of the Heavenly Dao and would no longer be under his autonomous control.

Therefore, before that happened, the necessary arrangements had to be laid out one by one.

From Hongjun's perspective, he had abandoned the path of the Chaos God to join the Primordial Wilderness, paying a tremendous price.

He had even merged his own body with the Dao, sacrificing the purest form of freedom; subjectively, he naturally did not want to ruin the Primordial Wilderness.

But after merging with the Dao, he could not interfere with the Primordial Wilderness at will; some matters, while under the Heavenly Dao, were not within Hongjun's control.

After all, Hongjun was the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao was not Hongjun.

According to Hongjun's current arrangements, the six people sitting on the prayer mats could fully address the needs of the Primordial Wilderness.

The Three Pure Ones, formed from the Primordial Spirit of Pangu, inherited a portion of the Merit of Opening Heaven; their path to establishing a religion, teaching and transforming, and becoming saints was unobstructed.

Nüwa practiced the Laws of Creation and was the only choice to complete the grand plan of creating humanity.

Kun Peng was born in the North Sea and was linked to the north of the Primordial Wilderness; after the Calamity of the Fierce Beasts, the Northern Continent was filled with Sha Qi and the living beings were withered. If a Saint could revitalize the north, it would be beneficial to the overall development of the Primordial Wilderness.

As for Hong Yun, his kind and generous nature meant he would not refuse the "loan" of becoming a saint to perform the good deed of reviving the West.

The decline of the West was rooted in its ley lines.

Hong Yun's good friend, Zhen Yuanzi, held the Earth Book, which might have a miraculous effect on repairing the ley lines.

Once the task was accomplished, Zhen Yuanzi would rely on this merit to hold a status second only to the Saints.

Moreover, Hong Yun had performed many good deeds in the Primordial Wilderness and had a decent reputation.

Once he became a Saint, the cultivators who owed him karma would naturally not dare to default, and they would have to contribute to the Western Prosperity.

Following this plan, he could wrap up the mess left behind by the Calamity of the Fierce Beasts and the Demonic Dao War, while also promoting more stable development for the Primordial Wilderness.

As for having a few ulterior motives, that was simply Hongjun preaching the Dao and founding the Mystic Gate.

And according to his deductions, Zhunti and Jieyin had limited affinity with the Mystic Gate.

If they were allowed to become saints, they might one day turn against the Mystic Gate, stealing its resources to bolster the West.

Therefore, it was only through Hongjun's minor interference that Zhunti and Jieyin were the last to arrive at the Purple Cloud Palace.

However, they were, after all, the only remaining native Great Powers of the West, possessing top-notch origins and carrying the weight of Luck.

When Hongjun preached, he faced all the cultivators of the Primordial Wilderness.

Without Zhunti and Jieyin, there would be no cultivators from the West to show support, so he could not turn them away.

The Saint Position was inextricably linked to the Saints and held a profound relationship with the Heavenly Dao.

Hongjun was currently only a Saint himself and could not yet glimpse the Full Picture.

At this moment, the time for the sermon was near. Hongjun lowered his gaze to overlook the hall, feeling quite satisfied in his heart.

But just then, he suddenly caught a trace of an anomaly.

In that instant, Hongjun's eyes narrowed slightly. Though his face remained calm, he sighed inwardly:

His plans were likely about to be broken.

Zhunti and Jieyin performed their misery with vivid, lifelike precision.

With tear-filled eyes and trembling bodies, the two of them fell to their knees before Hong Yun in full view of everyone.

Zhunti and Jieyin, eyes streaming with tears, knelt directly before Hong Yun, wiping away their tears and wailing loudly.

Zhunti pounded his chest with both hands, his face covered in tear tracks, his voice shrill and wretched: "How bitter!

My senior and junior brothers have traveled from the barren lands of the West, coming from afar just to hear the Saint's Great Dao!

Along the way, we endured countless hardships and obstacles, nearly dying and disappearing, and spent endless years before finally managing to reach the Purple Cloud Palace.

Yet now, we do not even have a seat to rest our feet!

Exhausted in body and spirit, unable to attain the Great Dao, what face do we have to return to the living beings of the West!"

Reaching the most sorrowful part, Zhunti wailed and wept, his cries echoing throughout the Purple Cloud Palace, grating on everyone's nerves.

Jieyin, by contrast, was the quiet to his noise, creating a stark difference.

He did not howl, but instead lowered his head and shed tears, his shoulders trembling slightly as if suppressing endless pain, with choked sobs escaping his throat from time to time.

This combination of wailing and silence, of grief and endurance, was seamless, making their plight seem all the more desolate and moving.

The vast majority of the cultivators present sneered at their performance.

From the Primordial Wilderness to the Purple Cloud Palace, where were there any "countless hardships and obstacles"?

They had merely been roughed up by the Chaos Qi; they hadn't even suffered a broken bone!

As for "spending endless years," what a joke!

How many years had passed since the Saint announced the sermon?

To a Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, it was but a snap of the fingers; how could it be called "endless"?

Everyone knew full well that these two were putting on a show.

Thus, most cultivators simply watched with cold eyes, too lazy to speak up.

Yet, there are always such "different" people in the world.

Seeing the two of them so miserable, Hong Yun's heart softened instantly. A flash of pity crossed his eyes as he stood up, cupped his hands, and said:

"Two Fellow Daoists, your hearts for seeking the Dao for the sake of the living beings of the West are witnessed by Heaven and Earth, and I am deeply moved.

I have been resting for a while anyway, so I shall yield this prayer mat to you both."