Just as Haotian and Yaochi were about to close the gates of Zixiao Palace;
two urgent shouts suddenly rang out from outside the hall:
"Fellow Daoists, wait!"
"We haven't gotten in yet!"
Before the words had faded, two figures staggered inside.
Their clothes were tattered, and their faces were covered in dust, making them look thoroughly bedraggled.
Haotian and Yaochi remained expressionless. They neither stopped them nor offered a salute. Only after the pair entered did they Raise Hand and Form Seal.
With a thunderous boom, the gates of Zixiao Palace slowly closed. At the same time, the two Boy Attendants gradually faded away.
The commotion also drew the attention of the Cultivators within the hall;
and with the gates now shut, they guessed that the Saint would soon arrive. One after another, they emerged from their cultivation and waited quietly for the Saint to appear.
After Zhunti and Jieyin entered the hall, their gazes passed through the other Cultivators and locked directly onto the six Prayer Mats at the very front.
The two exchanged a glance, and in that meeting of eyes, each understood the other's intentions.
There's an opportunity here. We can't let it go. Do it!
Thus, Jieyin and Zhunti circled around the many Cultivators from the side, reached the front, and swept their eyes over the six people seated on the Prayer Mats.
The Three Pure Ones had long since made quite a name for themselves in the Primordial Wilderness, and their auras were connected. They could not be provoked;
Nüwa and Bei Ming, along with Fuxi seated behind them, also had tightly intertwined auras;
however, the three had kept a low profile in the Primordial Wilderness, so Zhunti and Jieyin could not determine their identities or strength;
but the three were obviously together. If a fight broke out, two against three would put them at a disadvantage. They could only observe first and make plans gradually.
But when they saw Hong Yun seated on the sixth prayer mat, Zhunti and Jieyin were overjoyed. Their gazes met, and a scheme immediately formed in their minds.
Hong Yun's reputation was widely known throughout the Primordial Wilderness. He was practically synonymous with an "old good person."
He was kind-hearted and benevolent toward others, often conceding benefits to them.
Wasn't this the perfect time to make use of him?
Meanwhile, after Zhunti and Jieyin had stumbled into the hall, Hongjun also turned his attention to the situation in the main hall.
During the Demonic Dao War, the mountains and rivers of the West had been utterly destroyed, and its earth veins shattered beyond repair;
as a result, he owed the West karma and needed to support the rise of Western Prosperity once.
This karma was owed to the West, not specifically to Zhunti and Jieyin.
Finding a way to bring about Western Prosperity was the greater trend;
whether Zhunti and Jieyin would be the ones to accomplish that rise was merely a lesser trend.
After becoming a saint, Hongjun understood the state of the Primordial Wilderness perfectly.
In the future, he would eventually Merge with the Dao completely;
at that time, many matters would have to follow the rules of the Heavenly Dao and would no longer be under his own control.
Therefore, before then, every necessary arrangement had to be put into place.
From Hongjun's perspective, he had abandoned the path of a Chaos God and entered the Primordial Wilderness, paying an enormous price;
he had even merged himself with the Dao, giving up his purest freedom. Subjectively, he naturally had no desire to ruin the Primordial Wilderness.
Yet after Merging with the Dao, he would be unable to interfere with the Primordial Wilderness as he pleased. Though some matters fell beneath the Heavenly Dao, they would no longer be under 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 seated on the Prayer Mats could fully meet the needs of the Primordial Wilderness.
The Three Pure Ones had transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit and inherited part of the Merit of Opening Heaven. In the future, once they established religions and carried out Teach and Transform, their paths to becoming saints would be smooth and unobstructed;
Nüwa cultivated the Laws of Creation and was the unquestionable choice to complete the great task of creating humanity;
Kun Peng had been born in the North Sea and was connected to the north of the Primordial Wilderness. After the Calamity of the Fierce Beasts, the Northern Continent was filled with Baleful Aura, and its living beings had withered. If One Saint could revive the north, it would benefit the overall development of the Primordial Wilderness;
as for Hong Yun, he was kind-hearted and charitable. He would not refuse the good deed of borrowing merit to become a saint and reviving the West;
the root of the West's decline lay in its earth veins.
Hong Yun's friend Zhen Yuanzi held the Earth Book. It might possess a miraculous effect in repairing the earth veins;
afterward, with such merit, Zhen Yuanzi's status would undoubtedly stand first beneath the Saints.
Moreover, Hong Yun had done many good deeds throughout the Primordial Wilderness and had fairly good relations with others;
once he became a saint, those Cultivators who owed him karma would naturally not dare refuse repayment. They would have to contribute to Western Prosperity.
With such a plan, he could wrap up the mess left behind by the Fierce Beast Cataclysm and the Demonic Dao War;
and he could also promote the steadier development of the Primordial Wilderness.
As for his small private consideration, Hongjun intended to Preach the Dao and establish the Mystic Gate;
according to his Deduction, however, Zhunti and Jieyin had limited affinity with the Mystic Gate;
if they were allowed to become saints, they might turn against it in the future and steal the Mystic Gate to support the West.
Thus, under Hongjun's subtle interference, Zhunti and Jieyin had arrived at Zixiao Palace last.
However, the two of them were the only remaining native Great Powers of the West. Their origins were top-notch, and they carried immense luck;
Hongjun's lecture was meant for all Cultivators of the Primordial Wilderness;
without Zhunti and Jieyin, there would be no Cultivators from the West to show support. Thus, he could not bar them from the gates.
The Saint Positions concerned Saints and had an enormous connection to the Heavenly Dao;
Hongjun was currently only a Saint himself and could not perceive their full picture.
Now, the time for the lecture was near. Hongjun lowered his eyes and looked down at the hall, feeling quite satisfied.
But at that moment, he suddenly caught a trace of unusual movement.
In that instant, Hongjun's eyes narrowed slightly. Though his expression remained calm, he secretly sighed in his heart:
His scheme was likely about to be broken.
Zhunti and Jieyin acted out their misery with perfect realism.
Their eyes filled with tears and their bodies trembling, they dropped to their knees before Hong Yun in full view of everyone.
Zhunti and Jieyin, their eyes brimming with tears, knelt directly before Hong Yun. Wiping their tears, they burst into loud sobs.
Zhunti beat his chest with both hands, his face streaked with tears, his voice shrill. "How bitter!
My senior and junior brother came all the way from the barren lands of the West, only to hear the Saint's Great Dao!
Along the way, we endured countless hardships and dangers, nearly dying and disappearing, spending endless years before barely reaching Zixiao Palace.
Yet now, we do not even have a place to sit!
Exhausted in body and spirit, unable to attain the Great Dao, how can we face the living beings of the West!"
At the sorrowful part, Zhunti wailed loudly, tears and snot streaming down his face. His cries echoed through Zixiao Palace, irritating everyone who heard them.
Jieyin, meanwhile, formed a sharp contrast with him—one active, one still.
He did not howl. Instead, he lowered his head and wept quietly, his shoulders trembling faintly as though suppressing endless pain, with choked sobs occasionally escaping his throat.
One cried while the other remained silent; one grieved openly while the other endured. Their performance was flawlessly coordinated, making them seem even more pitiful and moving.
The vast majority of the Cultivators present looked upon the pair with utter disdain.
From the Primordial Wilderness to Zixiao Palace, what "countless hardships and dangers" were there?
They had merely been tossed about by Chaos Qi until they were dirty and disheveled. They had not even suffered any serious injuries!
And as for "spending endless years," what a joke!
How many years had passed since the Saint announced his lecture?
To Great Luo Golden Immortals, it was merely the flick of a finger. How could it be called "endless"?
Everyone knew perfectly well that the two were putting on an act.
Thus, most Cultivators merely watched coldly, too lazy to say anything.
Yet there were always such "different" people in the world.
Seeing the two in such misery, Hong Yun's heart immediately softened. A trace of pity flashed through his eyes. He stood, cupped his hands, and said:
"Two Fellow Daoists, your hearts in seeking the Dao for the living beings of the West can be witnessed by Heaven and Earth. This Poor Daoist is deeply moved.
I have rested for a while already. I shall give this prayer mat to the two of you."
Before you continue