The Seats Are Finally Decided, the Saint Appears; Hongjun Expounds the Great Luo Dao

Bei Ming coldly stared at Zhunti, who was still babbling and wailing.

With a sweep of his hand, the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler descended once more, its Ruler Shadow carrying heavy Dao Rhyme as it lashed fiercely toward Zhunti.

Having suffered once before, Zhunti had come prepared this time as well, producing the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree.

Its branches and leaves shone with boundless radiance, swaying as they bloomed with brilliant light before him.

With a boom, the ruler light slammed heavily into the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree.

The impact shook it violently. Its branches and leaves rustled, its radiance falling into disarray as it nearly flew from his grasp.

Bei Ming lightly flicked the fingertips of his left hand, releasing a torrent of Ice Soul Cold Qi.

Zhunti was fully occupied with resisting the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler, his mind tightly restrained.

Caught off guard, he was pierced by Ice Soul Cold Needles.

A bone-piercing chill seeped straight into his marrow, making his entire body tremble uncontrollably.

A cold glint flashed through Bei Ming's eyes. With a shake of his right hand, the Hongmeng Measuring Ruler suddenly swung free from the Light Shadow of the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree, then viciously swept sideways from the flank.

With a crisp bang—

Zhunti was sent flying outright, smashing heavily into one of Purple Cloud Palace's enormous golden pillars with a deafening boom.

Silence fell over the hall, and everyone turned their gaze toward the base of the pillar.

Nüwa pursed her lips in a smile, her voice carrying a touch of mockery.

"Hey, you. Didn't you just shout that you wanted to ram into a pillar? Well, your wish has come true now."

Watching his junior brother get beaten, fury flared in Jieyin's eyes, and he dearly wished to intervene.

But he could sense Nüwa and Fuxi's auras locking firmly onto him.

The moment he made a move, the two of them would attack at once.

Even as Zhunti was being sent flying, he did not forget to use the Telepathy Technique unique to the two of them to contact Jieyin.

[Senior brother, do not act rashly. No matter what, we must keep at least one Prayer Mat!]

The other Innate Gods saw Bei Ming and Zhunti fighting fiercely within Purple Cloud Palace, yet the Saint had not sent down lightning punishment to discipline them. Their thoughts began to stir as well.

At that moment, Zhunti forcibly endured the Cold Qi in his body and staggered to his feet. Looking utterly disheveled, he beat his chest and stamped his feet as he cried hoarsely.

"There is no justice! This man dares to wield Weapons within the Saint's Daoist arena—his rudeness knows no bounds! How can he be seated among you Great Powers?!"

Seeing that he could not defeat his opponent and unwilling to drag down his senior brother, Zhunti could only shift the conflict onto the others.

Nüwa's willow brows shot up as she snorted coldly.

"Hey, you. How can you be so shameless?! You were clearly the one who started the trouble, yet you still dare twist black into white!"

Laozi remained aloof, hanging the matter high as though it had nothing to do with him.

Yuanshi paid Zhunti no heed either. Did these two Western barbarians not understand the principle of first come, first served? If such propriety were not observed, would everything not descend into chaos?

Besides, this was the Saint's Daoist arena. If the Saint had objected, he would have long since sent down lightning punishment to strike them, just as he had struck the Golden Crow and the Ancestor Wizards.

Tongtian slowly brushed his fingertips across the Sword Blade of the Green Ping Sword, secretly musing.

Hurry up already. You can't beat them, so why not try me? My Sword has never been dull!

The thought of cleaving a scoundrel apart with his sword in Purple Cloud Palace and stunning everyone made Tongtian feel exhilarated.

Of course, he was also a reasonable man. Since this was the Saint's Daoist arena, he would not go looking for trouble on his own initiative.

Bei Ming already held the advantage and did not need his help. Otherwise, he could have used helping others as an excuse to show off a new sword technique.

As everyone harbored different thoughts, Ju Mang suddenly rose to his feet, pointed angrily at Zhunti, and berated him.

"You filthy thing! How can a shameless creature like you be worthy of setting foot in Purple Cloud Palace?

Even this Sage Preaching has been made a complete mess by the likes of you!"

Just as the atmosphere stood on the verge of a showdown, the void suddenly trembled.

Hongjun's figure emerged from the rosy clouds, seated atop the lofty Cloud Bed.

The Saint's vast pressure instantly enveloped the entire hall.

Every restless aura within the hall was suppressed. The majestic might of the Saint made everyone's minds tremble.

Ju Mang's body stiffened, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. Suppressed firmly by that pressure, he could only let out a muffled groan and sit back down, not daring to speak again.

Hongjun's gaze lightly swept over Bei Ming. A trace of imperceptible approval flashed in his eyes as he nodded faintly and thought to himself.

At least the plans concerning the North of the Primordial Wilderness have been preserved.

So be it. Although those two have shallow ties with the Mystic Gate, they are sincerely devoted to the West after all.

One Saint Position, along with some additional aid, will be enough to bring Western Prosperity once and repay the Old karma.

Seeing the Saint appear, everyone bowed in salute.

"Junior pays homage to Saint Hongjun."

"No need to be polite," Hongjun said indifferently.

"The seats in the hall shall thus be decided. I shall expound the Dao three times, each lasting three thousand years—

The first lecture: The Dao of Zenith Heaven;

The second lecture: The Dao of Quasi-Saint;

The third lecture: the Dao of Saints."

Hongjun's gaze made Bei Ming's heart stir slightly;

Sure enough, it was just as he had guessed before. Those who could sit upon the Prayer Mats were surely fated—and whether one could seize that fate depended on oneself.

If the two Prayer Mats at the back had been predetermined from the very beginning, why would Hongjun have gone to such lengths to arrange all this fuss?

Chaos was boundless, directions uncertain; the difficulty of finding Purple Cloud Palace had always been one of Hongjun's methods.

Zhunti and Jieyin arriving late and stumbling in so bedraggled may well have been part of Hongjun's secret design.

If it had merely been to make them lose face before everyone, that would have been far too petty.

What sort of being was Hongjun? How could he possibly be so bored?

Although Bei Ming did not know Hongjun's exact intentions, the two Saint Positions at the back surely held some deeper significance.

Preserving his Prayer Mat this time counted as completing the first step of his plan.

According to Bei Ming's design, if he could comprehend from the Destruction Demon God the orthodox method for breaking through to the Primordial Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm and take the path of proving the Dao through laws, that would naturally be best;

But if that failed, he could accept becoming a Saint as his way out;

At the very least, he would be able to completely cast off the name of "ant" within the Primordial World.

After Hongjun merged with the Dao in the future, the only time he ever acted against a Saint was when he suppressed Tongtian Sect Master and reforged Heaven and Earth.

From this, it could be seen that so long as Saints did not devastate the Heaven and Earth of the Primordial World on a massive scale, they could remain free of worry.

Like Nüwa, leisurely at ease and smiling as she watched the Red Dust—was that not another kind of transcendence?

At that moment, within Purple Cloud Palace, Dao sound drifted into being;

The void trembled, rosy clouds flowed, Golden Lotuses Emerging from the Earth, auspicious vapors swirled, and spiritual radiance from all heavens gathered and descended.

The Primordial Spirits of the Great Powers all quivered. Their States of Mind were washed clean by the Dao sound, and they hurriedly composed themselves, focusing intently as they listened.

The hall was solemn and hushed. Only Hongjun's voice remained, vast and clear, echoing beside everyone's ears:

"As for 'Zenith Heaven'—what is it?

'Zenith' means vastness, breadth, infinity; 'Heaven' means a net, encompassing, Eternal Manifestations.

'Zenith Heaven' thus means encompassing Eternal Manifestations, boundless and vast.

Upon reaching this realm, one may be called a 'Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal'—the pinnacle of immortals, indestructible through ten thousand calamities, roaming freely above the River of Time and Space.

The Dao of Zenith Heaven begins with 'One.'

This 'One' is not the one of singularity, but 'the beginning of the primal origin, the ancestor of Eternal Manifestations.'

All of you cultivate by seeking amid the 'myriad,' learning countless arts and comprehending myriad laws.

Yet to attain Zenith Heaven, one must return from the 'myriad' to the 'One.'

Refine the Five Qi within the chest, returning them to the origin as one; Gather the Three Flowers above the crown, letting them bloom with undying spiritual radiance.

This 'One' is your 'Dao Fruit'—the ultimate crystallization of your comprehension of the laws of Heaven and Earth, the fundamental mark of your existence.

Once you attain this 'One,' you may transcend the River of Time, anchoring your existence in the 'present.' Past and future, countless incarnations—all converge within this single thought of 'One.'

The past cannot be altered, the future cannot bewilder, the present cannot be moved.

The Dao of Zenith Heaven is founded upon laws. You must comprehend them, study them deeply.

..."