"Sage Preaches!"
Xuandu was overjoyed.
This was like finding a pillow just when he was sleepy!
He had been worrying about how to increase his strength faster and break into the Hunyuan Golden Immortal Realm.
Then Master Tongtian began expounding the Great Dao!
With his current Chaos God Demon Pedigree and Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak cultivation, listening to a Sage preach would surely bring him gains far beyond those of ordinary disciples!
His understanding of Great Dao laws and his organization of his own Divine Abilities would surely reach an entirely new height!
More importantly—
Xuandu's gaze shone brightly, his heart surging with excitement.
"Once the Jie Sect Myriad Immortals listen to the Sage preach, they will surely gain insight and advance in cultivation!"
"By then, the cultivation fed back by the [Total Sum System] will surely rise with the tide!"
"Perhaps... through this sermon, I can accumulate enough power to break through the Hunyuan Threshold in one go!"
The more Xuandu thought about it, the more fiery his heart became.
Hunyuan Golden Immortal!
Transcend Heavenly Dao, self-forming laws!
It was a world entirely different from the one he knew now!
Only by stepping into that realm could he truly gain the qualifications to contend in the coming calamity!
Only then could he truly begin carrying out those vast plans in his heart concerning the future of the Human Race and the Jie Sect!
He no longer hesitated, nor did he waste time choosing a cave abode.
His figure flashed, transforming into an incomparably swift streak of light as he headed first toward the Square Before Biyou Palace.
On the square outside Biyou Palace.
Myriad Immortal Lights shone, and Thousand Auspicious Qi filled the air.
Figures of varying strengths rode streams of light from every direction.
Daoist Duobao, Saint Mother Jinling, Saint Mother Wudang, Saint Mother Guiling, and the other Personal Disciples had already arrived, sitting quietly upon the cushions at the very front.
Their auras were unfathomable, their Dao Rhyme self-forming.
Zhao Gongming and the Three Goddesses of Xiao arrived together. Seeing Xuandu, they all smiled and nodded in greeting.
Kong Xuan also stepped out of the void. His Five-Colored Immortal Robe fluttered as he gave Xuandu a slight nod, then found himself a place to sit and closed his eyes to rest.
The Seven Attendant Immortals, countless Outer Disciples, Registered Disciples... the crowd surged like a tide, yet remained perfectly orderly.
According to cultivation and seniority, everyone found a place and sat down.
No one dared make a sound.
Yet quite a few disciples secretly glanced at Chang Er Ding Guang Xian.
After all, Chang Er was now extremely embarrassed, and his aura was weak.
He had clearly suffered serious injuries.
But in such a setting, everyone was waiting for Sect Leader Tongtian to preach.
Piluxian, Jinguang Xian, and the others paid Chang Er no attention either.
As a Personal Disciple, Xuandu naturally sat at the very front.
He took a seat on an empty cushion beside Daoist Duobao, sitting alongside Saint Mother Jinling, Kong Xuan, and the others.
His gaze swept over the densely packed Jie Sect Followers behind him, stretching beyond sight.
His heart was filled with emotion as well.
Myriad Immortals Come to Court—what a flourishing sight!
This was the Jie Sect!
And he was now one of its Core Members!
He calmed his mind and stopped looking around.
He likewise closed his eyes, adjusted his breathing, and raised his condition to its peak.
Quietly awaiting the Sage's sermon.
Time slowly passed.
For cultivators who casually entered seclusion for thousands of years, a single day was merely the blink of an eye.
Before Biyou Palace, the square had become packed with no empty seats.
Those who arrived later could only stand far away upon the Outer Cloud, craning their necks in anticipation.
The auras of countless disciples intertwined, yet the place was utterly silent.
A solemn, reverent atmosphere permeated heaven and earth.
"Buzz!"
The tightly shut gates of Biyou Palace opened soundlessly.
Boundless Pure and Bright Immortal Light poured from within, while Dao Rhyme surged like the tide.
That Green Clad Figure slowly emerged from the source of that immortal light and Dao Rhyme.
His pace was unhurried, yet it seemed as if he walked upon the veins of heaven and earth.
With every step he took, the void resonated.
No powerful aura radiated from his body; he still appeared utterly ordinary.
Yet the instant he appeared, he naturally became the center of the entire world!
All the laws of creation revered him!
It was none other than Sect Leader Tongtian!
"Greetings, Master! Greetings, Sect Master!"
Countless disciples, whether Personal Disciples or Outer Disciples, all bowed in unison. Their voices gathered like a tide, brimming with utmost reverence.
The sound shook the heavens, yet it could not move That Green Clad Figure in the slightest.
Sect Leader Tongtian's gaze was calm as it swept over the countless disciples below.
His eyes passed over the Personal Disciples in the front row, lingering on Duobao, Wu Dang, Kong Xuan, and the other Personal Disciples.
Finally, his gaze paused slightly upon Chang Er Ding Guang Xian, who sat in the place reserved for the Seven Attendant Immortals with a weak aura, forcing himself to remain upright.
Sect Leader Tongtian's eyes were profound, as though they could see through all Karma.
Chang Er Ding Guang Xian's Dao Foundation was damaged, his aura disordered, and the immortal light around him dim.
Such injuries could never have been caused by an ordinary dispute or a mistake in cultivation.
Combined with the previous friction between Xuandu and Chang Er, as well as Xuandu's sudden rise to Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak...
Sect Leader Tongtian understood.
It had to be Xuandu's handiwork.
His gaze swept over Xuandu without leaving a trace.
Xuandu sat upright upon his cushion, his expression calm. The aura around him was flawless and harmonious, his Chaos Dao Rhyme restrained within.
Sect Leader Tongtian felt no ripples in his heart, much less any intention to hold him accountable.
Where there was a cause, there would be an effect.
Chang Er Ding Guang Xian had once sown the cause of arrogance and neglect. Receiving this punishment now was the result of his own actions.
The Jie Sect's Teachings were to Seize a Thread of Life, and they also valued repaying kindness and enmity without restraint.
As long as one did not violate Sect Rules or harm a fellow disciple's life, he would not interfere with minor disputes or punishments.
Doing nothing did not mean seeing nothing.
These thoughts passed in but an instant.
Sect Leader Tongtian had already withdrawn his gaze from Chang Er Ding Guang Xian. To him, Chang Er was insignificant.
He slowly walked toward the cloud-bed platform and sat down calmly.
The countless disciples below held their breath and waited eagerly.
Across the entire Square Before Biyou Palace, and even upon the Outer Cloud, one could hear a needle drop.
Only Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, drawn by the Sage Dao Rhyme, gathered of its own accord and formed visible tidal vortices of spiritual energy.
"The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao."
Sect Leader Tongtian spoke.
His voice was calm, neither loud nor impassioned.
Yet his Dao voice rang clearly within the Divine Soul of every disciple!
In an instant, Heaven and Earth Anomalies appeared in abundance!
Golden lotuses bloomed in the void, each one unfolding as Dao Patterns flowed across them, releasing the fragrance of the Great Dao.
Heavenly maidens scattered flowers, and Self-Playing Immortal Music drifted without trace, yet went straight to the Dao Heart.
Purple Qi Coming from the East stretched thirty thousand miles, while auspicious clouds and auspicious colors blanketed Golden Ao Island.
Countless Sword Qi Illusions appeared from thin air. They were not meant for slaughter, but expounded the principles of Intercepting Heaven Taking Dao!
Every word gave birth to lotuses; Words Follow Law!
When a Sage preached, the Great Dao manifested!
Countless disciples instantly immersed themselves within it.
Some wore fascinated expressions, some furrowed their brows, while others suddenly came to realization...
There were all manner of reactions.
Within the Great Dao's Resonant Voice, each of them found a spark of Dao Rhyme that aligned with their own path.
Treasure light flowed around Daoist Duobao, as though countless spiritual treasure phantoms rose and fell around him. His aura grew ever more profound.
Saint Mother Jinling closed her eyes and focused. Spiritual light shot into the heavens, faintly resonating with the Stars.
Saint Mother Wudang's temperament became increasingly ethereal.
Saint Mother Guiling's eyes were lively. Her fingers unconsciously traced across her knee, deducing mysterious trajectories.
Faint sounds of wind and thunder rose around Zhao Gongming.
The auras of San Xiao intertwined. Within their cold immortal light, the anomaly of the Nine Bends Yellow River seemed faintly visible.
Five-Colored Radiance flowed behind Kong Xuan, while Primordial Five Elements Qi evolved on its own.
Even Jinguang Xian, Piluxian, and the others among the Seven Attendant Immortals, along with the countless Outer Disciples and Registered Disciples behind them—
All of them were intoxicated by the Sage's Great Dao. Their auras grew and condensed at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Even those low-ranking disciples who were merely Heavenly Immortals, Profound Immortals, or even True Immortals—
Though they wore strained expressions and sweated profusely, clearly finding the profundities of the Great Dao extremely difficult to understand—
Their eyes still shone with excitement and exhilaration!
They had clearly all gained something. Under the cleansing of the Dao voice, they developed a new understanding of their Dao Path, and their magic power slowly advanced as well.
However.
Xuandu, seated at the very front as a Personal Disciple with Chaos God Demon Pedigree and Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal Peak cultivation—
Was now... completely dumbfounded!
Before you continue