The great powers of the Primordial World emerged from seclusion and hurried toward the Purple Heaven Palace.
At Western Mount Sumeru, Jieyin and Zhunti were meditating in cultivation when they were suddenly overcome with joy. Ever since reaching the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, their cultivation had not advanced by even an inch.
Now, at last, the Dao Ancestor was about to begin his lecture. The Quasi-Sage realm was within reach.
"Let's go, Senior Brother. Last time we were too slow and nearly didn't get seats. This time, we have to be the first to arrive!"
Zhunti spoke with a smile, unable to contain his delight.
He had waited far too long for this day.
"Indeed. This time, we must arrive first and show the strength of our magic!" Jieyin nodded and rose to his feet.
The two hurried side by side toward the Purple Heaven Palace.
At Mount Buzhou, years of secluded cultivation had raised Nuwa's cultivation to the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. Fuxi had fallen a little short, reaching only the late stage, not the perfection of the realm.
In the North Sea, ever since Kunpeng had been startled by the Twelve Ancestral Witches' auras, he had devoted himself to bitter cultivation. At last, just as the lecture approached, he reached the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
Ancestor Minghe, Queen Mother of the West, Duke of the East, and the other renowned great powers had all reached the late stage or peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
Baize, Jimeng, Yingzhao, Guiche, Jiuying, and the other famous pioneers in resisting the Witch Clan had also reached the middle or late stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. They were only a hair's breadth behind the top-tier great powers.
On the Lunar Star, Xi He and Changxi also emerged from seclusion, having reached the late stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
When they returned from the first lecture, they had already been at the middle stage of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. Nearly ten thousand years of secluded cultivation had raised them by one minor realm.
"Elder Sister, let's go."
In the Moon Palace, Changxi urged Xi He impatiently.
"Mm."
Xi He nodded, but before leaving, she couldn't help glancing toward the Sun Star.
"Strange. Is he still not planning to attend the lecture?"
She wondered, puzzled. Perhaps he had missed the first lecture because his cultivation wasn't strong enough, but now there was still no sign of him.
Was the Dao Ancestor's lecture really that unappealing?
Xi He couldn't make sense of it. In the end, she stopped worrying about it and headed for the Purple Heaven Palace with her younger sister.
This time, the Dao Ancestor would lecture on the path to Quasi-Sage. Although she was still some distance from that realm, hearing the lecture was better than missing it.
Once she reached the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, she would be able to cultivate the Quasi-Sage path.
That would be an entirely new realm.
She refused to believe that after hearing the Dao Ancestor lecture twice, she still wouldn't surpass that Golden Crow!
On an immortal mountain in the eastern part of the Primordial World,
three vast, immense auras surged into the sky, rising straight upward. The pressure of three peak Daluo Golden Immortals shook all living beings.
After tireless effort, the Three Pure Ones had finally broken through.
It was far later than they had expected. The reason was that the Twelve Ancestral Witches had wounded their foundations.
Simply recovering from their injuries had taken far too much time.
After breaking through, the Three Pure Ones didn't linger. They immediately set off for the Purple Heaven Palace.
The Witch Clan.
Pangu Temple.
The Twelve Ancestral Witches were in the middle of a discussion when they sensed the Three Pure Ones' auras.
"Those three shameless old fogies actually reached the peak of the Daluo realm?"
Qiangliang exploded, unable to believe it. Even after the Three Pure Ones had been beaten down so badly, those three old bastards had still managed to reach the peak.
He himself was still one step away from it.
It had to be said: ever since they had suppressed the Three Pure Ones, their fortune seemed to have grown considerably, and even their cultivation had advanced much faster.
"They came out at just the right time. Let's ambush the Three Pure Ones, stop them from reaching the Purple Heaven Palace, and kill them on the way!" Zhu Jiuyin said coldly, leaving no room for compromise.
"There's no need. It's already too late to act now!"
Dijiang spoke calmly. They would have to catch the Three Pure Ones by surprise as they had last time, sealing off their escape route completely.
Without careful preparations, killing the Three Pure Ones wouldn't be easy.
"Elder Brother, what if the Three Pure Ones return from the Purple Heaven Palace as Quasi-Sages? What will we do then?" Xuanming asked worriedly.
Her concern won the agreement of the other Ancestral Witches.
When their realms were roughly equal, they could easily overpower their opponents with numbers. But if the other side's realm surpassed theirs by too much, it would be difficult to gain the upper hand.
"Don't worry. Your elder brother is about to take that step."
Dijiang smiled. At once, a vast, boundless aura, faint but unmistakable, emanated from him.
It seemed to have already transcended the limits of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
"Elder Brother, are you about to become a Quasi-Sage?"
The Ancestral Witches were overjoyed. No wonder their elder brother was so calm: he was on the verge of becoming a Quasi-Sage.
"Indeed. I'm only one step away. I can break through at any time," Dijiang said confidently.
"Suppressing the Three Pure Ones really did increase our fortune and speed up our cultivation."
"The Purple Heaven Palace lecture is also an opportunity for our Witch Clan. While the great powers are away, we should rapidly expand our territory and seize resources!"
"Then you'll have a chance to break through to Quasi-Sage as well. When that time comes, even if the Three Pure Ones' cultivation greatly improves, what will there be to fear?"
Dijiang laid out all his thoughts and plans for what came next.
The Ancestral Witches' eyes lit up. His words were like a sudden, life-giving revelation, and they were instantly fired up.
When that time came, who in the entire Primordial World could stand in the way of the Twelve Ancestral Witches?
The Ancestral Witches cultivated their physical bodies and the power of the laws. Among those of the same realm, they already had few equals.
As long as they kept expanding their territory, seizing resources, and strengthening their cultivation, they would be invincible.
Just as the Ancestral Witches were discussing excitedly, Houtu, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke.
"Elder Brother, I want to go to the Purple Heaven Palace and hear the lecture."
The moment she said this, the entire hall fell silent. Then an uproar erupted, and everyone objected.
"Little Sister, you said last time that Hongjun's lecture was useless to us. Why go again?"
"We're already sworn enemies with the Three Pure Ones. What if they try to hurt you?"
Dijiang asked with a stern expression. She was always running around instead of minding her duties. With all that time, she could have gone out and seized a few more territories.
Houtu braced herself and explained, "Perhaps the path to Quasi-Sage could be useful to us after all. Besides attending the lecture, I could also get a clearer sense of the great powers' strengths."
"Don't worry about the danger. They wouldn't dare make trouble in the Purple Heaven Palace. After the lecture, you can just send someone to meet me."
In the end, she couldn't let it go. She wanted to hear the lecture one more time.
"Go on, then."
Dijiang understood Houtu's temperament, so he decided not to dissuade her.
The Sun Star.
The debate that had lasted a thousand years finally came to an end.
Everyone had gained a great deal from it.
They would have liked to continue, but the lecture at the Purple Heaven Palace was about to begin. No matter how long they debated, they could never surpass the Dao Ancestor's lecture. They knew well enough which mattered more.
"Thank you, fellow Daoists. I've gained a great deal from this debate!" Di Jun said gratefully.
"Think nothing of it. The lecture is about to begin. Three Crows, shall we travel there together?" Hong Yun asked with a smile.
At his words, Di Jun and Tai Yi both turned their gazes toward Ling Xiao.
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