Di Jun, Tai Yi, Zhenyuanzi, and Hong Yun had thought they'd arrived early enough, but they hadn't expected a whole crowd of powerful beings to already be gathered outside the gates of the Purple Heaven Palace.
Di Jun and Tai Yi gazed at the Purple Heaven Palace, unable to hide their awe. The boundless aura it exuded pressed down on their divine senses, compelling all beings to submit. The Great Dao unfolded in dazzling, ever-changing splendor, its myriad wonders impossible to grasp or describe.
Only by experiencing it up close could they truly understand how terrifying a Sage was. Even the Sage's residence was already this incredible.
No wonder Ling Xiao had always told them to cultivate diligently. In the face of such beings, power and status were nothing but fleeting clouds. Only one's own strength was Eternal.
While Di Jun and Tai Yi studied the Purple Heaven Palace,
the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin and Zhunti, Nuwa and Fuxi, and the other powerful beings were also looking at them, their faces full of surprise.
They could understand why the Golden Crows had come to listen to the Dao, but why had only two of them come? Where was the other one?
"That Golden Crow named Ling Xiao probably didn't come."
The Three Pure Ones discussed this among themselves. They remembered very clearly how Ling Xiao had gotten the better of them when they'd fought over the Gourd at Mount Buzhou.
"He doesn't understand the will of Heaven. The Dao Ancestor is giving a lecture—a tremendous opportunity—and he actually didn't come. Is he blindly confident in himself, or simply foolish and naïve?" Yuanshi said with a chuckle.
He hadn't even come to hear the Quasi-Sage Dao. Did he think he could figure it out on his own?
Even if he could, it would surely take an immeasurable amount of time.
"There are countless powerful beings in the Primordial World, and he's not the only one who didn't come. There's nothing particularly strange about it. Perhaps he really does have his own cultivation method," Tongtian said, unconcerned.
While the Three Pure Ones were discussing this among themselves, Jieyin and Zhunti watched Di Jun and Tai Yi with flickering eyes.
If they weren't outside the Purple Heaven Palace, they would have already made their move.
But they weren't in a hurry. They could deal with Di Jun after the lecture, and Tai Yi could wait too.
The only thing that spoiled their plans was that Ling Xiao hadn't come. They couldn't deal with all three at once, and would have to make a separate trip to the Sun Star.
"Fellow Daoists, why hasn't Ling Xiao come?" Nuwa and Fuxi greeted them.
"My Third Brother is in seclusion and couldn't make it."
Di Jun replied with a smile.
In seclusion?
Nuwa's gaze shifted, and she was somewhat surprised. He'd gone into seclusion during the lecture? Was the Dao Ancestor's teaching really so unappealing?
She was a little disappointed. She had wanted to ask Ling Xiao in person what he thought about the Ten Thousand Races and why he'd hinted that Baize should seek her out. But he hadn't come at all.
With no other choice, she returned to her place with Fuxi.
As time passed, more and more powerful beings gathered outside the Purple Heaven Palace.
At last, the gates of the Purple Heaven Palace opened, and a young man and woman came out to invite everyone inside.
The two child attendants were Haotian and Yaochi.
The powerful beings slowly streamed into the Purple Heaven Palace. Their places had already been set the last time, so there was no need to fight over seats again.
Di Jun and Tai Yi sat behind Zhenyuanzi and Hong Yun, looking around curiously as they examined the Purple Heaven Palace. They chatted as they did so.
"It's a shame Ling Xiao didn't come. He can't listen to a Sage's teachings," Zhenyuanzi said with some regret.
"It is a bit of a shame, but it's no big deal. When we get back, we can discuss the Dao with Ling Xiao and pass along what the Dao Ancestor taught us, can't we?" Hong Yun said with a smile.
Di Jun and Tai Yi nodded repeatedly. They had the same idea.
Soon,
once all the powerful beings had arrived, Hongjun appeared on the cloud bed at the front. The entire Purple Heaven Palace fell silent, so quiet that a pin could be heard dropping.
Even Di Jun and Tai Yi fixed their eyes on the figure before them.
"He's too powerful."
There was no terrifying aura, but a single glance was enough to make them feel a strength that was indescribable and impossible to put into words.
At that moment, their longing to become Sages grew even stronger.
Hongjun glanced over those below and immediately spotted Di Jun and Tai Yi, sitting there obediently, looking utterly harmless, with something else in their eyes... an inexplicable yearning?
"Good."
Hongjun nodded to himself. This time, the Golden Crows hadn't disappointed him. They had finally come to hear the Dao.
"Wait... there's a variable?"
Suddenly, his expression changed. Strange visions rose and fell in his eyes as the laws surged around him.
"Another Golden Crow didn't come?"
At this thought, Hongjun couldn't help frowning. The Great Dao had fifty paths, while Heaven's evolution left one out of reach. Variables were normal; as long as the grand pattern remained unchanged, everything else was fixed.
What he hadn't expected was that the Sun Star had given birth to three Golden Crows.
He had overlooked it before. He'd been busy becoming a Sage and preparing to merge with the Dao, and hadn't noticed there was another Golden Crow.
Hongjun reconsidered. Perhaps this extra Golden Crow wasn't a bad thing. He might even make up for Di Jun and Tai Yi's disadvantage.
After all, at their current level of cultivation, it would be far too difficult for them to stand against the Twelve Ancestral Witches.
As for this extra Golden Crow not coming to hear the Dao, Hongjun didn't take it to heart.
It was enough that the Destined Ones, Di Jun and Tai Yi, had come.
Everyone's here. Why hasn't he started the lecture yet?
Inside the Purple Heaven Palace, the powerful beings looked puzzled, some even bewildered. They'd felt something like this during the first lecture.
A classic scene, repeated!
But this time, something was different.
They all had the feeling that the Dao Ancestor had been staring at Di Jun and Tai Yi the whole time.
Was it because they were newcomers, and the Dao Ancestor had taken a few extra looks at them?
Seated in the front row, Jieyin and Zhunti smiled to themselves.
"Could those two, Di Jun and Tai Yi, have offended the Dao Ancestor as soon as they arrived?"
"If so, that would be perfect. We wouldn't even have to get involved..."
For a moment, every powerful being turned their gaze toward Di Jun and Tai Yi, wondering to themselves whether the two had done something to displease the Dao Ancestor.
Di Jun and Tai Yi thought the same thing. They exchanged a silent glance, both feeling as though they had a thorn in their backs.
Fortunately, Hongjun spoke just then. "This lecture will cover the Quasi-Sage Dao and last three thousand years. You must calm your minds and contemplate it."
The powerful beings all breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The atmosphere had been so strange and oppressive, but at least things were back to normal.
The powerful beings stilled their breaths and listened to the Dao Ancestor with complete concentration.
"The Way of Heaven is to act according to Heaven's course; that is all. Thus, Heaven has five thieves, and those who perceive them will prosper. The five thieves reside in the heart and are put into action through Heaven. The universe lies in the palm of your hand, and all transformations are born from your body..."
"Establish the Way of Heaven to determine one's nature. Nature may be clever or clumsy, and can be concealed. The evils of the nine apertures lie in the three essentials; they can be stirred or stilled. Fire is born from wood, and disaster inevitably follows; treachery is born within a nation, and when the time comes, it will surely collapse..."
The words of a Sage naturally brought flowers raining from the sky and Golden Lotuses Springing from the Earth. Their wonders were too beautiful to describe.
The powerful beings listened in rapt fascination. Some wore delighted smiles, some looked sorrowful, some scratched their heads and ears, and some sat as still as withered wood.
Time flowed on, and the Daoist music continued without end inside the Purple Heaven Palace.
Soon, the three thousand years were nearly over.
That day, inside the Purple Heaven Palace, the Daoist music gradually faded.
Before you continue