A sudden voice swept across the Primordial Land and echoed through the skies, vast and boundless, reaching every corner of the world.
Golden flowers rained down from the heavens, and countless golden lotuses bloomed upon the earth. Their fragrance filled the air, while misty clouds rose everywhere.
High above, a figure appeared and disappeared from sight, enveloped by endless streams of mystic yellow energy and Merit Golden Light.
Mysterious sounds rang out all around, brimming with the meaning of the Dao, and all living beings across the world felt their call.
"Holy crap! Hongjun attained sainthood?"
Hearing that voice, Ling Xiao was startled. He gazed at the boundless phenomena filling heaven and earth, and at the indescribable figure, his expression turning complicated.
It was... so sudden.
Without him even realizing it, Hongjun had attained sainthood. That also meant the Primordial World was entering the Witch-Demon Catastrophe.
This would be the most devastating catastrophe in all of the Primordial World. In the end, the Wu and Demon races would be nearly wiped out, and even the Primordial World would be shattered into pieces.
It would go from its pinnacle to ruin.
"Just who is this Hongjun, and what does it mean to attain sainthood? Still, he seems incredibly powerful. Just hearing his voice, I can feel an incomparably mighty presence."
"Second Brother, Third Brother, why don't we go listen to him preach the Dao?"
Di Jun was tempted. Looking at the phenomena filling heaven and earth, he spoke aloud.
"I never imagined there would be such a powerful being in the world!" Tai Yi said yearningly. If they could hear an existence like this preach the Dao, it would greatly benefit their cultivation.
After speaking, they looked to Ling Xiao, asking what he thought.
Ling Xiao gave a wry smile. "Big Brother, Second Brother, do you know where Purple Heaven Palace is?"
"To reach Purple Heaven Palace, you have to cross Chaos and go beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens. Time is eternal and unchanging where Purple Heaven Palace stands, so to enter and listen to the Dao, you have to leap out of the River of Time."
"In other words, without the cultivation of a Daluo Golden Immortal, even if you somehow crossed Chaos, you still wouldn't be able to enter Purple Heaven Palace."
As Ling Xiao explained, he gradually relaxed, and his thoughts flowed freely.
The Witch-Demon Catastrophe might be terrifying, but surely I could just stay out of it?
I'd bring Di Jun and Tai Yi along, keep our heads down, and focus on cultivating. As for the Heavenly Court of the Demon race, whoever wants to establish it can go ahead.
All I can say is, sorry about that.
Go listen to the Dao at Purple Heaven Palace?
What a joke. Our cultivation isn't good enough. We can't even get there.
"Is that really so?" Di Jun exclaimed. He hadn't expected that entering Purple Heaven Palace required the cultivation of a Daluo Golden Immortal. If that was the case, they would probably miss their chance.
"Third Brother, if you work hard, you might still make it in time," Tai Yi said to Ling Xiao regretfully. Of the three of them, he was the only one with any hope.
Ling Xiao shook his head. "Purple Heaven Palace is a long way off. Just crossing Chaos would take at least a thousand years. Even I wouldn't make it in time."
Since I don't intend to take part in the Witch-Demon Catastrophe, I can't have anything to do with Hongjun—not even the slightest connection. I definitely can't go listen to him preach the Dao.
Never mind everything else. I'm a third Golden Crow who suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Who knows what might happen if I showed up in front of Hongjun?
What if he sees that I'm an anomaly and simply erases me?
After hearing Ling Xiao's explanation, Di Jun and Tai Yi felt even more regretful.
"If that's the case, the three of us brothers will fall far behind."
"Not necessarily." Ling Xiao smiled.
At Hongjun's first sermon, he would teach the Dao of the Daluo Golden Immortal.
He wasn't going to teach people how to break through to become Daluo Golden Immortals. He was going to explain the complete Dao of the Daluo Golden Immortal.
Ever since the Dragon-Phoenix Catastrophe had passed, the beings who had attained the Daluo Golden Immortal realm as soon as they took form had made little progress in their cultivation, unable to find a way forward.
Of course, this wasn't a problem for the three brothers at all.
Once the right opportunity came, he would tell Di Jun and Tai Yi about the path of cultivation for Daluo Golden Immortals and the realms beyond.
[ Ding! Detected that Hongjun has attained sainthood. Living beings in the Primordial World have begun making their way to Purple Heaven Palace. Please make one of the following choices.] [Choice One: Set out at once and go listen to the Dao at Purple Heaven Palace. Reward: one of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots, the Yellow Plum.] [Choice Two: Stay put and play it safe, becoming a lazybones. Reward: one Fragment of the Jade Plate of Creation.]
Just as Ling Xiao had made up his mind, the system's long-absent voice rang out.
Ling Xiao was speechless. Was this system just hoping he'd go out?
To get him to leave, it had even produced the Yellow Plum, the foremost of the Ten Innate Spiritual Roots.
That thing was a real treasure. You only needed a single fruit to attain the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
It was clear the system had paid a hefty price to lure him out.
It was probably losing so much it would have to take the bus home.
But he absolutely would not go to Hongjun's sermon at Purple Heaven Palace.
"System, I choose two."
Ling Xiao made his choice with unwavering resolve.
Hongjun's attainment of sainthood shook the entire Primordial World and stunned countless powerful beings. On top of that, the sermon at Purple Heaven Palace three thousand years later sent the once-peaceful world into an uproar.
For a time, countless living beings across the Primordial Land set off for Purple Heaven Palace.
To them, this was an opportunity that came once in ten thousand years.
Halfway up Mount Buzhou in the eastern part of the Primordial World, three Daoists sat facing one another: an elderly man with white hair and a crane-like bearing, a dignified middle-aged man, and a handsome young man.
"I never imagined a living being would attain sainthood before us. Hongjun is blessed with great fortune and possesses extraordinary powers. I am no match for him. Why don't we brothers go listen to his sermon?"
The young man in black spoke.
As soon as he finished, the dignified middle-aged man rebuked him. "We are the Pangu Orthodox Lineage. How can we listen to his sermon? Third Brother, don't say things that would disgrace us again."
The young man in black immediately took offense, and the two began arguing.
Just then, the old man, who had said nothing until now, spoke up.
"Enough, both of you. Tongtian is right. There is no before or after in the Dao; the one who has attained it is the teacher. Hongjun attained the Dao first, while our cultivation has advanced slowly. We ought to go and listen to his sermon."
Yuanshi and Tongtian said nothing more, tacitly accepting the old man's words.
On the Lunar Star, after countless years of arduous cultivation, Xi He and Changxi had finally broken through to the Daluo Golden Immortal realm. Naturally, when they heard Hongjun was going to preach the Dao, they planned to attend.
"Little Sister, we have to go to the sermon at Purple Heaven Palace. This is a wonderful opportunity to increase our strength."
Xi He spoke to her younger sister, her gaze resolute.
Changxi nodded firmly, then suddenly turned her gaze toward the Sun Star and said doubtfully, "Those three star gods on the Sun Star don't seem to have any intention of going to listen to the sermon."
So far, there had been no sign of movement. It was as still as a pool of dead water.
Xi He smiled at that. "Perhaps they know their strength is too meager, so they've simply decided not to go."
"Then that's perfect. This is a good chance for us to widen the gap."
The sisters exchanged smiles. Without lingering, they left the Lunar Star and headed for Purple Heaven Palace.
In every corner of the Primordial World, powerful beings who had been lying low emerged from their caves.
Although the sermon would not begin for another three thousand years, the road was long, and it was better to set out early than arrive late.
In no time, countless powerful beings were riding clouds, guided by spirit beasts or escorted in treasure carriages, each displaying their abilities as they made their way to Purple Heaven Palace.
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