It was like a starry-sky behemoth appearing beside an ant. Even if the behemoth had no intention of harming the ant, how could the ant not be tense and terrified beyond measure?
The situation now was that the starry-sky behemoth had not only come right up beside the ant, but was also staring at it. This was no longer mere tension and terror. Unless the ant was forcing itself to hold on, it might well be scared to death.
By the way, if the Great Dao was likened to a starry-sky behemoth, then the ant corresponding to it now was actually not any living being in the Primordial World. Even Heavenly Dao Hongjun and the others were unworthy.
That ant was the entire Primordial World.
In other words, at the very moment the myriad spirits of the Primordial World, including Heavenly Dao Hongjun, all knelt down, Zhu Jiuyin's transformation had also been completed.
In an instant, an aura of terrifying magnitude burst forth from Zhu Jiuyin, then swept over and enveloped more than half of the Primordial World.
At that moment, countless beings who sensed this aura were stunned.
"Th-this aura... why is it so similar to the one when Dao Ancestor Hongjun attained Sagehood?"
What they didn't know was that Hongjun was now so envious of Zhu Jiuyin that he would have given anything to take his place.
Only he, a Chaos Being who had lived through the Chaos Era, understood: this wasn't attaining Sagehood. Zhu Jiuyin had truly achieved the Chaos Merit Dao Body!
This was a supreme Chaos Dao Body that could rival the origins of a Chaos Demon God. If he could, Hongjun would rather trade his current position as Dao Ancestor for Zhu Jiuyin's.
"Compared to the Chaos Merit Dao Body, what the hell is being Dao Ancestor? Even the status of Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao isn't worth a fraction of it!
"Having this Chaos Merit Dao Body is practically a ticket to the Chaos Realm, reserved in advance!
"Most importantly, this Chaos Merit Dao Body can clearly only be condensed with a vast amount of Great Dao Merit. With so much Great Dao Merit on him, he is destined to be an object of the Great Dao's special attention. So even Chaos Realm powerhouses would never dare attack a being who had condensed the Chaos Merit Dao Body.
"So from now on, as long as Zhu Jiuyin doesn't go looking for trouble, even if he leaves the Primordial World and ventures into the Chaos Sea, he'll be an extraordinary being who stands invincible from the start."
At that thought, Hongjun suddenly came back to his senses.
"I understand now. I finally understand why the Great Dao manifested in the Primordial World. It was clearly here for Zhu Jiuyin!"
"This is the Chaos Merit Dao Body! What does the Great Dao manifesting amount to? I'm afraid the Great Dao will bestow blessings next!"
Sure enough, no sooner had he said it than it came to pass.
The reason Zhu Jiuyin had unleashed his full aura was that, the instant the Chaos Merit Dao Body had condensed, a terrifying force powerful enough to destroy the entire Primordial World had erupted from within him, threatening to spill out into the world.
This was because Zhu Jiuyin had transformed too quickly and too powerfully, leaving him utterly unable to control the source and power within his body.
If this continued, once he crossed a certain threshold, not only would Zhu Jiuyin himself be torn apart by this power he could not control, but the entire Primordial World would be erased in an instant.
This was a terrifying energy whose might already approached a full-force strike from a Chaos Realm powerhouse.
At that very moment, a nine-colored arcane light emerged from above the void and streamed straight toward Zhu Jiuyin.
The instant the nine-colored arcane light entered Zhu Jiuyin's body, the vast source within him—which had been utterly beyond his control—was swiftly suppressed. His physical body, which had nearly shattered under the assault of the energy born from that source, also rapidly recovered.
Most importantly, the terrifying aura Zhu Jiuyin had been recklessly leaking—sweeping across and crushing the entire Primordial World—finally began to recede beneath the soothing light of the nine-colored radiance.
Phew...
Zhu Jiuyin drew a deep breath.
"I almost bought it!"
Zhu Jiuyin had never imagined that simply absorbing Great Dao Merit could nearly get him killed.
Fortunately, at the final moment, the Great Dao had manifested and personally intervened to save him. Otherwise, he might really have gotten himself killed this time.
Most importantly, this would have been such a ridiculous way to die.
He wouldn't have been killed by some powerful enemy. He would have died because he couldn't control the terrifying power contained within his own source, blowing himself up with his own strength.
What a humiliating thing to tell people.
However, Zhu Jiuyin's cultivation had also been rapidly suppressed as a result.
Normally, after cultivating the Chaos Merit Dao Body, Zhu Jiuyin should at the very least have been able to reach the Hunyuan Realm.
After all, this was a supreme Chaos Dao Body that could rival the origins of a Chaos Demon God.
But now the Great Dao had intervened to suppress Zhu Jiuyin's source, which also meant that the Great Dao itself had suppressed the realm he should have broken through to.
Zhu Jiuyin sensed his current cultivation and strength, then smiled again.
"Never mind, never mind. After all that commotion, my strength has now surpassed the limits of the Quasi-Sage Realm. In terms used by later generations, I can absolutely be called a Half-Sage."
"From now on, in the Primordial World, I'm the strongest beneath the Sages—and I'm unquestionably number one!"
Zhu Jiuyin couldn't help but smile.
Of course he was smiling. How could he not?
The Half-Sage Realm! This was a realm that Zhu Jiuyin in the myths of the Primordial World had never reached, even by the time he died. What more could he possibly want?
But what happened next was something even Zhu Jiuyin himself had never anticipated. It was utterly unexpected, and it made Hongjun and countless beings of the Primordial World who came after him so envious and jealous that they nearly exploded on the spot.
From the ninth heaven, a mirror of Chaos coloring, which seemed to possess no extraordinary qualities at all, slowly descended into Zhu Jiuyin's hand.
Three Great Dao Inscriptions were engraved on the mirror, along with many more that Zhu Jiuyin and the mighty beings watching him did not recognize.
But in the blink of an eye, the mirror suddenly trembled, and an arcane light shot from its surface before entering Zhu Jiuyin's soul.
As it happened, Hongjun recognized it.
"The Time-Space Mirror!"
"This... this is clearly a Chaos Spiritual Treasure, and one that contains the two supreme Chaos laws: the Law of Time and the Law of Space. A Chaos Spiritual Treasure of this grade must be at least a high-grade Chaos Spiritual Treasure."
"A high-grade Chaos Spiritual Treasure! Another high-grade Chaos Spiritual Treasure!"
At this, Hongjun nearly shut himself away in despair.
He had fought and struggled his way through countless years since the Chaos Era, yet still hadn't obtained even one Chaos Spiritual Treasure. But Zhu Jiuyin?
He didn't have one, yet the Great Dao had personally bestowed one upon him.
Comparing yourself to others could drive you to death.
For some, the starting point of their lives was the finish line that countless others struggled desperately to reach.
At that moment, Hongjun truly shut himself away in despair.
"AAAH..."
For the first time ever, Hongjun roared wildly in the Purple Heaven Palace.
He was so pent up—so utterly unable to hold it in!
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