Hongjun Pondered and Changed His Plans; the Purple Heaven Palace Would Open in Three Thousand Years

Yes, in fact, in Hongjun's original schemes and plans, the Three Pure Ones were still destined to part ways.

After all, if the Three Pure Ones remained united, they would pose a threat to Heavenly Dao Hongjun!

In Heavenly Dao Hongjun's eyes, having the power to defy heaven was a crime in itself.

But the situation had changed.

It was plain to see that Hongjun's plans concerning the Ancestral Witches had already collapsed completely because of the unexpected variable that was Zhu Jiuyin.

More importantly, after the Great Dao had personally appeared this time and bestowed merit, the Ancestral Witches' strength had surged dramatically—and they would continue to break through in the near future.

Hongjun felt that even at this point, if he encountered the True Form of Pangu, summoned by the Twelve Capital Divine Gods and Demons Formation, winning would be extremely difficult.

So, almost instinctively, Hongjun began considering how to keep the Ancestral Witches and the Witch Race in check.

Yes, Hongjun was furious. He was jealous. He wished he could switch places with Zhu Jiuyin.

But Hongjun was no ordinary being. His temperament was extraordinary, and he had weathered countless major events. His emotions might fluctuate, but they would never interfere with his clear thinking.

When it came to how to restrain the Ancestral Witches, Hongjun thought of another existence known as the Orthodox Pangu Lineage in barely a hundred-millionth of a second: the Three Pure Ones.

Wasn't the reason the Ancestral Witches were so formidable that they belonged to the Orthodox Pangu Lineage, having taken form from Pangu's blood essence?

The Three Pure Ones, meanwhile, had taken form from Pangu's Primordial Spirit.

To Hongjun and the vast majority of living beings, the Primordial Spirit was far more important than blood essence.

Besides, when the True Form of Pangu first appeared, Hongjun—who had weathered who knew how many rounds of scheming and deceit—had already keenly noticed the conflict between the Three Pure Ones and the Ancestral Witches.

More precisely, it was a conflict between Laozi and Yuanshi on one side and the Ancestral Witches on the other.

Hongjun also knew very well that among the Three Pure Ones, Tongtian was the one most sympathetic to the Ancestral Witches, because his temperament had much in common with theirs.

More importantly, Tongtian rather envied the pure blood ties shared among the Ancestral Witches.

But sympathy was sympathy, and envy was envy. Tongtian had always kept his loyalties clear, unconditionally taking Laozi and Yuanshi's side.

Although Tongtian himself knew that Laozi and Yuanshi—Yuanshi in particular—had never been entirely sincere in their affection for him, and that he had always been the one at a disadvantage.

Hongjun had noticed the problem, but he had never pointed it out or helped the Three Pure Ones resolve it.

After all, Hongjun had already planned for the Three Pure Ones to part ways one day, so he was quite happy to let the rift between them grow ever deeper.

But now the situation had changed again.

The Three Pure Ones' problems could be dealt with later. The Ancestral Witches were the urgent matter.

Yet just as Hongjun was thinking of using the Three Pure Ones to restrain the Ancestral Witches, Heavenly Dao warned him that the Three Pure Ones had split up.

How could Hongjun not be furious?

Losing face was one thing, but now his entire plan had suffered a major setback before it had even begun.

"Calm down! Hold back your anger!"

Hongjun took a deep breath and quickly steadied his emotions. Then he slowly closed his eyes and sank into contemplation.

"Since the old plan has already fallen apart, I can't keep following it."

"Originally, I would preach once every three Yuanhui, for a total of three sermons. Under Heavenly Dao, nine is the number of completion. But now it seems I can't afford to wait any longer.

"Three Yuanhui is too long. If I delay any further, who knows how powerful the Ancestral Witches and the Witch Race will become?

"It's settled. Three sermons at the Purple Heaven Palace, three thousand years from now.

"This time, the gods' cultivation must be strengthened, especially that of the higher-ups among the Demon Race, such as Di Jun, Tai Yi, Fuxi, and Nuwa. Right, Eastern Duke's Penglai Island is also a considerable force. I can strengthen it further.

"But the Demon Race alone won't be enough.

"Right, the Six Sages of the Heavenly Dao. The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and those two fellows, Jieyin and Zhunti, were chosen by Heavenly Dao to become Heavenly Dao Sages.

"Originally, they wouldn't become Sages until five Yuanhui from now. But why should I still make them wait that long?

"Yes, I must bring forth all Six Sages of the Heavenly Dao in the shortest time possible.

"With the Six Sages, I won't need to personally take the field as Dao Ancestor when the time comes to deal with the Ancestral Witches and the Witch Race.

"For a Sage, fortune is what matters most.

"Fortunately, the two groups that currently command most of the fortune in the Primordial World are the Witch and Demon Races.

"Nuwa is with the Demon Race, and I'll lend them my support. I doubt the Three Pure Ones—or those two fellows in the West—would dare attack the Demon Race.

"Then the Six Sages of the Heavenly Dao and the Demon Race will join forces to suppress and target the Ancestral Witches and the Witch Race.

"Six Sages! Let's see how you withstand them then, Zhu Jiuyin!

"Most importantly, once the Six Sages of the Heavenly Dao take their places, it will be time for me to become the Spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao.

"With that status bolstering me and the power of Heavenly Dao pouring into me, my cultivation will leap to the seventh level of Sainthood. And with the power of Heavenly Dao added on top, I'll be able to unleash the strength of the eighth level of Sainthood for a short time.

"Zhu Jiuyin, Zhu Jiuyin. Do you think one small victory has completely changed the fate of your Witch Race?

"No. The fate of the Witch Race was settled long ago—and I, Hongjun, am the one who decided it!

"Keh heh heh..."

At that moment, Hongjun cackled. He sounded less like the Dao Ancestor and more like the Demon Ancestor.

Perhaps Dao and demon were one and the same?

Clang, clang, clang...

A peal of bells suddenly rang in the ears of countless living beings across the Primordial World, as though it had been etched into the depths of their souls.

"I am Hongjun. I have observed that Heavenly Dao has changed and the fortune of the Primordial World is in disarray; a great calamity is approaching. The third sermon at the Purple Heaven Palace, originally scheduled for three Yuanhui from now, is hereby advanced to three thousand years from now. All beings of the Primordial World who are fated to attend may come to my Purple Heaven Palace to hear the principles of the Great Dao and comprehend the secrets of heaven. So it is decreed!"

At that moment, an ethereal, profound voice, full of authority, swept across the entire Primordial World.

Everyone understood that the owner of this voice was none other than the Dao Ancestor, Hongjun, who "reclined high among the nine layers of cloud"!

"Teacher/Dao Ancestor is advancing his sermon—and it's happening in just three thousand years?!"

All the powerful figures across the Primordial World who heard Hongjun's voice were shaken to their cores.

Three thousand years might sound like plenty of time, but traveling from the Primordial World to the Purple Heaven Palace made the deadline seem tight.

On the first two journeys to the Purple Heaven Palace, even the Three Pure Ones had spent a full thousand years on the road. Among the Innate Demon Gods, almost none had cultivation to rival theirs.

"So the Ancestral Witches and the Witch Race have grown so powerful that even Heavenly Dao and the Dao Ancestor feel uneasy?"

Many powerful figures kept those words locked deep in their hearts. Of course, they would never dare say them aloud.

"No matter what, I absolutely mustn't miss the Third Sermon!"

Without another thought, many powerful figures unleashed all kinds of divine abilities and spells, racing toward the Purple Heaven Palace.

The slow bird must take flight early. Their strength was inferior, so if they didn't hurry now, even a slight delay could make them late to the Purple Heaven Palace. And they certainly didn't think they were important enough for Hongjun to wait for them.