Hongjun fell silent for a moment, then promptly refused.
"Impossible. Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasures are the essence nurtured by Heaven and Earth. There is a set number of them, and I don't have many myself."
"Tsk, tsk. You're a dignified Saint, and you don't even have that much of a fortune?"
Tianlu curled his lip and made a show of reaching for the threads of destiny again.
"If we can't come to an agreement, then nobody gets anything. I think this fortune looks pretty cute. Maybe I'll just swallow it all and give myself a little nourishment."
As he spoke, Tianlu parted his little jaws slightly. A terrifying force of devouring flickered within his mouth.
Hongjun's heart lurched.
This Pixiu really would do something like that!
If Tianlu actually swallowed all that fortune, his great plan to merge with the Dao would be thrown into chaos.
"Wait!"
Hongjun gritted his teeth and sent his voice through the air.
"One Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure. Deal."
Tianlu's eyes darted about. He held up two glittering golden toes.
"No deal. That was the price just now. As they say, good things come in pairs. One Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure and one Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Root. You're a Saint traveling abroad, after all. Surely you'd want to bring a little good luck with you?!"
Hongjun glared at Tianlu. If looks could kill, this golden Pixiu would have been hacked to pieces ten million times over.
But in the end, he still chose to swallow the loss.
In the Purple Heaven Palace, he could suppress countless living beings. This Pet of the Great Dao was the one exception he could do nothing about.
"Fine."
Hongjun practically forced the word out through clenched teeth.
The moment he agreed, Tianlu's face lit up with delight.
His claws, which had been gripping the threads of destiny tightly, suddenly let go. He even considerately gave them a push forward.
In an instant, freed from its restraints, the River of Destiny surged toward Hongjun on the high platform like floodwaters bursting through a breached dam.
Hongjun felt his whole body tremble. The process of merging with the Dao had been proceeding smoothly.
But before he could enjoy his triumph for long, he suddenly noticed that within the vast expanse of golden light, three clusters of fortune remained completely still.
They belonged to Nuwa, Fuxi, and Yang Hui.
Though their fortune could not compare to the grandeur of the whole, it was still a hefty chunk of meat. Yet now, it seemed nailed in place.
Hongjun's gaze sharpened as he demanded, "Tianlu, what is the meaning of this? We've already reached an agreement. Why are you still holding back the fortune of these three?"
Tianlu had been happily waiting for the lecture to end so Hongjun could hand over his payment. At this, he replied with righteous indignation, "Immortal Ancestor, can't you count?"
"One Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Root and one Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure are compensation for the hard work of those two thousand-odd nobodies."
"These three are my dearest friends, my brothers and sisters in arms. That's a different price!"
Hongjun nearly lost his dignified, otherworldly composure.
"A different price?"
"Of course."
Tianlu rolled over and pointed at the three who were meditating with their eyes closed.
"The fortune of my friends is priceless. If you want to fleece them, you'll have to pay extra!"
Hongjun looked at Tianlu's shameless expression, as if to say, What are you going to do about it? Helplessness washed over him.
He understood now. This Pixiu was a bottomless pit.
If he kept haggling, Heaven only knew what outrageous terms Tianlu would demand next.
Hongjun fell silent for a long while. At last, he glanced at Nuwa, a flicker of meaning in his eyes.
Forget it.
He could do without the fortune of these three.
It would slow his merging with the Dao by a little, but that was better than letting this brazen rogue pester him endlessly.
"If that's the case, then have it your way."
Hongjun gave a cold snort and completely severed his connection to those three clusters of fortune.
He gathered his thoughts and devoted himself fully to the lecture.
As the Saint focused his attention, the wonders within the Purple Heaven Palace grew more astonishing.
Lotuses bloomed in the void, immortal music lingered through the halls, and every note of the Dao pointed straight to the source.
Seeing that Hongjun had stopped arguing, Tianlu lost interest as well.
Though he had no interest in the Dao of Daluo, the dense Xiantian Spiritual Qi inside the Purple Heaven Palace and the Saint's aura of Creation were excellent nourishment for him.
"Perfect. I'll take this chance to raise my cultivation."
Tianlu closed his eyes. A vast golden vortex gradually formed around him.
He forcibly drew in countless streams of spiritual energy, refined them, and turned them into the purest cultivation.
Time flowed on; the Primordial World knew no years.
In the blink of an eye, thirty-six thousand five hundred years passed.
When Hongjun uttered the final note of the Dao, the noisy resonance of the Dao instantly fell silent.
Inside the great hall, the divine beings opened their eyes one after another, joy shining in each of them.
"Dong!"
A clear chime rang throughout the Purple Heaven Palace.
Hongjun slowly opened his eyes and swept his gaze across the assembly, but did not look at Tianlu.
The more he looked, the more irritated he became. He spoke mildly, "This lecture is over. You must cultivate diligently and not grow lax."
"Thirty thousand years from now, I will hold a second lecture in the Purple Heaven Palace, where I will explain the Dao of the Quasi-Sage."
"For now, if you have any questions, ask freely. I will answer them one by one."
Below, Taiqing Laozi slowly rose to his feet, bowed toward the high platform, and asked solemnly, "May I ask, Teacher, what is a Quasi-Sage? After Daluo, where does the path lead?"
Hongjun's gaze was profound as it swept across the divine beings seated below, lingering for a moment only on Tianlu's gleaming golden figure.
He took a deep breath, calming the agitation this Pixiu had stirred in him, and spoke in an even voice.
"Above the Daluo Golden Immortal is the Quasi-Sage."
"This realm is the key to attaining Sainthood. To prove this Dao, one must use Xiantian Spiritual Treasures to sever one's benevolent corpse, wicked corpse, and self-obsession corpse."
"Once all three corpses have been severed, they must be united as one. Only then can one glimpse the realm of the Primordial Saint."
"This lecture lays the foundation for Daluo. The second will teach the path of the Quasi-Sage, and the third will explain the Dao of the Saints."
"You must diligently seek to comprehend it. Do not waste this opportunity."
Because Tianlu had driven such a hard bargain earlier, Hongjun now wanted to finish as quickly as possible, lest this greedy Pixiu come up with another outrageous scheme.
The more he looked at the golden figure sprawled on the Cloud Treasure, swishing his tail, the more irritated he felt. He immediately swept out his sleeve.
"Very well! This lecture is now concluded. You may leave."
As soon as the words fell, Hongjun's figure vanished.
"We thank you, Teacher! May your sacred life be boundless!"
The three thousand mighty beings bowed in unison, their voices shaking the Purple Heaven Palace.
Then the divine beings rose one after another.
Some wore delighted expressions, while others furrowed their brows as they pondered the Dao's meaning. All hurried toward the palace gates, eager to return to the Primordial World and enter seclusion.
Tianlu did not move. He was happily calculating how to get Hongjun to hand over the Supreme-Grade Xiantian Spiritual Treasure and Spiritual Root.
He had extorted them fair and square. He wouldn't settle for even one coin less.
He was just about to tell Nuwa and Fuxi that he still had business to attend to and that they should leave first.
But before he could get up, dozens of figures hurried over.
Di Jun and Taiyi led Baize and a host of divine and strange beasts, smiling as they blocked the path of the four.
Di Jun gave Tianlu and the others a slight bow and said, "Fellow Daoists, please stay. My brother and I have an opportunity tied to the future course of the Primordial World that we would like to discuss with you all."
Before you continue