Contest for the Meditation Cushions

Outside Purple Cloud Palace, Taiqing descended before Purple Cloud Palace with Xuan Heng, Tongtian, and Yuanshi.

The moment they stepped into the bounds of Purple Cloud Palace, the savage chaos gale was completely held back by surging purple qi.

Xuan Heng looked around and found that quite a few had already arrived, including Nuwa, Fuxi, the Twelve Ancestral Shamans, Red Cloud, Zhenyuanzi, and other renowned titans of the prehistoric world in later generations.

"Three elder brothers, be sure to remember what I told you." Once he had steadied himself, Xuan Heng reminded the Three Pure Ones again.

"Mm, don't worry, little brother. If those really are seats, we are determined to claim them." Tongtian patted Xuan Heng's shoulder as he spoke.

Taiqing and Yuanshi both nodded as well. Only then did Xuan Heng relax and begin surveying the gathered prehistoric titans.

Before long, however, he spotted the gloomy-faced middle-aged man standing not far away. Though Xuan Heng could not be certain, he had a feeling that the man was Kunpeng. A look of disgust crept onto his face.

When Kunpeng saw the expression on Xuan Heng's face after noticing him—more miserable than if he had eaten shit—he was baffled and even a little angry. But upon seeing the three standing beside Xuan Heng, Kunpeng merely gave a cold snort and turned away.

As everyone sized one another up, two young Dao attendants suddenly appeared before the gates of Purple Cloud Palace.

One was male and one female. Their faces were youthful, yet their auras were exceptionally pure and ethereal.

The boy's gaze swept over the crowd as he said, "The master is about to expound the Dao. Please enter the palace." His voice was not loud, yet it reached the ears of everyone present.

As the young attendant's words fell, the gates of Purple Cloud Palace slowly opened, and an indescribable Dao resonance flowed out from within.

At the same time, the gazes of the great powers, who had until then remained composed, all changed in that instant.

A Saint was expounding the Dao. Those who entered first might gain the first chance at fortune.

Taiqing did not hesitate. He took a single step forward.

Yuanshi followed close behind.

Tongtian was even faster. Sword intent flashed, and he had already crossed the palace gates.

Xuan Heng stayed at the side of the Three Pure Ones and entered Purple Cloud Palace almost at the same time.

The hall was incomparably vast. From outside, it had clearly appeared to be only a palace, yet upon entering, it seemed to become a separate heaven and earth. Above, no vaulted ceiling could be seen; below, no boundary was visible. Only endless purple qi rose and fell, while faint Dao sounds lingered at the ear, seeming both distant and near.

Beneath the Dao platform at the very front, six meditation cushions were set out in a neat row.

Others might not know what these meditation cushions represented, but Xuan Heng did. These six cushions represented six Saint positions.

"Three elder brothers! Hurry!" Xuan Heng called out directly.

Taiqing nodded. Without looking at anyone else, he strode straight to the first meditation cushion and sat down.

Yuanshi followed immediately, taking the second.

Tongtian was no slower, directly seating himself on the third.

In the blink of an eye, three of the six meditation cushions already had owners.

Seeing the three successfully take their cushions, Xuan Heng let out a breath of relief. He stood behind the Three Pure Ones, ready to watch the coming grand spectacle.

Almost at the same time, Fuxi and Nuwa entered the hall as well.

Fuxi's gaze fell upon the remaining meditation cushions, and his expression shifted slightly. He immediately stepped forward, blocking several streams of aura approaching from the side on Nuwa's behalf.

"Little sister, sit."

Nuwa did not hesitate and settled onto the fourth meditation cushion.

Someone wanted to move, but they were already too late. Fuxi stood behind Nuwa, coldly watching the crowd behind him.

With the fourth seat claimed, the atmosphere within Purple Cloud Palace instantly grew taut. The prehistoric great powers all stared fixedly at the final two meditation cushions.

Yet before anyone could make a move, a red-robed figure arrived with a hearty laugh. It was none other than Patriarch Red Cloud. He moved with extraordinary speed, clouds surging around him as he seized the fifth meditation cushion ahead of several great powers.

Almost simultaneously, a chilling aura swept through the hall. Kunpeng's figure was like a black shadow as he landed directly upon the sixth meditation cushion.

Thus, all six meditation cushions were occupied.

However, a moment later, two voices rang out from the entrance of Purple Cloud Palace.

"Senior brother, in the end, we still arrived too late."

"The West is barren. My brother and I endured countless hardships to reach this place, only to find that we do not even have seats to hear the Dao. How lamentable."

Two Daoists entered Purple Cloud Palace. One wore a face of suffering, his brows drooping as though he bore endless hardship upon his back. The other was slightly thinner, but his eyes were exceptionally lively. The instant he entered the hall, his gaze fell upon the six meditation cushions.

Xuan Heng recognized these two future Saints—the most shameless pair in the prehistoric world—at a glance: Receiving Guide and Zhunti. Now that these two had arrived, the contest for the meditation cushions would truly begin.

Seeing that all six meditation cushions already had owners, Zhunti's eyes instantly reddened.

"Senior brother, the ancestral vein of our West has been shattered, its spiritual vitality withered, and its living beings trapped in suffering. We crossed the chaos all this way only to hear the Saint's great Dao, so that we might find a thread of hope for the West."

As he spoke to this point, his voice became even more mournful.

"But now, we do not even have a single seat. Could it be that the living beings of the West truly have no fate with the great Dao?"

Receiving Guide sighed softly.

"Junior brother, say no more. Our fate is simply this shallow; we cannot blame others."

The more he spoke this way, the more subtle the expressions of some great powers in the hall became.

Red Cloud sat upon the fifth meditation cushion, the smile on his face gradually stiffening.

He had always been one of the prehistoric world's famous good men, least able to bear seeing others plead in misery. Zhunti's words struck, sentence after sentence, directly at the softest part of his heart.

Xuan Heng watched it all unfold, sighing inwardly. Red Cloud giving up his seat could not be blamed solely on his foolish kindness. This was a scheme Receiving Guide and Zhunti had devised together.

One played up his misery, while the other yielded ground. The one who wept forced your heart to soften; the one who retreated forced you to feel ashamed.

Red Cloud had been put on the spot. So long as he cared even a little about his reputation, it would be difficult for him not to budge.

Sure enough, after hesitating for a moment, Red Cloud rose to his feet. "Fellow Daoist, since you seek the Dao for the sentient beings of the West, I shall yield this prayer cushion to you."

Zhenyuanzi, standing behind him, changed expression slightly.

"Red Cloud! You must not!"

But Red Cloud had already risen, yielding the fifth prayer cushion.

The sorrow in Receiving Guide's eyes did not lessen, but his movements were swift. He immediately sat down upon it.

"Many thanks, Fellow Daoist. I shall remember this karmic debt."

Hearing Receiving Guide and Zhunti's words, Xuan Heng sneered inwardly. Remember it? When Red Cloud later died and vanished from the Dao, that karmic debt had done nothing to protect him.

But since he was here, it would not be so easy for Receiving Guide and Zhunti to muddle their way past this karmic debt again.

With the fifth seat changing hands, the atmosphere within the hall grew ever stranger.

Zhunti had not obtained a prayer cushion. His gaze soon fell upon Kunpeng.

Kunpeng's face darkened. He had already sensed that something was wrong.

But Zhunti had already spoken. "Fellow Daoist Kunpeng, my senior brother and I have come from the West solely to seek the Dao. Though my senior brother now has a seat, this poor Daoist still has nowhere to sit."

Kunpeng said coldly, "What does your having nowhere to sit have to do with me?"

Zhunti sighed. "Fellow Daoist, that is not quite right. You are a great power of the North Sea, unmatched in flight. Vast as the primordial wilderness is, where could you not go? The West is barren. If we cannot receive a true sage's teachings, who knows how many living beings will remain trapped in the sea of suffering in the future?"

The chill in Kunpeng's eyes deepened.

"You want me to give up my seat?"