Red Flower, White Lotus Root, Green Lotus Leaf

Time hurried on, and in the blink of an eye, three thousand years had passed.

Hongjun's voice in Purple Cloud Palace gradually fell silent, and the manifestations of the Great Dao within the palace slowly faded away.

The people listening to the Dao below also awakened from their meditation.

Hongjun looked at the crowd below and said calmly, "This sermon ends here. Purple Cloud Palace will open again in three thousand years."

Hearing Hongjun's words, everyone rose and bowed. "Many thanks to the Saint for imparting the Dao."

Xuan Heng also rose with his three elder brothers and bowed. But when he raised his head, Hongjun's gaze fell upon him once more.

Xuan Heng's heart tightened, but only for an instant. Hongjun withdrew his gaze, and his figure slowly dispersed from atop the Dao platform.

At the same time, the small meditation cushion transformed into a stream of purple qi and entered Xuan Heng's brow.

Xuan Heng's mind shook. He immediately sent out his divine sense to examine himself, yet aside from an extremely faint Dao mark that had appeared beside the Purifying White Lotus, there was nothing else.

Tongtian walked over to Xuan Heng's side and said with a soft laugh, "Fourth Brother, this time, you drew even more attention than your three elder brothers."

Xuan Heng gave a bitter smile at Tongtian's words. "Third Brother, please do not tease me."

Yuanshi glanced at him. "The Saint bestowed that seat with profound intent. We shall discuss this after returning to Kunlun."

Taiqing nodded lightly. "Let us return to Kunlun first."

The four of them did not linger long outside Purple Cloud Palace.

Once they passed through the palace gates, the chaotic astral winds came roaring toward them again.

The Heaven and Earth Mystic Yellow Pagoda rose up, pouring down Mystic Yellow merit qi and sheltering all four within. After listening to the Dao, the auras of the Three Pure Ones had all changed; clearly, they had each gained no small improvement.

Xuan Heng, too, silently digested what he had gained.

He knew that after the first sermon, the landscape of the Primordial World would not immediately undergo earth-shaking changes. Yet all great powers had already touched the threshold of advancing to a higher realm.

When the four reached the depths of chaos, Xuan Heng's brow suddenly grew hot.

The Purifying White Lotus trembled gently.

He abruptly stopped.

Tongtian was the first to notice.

"What is it?"

Xuan Heng looked toward one side of the chaos.

There, chaotic currents churned, seemingly no different from anywhere else. Yet he sensed an exceedingly faint, familiar aura—one even more ancient, more incomplete, and closer to the origin of chaos.

Yuanshi and Taiqing also came to a stop.

Taiqing closed his eyes and began to calculate. A moment later, he opened them and looked into the depths of chaos. "There is an innate legacy there, and it is exceedingly compatible with us."

Tongtian's eyes immediately lit up.

"Let's take a look."

The four changed direction and stepped into that turbulent stream of chaos.

The farther they went, the fiercer the chaotic astral winds became. The golden merit light cast down by the Heaven and Earth Mystic Yellow Pagoda was pressed until it swayed without cease. Only when Taiqing unfurled the yin and yang qi from his sleeve did the path ahead barely stabilize.

After an unknown length of time, a patch of broken azure light suddenly appeared before them.

That azure light hung within the chaos, like the shadow left behind after a colossal lotus had shattered.

"Chaos Green Lotus!" Xuan Heng recognized the treasure before him at a glance. Yet he only dared to be shocked inwardly and did not speak the words aloud.

But as the three drew nearer, the phantom of the green lotus trembled lightly, and three streams of azure light flew toward the Three Pure Ones.

One flew toward Taiqing, transforming into an ancient cane marked with red patterns, suffused with the intent of serene nonaction.

One flew toward Yuanshi, transforming into a jade ruyi, its Three Treasures radiance calm and weighty.

One flew toward Tongtian, transforming into an azure longsword. Though the sword had not left its sheath, the sword intent of the green lotus already flowed from it.

Taiqing, Yuanshi, and Tongtian each reached out and caught the treasure flying toward them.

"Fine sword."

Tongtian sighed in admiration.

Standing to one side, Xuan Heng felt waves rising in his heart.

Red flower, white lotus root, green lotus leaf—the Three Pure Ones had originally been one family. The three treasures before him were none other than the Flat Cane, the Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, and the Green Duckweed Sword, symbolic treasures of the future Dao lineages of the Three Pure Ones. And they had come into their hands at this very moment.

But just as Xuan Heng thought the green lotus would disperse, another azure shadow flew out from the phantom of the lotus before him.

That azure shadow flew directly into Xuan Heng's brow. When he focused his gaze, he discovered that it was an azure lotus seed. It had already fused with the Purifying White Lotus, and within the pure depths of the Purifying White Lotus's origin, a faint trace of azure had appeared.

"Do you feel any discomfort?" Seeing this change, Taiqing walked to Xuan Heng's side and asked.

"No. That lotus seed has already fused with my Purifying White Lotus. I can tell that it is not a bad thing."

Xuan Heng shook his head as he spoke.

Yuanshi said, "The Purifying White Lotus is connected to your origin. Even the slightest change cannot be taken lightly. Once we return to Kunlun, it must be examined carefully."

Tongtian put away the Green Duckweed Sword and smiled. "No matter what, this journey has not been in vain for us four brothers."

Xuan Heng nodded, but did not respond at once.

Flat Cane, Three Treasures Jade Ruyi, Green Duckweed Sword.

Those three treasures had fallen into the hands of the Three Pure Ones, aligning with the great tide of the future.

Yet the more this was so, the more clearly Xuan Heng understood that none of the things that had happened in Purple Cloud Palace would simply pass away.

Red Cloud gave up his seat, and Kunpeng lost his position.

Receiving Guide obtained the fifth prayer mat, while Zhunti took the sixth.

On the surface, the six prayer mats had all found their owners. The saints had voiced no intervention, and the matter seemed to have ended there.

But in the Primordial World, karma had never been something that could be wiped clean merely because one yielded it.

Red Cloud thought he had merely done someone a casual favor.

Kunpeng would not see it that way. In Kunpeng's eyes, had Red Cloud not risen first to give up his seat, the two from the west would have had no excuse to keep pressing him. Red Cloud had yielded his own seat, yet placed Kunpeng over the flames as well.

Sooner or later, this resentment would fall upon Red Cloud.

But Xuan Heng absolutely could not allow Red Cloud to die just like that. Otherwise, he would have one fewer means of restraining the two Western saints in the future.

Receiving Guide had ultimately inherited Red Cloud's karma by taking the fifth prayer mat.

If Red Cloud died, most of that karma would dissipate. The two from the west would lose one shackle, and in the future, they would naturally be able to interfere more freely in the struggle of the Profound Sect.

But if Red Cloud lived, and Xuan Heng formed a good bond with him, then should the west seek to target the Profound Sect in the future, Xuan Heng would have considerable room to maneuver.

At that thought, Xuan Heng looked toward the Three Pure Ones and said, "Three elder brothers, I wish to go see Red Cloud."

Tongtian was somewhat surprised.

"Red Cloud?"

Xuan Heng nodded.

"The matter of him giving up his seat has far-reaching implications. I will go exchange a few pleasantries with him and forge a good bond."

Yuanshi glanced at him.

"Only pleasantries?"

"Only pleasantries," Xuan Heng said.

Taiqing fell silent for a moment, then nodded lightly.

"Go. Do not linger too long. We will wait for you here."

Tongtian smiled.

"If anyone bullies you, report my name."

Xuan Heng smiled and bowed.

"Many thanks, Third Brother."

With that, he turned and left the protection of the Heaven and Earth Mystic Yellow Pagoda. The Purifying White Lotus between his brows gleamed faintly, warding off the chaotic gale.

Before long, he saw a swath of crimson cloudlight ahead.

Red Cloud had not gone far.