Dao Ancestor

No sooner had Hongjun finished speaking than the great powers gathered in Zixiao Palace involuntarily turned to look at Tongtian.

Forget the outsiders—even Tongtian's two elder brothers, Laozi and Yuanshi, looked at him with mild surprise. More precisely, they were looking at the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation in Tongtian's hand.

According to the Sage, the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation could not be broken without four Sages. Did that not mean that, even if someone became a Sage in the future, they would still be unable to do anything to Tongtian in a one-on-one fight?

At this thought, a strange emotion rose in Yuanshi Tianzun's heart, but it was swiftly replaced by joy. The Three Pure Ones were one family. How could he not be delighted that his brother had obtained such a powerful formation diagram?

Laozi likewise wore a smile. When he himself had obtained the Taiji Diagram, his expression had scarcely changed, yet Tongtian's acquisition of the Immortal-Execution Formation Diagram had brought a smile to his face. This showed the depth of the bond between the Three Pure Ones.

Hongjun then turned his gaze toward Nuwa, seated on the fourth meditation cushion, and slowly said, "Nuwa, you possess immense providence and should have a Sage's seat. Are you willing to acknowledge me as your master and become my final disciple?"

Upon hearing this, Nuwa was naturally overjoyed and hurriedly acknowledged him as her master.

Hongjun nodded in satisfaction. He took out two treasures and a strand of Primordial Violet Qi, granting them to Nuwa. "These are the top-grade innate spiritual treasures, the Red Embroidered Ball and the Mountains and Rivers State Map. One attacks and one defends, and their wondrous uses are inexhaustible. Moreover, the Red Embroidered Ball carries a certain destiny. When the time is ripe, you will naturally understand!"

Nuwa was somewhat disappointed to find that the treasures Hongjun had bestowed upon her were not innate supreme treasures, but his later words made her take an interest in the Red Embroidered Ball.

Anything a Sage called a destiny was surely no small opportunity. By that measure, even without an innate supreme treasure, she had not lost out.

Besides, Nuwa herself had always possessed a temperament that did not contend with the world, and she had her elder brother to protect her. An ultimate treasure would not be of much use to her anyway, so she happily accepted them.

Nuwa was happy, but the great powers below were not.

The Sage had just said Nuwa was his final disciple. What did final disciple mean? It meant she was the last disciple! In other words, the Sage would accept no more disciples!

To the great powers who longed to become Sages, this was no different from a bolt from the blue.

Indeed, after accepting Nuwa, Hongjun truly fell silent.

The crowd below was growing frantic, yet no one dared speak. But Jieyin and Zhunti could no longer hold back. They too sat upon meditation cushions. The people before them had all received Sage seats, so why had they received nothing?

Just as Jieyin was considering how to speak, Zhunti, seated beside him, suddenly dropped to his knees and cried out, weeping, "Sage, please hear us! My senior brother and I both come from the West, yet the West is barren, far less fertile than the eastern lands. Even its living creatures are several degrees fewer. We beg the Sage to show some compassion toward our West and bestow upon us an opportunity to become Sages!"

Jieyin froze at first, then sighed inwardly and knelt as well.

After hearing the plea of the Western pair, a trace of complicated emotion flickered through Hongjun's indifferent eyes.

Seeing this, Bai Jing thought, Jieyin and Zhunti asking for mercy is the best chance for Hongjun to repay the karma. As long as Hongjun lets the two become Sages, the karma of the Western earth veins being destroyed will be settled.

The great powers below did not know, as Bai Jing did, that Hongjun owed karma. They only thought Jieyin and Zhunti looked disgraceful, kneeling on the ground and crying bitterly. Quite a few wore scornful expressions, and even Houtu, who had always been kind to others, pressed her lips together to hide a smile.

Yet what the great powers had not expected was that Hongjun, who had remained indifferent ever since he began preaching, suddenly sighed. His tone carried a hint of helplessness. "So be it! Though you two possess neither immense providence nor immense merit, you do have hearts set on greatly flourishing the West. Considering that cultivation has not been easy for you, I shall accept you as registered disciples!"

Jieyin and Zhunti were wildly overjoyed. The two had thought it would already be good enough to obtain one Sage seat, yet Hongjun had given them two Sage seats at once and had even accepted them as registered disciples.

A Sage's registered disciples were still disciples. With that status, no one in the Primordial World would dare set their sights on the Primordial Violet Qi bestowed by the Sage. Did that not mean the two martial brothers were certain to become Sages?

At this thought, they were moved to tears of gratitude and hurriedly knelt to thank Hongjun.

The great powers below were instantly dumbfounded. That worked too? Did the Sage really fall for this sort of thing?

In truth, Hongjun genuinely had not wanted to accept the two, especially after seeing them kneel and wail just now. Even Hongjun found it embarrassing.

Thus, the helplessness in his voice was not feigned. He truly was helpless.

But during the conflict between the Dao and the Demonic, Luohu's self-destruction had ruined the lands of the West, causing Hongjun to owe the West karma. If he did not grant the West two Sage seats, it would be difficult to repay it.

Furthermore, the Heavenly Dao had decreed that Sages should arise in the West, and he could not go against it. Now, the only great powers in the West worthy of mention were Jieyin and Zhunti. If not them, then whom could he give them to?

At this thought, Hongjun shook his head and bestowed two strands of Primordial Violet Qi. He then took out two more treasures and granted them as well. "These top-grade innate spiritual treasures, the twelve-petaled Merit Golden Lotus and the Empowerment Vajra, shall be given to you two for protection."

Having received the treasures, the two immediately beamed with joy. Their faces had changed too quickly, leaving the great powers staring blankly.

Jieyin and Zhunti could not be bothered with the gazes below. They had received Primordial Violet Qi, and each had obtained a top-grade innate spiritual treasure. They were already more than satisfied. So what if others looked at them a few more times?

Seeing that every great power seated upon a meditation cushion had received a Sage seat, the great powers below now understood the significance of those cushions. After all, everyone sitting upon one had received Primordial Violet Qi—essentially one Sage seat per person. In other words, once the seats had been decided, the Sage seats had been decided as well.

After realizing this, countless great powers turned strange looks toward Kunpeng and Hongyun.

To Kunpeng, those gazes were plainly naked mockery!

After all, the others had either never intended to fight for the meditation cushions from the beginning, or had been unable to win them. Only he and Hongyun had sat upon them.

That fool Hongyun had given up his own seat, while Kunpeng himself had been forcibly dragged down!

At this thought, Kunpeng's hatred for Hongyun and the Western pair reached its peak.

"Sage, apart from your disciples, do the rest of us have no chance to obtain Primordial Violet Qi?" Dijun asked with an unwilling expression.

After pondering for a moment, Hongjun sighed. "So be it! I have seven strands of violet qi in total. Six have now been bestowed upon my disciples. This final strand shall fulfill the bond of my preaching in Zixiao Palace and be granted to all of you. Those with affinity may obtain it."

Dijun was overjoyed upon hearing this. "Many thanks for the Sage's compassion."

"The Sage transmits the Dao to all beneath heaven and enlightens all living beings. You should be the teacher of the Primordial World, the ancestor of all Dao, and thus be called the Dao Ancestor!" As soon as Dijun finished speaking, a gaunt Daoist seated toward the rear, whose cultivation was merely at the early Daluo Golden Immortal stage, spoke up.

Hongjun abruptly opened his eyes upon hearing this and looked toward that Daoist.