Salted Fish Dao Charm Bewilders Heavenly Dao

The first millennium of silence passed in an atmosphere of extreme awkwardness and absurdity.

Entering the second millennium, the invisible string named "patience" within Purple Heaven Palace began to tighten gradually, and then... it snapped.

The first to buckle were those who were restless, or who prided themselves on their status, or who felt it was a complete waste of life.

"Hmph! Playing god! I will not endure this humiliation!" A demon god from the northern regions of the Primordial Era was the first to flick his sleeve and leave, his figure disappearing into the chaos, his departure resolute. With a leader, soon dozens more figures, carrying expressions of dissatisfaction, disdain, or relief, quietly left Purple Heaven Palace.

Old Ancestor Minghe's blood-red eyes flickered as he stared at Xiao Kuang, who was sleeping sprawled on the stage, then at the people remaining around him. His expression was uncertain. Leave? He was unwilling. After all, this was the Dao Ancestor preaching; what if there were good things later? Stay? He felt incredibly stifled. In the end, his desire for the "Way of the Quasi-Saint" overwhelmed his pride. He snorted coldly, retracted the blood-red light around him, and, imitating Zhen Yuanzi, took out a copy of the True Scripture of the Sea of Blood and pretended to study it, while secretly regulating his Blood Essence, which had become somewhat stagnant from standing for so long.

Those who left did so without hesitation, while subtle changes began to occur among those who remained.

As the initial anger, awkwardness, and absurdity were gradually smoothed over by time, and as they discovered that the Dao Ancestor was truly sleeping (or, "in a state of static enlightenment") and the Heavenly Dao showed no reaction, the remaining great powers gradually calmed down.

Since they couldn't leave and couldn't change things, they could only accept.

Thus, the standing Ancestral Witches stopped doing secret exercises and truly began to focus their minds, using the extremely dense innate spiritual energy of the Purple Firmament Palace (even though it was mixed with the smell of internet cafes and grilled skewers) to temper their incredibly powerful physical bodies. As their Blood Essence circulated, faint, deep roars like rushing rivers could be heard.

Zhen Yuanzi no longer pretended to read. He truly immersed himself in the earth veins contained within the Book of Earth, faintly sensing the primordial earth veins beneath the Purple Heaven Palace. Kunpeng folded his wings, his mind sinking into the comprehension of extreme wind and speed, causing subtle ripples to appear in the surrounding space. Hong Yun, East King Duke, and Queen Mother of the West also stopped playing chess, instead closing their eyes and focusing their minds, sorting through their own Dao fruits.

Even several individuals in the front VIP section gradually entered the zone.

Sect Master Tongtian discovered that although his imitation of the Dao Ancestor's "slumped posture" was undignified, his mind was unexpectedly relaxed and clear. Some obscure points in his previous cultivation surprisingly showed signs of loosening. Laozi, while silently reciting the Scripture of Purity and Tranquility, reached a state of forgetting both himself and the external world, which unexpectedly aligned with a state of pure tranquility and non-action, his aura becoming increasingly harmonious. Although Primordial Lord of Heaven still had a stern face, he had to admit that in this extreme "stillness" (caused by sleeping), his Dao heart, which pursued order and perfection, seemed to have had some unnecessary sharp edges ground off, becoming more resilient. Empress Nuwa emptied her thoughts, her fingertips unconsciously sketching in the void, streams of creative vitality swirling around her, as if she were conceiving something new. Jieyin and Zhunti, with pained expressions, also found that this pure act of "enduring" seemed to be quite beneficial for tempering their Way of "patience" and "annihilation"...

They discovered that although the Dao Ancestor hadn't spoken a word and their realms had not improved in the slightest, remaining stuck at the peak of Grand Unity Golden Immortal, their magical power had imperceptibly become purer and more condensed. Subtle hidden dangers from rapid advancement or previous battles were quietly smoothed over. Their Dao hearts, through extreme speechlessness and prolonged waiting, were tempered to be more stable and firm, and their divine senses became clearer and more refined.

It was like a piece of uncarved jade, quietly polished by time and this bizarre atmosphere, shedding its superficiality and restlessness, its inner radiance becoming increasingly warm and solid.

This was a process of slow, painstaking effort. Normally, they were busy competing for resources, comprehending the Heavenly Dao, and plotting for destiny, and would never "waste" time on such a long and pure period of settling. But in this forced "three thousand years of silent meditation," they unexpectedly received this precious gift of solidifying their foundations.

Even Wangshu in the corner had a hint of surprise flash through her clear, cold eyes. She could clearly sense that the aura of everyone who remained in the hall was becoming increasingly condensed, like finely tempered steel, their foundations terrifyingly solid. This change had nothing to do with comprehending the Heavenly Dao; it was the strengthening of the most fundamental "foundations."

And the source of all this was the salted fish sleeping soundly on the stage... and the "Salted Fish Dao Domain" formed by it and the humming massage chair beneath it?

Wangshu felt her understanding being challenged once again. Could it be... that this state of extreme laziness and giving up on treatment actually coincided with some profound truth of "The Great Dao is simple, a heavy sword has no edge"?

Just as everyone's mindset gradually shifted, and they even began to enjoy this "forced settling."

High above, the slumbering Heavenly Dao seemed to have detected this bizarre change in energy levels.

[Heavenly Dao Glitch (Intermittent, like sleep-talking)]: Beep... Detecting... Purple霄 Palace energy levels stable... Fluctuations tending towards calm... Individual energy purity +15.7%... Dao heart stability +32.4%... Realm progression rate: 0%...]

[Heavenly Dao Glitch]: Comparative analysis... Traditional preaching mode (Hongjun's version)... Energy purity +5%... Dao heart stability +8%... Realm progression rate +300%... (with a 20% risk of qi deviation and going mad)...

[Heavenly Dao Glitch]: Conclusion: Current mode... low efficiency... but... extremely high safety... significant foundation optimization... Violates core KPI of 'rapid mass production of Saints'... but conforms to hidden clause of 'sustainable development'???

[Heavenly Dao Glitch]: Logical conflict! Evaluation error! Redefining "preaching"... Does "preaching" include "sleeping"?... Querying database... No record... Does it include "collective standing punishment"?... No record...

[Heavenly Dao Glitch]: Warning! Core definition is being tampered with! Shifting from "Dao Ancestor imparts the Great Dao" to "Dao Ancestor provides a venue for all beings to self-study"! Severe deviation from script! Severe deviation from script!

[Heavenly Dao Glitch]: Attempting intervention... Initiating wake-up protocol... Insufficient energy... zzzz... Adjusting priority... "Self-study for all beings" mode... saves 85% energy... Conforms to new energy-saving and environmental protection concept... Record... File... Zzzz...

[Heavenly Dao Glitch]: Final ruling: Default to current mode... Preaching is effective... Timer continues... Zzzz... (Next upgrade requirement: Add definitions for "slacking off" and "lying flat")...

After a series of confused analyses and conflicts, the Heavenly Dao, perhaps due to energy saving and convenience (and possibly being truly overwhelmed), ultimately chose to selectively ignore the essence of "preaching." Instead, based on the actual "foundation optimization" effect produced, it grudgingly acknowledged that Xiao Kuang's sleeping behavior could also be considered a form of "preaching."

If Hongjun knew, he would probably be so angry that he would explode again from his two-dimensional state.

The second millennium passed slowly, with those who remained immersing themselves in "true fragrance" self-study, the Heavenly Dao falling into logical confusion and ultimately giving up, and Xiao Kuang's steady snores.

When the second millennium ended, the remaining great powers opened their eyes and looked at each other, seeing a trace of unbelievable composure and... bizarre gratitude in each other's eyes?

Although their realms hadn't increased, they felt that they could now fight two of their former selves from two millennia ago!

And Xiao Kuang on the stage, finally, with a strong massage from the chair, mumbled sleepily, smacked his lips, turned over, and continued to sleep.

Everyone: "..." Alright, let's put away the gratitude for now. There's still one millennium left, let's continue "self-study"!