For the sake of opportunity, Jieyin and Zhunti wept bitterly

"Father God created heaven and earth. We three brothers were transformed from Father God's Primordial Spirit; we are Pangu's true lineage, inheritors of his Dao tradition. This opportunity ought to be ours." Yuanshi stood proudly and declared his claim.

The moment those words fell, though the other great cultivators were resentful, the three brothers had joined forces, and the acquired merit treasure, the Heaven-Earth Mystic Yellow Exquisite Pagoda, protected them. With it suspended above their heads, they were invincible by innate right. No one was willing to invite such bad luck.

Though the Twelve Ancestral Witches refused to accept Yuanshi's claim of being "Pangu's true lineage," they did not speak out directly.

Following close behind the Three Pure Ones were the siblings Fu Xi, transformed from Primordial Solar-Yang Qi, and Nuwa, transformed from Primordial Lunar-Yin Qi.

The siblings jointly claimed the fourth Creation Mat. After some mutual yielding, Fu Xi helped Nuwa onto the mat and silently stood guard behind his younger sister.

At this point, four of the Six Great Mats had been taken, leaving only the final two vacant.

The great cultivators' eyes instantly reddened. They hurriedly displayed their own methods, but Kunpeng and Hong Yun possessed the most extraordinary escape arts.

Hong Yun had taken form from the first flaming cloud between heaven and earth. He cultivated the Daos of water, fire, and wind; merging into wind and fire, he could travel ten thousand miles in an instant.

Kunpeng's true form could transform into a great roc. With one beat of its wings, it crossed ninety thousand miles. He cultivated both wind and water, and his escape art was unmatched throughout the Primordial World.

"Whoosh! Whoosh!"

Two streaks of light landed almost at the same time. Hong Yun claimed the Ultimate Bliss Mat, while Kunpeng seated himself upon the Annihilation Mat. Sha Qi churned around him, intimidating the many great cultivators who were eager to make a move.

Thus, the Six Great Mats temporarily each had an owner.

Most Innate Sacred Beings and great cultivators watched with burning envy, itching to try and replace the six seated upon those mats.

Yet some were different, as though they cared not in the slightest about the opportunities those mats might contain.

After the great cultivators entered Violet Firmament Palace, most chose to assume the Innate Dao Body of human form. Yet there were also those who retained their original true forms.

For instance, the Twelve Ancestral Witches, transformed from Pangu's twelve drops of essence blood, each possessed a towering physique, standing one hundred and twenty-nine thousand six hundred zhang tall. The mats, only six chi in diameter, appeared far too tiny.

And shrinking their bodies did not sit well with the Ancestral Witches, who defied heaven and earth and revered only Pangu, their Father God. So they simply found a corner and sat on the ground. Di Jiang and Zhu Jiuyin closed their eyes to rest, while Gonggong and Zhurong swept their cold gazes across the hall, their Sha Qi so fierce that no one dared approach.

Besides eccentrics like the Twelve Ancestral Witches, there were also reclusive great cultivators like Candle Dragon. He restrained the Dao rhythm of time flowing through his body and likewise sat quietly in the back rows.

Having lived through the great battle of the Dragon-Han Calamity, he had personally watched the Ancestral Dragon fall from his position as overlord of the Primordial World, exhaust his strength, and be suppressed within the East Sea Eye. The Dragon Clan had declined overnight as well.

He had long since seen through the calamities and had no desire whatsoever to involve himself in this dispute over the mats.

Quite a few veteran great cultivators were like him. Each seemed to share an unspoken understanding; they all restrained their auras, tacitly occupied the back rows, and watched with cold eyes.

Those who could survive great calamities all had something to be said for them. Every one of them understood the principles of hiding one's abilities and avoiding disaster...

Perhaps doing so would cause them to miss certain opportunities, but it was the steadier course.

It was not that there were no ancient great cultivators who believed, "To hear the Dao in the morning, one may die that evening without regret." It was simply that most of that sort had perished in the calamities of the past.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh..."

Those fated to attend entered the hall one after another, a process that continued for nearly an entire day.

When Lingxiao entered the hall with Xihe and Changxi, the sun stood at its zenith, at the height of yang energy.

They had arrived late, and the struggle for the mats had long since settled into dust.

Among all the Innate Sacred Beings present, Lingxiao and the two women had the greatest reputation. One could say that everyone under heaven knew them.

When the Twelve Time Markers had been established, nearly every great cultivator had been stirred.

Completing the temporal order of heaven and earth had drawn down boundless merit from the Heavenly Dao, shaking the entire Primordial World. Naturally, no one failed to recognize Lingxiao.

Thus, the moment Lingxiao entered, he drew countless gazes.

Eastern King Lord's eyes brimmed with curiosity.

Candle Dragon sent him goodwill and nodded repeatedly.

Tongtian wished to befriend him, his face full of smiles.

There were also quite a few great cultivators whose eyes darkened, concealing their own schemes.

"Big Brother Lingxiao, there are mats over there, and they're closest to the lotus platform! I bet that lotus platform is where Hongjun Ancestor sits. The closer we are, the better the effect of listening to the Dao will surely be!" Changxi tugged on Lingxiao's sleeve and secretly transmitted her voice, her eyes sparkling brightly.

"The mats?" Lingxiao's brows rose slightly at her words.

Leaving aside the mats' own effect of enhancing comprehension, the closer one was to Hongjun Ancestor, the easier it would be to perceive the Heavenly Dao rhythms and law fluctuations around him.

"Dao Brother, with the strength of the three of us, if we set up the Yin-Yang Two-Forms Sword Formation, we will be sufficient to contend for one seat." At some point, Xihe had already gripped the Lunar Divine Sword in her hand.

Her cool gaze swept across the hall, passing over the Three Pure Ones, Fu Xi, and Nuwa, then over Hong Yun, who was guarded by Zhen Yuanzi, before finally settling on the lone Kunpeng.

Ever since Lingxiao had reminded her that "the Dao of caution is not mere retreat," this Lunar Goddess, ever steady by nature, had gradually shed her former mildness and gained several more edges of decisive killing intent.

As she stared at Kunpeng, she wondered whether the three of them could form an array and seize a seat for Lingxiao.

So, should they fight or not?

Lingxiao's gaze darkened slightly as his eyes slowly swept over the six mats, thoughts racing through his mind.

"Thud, thud!"

Just then, two unsteady footsteps sounded from the entrance of the hall.

It was Jieyin and Zhunti, the two fellow disciples, arriving belatedly.

The pair looked exceedingly bedraggled.

Jieyin's plain-colored Dao robe had been torn into strips by the Chaos Astral Wind. The treasure light of his Guidance Treasure Banner had dimmed, and even its aura of radiance had weakened by three parts.

The branches and leaves of the Seven Treasures Wonderful Tree in Zhunti's hand trembled without cease. His Dao robe was stained with turbid qi, and his hair bun had come undone.

Both wore exhausted expressions. Clearly, in crossing Chaos and hurrying to Violet Firmament Palace, they had depleted most of their mental energy and strength.

They were the Western Lands' only two remaining peak Innate Sacred Beings.

Ever since Devil Ancestor Rahu had shattered the Western Ancestral Vein, the spiritual veins across the Western Lands had dried up, spiritual roots had been utterly destroyed, and all living things had withered. Even innate spiritual qi had become pitifully thin.

The two of them bore the last remnants of the Western Lands' fortune. Their journey to Violet Firmament Palace was not merely for personal gain, but to seek hope for the countless living beings of the Western Lands to rise again.

Otherwise, with the Primordial Lands so vast, they could have simply established a new Daoist grounds elsewhere. Why remain seated amid the barren ruins of Mount Sumeru?

When they saw that all six mats in the hall had already been claimed, Jieyin's body swayed slightly. Grief instantly flooded his face, and two streams of clear tears fell from his clouded eyes. He pressed his palms together toward the many great cultivators in the hall and bowed deeply without rising. "Fellow Daoists, have mercy."

Zhunti bowed as well, his voice sorrowful, every word as though weeping blood. "We two were born in the barren Western Lands. The ancestral vein has shattered, spiritual qi has dried up, and it is truly difficult beyond endurance for the countless living beings of the Western Lands to cultivate."

"We wish to deliver the Western Lands from all suffering and restore its prosperity, but our cultivation is shallow, and we possess no method."

"This journey across Chaos, this distant trip to Violet Firmament Palace, was only to seek a few words of true guidance from a Saint Realm cultivator and find a path to save the living beings of the Western Lands. Yet now, we do not even have a seat from which to listen to the Dao up close. This poor Daoist is truly incapable and has failed the trust of the Western Lands' living beings. Alas, the countless beings of our Western Lands shall ultimately never see the day they rise again..."

The two echoed each other, every sentence inseparable from the living beings of the Western Lands, every word filled with the sorrow of their homeland.

Though many great cultivators in the hall were moved, they also knew that the mats might be tied to great opportunities. They merely watched coldly, unmoved and unwilling to meddle in another's karma.

Kunpeng simply closed his eyes and feigned sleep. Releasing his Sha Qi, he made it plain: I didn't hear a thing.

Only Hong Yun, kind-hearted and benevolent by nature, could least bear to witness sorrow and suffering.

Hearing the two recount the misery of the Western Lands' living beings, then seeing their wretched state and grief-stricken faces, his compassion was ultimately stirred.

"You two, Fellow Daoists..."

He immediately rose to his feet. Zhen Yuanzi's expression changed, and he tried to reach out and stop Hong Yun, but he was already too late.