Hongjun's Shock, the Green Lotus Reflects the River, the Primordial World Trembles!

"What?"

As the Purple Earthworm looked over, an indescribable warning of danger rose within Zhao Gongming's heart.

Fortunately, beneath the profound aura cast down by the Chaos Pearl,

the Purple Earthworm seemed not to notice anything amiss. It soon withdrew its gaze and fell back into slumber.

"I never expected Heavenly Dao Ancestor Hongjun's true body aspect to be hidden within the orb of Heavenly Dao Origin!"

A chill ran through Zhao Gongming's heart. Even though the Purple Earthworm before him, with its hideous mouthparts, had fallen asleep, it still instinctively filled him with overwhelming terror.

But before he could recover his senses, an indescribable exhaustion welled up from within him.

The next moment, Zhao Gongming's vision blurred, and he had already returned to Azure Tour Palace.

Rumble!

Just as Zhao Gongming returned to Azure Tour Palace, before he could come to his senses, an indescribably terrifying surge of mana flooded into his body.

This mana was unimaginably immense, enough to directly burst an Early Quasi-Sage expert apart. Yet Zhao Gongming felt no discomfort whatsoever. Instead, it felt as natural as water flowing into a channel, as though he had cultivated all this mana step by step, with his feet firmly on the ground. Soon, once all the mana had entered his body, Zhao Gongming's Primordial Spirit cultivation did not change, but the mana within him had already undergone a rebirth-like transformation.

This was mana accumulated over two entire Tribulations. Its sheer vastness was beyond even Zhao Gongming's ability to estimate!

But now, if he once again wielded a Slaughter Supreme Treasure like the Hongmeng Heaven-Measuring Ruler,

or even summoned all his spirit treasures at once and drove them continuously for a hundred or thousand years, he likely would no longer need to worry about exhausting his mana.

That was terrifying.

Within the Primordial World, the higher a spirit treasure's grade, the greater its might, but its consumption of mana was equally astonishing.

During the Final Witch-Demon War, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, at the Perfected Quasi-Sage level, had fully activated the Chaos Bell and used its recoil to shake several Ancestral Witches to death.

Yet in the end, he had still exhausted his mana, vomiting blood as he perished in the Tribulation. Even a Perfected Quasi-Sage would run out of mana when fully activating a Supreme Treasure.

And now, Zhao Gongming believed that if they competed in mana, he would not fear even a Perfected Quasi-Sage in the slightest.

Moreover, possessing such astonishing mana would save him countless years of cultivation.

In the future, once he comprehended the Great Dao to perfection, he could ride the momentum in one burst and prove the Dao as a Primordial Golden Immortal—the Quasi-Sage realm.

The benefits were beyond description.

"Now that I've proven the Dao as a Primordial Spirit Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, I can try refining the Chaos Pearl's First Restriction!"

Having returned to Azure Tour Palace, Zhao Gongming naturally noticed Tongtian Cult Leader's concerned and astonished gaze, but he said nothing. After all, the Perfect Three Flowers would explain everything for him.

In the Primordial World, the karmic bond between master and disciple outweighed the heavens.

Since he had already become a disciple under Saint Tongtian, he naturally would not look ahead and behind in hesitation. He only needed to display his potential; the rest could be left to a Heavenly Dao Sage.

Soon, Zhao Gongming immersed his mind and examined the Chaos Pearl within his sea of consciousness.

Sure enough, now that he had just proven the Dao as a Primordial Spirit Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal, nine layers of restrictions emerged within the Chaos Pearl. At the same time, a stream of information flooded Zhao Gongming's mind, allowing him to instantly understand that the Chaos Pearl drifted beyond the Great Dao. It had sealed itself, evolving nine layers of restrictions. Refining one layer would unlock part of its abilities, while the First Restriction could only be refined by one at the Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal realm.

"As expected of a Primordial Chaos Treasure!"

Zhao Gongming clicked his tongue. The threshold for merely the First Restriction was Zenith Heaven Golden Immortal. It was hard to imagine what cultivation would be required to completely refine the Chaos Pearl.

Immediately, he began to break it down.

"Perfect Three Flowers—too shocking, too earth-shattering! My disciple Gongming actually bloomed such Three Flowers!"

At this moment, Tongtian Cult Leader looked at the Perfect Three Flowers above Zhao Gongming's head and finally recovered from his shock. A solemn expression appeared on his face.

The Three Flowers represented one's potential. Even Heavenly Dao Sages had only bloomed the limit of Nine-Grade Three Flowers!

Yet Zhao Gongming had bloomed Twelfth-Grade Perfect Three Flowers. This was already utterly shocking. If the other Heavenly Dao Sages—such as Zhunti and Jieyin, or even his most prideful second brother, Primordial Lord of Heaven—learned of this, they would likely rush to Azure Tour Palace at once. Even if they had to cast aside a Saint's dignity, they would snatch Zhao Gongming away and make him a direct disciple of the Expounding Sect.

As for the Two Western Sages, with their shameless methods, it would not be strange if Zhao Gongming had only just stepped off Golden Turtle Island before being scooped away in the Human Seed Bag!

Even Taiqing, known among the Heavenly Dao Six Sages for his tranquility and inaction, would disregard his Saintly dignity!

His Execution Immortal Sword Formation was indeed said to be unbreakable without four Saints, but how could one guard against thieves for a thousand days?

For the potential of such Perfect Three Flowers, Saints would likely go mad for the sake of passing down their orthodoxy!

"No, no!!"

Tongtian Cult Leader shook his head and immediately got to work. With his Saintly authority, he directly began muddling the Heavenly Secrets.

While master and disciple were both occupied,

neither knew that, as Zhao Gongming had just returned from the River of Time to the Primordial World,

the once tranquil River of Time had suddenly surged with colossal waves trillions of zhang high. Amid thunderous roars, the phantom aspect of a Thirty-Sixth-Grade Chaos Green Lotus floated above the River of Time, scattering boundless clear radiance as though it sought to illuminate the Primordial World and even all the heavens and myriad realms completely. At the same time, countless Great Supernatural Beings and all the Heavenly Dao Sages of the Primordial World sensed it.

At the river's source, the Purple Earthworm, which had just fallen asleep, was awakened once more.

As it looked at the Chaos Green Lotus Aspect above the river, human-like shock and astonishment appeared on its face.

But it soon seemed to think of something, withdrew its gaze, and fell back into slumber.

"What?"

Within Eight Scenes Palace, the Taiqing Saint held a Plantain Fan as he sat before the Eight Trigrams Furnace, his expression slightly grave. This furnace was refining Nine-Turn Golden Elixirs.

The materials were so precious that even he had to treat them with utmost care and dared not be distracted.

But at that moment, he sensed something and abruptly looked toward the River of Time.

When he saw the Thirty-Sixth-Grade Chaos Green Lotus Aspect, the Plantain Fan in his hand suddenly froze. Shock appeared even on his impassive face.

"This kind of aspect? Has a living being proven the Dao with Primordial Spirit Three Flowers? How is that possible?"

As one transformed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit, he naturally knew what the Thirty-Sixth-Grade Chaos Green Lotus represented!

Since Pangu had split heaven and earth apart, no living being had ever been able to bloom such Perfect Three Flowers. Yet now...

And after making a round of deductions,

the astonishment on Grand Pure One Laozi's face only deepened. No matter how he deduced, he found the Heavenly Secrets obscure. How could he possibly derive even a trace of information?

"Wait, why does something smell burnt?"

Just then, a scorched smell drifted over, making even Grand Pure One Laozi jolt. As though recalling something, he looked directly at the Eight Trigrams Furnace before him.

The next moment, he hurriedly opened the Eight Trigrams Furnace.

When he saw the pill dregs within had already turned charred and pitch-black, Grand Pure One Laozi's face darkened, seemingly even blacker than the bottom of the Eight Trigrams Furnace!