Heavenly Retribution

Hongjun sighed. Now he understood why Qing Xuanzi had said there was an eighty percent chance.

This was clearly a one hundred percent certainty. There would not even be any variables.

A Great Luo Golden Immortal whose flower bloomed with Thirty-six Petals—even the legendary great god Pangu might not have reached such heights.

Yet one had actually reappeared in the Primordial Era.

It truly was a miracle.

He only hoped Qing Xuanzi could survive the coming heavenly retribution. Otherwise, it would all be for nothing.

That was right. No one knew when the Heavenly Dao had established this rule: whenever a Great Luo Golden Immortal's flower bloomed beyond ten petals—

Heavenly retribution had to descend.

Of course, after heavenly retribution came heavenly blessings.

They were a pair of equivalent methods of the Heavenly Dao. Heavenly retribution could make even Saints unable to endure it; they had to die once.

Heavenly blessings could allow mortals to enjoy the blessings of Saints.

There was also a lesser pair of equivalent methods of the Heavenly Dao: heavenly punishment and merit.

Qing Xuanzi looked at the sky, which seemed to have split open. From a pitch-black fissure, clumps of dark clouds poured forth.

They continuously churned, gathering power.

The destructive aura descending from above grew increasingly dense, until it was nearly tangible.

"Heavenly retribution." Master Tongtian of Kunlun Mountain blurted out.

Too terrifying. A Great Luo Golden Immortal with Thirty-six Petals, yet it was not heavenly punishment, but heavenly retribution.

This clearly meant Thirty-six Petals were not allowed. If you dared to bloom them, the Heavenly Dao dared to strike you dead.

Laozi sighed softly. "Alas, it is ultimately a variable that is not permitted. In the end, it will all be for nothing."

Yuanshi's expression looked much better now. At least after today, nine petals would still be the ultimate limit of the Primordial Era.

Yuanshi silently disregarded Ancestor Hongjun's ten-petaled flower.

At this moment, there was no one left atop Qing Xuanzi's mountain.

What a joke. Heavenly retribution—were they planning to be buried with him by standing there?

Qing Xuanzi's expression was exceedingly complicated. Pangu truly was Pangu. He had even foreseen this.

Actually, while Qing Xuanzi had traveled with Pangu, they had discussed this matter.

Could the Primordial Era Heavenly Dao truly permit a Great Luo Golden Immortal with Thirty-six Petals?

Pangu's answer had been: uncertain.

It depended on the evolution of the Heavenly Dao. If the Heavenly Dao had not evolved consciousness, heavenly punishment would be enough.

But if the Heavenly Dao had evolved consciousness, then heavenly retribution would very likely descend.

After all, if the Heavenly Dao had consciousness, that also meant it had desires and the experiences of living beings.

Naturally, it would not permit anyone to possess a nobler origin than its own.

Pangu believed that the Heavenly Dao within the world he had created would most likely evolve consciousness.

The main reason was that Pangu himself had never cast aside the seven emotions and six desires.

Thus, the world he had opened was also formed from his transformation into all things.

Therefore, it would most likely evolve consciousness.

"Great God Pangu, I hope your lingering might remains." A glittering fingernail-sized fragment appeared in Qing Xuanzi's hand.

Qing Xuanzi had requested it from Pangu.

When he learned that Thirty-six Petals might bring heavenly retribution, he had sought Pangu's guidance and obtained it.

He had made this preparation because those who cultivated the Five Grand Primordial Arts—

Would either remain Grand Unity Golden Immortals forever, or, once they advanced to Great Luo Golden Immortals, inevitably bloom with Thirty-six Petals.

Qing Xuanzi stared unblinkingly at the lowering dark clouds.

He was waiting for an opportunity, waiting for the instant heavenly retribution descended.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out. At that very moment, Qing Xuanzi acted, throwing Pangu's fingernail fragment into the heavenly retribution.

Then he froze.

The instant Pangu's fingernail fragment entered it, the heavenly retribution vanished without a trace.

It was far too abrupt.

After Qing Xuanzi came back to his senses, he could not help but exclaim in delighted admiration, "As expected of Great God Pangu."

It was not merely that the heavenly retribution had dispersed. In that instant, Qing Xuanzi had sensed something appear within his primordial spirit.

It was an endless expanse of Three Lights Divine Water.

He did not know where it had come from.

Hongjun knew.

Hongjun had been stunned as well. Once he recovered, he formed a hand seal and calculated, then praised Pangu just as Qing Xuanzi had. "Great God Pangu's methods truly are extraordinary."

There was another person who knew half the truth.

That was Nether River Ancestor, who was still utterly bewildered.

When the heavenly retribution vanished just now, he had also been stunned. In that brief instant—

He sensed something wrong with the entire Blood Sea. It seemed to have gone mad, boiling violently.

What the hell, was it about to explode or what?

Nether River Ancestor hurriedly fled the Blood Sea and rose into the air above it.

By the time he leaped into the air and looked back at the Blood Sea, it was as though—where was his Blood Sea? Where had that vast Blood Sea gone?

Looking at the Blood Sea, once boundless but now smaller than a stream, Nether River Ancestor nearly wept.

Who had he offended?

After a while, connecting it to the heavenly retribution that had suddenly vanished, he seemed to understand something: the heavenly retribution had been diverted into the depths of the Blood Sea.

So he had been sitting at home when disaster fell from the sky.

Why had he watched the heavenly retribution? Would it not have been better to sleep instead? Well, now this was great.

His old nest was gone. Who could he even reason with?

Qing Xuanzi had no desire whatsoever to know of Nether River Ancestor's sorrow.

He was now surrounded by happiness: an inexhaustible supply of Three Lights Divine Water.

And the seven-colored radiance in the sky, preparing to descend: heavenly blessings.

Qing Xuanzi was so overjoyed that he could not tell north from south. He merely grinned foolishly as he waited for the heavenly blessings to descend.

The sluggish heavenly blessings finally descended.

Bathed in the seven-colored radiance, Qing Xuanzi felt so comfortable that he was nearly about to merge with the Dao.

"Disciple, do not indulge in pleasure. Quickly condense a Blessing Seed. With it, you will safely endure it ten thousand years from now."

Just as Qing Xuanzi was enjoying himself immensely, Hongjun's voice sounded by his ear.

Qing Xuanzi's expression sharpened, and he immediately gathered his thoughts and focused on condensing the Blessing Seed.

He still did not know what use this thing would have once condensed, but since Hongjun had said so, it certainly had to be useful.

Within Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun saw Qing Xuanzi condensing the Blessing Seed as instructed.

The expression on his face, unchanged for countless years, suddenly broke into a smile.

Qing Xuanzi did not know what use the Blessing Seed had.

But as the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, Hongjun understood its function perfectly well.

It was practically a bug beneath the Heavenly Dao. Even he himself coveted it intensely.

Fortunately, the one below was Qing Xuanzi, his Closed-Door Disciple.

Had it been anyone else, he would have felt the urge to seize it by force.

All living beings knew the benefits of merit, but none knew that beneath the Heavenly Dao, there was also a Blessing Seed.

After all, who would go through heavenly retribution for no reason?

To this day, no living being had ever survived heavenly retribution, not even Saints.

Although Saints were undying and indestructible, that did not mean simply not staying dead counted as surviving heavenly retribution.

Saints merely died, then could be restored by the Heavenly Dao through the primordial spirits entrusted to it. That could not be considered surviving heavenly retribution.

The so-called Blessing Seed did not protect one from death, nor did it provide magical power or cultivation.

It only granted all blessings beneath the Heavenly Dao, including every blessing the Heavenly Dao could bring about. It was equivalent to a blank vow of the Heavenly Dao, awaiting your words.

A Great Dao vow.

Just tell him whether it was useful or not.

For example, if Hongjun obtained this Blessing Seed, he could easily free himself from the Heavenly Dao.

And regain his freedom.

It would be like getting the better of the Heavenly Dao for free.

Once he was done, he could simply leave without paying it any heed. The Heavenly Dao could neither resist nor retaliate.

Hongjun could even continue merging with the Dao without any danger, until he reached a level that satisfied him, and then leave the Heavenly Dao.

Qing Xuanzi had no idea that after heavenly retribution, such a benefit would come crashing down upon him.