First Sermon, Gathering at Purple Cloud Palace

By the Eastern Sea, a man and a woman stood atop a reef.

The man was naturally Li Yu. The woman was an Immortal Deer who had attained success in cultivation and transformed into human form, slender and graceful, with skin like ice and a radiant beauty.

After taking human form, the Immortal Deer gave herself the name Lu Xue.

Along the way, aside from occasionally guiding Lu Xue in her cultivation, Li Yu rarely concerned himself with her affairs and let her do as she pleased. Ever since Lu Xue had transformed into human form, he no longer treated her as a mount. It simply felt somewhat awkward to him.

Gazing over the boundless sea, Li Yu considered finding an immortal island in the ocean as his cultivation grounds. During all his years of wandering, aside from the Cosmos Ruler, he had gained no other spiritual treasures. However, he had collected quite a few seeds of exotic flowers and strange fruits. If he found an immortal island overseas, planted them there, and arranged it slightly, it could serve as a place for secluded cultivation.

Just as Li Yu was pondering this, a voice suddenly rang out throughout the Primordial World, causing a tremendous uproar.

"I am Hongjun, residing in the Purple Cloud Palace beyond the heavens. As a Sage, I wish to preach the Dao to the Primordial World. All those fated to do so may come!"

The voice echoed endlessly in Li Yu's mind, leaving him dazed for a moment.

"Master, who is this Hongjun? And what is a Sage?"

Only when Lu Xue spoke sweetly beside him did Li Yu return to his senses. "He is a great figure. As for Sages, you will learn in time. I intend to make a trip to Purple Cloud Palace, but I cannot take you with me. Go find yourself a dwelling and cultivate on your own."

"Ah! Master... I..."

Hearing that Li Yu would not take her along, Lu Xue's face filled with panic. She had grown dependent on staying by his side all this time. Now that she was suddenly expected to cultivate alone, unease rose in her heart.

Yet Li Yu did not wait for her to finish. He transformed directly into a streak of rosy light and flew beyond the heavens.

Alas!

Lu Xue let out a sigh and could only set off alone to seek a place to cultivate.

At this time, countless cultivators throughout the Primordial World were doing the same as Li Yu. From Mount Kunlun, Mount Buzhou, the Sun Star... cultivators from every great blessed land and heavenly grotto flew beyond the heavens one after another.

Once they reached beyond the heavens, however, endless Astral Wind stood in the cultivators' path.

Some unknown cultivator from somewhere in the Primordial World produced a blue pearl that emitted a clear glow, enveloped him, and charged into the Astral Wind.

In the next instant, a scream rang out. That cultivator fled from the Astral Wind covered in wounds and in utter disarray, racing back toward the Primordial World without even looking back.

The Outer Heavenly Astral Wind was not to be underestimated. Without the cultivation of a Golden Immortal or a decent spiritual treasure for protection, one could not pass through it.

Only then did the cultivators understand that the so-called "all those fated may come" truly meant that only the strong could go.

Though unwilling, the vast majority of cultivators could only return to the Primordial World.

However, there were the Three Pure Ones from Kunlun, the Ancestral Shamans from Mount Buzhou, the Demon Emperors from the Sun Star...

These were the protagonists destined by heaven. Relying on their formidable cultivation and powerful spiritual treasures, they flew into the endless Astral Wind.

Li Yu brought out the Cosmos Ruler, which cast down streams of clear qi to protect him as he proceeded unhurriedly through the boundless Astral Wind.

The Pure World White Lotus could naturally protect him as well, and would work even better than the Cosmos Ruler. However, Li Yu kept something in reserve and only displayed the Cosmos Ruler.

As he traveled, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Fellow Daoist, could you stop and travel with me? I am skilled in divination and can discern directions. We certainly will not lose our way in this Astral Wind, and I can also cast a reading for you to foretell the fortune or misfortune of this journey."

Li Yu turned around and saw that it was Fuxi!

"Fellow Daoist Fuxi, setting up a fortune-telling stall in the Astral Wind... you truly are the first in the Primordial World!" Li Yu said with a hearty laugh.

"So it is Brother Li!" Fuxi immediately brightened upon recognizing Li Yu.

Fuxi quickly came to Li Yu's side, and the two continued onward together.

"To encounter Brother Li amid this vast Astral Wind truly is a joyous occasion."

Li Yu merely chuckled after hearing this, then asked, "Why have you come alone, Brother?"

"My younger sister has become increasingly close to the Ancestral Shaman Houtu, so the two of them left ahead of me. But it is precisely because of that that I was able to meet Brother Li. Once we reach Purple Cloud Palace, I will introduce my sister to you. Speaking of which, why are you alone as well? Where is Fellow Daoist Hongyun?"

Li Yu very much wanted to say that Hongyun had gone looking for Fuxi's sister, but for Hongyun's sake, he held back. He only said that they had parted at Mount Buzhou and gone their separate ways to travel.

"Is that Brother Fuxi ahead?"

Li Yu and Fuxi were traveling when someone suddenly called out to them from behind. Turning around, they saw two extraordinary-looking men approaching side by side.

Fuxi recognized them and cupped his hands. "So it is Brother Di Jun and Brother Taiyi!"

Hearing this, Li Yu was secretly startled. These were the protagonists of the next great tribulation!

Upon closer inspection, Di Jun and Taiyi looked somewhat alike. Yet more striking than the resemblance in their features was the sovereign aura emanating from both of them, incomparably noble and majestic.

While Li Yu sized up Di Jun and Taiyi, the two of them were also secretly guessing at his identity.

After exchanging pleasantries with Fuxi, Di Jun and Taiyi finally asked, "May we know how this fellow Daoist is addressed?"

"I am Li Yu, a cultivator from Mount Kunlun," Li Yu said simply.

After becoming acquainted, the group of four traveled for some more days before finally leaving the region of Astral Wind. Not far ahead, a Dao palace floated in the endless void, suffused with purple qi and surrounded by the lingering essence of the Dao, mysterious beyond words.

Everyone's hearts turned solemn. Purple Cloud Palace alone was already beyond their ability to fathom. Its master must be even more unfathomable. Was this the bearing of a Sage?

The group stepped into Purple Cloud Palace. They had arrived somewhat late, and several dozen people were already waiting inside.

Li Yu looked over and saw Hongyun sitting prominently in the first row. There were also the Three Pure Ones, a woman who was presumably Nüwa, and a hook-nosed man with a sinister aura who was presumably Kunpeng.

Before Hongjun appeared, those who knew one another exchanged greetings and made small talk, then found cushions to sit upon and waited for the first Sage of the Primordial World to appear.

Only then did Li Yu learn that Hongyun, Nüwa, and Houtu had arrived together. Houtu simply did not wish to sit on the conspicuous cushions in the first row, so she settled for one farther back. Otherwise, the first row would have been occupied by the Three Pure Ones, Nüwa, Houtu, and Hongyun.

Thinking it over, Houtu would one day transform her body into the Six Paths of Reincarnation and establish the Netherworld. Though she would not become a Sage, she would be as indestructible through countless tribulations as one. Perhaps it had some karmic connection to today's encounter.

Afterward, many more cultivators gradually arrived at Purple Cloud Palace, though Li Yu only recognized Zhen Yuanzi and Randeng among them.

Zhen Yuanzi was a friend, while Randeng was an enemy. Yet since this was Purple Cloud Palace, Li Yu could not make a move. Randeng had suffered a crushing defeat and fled during his battle with Li Yu, and he had no face to publicize such a disgraceful matter. The two merely found each other disagreeable.

"Brother Li, it seems you have some grievance with Daoist Randeng?" Zhen Yuanzi, who sat beside Li Yu, asked.

They had both cultivated in seclusion on Mount Kunlun, but Zhen Yuanzi clearly had a wider circle of friends and shared some acquaintance with Randeng as well.

"It was a trivial matter. We exchanged a few blows over a spiritual treasure," Li Yu said succinctly.

Upon hearing that, Zhen Yuanzi understood the cause. Though he had some friendship with Randeng, his relationship with Li Yu was deeper. Besides, he had heard a thing or two about Randeng's character.

"Then it seems that spiritual treasure was obtained by the worthy Brother Li."

Li Yu chuckled, taking it as his answer.