The Chaos Gourd? Hongjun Was Stunned-Why Was the Headcount Wrong?

As his Spirit Treasure incarnation confirmed what lay within the formation, Li Yi stepped out on distant Penglai Immortal Island. In just a few strides, he used the law of space to reach the innate formation. One more step, and he appeared inside.

He recalled the incarnation and looked at the Innate Gourd Vine growing in the Nine Heavens Resting Soil. A satisfied smile crossed his face.

For more than a dozen Yuanhui, over a dozen of his Spirit Treasure incarnations, each at the Peak Great Firmament Golden Immortal level, had searched for it. He had gone to enormous lengths for this vine.

Hongjun could use the Creation Jade Disc to divine heavenly secrets, but divination was all it was. He could only faintly sense the karma and fate of the future.

Li Yi was different. He knew what the future held.

After the Lich Calamity, the Human Race would become the eternal protagonist of heaven and earth.

Whoever created the Human Race could become a Heavenly Dao Sage through the merit of that creation!

Whoever founded the Human Sect first could likewise gain Heavenly Dao Merit and become a Sage!

Put bluntly, the Human Race would determine two Heavenly Dao Sage seats.

Hongjun could not calculate exactly who would become a Heavenly Dao Sage. He could only gather all the Great Supernatural Beings of the Primordial World by preaching to them, ensuring that the future Sages became his disciples and gaining more Heavenly Dao Authority in the process.

Li Yi, however, knew the future. He could make his arrangements ahead of time.

With the Nine Heavens Resting Soil and the Innate Gourd Vine in his hands, whoever he chose to create humanity would become the ancestor of the Human Race! And if that ancestor was one of his people, whoever he chose to found the sect would become its leader.

Thoughts raced through Li Yi's mind as he walked forward and studied the Innate Gourd Vine.

It could be called the foremost innate spiritual root on the Primordial Continent!

Its six ripe gourds were all Supreme-grade Innate Spirit Treasures!

But what delighted Li Yi most was the seventh gourd, the one that had yet to ripen!

Chaos qi swirled inside the purple-black gourd, a sign that its innate gestation had reached the utmost limit. Innate spiritual qi still filled this small world, but the seventh gourd needed something else entirely: Primordial Mother Qi from before chaos was divided!

Once he saw its true nature, Li Yi could not help exclaiming.

"This seventh gourd has drawn upon the full creative power of heaven and earth. If it were allowed to mature naturally, it would be an Innate Supreme Treasure at the very least. It might even return to chaos!"

If anyone else had found it, even Hongjun or Yang Mei, they could only have lamented the waste. Neither would have had a way to save it.

After chaos was divided, Primordial Mother Qi had vanished from the world.

But Li Yi happened to have a way!

His Cosmos Cauldron could refine all things and return them to their origins. It could even produce Primordial Mother Qi from innate spiritual qi!

As though sensing an intruder, the Innate Gourd Vine radiated hostility. Its once-still, chaos-colored tendrils unfurled, and each of its six ripe gourds released a beam of immortal light. The beams fused and shot toward Li Yi.

It was like a startled kitten lashing out.

The light, fused from six different laws, dissipated on its own before it reached him.

Li Yi smiled. He made no attempt to argue with the vine, merely brought out his Cosmos Cauldron and began producing Primordial Mother Qi within the small world.

The Innate Gourd Vine hanging overhead seemed to freeze when it sensed the Primordial Mother Qi. Then it tentatively took a "sip"!

In an instant, light flowed across the purple-black seventh gourd, whose vitality had nearly been extinguished. Some of the deathly aura around it dispersed.

As a Supreme-grade innate spiritual root, the vine had already developed intelligence. Without hesitation, it gently wagged its tip at Li Yi, radiating a docile friendliness like a puppy begging for food.

Li Yi laughed at its sudden change of attitude. Without delay, he used his power to lift the Nine Heavens Resting Soil and the vine growing in it together, then placed them inside his Cosmos Cauldron.

The vine obediently let him do as he pleased, as if its earlier display of aggression had been an illusion.

Having claimed the treasure, Li Yi did not linger. He turned and flew toward the East Sea.

Yingzhou Island in the East Sea was an immortal island that Yin-Yang Daoist had discovered and sealed with an innate formation. After his death, his possessions had passed to Li Yi, and the island had naturally become Li Yi's second cultivation abode.

In two steps, Li Yi reached the island. Some of the innate spiritual herbs he had enlightened had taken the forms of young attendants. Hearing that their master would soon give a sermon, the little ones had worked hard to prepare a place for it.

Meanwhile, above the Thirty-Three Heavens, an ancient, majestic palace stood amid boundless chaos qi. Three characters were inscribed upon it: "Purple Cloud Palace."

One Great Firmament Golden Immortal after another broke through the Chaos Turbulence and Nine Heavens Astral Wind to reach it. Seeing the palace suspended in the void, they headed toward it.

At first glance, it was merely a palace. Inside, however, lay an entire blessed realm rich in spiritual qi.

This small world had also been fertile land that Hongjun had taken away with a sleeve-space technique during his travels through the Primordial World.

Nuwa arrived with her elder brother. They crossed steps paved with spirit jade and entered a broad gathering ground, where a Daoist sat upon a Jade Platform at its center.

Clad in white robes, the Daoist sat motionless, Daoist resonance swirling around him. He was clearly Hongjun, the one giving the sermon. Before him stood six Spirit Treasure cushions glowing with precious light.

Nearly two thousand people had gathered. Seated high on the Jade Platform, Hongjun looked perfectly calm, but inwardly he was making calculations.

According to his original calculations, three thousand Great Firmament cultivators should have come to hear him preach at Purple Cloud Palace!

Those three thousand would hold nearly ninety percent of the Primordial World's Fortune. As their teacher, he would naturally gain more Heavenly Dao Authority.

But only two thousand had come?

Hongjun frowned slightly, then steadied himself. As long as the future Heavenly Dao Sages came...

At the same time, those gathered noticed the Spirit Treasure cushions below the Jade Platform.

"What are those six cushions for?"

"The Dao Ancestor is about to preach. Those cushions must have a deeper purpose! They're probably reserved for those destined to sit on them!"

Even among those who guessed the cushions represented Dao Opportunities, not everyone in the crowd of nearly two thousand was willing to step forward and fight for a seat.

Laozi and Yuanshi exchanged a glance, then walked forward together.

"We are Pangu Orthodox. We naturally deserve seats!"

At those words, the cultivators' gazes sharpened, but none dared object.

The Three Pure Ones of Pangu had become quite famous in the Primordial World over the years. Their strength was unfathomable, and they bore the name Pangu Orthodox!

No one knew their exact connection to Pangu, but anyone who dared make such a claim without powerful karmic ties to him would draw calamity upon themselves in an instant!

Watching the two take their seats, Hongjun felt somewhat reassured.

The Heavenly Dao Sages had appeared. The Three Pure Ones of Pangu? Given their deep karmic ties to Pangu, it made sense that they would become Heavenly Dao Sages!

But... why were there only two of them!? Why did this differ from what he had calculated? There were supposed to be three Pure Ones, so where was the third?

Then a possibility struck him, and Hongjun's expression changed drastically.

Damn it. He hadn't gone to the Heaven-Earth Daoist, had he!?