Accepting Tongtian and Nuwa as Disciples; Hongjun: Where on Earth Did This Old Man's Heavenly Dao Authority Go?

Along with Tongtian's breakthrough, a streak of purple Qi slowly emerged above Penglai Immortal Island. The purple Qi pervaded the horizon, transforming into auspicious rosy clouds that rained down and illuminated Tongtian's physical body below.

The Three Flowers blooming at the twelfth-grade limit atop his head slowly converged toward the center, faintly synthesizing into an embryonic shadow.

The Five Qi Within the Chest also slowly merged into one. Gone was the previous clearly defined five-color appearance as they began to reverse the innate state, gradually fusing into a streak of Primordial Unity Qi. Although the quantity was smaller, its quality was terrifyingly more than a hundred times greater than before!

The spiritual Qi of this world poured wildly into his physical body like a siphon.

Li Yi looked at the breaking-through Tongtian, a smile rising on his face. Along with Tongtian's breakthrough to the Quasi-Saint realm, the great karma between the two completely solidified into substance, and the previously vague Heavenly Dao Authority blessed the space behind him in the very next second!

Above the Daoist abode, the remaining Primordial World living beings witnessed this scene with their own eyes and couldn't help marveling in succession.

"He broke through just like that?"

"This person is Taoist Tongtian among the Three Pure Ones! His origin and comprehension are exceptionally good! Last time, right here on this Daoist abode, I personally witnessed him break through to the Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm!"

"How long has it passed since his last breakthrough? And he has broken through to the Primordial Unity realm yet again?"

"It shows that Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor's Daoist magic is even more marvelous than others."

"To be ashamed, I didn't come to this immortal island last time, but went to Purple Cloud Palace to listen to Dao Ancestor Hongjun's Dao Discussion instead. Over three thousand years, although Dao Ancestor Hongjun's Dao Discussion was marvelous, I genuinely couldn't understand a single bit of it. Having come to this Penglai Immortal Island this time, the Great Firmament Dao is already thirty percent comprehended. After going back to undergo closed-door cultivation for a bit, the middle Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm is within reach!"

If there were no comparison, these Great Firmament Golden Immortals wouldn't be able to break through and would only think their own comprehension was low, never suspecting Hongjun in the slightest.

Yet coming over this time to personally listen to this Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor's Dao Discussion, the gains compared to the previous time in Purple Cloud Palace could be described as the difference between heaven and mud!

Right now, having personally witnessed Tongtian breaking through on the spot to the Primordial Unity Quasi-Saint realm after hearing Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor's Sage Dao, whose heart could remain without a ripple?

Especially those Great Firmament Golden Immortals who went to Purple Cloud Palace last time looked at the breaking-through Tongtian, and alongside envy in their eyes, a trace of quiet resentment toward Hongjun quietly sprouted in their hearts.

It turned out that it wasn't that they people had foolish aptitude, but rather that Hongjun spoke in a muddled, completely nonsensical manner!

Come to think of it, it was this Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor who first spread word across the Primordial World that he would open an altar for a Dao Discussion, only for that Hongjun to insist on imitating him, yet ending up unable to explain anything clearly!

If he didn't know how to hold a Dao Discussion, he shouldn't hold one. Mimicking Daoist Tongtian's—no, Heaven-Earth Daoist's—Dao Discussion had ruined the Dao paths of them and the others in vain!

Not only did those Great Firmament cultivators think this way in their hearts, but even cultivators who had never been to Purple Cloud Palace heard these words and felt a trace of rejoicing well up in their hearts.

How fortunate was it for the Primordial World to have Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor? He was not only willing to personally open an altar to impart the Sage Dao to these lesser immortals of theirs, but he also explained things extremely thoroughly and with utmost patience.

Previously across the Primordial World, Hongjun was revered as the Dao Ancestor by all. Now it seemed that although that Daoist Hongjun's Daoist magic was high, he lacked the compassionate heart of this Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor, and his comprehension of Daoist magic was completely incomparable to this Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor either!

Thinking even deeper into the dark side, when that Daoist Hongjun held his Dao Discussion, he intentionally kept secrets or even deliberately made things convoluted—not only did he earn the fine reputation of transmitting the Dao, but he also ruined the Dao paths of people like them. His intentions were simply punishable by death!

Did a Daoist like this even deserve any fine titles like Dao Ancestor?

Across the Primordial World, there could only be one Dao Ancestor, and that was this Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor!

The people here, apart from those who went to Purple Cloud Palace, virtually encompassed nine-tenths of the high-tier combat strength of the entire Primordial Continent. As everyone's thoughts flickered, the Heavenly Dao also sensed it in the netherworld. The Heavenly Dao Authority that originally leaned toward Hongjun not only failed to continue tilting, but even slowly pulled back instead.

Turning to look at Li Yi, the Heavenly Dao Authority blessed his person, already occupying six-tenths of the authority of the entire Primordial World's Heavenly Dao! It completely suppressed Hongjun in turn!

Meanwhile, Tongtian had completely broken through to the Primordial Unity Supreme Immortal Realm. Feeling the Primordial Unity Qi on his body—which was a hundred times more terrifying than the previous Primordial Five Qi—Tongtian felt excitement in his heart along with a deep sense of gratitude.

With an intention already harbored in his heart, his inspiration striking him right then and there, he immediately knelt respectfully toward Li Yi and performed a kowtow.

"Disciple Tongtian, I earnestly request Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor to accept this disciple!"

Upon the vast Daoist abode, an instant of silence fell. Everyone's gazes shifted between Li Yi and Tongtian, and when they looked at Tongtian, a trace of envy welled up in their eyes.

They were listening to the Dao here, so naturally they could also be counted as Li Yi's disciples, but these disciples were fundamentally different from personal disciples; they weren't even counted as registered disciples!

It wasn't that they didn't want to be Li Yi's disciples, but they knew in their hearts that the gap was too vast, that they lacked that good fortune, and that they couldn't bring themselves to speak.

If one's own comprehension and origin were ordinary, one only needed to inwardly regard Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor as a teacher and hold respect in one's heart. To step forward and seek discipleship would simply be courting humiliation.

Seeing Tongtian kowtow to seek discipleship, Nuwa—not far from his side—also immediately made up her mind and similarly kowtowed toward Li Yi.

"Disciple Nuwa, I earnestly request Heaven-Earth Dao Ancestor to accept this disciple!"

Her gains over these years could also be called bountiful. Although she had yet to break through to the Primordial Unity Dao, she already stood firmly at the peak Great Firmament Golden Immortal realm, and she only awaited going back this time to digest the Sage Dao to smoothly break through to the Primordial Unity Realm.

Although she had yet to break through to Primordial Unity, she reckoned her origin and comprehension were also extraordinary, and her realm was the highest among everyone besides Tongtian, barely qualifying her to seek discipleship.

Li Yi swept his gaze across the two and laughed heartily.

"From this day onward, the two of you shall be my Qiankun personal disciples!"

Hearing Li Yi agree, an uproar broke out in the arena.

Tongtian and Nuwa also wore thrilled expressions as they bowed and kowtowed to Li Yi once more.

"Many thanks, Master!"

Meanwhile, within Purple Cloud Palace, Hongjun was still expounding upon the Primordial Unity Dao, though his method of exposition was not the Law Dao, but rather the Three Corpses Severing Dao.

The people below wore expressions of sudden enlightenment or bitter grimaces.

Compared to the Law Dao, the Three Corpses Severing Dao was indeed much easier to understand!

However, Three Corpses Severing required Innate Spiritual Treasures to entrust the severed good thought, evil thought, and obsession. Where on earth were they supposed to find so many Innate Spiritual Treasures?

This was no longer the early days of heaven and earth creation. Back then, Great Firmament Golden Immortals were considered top-tier Primordial World combat strength, and the Great Firmament Golden Immortals of the Three Clans basically all possessed Innate Spiritual Treasures in their hands, or even more than one piece.

Yet as time passed and vicissitudes occurred, while cultivators at the Great Firmament Golden Immortal level increased day by day, quite a few Innate Spiritual Treasures had either been lost or damaged during the DragonHan Calamity Cycle and the Dao-Devil War.

Aside from people richly blessed with great fortune like the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Di Jun, and Taiyi, ordinary Great Firmament cultivators didn't even possess a single Innate Spiritual Treasure, let alone finding three Innate Spiritual Treasures to entrust their severed obsessions.

Hongjun naturally didn't bother with these things. What did it matter to him whether these people had Innate Spiritual Treasures or not? In any case, the Quasi-Saint Dao had already been imparted by him, so these people all owed him a favor.

The Dao Ancestor's favor could never be repaid in full!

This unpayable favor should now allow his own Heavenly Dao Authority to grow to seven-tenths, right?

Having settled this in his mind, Hongjun secretly blessed his person with Heavenly Dao Authority. Looking at the Heavenly Dao Authority on his body—which not only failed to grow, but instead diminished greatly—a trace of bewilderment flashed across Hongjun's face.

This, this isn't right!?

Where on earth did this old man's so many pieces of Heavenly Dao Authority go!?