Houtu's invitation

Houtu looked over and spoke in surprise.

"It's Little Shi! I didn't expect you to come too."

The other Ancestral Witches immediately eyed him warily, as though guarding against a thief.

Wang Shi felt rather helpless.

"Over here, come over."

Houtu turned a pleading gaze toward her brothers.

"Brothers, let me go over and say a few words."

Ancestral Witch Dijiang stared coldly ahead.

"The lecture is about to begin. Don't disrupt the proceedings. Just a few words, then come straight back."

Clearly, they were quite displeased with Wang Shi.

Houtu quickly nodded.

"All right."

She came up to Wang Shi.

"Little Shi, you're here too! This is wonderful."

Wang Shi chuckled.

He took Houtu's hand and stood up.

Under the astonished gazes of the many mighty cultivators.

He pressed Houtu down onto his seat.

"Sit here. It's a good spot, close to the front."

Then he looked at his three masters beside him.

"I'll just listen from the back. My cultivation is low anyway, so it'll be the same wherever I sit."

The Three Pure Ones looked at him solemnly, utterly astonished.

"Disciple, think this through. Once you give it away, it's truly gone. You should understand what this means."

"Stone Spirit, you fought so hard to claim this seat. Isn't it a shame to give it away so easily?"

"Disciple, you're a real man! As your master, I admire you. Follow your heart. Go!"

Some supported him, some opposed him, and some protested on his behalf.

Wang Shi cupped his hands.

"Little Tu is kindhearted and a good person. Please look after her, my three masters."

Houtu looked at him in surprise. She had always been a bright, clever girl. If she still couldn't tell that this seat held some deeper mystery now.

Then she truly would have been a stupid pig.

"Oh, Little Shi, stay here. I won't take this seat."

Wang Shi pressed down firmly, pinning her securely to the seat.

"If I tell you to sit, just sit. Everything will be fine."

Wang Shi slipped into the crowd and found a random place to sit.

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.

"So many mighty cultivators fought over that seat, yet he gave it up just like that. What a waste!"

"Who is he? Does he not understand how important that meditation cushion is? The Sage must have had a reason for arranging things this way."

"Utterly foolish. Letting his emotions rule him in a matter like this—he'll regret it beyond measure someday."

"To think he's a man who follows his heart. Admirable."

Dijiang and the others were startled. Seeing Houtu seated at the front, they grew anxious.

They wanted to go forward and fetch Houtu.

But Xuanming vaguely felt that they should not disturb her.

He stopped the other Ancestral Witches.

"Brothers, that meditation cushion holds extraordinary significance. Let's not go over. We should find somewhere to sit too!"

Just then, a thin figure suddenly appeared on the raised platform at the very front, bearing the ethereal air of an immortal, his eyes gleaming.

He looked over those present with satisfaction.

"I am Hongjun. Today, I shall once again lecture on the Great Dao. Whenever you come here from now on, you shall sit according to this arrangement. It may never be changed again."

Then his gaze fell on Wang Shi in the crowd, and an unusual gleam flashed through his eyes.

But he soon looked away.

With a casual wave of his hand, a meditation cushion appeared on the platform.

He settled onto it.

"Silence. I shall now lecture on the Heavenly Dao. Listen carefully."

As his words fell, the sounds of the Great Dao flowed into everyone's ears.

Everyone was instantly immersed, unable to pull themselves away.

Listening to the sounds of the Great Dao felt as though a wise teacher and trusted friend were explaining the Great Dao beside their ears. Even many doubts in their hearts were easily resolved at that moment.

One after another, they attained sudden enlightenment. Their auras surged, and cultivators kept reaching for breakthroughs.

"Above Great Luo lies the Quasi-Saint realm. The methods of attaining it are Severing the Three Corpses to Achieve the Dao, or Prove Dao by Force..."

As his lecture continued, many powerful cultivators gained insights. They had long been trapped at the peak of the Daluo Golden Immortal realm, and now, with this sudden understanding, they seemed ready to break through on the spot.

Auras gathered throughout the Purple Firmament Palace. Spiritual clouds amassed overhead and converged within the palace.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun smiled faintly.

With a sweep of his hand, streams of innate spiritual energy poured into the Purple Firmament Palace. He had actually begun helping everyone achieve the Dao.

What astonishing magnanimity!

Yet not everyone in the crowd gained insight.

Among the Twelve Ancestral Witches, only Houtu sat there listening attentively.

The others scratched their ears and heads, unable to sit still.

They simply lacked the talent and had no idea what they were supposed to do.

Never mind discerning the Great Dao—they couldn't even sit properly.

Some Ancestral Witches were even snoring away right there.

"How boring. If I'd known it would be this dull, I wouldn't have come."

Wang Shi watched, dumbfounded. No wonder the Witch Clan grew ever weaker. With these eleven thickheaded fools, someone would wipe the clan out sooner or later.

Then he looked toward Houtu. Although her cultivation showed no fluctuations, a thoughtful expression crossed her face from time to time. Clearly, she was gaining considerable insight.

I hope Houtu can escape the fate of transforming her body into reincarnation.

At the very least, she shouldn't have to pay with her life.

Indeed, this was why Wang Shi had given away his Sage Seat.

"You wayward brat, pay attention to the lecture! Do you know how precious this opportunity is? Stop letting your mind wander."

Wang Shi's heart jolted, and he stole a glance at Dao Ancestor Hongjun.

Sure enough, their gazes met.

Wang Shi's heart tightened. Could he have discovered my identity?

But upon further thought, with the changes to the Sage Seats in the Purple Firmament Palace, the course of events had probably already shifted. What would become of the Primordial World remained unknown.

He quickly focused on listening and stopped looking at anyone else.

The sounds of the Great Dao rang constantly in his ears.

The Pangu Great Dao continued to spread beside his ears, its sounds at once ethereal and tangible, helping him again and again.

An unknown length of time passed.

Then he let out a low, furious roar.

"Break!"

His cultivation rose like a boat on a rising tide, surging forward triumphantly until he reached the Daluo Golden Immortal realm.

Without his realizing it, ten thousand years had passed.

Nourished by ten thousand years of innate spiritual energy, everyone present had made major breakthroughs, regardless of their cultivation level.

Dao Ancestor Hongjun watched with satisfaction and nodded lightly.

"That concludes this lecture."

"Once you return, cultivate diligently. Do not slacken."

Dao Ancestor Hongjun's figure vanished, departing without a trace.

The Three Pure Ones were the first to rise.

"Farewell, Dao Ancestor."

The others also rose one after another.

"Farewell, Dao Ancestor."

Then everyone hurried out of the Purple Firmament Palace.

They watched the great doors of the Purple Firmament Palace slam shut.

The mighty cultivators of the Primordial World cupped their hands to one another.

"Fellow Daoists, until we meet again."

Having all listened to the lecture in the Purple Firmament Palace, they shared something of a bond as fellow disciples.

Houtu hurried up to Wang Shi and spoke with a hint of anticipation in her eyes.

"Little Shi, are you leaving? Why don't we return to Buzhou Mountain together?"