Hongjun finished his lecture, and everyone gradually came back to their senses.
Though the Dao of Sages was profound, not one of them could comprehend it.
Those thousand years had felt like chewing wax-tasteless to swallow, yet a pity to discard.
But this was the Dao Ancestor imparting the Dao, after all. No one dared complain, and they could only treat it as a chance to broaden their horizons.
What they did not know, however, was that the Dao of Sages had never been intended for them in the first place.
Once Laozi and the others attained the Dao in the future, they would naturally comprehend these teachings.
Having come to their senses, everyone looked toward Hongjun.
They wanted to see whether he had anything else to say.
Hongjun slowly opened his eyes.
He swept his gaze over the crowd below.
"I have finished expounding the Dao of Sages. If you have anything else to say, speak freely!"
At Hongjun's words, everyone in the hall exchanged glances.
The lecture was already over, and they had not understood so much as half a word. What else was there to say?
Right now, they were simply waiting for Hongjun to dismiss them so they could go home.
Just then, however, a voice suddenly rang out from the front of the hall.
"May I ask, Dao Ancestor, is the number of places for Sagehood fixed?"
The speaker was none other than Fuxi, one of the Demon Tribe's sovereigns.
The moment they heard Fuxi's question, everyone pricked up their ears.
They had to listen carefully to this. If the number of Sages was not fixed, would that not mean they could covet the primordial violet qi belonging to Nuwa, Laozi, and the others?
Would they, too, have a chance to become Sages?
Nuwa froze for a moment, then looked back at her elder brother.
She did not understand why Fuxi had suddenly asked such a question.
But Fuxi had his own considerations.
Hong Yun was already dead.
And everyone knew why he had died-it had to be because of that primordial violet qi.
It was precisely because Hongjun had not acknowledged Hong Yun as his disciple that he had met with such a calamity.
Among them, the Three Pure Ones were stronger and had no need to worry about others robbing them.
Though Zhunti and Jieyin were somewhat weaker, the two of them held their primordial violet qi together.
Moreover, they had remained in the west, quietly staying within their own territory and rarely showing themselves, so no one dared court trouble with them.
His younger sister alone, despite bearing the title of one of the Demon Tribe's sovereigns, disliked conflict. And the Demon Emperor, Di Jun, still had no primordial violet qi of his own.
What if Di Jun suddenly took it into his head one day that he wanted primordial violet qi?
If he found it inconvenient to act openly and resorted to underhanded schemes to seize it instead, would his sister not be in danger?
Thus, Fuxi thought that rather than waiting for someone else to come and steal it, he might as well take the initiative to resolve the danger.
Fuxi reasoned that if the places for Sagehood were not fixed, it would be better to hand over the primordial violet qi to Di Jun early and gain his protection in return.
Hearing Fuxi's question, Hongjun glanced at him.
Then he looked at the empty place among the prayer cushions and immediately understood why Fuxi had asked.
Hongjun slowly spoke.
"Laozi and Yuanshi possess creation merit and may attain Sagehood."
"Nuwa will have her own destined opportunity in the future and may likewise attain a place among the Sages."
"Zhunti and Jieyin have come from the west and may receive two places among the Sages."
With that, Hongjun fell silent.
Everyone immediately understood.
There was a reason behind the distribution of the primordial violet qi.
It was not that whoever obtained primordial violet qi could become a Sage, but that whoever could become a Sage was entitled to obtain primordial violet qi.
Learning this, and considering their status as the Dao Ancestor's disciples, many of those harboring ulterior motives immediately abandoned their plans.
After all, if they fought over it only to obtain something useless, would they not be asking for trouble?
Yet not everyone gave up on the idea.
Kunpeng, who was also seated on a prayer cushion, wore an exceptionally dark expression, his heart brimming with resentment.
Bastard! Why can't I, Kunpeng, become a Sage?
Kunpeng's eyes were filled with bitterness.
Even so, there was nothing he could do.
Once they heard that the others had no hope of becoming Sages, the members of the Witch Clan breathed sighs of relief.
Dijiang looked at Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor with amusement, making no effort to hide the contempt in his eyes.
Di Jun, you bird-brained bastard! As long as you don't become a Sage, the Witch Clan has nothing to fear from you!
Dijiang was delighted and felt that this trip had been well worth making.
As for Nuwa, although she likewise held a high position in the Demon Tribe, she rarely concerned herself with its affairs.
Like Houtu of the Witch Clan, she seldom took part in warfare, so there was no need to worry too much about her.
Besides, the Dao Ancestor had said that they would become Sages, but he had not said when.
Perhaps the Demon Tribe would have been wiped out by then. What use would a lone Sage be?
The more Dijiang thought about it, the more pleased he became.
Meanwhile, Houtu had kept her head lowered without saying a word. Once Fuxi finished asking his question, she suddenly raised her head to look at Hongjun and spoke.
"May I ask, Dao Ancestor, is there a way for the Witch Clan to attain the Dao?"
Hearing Houtu speak, Hongjun gave her a searching look.
"The time for the Witch Clan's destined opportunity has not yet come."
At this answer, everyone in the hall drew in a sharp breath.
Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor in particular looked exceptionally grim.
How the hell were they supposed to compete now?
The members of the Witch Clan were already monstrously powerful.
Their Demon Tribe had Nuwa, a future Sage, but now the Witch Clan also had a chance to attain the Dao. Did that not mean it would keep pinning their Demon Tribe down and beating them?
Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor felt an ever-growing sense of urgency.
Everyone in the hall exchanged glances.
There were conditions attached to Sagehood, so they could not fight for it. Then where did their own path lie? Were they supposed to spend their entire lives beneath others? What Dao were they even cultivating, then?
At once, everyone in the hall began crying out.
"Please have mercy, Dao Ancestor, and grant us a method to attain the Dao!"
Everyone in the hall kowtowed and pleaded in unison.
Hongjun merely raised his eyes slightly. His gaze was so indifferent that it seemed there was no one before him at all.
He simply ignored them.
Silence was the greatest contempt of all.
How could those present fail to understand that? But faced with Hongjun, the foremost expert in the Primordial World, they dared say nothing more. They could only beg him, hoping he might show a little mercy and grant them a path to attaining the Dao.
After a long while, Hongjun slowly spoke.
"If you can secure the position of the leading force of heaven and earth, its fortune will gather upon you, and you may likewise stand equal to Sages."
Hongjun's voice was calm. Having spoken, he gave them no further chance to ask questions. His figure vanished directly from the Purple Cloud Palace, leaving everyone exchanging bewildered glances.
At first, they failed to grasp his meaning, but soon some of them understood.
Di Jun, the Eastern Emperor, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches exchanged looks, each reading the intent in the others' eyes.
Winning the position of the leading force of heaven and earth would let them stand equal to Sages. This condition was far simpler than obtaining primordial violet qi.
As long as they could destroy the other side, they would immediately secure that position.
For a moment, the will to battle permeated the Purple Cloud Palace.
Everyone knew that something momentous would likely soon happen between the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe.
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