Turmoil in the Primordial World

With the arrival of the Witch Clan's Twelve Ancestral Witches, the atmosphere in the great hall of the Purple Cloud Palace suddenly grew tense.

Over the years, the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe had certainly stirred up plenty of commotion across the Primordial World.

The two sides fought almost whenever they met.

The members of the Witch Clan possessed immensely powerful bodies. Some great witches could even withstand the might of Innate Spiritual Treasures with their flesh alone.

A single great witch could often slaughter a small squad of the Demon Tribe, sending them tumbling head over heels.

But the Demon Tribe was no pushover either.

Although individual members of the Demon Tribe were weaker than the Witch Clan, they had the advantage of overwhelming numbers.

By now, almost every race in the Primordial World apart from the Witch Clan had been classified as part of the Demon Tribe.

Of course, the powerful races left over from ancient times, such as the Dragon Tribe, the Phoenix Clan, and the qilins and white tigers, had not involved themselves in this affair.

The last great tribulation had inflicted devastating losses on those races. They had since gone into hiding and no longer showed themselves.

A hint of delight appeared on Laozi's and Yuanshi's faces when they saw the witches arrive.

With the Witch Clan intervening, Di Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi would no longer focus their attention on them.

This was undoubtedly good news for the two of them.

After all, neither could defeat Di Jun or the Eastern Emperor yet. Insisting on a fight would only cost them face for nothing.

When Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor heard Dijiang's voice, their expressions darkened, and they snorted coldly.

"Hmph! Dijiang, even you muscle-bound, brainless fools have come to the Purple Cloud Palace."

"The Dao Ancestor's sermons are meant for cultivators like us. What use is listening to the Dao for barbarians like you, who know nothing but fighting?"

Di Jun was mocking the witches for not cultivating their primordial spirits, making the sermon useless to them.

Yet Dijiang and the other Ancestral Witches paid no heed to his words.

"Haha! Di Jun, if a scruffy bird like you can come to the Purple Cloud Palace to hear the Dao, then we, the descendants of Pangu, can certainly come too."

"Speaking of which, our fellow Daoists Laozi and Yuanshi share quite a connection with us."

"You two, why don't we join forces and throw these two scruffy birds out of the Purple Cloud Palace? Then we won't have to look at them."

Dijiang suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

Despite his hulking, burly appearance, his brain was working remarkably well at that moment.

Where were they? This was the Dao Ancestor's Dao Field, the Purple Cloud Palace.

If they dared to start a fight with Di Jun over a private grudge, they would surely come to a bad end.

But if they brought Laozi and Yuanshi into it, things would be entirely different.

After all, Laozi and Yuanshi possessed Pangu's creation merit and were themselves born from Pangu's Primordial Spirit. Everyone had to show them some respect; presumably, even Hongjun would not reprimand them too harshly.

If he could make Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor lose face before all these mighty cultivators, his Witch Clan would be able to act with greater confidence in the Primordial World from then on.

They might even seize the opportunity to win over a few mighty cultivators.

After all, everyone capable of reaching the Purple Cloud Palace possessed considerable cultivation.

Laozi's and Yuanshi's eyes lit up at his words.

Dijiang had spoken straight to their hearts.

They had just been wondering how to regain the face they had lost to Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor. They had barely grown sleepy before someone delivered a pillow.

The two exchanged a glance.

"Elder brother, what do you think?"

Yuanshi could barely contain himself.

Every one of the Twelve Ancestral Witches was immensely powerful, and Di Jun did not have the Ten Great Demon Saints protecting him at the moment. Only the Eastern Emperor stood beside him.

With the two of them joining forces as well, suppressing Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor would be effortless.

Laozi, however, still had some misgivings.

Joining forces with the Witch Clan to drive Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor out of the Purple Cloud Palace would certainly feel satisfying, but it would also entangle them completely in the conflict between the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe.

Just as Laozi hesitated, a voice suddenly interrupted everyone's thoughts.

"The time for the sermon has arrived. Take your seats, and cease your clamor."

As the voice fell, the oppressive might of a Sage descended.

Both sides, who had been poised to clash only moments earlier, staggered beneath that pressure.

Even the Ancestral Witches were forced to bend at the waist beneath it, nearly collapsing.

Everyone was inwardly horrified.

"Is this the power of a Sage?"

"His presence alone is enough to keep even us Ancestral Witches from standing straight!"

Only now did they finally realize the gravity of the situation. They had underestimated Sages far too much.

Di Jun and the Eastern Emperor were no less shocked than Dijiang and the others by the Sage's oppressive might.

So this is how terrifying a Sage's strength is! No! No matter what, I must become a Sage!

At that moment, everyone present felt their yearning for Sagehood flare to life.

They discovered that, before a Sage, the strength they took such pride in was as feeble as an infant's.

Amid their shock, Hongjun's figure slowly appeared.

Seated upon the purple-hued Cloud Bed, Hongjun slowly opened his eyes.

Looking down at the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe, he nodded inwardly.

Good. The conflict between the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe has already begun to emerge.

Once both withdraw from the Primordial World, my Dao Integration can advance another step.

The conflict between the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe was part of the great tide of heaven and earth. Following the Heavenly Dao would allow Hongjun to deepen his Dao Integration.

Hongjun had noticed everyone as soon as they arrived, but he had not intervened in the dispute between the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe.

Only when the Witch Clan tried to draw Yuanshi and Laozi to their side did Hongjun appear to stop them.

After all, both races were destined to leave the stage of history. If Laozi and the others were dragged into it and became entangled in karmic ties, the trouble would be immense.

He would then have to find a way to fish those two out.

Go ahead and fight. All your efforts are futile anyway.

Hongjun looked at the Witch Clan and the Demon Tribe as though they were ants.

Yet when his gaze fell upon Laozi and Yuanshi, it froze.

What is going on? Tongtian has missed the sermon again!

Hongjun, who had seemed in complete control only moments earlier, now felt as though ten thousand goddamn alpacas were stampeding through his mind.

Before announcing this sermon, he had feared Tongtian might not attend and had specifically declared that he would teach the Quasi-Saint Dao. Yet the fellow had still refused to show him the slightest respect.

Hongjun seethed.

This won't do! I am supposed to distribute the places for Sagehood after this sermon. If Tongtian doesn't come, how am I to bestow the Sagehood already allotted to him?

Hongjun was furious.

The Three Pure Ones possessed creation merit.

Moreover, only Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian together could represent Pangu to a certain degree.

Without Tongtian, the difference would be far from trivial. It might even affect his own Dao Integration.

At that thought, Hongjun could no longer sit still.

Could Tongtian have failed to come because something has detained him? I had better perform a divination.

With that thought, Hongjun extended his divine sense toward Kunlun Mountain.

Meanwhile, within the Sage's Dao Field, the system in Xu Tong's mind reacted once again.

"Ding. The host's failure to attend the sermon has aroused Hongjun's suspicion. He is currently using his divine sense to investigate the host. Will you open the barrier and allow Dao Ancestor Hongjun to investigate? Host, please make your choice."

"Option one: open the barrier and allow Hongjun to investigate freely. Reward: Chaos Bead."

"Option two: seal the barrier completely and keep Hongjun outside. Reward: two portions of creation merit."