Hong Jun vs. Nu Wa, The Great Deceiver Appears

"Why is there a problem with the Hongmeng Purple Qi?"

As soon as Nu Wa finished speaking, a gasp was heard.

"What?"

Before Hong Jun could speak, the others who had received the Hongmeng Purple Qi began to discuss amongst themselves.

"How could this be?"

"Is the matter of Hongmeng Purple Qi being able to Prove Dao a lie?"

"Would a Saint lie?"

"Then how do you explain the words of Saint Nu Wa?"

"This, I..."

Yuanshi, Tongtian, Hong Yun, Zhunti, and the other six were all in disbelief. One moment someone didn't believe, the next moment someone questioned it.

Taishang, on the other hand, remained silent, lost in thought.

Hong Jun cleared his throat, and after drawing everyone's attention, he slowly began to speak.

His expression was grave, and the others couldn't help but become tense.

Hong Jun pondered for a moment, organized his thoughts, and said to Nu Wa, "Alas, this fault is mine!"

Nu Wa was stunned. She had considered Hong Jun admitting it, confronting them, or blaming the Heavenly Dao... a thousand possibilities, but she had never imagined Hong Jun would take responsibility himself.

For a moment, Nu Wa stared blankly at Hong Jun, unsure of what to do next.

Yuanshi and the others exclaimed upon hearing Hong Jun's words, "What? Is there really something wrong with the Hongmeng Purple Qi?"

It was important to note that the Hongmeng Purple Qi was not only related to their chance to Prove Dao.

For hundreds of thousands of years, they had been nurturing the Hongmeng Purple Qi with their bodies. If the purple qi were to go out of control, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Seeing Nu Wa's silence, Hong Jun knew his objective had been achieved. He then turned his head to face the crowd.

"There is no need for you to be nervous!" Hong Jun comforted them. "The reason I have come here is precisely for the Hongmeng Purple Qi!"

The crowd was made even more nervous by Hong Jun's words and didn't think much of it, staring at Hong Jun, waiting for an explanation.

If there was anyone who remained clear-headed at this moment, it was Liu Mang.

[Actor is in position! Big Liar mode activated, please begin your performance!]

He was too familiar with this kind of maneuver; it was all stuff he had played before.

After making a mistake, not taking the blame and not shifting responsibility was the basic quality of a rogue.

Confession leads to leniency, resistance leads to severe punishment. But the extent of the confession was up to him.

[Next, it should be time to enter memory mode!]

Hong Jun gazed into the distance and slowly said, "This matter has to be traced back to when I merged with the Dao."

"When I merged my body with the Dao, the origin of the Heavenly Dao split into seven strands of Hongmeng Purple Qi. As I had merged with the Dao, I gained control of a portion of the Heavenly Dao's authority, and I knew that if someone could obtain the Hongmeng Purple Qi, they would have a chance to Prove Dao and become a Saint."

As Hong Jun spoke, his gaze swept over the six people, but it lingered on Hong Yun.

"This is also why I distributed the Hongmeng Purple Qi to you. I hoped that you would become Saints of the Hong Huang."

"The three sermons were both to spread the Dharma throughout the Hong Huang and to pave the way for your Proof of Dao."

"Thank you, Dao Ancestor!" Yuanshi and the others were deeply moved upon hearing this and quickly bowed in gratitude.

Hong Jun raised his hand slightly and continued, "I had just merged with the Dao, and after the three sermons, I had no remaining energy to focus on anything else. I could only devote myself entirely to merging with the Dao, in order to stabilize the operation of the Hong Huang."

[Lying! Keep lying!]

"However, the problem arose here." Hong Jun paused, seeing that he had captured everyone's attention, and then spoke again.

"Because I had just merged with the Dao, I was unaware of the Heavenly Dao's arrangements. I originally thought that it had split out the Hongmeng Purple Qi merely to nourish the Hong Huang, without any other deeper meaning."

"Alas, it can only be blamed on the Heavenly Dao's profound schemes, and that I was too naive."

Hearing Hong Jun say he was too naive, Liu Mang almost burst out laughing.

The last time he heard such words was when he was playing cards with two young ladies.

Thinking back now... Hmm~ I have to say, the cards were really white, no, the game was really wild.

[Pfft! Hahahaha, this is hilarious! An old geezer who has lived for billions of years claiming to be naive, this is truly like a dung beetle wearing a mask, shameless!]

"As my integration with the Heavenly Dao deepened, I learned more and more. I discovered that things were not at all as I had imagined."

"The Hong Huang originally had three Daos: the Heavenly Dao, the Earthly Dao, and the Human Dao. The Heavenly Dao..."

"Wait." Hong Jun was in the middle of an exciting explanation when he was suddenly interrupted by Ming He.

Although Hong Jun was a little displeased, he didn't say much, only looking at Ming He with a confused expression.

Ming He did not realize that his interruption was inappropriate. Instead, his face was filled with unconcealed excitement. "Dao Ancestor, does that mean there will be a total of 21 Saints?"

Di Jun and Tai Yi were stunned by Ming He's words, and then their hearts rejoiced.

Yes, seven Heavenly Dao Saints, plus seven each from the Earthly Dao and Human Dao, making a total of fourteen Saints.

Does this mean there are fourteen Saint positions left for them to divide?

The crowd, having understood, looked at Hong Jun with hopeful eyes.

Ideals are plump, reality is skinny! How could Hong Jun possibly allow Saints to emerge from the Earthly Dao and Human Dao.

Even if Saints appear, they would only be false Saints, merely fodder for his transcendence of Hong Huang.

Hong Jun scoffed inwardly at their reactions, fully understanding their thoughts.

Originally, this was how Hong Huang was meant to develop, but how could he allow Saints to emerge from the Earthly Dao and Human Dao? Otherwise, how would he transcend?

Hong Jun looked at Ming He and sarcastically mocked, "You think the Heavenly Dao is simple."

"You, Ming He, are also a major figure within Hong Huang. Would you tolerate another person emerging from the Sea of Blood to rival you?"

Ming He's expression faltered, and he chuckled obsequiously, "This... Of course not."

Although the Sea of Blood was formed from Pangu's navel and was inherently foul, a child doesn't despise its mother, nor does a dog scorn its poor family.

Ming He was born from the placenta of the Sea of Blood. To ask him to give up the Sea of Blood would be like asking him to leave his home; naturally, he was unwilling.

Hong Jun stated matter-of-factly, "Precisely! As the saying goes, one mountain cannot house two tigers."

"If even you wouldn't do it, do you think the Heavenly Dao would be so kind as to empower the Earthly Dao and Human Dao?"

Upon hearing this, the crowd nodded repeatedly, finding Hong Jun's words reasonable.

The Heavenly Dao is heartless; it's just a piece of running code. Where would kindness or unkindness come from?

Liu Mang lay on the ground, lamenting how easily these people were fooled.

It wasn't that they were easily fooled, but rather a matter of preconceived notions.

Hong Jun's three sermons and his achievement of Saint and Dao integration had already established an unfathomable image in everyone's minds.

Naturally, few people questioned Hong Jun's words.

It was like how Liu Mang had initially fooled Di Jun. Di Jun only believed him because he thought Liu Mang was a reincarnated powerful being, coupled with Di Jun's own excessive imagination, which led him to be deceived.

In reality, it all came down to the same principle as flirting with girls: first impressions are crucial!

Hong Jun gave a wry smile and sighed deeply, "Only after Nu Wa became a Saint, when she shattered the Hongmeng Purple Qi, did I manage to glimpse a sliver of the Heavenly Dao's purpose."

He paused for breath and looked at the crowd, "The Heavenly Dao's actions are aimed at destroying the Earthly Dao and Human Dao!"

"Hiss!"

As soon as Hong Jun uttered these words, the crowd gasped, and the temperature in localized areas noticeably rose.