Hongjun Took Disciples

"This..."

At that moment, the Ancestral Witches all looked in surprise at the Three Purities, who had severed their corpses.

The Three Purities could sense that their cultivation surpassed that of the Ancestral Witches, and the Ancestral Witches could naturally sense that their own cultivation fell short of the Three Purities'.

"Eldest brother, what's going on? Why do those three feel stronger than us after their breakthrough..."

Zhurong was the first to lose his composure and ask through a voice transmission.

You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask?

Dijiang, the poor student who had never listened attentively to the Dao from the start, had no idea.

Houtu, the Ancestral Witch who had listened attentively all along, hurriedly sent a voice transmission to explain to her brothers and sisters.

"Brothers, there's no need to worry. This is the wonder of the Dao Method of Severing the Three Corpses that Dao Ancestor Hongjun taught. With each corpse severed, their cultivation advances greatly with the help of an Innate Spirit Treasure's power."

"But if they can't sever a second corpse, their cultivation will remain at that level."

"As for us, we only need to spend time continuing to integrate the Great Dao into our bodies and transform our constitutions, and our cultivation will keep growing, with no bottlenecks."

After hearing Houtu's explanation, the other Ancestral Witches all understood and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Just then, the auspicious clouds above the heads of Nüwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti, who were also seated on the first row of cushions, began to churn.

Quasi-Sage pressure spread out, while strands of black-and-yellow merit Qi drifted and circulated within the clouds. Clearly, they too were on the verge of severing their corpses.

However...

According to the Dao Method of Severing the Three Corpses that Hongjun had taught, the three corpses could be entrusted to innate objects and severed.

But for Quasi-Sages, the increase in Law Power and cultivation from severing a corpse with an innate object and doing so with an Innate Spirit Treasure were two entirely different things.

Unlike the Three Purities, who had long since taken Hongjun as their master and had some spirit treasures to protect themselves, Nüwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti had no powerful Innate Spirit Treasures.

Unwilling to sever their corpses with ordinary innate objects or Innate Spirit Treasures, the three had not severed the benevolent corpses above their heads.

The breakthroughs of the mighty figures in the first row seemed to trigger some kind of chain reaction.

The auspicious clouds above the heads of all the mighty figures in the second row churned as well, and wave after wave of Quasi-Sage might spread out.

Among them, those like Zhenyuanzi and Ancestor Minghe, who possessed Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures, directly severed the Benevolent Corpse and Evil Corpse above their heads.

Those like Hongyun, whose ambitions were modest, also directly severed their benevolent corpses using High-Grade Innate Spirit Treasures such as the Nine-Nine Soul-Scattering Gourd.

As for those like Kunpeng and Fuxi, who had no powerful spirit treasures yet were unwilling to sever their corpses with innate objects, they were just like Nüwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti.

Although their Benevolent Corpses and Evil Corpses had emerged and their cultivation had broken through, they forcibly suppressed the urge to sever their corpses.

And as the mighty figures of the Primordial World in the second row broke through one after another,

Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi, who had shown no reaction from beginning to end, immediately became the focus of the other mighty figures' attention.

"Damn it..."

Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi gritted their teeth, their hearts full of unwillingness.

In particular, sensing the Twelve Ancestral Witches' mockery and the veiled looks from the Daluo they had recruited, they burned with even greater anger.

If those bastards of the Witch Race had not disturbed them again and again while they listened to the Dao, how could the two brothers possibly have been stuck at this bottleneck?

Amid the lingering sounds of the Dao, another full thousand years passed.

In the second row of cushions, a wisp of black Qi circulated through the auspicious clouds above Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi's heads, and an intense killing intent overflowed.

Evil Corpse!

Sever!

Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi both let out a thunderous shout, and two vicious-looking Daoists flashed through the auspicious clouds above their heads.

"Phew!"

Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi immediately let out long breaths of relief.

Although they were a little late, they had ultimately succeeded in severing their corpses and attaining the Dao to become Quasi-Sages before this lecture ended.

Meanwhile, in the back row,

A trace of regret crossed the faces of all Twelve Ancestral Witches as they watched Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi break through.

There had ultimately been too few of them. They had interrupted Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi only eleven times and had been unable to stop the pair from breaking through to the Quasi-Sage realm.

And in the thousand years after the two severed their corpses and broke through,

A few scattered Daluo in the third row finally severed their corpses using innate objects or Innate Spirit Treasures and attained the Dao to become Quasi-Sages.

However, just as the Quasi-Sages who had already severed their corpses and attained the Dao were cultivating diligently in hopes of severing their second corpses, and the cultivators who were still Daluo were cultivating diligently in hopes of severing their corpses and attaining the Dao,

The lingering sounds of the Dao echoing through the Purple Firmament Palace suddenly faded away. The mighty figures immersed in those sounds abruptly came to their senses, each wearing an expression of reluctance.

But the allotted three thousand years had passed, and Dao Ancestor Hongjun had stopped his lecture.

"Many thanks, Dao Ancestor!"

Whether they were mighty figures who had already broken through to the Quasi-Sage realm or those still at the Daluo level, they all bowed to the ground.

The grace of being taught the Dao was greater than the heavens!

"Rise." Dao Ancestor Hongjun's tone was calm, without joy or sorrow. His gaze swept over the mighty figures below before he spoke indifferently.

"Having become a Sage, I must enlighten the Primordial World for ten thousand years, and I should have several disciples under me. Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, I taught you the Dao and imparted methods to you before I attained the Dao. Today, are you willing to formally become my disciples?"

"Greetings, Master!"

The Three Purities did not hesitate in the slightest. They all bowed at once and addressed him as master.

"Nüwa, are you willing to become my disciple?" Hongjun continued.

"Greetings, Master!"

Nüwa rejoiced inwardly. Without the slightest hesitation, she too bowed gracefully and addressed him as master.

Although Jieyin and Zhunti had not yet been accepted as Hongjun's disciples, the Three Purities and Nüwa had been taken in one after another.

How could the mighty figures present still fail to understand what the six cushions in the first row meant?

Dijun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi's eyes immediately turned red. They had clearly severed their Evil Corpses and should not have been affected by killing intent, yet at that moment, they both desperately wanted to kill.

"Jieyin, Zhunti, you two belong to a side path, and your affinity with me is shallow. You can only be my Registered Disciples. Are you willing?" Hongjun continued.

"We are willing."

"Greetings, Master!"

Although they were only Registered Disciples, Jieyin and Zhunti were overjoyed all the same and bowed to Hongjun.

Just then, three streaks of light suddenly flew out of Hongjun's sleeve, each landing before one of the Three Purities.

"Laozi, as my eldest disciple in the Mysterious Gate, I bestow upon you the Innate Supreme Treasure, the Taiji Diagram!"

As Hongjun spoke, the divine light before Laozi broke apart into specks of radiance, and a Taiji scroll with Dao charm flowing through it fell into Laozi's hands.

"Thank you, Master!" Laozi was immediately overjoyed and bowed in thanks.

The Purple Firmament Palace fell frighteningly silent. The mighty figures all stared in shock at the very front.

An Innate Supreme Treasure!

This was an Innate Supreme Treasure! Many of the Daluo among them had never even seen an Innate Spirit Treasure, yet Dao Ancestor Hongjun had casually bestowed an Innate Supreme Treasure.

"Yuanshi, you are my second disciple. In the future, you shall enlighten the Primordial World on my behalf. I bestow this Innate Supreme Treasure, the Pangu Banner, upon you for your protection."

"Thank you, Master!" Yuanshi was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed in thanks.

In the Purple Firmament Palace, the mighty figures were dumbstruck. Another Innate Supreme Treasure had been bestowed.

"Tongtian, you are fierce and bold by nature. I bestow upon you the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords and the Immortal-Slaying Formation Diagram, with which you can set up the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation."

"Though this formation is not an Innate Supreme Treasure, once deployed, it cannot be broken without four Sages. I hope you will use it with care," Hongjun continued.

"Thank you, Master!"

Although Tongtian was somewhat disappointed to hear that it was not an Innate Supreme Treasure, the words "cannot be broken without four Sages" immediately filled his heart with pleasant surprise, and he hurriedly bowed in thanks.

Then, under the now-numb gazes of the mighty figures in the Purple Firmament Palace, Dao Ancestor Hongjun took out the Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure Red Embroidered Ball and the Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure Mountains and Rivers State Diagram and bestowed them upon Nüwa.

Even the two Registered Disciples, Jieyin and Zhunti, were granted the Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure Twelfth-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit and the Supreme-Grade Innate Spirit Treasure Azure Lotus Treasure Color Flag.

After receiving the spirit treasures Hongjun had bestowed, Nüwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti immediately bowed in thanks and, as if of one mind, took them into the auspicious clouds above their heads.

In an instant, their benevolent corpses were severed.

The three immediately made great advances in their cultivation, catching up to the Three Purities beside them, who had severed their corpses long ago.

"Eastern King Duke, Western Queen Mother!" Hongjun suddenly looked toward the two Quasi-Sages, a man and a woman, seated in the second row below.