The Sermon Ends! The Sage Merges with the Dao!

"My mind is made up. You need say no more."

Sage Hongjun's gaze swept slowly over the powerful figures in the hall. The Chaos Qi in his eyes was restrained and rich. His expression was calm as he said slowly, "The Great Dao is fifty, and Heaven derives forty-nine, leaving one that escapes. It must be made whole! You need only remember this: in the future, minor trends may be reversed, but major events must never be changed!"

"We shall heed your teachings, Teacher!"

Seeing how resolute Sage Hongjun was, the powerful figures could say little more. They answered once again in unison and bowed to him together.

"Good!"

Sage Hongjun nodded. Without another word, he began preaching the Great Dao.

As Sage Hongjun began his sermon, wondrous phenomena appeared once more in the Purple Treasure Firmament Hall. Heavenly flowers rained down, golden lotuses sprang from the ground, and Dao charm circulated throughout the hall.

Perhaps because three thousand years had passed, the Dao of the Sage that Sage Hongjun preached this time was even more profound.

It had grown even more obscure. Apart from a very small number of powerful figures, the other beings could not understand it. Lost in clouds and mist, they were thoroughly bewildered and found it difficult to grasp the Dao within.

All they could do was summon their three flowers and set them spinning above their heads, forcibly recording everything Sage Hongjun said so they could slowly contemplate it after the sermon ended.

More notably, Lin Yunji did not fall straight asleep as he had the previous two times. Instead, he sank his consciousness inward and entered his storage space to refine the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu.

Of course, although Lin Yunji had chosen not to sleep, the result was no different from the previous two times, when he had slept soundly through it all.

After all, he now heard nothing and saw nothing. Not a single word of the Sage Dao Hongjun preached entered his mind, so he was certain to gain nothing from it.

The Heaven-Reaching Jianmu was indeed worthy of being the legendary, supreme Primordial Expanse Supreme Treasure. Its quality was plainly extraordinary, and it possessed countless restrictions. Even with Lin Yunji's system talent, which could shorten the time needed to refine Law Treasures, he could not refine it completely in a short time.

Moreover, by his calculations, it would evidently take much longer.

Time slipped quietly by. In the blink of an eye, thirty thousand years slowly passed.

Hongjun stopped speaking on time. He opened his eyes, and within them was nothing but chaos.

As soon as Sage Hongjun's voice stopped, the powerful figures awoke from listening to the Dao one after another.

Lin Yunji naturally awoke right on time as well, a trace of regret showing on his face.

He had spent a full thirty thousand years refining the Heaven-Reaching Jianmu, yet he still had not refined it completely. When he carefully sensed it, he found that it would probably take quite some time yet.

"Thirty thousand years have passed. I shall preach no more!"

Before the powerful figures could react, they heard Hongjun speak again:

"Within this hall, I have observed you for tens of thousands of years. Several among you still have an unbroken affinity with me and may become my disciples!" Hongjun said slowly, his expression calm, but his words left many of the powerful figures quite shocked.

At Sage Hongjun's words, every one of the powerful figures' expressions changed dramatically. They were visibly excited and overjoyed.

They gazed intently at Sage Hongjun on the Dao platform, their eyes full of hope. Each of them hoped Sage Hongjun would take them as a disciple of the Mystic Gate.

After all, none of the powerful figures present were fools. They naturally understood that if they could become a Sage's disciple-and Dao Ancestor Hongjun's disciple at that-never mind the fortuitous opportunities involved, simply having their name called now and standing out among the other three thousand listeners would be enough to mark them as extraordinary.

"Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, you were all formed from Pangu's Primordial Spirit. The Great God Pangu bore the merit of opening the heavens, so all of you may become my disciples of the Mystic Gate!" Sage Hongjun said slowly, looking toward the Three Pure Ones. Though his tone was utterly even, the words filled the Three Pure Ones with joy.

The Three Pure Ones were visibly excited. "Your disciples pay their respects, Teacher," they said, hastily kowtowing and respectfully bowing their heads to the ground.

In the Purple Treasure Firmament Hall, the other powerful figures were naturally filled with envy at the sight.

They hoped in their hearts that Sage Hongjun would call their names.

"Now that you are my disciples of the Mystic Gate, you should have Law Treasures to protect yourselves and suppress your own fortune!"

As soon as Sage Hongjun finished speaking, he raised a hand and waved it. Three streaks of purple light instantly flew from his sleeve, flashed past, and entered the bodies of the Three Pure Ones.

In the void before the three of them, a soft, precious light also floated slowly.

Several Law Treasures lay concealed within the light, appearing and disappearing from view.

They were none other than three Innate Supreme Treasures: the Taiji Diagram, the Pangu Banner, and the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords and their formation diagram!

"To the three of you, I give the Taiji Diagram, the Pangu Banner, and the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords and their formation diagram, respectively!"

"The Innate Supreme Treasures, the Taiji Diagram and the Pangu Banner, possess tremendous power and can be used to suppress fortune!"

"Though the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords, Innate Supreme-Grade Spirit Treasures, are inferior to the first two, they too can suppress fortune. Their four swords, used together with the formation diagram, can form the Immortal-Slaying Sword Formation. Even four Sages cannot break it."

"Each of these treasures has its own extraordinary qualities. You will learn them once you have refined them!"

"Many thanks, Teacher!"

Everything Sage Hongjun had said filled the Three Pure Ones with joy. They suppressed their excitement and accepted the treasures under the envious gazes of the other powerful figures.

Afterward, Sage Hongjun also took Lady Nüwa as his disciple, granting her Primordial Expanse purple qi, the Red Embroidered Ball, and the Innate Supreme-Grade Spirit Treasure, the Mountains and Rivers State Diagram.

He then took Jieyin and Zhunti as Registered Disciples, granting them Primordial Expanse purple qi, the Innate Supreme-Grade Spirit Treasure Twelfth-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit, the Empowerment Divine Object, the Jieyin Treasure Pillar, and the Seven Treasures Wondrous Tree, respectively!

Hongjun's gaze slowly swept over the powerful figures in the hall, and he sent out another strand of Primordial Expanse purple qi.

The powerful figures watched as that strand of Primordial Expanse purple qi flew straight into Hongyun's body.

Although Hongjun had not mentioned taking Daoist Hongyun as a Registered Disciple, this was enough to delight him!

Having received a strand of Primordial Expanse purple qi, Hongyun naturally thanked him repeatedly.

Hongyun, however, did not notice a gaze filled with malice and venom fixed firmly on him from behind.

"All my disciples of the Mystic Gate are now gathered!" Sage Hongjun said mildly.

The other powerful figures who had not been named could not help feeling disappointed, but they heard Sage Hongjun continue, "On the Treasure-Dividing Cliff outside the hall are countless heavenly materials and earthly treasures that I have gathered over the years. You may follow my attendant children, Haotian and Yaochi, there. All treasures possess spiritual nature; those with the affinity to do so shall obtain them!"

With that, Sage Hongjun waved his great sleeve and transported them all out of the hall. He transmitted his voice to them: "You may go yourselves!"

"We bow and thank you, Teacher!"

Suddenly, a jade butterfly radiating brilliant five-colored light all over its body slowly rose and began to turn in the void above the Purple Treasure Firmament Hall.

The powerful figures stood outside the hall and looked up. They saw light flowing across the jade butterfly, within which were contained the three thousand Great Daos, spanning heaven and earth!

"Merge! With the Dao!"

Suddenly, a timeworn voice exploded between heaven and earth, bearing the Great Dao within it. Its echoes seemed to linger on and on, and only after an unknown length of time did peace return to heaven and earth.

Sage Hongjun had merged with the Dao!

The powerful figures now looked again at the Three Pure Ones, Lady Nüwa, and the others, and were filled with envy.

Just moments ago, Sage Hongjun had not only taken them as disciples but had also given them quite a few Law Treasures!

"The Three Pure Ones were already unfathomable, and now Teacher has taken them as disciples. They'll be even less to be trifled with in the future!"

"Exactly! They all have supreme treasures to protect themselves, especially Tongtian. With the Four Immortal-Slaying Swords and the formation diagram, his combat strength will surely multiply several times over!"

"And Nüwa has two supreme treasures as well. Though they aren't as good as those of the Three Pure Ones, their power can't be underestimated!"

"Haven't you noticed? All the disciples Teacher took were sitting on those lotus seats!"

"That's right!"

No one knew who said it, but those words brought something to the minds of the powerful figures, and they all turned toward Lin Yunji.

They had seen it perfectly clearly at the time. Lin Yunji had been about to sit on one of those seats, only to suddenly jump away, ultimately giving Lady Nüwa the chance.

Seen that way, he had thrown away the fortuitous opportunity to become a Sage's disciple with his own hands!

They looked over only because they wanted to see tears and regret on Lin Yunji's face.

To put it bluntly, they wanted to laugh at Lin Yunji!

But the powerful figures were disappointed!

Not only did they see no regret or pain on Lin Yunji's face, but he did not even pay them any attention!

His eyes were bright and fixed without wavering on a great formation outside the hall.

What he was thinking, however, was: Heavenly Scar Fragment! Wait! I'm coming!