Chapter 105: The Third Sermon, The Primordial Violet Qi

“Ding... ding... ding...” The melodious chimes echoed through the primordial wilderness, rousing the Ancient Patriarch of the Universe who had been meditating quietly on his cloud bed inside the Qiankun Hall on Abbot Island. From the vast expanse of heaven and earth came the transcendent voice of Hongjun: “Ten thousand years have passed. I shall now deliver a lecture on the Primordial Way at the Purple Cloud Palace. Those with affinity may come to listen.”

At the mention of the Primordial Way, cultivators throughout the wilderness were stirred with excitement. The “Primordial” refers to the Sages—also known as the Primordial Great Dao Golden Immortals. Anyone beneath the Sage is but an ant; who would not desire to become an existence impervious to all calamities?

Within the Purple Cloud Palace, as those who came to hear the Dao gathered, the incarnation of the malevolent corpse of Qiankun disguised as the Old Ancestor of the Dark River, Yuan Tu the Daoist, noticed that only around two thousand had arrived this time. Clearly, many cultivators had perished in battles over spiritual treasures and other disputes during the past ten thousand years. Otherwise, none would dare miss the final teachings on the Primordial Way.

“Ding...” A bell tolled once more inside the Purple Cloud Palace. Everyone focused their attention on the grand stage, where Hongjun Daoist Patriarch appeared silently from the void, clad in a greyish-white robe, seated upon the cloud bed atop the platform. His aura was more profound than before, evidently having made another great leap in strength.

Yuan Tu Daoist narrowed his eyes, secretly wondering, “Could it be that Hongjun has been continuously integrating with the Heavenly Dao, comprehending the Way of Heaven and Earth?”

Without wasting time, Hongjun lowered his gaze slightly, observing his mind and breath, and began to utter the true words of the Great Dao. These words poured forth slowly, lingering throughout the Purple Cloud Palace: “The Dao gives birth to One; One gives birth to Two; Two gives birth to Three; Three gives birth to all things. All things bear yin and embrace yang, harmonizing through the vital breath. To act without action, to deal with affairs without affairs...”

This discourse on the Primordial Way was deeply mysterious and abstruse, difficult to grasp. Even the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti who sat in the front row furrowed their brows in concentration. As for those seated further back, only the quasi-Saints could understand part of it; the rest were confused and overwhelmed, swallowing the teachings without truly digesting them.

Three thousand years later, Hongjun finally concluded his lecture on the Primordial Way. Few present remained fully lucid; most were dazed and bewildered, their minds reeling from the obscure teachings, painfully doubting their own intelligence.

As Hongjun began to speak, those who had been dazed regained clarity. “After Pangu created Heaven and Earth, I obtained the Butterfly of Creation and comprehended the Great Dao, following Heaven’s order to enlighten all beings. Having lectured thrice, my merits are now complete. From today onward, I shall merge with the Dao in my body, emerging only in the face of a grand calamity of Heaven and Earth.”

“Under the Heavenly Dao, the Sage must arise in accordance with the Dao, becoming a Primordial Great Dao Golden Immortal, achieving Primordial realization. The primordial spirit lodges in the void, becoming an immortal body impervious to all calamities. Without becoming a Sage, one shall fall in tribulations. Thus, without realizing the Primordial, one remains but an ant!” Hongjun continued.

The crowd was stunned at these words. Then Hongjun’s declaration shook their hearts further: “Among my disciples, there shall be six Sage seats.”

Six Sage seats? The crowd quickly understood and turned their eyes toward the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti. Their gazes burned with envy and hatred. None present was the actual person, yet all knew that a seat ahead represented a Sage’s position!

“May I ask, Patriarch, who shall occupy these six Sage seats?” someone could not help but ask.

Hongjun did not answer directly. Instead, he extended his hand, and above his palm appeared a cluster of purple energy—the foundational Primordial Qi of the Great Dao. He then said, “Pangu opened Heaven with great merits. Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian are incarnations of Pangu’s primordial spirit and may become my disciples. When their time comes, they shall share in his merits and achieve Sage status.”

Upon finishing, three streams of purple energy flew from the cluster and entered the bodies of the Three Pure Ones, who were visibly delighted.

Hongjun continued, “Nuwa may become my inner disciple, destined to achieve great merits in the future and attain Sagehood.”

Another stream of purple energy flew into Nuwa’s body, who also wore a joyful expression.

However, Hongjun then closed his eyes lightly and fell silent, leaving Jieyin and Zhunti, who looked at him with great anticipation, anxious.

“Teacher, my senior brother and I seek the Dao with one heart. We hope you will grant us your blessing!” Zhunti bowed deeply, tears streaming down his face.

Hongjun finally opened his eyes slightly and glanced at Zhunti. “Jieyin and Zhunti may be my registered disciples. Though they lack innate merits, they are destined to establish great teachings and cultivate merits, thus also becoming Sages.”

Two more streams of Primordial purple energy dispersed, but the crowd noticed that Hongjun still held one roaring purple energy in his hand, causing many to envy.

“Please, Teacher, have mercy on us!” The crowd eagerly and competitively kowtowed to Hongjun.

Yuan Tu Daoist watched with some disbelief. Hongjun glanced at him—he, standing apart, did not bow—and shook his head with a sigh: “Very well, I shall grant it to you all. Who obtains it will depend on fate.”

With that, the remaining Primordial purple energy drifted about in the grand hall. The crowd reached out to grasp it, but found nothing to hold onto; it was like trying to catch the wind or a wisp of smoke—completely intangible. Frustrated, they would have resorted to any means if Hongjun were not present.

The Primordial purple energy lingered above the hall for some time without settling. Yuan Tu Daoist squinted, thinking it might enter the body of Red Cloud, the kind-hearted fellow, but to his shock, the purple energy suddenly flew toward him instead. Before he could react, it had already merged into his body.

The crowd inside the Purple Cloud Palace was stunned, then clenched their teeth in envy and hatred. Some even concealed murderous intent in their eyes.

“What the hell is going on?” Yuan Tu Zhenren, momentarily dumbfounded, soon realized the hostile gazes upon him and felt his scalp tingle, cursing inwardly, “Damn it! Hongjun, you’re trying to trick me! Did he see through my identity? But there’s no need to play games like this! Although the Primordial Qi is beneficial, it’s a hot potato!”

Before this path to Primordial realization, the Ancient Patriarch of the Universe had never relied on the Primordial Qi. His comprehension of the Dao was profound enough to ascend to the Primordial Great Dao Golden Immortal realm by himself, and this path to Sagehood would grant him even greater strength since it was self-realized, his realm sufficiently lofty.

“Hongjun, I curse your ancestors!” Yuan Tu Daoist glared coldly at Hongjun’s impassive face, then turned his piercing gaze toward the hostile onlookers within the Purple Cloud Palace—Emperor Jun, the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, and the demonic master Kunpeng. “You greedy fools blinded by avarice, if you dare, leave the Purple Cloud Palace and come kill me! Then don’t blame me for unleashing slaughter. My Yuan Tu Divine Sword thirsts for the blood of truly powerful beings!”

The malevolent corpse incarnation of the Ancient Patriarch of the Universe, Yuan Tu Daoist, was no gentle soul. As one who had severed the evil corpse with his Divine Sword, he was decisive and ruthless. His fierce glare chilled many to the bone, instinctively quelling their greed.

However, mighty quasi-Saints like Emperor Jun, Eastern Emperor Taiyi, and Kunpeng were not intimidated by Yuan Tu Daoist. Especially Emperor Jun and Eastern Emperor Taiyi, who had reached the level of two-corpse quasi-Saints, brimmed with confidence. Even knowing that the Old Ancestor of the Dark River was protected by a supreme innate spiritual treasure, they remained confident they could kill him with the might of the Chaos Bell. For the foundational Primordial Qi of the Dao, they would show no mercy.

After distributing the Primordial Qi, Hongjun said further: “There are fifty great Daos, and the Heavenly Derivation manifests forty-nine. Everything depends on a single thread of opportunity. Thus, though there are many great Daos, those with great perseverance and wisdom may still become Sages. You must all strive to seize that one chance!”

“To seize that one chance? Hongjun, you’re encouraging them to attack me! What grudge do I have with you? You’re scheming against me!” Yuan Tu Daoist gritted his teeth, murderous intent flaring within him.