At this moment, Jinchi's intestine turned green with regret. He could have also been one of the Dao Ancestor's disciples. Although the status of the Dao Ancestor's disciple was good, what he regretted was what the position represented.
Under the Immortal Path, there should be seven Saints of Heaven. Including the Dao Ancestor, wouldn't that mean the six sitting in the front would become Saints of Heaven?
"Didn't I tell you that you would regret it?" Kong Xuan whispered.
Jinchi turned his gaze towards Kong Xuan, his eyes full of regret. Unfortunately, there was no medicine for regret in this world.
Not just him, but Redcloud Ancestor also felt immense regret. What possessed him and made him give up the seat to Zhunti? Wouldn't it have been good to continue sitting there and become a Saint of Heaven?
Kunpeng's eyes bore into Kong Xuan's back. If it hadn't been for Kong Xuan's attack back then, he would have gotten the fifth seat. He wouldn’t have been like that idiot Jinchi and given it to Jieyin just because of the pressure from the other three thousand guests.
Hongjun didn't care about what three thousand gods thought. He waved his hand, and three wisps of purple qi appeared in his hand. "Before I became a Saint of Heaven, I managed to grab eight Grandmist Violet Qis, the foundation of sainthood. I have already used one."
"The Three Purities are transformed from Pangu's spirit and bear Heaven Opening Merit, they can become Saints of Heaven." Hongjun waved his hand, and the three Grandmist Violet Qis flew in front of Laozi, Yuanshi, and Tongtian.
All three grabbed them and stored them under the envious gazes of everyone present.
Nuwa's emotions peaked when he saw Hongjun look at her. "Nuwa will have great merits in the future. You can also become a Saint of Heaven."
Nuwa couldn't keep her composure as she stored the Grandmist Violet Qi, unknowing of Di Jun's dark look.
Jieyin and Zhunti waited expectantly, but when they saw Hongjun stop talking, they started to fret again. They complained that the Dao Ancestor was biased, but they still begged for the Grandmist Violet Qi.
"Master, please have mercy on us. When we become Saints, we promise that we will return the West to its previous prosperity."
Hongjun turned toward the two of them. "I hope you two can remember the oath you made today."
He waved his hand, and two strands of Grandmist Violet Qis appeared in front of Jieyin and Zhunti. The two western gods happily stored them, joy on their faces.
Upon seeing this, none of the other three thousand gods could sit still anymore. The Dao Ancestor got eight strands total. He used up one and bestowed six to his disciples. Shouldn't there be one more?"
"Dao Ancestor, I am the Heavenly Emperor. Can I become a Saint of Heaven?" Di Jun asked.
Hongjun glanced at him and said, "The Saints are tasked with educating all creatures of heaven and earth. The Heavenly Emperor's duty is to rule heaven and earth. The Heavenly Emperor cannot be a Saint of Heaven."
Di Jun almost collapsed onto the ground. All under Saints are ants. Wouldn't that mean he, the Heavenly Emperor, was also an ant?
"Although the Heavenly Emperor cannot become a Saint, they are tasked with maintaining heaven and earth. At certain times, they can utilize the power of heaven and earth like a Saint."
"Dao Ancestor, as the head of male disciples, can I become a Saint of Heaven?" Dong Wanggong asked immediately.
The other three thousand gods all began to beg. They were afraid that the Dao Ancestor would really bestow the last Grandmist Violet Qi to Dong Wanggong, forever severing their chance of sainthood.
Hongjun sighed and said, "The Great Dao is fifty; the Eye of Heaven is forty-nine; the last one escaped. If you can grasp that last one, you will attain hope."
He waved his hand. The last strand of Grandmist Violet Qi floated in the hall, swimming around. Everyone held their breaths, hoping that the Grandmist Violet Qi would choose them.
Kong Xuan's breath stilted when he sensed that the Grandmist Violet Qi had signs of flying towards him! It may be a great fortune for others, but it was a disaster for him. He quickly hid his aura, and the Grandmist Violet Qi halted in its movement. After floating around a few more times, the Grandmist Violet Qi flew toward Redcloud Ancestor.
Redcloud Ancestor's face lit up with joy, but he was unaware of all the envious and malice-filled gazes of the other gods. Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Jieyin, and Zhunti were the Dao Ancestor's disciples, but Redcloud Ancestor wasn't.
Didn't the Dao Ancestor say that as long as they grasped the last one, they would grab onto hope?
Once the last Grandmist Violet Qi had been distributed, Hongjun spoke once more. "Before I became a Saint of Heaven, I collected numerous treasures. Now they are useless to me, so I will distribute them."
Hongjun waved his hand, and a yin-yang diagram appeared in his hand. He turned to Laozi. "Laozi, as the head of the Three Purities and head disciple of the Immortal Path, I will bestow you the Taiji Diagram. It is a top-grade cardinal spiritual artifact formed from one-third of Pangu's Heaven Opening Ax and can anchor your Karmic Luck."
Laozi reached out and grabbed the Taiji Diagram. His usual indifference disappeared as he lovingly caressed it. Not even when gaining the Grandmist Violet Qi did he have such a reaction. "Disciple thanks Master!"
Hongjun turned towards Yuanshi, a banner carrying the color of chaos appearing in his hand. "Yuanshi, this is the Pangu Banner, a top-grade cardinal spiritual artifact. It integrates offense and defense into one and can anchor your Karmic Luck."
Tongtian's eyes lit up, and she stared expectantly at her master. Sure enough, he did not fail her hopes as four seemingly plain swords appeared before him.
"After I defeated Rahu during the Dragon-Phoenix Tribulation, I attained these four Immortal Extermination Swords. They are not spiritual artifacts but have power exceeding a top-grade cardinal treasure. The Immortal Extermination Diagram was destroyed during the battle, but if you manage to restore and form the Immortal Extermination Sword Formation, you need four immortals at the same level to break it."
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When everyone heard Hongjun's words, they sucked in a cold breath. After Hongjun merged with the Way of Heaven, there would be six guaranteed Saints and at most seven Saints. The Three Purities are one, so wouldn't it mean that Tongtian would be nearly impossible to defeat?
"This is the number one killing formation in heaven and earth. It is too sharp and cannot anchor your Karmic Luck. You must remember not to deploy the Four Immortal Extermination Sword Formation lightly," Hongjun finished.
It was love at first sight. Tongtian accepted the four Immortal Extermination Swords and gently caressed the blades. She blinked when she realized that she had yet to thank the Dao Ancestor.
"Disciple thanks Master."
Hongjun nodded and turned to Nuwa. "You are kind and do not like to fight, so I will bestow you two top-grade innate artifacts, the Mountain and River Diorama and Red Hydrangea. The Mountain and River Diorama contains a Minor World within and can defend against all attacks from those weaker than you. The Red Hydrangea can instantly defeat those weaker than you. But its function does not end there."
"Heaven and earth will have three marriages: heaven, earth, and mortal. You will use this treasure to establish them and gain merit, transforming the Red Hydrangea into a meritorious spiritual artifact that is not weaker than a cardinal spiritual artifact," Hongjun waved his hand, and the Mountain and River Diagram and Red Hydrangea floated towards Nuwa.
Nuwa happily accepted them. Although she was unhappy that the Three Purities got top-grade cardinal spiritual artifacts, the Red Hydrangea blew away any jealousy. "Disciple thanks Master."
Jieyin and Zhunti had a bad premonition once it was their turn. As they expected, the Dao Ancestor turned silent once it was their turn. Helplessly, they could only thicken their skin and beg the Dao Ancestor to bestow treasures.
Hongjun waved his hand, and four artifacts flew towards them. "I will give Jieyin the Twelfth-Ranked Golden Lotus of Merit to suppress your luck and a high-grade innate spiritual artifact, the Vajra Pestle and Mortar. For Zhunti, I will bestow the top-grade innate spiritual artifact, the Plained Colored Flag of West Clouds, and the high-grade innate spiritual artifact, the Eight Treasure Merit Pond."
Jieyin and Zhunti thanked Hongjun profusely. All the treasures in the West probably couldn't hold a candle to these four spiritual artifacts.
Normally, they would be overjoyed, but there was the precedent with the Three Purities and Nuwa. The four of them received top-grade cardinal spiritual artifacts or something of similar value. But the only artifact the two of them together received that was comparable was the Twelfth-Ranked Golden Lotus of Merit.
The rest of the three thousand gods couldn't care less about Jieyin and Zhunti's displeasure. They kneeled, begged, pleaded, and cried for Hongjun to be compassionate and bestow treasure to them too.
Hearing all the noise, Hongjun frowned. "Outside Violet Heaven Palace, I placed all my treasures in the Sealed Treasure Stone. If you have fate with them, you can try your luck after I merge with the Way of Heaven."
Everyone fell silent. They hated that Hongjun couldn't immediately merge with the Way of Heaven and let them leave.
Hongjun saw this but continued to speak without hurry. "Before I merge with the Way of Heaven, I will answer any questions you have."
"Asking Master, what is the Great Dao?" Laozi asked.
"The Great Dao cannot be spoken. It must be discovered by oneself. Others can guide you but can never teach you," Hongjun answered.
"Asking Master, why is Grandmist Violet Qi the foundation of sainthood?" Yuanshi asked.
Hongjun opened his mouth, but sudden coercion descended, causing everyone in Violet Heaven Palace to freeze. He was no longer Hongjun but the Way of Heaven. The Way of Heaven looked at Yuanshi and said, "The Grandmist Violet Qi is a fragment of the Way of Heaven. To become a Saint of Heaven, you will entrust a strand of your true soul to the Grandmist Violet Qi, entrust it to the Way of Heaven. As long as heaven and earth exist, Saints are eternal."
After he finished speaking, the coercion disappeared, and Hongjun returned himself. He furrowed his brows but quickly smoothed them out.
Tongtian took note of this and couldn't help but frown. Entrust a strand of truesoul to the Grandmist Violet Qi. Wasn't this the same as placing a collar around herself for the Way of Heaven to control?
Still, Tongtian did not speak out about these concerns and instead asked her question. "Asking Master, are there any worlds besides the Great Desolation?"
The coercion appeared again. The Way of Heaven had descended onto Hongjun once more. "The chaos is limitless. All things are possible. If the Great Desolation absorbs other worlds, its strength will improve, and so will the Saint's strength."
When the Way of Heaven disappeared, Tongtian couldn't help but quirked the corner of her lips upward. Wasn't this telling them to find other worlds for the Great Desolation to absorb?
After Tongtian's question, no one spoke as Hongjun gazed at them. He emitted a pressure that caused everyone to stay silent. Finally, the pressure lifted as he stared at Nuwa, waiting for her question.
"Asking Master, after Master merges with the Way of Heaven, is Master the Way of Heaven?"
Hongjun almost seemed to sigh in relief after Nuwa asked her question, but upon closer inspection, Hongjun's facial expression did not change at all. This time, the Way of Heaven did not descend again. "After I merge with the Way of Heaven, Hongjun is the Way of Heaven, but the Way of Heaven is not Hongjun."
Nuwa frowned and nodded, seemingly understanding yet not understanding. Next was Jieyin.
"Asking Master, of the three thousand laws, which one can achieve sainthood?" Jieyin asked.
"Among the three thousand laws, all of them can be used to achieve sainthood," Hongjun replied.
"After Master merged with the Way of Heaven and we have something to report, how can we meet Master?" Zhunti asked.
"Unless a catastrophe that threatens heaven and earth occurs, I won't reveal myself under heaven and earth anymore," Hongjun said.
"Asking the Dao Ancestor, can I use the Way of Three Corpses to achieve the Primordial Origin Realm?" Taiyi asked.
Hongjun's answer was simple. "No."
Hearing this, almost everyone's desire for Redcloud Ancestor's Grandmist Violet Qi increased as they subconsciously focused their attention on him.
"Asking the Dao Ancestor, if everything is destined, can nothing be changed?" Kong Xuan asked.
Hongjun gave Kong Xuan a deep look but still answered. "The small variables can be changed, but the general trend will remain unchanged."
After Kong Xuan's question, Hongjun answered a few more questions. Once the round of questions ended, he prepared to merge with the Way of Heaven.
"High above the nine clouds, the truth floats free."
"Within heaven and earth, I shall enlighten all beings."
"Pangu, born of Taiji, formed the two rites and four cardinal directions."
"One way passes to three peers, two lights illuminate all seekers."
"The founder of the Immortal Path, one Qi transformed to Hongjun."
"Dao...MERGE!"
At first, nothing seemed to happen, but Hongjun became more and more indifferent. His sense of presence faded, and unless you concentrated, you would subconsciously ignore his presence. Simultaneously, the Way of Heaven was wholly exposed to them. It felt as if they were looking at all of heaven and earth at once.
These two contradictory images caused many of the three thousand gods to become dizzy and even faint. Only those with great willpower and cultivation could persevere.
Tongtian watched all of heaven and earth. She saw how the world progressed, how six Saints came to being, how Houtu transformed herself to the Underworld and established the cycle of Samsara, and how the Titan-Demon Tribulation began and ended. She watched the onset of the Conferred God Tribulation and how she was imprisoned in the end. She saw the Journey to the West, the Western Prominence Tribulation.
She saw all that and more. Tribulations came one after the other until the world was destroyed on the ninth tribulation, the Immeasurable Tribulation. But it didn't end there; she saw how the broken Great Desolation regathered and formed a primordial egg with a thirty-six petal lotus beneath it.
Pangu incarnates into all things; all things incarnate into Pangu!