“Buzz!”
In an instant, Fang Yang’s cultivation reached its climax.
His aura surged abruptly, and his cultivation directly advanced to the mid-stage golden immortal, while his dharma power became several times more substantial than before.
After a long while, Fang Yang finally opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled the heaviness in his chest.
“Damn it, the ancient version threw away the Biluo Purple Fruit. Wasn’t it originally meant as a gift for Haotian and Yaochi? Damn System, are you deliberately making things difficult for me?”
Fang Yang’s face was gloomy.
What a huge loss!
I’ve been cheated again!
Fang Yang failed to notice that his expression had caused ripples in the eyes of the other great experts.
However, it was nothing remarkable!
No matter what kind of phenomenon Fang Yang had displayed, he was ultimately only a golden immortal. Compared with the great firmament golden immortals who had already condensed the Three Flowers and comprehended the laws, the gap was enormous.
Soon afterward, the gazes of the great experts drifted away again. Some discussed the Dao, while others sat quietly in cultivation, paying Fang Yang no further attention.
However, Lady Nuwa was not included!
“This child is rather amusing. His cultivation realm has clearly risen, and his dharma power has greatly increased, yet he still looks depressed!”
“Could it be that he thinks advancing by only one minor realm is not enough?”
If Fang Yang had learned what Lady Nuwa was thinking, he would certainly have shouted his grievance.
He truly did not feel satisfied.
However, his dissatisfaction was not because he had advanced by only one minor realm, but because his cultivation realm had advanced at all!
“Nephew-disciple Fang Yang possesses profound blessings. Without even entering the palace gates, he has already broken through!”
“An unparalleled talent, a cultivation genius!”
“Ha! Fang Yang, your progress in cultivation brings this teacher great comfort!” Lord Tongtian’s laughter reverberated, his pride evident in every word.
Facing the praise, Fang Yang could only smile bitterly. If not for helplessness, who would wish to break through prematurely?
“Buzz!”
In an instant, Daoist Fuxi and Lady Nuwa arrived as beams of light, descending beside the Three Pure Ones.
The two first bowed. “Fuxi （ Nuwa ） pay respects to the Three daoist brothers and junior friend.”
Seeing that the two possessed profound dao attainment and had taken the initiative to show goodwill, the Three Pure Ones set aside their pride and exchanged pleasantries with them.
A moment later, Fuxi invited the Three Pure Ones to discuss the Dao, leaving Fang Yang, Nuwa, and the gatekeepers Haotian and Yaochi behind.
Haotian and Yaochi wished to speak with Fang Yang to thank him for the grace of the spirit fruit, but with Nuwa standing nearby, they could only remain silent and guard the gate.
Even so, Yaochi’s beautiful eyes never left Fang Yang. The corners of her lips unconsciously lifted into a sweet smile, as sweet as honey.
“It’s actually the Holy Mother of the human race—Nuwa!”
“An unparalleled beauty, with an elegant temperament and an air of nobility; she is as pure and flawless as a fairy.”
Fang Yang treated Haotian and Yaochi as though they were invisible, his gaze fixed solely on Nuwa.
Nuwa seemed to sense it and smiled at Fang Yang.
A single smile could topple a city, like a white lotus blooming!
Fang Yang could not help being moved.
“Goddess-Empress, why are you staring at me?” Fang Yang was the first to break the silence, asking with a loud laugh.
“If you were not staring at me, how would I know you were staring at me?” Nuwa blinked her beautiful eyes and retorted playfully.
“Uh…!”
Fang Yang was surprised by the Goddess-Empress’s casual words.
In his heart, as the Holy Mother of the human race and the embodiment of the Heavenly Dao, Lady Nuwa should have been a cold and proud goddess untouched by worldly concerns.
Yet the playfulness of the Lady Nuwa before him was vastly different from the image he had imagined.
Fang Yang returned to his usual carefree manner and teased, “The Goddess-Empress’s beauty is irresistible. One glimpse is enough to make the heart feel clear and refreshed.”
“Hee hee hee~!”
Far from becoming angry at Fang Yang’s teasing, Lady Nuwa instead gave a cheerful laugh, as pleasant and melodious as Silver bells.
“Young man, your words are quite pleasing.”
Lady Nuwa lightly glared at Fang Yang. There was no reproach in her eyes; instead, they held a touch more charm.
She unexpectedly discovered that Fang Yang was an exceptionally witty person.
Although his cultivation was still shallow, he was born with an unrestrained and proud spirit.
Even before a great firmament golden immortal, he remained composed, chatting and laughing with ease.
“Fellow Daoist Fang Yang, I have a question. May I ask you about it?” Lady Nuwa suddenly had an idea and asked with a smile.
Hearing this, a proverb from his previous life suddenly surfaced in Fang Yang’s mind, and he casually replied, “Ask whatever you wish, but I cannot guarantee that I will answer.”
Lady Nuwa: “???”
The words had reached her lips, only to be blocked by a single joke from Fang Yang, leaving her bewildered.
However, noticing the playful light in Fang Yang’s eyes, the Goddess-Empress understood his meaning. After giving him a light, reproachful glance, she asked curiously:
“Fellow Daoist Fang Yang, you are only a mid-stage golden immortal, yet your dharma power is as strong as that of a golden immortal at great perfection. Why is that?”
“Classified!” Fang Yang blinked.
Lady Nuwa froze for a moment!
How was that answer any different from saying nothing?
Could it be that his earlier words—“Ask whatever you wish, but whether I answer is up to me”—had not been a joke?
For a moment, Lady Nuwa could not discern Fang Yang’s true intentions.
However, Fang Yang kept his mouth firmly shut, so she did not ask any further.
In fact, the reason was very simple!
Fang Yang’s profound dharma power originated from the divine ability manual that increased dharma power a hundredfold—the 《Chaos Formula》!
This was his secret that he would never pass on. Even the Three Pure Ones knew nothing about it, much less Lady Nuwa.
A while later, Lady Nuwa and Fang Yang continued their conversation.
Although they had only just met, the atmosphere was harmonious. Amid the laughter and cheerful conversation, Lady Nuwa’s laughter, like silver bells, rang out again and again.
Fang Yang and Nuwa chatted happily, while Yaochi watched from the side, envious beyond words.
“If only I could chat freely with Fang Yang too, how wonderful that would be!”
Suddenly, Haotian’s entire body trembled, as though he had received some kind of instruction. He stepped forward, swept his gaze over the gathered heroes, and spoke in a thunderous voice: “The teacher’s imperial edict: the hundred-year appointment has arrived. The gates of Zixiao Palace are open. All of you shall enter together and listen to the true essence of the Great Dao!”
As his words fell, the gates of Zixiao Palace slowly opened. Dao resonance surged within the hall, like heavenly music, filled with boundless profound mysteries.
“Fang Yang, once you enter the hall, you must sit on a meditation cushion. There are endless opportunities within; you must remember this well!” Haotian reminded him solemnly.
Haotian’s solemn whisper suddenly sounded beside Fang Yang’s ear.
To repay Fang Yang for the grace of the spirit fruit, Haotian revealed an supreme opportunity!
“The meditation cushions… That’s right. Those who ascend to the meditation cushions will become disciples of Dao Ancestor Hongjun and obtain the foundation for Attaining the Dao—the Hongmeng Purple Qi—to attain the position of a hunyuan daluo golden immortal!”
Fang Yang raised an eyebrow, then sneered. “You want to use the Hongmeng Purple Qi to help me quickly attain sainthood? Dream on!”
“I have no regard for this sainthood!”
“Bang!”
The gates of Zixiao Palace suddenly burst open.
The gazes of all the experts converged, revealing six meditation cushions within the hall, surrounded by mist, with dao resonance vaporizing and wondrous phenomena appearing everywhere.
Everyone who was not a fool knew that the meditation cushions contained profound secrets.
“Those who secure a seat may achieve greatness!”
The experts’ hearts stirred secretly.
“Buzz!”
In an instant, they transformed into beams of light and sped into the hall, scrambling to seize the meditation cushions.
“Hmph!”
The three Pure Ones exchanged glances and snorted coldly in unison.
“Buzz!”
They simultaneously unleashed their vast dharma power. The power of laws raged around them, sending all the experts flying back in one blow with unmatched might.
Working together, the Three Pure Ones overwhelmed the gathered heroes and reached the meditation cushions first.
Laozi immediately settled onto the first meditation cushion, followed by Primordial Heavenly Venerable, with Lord Tongtian right behind him.
They deliberately made arrangements for Fang Yang to occupy a seat as well. Thus, four meditation cushion positions were taken by the Three Pure Ones and Fang Yang.
Although the other powerhouses were resentful, they dared not show it before the unfathomably profound dharma power of the Three Pure Ones. They could only silently fight over the remaining two seats.
“Damn!”
Suddenly, Fang Yang cried out. Without hesitation, he immediately leaped behind Lord Tongtian, avoiding the meditation cushion position as though it were a plague god. This left all the great experts dumbfounded.
What the hell was going on?
The remaining powerhouses fought over the meditation cushions, willing to shed blood and break their heads in the struggle. If not for the might of Zixiao Palace, they would probably have already started fighting.
Yet after occupying a meditation cushion with the support of the Three Pure Ones, Fang Yang strangely retreated, his eyes seeming to regard the meditation cushion as something taboo.
“Little Sister, I’ll give you a hand!”
Fuxi reacted quickly, understanding that the experts within the hall were desperately coveting the remaining meditation cushions, and that Nuwa could not compete with them.
He thus employed his profound dharma power to ensure that Nuwa occupied the fourth meditation cushion.
“There are still two seats left!”
“Ha! Who dares contend with this old man?”
“This seat belongs to me!”
The remaining two seats once again plunged the gathered powerhouses into a noisy, frantic struggle.
In the end, Hongyun, who had attained the Dao as the first cloud born when heaven and earth had just formed, moved extremely quickly. With Zhen Yuanzi’s assistance, he seized the fifth meditation cushion. Kunpeng was also remarkably fast; with a single leap, he transformed into a black shadow and snatched the final meditation cushion.
Thus, all six meditation cushions were occupied!
Seeing that all the meditation cushions were taken, the great experts had no choice but to angrily find places to sit.
However, after sitting down, they all looked in unison at Fang Yang, who was seated behind Lord Tongtian, their faces filled with astonishment and confusion.
Everyone had personally seen Fang Yang sit on the fourth meditation cushion just moments before. Who could have imagined that he would suddenly leap away for no apparent reason, as though he regarded the meditation cushion as an unlucky object?
“Disciple, you…!”
Lord Tongtian turned his head and saw Fang Yang sitting on the floor with his head cocked to one side, looking carefree and irreverent. His face immediately turned green with anger.
They had sensed that sitting on a meditation cushion would definitely bring an immense opportunity.
That was why they had desperately protected Fang Yang so he could sit on the fourth meditation cushion. Who would have thought he would feel as though he were sitting on pins and needles and jump away in an instant?
Now that the meditation cushion was occupied by Nuwa, they naturally could not say anything more. They could only glare at Fang Yang with looks of frustrated disappointment.
“Nephew-disciple Fang Yang, you may have lost an immense opportunity!” Laozi also said regretfully.
“Foolish! Nephew-disciple Fang Yang, that was truly foolish!”
Primordial Heavenly Venerable was even more exasperated. “We went to such lengths to secure the meditation cushion position for you, yet you failed to appreciate it!”
“Hmph, Brat, if you do not give this teacher a reasonable explanation, this teacher will scold you for thirty thousand years!” Lord Tongtian said, trembling with anger.
“Calm down!”
Facing the Three Pure Ones’ loving reproaches, Fang Yang still wore an unrestrained expression, as though he had not taken them to heart at all. Instead, he waved his hand and laughed. “As a junior, if I sat with you, would that not disrupt the order of seniority?”
“This…!” The three Pure Ones fell silent.
Although Fang Yang’s explanation was rather forced, it did seem to be true, leaving them unable to refute him.
“Sigh! Perhaps this is heaven’s will. What can be done?” Laozi sighed leisurely.
In contrast, Lady Nuwa beside them turned to look at Fang Yang at the first opportunity. Her beautiful eyes shimmered with unusual radiance, and her expression was complicated.
She parted her red lips, seeming to want to say something, but ultimately did not speak.
Only after a long while did she softly use voice transmission to say to Fang Yang, “Little Bamboo, thank you!”
Nuwa felt that, aside from Fuxi’s assistance, the greater reason she had been able to sit on the fourth meditation cushion was that Fang Yang had voluntarily yielded his seat, granting her an immense favor.
“Huh? Thank me for what?”
Fang Yang replied through voice transmission with an innocent, belated look. “Also, what kind of name is Little Bamboo?”
“Don’t worry about it. From now on, I’ll call you Little Bamboo. I insist!”
Unexpectedly, Lady Nuwa suddenly broke into a radiant smile. She not only blinked her beautiful eyes at Fang Yang, but also responded playfully.
Her tone held a hint of dominance, a hint of playfulness, and a hint of delighted satisfaction!