The gates of the Purple Heaven Palace swung open, and the Dao attendants Haotian and Yaochi appeared, bowing respectfully.
[The Dao Ancestor invites all to take their seats. During the lecture, please focus your minds and remain quiet, and do not disturb the Dao Ancestor’s teaching.]
After the two stepped aside, the crowd eagerly rushed inside.
This time, Xihe was in no hurry. There were only six prayer mats in total—no one dared to take those of the Three Pure Ones—and as for the remaining three… the show was about to begin.
According to legend, the sixth prayer mat belonged to Nuwa, the fifth was taken by the first red cloud of creation, the good-hearted old man Hongyun, and the fourth was for Kunpeng!
Later, the Western cultivators Jieyin and Zhunti arrived a step too late. Shamelessly weeping and lamenting, the kind-hearted Hongyun felt that a prayer mat was nothing and voluntarily gave up his seat, unaware that this act of generosity would cost him his chance at sainthood!
Not only that, but the Western delegation consisted of two people.
After Jieyin took his seat, Zhunti set his sights on Kunpeng, claiming that creatures born with fur, horns, or from eggs had no right to sit there. Yuanshi of the Three Pure Ones chimed in, and Kunpeng, not daring to offend them, had no choice but to yield his seat.
Later, when Kunpeng learned that the prayer mats were tied to the opportunity for sainthood, he came to deeply resent Hongyun. If Hongyun hadn’t voluntarily given up his seat, Kunpeng wouldn’t have been targeted. In the end, Kunpeng killed Hongyun.
Xihe stood leisurely among the crowd, watching as the six prayer mats indeed matched the legend. A faint smile curled at the corners of her lips.
Excellent. If she timed it right today, she might not need to waste her cultivation experience card.
Sure enough, as soon as Hongyun settled into his seat, two monks in tattered kasayas rushed in through the entrance.
Both were at the peak of the Taiyi Golden Immortal realm. Seeing that there were no seats left, they immediately began wailing and shedding tears!
“Senior Brother, the spiritual veins of our Western lands are completely destroyed, leaving the region barren and impoverished. We arrived just a little late, and now we don’t even have a seat. What meaning is there in living?”
Jieyin’s face twisted in pain. “Indeed, after the battle with the Demon Ancestor, the spiritual veins of the West were shattered, and countless lives were lost. Our Western lands suffer so!”
Hongyun’s expression softened with sympathy, and the kind-hearted Zhenyuanzi also tried to console them.
Zhunti wept while glancing at Hongyun, then suddenly turned toward a nearby pillar and declared loudly, “My senior brother and I came here to seek the Dao Ancestor’s guidance on how to bring prosperity to the West. Since we cannot even secure a seat, we are useless. We might as well dash our heads against this pillar and die!”
“Wait! Fellow Daoist, why go to such extremes? I shall give you my seat!” Hongyun rose, and Jieyin eagerly took his place, expressing his gratitude.
Only then did Zhunti turn to the person beside Jieyin. “Fellow Daoist, you are burdened with so much karma. How can you sit before the Dao Ancestor? Please step aside.”
Kunpeng’s face darkened with rage, but before he could erupt, Yuanshi frowned and said, “What right does a creature born with fur, horns, or from eggs have to occupy a prayer mat? Step down at once!”
The entire hall held its breath, watching as the great demon Kunpeng silently rose, casting a venomous glare at Hongyun before leaving.
Hongyun’s expression also turned grim. How could he not realize that his kindness had been manipulated and that he had now made an enemy of Kunpeng?
Zhunti, likely not expecting to secure a seat so easily, immediately bowed in gratitude to Yuanshi Tianzun.
He then looked around, feigning humility, and said, “Our Western lands are content with just one seat. If any fellow Daoists wish to take it, please feel free. We of the West…”
“Then I thank you, Fellow Daoist!” A melodious female voice rang out, and the prayer mat was already occupied by a woman.
This woman possessed peerless beauty, her entire being bathed in moonlight, so stunning it was almost unreal. Yet… she was only at the mid-stage Golden Immortal realm!
Everyone stared wide-eyed at this woman.
Golden Crow Taiyi even sent a mental message to Dijun: “Has this woman gone mad? Even we didn’t dare to compete for a seat!”
Dijun narrowed his eyes, staring at Xihe, thinking inwardly: Is she truly ignorant, or does she have something to rely on?
Six prayer mats, five Taiyi Golden Immortals at their peak—anyone with a brain knows Zhunti’s earlier words were hypocritical courtesy, yet she’s actually taking it seriously?
Tongtian, originally bored, now became spirited, sizing up this bold little rabbit!
Xihe held her sister with one hand while covering the tears at the corner of her eye with the other.
She looked at Zhunti with immense gratitude: “Fellow Daoist truly embodies the Western sacred spirit, with a compassionate Buddha heart. Considering my sisters were born from the right eye of the great Pangu, our cultivation cannot compare to other Pangu-born beings.”
“This time, we rely entirely on the Dao Ancestor’s teachings for guidance. We originally thought our affinity was shallow, unable to approach the venerable Dao Ancestor, yet we never expected Fellow Daoist to be so generous in offering your seat. Your kindness in protecting our path, we shall remember in our hearts.”
Zhunti’s cheek twitched, his hands trembling before his chest—likely wishing he could slap her.
To let it go peacefully was certainly impossible, but acting now would be too shameless. Just as he was about to speak again, the Saint’s majestic pressure descended, and everyone solemnly and respectfully said: “We welcome the Dao Ancestor!”
A figure shrouded in Dao essence, completely impossible to gaze upon directly, appeared.
Xihe felt her heart tremble; she could sense she was being scrutinized, as if every part of her held no secrets—this feeling was too terrifying!
But if the system dared to let her show off before Hongjun, then it should… protect her, right?
“The time has arrived; the teaching begins. There will be two more teachings afterward, and seats cannot be changed!”
“Yes, Dao Ancestor!”
Upon hearing this, Zhunti glared fiercely at Xihe, clearly harboring deep resentment!
Xihe, however, paid no mind, closing her eyes to listen to the teachings. According to the system’s tasks, she would offend many people in the future—with so many debts, worry was unnecessary!
When these two monks attained Sainthood, wasn’t it by making forty-eight grand vows, owing the Heavenly Dao a mountain of debt?
“The Dao that can be spoken is not the eternal Dao…”
Three thousand years passed in a flash, the teaching voice ceased, and Hongjun opened his eyes, observing everyone…
The Three Pure Ones, born from Pangu’s primordial spirit, now breaking through to the Great Luo stage was natural.
Heavenly phenomena descended, golden lotuses surged from the earth, all blooming with nine grades.
As the three opened their eyes and stood to bow to Hongjun, Nuwa broke through to Great Luo, blooming with eight grades…
Then Jieyin, seated on the prayer mat, also achieved eight grades.
Afterward, breakthroughs occurred everywhere, yet no one else advanced to the Great Luo Golden Immortal stage. Everyone looked strangely at Zhunti, whose face was gloomy.
If guessed correctly, that prayer mat was absolutely extraordinary. If Zhunti had been seated… advancing to Great Luo would have been certain.
The Taiyin Goddess, merely at the mid-stage Golden Immortal, had ruined Zhunti’s Great Luo Dao attainment—already a sign of courting death!
Xihe didn’t know so many were paying attention to her, and even if she knew, she wouldn’t care. Three thousand years of teachings had benefited her immensely; she was about to breakthrough!
Hongjun’s teachings were indeed a great opportunity in the Primordial World!
From mid-stage Golden Immortal directly to late-stage, yet not stopping, breaking through like splitting bamboo into the perfection stage.
Then Taiyin Power erupted from Xihe’s body, moonlight soaring into the sky, startling the Taiyin Star to descend a pillar of light!
Everyone was aghast; breaking through two levels wasn’t enough—she was borrowing the Taiyin Star’s power to break through to the Taiyi Golden Immortal stage!
Every seated individual had cultivated for at least a million years, fully understood how difficult advancing cultivation was. Even with the Dao Ancestor’s three-thousand-year teachings, breaking through one minor realm was already a fortunate opportunity.
Those who broke through to Great Luo were very few in the Primordial World, yet this woman earlier claimed her cultivation couldn’t keep up. Such continuous breakthroughs of two minor realms and pushing for Taiyi Golden Immortal was blatant showing off!
Just as everyone thought the Taiyi Golden Immortal Xihe would charge forward, she suddenly gave up on advancing and instead lifted a small white rabbit with only Celestial Immortal cultivation above her head, absorbing all the stellar power descending from the Taiyin Star.
The little white rabbit closed its red eyes, its Celestial Immortal cultivation fluctuating for a moment, rising only from the first to the third level.
So much stellar power would have been enough for Xihe to advance to Taiyi. This was truly a waste, squandered on an innately deficient creature.
Regardless of what others thought, Xihe hugged her sister and praised, “Wow, our Changxi is so amazing, advancing two levels in a row!”
Changxi felt a bit shy and burrowed into her sister’s clothes to hide.
“Fool! To give up advancing to Taiyi, no wonder your cultivation has slowed so much. So you’ve been wasting the Taiyin Star’s power on that useless thing!” Golden Crow Taiyi couldn’t hold back and muttered a complaint, clearly still resentful over her refusal to accompany him.
Dijun frowned and scolded, “How dare you! The Dao Ancestor is here. Who gave you the right to speak!”
Xihe also turned cold-faced, pretending to fan the air around her nose and mouth. “Who’s letting out such a foul stench?”