Chapter 183: The Struggle for the Authority of the Earthly Dao

On the shore of the East Sea, the Three Pure Ones felt the powerful Saint prestige upon themselves, and their faces were all filled with joy.

They had been observing the Human Race by the banks of the Weishui, but who would have thought they would gain nothing at all.

These humans were weak, drank blood and ate raw meat, and possessed no survival experience whatsoever.

If it were not related to Nuwa's Dao attainment, they would not have wanted to pay them any mind at all.

Who would have thought that some time ago, Laozi suddenly wondered if he should civilize these barbaric humans, and in that instant, he became enlightened, his mind clear and transparent.

By establishing a sect with the Human Race, he gained great merit and achieved the Saint Fruit Position, successfully taking that step.

And his two brothers were also inspired, likewise establishing sects to attain the status of Heavenly Dao Saint.

It was just that the strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi within his body left Laozi with a few doubts; it was a pure and complete law.

Beside him, Tongtian looked around at the surrounding anomalies and also asked softly, "Big Brother, Second Brother, this Hongmeng Purple Qi..."

Tongtian had also studied the Hongmeng Purple Qi quite a bit, but he had never gotten to the bottom of it. Given the current situation, he always had a strange feeling.

Since it was a complete law, they could have just been allowed to comprehend it earlier; why be so mysterious about it?

"This is the Master's affection for us!" Yuanshi Tianzun replied first, the joy in his eyes impossible to conceal.

It was one thing for Nuwa to become a Saint, but even Jieyin and Zhunti had become Saints; Yuanshi Tianzun had been so anxious inside, and now they had finally taken that step as well.

Although it was only the inferior Merit Sanctification, Yuanshi Tianzun did not care.

Because the moment they became Saints, they had the feeling that the heavens and earth were entirely within their grasp.

Beneath the Saint, all are ants; even if it is Merit Sanctification, it is still an existence that towers above all living beings.

As for the Hongmeng Purple Qi, the Master had said back in the Purple Heaven Palace that each strand represented a Saint Position.

To have completely mastered a law so easily, saving them so much time—Yuanshi Tianzun was too happy to be anything else.

Tongtian frowned slightly, but he looked toward Laozi at his side.

Yuanshi Tianzun established his sect in accordance with the Heavenly Dao, and Hongjun had merged his body with the Dao, which could also be said to represent the Heavenly Dao, so how could he have any objections?

Laozi's face was slightly heavy, and he was just about to speak when a rolling sound of the Dao came from the firmament.

"I, Tian Yuan, will preach the Hunyuan Dao at Mount Buzhou in three thousand years. Those with affinity may all come!"

Those ethereal words left the three people in the scene stunned; Laozi and Tongtian were astonished, while Yuanshi was instantly furious.

"This Tian Yuan is truly arrogant, actually wishing to imitate the Master in preaching to the Great Desolation; he is truly presumptuous!"

Hongjun does not leave the Purple Heaven Palace, and even if there is preaching, it should be done by them, the Heavenly Dao Saints; what status does Tian Yuan have?

More importantly, they had just become Saints, and Tian Yuan had made such a public announcement; it seemed he was intentionally targeting the Three Pure Ones.

Yuanshi Tianzun continued, "Big Brother, that stone man previously snatched our opportunities time and again; it is just right to settle this karma."

As for the scene on Mount Buzhou back then, it was still vivid in Yuanshi Tianzun's mind.

First there was the Supreme Innate Spiritual Root Gourd Vine, then the Banana Tree, all of which were snatched away by Tian Yuan; thinking of it now, Yuanshi Tianzun still felt his heart burning with rage.

Since they, the Three Pure Ones, had taken form, when had they ever suffered such a great loss? He had always remembered it.

That fellow could previously mobilize the will of Mount Buzhou, but now they were all Saints; let's see what tricks this stone man has left.

Hearing this, Tongtian frowned and said nothing; he disdained to do such things as the strong bullying the weak.

Moreover, they had just become Saints, and if they went to find trouble with Tian Yuan, the world would say they were petty and vengeful, which would truly damage the reputation of the Three Pure Ones.

Laozi glanced at Yuanshi Tianzun and said calmly, "There will surely be many fellow Daoists coming to congratulate us later; let us return to the Sanqing Palace before speaking further!"

After speaking, he strode out and flew toward the direction of Kunlun Mountain.

They were now Saints; why should they take a mere stone man to heart?

But the moment he strode out, Laozi frowned and looked toward the direction of the Chaos Zixiao Palace.

Immediately, with a wave of his right hand, the Golden Core Dao he had created was transmitted into the minds of the Innate Humans, and he even left behind the location of Kunlun Mountain.

Although the Ren Sect was established, Laozi had no plans to take disciples for the time being; if any humans found their way to Kunlun Mountain in the future, he would deal with it then.

Seeing this, Tongtian hurriedly chased after him, asking urgently, "Big Brother, that Hunyuan Dao..."

"We have already become Saints; what does the Hunyuan Dao matter?" Laozi's indifferent words came back, and one could not tell if he was happy or angry.

Tongtian looked closely at his Big Brother; he did not know if it was an illusion, but he felt that Laozi was not that happy.

Was it because of Tian Yuan, or the strand of Hongmeng Purple Qi in his body? Or perhaps just because it was Merit Sanctification?

They were the Pangu Orthodox, and this world was opened by Father God Pangu, yet they, the Three Pure Ones, had chosen the weakest Merit Sanctification; thinking about it now, it truly lost some face for Father God.

Standing where he was, Tongtian recalled the scene from just moments ago, a trace of suspicion flashing in his eyes.

Originally, none of them had thought of Merit Sanctification, which was why they had sought out Nuwa as the key to their breakthrough.

Now that he thought about it carefully, this sanctification seemed a bit sudden.

To teach without discrimination and to intercept a glimmer of survival for all things—this was indeed his Dao, but Tongtian had not expected such great merit to descend.

The matter was very sudden, yet it also felt incredibly natural.

Yuanshi Tianzun, who had caught up, saw Tongtian stop and said irritably, "Third Brother! Why don't you hurry up and follow!"

Unable to go to Mount Buzhou to deal with that stone man, Yuanshi Tianzun still felt somewhat dissatisfied.

He naturally understood in his heart that going to find Tian Yuan immediately would bring negative influence to the Three Pure Ones. But they were now Heavenly Dao Saints; even if they took a trip to Mount Buzhou to capture that stone man, who would know? With this feeling of holding the heavens and earth in the palm of one's hand, taking down Tian Yuan should be nothing more than a wave of the hand.

Therefore, Yuanshi Tianzun was somewhat dissatisfied with his Big Brother returning directly to Kunlun Mountain.

Tongtian looked back at the humans living below and quickly sped toward the direction of Kunlun Mountain.

Establishing the sect had been a bit rushed; he needed to go back and prepare before proceeding with taking disciples.

On Mount Buzhou, Nuwa listened to Tian Yuan's words, and her eyes instantly lit up.

"Dao Brother is righteous; the living beings of the Great Desolation will surely be grateful."

Regarding the preaching in the Purple Heaven Palace, not to mention whether the Three Corpses Method taught by Hongjun was true or false, it only circulated among the Innate Sacreds, and the remaining living beings of the Great Desolation were unaware of it.

Moreover, the Dao taught by Hongjun was merely for becoming a Saint, with no further cultivation thereafter.

Tian Yuan's Hunyuan Dao was not simple; not only did it have the method to become a Saint, but it could also point directly to the Great Dao, which was far more complete than what Hongjun had to offer.

Nuwa had long held this thought, but because it was obtained from Tian Yuan, she did not find it convenient to speak.

Now that Tian Yuan had brought it up himself, how could Nuwa not be happy in her heart?

If this method were to spread throughout the Primordial World, it would absolutely be a tremendous stroke of fortune for all living beings of the Primordial World.

If all living beings cultivated the Hunyuan Dao, then Humanity would flourish, which would be of great benefit to her and to the Primordial World.

"The strengthening of the Primordial World is closely linked to Humanity; it is nothing more than my duty."

Tian Yuan had never thought of cultivating alone, but due to the matter of the Earth Vein and his own weak strength, he had never done so.

Now that his own strength was not weak and the Primordial World's Earth Vein had recovered quite a bit, it was the perfect opportunity.

Nodding, Nuwa said softly, "When the time comes, I shall stand guard for you, Dao Brother!"

Regarding Tian Yuan's strength, Nuwa was still very clear that there was still a significant gap compared to the Heavenly Dao Saints. With their Primordial Spirits entrusted to the Heavenly Dao, these Heavenly Dao Saints could mobilize the power of the Heavenly Dao at will. If they were determined to flee, even she would find it very troublesome.

Otherwise, she would have had to give Jieyin and Zhunti a good thrashing.

Ultimately, it was because the Earthly Dao and Humanity were suppressed by the Heavenly Dao, and more crucially, Hongjun had now merged his body with the Dao.

To what extent the Heavenly Dao had recovered now, Nuwa did not know either.

When Tian Yuan spread the Hunyuan Dao across the Primordial World, there was no guarantee that the Western Two Sages or the Three Pure Ones would not appear.

These few individuals right now did not know that there were many realms above the Hunyuan Great Luo Golden Immortal.

"Then I shall trouble you, Fellow Daoist!" Tian Yuan naturally nodded in agreement.

Spreading the Hunyuan Dao would be a naked slap in the face to Hongjun, and that person would certainly not allow such a thing to happen.

By then, perhaps the Western Two Sages and the Three Pure Ones would all come, and there might even be other surprises.

After all, once the Hunyuan Dao was spread, the reputation Hongjun had accumulated from his lectures at Purple Heaven Palace would surely collapse in an instant.

Perhaps the lecture at Mount Buzhou three thousand years later would be his first confrontation with Hongjun.

Facing that existence, Tian Yuan did not have much confidence in his heart.

The unknown was the source of everything; whether it was him or the living beings of the Primordial World, their understanding of Hongjun was very little.

Clearly just a weak Chaos Demon God, yet he had survived such a terrifying catastrophe as the Opening Heaven Calamity.

Under the pull of fate, even a Chaos Demon God like Shichen had fallen; how could Hongjun have survived?

More crucially, not only did he survive the Opening Heaven Tribulation, but he actually won the Demon-Dao Dispute as well.

Hongjun was definitely not as simple as imagined; perhaps he still hid more methods and had more schemes within the Primordial World.

As the two were speaking, suddenly, the heavens and earth hummed with a sound.

Standing on Mount Buzhou, Tian Yuan and Nuwa immediately turned their heads to look toward the Western World.

They were very familiar with this commotion, as it had happened a few times just recently.

"The Heavenly Dao is above; today I, Minghe, create a new race named the Asura Race, establish the Asura Sect, and use the two swords, Yuantu and Abi, to suppress the luck of my sect. May the Heavenly Dao bear witness."

The booming voice exploded in the sky, then echoed throughout the entire Primordial World, ringing three times.

Accompanied by these thunderous words, a large mass of golden merit fell from the firmament of the Western World, heading toward the Nether Blood Sea.

The merit vanished in an instant, and immediately a vast aura surged up, carrying a monstrous Saint's might.

The Heavenly Flower, Golden Lotus, Manjusaka, and others that had just disappeared a moment ago floated up into the air one by one, spreading to every corner of the Primordial World.

Immortal music drifted, auspicious clouds and rays of light vied to erupt, and the entire world was a scene of holiness.

"Minghe has become a Saint!!!" Tian Yuan exclaimed, his eyes filled with astonishment.

It was one thing for Jieyin and Zhunti to become Saints first, but now even Minghe had become a Saint.

Creating the Asura Clan and establishing the Asura Sect—these things had not changed at all, so why did Minghe become a Saint? He had just been worried about accidents in his heart, but he had not expected the mutation to come so quickly.

In an instant, Tian Yuan thought of the key: the Earthly Dao.

The Blood Fiend Qi that had previously eroded the Earth Vein came from the Sea of Blood; Minghe becoming a Saint was definitely to compete for the authority of the Earthly Dao.

The so-called Merit Sanctification was entirely Hongjun's one-man show.

Whether it was the Hongmeng Purple Qi or the Saint Position, it was all Hongjun deceiving the various Innate Sacreds.

Hongjun making it so easy for people to achieve Merit Sanctification made Tian Yuan worry about the extent of Hongjun's control over the Heavenly Dao.

The Primordial World was opened by Pangu and was infused with the remains of three thousand Chaos Demon Gods; let alone a few Heavenly Dao Saints, it would be more than enough to create thousands or tens of thousands of Heavenly Dao Saints.

With the Chaos Demon God remains that Dijiang had previously obtained, and now Minghe becoming a Saint, Tian Yuan was increasingly worried.

He could now confirm that Hongjun had begun planning for the Earthly Dao long ago.

"Strange! Minghe did not obtain a Cushion, nor did he have the Hongmeng Purple Qi; how could he also establish a sect and become a Saint?" Nuwa was puzzled, her eyes full of doubt.

Among the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao Palace, Minghe was not prominent, nor was he one of the strongest.

This sudden mutation completely exceeded Nuwa's expectations.

In just an instant, her expression darkened, and she whispered in shock: "The Earthly Dao!"

As she spoke, she immediately turned to look at Tian Yuan, only to see that Tian Yuan's expression was equally serious.

Nuwa knew in her heart that the one in Purple Heaven Palace had begun to act.

Beside them, Huluwa shouted in annoyance: "This becoming a Saint is too simple, right? Can I also become a Saint if I establish a sect?"

With the Saint's might rolling down between heaven and earth, he felt inexplicably envious in his heart.

There was no need to cultivate at all, just becoming a Saint directly; the temptation was truly too great.

Jieyin and Zhunti made a few grand vows, merit fell from heaven and earth, and then they became Saints.

The Three Pure Ones and Minghe established a sect, and there was also tremendous merit falling, also easily becoming Heavenly Dao Saints.

One or two would be fine, but one after another like this was truly too much of a farce.

This was not only Huluwa's thought, but also the thought in the hearts of many Innate Sacreds across the Primordial land.

The Three Pure Ones were the Dao Ancestor's Personal Disciples, the Western Two Sages were also Nominal Disciples, and as for Minghe, if it weren't for the Sea of Blood, no one would even remember him; yet now, the other party had also become a Saint.

Almost at the same time, in various places across the Primordial World, many Innate Sacreds swore to the Heavenly Dao to establish sects, but unfortunately, there was not a single response.

In Beiming, Kunpeng roared and bellowed in fury, unable to contain his anger.

He had previously made thousands of grand vows and even established the Demon Master Palace, yet he had received no merit at all.

Among the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao Palace, there were few he held in high regard, and he had even seized one of the Six Meditation Cushions back then. It was one thing for the Three Pure Ones to easily obtain great merit, but what was Minghe, that he should actually become a Saint?

Enraged in his heart, Kunpeng could not help but roar at the sky: "The Heavenly Dao is unfair! The Heavenly Dao is unfair!"

It was just a pity that apart from shouting and roaring, Demon Master Kunpeng had absolutely no other way.

In the Buzhou Mountain Consciousness Space, Houtu, who had just returned to the Earth Vein, felt her figure tremble slightly. She immediately looked toward the direction of the Netherworld Prefecture, her gaze instantly narrowing.

Without the slightest hesitation, her figure vanished into the Earth Vein beneath Mount Buzhou.

When she appeared again, Houtu had already arrived at the Underworld.

To the west of the Six Paths Reincarnation Disk, Blood Fiend Qi surged in the void, accompanied by rolling waves of blood spewing out, forming a Blood Pool in the blink of an eye.

As blood continued to gush from the void, the Blood Pool expanded at a speed visible to the naked eye.

In the blink of an eye, it was already a thousand meters wide.

"Nether Blood Sea!" Houtu exclaimed in a low voice, her eyes filled with astonishment.

With a look of shock and suspicion, she hurriedly calmed her mind to sense it, and her expression immediately froze.

A will—a will distinct from her own—was awakening in the Netherworld.

(End of this chapter)