Chapter 22: Hongjun: Fellow Daoist, has anyone ever told you that you look a lot like someone?

"Heh~!"

Gu Zhangqing sneered, then looked at Laozi and the others, saying indifferently, "I have left such a large Divine Stele here; how could you lot not see it!"

Having said that, a flash of Divine Light appeared in his eyes, and the monstrous Will of the Gods immediately swept toward them.

Facing this massive will of Gu Zhangqing's, which could be called that of a Hunyuan Daluo, Laozi and the others were also struggling to cope with it together.

It was just that.

They had broken through to Quasi-Saint for less than ten thousand years, and Laozi, who had the highest cultivation, was only at the peak of the early Quasi-Saint realm; how could they resist Gu Zhangqing's peerless Divine Will?

Even if they combined their wills together.

Before Gu Zhangqing's Will of the Gods, they were like a small boat in a monstrous wave, drifting unsteadily.

And Hongjun in the sky saw this, his gaze slightly cold.

"Your Excellency, that is enough!"

Hongjun was seen transforming into a human figure, appearing before Laozi and the others.

Gu Zhangqing's monstrous Will of the Gods then immediately vanished without a sound.

And Laozi and the others, seeing this, felt a sense of relief in their hearts.

They exchanged glances, still feeling a lingering fear.

Both saw unwillingness in the other's eyes.

There was both the unwillingness of missing out on a fortuitous encounter and the unwillingness regarding today's humiliation.

Especially for the proud Pangu Three Pure Ones, what happened today was truly difficult for them to accept.

Therefore, they burst forth with an unprecedented desire to achieve the Proof of Rice as a Saint.

They understood that there was likely nothing left for them regarding this fortuitous encounter.

The Primordial World was still too vast; they had not expected that a Hunyuan Daluo cultivator like Gu Zhangqing was hidden in the shadows.

How many more were there in the shadows who had not been exposed?

Thinking of this, they put away the arrogance in their hearts.

Regarding Gu Zhangqing, they had already placed his status on the same level as the Rice Ancestor Hongjun.

A level that must not be provoked.

Of course, if they also achieved the Proof of Rice, that would be another matter.

At this moment, Gu Zhangqing did not feel surprised that Hongjun could easily neutralize the shockwave of his Will of the Gods.

After all, he was the first Saint in heaven and earth to successfully achieve the Proof of Rice; the Heavenly Rice Power on his body was absolutely incomparable to that of ordinary Saints and Golden Immortals.

Plus, he had not even used the full power of the Gods' Great Will.

"Heh, I thought you would stay up there and never come down!"

Gu Zhangqing gradually restrained his aura and looked at Hongjun with a faint smile.

"......"

Hongjun did not speak, but instead carefully sized up Gu Zhangqing for a while.

Just as Gu Zhangqing frowned, feeling baffled.

Hongjun shook his head and said, "Not alike. Who is Your Excellency?"

"What is not alike?" Gu Zhangqing asked with a frown.

"Before this poor Daoist achieved the Proof of Rice, I met a fellow Daoist; I originally thought Your Excellency might be that fellow Daoist." Having said this, Hongjun sighed with regret.

"Since you have met him, why do you think I would be that fellow Daoist of yours?"

"Last time, this poor Daoist only sensed his aura from afar, and I thought he had achieved the Proof of Rice."

Hongjun said calmly.

Having said this, Hongjun continued to ask, "Your Excellency is that spokesperson for the Innate Divine Rice, right?"

Gu Zhangqing glanced at Laozi and the others and said indifferently.

"I am the God Court Lord, the Shengling Huang! I am indeed the spokesperson for the Innate Divine Rice you speak of."

Hearing this, Hongjun praised, "Fellow Daoist has good fortune, to be able to reach this step on the path of the Innate Divine Rice."

To this, Gu Zhangqing smiled inexplicably, but did not answer him directly, instead glancing at Laozi and the others.

At this action, Hongjun immediately understood.

Regarding Hongjun's question, Gu Zhangqing understood it very well in his own heart.

Relying on himself alone, he certainly could not have reached the step of achieving the Proof of Rice in such a short time.

It was precisely because he understood this point that he relied on the Yuanyi World and made the gods of the Divine Court work for him. One must know that if he needed to achieve the Proof of Rice as a Creation God, the key was not in the Primordial World, but in the Yuanyi World.

Although the Law Great Rice of the Primordial World was more profound and powerful.

It was not his own, after all, and the Heavenly Rice would not allow the Divine Rice to develop to that extent.

This matter was known not only to Gu Zhangqing and everyone in the Divine Court, but Hongjun also understood it.

This was also the reason why Hongjun would abandon the Divine Rice and create the Immortal Rice instead.

The reason he was praising Gu Zhangqing now.

Was nothing more than curiosity about how Gu Zhangqing managed to achieve the Proof of Rice as a Hunyuan Daluo in such a short time, and under the blockade of the Heavenly Rice.

It was just that Hongjun could never have imagined.

That Gu Zhangqing would have such heaven-defying fortuitous encounters as the Gods' Hall, the Tablet of Destiny, and a completely autonomous world.

"Taiqing!"

"Teacher!" Laozi replied respectfully.

"This matter is over; you lot may return!" Hongjun said plainly.

"Yes!" the crowd replied respectfully in unison upon hearing this.

Then they departed in silence, each going their own way.

They had originally thought this would be a pleasant journey of opportunity, never imagining they would end up leaving in such a dejected state.

This situation was truly something they had not expected.

……

After Laozi and the others left.

Only the manifestations of the wills of Hongjun and Gu Zhangqing remained within the Innate Great Array.

After a long silence, Gu Zhangqing asked first: "When will you Heda?"

Hearing this, Hongjun raised an eyebrow.

One must know that it had only been a few years since his third lecture, and he had not told anyone about his Heda, other than the three thousand guests of Zixiao Palace.

Yet this Gu Zhangqing actually knew that he would perform Heda after his three lectures.

However, Hongjun still responded: "Immediately!"

"Since that is the case, I will not interfere much with the operation of the great trend of the Honghuang the Heavenly Rice; as a condition, I want the position of Heavenly Realm Lord!"

Speaking of this, Gu Zhangqing stared fixedly at Hongjun.

Sure enough, upon hearing this, Hongjun frowned slightly.

But upon thinking of Gu Zhangqing's identity, he suddenly understood.

After weighing it in his heart for a moment, he said: "Agreed!"

He paused for a moment, then immediately added: "But only after the next Great Calamity!"

After the next Great Calamity? That is acceptable; in any case, the Divine Court, himself, and his true body currently need some time to strive for a successful Proof of Rice before the Investiture of the Gods Great Calamity.

Gu Zhangqing thought to himself, and finally nodded in reply: "Good! One Great Calamity's time, I accept!"

Hongjun also breathed a sigh of relief in his heart.

The current major forces of Honghuang are either the descendants of Pangu or those formed from the transformation of Innate Divine Beings.

The Primordial World under his management does not need such existences that have high lower limits and high upper limits, and are too big to be controlled.

Ethnic groups with low lower limits and low upper limits are what Honghuang needs most in the future.

Therefore, a necessary cleansing still needs to be carried out during this Great Calamity.

"Since that is so, I hope you will keep your word, fellow Daoist."

"Hehe, my words are golden and jade-like; I am a person of my word!"

……

Yuanyi World.

After the Shengling Huang avatar brought back several Innate Gourds along with the Gourd Vine, he heard a piece of good news.

All eight thousand-plus of his Innate Divine Shengling had been born.

Including the first born Innate Divine Shengling Nüwang Li Ling'er, there were a total of eight thousand eight hundred and eighty-eight Innate Divine Shengling.

However, there was one point he had not expected.

These eight thousand-plus Innate Divine Shengling were all composed of females.

This situation was something even the person involved, the Life Tree Xiaosheng, did not know the reason for.

(End of this chapter)