Chapter 234

They raised their eyebrows and looked at Hongjun before them; their heart inexplicably became much calmer, losing the previous fighting thoughts.

Facing Hongjun's rare opening of his heart, Yangmei found it hard to accept his choice, and involuntarily asked: "You have suffered so much, given up so much, ended up in this lonely state, all for the chance to prove the Dao—is it worth it?"

Yangmei did not understand; as an innate divine being, he shared longevity with heaven and had no worries about lifespan. Seekers of the Dao merely seek personal verification—how could they be like Hongjun? He also had some understanding of the secret of the Immortal Dao: its idea is simply to strive to cross over; if the Divine Dao is like going with the current, then what the Immortal Dao seeks is to go against heaven.

Yangmei had received instruction in the Three Corpses Method multiple times, gaining deep insight; it demands subduing the three corpses, abandoning all thoughts, ultimately attaining a pure and natural mind. With this pure state of mind, he devoted himself to cultivation.

Free of distracting thoughts, devoid of desire for good or evil, neither attached nor deluded—such is the perfected person.

Relying on the mind of a perfected person, cultivation proceeds smoothly and unhindered, allowing the fastest completion of the accumulation needed to prove the Dao; finally, one reclaims the subdued three corpses with wholehearted focus, making the proof of the Dao flawless.

Such ingenious ideas left Yangmei no choice but to admire them, and for a moment he was astonished as if encountering a heavenly being.

Precisely because of his understanding of the Three Corpses Method, Yangmei knew why Hongjun could be so ruthless, scheming against his friends, seeking only to prove the Dao.

Now, having heard Hongjun express his aspirations and understood their essence, and with no opportunity to slay him at present, Yangmei naturally had no desire to entangle further.

Without waiting for Hongjun to explain, Yangmei merely glanced at him and said: "Hongjun, let this calamity be considered passed; I hope you take care of yourself henceforth. If you harbor dissatisfaction and do not wish to end this karmic bond, you may come seek me in Chaos."

As his words fell, Yangmei's figure vanished without a trace, leaving only the shattered divine form of Hongjun standing alone upon the vapors of Chaos, lost in thought.

Yeah, is it worth it?

Hongjun kept questioning himself in his heart, but got no answer; yet the one thing he could be certain of was that he had no regrets.

In the hazy expanse of Chaos, unaware of the passage of time, Hongjun casually waved his hand, and a set of new robes draped over him, concealing those wounds.

His breath also quickly recovered; although slightly insubstantial, outwardly there was no discernible problem.

Were it not for the cracks still covering his face, outsiders would notice nothing at all.

The Purple Cloud Palace flew in from afar, its gates opening wide and unobstructed; Hongjun entered, and only after sitting upon the mat did he slightly regain his composure, letting out a long sigh and saying:

All is well.

Inside the side hall, Haotian and Yaochi stared at each other, worried sick, as their grandfather suddenly returned, visibly gravely injured—this left them incredulous.

In their view, their grandfather had no equal in the wilderness; how could he suddenly be injured? Because of this, both felt they ought to keep a low profile henceforth, to avoid provoking someone like their grandfather.

As for going to inquire or show concern, they would absolutely not do so; one should know one's limits, and for them, even merely knowing could invite disaster when they lack the ability.

Moreover, having neither the power for revenge nor the ability to help, going to show concern would be nothing but hollow pretense, and it would also spare them the trouble of lifting their grandfather, lest he be unable to get down.

Senior Brother, who exactly could possess such cultivation to injure our grandfather?

Jade Pool was full of worry; they had indeed noticed it. Over these few great cycles, they have been trapped in the Purple Cloud Palace, and the master often goes out, returning each time with some injury.

After each return, he would go into seclusion and not come out, as if he were hiding.

This time is the exception: the master went out voluntarily, and upon returning his injury was so severe that he no longer even attempted to hide.

Before, he would advise them not to go out, but today upon his return there is no sign of that, and Jade Pool therefore worries, fearing that some trouble may arise.

Although Haotian appears as a child, he is quite steady and mature, and he comforted:

"Junior sister, there's no need to worry; since the master has returned and shows no movement, he must be fine."

"We only need to pretend we noticed nothing; if there is any change, whatever we ought to know, the master will himself inform us."

After hearing Haotian's comfort, Jade Pool's heart remained worried, but she eventually relaxed a bit, and she forced herself to speak energetically:

"Hmm, senior brother, then I'll pretend not to know, and continue preparing for the third lecture; hearing the master say, this is of utmost importance, we must not let outsiders look down on us."

Haotian also nodded, his small face full of resolve; the sites of the two previous lectures were arranged by them, and although it seems outsiders pay no attention, they still must treat it with care.

By the shore of the East Sea.

Dong Wanggong was presently pleased with himself; he had already summoned many innate divinities who had turned to the Immortal Dao, and now nearly a hundred people are present, all of them Golden Immortals of the Great Luo.

"Elder Wood, are you certain that after the lecture we should step forward to prepare the Immortal Court, venerating Great God Hongjun as the Dao Ancestor, and oppose the Heavenly Court?"

"How could I feel this is somewhat improper? Know that the Heavenly Court has long dominated the wilderness, and with many heavenly gods and earthly spirits joining, it is not something easy to deal with."

The speaker wore a vermilion robe, a lotus-flower crown on his head, a jade belt around his waist, his face like polished jade, his phoenix eyes slightly narrowed—truly a fine appearance.

This person is a renowned great god of the East Sea, known as Bai Yun Jun; his name is Yi, and some also call him Yi Zi.

Dong Wanggong paid no heed to Bai Yun Jun's worry; seeing his anxiety and hesitation, he immediately comforted:

"Yi Zi need not worry excessively; since you have the resolve to undertake a great enterprise, you naturally must have the heart to pull chestnuts from the fire."

"I am fully confident in this; Great God Hongjun will certainly not refuse, for know that we have abandoned the godly path, discarded our innate divine identities, and turned to the Immortal Dao—there is no retreat left."

"To offer him the rites of a teacher and honor him as the Dao Ancestor—what glorious honor, and it is extremely beneficial for spreading the Immortal Dao."

"Great God Hongjun has long toiled for the Immortal Dao; now someone steps forward voluntarily to wave the flag and shout for him—how could he refuse?"

"Moreover, he cannot but refuse; otherwise, how would the Immortal Dao be spread?"

"Do not forget that we were formerly innate divinities, greatly influencing the wilderness; if he rejects us, would that not show that the Immortal Dao dislikes innate divinities?"

"As for the Heavenly Court, although it is somewhat troublesome, it is also not impossible to deal with."

Having said this, Dong Wanggong's face showed confidence, making Bai Yun Jun very curious about what plan he actually has.

Since he harbors doubts and now we are to undertake a great venture together, Bai Yun Jun naturally wishes to ask a question; he only heard him say: "Oh? I do not know what solution Elder Wood has for this? That Heavenly Court has numerous soldiers and generals, countless treasures, and many innate divinities—it is the supreme power in the wilderness; with such strength, could it possibly not deserve our attention?"

"Furthermore, those five Heavenly Emperors are no ordinary beings; aside from Qi Huang, who is a Primordial Chaos Dao cultivator, the other four are all Heavenly Honored Divine Generals near perfection."

"Among them, Donghuang Taiyi is especially extraordinary, wielding the Primordial Chaos Bell as his innate treasure; within the same realm, who in the world could contend with him?"

"Qi Huang is likewise such; at present, in the wilderness, aside from Great God Hongjun, he is the only known cultivator of the Primordial Chaos Dao. He has long ruled the wilderness, his might overwhelms heaven and earth, occupying all advantages—how could I not be worried?"

Dong Wanggong saw Bai Yun Jun only speaking such words that boost others' morale while dampening his own prestige, and he became somewhat displeased, saying:

"How would Yi Zi know that my methods as Elder Wood are not inferior to theirs?"

"If I lacked confidence, how would I undertake such an egg-against-stone endeavor? I am not a fool; naturally I have a countermeasure for this."

"Since Yi Zi has asked, I may as well tell him one or two things."

"This matter, I have long had a set plan; Yi Zi, consider this: if Great God Hongjun acknowledges the Immortal Court, its prestige will surely surge overnight."

"With fame, why worry about lack of followers? Moreover, this lecture will certainly be extraordinary; its changes will undoubtedly be the utmost in the wilderness!"

Having said this, Dong Wanggong spoke with a tone of firm resolve, glanced at Bai Yun Jun, saw that he still harbored some distrust, and then continued:

"You and I cultivate the Immortal Dao; although we have now become Great Luo Golden Immortals, our life and cultivation—we both sense that it has not been fully liberated."

We were originally Luo Tianzun gods, turned to cultivate the immortal Dao, and now we are merely Great Luo Golden Immortals; fortunately we have achieved perfection, and as long as we obtain the method, we can easily enter the Primordial Dao of the immortal path.

Think again, among the Heavenly Court, how few are there like us?

By then, let's not say more; just counting ten or more Primordial Dao immortals, compared to the Heavenly Court, what is there to fear?

The Heavenly Court's Primordial Dao is only Emperor Qi alone; even with some twists and changes, at most only one more added; in this comparison, is the advantage not with us?

Looking at the Heavenly Court this way, what disadvantage do we have? Moreover, we are not without help.

Speaking to this point, Bai Yunjun gained a bit more confidence, heroic spirit arose in his heart; after all, viewing it this way, the Immortal Court is indeed very likely to seize the advantage in future disputes.

Moreover, hearing Dong Wanggong's words, it seems they also have some extra assistance; seeing this, Bai Yunjun immediately asked: "I don't know what assistance Elder Mu spoke of—who or what is it?"

Dong Wanggong saw Bai Yunjun like this, immediately laughed loudly: "Yizi, don't be anxious; let me show off a bit; think about it, since the establishment of the Heavenly Court, which of the four continents is the weakest?"

Bai Yunjun immediately began to think, recalling what the Heavenly Court had done since its establishment, his eyes lit up, he exclaimed in surprise: "Xifang Dalu?!"

Dong Wanggong's face was full of smiles, he nodded in agreement, and said: "Exactly so; I might as well tell you plainly. Besides the people we have gathered now, those two in the West have also promised to lend some assistance to the establishment of the Immortal Court."

They may not join, but they have also promised to help the Immortal Court with all the strength of the West.

At that time, the Immortal Court will first spark resistance against the Heavenly Court in the West; those two in the West may be shameless and their cultivation not exceptionally high, but their influence in the West is extremely profound.

With their assistance, the West is already in our hands.

At this point, Bai Yunjun instead felt a bit surprised, with a hint of wariness in his heart, he said:

Those two are shameless, they never care about face; their promise like this likely means they will demand a lot in return.

Moreover, Elder Mu knows their character; if at a critical moment, they...

Bai Yunjun's words were not finished, but his meaning was clear; hearing this, Dong Wanggong also slightly frowned, feeling a sense of wariness arise in his heart.

However, after long contemplation, Dong Wanggong still gritted his teeth and said: "Yizi's words are not entirely impossible; those two are not trustworthy, but it is only cooperation; with us being wary, we will not suffer a loss."

Moreover, their scheme is not much; they merely hope that after the Heavenly Court is replaced by the Immortal Court, the West will take the place of the East and become the mainstream of the primordial world.

They are the ones favored by the West's fortune, born with this responsibility; their plan is thus understandable; if they truly succeed, keeping the promise to them would be no problem.

However, upon hearing these words, Bai Yunjun's face changed dramatically, his eyes blazing as he stared fixedly at Dong Wanggong, and he said angrily: "Elder Mu intends to commit this great act of disloyalty, becoming a traitor to the Eastern Continent?!"

Seeing that appearance, it seemed as if as soon as Dong Wanggong admitted it, he would immediately turn against him and fight.

Dong Wanggong, however, had a strange expression, somewhat doubtful, and said:

"Yizi actually intends to sever ties with me? How could I be such a shameless person!"

The beings of the West are base, given to extravagance and lust; as seen from those two, their character is so base—how could they possess even a fraction of the Easterners' spirit? Such beings, how could they bear such a great responsibility!

Moreover, I am an Easterner; how could I do such a forgetful act? Wouldn't that bring upon me ten thousand accusations?

At this point, Bai Yunjun instead became bewildered, feeling that Elder Mu had lost his mind; knowing that the Western beings are stubborn and depraved, how could he still agree to this?

Dong Wanggong saw Bai Yunjun like this, immediately realized his misunderstanding, understood that his thoughts had not turned, and thus reminded him: "Yizi, you worry too much; the nobility of character shows the excellence of our Eastern beings."

Merely having noble character is good, but sometimes one still needs some scheming.

Yizi, why not think: if the Immortal Court rules the primordial world, what are those two in the West anyway? Wouldn't they just be kneaded by us?

Bai Yun, upon hearing these words, finally realized that Dong Wanggong had no intention of keeping his promise; although it felt a bit despicable, Bai Yunjun still laughed: "Naturally so; I am simply too dull, lacking Elder Mu's wisdom, far inferior!"

Having said that, he added a few more words in agreement, his words full of contempt for the West, and laughed:

Those Western beings are worthless creatures; how could they bear such a great task? This way, it will also teach them to remember, lest they constantly give rise to delusional thoughts.

The words ended here; the two exchanged a smile, the meaning thereof needing no explanation.

Mount Sumeru.

Jieyin and Zhunti sat in meditation under the bodhi tree, also contemplating Dong Wanggong's words about the Immortal Court; they were quite satisfied with his attitude, feeling he could be a sincere interlocutor.

"Senior Brother, the East actually has someone like Elder Mu who abandons his duty; indeed, it is unfit to let the primordial world's foremost good place be there; the Mandate of Heaven lies in the West!"

Zhunti opened his eyes under the tree, his eyes full of excitement; he felt he saw the rise of the West, at that time spiritual opportunities abundant, a pure paradise! Jieyin was disturbed by Zhunti, but he was not annoyed, instead smiling broadly, and replied: "The beings of the East are proud and haughty, always looking down on my West; now looking again, they are merely a place where snakes and rats mix."

"Who does not know, my West also once had a time of abundance; now the East is strong, but the future will surely belong to the West as well!"

(End of chapter)