Chapter 289: The Shocked Living Beings of the Great Desolation

Hongjun's mood at this moment could be described as extremely complex; he never imagined that Lu Yun could actually perform such an astonishing feat, directly creating a spiritual world named the "Yuanling Immortal Net," and thereby obtaining massive merit rewards from the three realms of the Heavenly Dao, Earthly Dao, and Humanity.

He knew deeply that this merit from the three realms was no small matter; it could not only raise one's cultivation but also stabilize Lu Yun's status within Humanity, further weakening his own control over the Heavenly Dao.

"Lu Yun, you truly have excellent methods!" Hongjun gritted his teeth inwardly, yet his expression did not reveal the slightest bit of this.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the anger and unwillingness in his heart, and gazed deeply outside Zixiao Palace, as if trying to see through the endless Chaos to look directly at where Lu Yun was.

"Everyone!" Hongjun spoke slowly; though his voice was soft, it carried an unquestionable majesty. "Although Lu Yun's action is unexpected, it may not necessarily change the overall situation. How could the great trend of the Heavenly Dao be shaken by him alone?"

The various Saints of the Heavenly Dao Faction felt a chill in their hearts upon hearing this and hurriedly composed their minds, saying no more. They knew that the Hongjun Daozu had his own plans, and they only needed to obey.

Sure enough, Hongjun spoke again afterward, saying in a deep voice: "Of course, Lu Yun's move is profound, and we must not take it lightly. Next, you shall all follow me into this so-called Yuanling Immortal Net to take a look!"

As soon as Hongjun's voice fell, a vast power of the Heavenly Dao surged from within his body, instantly permeating the entire Zixiao Palace.

This power seemed capable of piercing through the void, creating a subtle connection with the newly born Yuanling Immortal Net.

Seeing this, the various Saints of the Heavenly Dao Faction all showed expressions of astonishment, yet they quickly adjusted their states, preparing to follow Hongjun into this mysterious spiritual world.

They knew deeply that Hongjun's action was not only to investigate the reality of the Yuanling Immortal Net but also to personally witness this Honghuang Genius Competition and search for possible opportunities or threats within it.

"We obey the Dao Ancestor's decree!" Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Jieyin, Zhunti, and other Saints responded in unison, then each drove their magic power to merge with Hongjun's Heavenly Dao power, forming a brilliant light that shot straight into the clouds, traversed the Chaos, and pointed directly at where the Yuanling Immortal Net was located.

Originally, one needed to be on the Primordial Land to log into the Yuanling Immortal Net, but as Saints, they could enter directly while being in the Chaos.

The moment Hongjun and his party stepped into the Yuanling Immortal Net, they seemed to have crossed the boundaries of time and space, arriving in a brand-new world.

There were no physical mountains or rivers here, only illusory scenes formed by the convergence of countless consciousnesses and thoughts. They could see a miniature of the entire Primordial Land and feel the emotional fluctuations of every living being.

Hongjun looked around, his brows slightly furrowed.

He could perceive that this Yuanling Immortal Net contained extremely complex laws and rules, and these laws seemed to be closely related to the Heavenly Dao, Earthly Dao, and Humanity, yet they formed a system of their own, not entirely under his control.

This made him even more vigilant in his heart, while also feeling a deep sense of wariness toward Lu Yun's methods.

"It is indeed no small matter," Hongjun thought to himself, then his gaze fixed, and he began to carefully investigate every corner of this Yuanling Immortal Net.

He not only wanted to understand its operating principles but also to find any possible weaknesses and flaws so as to take countermeasures in the future.

The various Saints of the Heavenly Dao Faction also spread out their divine senses to investigate the Yuanling Immortal Net along with Hongjun. They each displayed their Supernatural Power, attempting to analyze this mysterious spiritual world from different angles in hopes of obtaining more valuable intelligence.

However, just as they were investigating deeply, a gentle yet firm voice suddenly rang out within the Yuanling Immortal Net: "Welcome, Hongjun Daozu and all Saints, to the Yuanling Immortal Net. May this place bring you a glimmer of different insights and experiences."

Though this voice was soft, it seemed to pierce through all illusions and reality, transmitting directly into the hearts of Hongjun and the others.

They all looked up and saw an illusory figure slowly emerging in the void; it was none other than Lu Yun. He wore a smile, his gaze profound, as if he had long since anticipated the arrival of Hongjun and the others.

And beside Lu Yun were even more powerhouses from the Humanity and Earthly Faction, such as Nuwa and Houtu.

The gazes of Hongjun and Lu Yun met in the air, and it was as if countless unspoken words were being transmitted silently between the two.

At this moment, the entire Yuanling Immortal Net seemed to stand still, and the consciousness of all living beings focused on the dialogue between these two great powerhouses.

The living beings of the Great Desolation who had just arrived in this Yuanling Immortal Net never expected that they would be able to witness such an astonishing scene just after arriving in this spiritual world!

"Lu Yun, your schemes are indeed good."

Hongjun said coldly, his tone containing both praise and dissatisfaction. "However, do you think you can change anything just by relying on this Yuanling Immortal Net?"

Lu Yun smiled slightly and said: "Dao Ancestor, you are too kind. This Yuanling Immortal Net is a meager contribution I have made for the living beings of the Great Desolation. I only hope it can bring a glimmer of enlightenment and hope to all beings, making this Primordial World more rich and colorful."

Upon hearing this, Hongjun was silent for a moment, then nodded slowly and said: "A fine 'thinking of all beings.' Lu Yun, I hope your actions can truly bring welfare to the Great Desolation as you wish."

Having said this, Hongjun spoke no more, but continued to investigate the Yuanling Immortal Net deeply with the various Saints.

Seeing them act so unscrupulously, Houtu could not help but furrow her brows and ask: "Lu Yun, do we not need to stop them?"

Lu Yun waved his hand dismissively and said: "No need, let them look if they want to! Let us continue preparing to open the Genius Tournament!"

At this time, Hongjun and the Saints of the Heavenly Dao Faction had already penetrated into the core area of the Yuanling Immortal Net; their divine senses shuttled through the vast ocean of information, attempting to uncover more secrets of this mysterious world.

However, their power here was greatly restricted; even Hongjun could not easily discern everything as he could in the outside world.

After all, although this Yuanling Immortal Net was only a spiritual world, it was independent of the Great Desolation, and here, he was not the Heavenly Dao.

"Hmph, this Yuanling Immortal Net is indeed not simple," Hongjun pondered inwardly, while remaining calm on the surface.

He felt that Lu Yun's move was definitely not done at random; there must be a profound layout and consideration behind it.

As time passed, Hongjun and the others gradually discovered that the Yuanling Immortal Net was not only a platform for communication but also a treasure house of knowledge, containing profound understandings and unique insights regarding the Heavenly Dao, Earthly Dao, and Humanity.

These insights and knowledge were extremely precious and rare, even for Saints like them who had long since transcended the mortal world. "It seems we truly underestimated Lu Yun," Yuanshi Tianzun sighed softly, his tone containing both admiration and unwillingness.

"Indeed, this child's future achievements will be limitless," Tongtian Jiaozhu echoed, his gaze flickering with complex light.

And just as they were investigating the Yuanling Immortal Net, more and more living beings in the Great Desolation entered and were roaming everywhere within the Yuanling Immortal Net.

Hongjun was shocked to discover that as the number of living beings from the Great Desolation entering the Yuanling Immortal Net increased, this Yuanling Immortal Net became more and more powerful, and the entire world changed from its original illusory state to become increasingly clear, almost as if it were truly evolving into another Primordial World! This discovery made Hongjun almost unable to resist ordering everyone to leave temporarily, while simultaneously stopping more living beings from entering this Yuanling Immortal Net.

But just at this moment, Lu Yun's voice resounded throughout the entire Yuanling Immortal Net once again.

"All living beings of the Great Desolation, listen to my words!" Lu Yun's voice was gentle yet powerful, like a spring breeze brushing against one's face, instantly spreading to every corner of the Yuanling Immortal Net.

As his words fell, the living beings who had been bustling about and exploring on their own stopped in their tracks, focusing their attention on this void in unison.

"Today is the day the First Genius Competition of our Great Desolation begins. This competition aims to unearth the potential talents of our Primordial World, promote exchanges between all races, and jointly seek the prosperity of the Great Desolation." Lu Yun's voice was filled with anticipation and encouragement. "Here, I announce that the Genius Tournament has officially begun!"

Before his voice had even faded, the entire Yuanling Immortal Net seemed to be activated by an invisible force; countless points of light began to emerge in the void, and these points of light quickly converged into portals, each leading to a different arena.

These arenas were naturally the various Secret Realms on the Human Path of Proving the Dao!

There, brilliant duels were about to be staged, and they were projected into this Yuanling Immortal Net for everyone to watch.

"Due to the large number of participants in this stage, if you wish to watch the tournament, you only need to silently recite the name of the genius you wish to follow in your heart, and you can be instantly teleported to their arena," Lu Yun continued to explain.

Upon hearing this, the living beings all showed expressions of surprise and joy, and they all began to try it according to Lu Yun's guidance.

They closed their eyes and focused their minds, reciting silently in their hearts; a moment later, rays of light radiated from their bodies, leading them through the void to the side of their chosen arenas.

For a time, the Yuanling Immortal Net was bustling with activity, yet it remained orderly.

Hongjun looked out and saw that there were thousands of arenas within the Yuanling Immortal Net, all preparing to start their matches simultaneously.

But because the spectators were in a spiritual world, even if hundreds of millions of people gathered in the same arena to watch, they would not feel crowded in the slightest, only that it was incredibly lively!

This made even him have to admire Lu Yun's imagination; it was simply too astonishing.

He waved his hand at the Saints beside him and said: "You may move about freely; notify me if you discover anything!"

Afterwards, he himself also chose a competition venue at random, only to discover that countless living beings from all the races of the Great Desolation were already there, either standing or sitting, surrounding this venue with faces brimming with anticipation and excitement.

Among them were immortals with profound cultivation, cultivators just starting out, and even ordinary mortals full of curiosity and yearning for cultivation. At this moment, regardless of status, position, or race, everyone had become a spectator, collectively witnessing this grand event belonging to the Great Desolation.

This had unexpectedly achieved the magnificent feat of "equality for all living beings" by chance!

Hongjun asked himself, if he were to host such a competition, he absolutely could not do it like Lu Yun! His mood was somewhat depressed, and his gaze was cast down toward the competition venue below.

Upon looking, he realized that the competition venue he had chosen at random happened to have a few familiar faces; they were clearly the few "Outer Realm Heavenly Demons" from Future City! Lu Yun had actually let them participate in the competition! Hongjun's gaze locked onto the competition venue, waiting with great interest to see what special abilities this group of people truly had! And just as he had settled into his seat, Lu Yun's voice once again resounded in all directions.

Lu Yun announced: "For this Honghuang Genius Competition, the first stage will use the Humanity Path of Proving Dao as the venue. All participants will be randomly assigned to the first half of the Humanity Path of Proving Dao, currently within a total of three thousand different Secret Realms to compete! The goal of the competition is to pass the many Checkpoints within these Secret Realms; each Secret Realm will ultimately select ten participants to enter the second stage."

"In the second stage, the venue will be the second half of the Humanity Path of Proving Dao. At that time, a total of thirty thousand participants will compete together, fighting all the way from Shouyang City to Witch City at Mount Buzhou. Whoever arrives at Witch City first will be the winner of this competition! At that time, in addition to the original rewards, I will have extra surprise rewards, so please look forward to it!"

……

As Lu Yun finished explaining the competition rules, whether it was the immeasurable living beings watching the battle or all the participants, everyone could not help but feel expectant.

Because the living beings had one after another entered the Yuanling Immortal Net to watch the Genius Tournament, the Primordial Land, which was usually very noisy, was instead very quiet.

And the many participants naturally also knew at this time that the Genius Tournament was currently being broadcast to all living beings of the Great Desolation in a special way!

In other words, their performance would potentially be seen by all living beings of the Great Desolation, which made them very excited while simultaneously making them feel nervous.

……

Yuanshi, who was originally searching for the whereabouts of his disciples, could not help but frown upon hearing the competition rules announced by Lu Yun.

Because he had learned from Guangchengzi and the others that they had chosen to go to different human Secret Realms separately, thinking that this way they would at least not meet each other in the first stage and become competitors against one another.

Who would have thought that Lu Yun would now pull a surprise move, and even have the participants randomly assigned! Wouldn't this mean his disciples might end up bunched together in one competition venue and compete against each other?

Thinking again of the relationship between Lu Yun and their Heavenly Dao Faction, as well as their underhanded tactics this time, Yuanshi was very suspicious of whether Lu Yun would rig the results and directly make his disciples kill each other?

However, Yuanshi soon discovered that he had underestimated Lu Yun.

Because Lu Yun did not have such rigged operations at all, and his disciples were not even in the same Secret Realm! He immediately set his heart at ease, and then prepared to stop researching the Yuanling Immortal Net for the time being, and watch his disciples' performance first! Yuanshi had originally thought that with the abilities of his Chan Sect disciples, passing the first stage would be completely without suspense!

But soon he discovered he was wrong! (End of this chapter)