Chapter 10: The End of the Second Lecture

Hongjun ceased his sermon, and the resonance of the Dao vanished along with his voice. Bai Jing slowly opened his eyes, a hint of pleasant surprise coloring his expression.

It was no wonder that the great powers of the Primordial World broke their heads trying to gain entry to the Zixiao Palace to listen to the teachings. The effectiveness of Hongjun’s lecture was truly remarkable; in just three thousand years, Bai Jing had successfully gained an introductory grasp of the Law of Devouring.

Having comprehended the Law of Devouring, Bai Jing also perceived the deficiencies in his "Spirit Devouring Technique." With only minor improvements, the technique’s ability to devour all things to nourish oneself could be enhanced by at least ten percent.

One should not underestimate this ten percent. Had Bai Jing improved the technique before consuming the essence blood of Dijiang, his physical strength would undoubtedly have already broken through to the peak of the Great Luo realm.

However, it was not too late. Bai Jing still possessed many precious ores in his collection; once he left the Zixiao Palace and found a place to enter deep seclusion for a few millennia, his physical body would easily transcend to the peak of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.

Moreover, Bai Jing held a fragment of the Jade Plate of Fate containing the Great Dao of Devouring. With his introductory grasp of the Law of Devouring, and by utilizing the fragment, his speed in further comprehending the law would surely be swift. Once his origin was fully restored, the path toward his Primordial Spirit cultivation advancing to the Hunyuan Golden Immortal realm would be smooth and unobstructed.

"Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, you seem to have gained quite a lot!" Houtu thought, feeling a touch of envy as she saw the joy on his face.

The insights she had gained over these three thousand years were meager indeed. Without a Primordial Spirit, the Dao spoken by Hongjun was, as expected, not meant for her Wu Clan.

Fortunately, this trip had not been entirely fruitless. At the very least, she had learned of the path of "Proving the Dao through Strength." According to Hongjun, their Father God had once attained sainthood through this very method. As the twelve siblings, they had been born with innate laws and possessed a high aptitude for comprehending them—could it be that they were all better suited for this path?

"The Primordial World is now home to many races; the environment is chaotic, the living beings are restless, and the path to the Dao is difficult. There is a need for a leader of the male immortals and a leader of the female immortals to help maintain order in the Primordial World."

Having finished his sermon, Hongjun spoke suddenly. The various great powers of the Primordial World looked upward in unison.

Emperor Jun, in particular, snapped to his attention upon hearing Hongjun’s words. He had been pondering the matter of severing his three corpses using the River Map and the Luo Script, but with no time left to dwell on such things, he hurriedly stood up and said, "Reporting to the Sage, my Demon Clan..."

However, before Emperor Jun could finish, Hongjun cast a gaze at him—devoid of any emotion—and then turned his attention away. Emperor Jun’s words died in his throat, and he sat back down.

Hongjun continued, "Duke of the East, Queen Mother of the West, come forward."

Hearing the summons, the Duke of the East and the Queen Mother of the West dared not show the slightest hesitation and hurried before Hongjun.

Hongjun glanced at the pair and spoke slowly: "The Duke of the East was formed from the first wisp of pure Yang energy in the heavens, and the Queen Mother of the West was formed from the first wisp of pure Yin energy. One Yin and one Yang, complementing each other perfectly; you two shall be the leaders of the male and female immortals."

Many of the great powers below frowned. While the cultivation of these two was respectable, there were dozens of people present in the hall who could easily suppress them.

Among the Three Pure Ones, Taishang Laojun remained indifferent, Yuanshi Tianzun wore a somber expression, and Tongtian eyed the Duke of the East with an expression of intrigued curiosity.

Behind them, Emperor Jun’s complexion was equally unsightly, and Taiyi, beside him, looked as if he were going mad with rage, his murderous intent barely concealed.

Among the female immortals, Nuwa glanced at the Queen Mother of the West but showed no reaction, while Houtu seemed entirely distracted, her mind preoccupied with the path of proving the Dao through strength, completely oblivious to the event.

The great powers gathered in the Zixiao Palace were clearly dissatisfied with the appointment of the Duke of the East and the Queen Mother of the West. Yet, since the Sage had spoken, no one dared to openly object and could only offer words of praise.

Hongjun nodded and produced two treasures. He looked first at the Duke of the East: "Duke of the East, I bestow upon you the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Dragon-Headed Walking Stick, for your self-defense."

He then looked at the Queen Mother of the West: "Queen Mother of the West, I bestow upon you the Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Pure Water Bowl. May you two maintain the order of the Primordial World and protect all living beings."

With that, the two treasures flew toward them.

The eyes of those present were fixed in place. Top-Grade Innate Spiritual Treasures were, without question, the pinnacle of treasures in the Primordial World.

Furthermore, now that Hongjun had just taught the method of severing the three corpses, everyone was in dire need of spiritual treasures. None of the innate divine beings were fools; they all knew that the strength gained after severing a corpse depended heavily on whether one used a low-grade or a top-grade spiritual treasure.

If not for Hongjun’s presence, someone would have surely moved to seize these two top-grade treasures.

The Duke of the East was stunned by the immense surprise, his face radiating uncontrollable joy as he received the treasures.

The Queen Mother of the West appeared pleased on the surface, but her heart was full of hesitation.

However, this was not the time for doubt. No one could defy the command of a Sage, so she and the Duke of the East bowed to thank Hongjun.

Hongjun raised a hand to help them up. "This sermon has concluded. I shall open the Zixiao Palace again in one Yuan period; the seating arrangement shall remain the same."

Without waiting for a response, Hongjun vanished instantly, as if he had never been there at all.

After Hongjun left, the Duke of the East quickly pulled the Queen Mother of the West aside and smiled, "Fellow Daoist, since the Sage has appointed us as the leaders of the immortals, I hope that in the future, we can work together to attain the Great Dao."

The Queen Mother of the West offered a forced smile. She stole a subtle glance at Nuwa and Houtu in the hall, then withdrew her hand from the Duke of the East and said, "Fellow Daoist, I have urgent matters to attend to at my abode. Let us discuss this in detail another time!" With that, she turned and left the Zixiao Palace, heading back into the Primordial World without looking back.

Her attitude left the Duke of the East puzzled. He wanted to pursue her, but he was soon surrounded by a group of cultivators whose cultivation levels were not particularly high. He had no choice but to give up and engage them in conversation, completely failing to notice the undisguised killing intent emanating from Taiyi in the hall.

"Taiyi, calm down!" Emperor Jun patted his brother’s shoulder and led him out of the Zixiao Palace.

Bai Jing watched the Duke of the East, surrounded by the crowd, and shook his head secretly. "By accepting the title of leader of the male immortals, the Duke of the East has taken on far too much karma. Hongjun, the Three Pure Ones, and the two from the West are all male immortals; if the Duke of the East doesn't die, who will? Nuwa and Houtu are female immortals; fortunately, they are more peaceful, but even so, the Queen Mother of the West will likely remain a background figure in the future of the Primordial World."

"Fellow Daoist Bai Jing, now that the Sage’s sermon is over, I intend to return to the Wu Clan. What are your plans?" Houtu asked.

"I plan to travel to Mount Buzhou to see if I can find any opportunities," Bai Jing replied.

"Then we may travel together for a while."

Bai Jing nodded.

Thereupon, the two of them departed from the Zixiao Palace together.