Primordial Era: With unparalleled comprehension, I am the Ancestor of Stars.

Chapter 51 Hongjun: Chaos! Chaos! Taihao has completely messed up the plan!

"I, an old Taoist priest, am known as the patriarch of the Xuanmen sect, while you founded the Taixuan sect. Is this a coincidence?"

Tai means extreme.

It implies something higher and bigger.

Then wouldn't Tai Xuan Men be even more mysterious and profound than Xuan Men?

"No! This is absolutely not a coincidence!"

Hongjun never expected that Taihao would establish a religion at this time, and the timing was right during the second sermon!

How can he preach now?

Originally, the three thousand guests of Zixiao were somewhat uncertain about whether there was a second saint-level being in the prehistoric world, but seeing Hongjun's reaction now, they knew that their guess was probably correct!

Hunyuan is almost equivalent to a sage!

For a moment, Zixiao Ke, who was preparing to listen to the lecture on the Great Dao, became somewhat restless.

In this situation, Hongjun had no choice but to explain.

The matter of establishing a religion involves several divinely ordained saints!

He is responsible if the explanation is flawed or if incorrect suggestions are given.

So after a moment of contemplation, Hongjun slowly spoke.

"Establishing a religion means establishing the intention to educate and enlighten all beings. This is also what I meant when I preached the Great Dao at Zixiao Palace. If you have the opportunity and your minds are enlightened in the future, you may also establish a religion! When your time is right, Heaven may bestow great merit upon you!"

To enlighten all beings!

It will bring great merit!

At that moment, Zixiao Ke understood.

Not only that, they even had some ulterior motives.

Since the Sage Hongjun can preach the Dao, what about the Great Power Taihao who attained Hunyuan? Isn't it the same?

If that's the case, wouldn't it be wonderful to go to the Great Power of Hunyuan after this sermon is over and listen to his teachings again?

The only thing that remains unclear is the difference between Hunyuan and Sage, and the origin of Taihao.

"It's me again," he said once more.

"May I ask, Your Majesty, who exactly is this great being named Taihao?"

As soon as the question was asked, Zixiao Ke remained the same as before, and everyone waited attentively for Hongjun's answer.

Although they were unclear about the relationship between Hongjun and Taihao, the fact that they were both affected by the two sermons suggests that their relationship was probably not good.

But it is often this subtle antagonistic relationship that allows for a more objective judgment.

After all, if the relationship is too good, it's easy to praise someone; if the relationship is too bad, it's easy to slander them.

This is the most appropriate approach.

Under these circumstances, Hongjun slowly spoke.

"Taihao... is a fellow Daoist of mine. He took human form later than me, but he began his path to enlightenment before me. He also possesses a great spirit and perseverance that I lack! If you have the opportunity to meet him, you will know that he is a great master of supernatural powers, no less than me!"

As soon as Hongjun finished speaking, Zixiao Ke's face showed a look of understanding.

Sure enough!

Since you are a fellow Daoist, you must also be someone who is no less powerful than a sage.

So here's the question: if it's no weaker than a sage, then what exactly is Hunyuan?

It was still Laozi, who had become the leader among the Zixiao guests.

"May I ask the Sage, what is Primordial Chaos, and what is a Sage? If we have the opportunity to attain enlightenment, how should we choose?"

The room fell silent upon hearing this.

Although the highest cultivation level among the Zixiao guests was only at the peak of the Great Luo realm, or even slightly higher, this did not prevent them from setting their sights higher.

What if he attains enlightenment?

It was after this question was asked that Hongjun's expression became even more indifferent.

Clearly, Taihao's preaching plans were disrupted.

Originally, the matter of proving the Dao was to be mentioned during the third lecture, but now, at the beginning of the second lecture, which is still far from over, Lao Tzu has asked about it first.

He was caught in a dilemma, unable to answer or not answer.

But Hongjun had seen his share of grand occasions, and he quickly calmed down, though he felt a little wistful.

"It is said that the general trend is hard to change, but a transcendent being of the Primordial Chaos realm, combined with a representative of the Heavenly Dao, can, to some extent, manipulate the general trend!"

"Since things have come to this point, let's combine two or three discussions into one!"

In an instant, Hongjun made a decision.

This was not entirely because Taihao had revealed the "heavenly secrets," but also because he felt a sense of urgency.

Taihao established his religion at this time, clearly intending to challenge him and see who was superior.

In other words, it's a showdown.

"In that case, it's best to attain enlightenment as soon as possible!"

On the high platform, Hongjun's expression was neither sad nor happy.

No one knew what he was thinking. In the eyes of the Three Thousand Guests, he only pondered for a moment before giving his answer.

"Hun Yuan refers to the Hun Yuan Daluo Golden Immortal, and even sages are like this!"

"But a sage is a primordial being, yet a primordial being is not a sage! A sage is a position attained through the Heavenly Dao, and their primordial spirit can reside in the void of the Heavenly Dao. As long as the Heavenly Dao exists, the sage will never die!"

As soon as Hongjun finished speaking, Laozi hurriedly pressed for an answer.

"Can't the Primordial Spirit be entrusted to the Heavenly Dao?"

"No!"

Hongjun nodded expressionlessly.

"I thank the sage for clearing up my doubts!"

Laozi quickly bowed, and then an idea suddenly came to mind.

"If that's the case, then one who attains enlightenment should be a sage! Not a mortal in a state of chaos!"

Yuanshi and Tongtian shared the same idea.

This also includes most of the Zixiao guests, who believe that a saint who can entrust his primordial spirit to the Heavenly Dao is definitely more powerful than a mere Hunyuan.

However, they did not know that the status of a saint is limited and subject to many constraints, and is not as wonderful as they imagined.

However, on the other hand, for the vast majority of Zixiao guests, as long as they can attain enlightenment, there is no difference between a saint and a primordial being.

In this situation, Hongjun ignored all further inquiries and began preaching directly.

This time, he will not only teach the Three Corpses Quasi-Saint Method, but also expound on the Primordial Chaos Dao of the Saints, and at the same time distribute the Primordial Purple Qi.

As for the impact of combining the two sermons into one...

"Once the old Taoist has attained enlightenment, he will naturally smooth things over one by one!"

Time flies, and thirty thousand years have passed in the blink of an eye.

When Hongjun finished his sermon, most of the Zixiao disciples were still in a state of enlightenment and had not yet awakened. It was not until ten thousand years later that cultivators gradually began to awaken.

In the blink of an eye, forty thousand years have passed since that sermon!

It wasn't that Zixiao Ke lacked comprehension, but rather that history had already changed. Logically, there should have been a break in between for them to digest what they had learned from the sermons, but Hongjun, for certain reasons, compressed the two sermons into one!

That's why this situation has arisen.

However, broadly speaking, the overall situation of the prehistoric world has not changed much.

After everyone woke up, many of the three thousand Purple Cloud Guests had already broken through from the Great Luo to the Quasi-Saint level.

The Three Pure Ones need no further introduction; they possessed extraordinary comprehension and were among the first to sever their benevolent corpses.

Next are Jieyin and Zhunti. Although their comprehension is not as high as that of the Three Pure Ones, they are sitting on the frontmost futon and can hear Hongjun's words better, so their breakthroughs are not slow either.

Next came Fuxi, Dijun, Taiyi, and others.

These people also possess talent and comprehension, not much weaker than the Three Pure Ones; it's just that they are in different positions, which is why they are a bit slower.

However, compared to the other Zixiao guests, they were still much faster.

Of the three thousand Purple Cloud Guests, less than one-tenth were able to sever one of their corpses and break through to the Quasi-Saint level within forty thousand years. Not to mention that many cultivators didn't even have the spiritual treasures needed to sever their corpses!

Basically, the further back in the position, the less one comprehends the Three Corpses Technique!

However, there are always exceptions. The one in Zixiao Palace who had the least understanding of the Three Corpses Technique was not the last-ranked person, but rather…

Nuwa, seated on the highest throne!

"Many thanks to the Sage for expounding the Dao. Nuwa, after forty thousand years of enlightenment, has finally achieved minor success in the Visualization of Freedom! She has broken through to the Quasi-Sage level!"

Nuwa did not forget her roots. After awakening from her enlightenment, the first thing she did was to thank Hongjun.

She doesn't practice the Three Corpses Technique, but she can learn from it and still fulfill her master's instructions.

Therefore, expressing gratitude is necessary.

Although Hongjun didn't need her thanks, and even hoped she would shut up.

Didn't you see that Zixiao Palace is silent?

After Nuwa expressed her gratitude, Zixiao Palace fell silent. Even Fuxi was dumbfounded, let alone the others.

"The sage is preaching, and you are seated in the first position. Not only do you not learn the Great Dao of Severing Corpses, but you also cultivate other evil and heretical paths. Do you not respect the sage?"

Yuanshi was the first to raise an objection, speaking with righteous indignation.

But Nuwa was not afraid at all. Instead, she spoke coldly with a cold face.

"This is my master's method of enlightenment, yet you call it heresy and deviant? If that's the case, do you dare say those words again in front of my master?"

"Your master..."

Yuan Shi suddenly stopped and couldn't help but gasp.

Who was Nuwa's master?

Taihao!

Nowadays, who doesn't know that Taihao is a Primordial Great Power?

Furthermore, he attained enlightenment even before Hongjun!

To say that his method of attaining enlightenment is heretical and deviant implies that there is something wrong with Taihao's method of attaining enlightenment.

For a moment, Yuanshi was speechless.

He opened his mouth, unsure how to refute it.

If he doesn't speak up, where will he put the face he's lost again?

Just as he was caught in a dilemma, Hongjun spoke.

"The methods of attaining enlightenment have no distinction of high or low; only the cultivators who practice these methods can differentiate between them. If you two have any disputes, you can resolve them yourselves outside of Zixiao Palace!"

Upon hearing this, Yuanshi was somewhat surprised.

Is Hongjun encouraging them to resolve this privately?

And through a battle of wits?

However, this presented Yuanshi with a problem that put him in an even more difficult position.

That is, Nuwa had a powerful primordial being as her backer, while Yuanshi did not!

Even if Yuanshi were arrogant, he wouldn't be so confident as to compare himself to Hunyuan when he had only just broken through to Quasi-Saint level.

But just as he was thinking about these things, Hongjun spoke again.

"Although this sermon has ended, there is still one thing to be done!"

"Please speak, sage!" Lao Tzu said hastily, sensing that this matter was certainly not simple.

"As I've said before, a sage is a primordial being, yet a sage is not a primordial being. But do you know how one can become a sage?"

Achieve sainthood!

Everyone was startled and immediately focused their attention, afraid of missing a single word.

"The primordial spirit of a sage can reside in the Heavenly Dao; therefore, without the Heavenly Dao's approval, one can be a Primordial Chaos, but not a sage!"

"May I ask, Sage, how can one gain the approval of Heaven?" Yuanshi asked impatiently.

"As the spokesperson of the Heavenly Dao, I teach and enlighten all living beings on behalf of Heaven. Therefore, my disciples are naturally recognized by the Heavenly Dao!" Hongjun said indifferently.

However, the three thousand guests of Zixiao could not remain calm like him after hearing this. They all bowed and knelt down, and shouted in unison.

"We earnestly request the Sage to accept us as his disciples!"

"Rise, all of you! Nine is the ultimate number. Under the Heavenly Dao, there can be at most nine sages. However, the Heavenly Dao has taken one away, so there are still eight sages left! Therefore, excluding this old Daoist, I have at most seven disciples!"

At most seven?

In other words, could seven more saints be born in the world?

Instantly, the Purple Cloud Guests felt a chill run down their spines.

Seven saints, how could that be enough for their three thousand Purple Cloud Guests?

Even if we exclude Nuwa, there are still more than 2,900 people.

Seven saintly positions are simply not enough to go around, okay?

(End of this chapter)