Primordial Era: The Sun Emperor

Although innate spiritual treasures are valuable, they are worthless compared to the opportunity to become a saint.

Both Jieyin and Zhunti knew perfectly well that those six prayer mats were not to be missed. Although they did not know the exact reason, they vaguely guessed that it was related to their attainment of enlightenment.

If this is indeed the case, and we miss this opportunity, the great aspiration for the revitalization of the West will never be realized.

The two spread out the Great Auspicious Cloud, within which floated countless treasures.

There are Bodhi seeds formed from innate spiritual roots, as well as several innate spiritual treasures of various middle and lower grades.

Taiyi's golden eyes swept over the auspicious clouds, his gaze indifferent, not taking a liking to a single item.

He looked at the two of them with a cold face, and the atmosphere in the hall suddenly froze.

Jieyin looked pained, and Zhunti's face was pale. Both of them knew that things were unlikely to end well today.

Suddenly, Taiichi smiled.

The smile was neither warm nor cold, carrying a hint of all-knowing composure: "Fine, I'll grant you both the favor. But are you trying to make fun of me by offering these things?"

His voice wasn't loud, but it resounded throughout the Zixiao Palace like the tolling of a bell.

"I have no interest in ordinary innate spiritual treasures!" Taiyi paused, his golden eyes fixed on Jieyin and Zhunti, and said, word by word, "I only need the Twelfth-Grade Merit Golden Lotus! Nothing else is required!"

These words caused an uproar in the hall.

"What?" Zhunti exclaimed in shock, his expression changing drastically.

"Delusion!" Jieyin couldn't help but exclaim, a hint of anger appearing on his face, which had suffered from illness for many years.

The Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit is their Western treasure, transformed from the seeds of the Chaos Green Lotus. It is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure with unparalleled defense, and can also suppress fortune and enhance merit.

This treasure is the foundation upon which they will establish their religion and the basis for the revitalization of the West. How can they give it away so easily?

What alarmed them even more was how Taiyi knew they possessed this treasure.

The twelve-tiered golden lotus of merit has always been hidden deep in the West and has never been shown to anyone.

"A twelve-petaled golden lotus of merit? That's no ordinary object!"

"A top-grade innate spiritual treasure, there aren't many in the entire prehistoric world."

"Taiichi has such a big appetite!"

Inside the hall, the great gods discussed amongst themselves, their gazes all fixed on Jieyin and Zhunti, some with curiosity, some with greed, and some with schadenfreude.

Of course, they didn't know what Taiyi had exchanged with him, and when they found out later, they would definitely mock Taiyi for being short-sighted.

The moment the name "Twelve-Grade Golden Lotus of Merit" was uttered, it was like a piece of fat meat falling into a pack of hungry wolves, arousing the envy of countless people.

Jieyin and Zhunti's faces turned ashen, and they were about to refuse when Taiyi spoke first.

He leaned back on the futon, his posture languid, and said in a nonchalant tone, "Since you are unwilling, then so be it. Although I do not wish to take a master, Fellow Daoist Ziwei is certainly eligible. There are also many others in my Heavenly Court who are suitable to take a master."

These words, spoken casually, were like a sharp knife, piercing deeply into the heart of Jieyin and Zhunti.

Taiyi didn't care about those two prayer mats at all. He didn't need to take a master himself, but he could take a master from Ziwei, the star lords of the Heavenly Court, or even any random heavenly soldier or general.

He could arrange for people to occupy those two prayer cushions whenever he wanted.

So, besides seeking approval from him, who else could Jieyin and Zhunti turn to? The Three Pure Ones? Nuwa?

The Three Pure Ones will not allow it, nor will Nuwa.

Only Taiyi has a sliver of hope.

Taiyi's price has already been offered.

Taiyi stopped looking at them and turned to call out to a corner of the hall, "Where is Taibai?"

"Your subject is here!"

A silver-white figure came running out from behind the crowd.

Taibai Xingjun, with his white hair and beard, ran faster than anyone else at this moment. He rushed to Taiyi in a few steps, first bowing deeply to Taiyi, and then turning around to respectfully bow to Hongjun Laozu on the high platform.

Hongjun Noodles twitched slightly, but managed to suppress his urge to retaliate.

What did they take the Purple Cloud Palace for? A vegetable market? A place to haggle over prices?

He, the dignified ancestor of immortals and the first saint since the creation of heaven and earth, sat on a high platform, watching helplessly as a few juniors below made a living by selling prayer cushions and had to listen to their haggling.

But he couldn't say directly who could sit and who couldn't, because that would mean everything was predetermined.

Heaven is unjust, and Hongjun is unjust.

People will harbor resentment towards him, which is contrary to his principles.

Hongjun closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

A moment later, a secret voice transmission reached Jieyin and Zhunti's ears: "Promise them, this humble Taoist will grant you an immense blessing. If you persist, you will surely regret it later."

His voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable authority.

Jieyin shuddered, opened his eyes, and met Zhunti's gaze.

Zhunti clearly received the same message, his expression shifting before finally letting out a long sigh.

The two brothers remained silent for a long time.

The guide looked pained, and slowly raised his hand, a golden lotus appearing in his palm.

The golden lotus had twelve petals, layer upon layer, with golden light flowing around them. Each petal was engraved with innate Dao patterns, exuding a pure and peaceful aura.

The power of merit, like fine threads, entwined around the lotus platform; it was none other than the supreme innate spiritual treasure, the Twelve-Petaled Golden Lotus of Merit.

"I hope Your Majesty will grant me this favor." The guide's voice was hoarse as he held up the golden lotus in both hands and handed it to Taiyi.

Taiyi smiled slightly, a smile that contained neither smugness nor mockery, but only the composure of having everything under control: "If we had done this earlier, there wouldn't have been so much trouble."

He flipped his hand and summoned the Chaos Bell.

The ancient bell hangs above the golden lotus, and the chaotic energy hangs down like a curtain, firmly suppressing the twelve-petaled golden lotus of merit.

The golden lotus trembled violently, and the true spirit imprint left within it resisted frantically, but it was no match for the Chaos Bell.

The next moment, the Great Sun Holy Flame surged from Taiyi's palm, and the golden-white flames enveloped the golden lotus.

The Great Sun's Holy Flame is extremely powerful and intense, capable of burning everything.

One by one, the true spirit imprints within the innate restrictions of the golden lotus were burned and melted away. The thirty-six restrictions, refined through thousands of years of arduous cultivation, vanished in an instant before the sacred flames of the sun, like snow meeting the blazing sun.

This is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure with forty-eight innate restrictions, yet even a Great Luo Golden Immortal can only refine thirty-six of them.

Only when one reaches the level of a Primordial Golden Immortal can one unleash the full power of a top-grade innate spiritual treasure.

In a short while, this top-grade innate spiritual treasure became ownerless.

The great gods in the hall were terrified. That was a top-grade innate spiritual treasure! Taiyi refined it as easily as eating and drinking, without even blinking.

Taiyi withdrew the Great Sun Holy Flame, and the Golden Lotus returned to its original appearance, shining brightly and pure without any stain.

With a casual toss, the golden lotus traced an arc and landed steadily in the arms of the Purple Emperor.

"From this day forward, this item belongs to you."

Emperor Ziwei was stunned.

He held the twelve-petaled golden lotus of merit in both hands. The purple-gold imperial aura and the merit light of the lotus reflected each other, making his face appear to glow and fade.

He originally thought that Taiyi did all this to fight for the treasure for himself.

They went to such great lengths, offending Jieyin and Zhunti, and even had to have a sage personally mediate.

In the end, this golden lotus was meant for him?

"Your Majesty..." Ziwei opened her mouth, but a thousand words were stuck in her throat, and she didn't know where to begin.

Taiyi had already turned around, stood with his hands behind his back, casually found a place to sit cross-legged, and calmly looked at the high platform with his golden eyes, as if everything just now was nothing more than a matter of lifting a finger.

"Make room for our two fellow Daoists from the West," Taiyi said calmly. "The Sage is about to preach."

Emperor Ziwei gave Taiyi a deep look, then put the golden lotus into his sea of ​​consciousness, clasped his hands in a deep bow, and sat down next to Taiyi for a short while.

Silence returned to the hall.

Jieyin and Zhunti looked even more distressed. Sitting on the two prayer mats, they felt they had been ripped off.

On the high platform, Hongjun slowly opened his eyes.

The sage's sermon is finally about to begin.