Hongjun left the Pangu Hall and flew back toward Mount Buzhou!
He had gained a great deal along the way, but even someone as powerful as Hongjun could only climb a little over halfway up Mount Buzhou. No matter how hard he tried, he could not advance another inch!
Yet during the years Hongjun had spent scaling Mount Buzhou, using its oppressive might to temper his physical body, his cultivation had already broken through to the Mid-Stage Da Luo Golden Immortal level!
Feeling the changes in his body, Hongjun was overjoyed!
He immediately returned to his dojo on Mount Yujing to consolidate his mid-stage Da Luo Golden Immortal realm!
In Honghuang, years are untracked, and fifty thousand years passed in the blink of an eye!
By this time, countless living beings had already appeared in the Honghuang world. Lacking cultivation techniques, most of them possessed only the cultivation of Earth Immortals or Heavenly Immortals, with only a few exceptionally gifted individuals barely managing to step into the Golden Immortal realm.
Many more had merely awakened their spiritual intelligence, yet remained unable to take human form!
Suddenly, one day on the shores of the East China Sea, a brilliant flash of golden light erupted from within the Three Immortals Island, and Taichu descended gracefully from the sky, his white robes fluttering like snow and his long hair streaming in the wind!
Had it not been for the concealment of the island's grand protective array, this aura would likely have stretched across hundreds of millions of miles!
Seeing that some living beings within the island had already taken human form, while those who had not yet transformed had at least gained spiritual intelligence, Taichu felt a deep sense of gratification.
These were the native living beings of the Three Immortals Island, the vital native strength of his home!
"Grand Completion Da Luo Golden Immortal. I never expected to cross an entire minor realm in a mere fifty thousand years. This Enlightenment Tree truly is an exceptional treasure for aiding comprehension."
"It is also time to go take a look at the Honghuang world!"
With a single step, he spanned hundreds of millions of miles, reaching the foot of Mount Buzhou in just three or five strides!
Along the way, Taichu had already observed that the situation in the Honghuang world was identical to that of the Three Immortals Island!
Many living beings had successively taken human form, and even those who had not yet transformed had largely awakened their spiritual intelligence. They simply suffered from having no cultivation techniques and thus remained at too low a level!
Therefore, Taichu took his stand upon the summit of Mount Buzhou and proclaimed in a resonant voice: "I am Taichu. Two thousand years from now, I shall expound the Dao at Mount Buzhou. All living beings are welcome to come and listen!"
Taichu's voice rang out like a great bell, carrying to every corner of Honghuang. Yet Honghuang was vast beyond measure, so only those with a predestined affinity could hope to hear it!
Deep within Mount Yujing, Hongjun, who had been in seclusion consolidating his realm, slowly opened his eyes!
"Hmph, trying to steal the spotlight right in front of this ancestor! When I come out of seclusion, I'll just see how much you're truly worth!"
By this time, Hongjun had already reached the Mid-Stage Da Luo Golden Immortal realm!
Thinking of how he possessed the Creation Jade Disk to accelerate his comprehension and cultivation, and recalling that when he had last encountered Taichu, the latter was merely a Peak Early-Stage Da Luo Golden Immortal—though wait, he was actually at the early stage back then—Hongjun let out a cold snort and returned to his seclusion!
Yet somewhere in the dark, he felt as though he had missed some vital opportunity.
In the extreme northern lands of Honghuang, Ancestor Hunkun and Ancestor Wuji were filled with rage upon hearing the proclamation!
"We must accelerate our cultivation. How dare he seize our immortal island and inflict such heavy injuries upon the two of us! If we do not repay this debt, we are no Demon Gods!" Ancestor Hunkun muttered before plunging back into cultivation!
Yet at this moment, the extreme northern lands were not the sole domain of Ancestor Hunkun and Ancestor Wuji's faction!
Deep within an abyss in the extreme north dwelt a naturally born sovereign, the Beast Emperor Shenni!
At this time, Shenni's cultivation had already reached the Peak Early-Stage Da Luo Golden Immortal realm!
The reason he had never once emerged into the world was simply because his four great fierce beast subordinates had not yet transformed and stepped into the world.
Shenni glanced briefly in the direction of Mount Buzhou, then resumed his seclusion!
"Whether he lectures on the Dao or not is of no consequence. Once this Emperor emerges into the world, all of you shall bow in submission beneath my feet!"
He who would achieve great things must naturally know how to endure for a time. As a naturally born sovereign, Shenni naturally understood what mattered most!
His most urgent task was to await the complete descent of his fierce beast army; only then would it be time for him, the Beast Emperor Shenni, to make his grand emergence!
In the ancestral land of the West, Mount Xumi, the Demon Ancestor Luohou knitted his brows slightly upon hearing Taichu's Dao resonance!
"To think that within this world, there is actually someone whose cultivation surpasses even that of this Demon Ancestor!"
Gazing at the four great demon kings before him, who had yet to come into the world, Luohou closed his eyes slightly once more and sank back into cultivation!
At this moment, Taichu, who had attained the Grand Completion Da Luo Golden Immortal realm, could care little for such matters. Right now, he was indisputably the premier figure in Honghuang!
Standing atop the summit of Mount Buzhou, Taichu's thoughts shifted, and in an instant he arrived at Mount Kunlun!
"I left in too much of a rush last time and didn't get a chance to check on you three little fellows. I wonder how you've been doing."
With these words, Taichu made his way to the territory of the Three Pure Ones, formed from the primordial spirit of Pangu!
If he hadn't looked, he wouldn't have known; but upon looking, he was startled out of his wits!
He saw three wisps of clear qi entangling with one another. The largest wisp—none other than Laozi—was in the process of devouring the origins of the other two wisps bit by bit, while another wisp, because its origin was being consumed, was in turn devouring the smallest wisp.
The three wisps of clear qi that had originally split from one, along with the Dao merit that had likewise divided into three, were being gradually pilfered away by Laozi and Yuanshi!
"Despicable!" His anger flared to the extreme. Taichu raised his hand as if to strike, but halfway through the air, his hand slowly lowered once more!
When he pinched his fingers to calculate, he found no trace of who might be plotting against them, which only deepened Taichu's frustration.
"In the end, divine powers cannot surpass destiny. So be it! So be it!"
Lowering his raised hand, Taichu cast one deep glance at the three wisps of clear qi, then turned and departed without looking back!
After Taichu left, the largest wisp of clear qi trembled violently with fear. It wasn't that it hadn't been terrified earlier; rather, it had been so scared it didn't even dare to twitch, dreading that Taichu might strike out and annihilate it right then and there!
"That scared the life out of Laozi! That scared the life out of Laozi!"
With those words, the three wisps of clear qi, which had been tightly entangled, gradually separated!
With a shift of his thoughts, Taichu appeared outside the Pangu Hall!
Unlike Hongjun, not only did the Pangu Hall exert no oppressive force upon Taichu, it even seemed exceptionally affectionate toward him!
If Hongjun were to discover this, his nose would likely be twisted in fury!
The moment Taichu walked up to the great doors of the Pangu Hall, they swung open automatically!
Stepping into the Pangu Hall, Taichu could distinctly feel that it was vastly different from his last visit!
The life aura of the Twelve Ancestral Witches, formed from the twelve drops of heart blood of the Deity Pangu, was considerably stronger than before!
"Who are you? Why are you able to enter this hall?"
The one speaking was none other than Dijiang, the Ancestor Witch of Space!
Although his voice sounded stubborn, it could not entirely conceal a trace of timidity!
Even so, he still placed himself in front of his younger brothers and sisters to shield them!
Taichu looked at the twelve blood cocoons in the center of the blood pool, clustered tightly together, yet with one standing resolutely at the very front. A satisfied nod crossed Taichu's face!
Instead of answering Dijiang's question, Taichu turned his gaze toward the blood pool and said, "You must be Dijiang! You've done well!"
With that, he extended a finger and tapped it toward Dijiang!
"Do not harm our eldest brother! You are not allowed to harm our eldest brother!"
Hearing the cries echoing from within the blood pool, Taichu smiled and stepped back out of the Pangu Hall!
Suddenly, a voice echoed inside!
"Dijiang, cultivate this technique diligently. When the time is ripe, pass it on to your brothers and sisters. Do not slack off; after some time, I shall come personally to inspect your progress!"
The technique Taichu had imparted to Dijiang was none other than the Nine Turns Mysterious Xuanyuan Skill. Since the Witch race possessed no primordial spirits, cultivating this specific technique suited them best!Once this technique was brought to Grand Completion, all Twelve Ancestral Witches would be able to attain the Dao through sheer physical strength!
Those three fellows back there were practically a lost cause, but these little ones were the direct descendants of his Elder Brother, so he naturally ought to take good care of them!
Emerging from the Pangu Hall, Taichu initially thought of setting up an array to protect the place!
Yet upon a second, closer look, he realized that the Pangu Hall was at the very least a supreme primordial treasure in its own right, making the creation of an array entirely unnecessary!
Checking the time, he saw that the two-year—two-thousand-year—period was nearly up. Taichu casually selected an immortal mountain near the foot of Mount Buzhou and prepared to expound the Dao!