Chapter 8
"It’s him!"
"The Lord of the Sun Star, the progenitor of the Literary Dao, a powerhouse among the Daluo Golden Immortals!"
"He seems quite approachable."
"Oh no! In our rush to arrive, we forgot to pay our respects to the Sage!"
"Hurry and make up for it, lest we offend the Sage."
"..."
The cultivators who were fast on their feet and anxious at heart had already reached the front of Zixiao Palace. Upon seeing Fuguang, they recognized his identity immediately. At the same time, seeing Fuguang bow toward Zixiao Palace caused a sudden realization to ripple through the crowd, their expressions shifting slightly.
Most of them had expended a fair amount of energy reaching this place, and the weaker ones among them were even injured. Finding a rare pocket of peace in the Chaos, they had naturally sat down cross-legged at once to recover their strength and tend to their wounds, lest it affect their ability to hear the sermon. In the process, they had forgotten the matter of etiquette.
Now, seeing Fuguang’s gesture, they all reacted at once. Every one of the Three Thousand Guests who had arrived to listen to the Sage’s Great Dao bowed respectfully. Once they had finished, some of the Daluo Golden Immortals who had arrived earlier cupped their hands toward Fuguang, thanking him for the reminder. Fuguang was not arrogant; he responded to each of their gestures with genuine goodwill.
Of course, everything has two sides. Some people were favorably impressed by Fuguang’s sense of propriety, while many more simply disregarded him. There was also a very small number of Daluo Golden Immortals who considered themselves his equal and were dissatisfied, casting hostile looks his way.
There was no mystery to it—everyone else had arrived without bowing, so Fuguang’s sudden display made those who had arrived earlier look like rude, unrefined bumpkins. *Are you trying to show off?* Naturally, there were those who took umbrage.
Facing these hostile Daluo Golden Immortals, Fuguang remained unfazed, his expression calm. He even smiled and cupped his hands toward those who showed him enmity. This was not because Fuguang was afraid, but rather a case of "courtesy first, force later." Even if a conflict were to arise later, he would occupy the moral high ground. When it came time to strike, he would not feel the slightest psychological burden. The more powerful an existence was, the more they emphasized this, adhering to the potential rule of having a "just cause" before acting.
Except for the unreasonable ones, of course.
Why was the Wu clan—not yet famous in this Tribulation—even less well-regarded than the Demon Race? The reason was simple: even if the Demon Race were overbearing, they still observed certain principles and hidden rules. The Wu clan did not. Every single one of them held to their own singular truth: Father Pangu came first, they, the descendants of Pangu, came second, and everyone else was nothing.
Returning to the matter at hand, after his bow, Fuguang had essentially greeted the many Daluo Golden Immortals present. He then found a quiet spot to sit cross-legged. With his dharma treasures, he hadn't expended much energy crossing the Chaos, but it was better not to be too conspicuous at this moment. As for the limelight brought about by taking the lead at the gate of Zixiao Palace? That was a different story. Compared to the troubles he could easily manage, the Primordial World’s Hong—the Heavenly Dao collaborator, true big boss, and ultimate decision-maker—Jun, was clearly more important, was it not? When comparing two interests, one naturally chooses the greater.
Overall, Fuguang’s display of etiquette only drew the ire of a few Daluo Golden Immortals burdened with heavy Karmic Retribution, who clearly weren't the best of characters. As for the others, they either felt positively about it or remained indifferent.
...
Fuguang retreated quietly behind the crowd of Daluo Golden Immortals, keeping a low profile as he silently adjusted his state.
Time ticked away, grain by grain. One after another, the Three Thousand Guests of Zixiao Palace arrived. Some came alone, others in groups, such as Kunpeng, the Three Pure Ones, Zhenyuanzi, and Hongyun. Some made high-profile entrances, while others arrived silently, such as Ancestor Styx, who rode the flames of the Karmic Fire Lotus to blast through the Chaos, or the two Taiyin goddesses, who arrived escorted by cold moonlight.
In short, Fuguang, who was watching quietly from the back of the crowd, had become quite familiar with these future legendary innate powerhouses. He didn't care about the others, but one figure made him cast a sideways glance.
"Dongwangong."
Watching a majestic Daluo Golden Immortal with the aura of an emperor socializing among the other innate powerhouses, Fuguang identified him. This was none other than Dongwangong, who cultivated both the Great Dao of Ultimate Yang and the Great Dao of Emperors. After this first sermon, he would be canonized by the Sage as the Head of Male Immortals and go on to establish the Immortal Court overseas.
However, in the original timeline, Dongwangong’s efforts would ultimately end in failure, and he would be killed by Di Jun and Donghuang Taiyi. Although his true spirit would eventually return through the cycle of reincarnation after the Earthly Dao emerged, the Dongwangong of that time would no longer be the Dongwangong of today.
"I wonder what his fate will be in this life."
Fuguang felt a flicker of curiosity. He had no intention of following the path of an emperor, so as long as there was no life-or-death struggle over the Great Dao with Dongwangong, he certainly wouldn't take the initiative to attack him.
As for what Dongwangong’s ultimate ending would be? That, Fuguang found quite intriguing.