Inside Yuxu Palace, peace and tranquility reigned supreme.
At that moment, the Sanqing simultaneously opened their eyes as dazzling divine light flashed forth. Their surging, boundless spiritual power had already reached the Peak Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
"I wonder how our disciple is doing now. Let us go and see," Laizi spoke first, his tone steady yet carrying a hint of deep concern.
Hearing this, Yuanshi and Tongtian nodded in agreement.
With a flash, the Sanqing transformed into three streaks of light, instantly leaving Yuxu Palace and speeding along the trail of Feng Xuan's unique aura.
When the three of them finally arrived, they froze completely in their tracks.
"Ah, this..."
Seeing the sight before him, Tongtian's jaw dropped in sheer disbelief.
He vividly remembered that this place had once been a towering, majestic, and magnificent mountain of innate white jade. Now, only a tiny hill remained.
"My mountain! My precious mountain!"
Yuanshi, meanwhile, was filled with grief and indignation, beating his chest and crying out in despair.
One had to know that this jade mountain was among his most cherished spiritual mountains. It contained massive amounts of priceless innate white jade, which served as his primary raw material for refining magical treasures and weapons.
And now, barely anything was left?
"Burp! Master, you're here! Burp!"
Hearing the voices of the Sanqing, Feng Xuan turned around with hazy eyes, wearing an expression of utter bliss and intoxication.
Devouring this innate white jade was almost like an addiction; the more he swallowed, the harder it was to stop, and the more he felt as though he were floating toward immortality.
Even when it stopped yielding any cultivation gains, he simply could not stop.
He must have fallen ill.
"Wake up!"
A Great Dao celestial sound exploded beside Feng Xuan's ear, snapping him out of his drunken trance.
Seeing that his three masters had arrived, Feng Xuan immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Your disciple pays his respects to Masters!"
Then, a flicker of confusion crossed his mind. Why did his Second Master look so heartbroken? What on earth had happened?
"What are you doing here?" Tongtian asked curiously.
"Replying to Third Master, this disciple recently comprehended a technique to devour natural treasures to enhance myself, so I took just a tiny bit of the innate white jade here."
"A tiny bit? More like a hundred million tiny bits!" Yuanshi said with considerable bitterness, his tone filled with helpless frustration.
Only then did Feng Xuan realize that the once-massive innate white jade mountain was now reduced to a mere bump in the ground.
He had actually devoured the whole thing!
"Heh-heh!"
Seeing Feng Xuan play dumb, Yuanshi didn't know what else to say. Since the innate white jade was mostly gone, he could always just go find some more later.
The Sanqing then proceeded to test Feng Xuan, and seeing that he had not neglected his cultivation, they were thoroughly pleased and wore joyful smiles.
Taking advantage of the spare time, the three of them sat down and preached the Dao, expounding upon the ways of the Mystic Immortal, Golden Immortal, and Taiyi Golden Immortal for him.
Instantly, Mount Kunlun was filled with lingering sounds of the Dao and an air of serenity.
Before long, a millennium passed, and the preaching abruptly ceased.
With the help of the Sanqing, Feng Xuan's cultivation had grown even more stable, faintly showing signs of a breakthrough.
However, there was no time for him to cultivate further, for the third sermon was about to begin.
The Sanqing brought Feng Xuan along as they hurried toward Chaos.
Just as they stepped outside, they happened to run into Western Wangmu, who was also heading off to listen to the Dao. Thus, the five of them banded together and traveled toward the extraterrestrial Chaos.
Along the way, Western Wangmu's lovely eyes kept sweeping over Feng Xuan, as if trying to figure something out.
"What are you staring at?" Feng Xuan asked, looking baffled.
"N-nothing at all."
Dodge-eyed and with cheeks flushed a delicate pink, Western Wangmu haughtily turned her head away and said no more.
Before long, the five arrived outside Zixiao Palace. The moment his feet touched the ground, Feng Xuan felt a malevolent gaze fixated upon him.
Without even guessing, it had to be that arrogant punk, Dongwang Gong.
Judging by his gait, his injuries had mostly healed—he was no longer limping.
However, his strength hadn't improved much; he was still a Late-stage Daluo Golden Immortal.
Having made zero progress for ten thousand years, he must surely despise him to the core by now! In his heart, he was undoubtedly plotting how to exact revenge.
Yet Feng Xuan was no longer afraid of him.
Devouring the greater part of the innate white jade mountain had already pushed his physical body's strength to the Mid-stage Daluo Golden Immortal realm.
He was entirely unafraid of a glass cannon a full realm higher than himself.
I can afford to make countless mistakes, but you can only afford to make one.
Besides, he cultivated both spiritual power and the physical body.
Then again, perhaps he wouldn't even get the chance to deal with Dongwang Gong himself.
Feng Xuan had already spotted Di Jun and Taiyi actively recruiting those powerful Demon Race figures outside Zixiao Palace.
Kunpeng, Baize, Guiche, Jiuying...
The Demon Court would likely be established very soon!
It seemed Dongwang Gong wouldn't be strutting around for much longer; if memory served, the very first target the Demon Court would annihilate was the Celestial Court.
During that great war, Dongwang Gong was beaten so thoroughly that his soul was shattered, forcing him into reincarnation.
Let them fight! Let them tear each other apart!
He didn't look favorably upon either faction anyway.
After waiting for a long time, Haotian and Yaochi emerged from Zixiao Palace. Pushing the great doors open, they chimed in clear, crisp voices:
"The Dao Ancestor has been waiting inside for some time. Please enter, everyone."
Passing by the two of them once more, a faint craving involuntarily stirred within Feng Xuan's heart.
So fragrant!
They must taste amazing!
Still, he suppressed the urge deep inside. If they hadn't gained sentience yet, it would be one thing, but they were already living, breathing beings.
He could kill, but he wouldn't eat people!
Stepping into Zixiao Palace.
This third sermon would be Dao Ancestor Hongjun's final lecture. It was also the occasion where the Grandmist Purple Qi would be distributed, the Six Sages of the Heavenly Dao would be ordained, and the great wars of the Primordial world would be ignited.
Feng Xuan wasn't particularly concerned about the Grandmist Purple Qi.
Was being a Heavenly Dao Sage actually joyful?
He didn't think so.
The fruit status of a Heavenly Dao Sage was both a symbol of power and a heavy responsibility.
It carried the duty of protecting the Primordial world.
Wouldn't it be far more blissful to simply be the Eldest Senior Brother of the Three Teachings?
With masters above to shield him, and junior brothers and sisters below to handle all the clerical duties of the sect.
He could just lie back and coast.
What he cared about most right now was the Treasure-Dividing Cliff, which would soon be used to distribute numerous spiritual treasures.
The Treasure-Dividing Cliff was an overlooked treasure in its own right.
Its grade certainly wasn't low; it was at least comparable to his own true form.
If he swallowed it, his defensive power would undoubtedly rise to a whole new level.
Already, Feng Xuan was daydreaming about his future: punching Taiyi, kicking Dongwang Gong, and roaming freely across the vast expanse of the Primordial world.
Heh-heh... Heh-heh-heh.
"Little brother Feng Xuan, what are you daydreaming about?"
A crisp female voice interrupted his thoughts, and Nuwa looked over at Feng Xuan, who was wearing a silly grin, with a puzzled expression.
"N-nothing at all."
Feng Xuan instantly leaped toward his designated prayer mat. How utterly humiliating!
"Fellow Daoist Feng Xuan, trust you have been well since we last met."
At that moment, another gentle female voice came from behind. Feng Xuan turned around to see Houtu Ancestor Witch.
"Fellow Daoist Houtu, trust you have been well."
Feng Xuan responded politely.
As Dao Ancestor Hongjun took his seat, the third sermon officially began.
Feng Xuan performed as usual, listening for the first few years before drifting off to sleep.
All sorts of wondrous visions and countless Daoyin rhythms still couldn't hold back his heart's pursuit of a good dream.
Houtu naturally embraced him once again, letting him rest his head against her lap.
Time flowed like water, and the Primordial world kept no count of years.
Two millennia passed in the blink of an eye. The Dao of the Quasi-Sage had been fully expounded, and Hongjun prepared to lecture on the Dao of Sagehood.
Noticing Feng Xuan fast asleep, Hongjun used a minor spell to wake him up.
"There are three paths one can take to attain Sagehood."
Hearing this, everyone stared intently at Dao Ancestor Hongjun on the high platform, not even daring to breathe loudly, afraid of missing a single word or syllable.
Why did they come to listen to the Dao?
It was solely to become a Sage and stand at the very apex of the Primordial world.
Had the moment finally arrived?