Chapter Five: Hongjun Recruits Disciples and Gets the Name Tongtian

  On Penglai Island, Li Feng, after listening to Hong Jun's words, didn't say another word and pulled Hou Tu towards the outside of the 33rd Heaven.

  "It's finally here, the Honghuang is about to arrive." Li Feng knew that from now on, Honghuang had truly entered its mature stage. Not long after, Li Feng and Hou Tu arrived at the outer reaches of the 33rd Heaven, where Pangu opened the sky, with clear air rising to form the heavens and turbid air sinking to form the earth. The heavens have 33 layers, and the earth has 18 levels. Strictly speaking, the area outside the 33rd Heaven is no longer part of Honghuang, but rather the boundary between Honghuang and Chaos. Only after three lectures would the Zixiao Palace move into the midst of Chaos. Currently, the outer reaches of the 33rd Heaven are filled with the four elements of earth, water, wind, and fire, churning and raging violently, as well as the aura of Chaos, assimilating all things. Those whose cultivation has not reached the level of Daluo Jinxian will be torn apart by the earth, water, wind, and fire after just a moment, let alone find the hidden Zixiao Palace in the outer reaches of the 33rd Heaven.

  But Li Feng came from the primordial chaos, and the aura of the primordial chaos had no effect on him. Later, Hou Tu was also a late-stage Mahayana Golden Immortal, so how could the trivial earth, water, wind, and fire, along with that hint of primordial chaos energy, possibly harm them? Li Feng slightly sensed it, and the location of the Purple Mist Palace appeared in his mind. He pulled Hou Tu and immediately headed towards the primordial chaos.

  After a while, a quaint ancient building with gray walls made of green bricks appeared before my eyes. From afar, it looked like a Taoist temple. The temple was not large, and in the center were three big characters: Purple Cloud Palace. This building contained subtle traces of the Heavenly Way.

  In front of the Zixiao Palace, several stone steps wound down, and it was indeed simple and extraordinary. Entering the Zixiao Palace, only to see that the interior was simply decorated, in a small courtyard, there were already several people standing sparsely. In front, on a small high platform, a futon was empty, behind the futon stood two white-clad boys, presumably that position belonged to Hongjun. And in front of the small high platform, seven positions were empty, but no one had taken their seats. Presumably those boys would become the future Huang Tian Yu Di.

  Li Feng has not been out and about since the Great War of the Three Clans in the Desolate Era, and he has been keeping a low profile in his previous life. He has also deliberately hidden himself, so no one in the Desolate Era knows him. Hou Tu is even more so, having never left Li Feng's side since birth, let alone being recognized by anyone.

  Just as Li Feng and Hou Tu entered the Purple Mansion, his mind suddenly shook, turned around to look at an old man with white eyebrows and kind eyes, crane hair and childlike face, and a middle-aged man wearing rich and elegant clothes, with auspicious aura. The two also looked at Li Feng and Hou Tu in confusion, at this time, people in the hall were greeting acquaintances, listening to others' greetings, Li Feng only knew that these two were Laozi and Yuan Shi.

  "It's no wonder that the original spirit had a reaction." Li Feng thought to himself, carefully observing and discovering that Laozi now possessed the cultivation of the Great Luo Golden Immortal Peak, slightly inferior but also with the late-stage cultivation of the Great Luo Golden Immortal. This made Li Feng sigh in amazement, and he didn't go up to greet them.

  During this period, he also met many famous people of later generations: the gentle and elegant Nüwa, the upright and righteous Fuxi, the gloomy and mysterious Minghe, the bird-beaked Kunpeng, the one-eyed Taiyi on his head, Emperor Jun by his side, as well as others such as Hongyun, Zhenyuanzi, Dongwanggong, Xiwangmu, Changxi, and Xihet al.

  Suddenly, the bell rang and everyone fell silent. The white-robed boy said, "The teacher is about to begin the lecture, all fellow Taoists please take your seats and refrain from making noise." As soon as they heard this, everyone turned their attention to the seven positions. There were so many people attending the lecture, why were there only seven cushions provided? It seemed that these cushions must have a deeper meaning, although it was unclear what it was. However, everyone understood that since they were being asked to sit in their designated seats, the closer to the front one sat, the better. Li Feng and Hou Tu exchanged a glance, and Li Feng immediately sent a message to Hou Tu through telepathy. The two nodded in agreement. Since there were limited seats in the hall, everyone knew what each seat represented. As soon as the boy finished speaking, everyone began to push forward, competing for the seven seats.

  The old man and the original one joined forces, squeezing others out, and sat in the first two seats. Then Li Feng and Hou Tu followed closely behind them, taking the third and fourth places. At this time, Nüwa came forward, she was a woman, no one competed with her, so she became the fifth seat. This left only two seats, but there were still over a hundred people in the hall. Those with lower cultivation didn't need to be mentioned, but those who had the qualifications to sit in a seat included Taiyi, Emperor Jun, Dongwanggong, Kunpeng, Minghe, Zhenyuanzi, and Hongyun. Zhenyuanzi and Hongyun were two old good men who did not want to fight with others, while the other few people were not polite at all.

  Those two, Di Jun and Tai Yi, were both transformed from Pangu's right eye, so they naturally stuck together. Kun Peng, although also a member of the demon tribe, had never submitted to them, and instead joined forces with Minghe. The two sides clashed, each refusing to yield. In this Zi Xuan Palace, no one dared to use magic recklessly, and in the jostling, they forgot about the main event. In the chaos, Zhongyuanzi and Hongyun were inadvertently pushed to the front row by others. Although the two did not want to fight with anyone, since the opportunity had presented itself, they did not decline it either. At this point, Hongyun took the sixth seat. Di Jun, Tai Yi, and Minghe were taken aback, but Kun Peng was the first to react, grabbing the last seat before Zhongyuanzi could.

  Zhenyuanzi shook his head and ignored him, unaware of what Zhenyuanzi would think if he knew that this person was the Holy Seat. The remaining people looked at each other with anger in their eyes as they saw their seats being taken by others. At this time, two more people entered from outside, one with a worried expression, looking like he had just recovered from a serious illness, who was actually Xi Fang Jieyin. The other had big ears and a lucky face, but despite his dignified appearance, he was actually the most shameless person in the Honghuang world.

  That Zhunti suddenly lost his place, and immediately looked at the guide with a look of urgency. The guide was helpless, sighed softly, and made a bitter face. Zhunti saw that his master brother also had no intention, and immediately became angry, saying: "Master brother, you and I came from the West to seek the Tao for the bewildered sentient beings, and after coming to this place with great difficulty, we can't even get a seat. If we can't hear the Great Tao clearly, we will be ashamed of the Western sentient beings. In that case, it's better to die." He pretended to want to cut off his own life.

  "The acting is not great either! No tears were shed, thinking back to when I was in San Zu, that crying was a miserable sight to behold, tears flowed like a river, is this what it means to be professional?" Li Feng thought to himself.

  It's just that in this world, there are only fools everywhere. Suddenly, seeing Hong Yun's performance, he was shocked and quickly got up to say: "Fellow Taoist has great willpower, great wisdom, and a heart that seeks the Tao for all living beings. I am not as good as you! This position can be given to you without any problem."

  Zhun Ti was truly shameless to the extreme, as soon as he heard Hong Yun's words, he immediately retracted his stance, sat down with a thud, and swayed back and forth before turning around to say to Hong Yun: "Thank you for your kind intentions, I'll just be rude and decline." And Hong Yun was indeed an honest person, seeing this behavior didn't anger him, he simply found a place behind Zhen Yuanzi to sit down and meditate. Everyone looked at Zhun Ti's performance and revealed expressions of disdain.

  After Zhunti sat down, he greeted the people in front of him, but only Yuanshi Tianzun and he exchanged a few words. The others didn't even bother to respond. At this time, Zhunti turned around and scolded Kunpeng: "This is where saints lecture, how can you, a flat-haired beast, defile this sacred seat? Quickly give way to my senior brother!" Yuanshi also chimed in: "Yes, you're just a wet-born, egg-hatched, flat-haired beast. How can you sit with us? Hurry up and leave." Laozi didn't move, as if he hadn't heard what Yuanshi said. Li Feng and Hou Tu didn't speak either, sitting in their seats with their eyes closed, cultivating their spirits. Nüwa Niangniang was somewhat displeased, knowing that she too was a member of the demon tribe, but Yuanshi had also insulted her. However, she didn't want to make an enemy of Yuanshi, so she followed Laozi's example and began to close her eyes and cultivate her spirit.

  Taiyi and Emperor Jun originally had ambitions to become the masters of the demon tribe, where could they tolerate Kunpeng? At this time, Kunpeng was sitting on a cushion, which had already made them feel unbalanced in their hearts. When Yuanshi spoke, they didn't think much about it and followed suit, clamoring for Kunpeng to give up his seat. Some cultivators who came here knew that they had no hope of getting a seat, but when they heard others say so, they all had different thoughts and demanded that Kunpeng give up his seat. Kunpeng couldn't withstand the pressure, so he gave up his seat to the Daoist priest next to him, but in his heart, he hated these people extremely, with a pair of piercing eyes, secretly thinking about revenge.

  Actually, everyone was a master of profound magical powers. As for the sudden appearance of several meditation mats in the Zi Xuan Palace, they were all suspicious. After calculating, although they couldn't get to the bottom of it, they vaguely knew that it was related to something major, so they put on a show of late-arriving students and early-arriving students making a fuss.

  Everyone sat down, and then a gentle bell rang out. A figure appeared on the small high platform, and everyone knew it was Hongyuan. He held a dragon-headed staff in his left hand and a clean water cup in his right hand. Everyone bowed their heads and shouted "Long live the teacher!" three times.

  "When you all arrive here, you are all people with great opportunities. I will start by explaining the pre-heavenly grand law, hoping that you will gain something and achieve something." Hongjun said, then saw Li Feng, his eyes were a bit strange. And Li Feng didn't dare to move, carefully looking at Hongjun.

  "The seating arrangement is settled, from now on you will sit according to this arrangement and are not allowed to take someone else's seat arbitrarily, no more disputes."

  After instructing, Hong Jun also didn't say much and began to talk about the Tao on his own:

  "The Primordial Way is pregnant, Heaven and Earth are first opened and the Way is born. There is something, enlightenment of the Way."

  "What I know is that it moves in a cycle and does not perish, so it can be considered as the mother of Heaven and Earth."

  "The Way has no name; the Way is not obscure. It can be called great, and it can be gone. When it is gone, it can be far away. When it is far away, it can be great. Therefore, it is said that Heaven is great, Earth is great, and the Way is great."

  "In the realm of four greatness, all things reside in one. Spirit follows law, law follows heaven, heaven follows Tao, and Tao follows nature. Under the great Tao, heaven and earth are the framework, and all existence is for the Tao. Therefore, the great Tao is everywhere, and the Tao is also everywhere. Those who try to control it will lose it, those who grasp it will miss it. Thus, the sage has no action, and therefore no failure."

  "The Great Way uses Heaven and Earth as a great furnace, nourishing all things to grow into the Way. Therefore, the Way has no constant direction, and there is nothing that can be known about it."

  As soon as Hong Jun started speaking, the performance on stage also began. Hong Jun's words were profound and subtle, revealing a hint of mystery in their plainness. This was because Hong Jun's Taoist teachings originated from the fragments of the Huahua Jade Disc, which he had comprehended through his own enlightenment and then conveyed through his saintly cultivation, making it difficult for many to understand.

  Laozi originally, because he was transformed from Pangu Yuanshen, had the legacy of opening up the sky and also gained a small part of Pangu's understanding of the Tao. Li Feng and Hou Tu also possessed Pangu Yuanshen, their cultivation wasn't inferior to Laozi's original, so they listened with great interest.

  Jieyin and Zhunti nodded their heads from time to time, sometimes shaking their heads. Jieyin occasionally showed a painful expression, while Zhunti made an angry face. Looking at Nüwa and Fuxi again, although they didn't seem particularly moved, they were calm and composed. On the other hand, those few people from the demon tribe and Hongyun Zhenyuanzi, however, kept shaking their heads and sighing. What was going on? It turned out that what Hongjun said was too profound, or perhaps their good fortune wasn't enough, so they couldn't understand it, even remembering it was difficult.

  "Teacher, I dare to ask what is the Tao? What is the meaning of the Tao?" Laozi listened to Hongjun's lecture on the Great Tao, and although he understood many things in his heart, he found that there were even more things he didn't understand. He took advantage of a pause in Hongjun's lecture to ask.

  "The Way is in the heart, also between heaven and earth. All things are the Way, the Way is all things." Hongjun thought for a moment before answering.

  "Teacher, where did this cause and effect come from?" Li Feng also hurriedly asked.

  "Pangu's opening of the sky is just a cause, but the result will only appear after countless kalpas." Hongjun's eyes narrowed slightly as he replied.

  "What is cause and effect?"

  "The great trend of heaven cannot be changed, but small trends can be altered."

  "What is the way of success?" This time it was Nüwa who asked, so many people had questions, now Li Feng alone kept asking and others glared at him angrily.

  "There are three thousand major roads, and every path can become a road."

  "Teacher, Pangu opened up the sky, is the sky he opened the only one?" Li Feng asked again.

  "Heaven and earth are one, Pangu's body transforms into all things." Hong Jun replied with a rather complex expression.

  Li Feng was no longer asking questions at this time, but in his heart, it was like a huge wave rising up...

  Hongjun's lecture this time was exceptionally brilliant. The people present listened with great interest, as if they were intoxicated. The places where they had previously practiced and explored on their own but didn't go smoothly suddenly became clear. Although Hongjun's teachings may not be fully understood by everyone present, it is certain that all who listened gained enlightenment.

  When Hongyuan Laozu had been speaking for a thousand years, he suddenly stopped. The people present were stunned, and then looked at Hongyuan Laozu with eager eyes. Hongyuan Laozu ignored the gaze of the crowd and coldly said to them: "A thousand years have passed, but the Great Way is not over. However, this lecture will stop here. I am in charge of teaching and transforming the Holy Vessel, and I will teach and transform all living things in the world on behalf of Heaven. I should accept a few people as my disciples to help me teach and transform the spirits."

  Then Laozi said to the original: "You two are transformed by the Yuanshen of Pangu, with the virtue of opening up the sky, and have a teacher-disciple relationship with me. You can be my inner disciples!"

  Laozi and Yuanshi heard the words of Hongjun Laozu, it was like a pie falling from the sky, instantly stunning both of them. They immediately knelt down and kowtowed three times, saying: "Greetings, Master."

  Hongjun Laozu turned his head to look at Li Feng and Hou Tu, his eyelids slightly lowered, as if thinking, "You two are one transformed from Pangu's primordial spirit merging with the Chaos Qi, and one transformed from Pangu's primordial spirit merging with Pangu's essence blood. You also possess the merit of opening up the sky, and can become my inner disciples."

  Li Feng and Hou Tu also hurriedly bowed down, calling out: "Greetings, Master." Meanwhile, Laozi and Yuanshi on the side were looking at them in surprise, not expecting that they too were incarnations of Pangu's primordial spirit. Suddenly, two more people appeared who also possessed Pangu's primordial spirit, which made them feel surprised and bewildered at the same time, thinking to themselves: "No wonder there was a familiar feeling."

  "Hmm, you two will follow after me, as my third and fourth disciples."

  "Disciple thanks teacher." "Houtu thanks teacher."

  Hongyuan Laozu saw Li Feng and only called himself 'disciple', slightly frowning, saying to Li Feng: "What is your Taoist name?"

  "Replying to the teacher, since I was born, I have never had a Taoist name."

  "Alright then, I shall grant you the name Tongtian. I hope you will work hard in your cultivation and live up to this name." (From now on, he's called Tongtian, isn't it difficult?)

  Although he had long understood that he was the one who could communicate with heaven, he was still shocked to hear Hong Jun give him a name. He was also a worldly person and hurriedly thanked him. He thought to himself: "Is it possible that in later generations, the name of the Tian Tong Sect's leader is given by Hong Jun Lao Zu? Is this considered a secret?" Li Feng, no, now Tian Tong's mind was filled with gossiping thoughts.

  Then Hong Jun looked at Nüwa and said: "Nüwa, you have a master-disciple relationship with me. Can you be my closed-door disciple? Are you willing?"

  Nüwa thought she had no chance, but fate was unpredictable. When Nüwa was still heartbroken about not becoming Hongjun's apprentice, fate suddenly appeared in front of her. Nüwa quickly went forward, knelt down in front of Hongjun, and said: "Greetings, Master." Seeing Hongjun nodding, she returned to her own mat.

  Hongjun Laozu continued to say to Jieyin and Zhunti: "You two have no master-disciple relationship with me, but the heavenly way is cyclical. Can you be my nominal disciples?"

  Jie Ying and Zhun Ti had already lost hope when they heard about the no-master-disciple relationship, but later on, when they heard that it was possible to be a nominal disciple, their hopes were rekindled. In their opinion, being a nominal disciple was still better than having nothing at all. Therefore, the two of them quickly stepped forward and knelt down, saying: "Disciples are willing." Hong Jun nodded his head,

  "Where are the Eastern King and the Western Queen?" asked Hongyuan Laizu again.

  "The disciple is here." "The disciple is here." Only then did the Eastern King and Western Queen emerge from the crowd and return.

  "In the current era of chaos, there are many cultivators, but no one is in charge. You two were born before the hundred energies, at the beginning of the chaos, when the yin and yang were perfectly harmonized, and you have been entrusted with the responsibility of managing the group of immortals."

  As soon as this was said, the Eastern King and the Western Queen both had excited and thrilled expressions on their faces. The two of them exchanged a glance, and both bowed down to Hong Jun: "Respectful greetings to the Ancestral Order!"

  But below, it was like a pot boiling over, with all sorts of discussions. Isn't managing the group of immortals their responsibility? This position is truly coveted, with great power and prestige, who wouldn't want it if they have ambition? Tongtian looked at the Eastern King and Western Queen Mother, "Ah, two tragic children, thinking it's a great opportunity, but in reality, it's an omen of death." Managing all the immortals under heaven is something that even Tongtian, with his current cultivation level, wouldn't dare to do, let alone them, who are only at the mid-stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal.

  However, the people present did not know that at this time, except for a few virtuous immortals who were devoted to their cultivation, everyone else's gaze towards Dong Wang Gong and Xi Wang Mu was like they wanted to spew fire. Especially Emperor Jun and Dong Huang Tai Yi, their faces turned green with rage, looking extremely ugly. However, since these words came from Hong Jun Lao Zu, there must be a reason behind them, so although the crowd was seething with emotions, no one dared to speak out and question him.

  "Eastern King, you were transformed by the pre-heavenly yang energy and can govern all male immortals in the world. I now grant you a dragon-headed staff; those who do not obey will be struck with this." The Eastern King hastily stepped forward to thank him.

  "The Queen of the West, you were transformed by the pre-heavenly yin energy and can govern all female immortals in the world. Now I grant you a pure water bowl to assist you in your affairs." The Queen of the West also went up to thank her without mentioning anything else.

  "A thousand years have passed, the Zi Xiao Palace is about to close, after the Yuan Hui, it will be reopened."

  Everyone has their own feelings and is eager to digest, after thanking, they all rushed back, but Hong Jun Lao Zu's last move made the many gods present have different thoughts in their hearts, looking at Dong Wang Gong Xi Wang Mu with eyes that are full of various emotions.

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  (First update, coded overnight, I have something to do tomorrow, so the update might be a bit late. A friend said they don't like reading split lines, so I've cancelled it. Finally, let's add some casual stuff ———— seeking votes, seeking recommendations, seeking collections, seeking everything that can be sought, hehe.)