Chapter 8: Hongmeng Purple Qi, Hongjun Bestows Treasure

  Three thousand years have passed, and it's time for Zixiao Palace to reopen again.

  On Mount Kunlun, Hongyuan's eyes were distant and seemed to see through the constraints of space and time to that ancient Taoist temple. Was it the third time? It has finally arrived!

  Heaving a sigh, Hong Xuan led Kong Xuan and merged with the three Shixiong, flying towards the Purple Cloud Palace together.

  When the four of them sat down in their seats, Hong Xuan said to Kong Xuan beside him: "Kong Xuan, you sit behind Master for now. The founder's teachings are profound and extraordinary, you must understand them well!"

  Kong Xuan responded with a sound, then sat cross-legged behind Hongyuan's body.

  Hong Xuan glanced around the hall and found that there were fewer people coming to listen to the Tao this time in the Purple Mansion. He knew that many powerful practitioners had fallen during the last battle with the witch, and he couldn't help but sigh silently. He stopped paying attention and closed his eyes like his three senior brothers, waiting quietly.

  Not long after, a loud noise was heard, and Daozu Hongjun appeared silently on the central high platform. Except for Kong Xuan, the other powerful gods who had come to listen to the Tao twice before were shocked to discover that they could not see Hongjun's true face at this time, but only felt a faint aura covering Hongjun, as if nothing existed, and his whole body was mysterious and incomprehensible. However, Hongxuan was even more certain that Hongjun had reached the final step!

  The Supreme Tao was spoken from Hongjun's mouth, but all that could be seen was the ground surging with golden lotus flowers. The lotus bloomed and fell, filling the air with fragrance, as a purple aura filled the air and seven-colored clouds shone brightly. Heavenly music resounded, seeming to exist yet not exist. This time, what was spoken was different from the previous two times. What was spoken this time was the Way of Cultivation for Sages, which is even more obscure and difficult to understand than before. Even the Four Pure Ones could hardly hear three-tenths of it, let alone others! The Female Deity Nüwa was able to comprehend one or two-tenths of it, and if others could grasp even one or two-tenths, they would already be extraordinary in their innate abilities!

  Three thousand years have passed, and Hongjun finally stopped his sermon. This time, Hongjun did not immediately ask the crowd to leave, but instead opened those piercing eyes that saw through all living beings, and said lightly: "I obtained the Cang Hua Yu Pian in Mount Xikunlun, and obtained three thousand great paths. The Heavenly Path has determined that I should teach and transform all living beings for 180,000 years. The Heavenly Path is fifty, and the Heavenly Evolution is forty-nine. One has gone into hiding, so the Heavenly Path is incomplete. Now that 180,000 years have passed, I should merge with the Dao to complete the Heavenly Path. From now on, I am the Heavenly Path, no longer Hongjun."

  Everyone was shocked!

  Hong Jun said: "I am the Heavenly Way, I only manage the great trend of heaven, when this great way is prosperous, there are saints coming out, I should follow the heavenly way to establish a saintly position, those who obtain it can become saints!"

  The crowd was even more shocked, and immediately recovered, all staring at Hong Jun with eager eyes, not knowing who he would give the holy position to!

  Hong Jun ignored the reactions of the crowd and calmly said, "Under the Heavenly Way, nine is the ultimate number. Therefore, under the Heavenly Way, there should be nine saints, and under my seat, eight people will become saints!"

  Only then did Laozi step forward and ask: "Disciple dares to ask teacher, what is a sage? Who can attain the position of a sage?"

  Hongyuan said indifferently: "A saint is a great Lo golden immortal of the primordial chaos, ungrounded for ten thousand kalpas, and untainted by cause and effect. A saint has no action, so there is no defeat, and therefore no loss. Things may be in motion or at rest; they may be looked down upon or blown away; they may be strong or weak; they may be carried or abandoned. Therefore, a saint gets rid of the extreme, the extravagant, and the excessive."

  But at this moment, Hongyuan stretched out a palm, with the center of his palm facing upwards, and a cluster of purple air emitting a faint purple glow floating above it. He said to everyone: "This is the Hongmeng Purple Air, the foundation of the Great Dao, and those who obtain it can become saints. The Four Clears are transformed from the original spirit of Pangu, and their bodies possess the merit of opening up the sky, so they can become saints!" As soon as he finished speaking, with a wave of his hand, four strands of Hongmeng Purple Air flew out from the center of his palm and arrived in front of the Four Clears. Each strand instantly entered into the brow of each person.

  The four of them were overjoyed and hastily thanked him.

  Hongjun said, "Nuwa will have a great merit to accomplish in the future and become a saint." After speaking, he also bestowed upon Nuwa a Hongmeng purple energy, and Nuwa was overjoyed and thanked him.

  Hongjun continued: "Jie Yin Zhuanti, you are indeed a great wisdom and perseverance, and can also become a saint!" He then bestowed upon Jie Yin Zhuanti two strands of Hong Meng purple energy. Jie Yin Zhuanti was overjoyed and hastily thanked him!

  Now there was only one more dish left, and everyone's eyes were wide with anticipation for Hong Jun.

  Hong Jun swept his eyes over the crowd and finally, under everyone's astonished gaze, gave that last wisp of Hong Meng purple energy to Red Cloud.

  Hongyun dazedly received the Hongmeng purple energy, still immersed in the surprise of obtaining the sacred position, and even forgot to thank him.

  Hong Xuan looked at the surprised Red Cloud, then glanced at those jealous and resentful people, and couldn't help but sigh that the ancestor had given the Hongmeng Purple Qi to Red Cloud after all. Red Cloud didn't know that he had already brought about his own calamity. The Four Clears were transformed from Pangu's original spirit, born with great virtues, so they could become saints. Nüwa also had several great virtues to accomplish, so she could become a saint. Jie Yin was a person with great wisdom and perseverance, coming from afar in the west to listen to the Tao, and also gained insight into 800 side doors from the 3,000 Great Daos of the Daoist ancestor, so he could become a saint. Red Cloud, however, had mediocre qualifications and no great virtues or wisdom, why should he be able to obtain the Hongmeng Purple Qi? Those people who were eyeing the foundation of becoming a saint would not let him off easily. Among them, Kunpeng was the most notable.

  It's necessary to mention the cause and effect between Kunpeng and Hongyun at this point. It is said that when the founder of the Zixu Palace, Hongyuan, first lectured on the Tao, Hongyun originally occupied the sixth position, while Kunpeng got the seventh. When the guide, Zhunti, arrived later, there were no more seats available. The guide was fine with it and intended to find an empty space to sit down and listen to the lecture. However, Zhunti was shameless and knew that Hongyun was extremely kind, so he cried and pretended to be sad. Hongyun, being a truly kind person, gave up his seat to Zhunti. After getting the seat, Zhunti used his divine powers to force Kunpeng away, thus taking Kunpeng's position. The reason why Hongyuan didn't stop Hongyun from giving up his seat was that he knew it was destined by heaven for Zhunti to become a saint. Moreover, at that time, Hongyuan and Hongyun were not familiar with each other, so there was no need for him to get involved in the cause and effect between Hongyun and the two future saints.

  Now, seeing that all seven people who had seats initially obtained the Hongmeng Purple Qi, Kunpeng couldn't help but think that if it weren't for Hongyun giving up his seat, perhaps he would have had a share of the foundation for becoming a saint as well. Kunpeng's heart was narrow and he already resented Hongyun. Now, the Dao Ancestor actually gave the last Hongmeng Purple Qi to Hongyun, which further triggered his desire to kill. However, Hongyun still didn't know that he had unknowingly created this karma!

  Hongjun said: "Before I achieved the Tao, I obtained some magical treasures in the vast wilderness. Now that I am about to merge with the Tao, they are of no use to me, so I will give them to you all!"

  Everyone was overjoyed upon hearing this and opened their eyes wide in anticipation of Hongjun distributing the treasure.

  Hongjun said to Laozi: "Li Er, you are the transformation of Pangu Yuanshen and also the first of the Four Clarity. In the future, you will be in charge of the great teachings. I grant you the Taiji Diagram to suppress the Qi operation!" Laozi was overjoyed and accepted it with gratitude.

  Hongjun said to Yuanshi, "Yuanshi, you are the Pan Gu of Jade Purity. In the future, you will be in charge of the great teachings and I grant you the Pan Gu banner to suppress the Qi Yun!" Yuanshi was also overjoyed and thanked him.

  Hongjun said to Tongtian Dao: "As a fellow creation of Pangu, you are fierce and straightforward by nature, not one for subtlety or flexibility. I shall grant you the Zhuxian Sword Array, which will make you master of slaughter and carnage. Only when it is deployed in the Four Sacred Directions can it be broken!" The crowd was shocked to hear this, never expecting Hongjun to bestow such a deadly treasure upon Tongtian. It seemed that they would have to give him some leeway in the future.

  It's Hongyuan's turn now, and he feels a bit nervous but more so excited. The deadly killing tool and the primordial treasure transformed from the opening of heaven have all been given out, I wonder what kind of treasure Hongjun will give to himself!

  Hong Jun glanced at Hong Xuan and said, "I established the Xuanmen, and someone needs to be in charge of rewards and punishments. Hong Xuan, you are Pan Gu's Xuan Qing, and you should be in charge of the way of rewards and punishments. Now, I grant you the Zhēn Shén Jiàn, which can harm a saint's primordial spirit!" Hong Xuan was overjoyed and hastily accepted the Zhēn Shén Jiàn, thanking him. This Zhēn Shén Jiàn was a powerful spiritual treasure that could only be surpassed by the Pre-Heavenly Treasures, specializing in harming the primordial spirit, and it could kill people without leaving any karmic consequences. It was an indispensable killing tool for both home and travel! Moreover, Hong Jun's order to Hong Xuan to take charge of rewards and punishments was actually giving him a huge advantage. Without establishing a sect, he wouldn't need to compete with other saints for the position of master of heaven and earth, which meant that he could avoid accumulating karmic consequences. As the ancestor of the Dao, Hong Jun was the embodiment of the Heavenly Way, and since he established the Xuanmen, it was naturally orthodox, and its aura would continue uninterrupted. Hong Xuan's role in supervising the saints of the Xuanmen was a responsibility that allowed him to enjoy the aura of the Xuanmen. With such great benefits available without establishing a sect or transmitting the Dao, why would Hong Xuan refuse?

  Hong Jun was about to continue distributing the treasures, but saw Hong Xuan suddenly kneel down and say: "Master, I have something to report. Previously, on Mount Kunlun, I accepted a disciple named Kong Xuan. As I am in charge of rewarding and punishing, I need Kong Xuan's help to protect the Mystic Gate. He is also the first among the third generation disciples of the Mystic Gate. Master, please take pity on him and bestow one or two treasures upon him!"

  Everyone was shocked! They couldn't help but sigh at Hongyuan's boldness, the Taoist ancestor had given him the most precious treasure, yet he still dared to ask for more, all of them sighed in admiration. Laozi Yuanshi Tongtian, who was originally one with him, was secretly worried about him, fearing that Hongjun would blame him.

  Hong Jun looked at Kong Xuan silently, and said: "Alright, you are in charge of rewards and punishments, and also have the responsibility of protecting the Mystic Gate. You can't be treated unfairly. This is the Northern Yuanyu Kontrol Water Flag of the Five Elements Flags of Heaven and Earth, a defensive treasure, I'll give it to you too!"

  Hong Xuan was overjoyed and bowed in gratitude. He hastily called out to Kong Xuan behind him, took it from him, and ordered Kong Xuan to bow in gratitude before retreating back to his own seat.

  The old ancestor originally passed down the Heavenly Connection, never thinking that Hong Jun would bestow this defensive treasure upon Hong Xuan. He couldn't help but sigh in admiration! These five flags were formed from the essence of the Five Elements at the beginning of heaven and earth, infused with a thread of the Primordial Chaos' energy, taking shape as a rare defensive treasure. It's only inferior to the Chaotic Bell and the Heavenly Earthly Mysterious Pagoda. Indeed, shameless people always get the good fortune! Kong Xuan obtaining this spiritual treasure is also a stroke of luck!

  Hongjun then said to Nüwa: "Nüwa, I grant you the Mountain and River Map, the Red Embroidered Ball, and the Nine Heavenly Soil." Nüwa was overjoyed and thanked him.

  Hongjun took out the twelve kinds of golden lotus and gave them to Jieyin for the purpose of establishing the teachings, and also gave them to Zhunti after holding the divine pestle. He said: "I still have some Dharma treasures left on Fenbao Cliff, you can go get them!"

  Everyone heard the words and rushed to exhibit their magical powers towards Fen Bao Cliff, fearing that they would be late and someone else would take away the treasure. In an instant, Zi Xuan Palace was deserted.

  Before long, Hong Xuan went and returned. He was seen kneeling respectfully under the high platform, without a hint of impatience. The Taoist ancestor Hong Jun, who had already hidden his body, appeared from the void, looked at Hong Xuan with a faint gaze, and said: "It's rare for you to have such enlightenment!" As soon as he finished speaking, an object appeared in his hand, which was the Chaos Treasure Creation Jade Certificate!

  Hong Xuan saw it and immediately transformed into a clear air that was cast into the creation jade slip. Three hours later, he came out again. Hong Xuan bowed to Hong Jun with nine bows, then sat back in his own seat, closed his eyes, and meditated on the great way. Hong Jun nodded slightly, then disappeared into the void.

  Before long, the crowd returned to the Purple Mansion one after another. The three of Laozi, Yuanshi and Tongtian had joyful expressions on their faces, clearly having gained a lot. When they saw that Hongyuan was already sitting in the Purple Mansion waiting for them, they were originally puzzled as to why Hongyuan didn't go to the Treasure Cliff. Unexpectedly, he hadn't gone at all, and Hongyuan's current cultivation was something even Laozi couldn't see through. A glimmer of light flashed across Yuanshi's eyes, while Tongtian had a hint of doubt in his eyes.

  Before they could ask, Hong Jun appeared out of thin air, and everyone quickly returned to their seats, waiting for the Taoist ancestor's instructions.

  Only then did Hong Jun say to the crowd, "The time has come, I will merge with the Heavenly Way, and from now on, there will be no more Hong Jun!" As soon as he finished speaking, his body gradually disappeared. At this moment, the three realms heard a loud voice saying "Merging with the Dao", and saw a purple energy suddenly appear in the sky, spreading throughout the three realms, filling every corner, and countless golden lotus flowers fell from the sky, filling the air with fragrance. The creatures of the three realms were moved, and they all bowed towards the Purple Cloud Palace!

  In the Purple Mansion, everyone saw that Hong Jun had merged with the Heavenly Way and also bid farewell to leave.

  Tongtian Yuwang turned to Hongyuan and asked, "Younger brother, why didn't you go to Fenbao Cliff to retrieve the treasure just now?" Laozi Yuanshi also looked at Hongyuan, waiting for his response.

  Hong Xuan heard the words and laughed: "The treasure is good, but it's just a small way!" After finishing speaking, he sang a song and walked away: "Hong Meng opened up the heaven and earth, the heaven and earth were created with great merit. In the Purple Palace, I paid homage to my master, only then did I understand that the Great Way is true!"

  It is: The great way of Hongmeng Purple Qi foundation, red clouds do not know the killing fate arrives.

  The universe is vast and mysterious, I first realized that the Tao of Heaven is infinite and boundless.