Primordial Era: Starting by overwhelming the Sages, Hongjun was stunned!

Donghuang Taiyi leaned close to him and whispered:

"Brother, is there... any hope for them?"

Di Jun remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly shook his head:

"I don't know."

"But the sect leader has arrived."

"His arrival offers a glimmer of hope."

Nuwa and Fuxi sat side by side.

She gazed at a figure not far away, whose body was surrounded by the aura of creation, just like her back then.

That was Nuwa's benevolent corpse.

After being severed, it is relegated to the spirit treasure and becomes an independent entity.

At this moment, the benevolent corpse was closing its eyes and concentrating, waiting for Hongjun to preach.

Nuwa gazed at the figure that looked exactly like herself.

A complex feeling welled up inside me that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

That's her.

It wasn't her either.

It was the kindness she cut off, the true nature she abandoned.

Now, that original intention has become an independent entity.

However, her original form is incomplete.

Fuxi said in a low voice:

"Little sister, don't overthink it."

"It's a blessing that you've turned back."

"Those people..."

He paused:

"We'll talk about it when the sect leader arrives."

Nuwa nodded, suppressing the surging thoughts in her heart.

The Old Ancestor Hongyun huddled in a corner, his aura faint.

His cultivation level was the lowest. Although he had dispersed his cultivation level of severing corpses and started from scratch, he had only recovered to the level of Taiyi Golden Immortal after three thousand years.

At this moment, I mingled in the crowd, being cautious and not daring to show my face.

Zhen Yuanzi stood next to him, his long sleeves hanging down, the earth's energy flowing.

He sensed the auras of the quasi-saints around him, and his brows furrowed more and more tightly.

Something's not right.

He spoke in a low voice:

"These people... are too quiet."

Hongyun was taken aback:

"Quiet? What do you mean?"

Zhen Yuanzi said in a deep voice:

"Look at them."

"They sat cross-legged here, their eyes vacant, their auras strong but their eyes lifeless."

"as if......"

He paused:

"It's as if only an empty shell remains."

Hongyun looked closely.

really.

Although those people sat cross-legged on the prayer mats, their eyes were fixed intently on the high platform.

But in those eyes, there was no longing, no expectation, no fear.

It's just empty.

Only deathly silence.

It was as if what they were waiting for was neither the Tao nor an opportunity.

Rather, it is... an order.

Hongyun shivered.

"What... what's going on?"

Zhen Yuanzi shook his head:

"I don't know."

"But it must be related to the method of dismembering corpses."

"The more you cut, the more it resembles..."

He thought for a moment, then uttered two words:

"puppet."

Hongyun's face turned deathly pale.

He suddenly felt incredibly fortunate.

I'm glad I knelt outside Jin'ao Island back then.

Fortunately, Tongtian took him in.

Fortunately, he dispersed his cultivation and started cultivating from scratch.

otherwise......

Otherwise, I'm afraid I'd be just like those people right now.

It's just an empty shell.

The twelve ancestral witches sat in a circle.

Di Jiang's gaze swept across the surroundings, and the spatial power around him rippled slightly.

He sensed it.

I sensed something strange about those people.

"Gonggong".

He spoke in a low voice:

"Look at that one over there."

Gonggong followed his gaze.

That was a quasi-saint who had severed two corpses, his body steaming with water vapor, his aura powerful.

But those eyes were empty and lifeless.

It was like a stagnant pool.

Gonggong frowned:

"Big brother, he..."

Dijiang said in a deep voice:

"His source of water remains."

"But his true self is gone."

"Sever good, sever evil, sever obsession."

"What remains is merely a physical body capable of cultivation."

"A body... that can be controlled at will."

Zhu Rong gritted his teeth:

"What exactly does that Dao Ancestor want to do?"

Dijiang shook his head:

"have no idea."

"But it's definitely not a good thing."

"Let's wait and see."

"If anything happens, we will fight to the death to protect what the sect leader entrusted to us."

All the ancestral witches nodded in unison.

Lao Tzu and Yuan Shi sat side by side.

The two were surrounded by Daoist energy. Although they had only recovered to the peak of Taiyi Golden Immortal, their aura contained a rare purity.

That purity was achieved by starting from scratch and polishing it bit by bit.

It is a purity that those who achieve quick success through corpse-cutting can never reach.

Lao Tzu gazed at the high platform.

Gazing at that figure in purple robes.

His gaze was complex.

"Second brother."

He spoke in a low voice:

"Tell me, what exactly does the Dao Ancestor want to do?"

The Primordial One remained silent.

After a long silence, he slowly said:

"In control".

"He wants to control everything."

"The first sermon plants the seeds of bondage."

"During the second sermon, he taught the method of dismembering corpses, so that they would destroy their own hearts."

"The third sermon..."

He paused:

"It's probably time to close the net."

Lao Tzu nodded:

"That's what I think too."

"But I don't know what exactly this Primordial Chaos Method is."

The Primordial One gazed into the depths of chaos:

"Whatever it is, it's definitely not a good thing."

"Those people..."

He looked around at the empty figures:

"I'm afraid we're in for a bad time."

Lao Tzu sighed softly:

All we can do is wait.

"Wait for my third brother to arrive."

"Wait for him to make a move."

Yuanshi nodded:

"Yes."

On the high platform.

Hongjun slowly opened his eyes.

His gaze swept across the audience, over the three thousand seated figures.

My gaze swept over those empty eyes, those lifeless faces.

The corners of his mouth rose slightly.

Three thousand quasi-saints.

Three thousand puppets.

After three thousand years of planning, the time for harvest has finally come.

He spoke slowly:

"The third sermon shall now begin."

The sound was calm, yet like the voice of the Great Dao, echoing throughout the Zixiao Palace.

Below the stage, three thousand quasi-saints bowed their heads in unison.

Their movements were synchronized and uniform.

Like... a marionette.

Hongjun continued:

"In the first two sermons, I transmitted the Great Luo Method and the Way of Severing the Corpse."

"You have diligently cultivated yourselves without ceasing, and that is why you have reached the quasi-saint realm today."

"Today's sermon..."

He paused:

"The method of Hunyuan is transmitted."

"Transmit the supreme and wondrous method that points directly to the origin of the Great Dao."

"It is said that..."

His gaze narrowed slightly.

"The ultimate path to oneness with the Way of Heaven."

Below the stage, the three thousand quasi-saints still bowed their heads.

No one looked up.

No one spoke.

There wasn't even a hint of breathing.

As Di Jun mingled in the crowd, an indescribable chill rose in his heart.

It's too quiet.

It's abnormally quiet.

Are these people... really still alive?

Hongjun continued:

"The method of Hunyuan is no small matter."

"Those who practice this method must first eliminate the three corpses."

"With all three corpses severed, one's original heart is completely gone."

"Only then can one contain the power of the Heavenly Dao and become one with it."

"At that time, you will be the Heavenly Way, and the Heavenly Way will be you."

"Every gesture he makes carries the power of the Heavenly Way."

"A single thought can create the heavens, a single thought can destroy the world."

"This is what it means..."

His voice grew deeper:

"The true realm of sainthood."

Below the stage, the three thousand quasi-saints still bowed their heads.

Yet, within that bowed head, there was a very faint ripple.

That was longing.

It is expectation.

It's the ecstasy of finally waiting for this moment...

Di Jun felt a chill run down his spine.

These people...do they still have emotions?

Didn't you already eliminate all three corpses?

Why is there still longing?

Why are you still expecting anything?

Just as he was wondering, he suddenly understood.

That wasn't their emotion.

Those were the emotions that Heaven manifested through their bodies.

It is the will of Heaven that is yearning.

It is the will of Heaven that is waiting.

It is the will of Heaven... waiting to devour them.

Di Jun's face was deathly pale.

He looked up at the high platform, and at Hongjun.

The figure in purple robes remained as calm as still water.

But a faint smile flickered deep within those eyes.

That smile sent chills down his spine.