Primordial Salted Fish: Starting from Refusing to Join the Demon Clan

The primordial ages have been long and unchanging, never counting the length of years. Time flies by like a white horse flashing past a crack in the wall. In the blink of an eye, a full 129,600 years have passed quietly as the spiritual energy of heaven and earth circulates and cultivators dedicate themselves to their practice.

After the groundwork laid by the previous two sermons, the grand day for the third sermon by Hongjun Daozu at Zixiao Palace finally arrived as scheduled.

On this day, deep in the Northern Sea, the Kunpeng, which had been silent for many years, suddenly opened its eyes. Stars surged in its eyes, and the chaotic aura around its body slowly subsided, as it fully awakened from its deep seclusion.

Unlike his usual solitary and aloof ways, this time he made a move and went straight to Phoenix Perch Mountain to find Nuwa and Fuxi.

The three traveled together, shattering the auspicious clouds in the sky, and headed towards the Purple Cloud Palace, which was located beyond the Thirty-Three Heavens and was surrounded by the aura of primordial chaos.

When the three arrived outside Zixiao Palace, they saw that the place was already shrouded in clouds and auspicious clouds, with primordial radiance spreading across the sky. Cultivators from all directions gathered, including demons, witches, the Three Pure Ones, and primordial gods and demons. It was an unprecedented spectacle, far surpassing the scenes of the previous two times they had listened to the Dao.

This is because all cultivators in the prehistoric world know that this is the last lecture.

The Sage Hongjun will personally expound the true path of the Sage, which is the supreme path that transcends all living beings and governs the laws of heaven and earth.

That is the ultimate method that countless practitioners have spent countless years and dreamed of. Who would dare to despise it in the slightest?

Over countless millennia, as Hongjun's Daoist teachings spread widely across the prehistoric continent, the path of cultivation flourished, and powerful figures from all walks of life emerged one after another like bamboo shoots after a spring rain.

Among the cultivators who came to listen to the Dao, the majority were newly promoted Great Luo Golden Immortals. They all had burning eyes and were filled with an extreme desire for the Great Dao. They eagerly awaited the opening of the Zixiao Palace and dared not slack off in the slightest.

"Squeak—"

After a long while, a deep and resonant sound, seemingly spanning eternity, came from behind the gates of Zixiao Palace, which were engraved with countless Dao patterns and contained the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, and slowly opened to both sides.

The immortals present immediately fell silent and held their breath, not daring to be the slightest bit presumptuous. They straightened their clothes and filed in one after another.

Stepping into the magnificent and imposing hall, filled with the aura of Taoism, Kunpeng's gaze swept lightly across the hall, finally settling on the few futons in the front row that subtly contained opportunities for the Heavenly Dao, a slight ripple appearing in his eyes.

This time, he didn't stop walking. He went straight past the futon that the Guide had forcibly occupied, showing no intention of fighting for it anymore.

After tens of thousands of years of cultivation and enlightenment, Kunpeng had long since let go of the futon.

The opportunity hidden within that futon was something that, apart from the Dao Ancestor Hongjun sitting on his cloud bed, was seen most clearly by everyone under heaven—it was the chance to attain the Heavenly Dao Sainthood.

In Kunpeng's mind, the Primordial Purple Qi that forms the foundation for sainthood is called Innate Purple Qi, but in reality it is nothing more than a Heavenly Dao position bestowed upon living beings by the Heavenly Dao.

This item cannot directly enhance a being's cultivation foundation or realm; at best, it is merely an entry ticket to a higher dimension and to touch the origin of heaven and earth.

The different altitudes at which living beings reside naturally lead to vastly different views of the Great Dao.

Even if a sage's cultivation has not reached the level of a Primordial Golden Immortal when he first attains enlightenment, he can still rely on this Heavenly Dao position to quickly absorb the laws of heaven and earth, and his cultivation will soar all the way to the Primordial Realm, becoming a top power in the primordial world.

However, everything in the world has two sides; fortune and misfortune are interdependent, and advantages and disadvantages coexist.

Since living beings enjoy the supreme power and strength brought by their status in the Heavenly Dao, they must also bear the corresponding shackles and responsibilities. There is never a free lunch in the world.

Once one accepts the Primordial Purple Qi and attains the position of a Heavenly Saint, one's life, death, honor, disgrace, cultivation rise and fall will be completely bound to the entire Primordial World.

In the primordial era, when things flourished, sages were able to benefit themselves by harnessing the energy and fortune of heaven and earth.

In the decline of the primordial world and after countless calamities, even saints are implicated, suffering the backlash of the Heavenly Dao. It is common for their cultivation to be depleted and their Dao heart to be damaged.

That kind of absolute freedom and ease—transcending the Three Realms, outside the Five Elements, unbound by Heaven and Earth, and untouched by cause and effect—is now impossible to attain.

Kunpeng has cultivated for hundreds of millions of years, and what he seeks in his life is never the position of a saint who rules the world and protects a region, but the supreme Dao that breaks free from all shackles, transcends the primordial world, and goes on a journey of freedom.

Since the path to sainthood is not his own, why should he strive for that opportunity that is beyond his control?

Moreover, during his seclusion, he had already unearthed a path of transcendence that belonged to him alone, one that did not rely on the purple energy of the Heavenly Dao.

Having found it, one will naturally not be bound by the path to sainthood taken by others.

At this moment, the Guide Daoist, who was sitting upright on the futon, caught sight of Kunpeng walking slowly towards him. His heart tightened suddenly, and he subconsciously moved his body, wanting to turn aside to avoid it. However, the seats in the main hall of Zixiao Palace were already set, so where could he go to avoid it?

Ultimately, there was no way to avoid it.

Kunpeng stopped in front of Jieyin, his expression calm and composed, his tone even yet carrying an undeniable air of authority, and asked, "Fellow Daoist Jieyin, how do you intend to settle the score of your forceful seizure of my seat in Zixiao Palace in the past?"

His voluntary relinquishment of the struggle for the throne does not mean that the humiliation he suffered in the past has ended, nor does it mean that this cause and effect can be wiped clean.

The cycle of cause and effect in the universe is inescapable, and retribution is inevitable. The seeds of past grievances have already been sown, and they will follow him like a shadow ever since. Kunpeng is proud and aloof by nature, and he is not the kind of person who would willingly suffer in silence or swallow his anger.

When Jieyin saw that Kunpeng had no intention of taking back the futon, but only wanted to settle past karmic debts, the heavy weight in his heart instantly lifted, and he secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

He knew in his heart that the Western Continent had suffered from the great war between the Dao and the Demons, its spiritual veins were destroyed, and its resources were scarce. The two brothers had meager resources and their cultivation was difficult.

If Kunpeng insists on taking back the futon, given the disparity in strength between the two sides, he has no chance of winning even if he fights with all his might.

Jieyin quickly stood up, cupped his hands in a respectful bow to Kunpeng, and said cautiously, "I am aware of what happened in the past. It was our fault for our actions, and we have failed Fellow Daoist Kunpeng."

"I just don't know how you wish to settle this matter, fellow Daoist. But as long as it is within our power, we will not refuse."

Upon seeing this, the Taoist Zhunti quickly stood up and echoed him, his face plastered with a humble smile, but he was secretly on guard.

Kunpeng looked at the two of them and understood.

After the war between the Dao and the Demons in the West, the spiritual veins of heaven and earth were shattered, and there were very few innate spiritual veins. The spiritual energy was extremely thin, making the cultivation path of Jieyin and Zhunti extremely difficult.

Left with no other choice, he had to use the even more precious innate spiritual root to forge his natal spiritual treasure.

One of them was forced to use his own body to refine his natal magic weapon, and he was truly penniless. He had already known about this predicament.

But he also knew that the fact that these two people had nothing at the moment did not mean that they would remain destitute after the Zixiao Palace preached.

He was already certain that after this sermon, the Golden Lotus of Merit, which contained supreme merit, would surely be bestowed upon Jieyin and Zhunti by the Dao Ancestor Hongjun, so that they could be used to revive the West.

His demand for cause and effect stemmed from his interest in this golden lotus of merit.