KaiserBlak
patreon
Chapter 10: Six Prayer Mats
🕑 Added 2022-07-27 13:01:03 +0000 UTCAfter Hongjun's song drifted into everyone's ears, an immense coercion descended. In the first breath, over ninety-nine percent of all lifeforms kneeled under it. The second breath, the third breath, more and more life kneeled, unable to keep their backs straight.
On the fifth breath, in the Darknorth Sea, Kunpeng couldn't resist it anymore and kneeled. In the South, a man wearing golden robes, the transformed Golden-Winged Great Roc, also kneeled. In West Kunlun Mountain, Xi Wangmu, the Queen Mother of the West, fell onto her knees.
On the sixth breath, Minghe Ancestor sitting atop the Twelfth-Ranked Red Lotus of Karma fell into the Blood Sea. In Fire Origin Cave, Redcloud Ancestor collapsed onto his knees. In a cave on Buzhou Mountain, Fuxi also fell onto his knees.
On the seventh breath in the Supreme Yang Star, Di Jun fell onto this knee. Next to him, Taiyi continued to resist. In the West, Zhunti could no longer resist the coercion and fell to the ground. In the South, next to the transformed Golden-Winged Great Roc, Kong Xuan collapsed onto his knee but still continued to resist. Next to Fuxi, Nuwa joined her brother in kneeling.
On the eighth breath, the Chaos Bell above Taiyi's head continued to ring, albeit weakly, as he fell onto his knees. In the West, Jieyin put his hands together and got onto his knees. On Penglai Island, Dong Wanggong, the King Duke of the East, fell onto his knee.
On the ninth breath, the only life still resisting was the Three Purities. Above Laozi's head was the Heaven and Earth Pagoda, above Yuanshi's head was the Qiankun Cauldron, and above Tongtian was the Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification.
Still, they could not hold on and fell onto their knees.
Just as they kneeled, the coercion disappeared on the tenth breath.
"I, Hongjun, have become a Saint of Heaven! I have set up residence in the chaotic boundary. I will preach three times, and each sermon will last three thousand years. The first sermon will begin in a thousand years. Those who have fate with me can come to Violet Heaven Palace."
After Hongjun said those words, the purple qi and all the natural phenomenons disappeared as if they never existed. But for every life in the Great Desolation, they knew it was not an illusion because they were still kneeling!
"Who was that? Even we, the Three Purities, had to kneel," Yuanshi asked. As the transformation of Pangu's spirit, no one in the Great Desolation had the honor or status to make them kneel, yet it happened.
"A Saint of Heaven, is that the next stage after the Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament?" Laozi asked, more to himself than anyone else.
"Whatever the reason, it's obvious that he is above us. Shall we attend his sermon?" Tongtian asked, even though she already knew the answer. Everything was playing out as the tales from her memories.
"Of course," Laozi said.
Yuanshi was perhaps the most eager of the three of them, he wanted to understand who could stand above their heads. And so, the three quickly flew towards the chaotic boundary after Tongtian hid Fangzhang Immortal Island.
When the three reached the edge of the Great Desolation, hundreds of thousands of people were already there, ranging from normal Golden Immortals to Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament.
The Three Purities entered the chaotic boundary without giving the other people another glance.
"Feh, how long do you think they will last?" A Golden Immortal of the Great Unity asked.
"Who knows, the three don't seem simple." His compatriot said.
"Wait, they seem familiar," one immortal said. Then his eyes widened. "Those three are Kunlun Mountain's Three Purities!"
During the travel, the Three Purities name had spread. They didn't deliberately spread it, but their fame still rose. Upon learning of the three's identities, everyone present watched with anticipation as to how they would deal with the chaotic energy.
Laozi summoned the Heaven and Earth Pagoda over his head and covered himself in black and yellow light. Tongtian summoned her Twelfth-Ranked White Lotus of Purification and sat on it.
But it was Yuanshi that surprised everyone, even Tongtian and Laozi.
He didn't take out the Qiankun Cauldron but instead started directly absorbing the chaotic energy into his own body. And it seemed that his speed increased the longer he was in the chaotic boundary.
"Kunlun Mountain's Three Purities, not simple at all," one Golden Immortal of the Great Firmament that had stayed silent finally said.
"Second Brother, how are you absorbing the chaotic energy?" Tongtian asked. 'How strong is your body?!'
"Third Sister, do you think you're the only one embarking on the path to comprehension? I've already started to comprehend the Law of Chaos," Yuanshi said, a slight but proud smile on his face.
"As expected of Second Brother," Tongtian said, causing Yuanshi to preen under her praise. She turned towards Laozi. "What about Eldest Brother?"
Laozi continued to look forward, but he still replied. "Law of Infinity."
Tongtian sighed. Sure enough, none of the Three Purities were simple. She had thought she was amazing for starting to comprehend the Law of Time, but her two brothers were even more amazing. 'Should I try to understand the Law of Spacetime? It seems that I'll need to get Di Jiang's blood too.'
The three searched the chaotic boundary for five hundred years. Along the way, they saw many other people, but mainly Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament, since those weaker almost all perished. Even Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament had a fifty percent chance of dying in the chaotic boundary.
Not everyone had treasures like them or could absorb the chaotic energy like Yuanshi.
Finally, nearing the six hundredth year, the Three Purities found Violet Heaven Palace. It was situated on a mountain that had been taken away from the Great Desolation, Jade Spirit Mountain.
The three discovered that they could only reach the foot of the mountain and couldn't fly up anymore. So, they started to scale Jade Spirit Mountain by foot, much like they did with Buzhou Mountain.
When they finally reached the top, they saw a solemn palace. The plaque above its entrance read Violet Heaven Palace. When they read those words, all three entered a trance. The intricacy of three thousand laws was engraved onto it, yet it also gave off a sense of simplicity.
Tongtian first searched for the Law of Time and then comprehended as much as she could. Afterward, she searched for the Law of Space, but she couldn't find it no matter what. 'Am I not talented in the Law of Space?'
Finally, she could only give up. When she looked at her brothers, she saw they had already awakened.
"We appeared to have arrived first. We can only wait for the gate to open," Laozi said.
Tongtian nodded, and the three sat in the lotus position, cultivating while waiting. To live in the Great Desolation, one must have the ability to enter a state of meditation at a moment's notice.
As time passed, more and more people started to show up. Although all of them had humanoid forms, unlike the Dragon Clan, Phoenix Clan, or Qilin Clan, they all had non-human features, like horns, fur, scales, or feathers on various parts on their body. Few, if any, were completely human-looking like the Three Purities.
When two people arrived, all Three Purities turned towards them. It wasn't as if they recognized the two, but they felt a familiar sensation from one of them, the Chaos Bell.
Tongtian's gaze intersected with Taiyi’s. As if time had stopped, neither broke the gaze. Yuanshi finally couldn't stand it anymore and moved in front of Tongtian, blocking Taiyi's line of sight. Tongtian frowned, was this saying that she lost?
Taiyi wanted to walk forward, but a hand on his shoulder stopped him. He looked to see Di Jun shaking his head at him, so he gave one last look at the Three Purities and turned towards the sign.
The two of them sunk into comprehension upon seeing the words Violet Heaven Palace. As more and more people gathered, few, if any, were sunk into the plaque like the Three Purities. Most of them just gave it a short glance and, aside from feeling it was profound, didn't think much more.
It was rare for them to gain anything from it like Di Jun, Taiyi, Minghe, Nuwa, Fuxi, Dong Wanggong, and a few others.
"Fellow Daoist, we meet again."
Yuanshi frowned as he saw a red-haired man wearing red robes with clouds on them walking forward.
Tongtian smiled. "Yes, we meet again, Daoist Redcloud."
She introduced Redcloud to her brothers. "He helped me defeat Qiankun Ancestor, who I got the Qiankun Cauldron from."
"Haha, it's nothing. I only helped a little," Redcloud Ancestor said. "Strictly speaking, I profited more."
Hearing Tongtian's introduction, Yuanshi's expression softened. "I'll thank you in place of Third Sister. If there is a chance in the future, I'll pay you back for this grace."
"It's nothing," Redcloud Ancestor said. "Still, I didn't expect fellow Daoist to be the famous Supreme Purity Tongtian. The fame of your beauty has reached far and wide."
Upon hearing this, Tongtian's expression darkened. 'My beauty became famous, not my strength?'
Yuanshi's expression only darkened. 'This fellow isn't thinking of getting together with Third Sister, right? If he is, I'll teach him a lesson he'll never forget because it will be the last lesson of his life!'
Only Laozi's expression stayed the same. Redcloud Ancestor acted as if he didn't see the two's dark expression and quickly pulled over a Daoist wearing earth yellow robes and long white hair and beard.
"This is my bosom friend, Zhen Yuanzi," Redcloud Ancestor introduced. "The Ginseng Fruit of his are the most delicious. Fellow Daoists should visit Wuzhuang Temple on Longevity Mountain sometime."
"Don't just invite other people into my home," Zhen Yuanzi irritably said.
"Haha," Redcloud laughed. "Why not? It's not like those Ginseng Fruits affect you anymore. What's the harm in sharing?"
Just as the conversation became heated, mostly between Recloud Ancestor and Zhen Yuanzi, the door to the Violet Heaven Palace opened.
Two children came out, one boy and one girl. Both appeared as if they had been carved out of white jade with rosy cheeks and ink-black hair. Tongtian wanted to kidnap them home with her.
'These two must be Haotian and Yaochi, the famous Jade Emperor and Jade Empress of the future.' Tongtian thought. Although they appeared like children, they were Golden Immortals of the Great Unity.
"Fellow Daoists, the thousand-year period is nearing its end, and Teacher will start his sermon soon. Please come into Violet Heaven Palace. Remember, do not make a ruckus."
As soon as the two finished those words, everyone rushed in. The first to enter was the Three Purities. Inside, there were three thousand prayer mats, and the front row had six larger, conspicuous prayer mats.
The three immediately set their sights on them. Using their abilities and strength, they seized the first three prayer mats. Laozi sat on the first, Yuanshi on the second, and Tongtian on the third.
Seeing as three of the six prayer mats had been occupied, the other guests set their sights on the remaining three. So as to not offend Hongjun, they did not directly clash and used their various skills and abilities to fight for the remaining spots.
With Fuxi's aid, Nuwa secured the fourth prayer mat. Just as Fuxi wanted to fight for the fifth mat, a green-robed figure rushed forward. He had a gloomy aura with narrow eyes and a hooked nose.
However, just before he could reach it, a five-colored light erupted behind him, knocking him, Fuxi, and the others away from the prayer mat. While everyone was delayed, a golden-robed figure sat on the fifth prayer mat, and the one who knocked everyone away sat behind him.
While everyone was in a melee over the fifth mat, Redcloud Ancestor quietly occupied the sixth spot. Upon seeing, everyone sighed and gave up. Some had ill intent in their eyes, but after remembering where this was, they gave up.
Tongtian, her brothers, and Nuwa all looked at the person sitting on the fifth mat and the one behind him. He really was daring, attacking people in Violet Heaven Palace and offending the majority of the three thousand guests inside.
The golden-robed man bore some similarities to the green-robed man, who Tongtian later learned was Kunpeng. Her eyes revealed his source and saw that he was a golden bird. In the front row, where everyone was at least advanced Golden Immortals of the Great Firmament, he stood out with his early Great Firmament Realm cultivation base.
Tongtian turned her eyes towards the man behind him. Where the golden-robed man had an aura like the wind, the man behind him had an aura of all five elements, and his original form was that of a peacock's.
'Wait, a peacock with five tails corresponding to the five elements, isn't that Kong Xuan, the Five-Tailed Peacock? Then the one in front of him should be the Golden-Winged Great Roc. They are the two children of the Phoenix Ancestor!' Tongtian's gaze turned strange. 'According to legend, those two aren't supposed to be born so soon, and the fifth prayer mat should go to Kunpeng. Did my arrival change matters so soon?'
Before Tongtian had time to think, her attention was drawn away by Haotian and Yaochi.
"The time is up. Close the doors to Violet Heaven Palace."
Haotian and Yaochi began to shut the gates to Violet Heaven Palace, but just as they were starting to close, a voice called out.
"Hold on a moment, wait for us!"
