25: Chapter 25 The Eighth Sage

Watching the Great Dao descend with boundless Karma in recognition, with hundreds of millions of Primordial beings praying in unison, the Karma was fulfilled, and the grand trend was set.

Hongjun could only watch helplessly, consumed by impotent rage.

As the Great Dao descended, The Six Sages felt it simultaneously.

At Shouyang Mountain, in Bajing Palace, a trace of envy and a trace of hope appeared in the eyes of the Saint of Wuwei, the Taiqing Saint.

"The body of a Quasi-Saint, the status of a Saint—in the end, it is merely a pseudo-Saint."

"Reincarnation... could be the hope..."

At Kunlun Mountain, in Yuxu Palace, Yuanshi Tianzun sat on his prayer mat, his brows furrowed as he gazed toward the Netherworld.

"The Twelve Ancestral Witches..."

"Reincarnation... Hunyuan Daluo..."

The appearance of Reincarnation stirred a ripple in Yuanshi Tianzun's heart regarding that Hunyuan Dao Fruit, which was not constrained by the Heavenly Dao.

At Biyou Palace on Jinao Island, the corners of the Tongtian Sect Leader's mouth curled into a satisfied smile, and he slapped the table in admiration.

"Good, good, good!"

"With a glimmer of life emerging, the path is not severed!"

At Mount Sumeru, at the Western Sect, Zhunti was weeping, hugging Jieyin.

"Wuwuwu~" (இдஇ;)

"Senior Brother, such great Karma! Why is such great Karma never destined for us in the West!"

Jieyin wiped the Saintly tears from his Daoist robe and comforted him: "It will come. The Dao Ancestor cannot let the East and West remain unbalanced forever."

Beyond the Heavens, in Wahuang Heaven, Nuwa glanced toward the Netherworld and then withdrew her gaze; it was a matter of no consequence to her.

Meanwhile, within the Netherworld, Zhenyuanzi gazed at the boundless golden light of Karma wrapping around his body, and then brought forth two Innate Spirit Treasures.

Two Dao shadows, connected to his aura, soared from within the Spirit Treasures and came to Zhenyuanzi's side; they were his Good Corpse and Evil Corpse.

At the same time, he waved his hand toward Fengdu City. A third, his Self Corpse, also arrived by Zhenyuanzi's side.

Looking at the Three Corpses that had cut off his path, a flash of determination crossed Zhenyuanzi's eyes. With the Three Corpses nodding in affirmation, the Law of Earth surged forth. He struck himself, instantly crushing the three corpses into pieces.

Once the Three Corpses were destroyed, his cultivation plummeted instantly. His aura, which had been at the Late Stage of a Quasi-Saint, fell back frantically until it dropped to the Peak of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal, barely stopping there. However, his aura was unstable, as if even his cultivation at the Peak of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal might fall at any moment.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches were all moved by this sight. Houtu sighed softly: "Fellow Daoist Zhenyuanzi is truly this resolute."

Zhurong agreed: "He is worthy of being the Big Brother of my brothers in the Twelve Ancestral Witches!"

Zhenyuanzi's expression was calm, with no regrets. He then suddenly channeled all the boundless Great Dao Karma surrounding him; the golden light of Karma, like a waterfall, rushed into his Grand Unity Dao Fruit.

His shattered Dao Foundation reconstructed at an even more terrifying speed, and his fallen cultivation surged wildly. The shackles of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal were no match for the Great Dao Karma!

At the same time, the first strand of Reincarnation Qi in the Primordial world appeared within the six paths of reincarnation disc and escaped into Zhenyuanzi's Primordial Spirit.

"Crack—" Zhenyuanzi attained the Dao of a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal through the Law of Reincarnation.

At the same time, a strand of Earthly Dao hongmeng purple qi appeared from within Fengdu City and merged into Zhenyuanzi's Primordial Spirit. His true spirit was entrusted to the Earthly Dao, and he became a Saint of the Earthly Dao.

After doing all this, a steady and profound voice, like the resonant sound of the Great Dao, echoed between heaven and earth, resounding in the heart of every living being.

"My name is Zhenyuanzi!"

"Today, by the Great Dao Law of Reincarnation, I have attained the Dao of a Hunyuan Daluo Golden Immortal and achieved the status of a Saint of the Earthly Dao!"

"All beings of the Primordial world, join in the celebration!"

Boom! As the words fell, purple clouds stretched thirty thousand miles from the east, celebrating the newly born Saint!

At this moment, the Primordial world trembled once more, and the kneeling of the myriad spirits became even more fervent. The sounds of praise shot straight into the nine heavens:

"Congratulations to the Great Immortal Zhenyuanzi for attaining the Dao of Hunyuan!"

"Greetings to the Ancestor of Earth Immortals, the Saint of Reincarnation!"

The Twelve Ancestral Witches also bowed and saluted:

"Congratulations, Senior Zhenyuanzi, for attaining the Dao of Hunyuan and achieving the status of a Saint of the Earthly Dao!"

In Zixiao Palace, Hongjun sensed the arrival of Zhenyuanzi's Hunyuan and Saintly Dao rhymes, and his Saintly body trembled with rage.

"How could he destroy his Three Corpses?"

"How could he think to attain the Dao through Law!?"

He was furious to the extreme, yet could only suppress it with all his might. The Netherworld was formed, Reincarnation was set, and Zhenyuanzi had attained the Dao of Hunyuan and become a Saint of the Earthly Dao. As long as the Earthly Dao did not perish, he would not perish.

The Heavenly Dao could suppress the Earthly Dao, but against Zhenyuanzi, he was already helpless.

Clearly, the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao was for Houtu to transform into Reincarnation, leaving only her Primordial Spirit to become a Saint of the Earthly Dao—at that time, it would have been easy to suppress—but it just had to be Zhenyuanzi...

Outside the Netherworld, Shi Yan and Hongyun exchanged a smile. Shi Yan gazed toward the direction of the heavens beyond the heavens and spoke indifferently: "Hongjun, look, this world has never been yours to decide alone."

After experiencing the power of Hunyuan and the authority of a Saint, Zhenyuanzi looked at Hongyun and Shi Yan, drawing them to his side. He looked at Hongyun, who had cut off his Three Corpses, and frowned.

"Second Brother, since I have become a Saint of the Earthly Dao today, I shall break your shackles and pave the way for your Hunyuan path."

Before the words faded, the Law of Reincarnation and the authority of the Saint of the Earthly Dao surrounded Hongyun. The Three Corpses, which were entrusted to the three Innate Spirit Treasures within Hongyun's Primordial Spirit, were pulled out by Zhenyuanzi, and then transformed into strands of Innate Spiritual Qi that fed back into Hongyun himself.

Hongyun's cultivation stabilized at the Perfection of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal; once his comprehension of the Law was sufficient, he would be able to break through to a Hunyuan Golden Immortal.

Hongyun felt light and relaxed, his spirit clear, his Dao path distinct, and his Primordial Spirit transparent. The sense of blockage he had felt at the Late Stage of a Quasi-Saint was gone, and he bowed to Zhenyuanzi as an equal.

"Thank you, Big Brother!"

"It is nothing."

Zhenyuanzi smiled slightly, raised his hand in a gesture of support, and then turned to look at the newly forged Fengdu City. His Saintly voice spread throughout the entire Netherworld:

"I now proclaim Hongyun as the Great Emperor of Fengdu, to preside over Fengdu, govern the ghosts and gods of the Netherworld, hold authority over the rewards and punishments of Reincarnation, and protect the order of the Six Paths!"

As the words fell, the six paths of reincarnation disc suddenly erupted with ten thousand zhang of purple light, and a phantom shadow symbolizing the authority of the Great Emperor of Fengdu rose from the center of Fengdu.

Merging with Hongyun's Primordial Spirit, the supreme imperial status, the authority of the Earthly Dao, and the Luck of the Earthly Dao all converged. Hongyun's comprehension of the Law of Clouds surged, and his cultivation at the Perfection of a Grand Unity Golden Immortal directly stepped into the Early Stage of a Hunyuan Golden Immortal.

At the same time, his appearance changed; he wore an imperial crown, was draped in the imperial robes of the Netherworld, and held the book of life and death. Seeing this, Zhenyuanzi smiled with satisfaction.

"Second Brother, from now on, this place will be your dojo, and I will no longer care about my fruits being stolen and eaten."

Hearing this, Hongyun laughed heartily.

After conferring the title upon Hongyun, Zhenyuanzi turned his head to look at Shi Yan.

"Little Brother, is there any authority you fancy?"

Shi Yan shook his head. "I have no need for it; I quite enjoy my freedom."

"Very well."

Then, Zhenyuanzi turned his gaze toward the Ancestral Witches.

"Fellow Ancestral Witches, is there any authority you fancy?"

The Twelve Ancestral Witches shook their heads in unison. Dijiang stepped forward, the Law of Space vibrating slightly, his tone open and heroic: "Saint, we appreciate your intention, but we of the Witch clan will accept it in spirit!"

Houtu spoke softly: "We of the Witch clan are not suited for this work of rules, so there is no need to grant us authority."

Zhurong's voice was bold:

"The matter is settled, so we will not linger here any longer. We still have to go deal with the matter of Styx."

"I simply don't believe it; the Blood Sea is gone, and he can still resurrect!"