Chapter 23: Distributing the Treasures

Hongjun’s gaze lingered on the gaunt Taoist for only a brief moment before shifting away. However, the powerful beings present were no fools; seeing the Saint’s expression, they understood he was highly satisfied with the title. Everyone immediately rose and bowed in unison, chanting, "Greetings, Dao Ancestor!"

Hongjun nodded slightly, a faint smile touching his lips before vanishing as quickly as it had appeared. In the next second, he raised a finger and pointed; a strand of Grandmist Violet Qi materialized beside his hand. The breathing of the mighty figures below grew ragged.

With a wave of Hongjun's hand, the Grandmist Violet Qi drifted down toward the crowd. Upon seeing this, the group discarded all decorum of the Zixiao Palace and lunged forward to seize it. Yet, the violet light seemed to possess a consciousness of its own; it easily bypassed the crowd and descended straight into the hands of Red Cloud.

Red Cloud, who had been lamenting the loss of a Saint’s position, was stunned as the Grandmist Violet Qi dropped from the heavens into his lap. Overjoyed, he intended to store the treasure away, but the moment the Qi touched his spiritual energy, it dove directly into his body and merged with his primordial spirit. To the eyes of the other beings in the Zixiao Palace, however, it appeared as though Red Cloud had simply stowed the treasure away.

Kunpeng witnessed this, his blood surging with rage, his eyes turning crimson. Di Jun’s expression was equally dark; in his view, since he had been the one to plead for the Qi, it should have been his. That it had fallen to Red Cloud was utterly unreasonable! Even Styx began to stir, for no one could remain calm in the face of a Saint’s destiny.

Red Cloud himself was bewildered. Why had the Grandmist Violet Qi merged directly into his spirit, and in a way that made it impossible to extract? Was this unique to his, or had the previous six experienced the same? If Bai Jing knew of Red Cloud's confusion, he would surely tell him that there was nothing wrong with the Qi; it was simply that the Heavenly Dao required constraints on those who received it. If one were to compare the Great Desolation to a massive corporation, then everyone hired must sign a contract.

Ordinary employees might get away with a breach, but for high-level executives—especially those incentivized with equity—strict constraints were mandatory.

Seeing that the final strand of Grandmist Violet Qi had found an owner, Hongjun rose. "After attaining sainthood, I sensed the Heavenly Dao and sought to give back to the Great Desolation. I have lectured in the Zixiao Palace three times, totaling nine thousand years. Now, my task is complete. I attained the Dao through insight, yet the Heavenly Dao is incomplete, and thus the world is flawed. I intend to merge my being with the Heavenly Dao to mend it. Hongjun shall be the Heavenly Dao, but the Heavenly Dao shall not be Hongjun. From this moment, the Zixiao Palace is closed; I shall not enter the Great Desolation until the immeasurable tribulation."

"Teacher..." Zhunti began to speak, but Hongjun cast a cold glance at him. Zhunti felt his soul tremble and immediately clamped his mouth shut.

Hongjun closed his eyes, and a supreme, indifferent, and detached aura gradually emanated from him. The beings in the Zixiao Palace watched this scene with varying emotions—awe, envy, confusion, and doubt. After all, the strongest among them were only at the level of Primordial Golden Immortals or Quasi-Saints; they were worlds apart from the realm of the Saint, let alone the level of merging with the Heavenly Dao. Many could not grasp what was transpiring.

Ignoring them, Hongjun continued, "Since my emergence, I have traveled the Great Desolation and gathered many treasures. Now that I am to merge with the Heavenly Dao, these items are of no use to me. I have established a Treasure-Dividing Cliff outside the Zixiao Palace. It holds many relics; those with affinity may obtain them. You may take what you can to serve as protection for your path."

The crowd was overjoyed. Among the three thousand guests of the Zixiao Palace, how many truly possessed innate spiritual treasures? Many had remained trapped at the Great Luo stage precisely for lack of them. Even Bai Jing felt a surge of excitement, for he had come specifically for the Five-Colored Flags on that very cliff.

"We thank the Dao Ancestor for the treasures!" The assembly bowed. When they rose, the meditation cushions in front were empty; they knew Hongjun had already departed.

Bai Jing pulled Houtu up, rushed out of the Zixiao Palace, and whispered, "Fellow Daoist Houtu, if any complications arise while taking the treasures, I ask for your assistance." Seeing his urgency, Houtu readily agreed.

Bai Jing was not skilled in movement techniques, and although he was among the first to leave, by the time he and Houtu reached the Treasure-Dividing Cliff, speed-oriented beings like Red Cloud, Kunpeng, and the brothers Di Jun and Tai Yi had already arrived. The Three Pure Ones arrived almost simultaneously with Bai Jing and Houtu.

Di Jun was the first to strike, reaching out to snatch five beams of treasure light. When the light faded, they proved to be only low-grade innate spiritual treasures. Dissatisfied, Di Jun tried to seize more, but no matter how much force he exerted, the remaining items remained immovable, as if welded to the cliff. Tai Yi attempted the same, grabbing five items, one of which was a high-grade treasure, but he too was unable to secure any more. Red Cloud and Kunpeng fared similarly. Red Cloud managed to grab over ten, and before the light could even fade, he tucked them away.

The crowd realized this was a safeguard set by the Dao Ancestor to prevent the first arrivals from stripping the cliff bare.

Bai Jing did not hesitate and reached out. The moment he touched the cliff, he understood why the others had only obtained low-grade items. The light shielding the treasures was a restriction left by Hongjun; one could not see what lay beneath the glow, and the quality of what one obtained was entirely up to luck.

However, Hongjun had overlooked one thing: Bai Jing was a manifestation of the White Lotus of Purity. He shared the same origin as the Five-Directional Flags, which were formed from the leaves of the Chaos Green Lotus, and they resonated with one another. Regardless of the other treasures, Bai Jing could already sense the location of the flags.

His heart raced with excitement, but before he could act, the Three Pure Ones moved. With a casual grab, they secured two of the flags. Sighing, Bai Jing lunged for the final flag, pulling it out along with three other treasures.

The four of them had retrieved their items nearly at the same time. Laozi and Yuanshi had secured dozens of treasures, while Tongtian had taken the most—nearly a hundred, including several top-grade innate spiritual treasures. By comparison, Bai Jing held only four meager beams of light. Yet, he felt not a hint of disappointment, for the Eastern Blue Lotus Flag he had so fervently desired was finally in his hands.