bookbashuk Chapter 17 Wood and Gold
Chapter 17 Wood and Gold
The Great Way is silent, the Great Form is formless.
When sages preach, they do not utter a single word, yet it seems as if they have fully elucidated the mysteries of the three thousand great principles.
The endless prophecies of the Great Dao transformed into a shower of golden rain, falling upon the hearts of three thousand mortals.
In this sermon, Hongjun Daozu did not hold back. Although he only expounded on the Dao of the Great Luo, it was all-encompassing, covering everything from Yin and Yang and the Five Elements to time, space, cause and effect, from the cultivation of the primordial spirit to the attainment of sainthood through the physical body. He spoke of everything in great detail.
This lecture lasted for three entire cycles.
As the last Dao rune dissipated into the void, Dao Ancestor Hongjun slowly closed his mouth, and the extremely profound Dao aura around him also subsided.
"Buzz—"
As the sermon ended, the three thousand great beings who had been immersed in the state of enlightenment awoke from their meditation.
The expressions on everyone's faces varied; some were overjoyed, clearly having finally overcome the bottleneck that had plagued them for years.
Some scratched their heads and looked frustrated, as if they were just a hair's breadth away from discovering the truth.
On that throne, Kunpeng slowly opened his eyes.
The benefits he gained from listening to the teachings over three cycles of time were immeasurable.
The seven fundamental laws within his body—wind, water, blood, devouring, killing, pure yang, and destruction—have become increasingly perfect under the baptism of the sage's Daoist aura and through his own deduction, and there are even faint signs of them merging together.
His vast and boundless magical power had been honed to an unparalleled level of purity.
Although he is still suppressing his cultivation level and has not broken through, he can step into the late stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal realm at any time if he wants, or even have one foot already in the door.
"Thank you, teacher, for your compassionate teachings!"
Everyone stood up and bowed respectfully to Hongjun Daozu on the high platform.
Hongjun nodded slightly, his gaze indifferent as water. He did not immediately dismiss the group, but instead spoke:
"This sermon has concluded, but the vastness of the primordial world and the diversity of sentient beings mean that it cannot be without a leader for even a day. Someone is needed to act as the guardian of heaven and to regulate yin and yang."
Upon hearing this, the three thousand guests below were immediately jolted, and they all pricked up their ears.
Acting as a guardian of Heaven?
This is an immense power!
Hongjun's gaze swept across the crowd, but ultimately did not fall on the Three Pure Ones or the Kunpeng in the head seat. Instead, he looked at the Dongwanggong in the back of the crowd, whose expression was somewhat evasive.
"Where is the Eastern King Duke?"
Upon being named by the sage, the Eastern King trembled, his heart filled with both fear and anticipation. He quickly stepped forward and knelt in worship.
"Disciple is here!"
Hongjun looked at him and said calmly:
"You are the embodiment of pure yang energy, and should be the head of the male immortals. You are bestowed the title 'Wood Lord' to govern all the immortals of the primordial world and regulate the yang energy of the world."
"boom--!"
These words immediately caused an uproar in the Zixiao Palace.
Countless envious, jealous, and even resentful gazes instantly focused on Dong Wanggong.
It should be noted that among those present, such as Di Jun, Tai Yi, and Fu Xi, which one wasn't arrogant and proud?
This Dongwanggong, who had previously been defeated by Kunpeng and fled in disgrace, has now risen to the top and become the nominal leader of the male immortals.
The Eastern King was so overwhelmed by this enormous surprise that he immediately kowtowed:
"Your disciple... I obey! I will certainly not fail the Dao Ancestor's trust!"
Hongjun nodded slightly, and with a flick of his hand, a walking stick radiating a rich golden light of merit appeared in his hand.
"This is a top-grade innate spiritual treasure, the Dragon Head Staff. It was used by the old Taoist when he traveled through the primordial world. It has been tainted with some merit and can be used to suppress the luck and control the immortals. Strike with this staff and you can peel off a person's skin and reduce their cultivation."
Having said that, the dragon-headed cane transformed into a golden light and fell into the hands of the Eastern King Duke.
The Eastern King Duke received it with trembling hands, feeling its immense power and overjoyed.
However, Hongjun's rewards did not end there.
The Dao Ancestor's all-seeing eyes swept over the empty right sleeve of the Eastern King Duke, and his brows twitched almost imperceptibly.
"Your origins are flawed. You have suffered calamities and lost your innate treasure, so your means of protecting your path are insufficient."
"As the head of the male immortals, if he does not have a protective amulet, it will be difficult for him to subdue the other immortals."
With a wave of his sleeve, Hongjun conjured a dark yellow command flag out of thin air.
As soon as the flag was raised, thousands of golden lotuses bloomed and auspicious clouds appeared, and a terrifying defensive aura, as immovable as a mountain and impervious to all magic, permeated the entire area.
"This is one of the five innate flags, the central Wuji Apricot Yellow Flag."
"When it unfolds, ten thousand golden lotuses will appear, indestructible and impervious to all evil and magic. Today I bestow this upon you to protect your path."
"The Central Plains Apricot-Yellow Flag!"
Inside the main hall, a knowledgeable expert immediately exclaimed in surprise.
This is one of the five innate flags that were transformed from the leaves of the Chaos Green Lotus!
It is the most supreme defensive treasure in the primordial world, and its quality is in no way inferior to the four innate lotus platforms!
This treasure was originally meant to be obtained by the Primordial Celestial Venerable at the Treasure Distribution Rock in the future.
However, because Dongwanggong was severely injured by Kunpeng, he was born ahead of schedule by a twist of fate and was bestowed upon him by the Dao Ancestor!
At this moment, the Eastern King was so excited that he was trembling all over and almost fainted from happiness.
Since the battle in the East Sea, he had his arm severed by Kunpeng and his life-bound treasure, Jingyang Bell, taken away. He was severely injured and his Dao heart was clouded.
Upon arriving at Zixiao Palace, he saw the culprit Kunpeng sitting firmly on the throne, overpowering the Three Pure Ones, which filled him with shock and fear, and he dared not even breathe loudly.
He thought he would never have a chance to rise in his life.
But to everyone's surprise, the path took an unexpected turn, and they rose to the top in one step!
He was not only personally appointed by the sage as the head of male immortals, but also enjoyed boundless fortune.
Furthermore, he obtained two top-tier treasures, the Dragon Head Cane and the Apricot Yellow Banner, which were powerful enough to suppress the fortune!
"Disciple! Disciple kowtows to thank the Dao Ancestor for his divine grace!"
The Eastern King was so moved that tears welled up in his eyes, and he kowtowed repeatedly to Hongjun.
Hongjun remained expressionless, then looked at the female immortals and bestowed upon the Queen Mother of the West, the ruler of Xikunlun, the title of Golden Mother, granting her the authority over all female immortals in the world, and presented her with a bowl of pure water.
Thus, the two great immortal leaders of the primordial world were established.
After receiving the reward, the Eastern King felt that all the humiliation he had suffered had been swept away, and he regained his former arrogance. He held a dragon-headed cane and had an apricot-yellow flag on his head.
He slowly rose to his feet, deliberately casting his gaze upon the Kunpeng atop the throne, his eyes filled with provocation and malice.
It's as if it's saying, "So what if you, Kunpeng, are strong? I am the head of the male immortals personally appointed by the Dao Ancestor!"
Then, with a flick of his sleeve, amidst the envious and jealous gazes of the powerful figures, he swaggered out of Zixiao Palace, becoming the first to leave.
However, Kunpeng didn't even lift an eyelid at his smug provocation.
In his eyes, the Eastern King Duke was nothing more than a pawn put up by the Heavenly Dao.
A pawn used to balance the Lich and Demon races, disrupt the prehistoric situation, and ultimately destined to turn to ashes.
Getting angry with this kind of person only lowers your own standards.
Once Hongjun Daozu's figure disappeared, Kunpeng stood up without hesitation, transformed into a stream of light, and quickly left Zixiao Palace.
He was going to a place—Mount Buzhou!
Because he clearly remembered that right after this first sermon, a great opportunity concerning the future of the primordial world was about to be born there!
That was the innate gourd vine that was transformed from the navel of the great god Pangu!
This vine is one of the ten innate spiritual roots, and it will produce seven gourds of different colors.
These seven gourds, without exception, are all top-grade innate spiritual treasures!
The purple-gold gourd of Taiqing Laozi, the chaos gourd of Yuanshi Tianzun, the demon-summoning banner of Nuwa, and the immortal-slaying flying knife of Lu Ya Daojun all originated from this.
How could Kunpeng possibly miss such a precious treasure?
Kunpeng transformed into its true form, the Great Roc, and swiftly traversed the chaos, its eyes gleaming with a sharp light.
"That purplish-yellow gourd will one day transform into a demon-summoning banner, containing a world within it, capable of imprinting the true spirits of all demons under heaven, commanding all demons, none of whom dare to disobey."
"Now that I have established the Demon Sect, and as the ancestor of all demons, this Demon Banner rightfully belongs to me!"