Chapter 27: Zhunti's Calculations
Buzz!
Hongyun transformed into a streak of red light and shot out of Wuzhuang Temple at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, he broke through the encirclement of numerous great masters and soared into the distance. Seeing this, the other masters immediately gave chase.
Before long, several distinct echelons had formed.
The first echelon was naturally the Quasi-Sage, led by Kunpeng. Having fully comprehended the Great Dao and realized their own Dao domains, their speed was unmatched as they relentlessly pursued Hongyun.
The second echelon consisted of Daluo Golden Immortal—masters of the highest movement techniques. Though their cultivation was slightly inferior, they were still extremely confident in their speed.
Most importantly, the lure of the Primordial Purple Qi—foundation of the Great Dao—was irresistible. Wealth stirred the heart, and the allure of such a supreme treasure made these immortals burn with greed.
"Hongyun, stop struggling!" Kunpeng's voice carried cold arrogance. "I, Kunpeng, possess the ultimate speed of the Primordial World. Even the Golden Crow Demon Emperor cannot match me!"
In the next instant, Kunpeng transformed into a streak of black light, surpassing the limits of the Primordial World itself. With a flicker, he reappeared directly in front of Hong Yun, blocking his path with a grim and unfriendly expression.
During the Zixiao Palace sermon, Kunpeng had claimed a Sage's Seat Cushion, but lost it when Hongyun gave up his own seat. That karmic entanglement was deep, and Kunpeng hated him to the bone. Today, he was equally determined to seize the Primordial Purple Qi from him.
"Oh?" Hongyun's face remained calm as he gazed at Kunpeng. In the next moment, a blinding crimson light erupted from his body, and more than ten Red Clouds—each radiating the exact same aura—appeared and fled in all directions.
Since he dared to leave Wuzhuang Temple, he clearly had his own plans.
"What?" Kunpeng was stunned. He was indeed fast, but so was Hongyun. With over ten identical auras scattering, even he couldn't tell which was real. The other immortals who had caught up were equally baffled. Creating avatars in the primordial world wasn't unusual, but avatars identical in aura to the original body were nearly impossible to distinguish.
"Separate and pursue!" Kunpeng commanded coldly. He could only try his luck for now.
Just then, a golden thread of karma appeared before him, so clear that it seemed tangible, connecting directly to one of the fleeing Red Clouds.
"The Avenue of Cause and Effect?" Kunpeng's eyes narrowed, and his gaze instinctively turned toward the western realm. But almost immediately, he looked away, pretending ignorance, and chased along the golden thread.
Meanwhile, in the western realm, atop Mount Xumi above the Eight Treasures Merit Pool, two figures sat upright on the twelve-grade golden lotus of merit.
"Junior Brother Zhunti, you…"
Zhunti pressed his palms together, infinite threads of the Avenue of Cause and Effect swirling around him, while Jie Yin looked on silently.
"My western realm has always been poor," Zhunti said bitterly. "The karmic debt of a sage's position is immense. If it must be repaid, how long until we rise again?"
Jie Yin remained silent. The karmic ties between the two sages were difficult to sever, even with enlightenment. However, if Hong Yun perished and his Dao was extinguished, the karmic debt would naturally vanish.
Meanwhile,
On Buzhou Mountain, Xuantian slowly opened his eyes, a glimmer of brilliance fading from his gaze. Assisted by two fragments of the Jade Butterfly of Creation, he had comprehended the Dao of Time to 31% of its full potential.
With a single thought, countless Dao rhymes of the Great Dao of Time emerged around him. The previously invisible river of time seemed to pause—though it wasn't truly stagnation. Instead, Xuantian had accelerated the flow of time tenfold.
As the second-ranked Forbidden Dao, the Dao of Time possessed countless powers—time leap, time cuts, time stagnation. Xuantian's understanding was still shallow, but even a tenfold acceleration was remarkable. In the coming tribulation for humanity, such a power could change everything.
"Continue!"
Immersing himself in the accelerated flow, he pushed his comprehension further.
31%... 32%... 33%...
After some years,
"Fuu..! The Dao of Time at 61% at last!"
Opening his eyes once more, Xuantian's body radiated an extremely dense aura of Dao rhymes. Now, he could accelerate time a hundredfold. In a single year in the outside world, he could cultivate for a hundred years.
He knew the further one climbed the Great Dao, the harder each step became—sometimes exponentially. From 99% to 100% might be only a single percent, but the difficulty could exceed everything before it combined.
A hundredfold acceleration was more than enough for now.
With that, he entered a hundred-times-accelerated state, comprehending the top ten supreme Dao laws as well as the Dao of charm, weapon refining, and alchemy. When he emerged, his energy cultivation had not advanced much, but his overall strength had risen dramatically.
"Time to leave."
He stood, sweeping his hand to collect the entire pool of Pangu Jade Marrow. This supreme divine object, born from Pangu's very bone marrow, contained terrifying power. Refining it prematurely could cause it to explode. Xuantian judged that he would need to reach the fourth level of the Profound Art—physically, the Daluo Golden Immortal realm—before attempting it.
After searching the restricted area and finding nothing else, he turned to leave. But suddenly, an instinctive sense of danger welled up within him.
Buzz!
Before he could react, a small Mysterious Yellow Cauldron appeared, releasing a torrent of Mysterious Yellow Qi that wrapped tightly around him.
The next moment, a streak of light—accompanied by the roar of wind and thunder—smashed into the cauldron with devastating force.
Boom!
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(End of Chapter)