"Teacher, please have mercy on us, who cultivate with such difficulty, and grant us this opportunity for Dao Proving!!!"
No one paid attention to Xu Feng's refusal to become a disciple; instead, everyone stared at the last wisp of Hongmeng Purple Energy remaining in Hongjun's hand, all kneeling on the ground and shouting loudly.
Some even began to imitate Zhunti, wailing and begging bitterly, having learned on the spot.
Zhunti, who had been in a good mood and enjoying the show, turned green with anger.
As if their pleas had an effect, Hongjun sighed:
"Very well, I shall bestow it upon you."
The last wisp of Hongmeng Purple Energy floated out, and everyone excitedly rushed to grab it.
No one dared to be too aggressive, but this Hongmeng Purple Energy was incredibly fast, causing everyone who reached out to miss it. It darted around and finally entered Hongyun's body.
My mentality is completely shattered!
Instantly, Hongyun became the center of attention.
Everyone stared at him, especially Kunpeng, Stygian Old Ancestor, Di Jun, Taiyi, and others, wishing they could kill Hongyun and dig out the Hongmeng Purple Energy.
Let you be a good guy, now you know the consequences, right?
With so many people eyeing you, if you don't die, who will?
This Hongmeng Purple Energy wasn't for Dao Proving; it was a death warrant.
"The Great Dao has fifty, Heavenly Dao has forty-nine; everything has a sliver of opportunity. You all must strive for yourselves."
Sure enough, Hongjun left after saying this.
Those who had been pounding their chests in frustration immediately realized something.
They couldn't snatch the Hongmeng Purple Energy from others because those people were destined to become Saints, but they could snatch Hongyun's!!!
This was a big deal. Apart from Xu Feng, Nuwa, the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, and Zhunti, who had already obtained Hongmeng Purple Energy, everyone else stared intently at Hongyun.
If looks could kill, Hongyun would have died countless times over.
Only Zhen Yuanzi, being an honest man, had no covetous thoughts about the Hongmeng Purple Energy; instead, he was worried about his old friend's safety.
Hongyun, with the Hongmeng Purple Energy, was no different from a child walking down the street with a pile of money; everyone wanted to snatch it.
"Fellow Daoist, hurry and leave!!!"
Seeing Hongyun scared stiff, Zhen Yuanzi was so angry he wanted to curse.
Why aren't you leaving now? What are you waiting for?
He immediately used the Earth Book to roll up Hongyun and fled, escaping into the 33 Heavens.
The once crowded Zixiao Palace suddenly became quiet as a large number of people chased after them, and a great battle had already erupted.
Some were shouting, some were threatening Zhen Yuanzi, telling him to let go of Hongyun, or they would fight endlessly.
Zhen Yuanzi ignored them, taking Hongyun and quickly leaving. Even though he was injured, he did not abandon Hongyun.
"Fellow Daoist, aren't you going to contend for this opportunity for Dao Proving?"
The Zixiao Palace was empty, with only a few people remaining: the Three Pure Ones, Jieyin, Zhunti, Nuwa, and Fuxi.
Xu Feng stood up and teased Fuxi.
Fuxi gave a wry smile:
"Fellow Daoist, please don't tease this poor Daoist. My younger sister being able to obtain an opportunity for Dao Proving is already enough for me. What is mine is mine; what is not mine is useless to force."
It must be said that Fuxi had a good mindset and was indeed a gentleman. He didn't care about others' envy, and he didn't go to snatch Hongyun's Hongmeng Purple Energy.
"Hahaha, that makes sense."
The three of them left Zixiao Palace together, heading towards the East Sea, where Nuwa and Fuxi were invited as guests.
"Why didn't Fellow Daoist become a disciple of the Dao Ancestor?"
On the way, Fuxi curiously asked this question.
Others would kill to become Hongjun's disciple, even just a registered disciple, but Xu Feng had refused even a direct disciple position.
Xu Feng smiled, received the system's reward, put away the world-destroying black lotus seed, and said with a smile:
"If it were anyone else, it would be fine, but this poor Daoist does not follow the Three Corpses Dao Proving path. To still become a disciple of the Dao Ancestor in such a case would be inappropriate. If anyone were to mention it, not only would this poor Daoist lose face, but it would also implicate the Dao Ancestor."
To be someone else's disciple, yet not follow the path taught by the teacher—you're a formidable disciple!
"That is true."
Fuxi and Nuwa nodded, both thinking Xu Feng's words made a lot of sense.
However, both still felt a bit regretful.
Little did they know, Xu Feng had no such intention at all.
Become Hongjun's teacher?
Forget it. Whoever wants to be his disciple can go; I, Xu Feng, am not willing.
Besides, I don't follow the Three Corpses Dao Proving path, so it's better not to have too much involvement with Hongjun.
Otherwise, I might end up getting tricked into a ditch and not even know what happened.
At best, I'd lose everything and be imprisoned; at worst, hehe, was Hongjun's integration with the Dao truly that easy?
Perhaps he'll end up using you Saints who followed the Three Corpses Dao Proving path as nourishment.
The Three Pure Ones, especially, should be careful.
Jieyin and Zhunti are Buddhists, their Daoist lineage is not orthodox, and Nuwa achieved Dao Proving through merit. If such a thing were to happen, the Three Pure Ones would be the first to suffer.
"This Dragon Palace is indeed incomparable to our remote Daoist abodes."
Upon entering the Dragon Palace, Nuwa and Fuxi both exclaimed in awe.
Compared to the current Dragon Palace, their Daoist abodes were like thatched huts. One must know that this Dragon Palace was built by Zhulong and Ancient Yinglong in ancient times, and with the Dragon Clan's love for luxury and glittering gold, how could this Dragon Palace be anything less than magnificent?
If not for many treasures being stolen and shattered, the luxury of this Dragon Palace would be on an even higher level.
"Both of you, please."
The grand hall was still empty, especially with guests present. Everyone else had already left, leaving only the three of them in the hall, which seemed a bit strange. Indeed, Nuwa and Fuxi felt a little uncomfortable.
After all, anyone sitting in an empty hall would feel a bit odd.
They just felt like something was missing.
Seeing their discomfort, Xu Feng smiled and explained:
"During the era of the Ancient Three Clans, the Dragon Clan numbered in the billions, an extremely vast population. So, this Dragon Palace was built to be quite large. Now, the Dragon Clan is scarce, which makes the Dragon Palace seem rather empty."
Billions in number…
Nuwa and Fuxi couldn't help but be shocked. This number could only be compared to the current Demon Clan. The Witch Clan didn't even have that many people yet, as the Witch Clan was still developing, and the Twelve Ancestral Witches had not yet used their own essence blood to create clan members. So, the Witch Clan's population had not yet experienced explosive growth.
If the Dragon Clan had so many, how many would the Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan have?
The Ancient Three Clans were indeed terrifying.
Guessing what Nuwa and Fuxi were thinking, Xu Feng continued:
"In ancient times, the Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan did not have as vast a population as the Dragon Clan, otherwise, the Dragon Clan would not have been able to fight one against two, forcing these two clans to retreat repeatedly."
While it was said to be a three-way standoff, the true overlord was the Dragon Clan, and the Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan were always in a state of being beaten.
The main reasons for this, besides Zhulong being the strongest among the three clan ancestors, were inextricably linked to the Dragon Clan's bloodline.
The Phoenix Clan and Qilin Clan, like the pure-blooded members of the Dragon Clan, had a slow reproduction rate. However, the various impure-blooded mixed dragons of the Dragon Clan reproduced at an exaggerated rate. Over time, the Dragon Clan's numbers grew exponentially, while the other two clans were constantly depleted.
Thus, they naturally suffered defeat.
"Currently, the Demon Clan in the Great Desolation also has a considerable population, but the Demon Clan is somewhat chaotic."