On the Sun Star, the solar winds suddenly stilled. Then, two colossal auras erupted in tandem, tearing into the firmament with a force that made the stars tremble. The Laws of the Hun Yuan Golden Immortal manifested physically—countless crystalline flowers of the Great Dao bloomed and withered in the air, each petal a concentrated spark of absolute power.
In the Ling Xiao Treasure Hall, Ling Xiao's eyes snapped open. With a casual shift of his form, he vanished, reappearing in the searing depths of the star's core. He raised a hand, his fingers tracing a pattern that smoothed the turbulent energy and swallowed the chaotic phenomena of the breakthrough before they could alert the rest of the world.
"Big Brother and Second Brother... they've finally done it," Ling Xiao murmured, a genuine smile touching his lips.
After nearly ten thousand years of agonizing silence, Di Jun and Tai Yi had crossed the threshold. For those walking the path of Laws—unassisted by the Saint's shortcuts—this was a lightning-fast ascent. Without the fragments of the Creation Jade Butterfly he had provided, a hundred thousand years would not have been enough to bridge that gap.
Two streaks of brilliant light, faster than falling stars, shot toward him. They resolved into two men draped in golden robes, their bodies radiating a heat that rivaled the star itself.
"Third Brother!"
"I've done it!" Di Jun shouted, his chest heaving with an exhilarated, raw joy. "Hun Yuan Golden Immortal! I've finally caught your shadow!"
Heaven knew the weight of his relief. As the elder brother, he finally felt he could stand with his head held high.
"Big Brother, don't celebrate just yet," Ling Xiao said, his voice light with a playful, merciless edge. "I've already stepped into the Middle Stage."
Di Jun's smile froze. The blow was surgical. Ling Xiao saw the need to keep the pressure on; in the Honghuang world, complacency was a death sentence. In truth, he was still hiding the depth of his sea. Five of his Laws had already crossed the threshold. Even if they were all "Early Stage," his combined combat power was five times that of his brother—and with Time and Space in his arsenal, the real gap was an abyss.
"Third Brother... you..." Di Jiang looked utterly dejected, the fire of his celebration turning to ash. He knew the bone-grinding difficulty of Law cultivation. "You are not a Golden Crow. You are an anomaly. I'm going back into seclusion. I won't come out until I reach the Hun Yuan Da Luo level!"
"Big Brother, think of your health!" Tai Yi interjected, his voice earnest but a smirk tugging at his lips. "I'm afraid if you stay in there that long, I'll forget what your face looks like."
Tai Yi wasn't as affected. Since Di Jun was still at the bottom of the sibling power ranking, Tai Yi was content with being the second-best.
Ling Xiao's smile remained, but his gaze suddenly drifted toward the endless Void Realm.
Rumble—
The Nine Heavens of Chaos groaned.
The projection of Zixiao Palace manifested across the sky, sweeping through the universe like a shimmering mirage. Grand Dao chimes radiated from the heavens, reaching the furthest corners of the Great Desolation.
"The final sermon," Di Jun said, his humor vanishing. He and Tai Yi straightened their robes, their expressions turning solemn.
Across the Honghuang world, every hidden master opened their eyes. From the jagged peaks of Mount Sumeru to the groves of Wuzhuang Temple, the air was thick with emerging auras. The titans were rising. No one wanted to miss the final word of the Saint—especially with the promise of formal discipleship dangling like a key to the heavens.
[Detecting that Hongjun's third sermon is about to begin, please make the following choice.]
[Choice One: Remain cautious to the end, never listen to the Dao. Reward: Fragment of the Jade Disc of Creation.]
[Choice Two: Give Hongjun 'Face' once, go listen to the Dao. Reward: Thirty-Six-Grade Chaos Green Lotus Seed.]
[Choice Three: Let Di Jun and Tai Yi go listen to the Dao. Reward: Twelve-Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus; Origin of the Ten Great Heavenly Divine Flames.]
Ling Xiao watched the Zixiao Palace manifest, his thoughts as cold as the void. Trying to lure me with a seed? he thought. Unless the system offered a Law that could instantly elevate him to the peak of the Hun Yuan realm, he wasn't interested in being a puppet in the front row.
He weighed the third option. If his brothers had gone last time and stayed home now, it would scream of guilt. It would invite Hongjun's scrutiny at the very moment the Witches and Yao were entering their final dance. As long as Hongjun needed them to balance the scales of the Calamity, they were safe—but they had to play the part.
"Big Brother, Second Brother," Ling Xiao said, withdrawing his consciousness. "Will you attend this time?"
Tai Yi shifted his weight, his hand resting on the hilt of his intent. "We've been in the dark for too long. It's time for some fresh air." He let out a sharp, cold laugh. "Listening to the sermon isn't the point. I want to settle the score with those two thieves from the West."
"Second Brother is right," Di Jun added. "A trip to the Palace... and a little revenge on the way. It sounds perfect."
"Go then," Ling Xiao instructed. "But remember: no matter what he offers, do not accept any 'benefits' from the Saint. Nothing is free."
The brothers nodded, the gravity of his warning sinking in.
"System, Choice Three."
The rewards flowed into his soul. With a thought, he materialized a lotus of pure, obsidian light—the Twelve-Grade World-Destroying Black Lotus—and handed it to Tai Yi.
"Second Brother, I found this while you were in the core. It's yours."
"Third Brother... this is too much," Tai Yi said, staring at the terrifying aura of the artifact. "My Chaos Bell is enough. You should keep this for your own protection."
"Take it," Ling Xiao said casually. "I have enough treasures to drown a Saint."
It was true. Between his Cauldron, the Pearl, the Measuring Ruler, and the Gourd, he was a walking treasury. Di Jun already had the White Lotus and the River Chart. Tai Yi, for all his ferocity, was "poor"—possessing only the Chaos Bell.
"Take it, Tai Yi," Di Jun said, patting his shoulder. "I have the white, you have the black. It's a perfect pair. If you refuse, I'll look like the greedy one for keeping the white lotus."
Tai Yi finally accepted the obsidian lotus, its dark petals rippling with a destructive chill.
"Don't show it unless you have no other choice," Ling Xiao warned. "It was once Rahu's treasure. Hongjun won't be pleased to see it."
"Understood."
Just as the two were about to turn into light and depart, a ripple passed through the solar atmosphere. A guest had arrived on the Sun Star.
"Fellow Daoists of the Sun Star," a voice called out, smooth and resonant. "The sermon is beginning. Shall we travel together?"