Flood: I, the Nine Turns of the Golden Pillar, all want to eat me!
Chapter 25 - Hongjun Bestows Treasures, Purifies Demonic Qi

Chapter 25: Hongjun Bestows Treasures, Purifies Demonic Qi

Amid the Flood, within the Purple Heavenly Palace—

Grandmaster Hongjun raised his hand and bestowed the Dragon Head Cane to the Duke of Dongwang. Then he turned to a female cultivator—the Queen Mother of the West.

“Queen Mother of the West… You were born of innate Yin Qi, and you are immune to the erosion of demonic Qi. Today, I bestow upon you the Pure Water Mantle, which contains the purest heavenly water between Heaven and Earth. This divine water possesses the power to cleanse the corrupted dragon veins.

“Use this treasure in concert with the Duke of Dongwang to purify the demonic veins.”

As Hongjun whisked his beard, a radiant treasure emerged. The Queen Mother of the West accepted it with both hands, her eyes solemn.

“Thank you, Grandmaster Hongjun. I will do all in my power to purify the corrupted dragon veins.”

Hongjun nodded. “The demonized veins require these two treasures to be gradually cleansed. Yet, the demonic Qi of Heaven and Earth is vast and overwhelming. These alone are not enough.”

His gaze turned toward Di Jun and Xihe.

“Di Jun, Xihe… One of you was born from the Primordial Sun, and the other from the Primordial Moon. You embody the purest essence of Yang and Yin. I now grant you the Essence Wheels of the Sun and Moon. The Sun Essence Wheel is born from the Great Solar Source and the Moon Essence Wheel of the Taiyin Origin. As they revolve in harmony, Yin and Yang will evolve, dissolving all demonic Qi.”

Upon hearing this, Di Jun stepped forward and bowed deeply.

“Do not worry, Teacher Hongjun. I will spare no effort in purifying the Flood’s demonic Qi.”

Xihe followed, respectfully bowing as well. “Rest assured, Teacher. I, too, shall fulfill this task.”

Hongjun gave a small nod, then turned his attention to all the Purple Sky Guests.

“Demonic Qi corrodes the Dao Heart. Many have already fallen into the Devil’s Path. You, my disciples of the Purple Sky, must work together to purge all traces of the Devil Dao and its followers.”

As his words echoed through the palace, all the Purple Heavenly Clerks responded in unison, “We obey Teacher’s decree!”

Satisfied, Hongjun was about to dismiss them when one guest stepped forward and hesitantly asked, “Teacher Hongjun… when will the Purple Heavenly Palace open again?”

Hongjun replied casually, “When the demonic Qi is cleansed, the Purple Heaven will open once more.”

With a wave of his sleeve, imbued with the weight of Dao, he dispersed the gathering.

—

As his form vanished, the many cultivators rose from their seats. There was no further discussion—only a fervent desire to return and cultivate while the insights remained fresh. The matter of purifying the demonic Qi loomed large.

Nuwa, too, prepared to leave. She turned to Laozi and handed over Xuan Qing.

“Fellow Daoist Taiqing, I now return little Xuan Qing to you.”

With a sweep of his dust whisk, Laozi summoned a golden glow and enclosed Xuan Qing within the Xuanhuang Pagoda.

“Fellow Daoist Nuwa, until we meet again.”

Nuwa smiled and added teasingly before departing, “Little Xuan Qing, do not miss your sister too much.”

Xuan Qing shook his head furiously. “Not at all.”

Never would he have imagined that during his first visit to the Purple Heavenly Palace, he would end up nestled in Nuwa’s arms! No doubt, many cultivators would have envied such fortune, but for Xuan Qing, it had been a distressing experience. His small form was ill-suited for such things.

Worse yet, due to Nuwa’s attention, he had drawn the eyes of all the Purple Heaven guests. Each one seemed eager to gain his favor—far too dangerous.

Moreover, Nuwa was a complete eccentric. Her obsession with the mysteries of creation led her to thoroughly study Xuan Qing. It had been a miserable ordeal.

—

Soon, Laozi and his group returned to the Floodlands.

The journey back was swift. One after another, the Purple Sky Guests hurried home to internalize their epiphanies. Though Hongjun’s teachings only reached the realm of Great Luo, for those already in that realm, the variations in his Dao still provided deep inspiration.

With each guest interpreting the Dao through their paths, the gains were immense. The moment they returned, they went into closed-door cultivation. Some, like the Duke of Dongwang and Di Jun, lingered briefly to discuss how best to purify the demonic Qi.

Xuan Qing was curious but could make no decisions on such grand matters.

At last, they returned to Kunlun.

Once there, Laozi spoke: “Disciple, your master, and your senior uncles will enter seclusion. You should do the same—digest the Dao you have obtained.”

“Yes, Master. I understand,” Xuan Qing replied.

Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Tongtian entered deep seclusion. Xuan Qing also returned to his cave and began his cultivation.

The gains he had received from the Dao of Alchemy were immense. But he had also absorbed fragments of other Great Daos.

Zi Yun, ever restless, muttered, “Master… are you cultivating to raise your realm, or to comprehend the Dao?”

“Let us break through the Taiyi realm first,” Xuan Qing said calmly. “Through Master Hongjun’s sermon on the Dao of Dan, I’ve condensed the Immortal Golden Core and entered the Golden Immortal stage. I’ll raise my cultivation now and return to Dao comprehension later.”

Xuan Qing understood well: enlightenment and cultivation were distinct paths. One could cultivate methods and consume resources to raise power, but without Dao comprehension, progress would stagnate. Likewise, only seeking enlightenment without actual cultivation would result in little tangible improvement.

Thus, he entered seclusion, circulating the Taiqing Dan Scripture – Taiyi Volume.

This profound scripture refined the body’s essence into alchemical ingredients to forge the Divine Pill of Essence. The pill was stored in the body, precisely three inches below the chest—within the Middle Dantian.

The Taiyi process consumed the body’s essence, leaving it weakened. Replenishing resources could mend this, but the path was arduous.

Xuan Qing paid it no mind. He gathered the bodily essence, fused it into his dantian, and ignited the dan fire, beginning the transformation.

—

A thousand years passed in the blink of an eye.

The pill within his body neared completion, radiating divine might. It exuded an aura of endless blood and Qi refined into a sacred elixir.

This was the Divine Pill of Essence, born from the sacrifice of flesh and blood.

Though it had not yet turned, it signified that Xuan Qing had officially stepped into the Taiyi Realm.

“Hoo… I have broken through to Taiyi, yet there is no heavenly tribulation?” Xuan Qing murmured, confused.

“Back then, the Heavenly Dao had yet to fully form. The Tribulation Law was still incomplete. That is why Taiyi breakthroughs are free of thunder tribulations. Only some extraordinary beings transforming will attract them,” Zi Yun explained, sounding like an expert.