The Secret of Preaching the Dao

No matter who it was, they were defeated in a single blow. Meng Chen's overwhelming strength left Guang Chengzi and the other two both stirred and exhilarated. This was their Eldest Senior Brother, the one who had entered the sect alongside them.

With such a formidable senior brother on their side, they had no need to fear the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching. If those disciples came looking for trouble, they would simply fight back head-on.

Yu Shuixian, however, refused to believe what she had witnessed. Her three senior brothers had fallen to the same man? Pilu Xian and the others were inner disciples!

Yet when Meng Chen tossed Pilu Xian and the other two beside her, arranging them in a kneeling posture, she finally accepted the truth.

She had been suppressed. Her senior brothers, seeking to avenge her, had been suppressed as well.

If she could move, she would have been trembling all over. The Chan Sect actually harbored such a terrifying existence. A figure like this was nothing like their peer.

"Eldest Senior Brother's divine skill is unmatched. Your junior brother admires it!"

Seeing Yu Shuixian and her group subdued, Chijingzi's heart brimmed with joy, and he couldn't help but flatter Meng Chen.

Chijingzi truly disliked the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching. His Daoist Temple had been thrown into chaos by Lü Yue, and when he tried to drive Lü Yue away, he was surrounded and attacked by other disciples.

Guilt by association, Chijingzi had developed a prejudice against all Disciples of Intercepting Teaching. In his eyes, they were all the same, with no distinction.

Meng Chen coldly regarded Pilu Xian and the others, his gaze devoid of any pity:

"What's the big deal? We are Sage's Disciples, pursuing the path of the Quasi-Sage. Mere Golden Immortal cultivation is hardly worth mentioning. If a Quasi-Sage had struck just now, they could have reduced the entire Kunlun Mountain to nothing, leaving no trace of it even in the River of Time. Our level of combat, in the eyes of those great cosmic powers, is nothing more than chickens pecking at each other."

The might of a Sage's divine ability was far beyond what he had displayed. In truth, the power he had unleashed was less than one in a hundred million.

Meng Chen truly disliked playing these childish games with the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching. Bickering over petty pride or face, even fighting to the death—it was all too immature.

Great powers rarely fought. When they did, it was for only one reason: to attain the Dao!

Those great beings who claimed to fight for vengeance—avenging the Wu tribe's sons or their own children—were merely using that as a pretext for war. Their true goal was to contend for the Calamity Fate of heaven and earth.

Once one became a Sage, even if all their descendants perished, they could be revived. Which great power on the verge of enlightenment would care about face or their children?

"This..."

Guang Chengzi and Chijingzi exchanged glances. They only knew that Sages were invincible under heaven, but their understanding of Quasi-Sages was limited. Hearing Meng Chen's words, however, stirred a longing in their hearts for the sights of higher realms.

"Don't overthink it. The situation leaves us no choice but to fight. If My Teaching were truly suppressed by these Disciples of Intercepting Teaching, it would damage our reputation. That would be extremely detrimental to our propagation of the Dao. Once we attain the Great Luo, relying solely on personal cultivation will be very slow. At that point, we must use the evolution of the Dao through sentient beings to accelerate our progress. The consequences of being suppressed by the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching are something we cannot afford."

Meng Chen was not a rogue cultivator. He knew far more secrets of heaven and earth than Guang Chengzi and the others. The better the Chan Sect fared, the better he fared, so he didn't mind revealing these secrets to them in advance.

"Evolution of the Dao through sentient beings—such a thing exists?"

Guang Chengzi and the other two were startled. They had never known that spreading the Dao could enhance one's cultivation speed.

Meng Chen nodded, his expression turning serious: "Our individual wisdom is limited; the wisdom of sentient beings is boundless. By disseminating principles among them, allowing them to ponder and comprehend, they produce new conclusions and new conjectures. As the transmitters of the Dao, we can harvest these new conclusions and ideas, turning them into nourishment for our cultivation."

He paused here, then shifted his tone, "However, sentient beings admire the strong. The people of the world tend to believe in the principles of the powerful. If My Teaching is defeated, we will become the weak in their eyes. If the strong and the weak both spread the Dao, will sentient beings still choose My Teaching?"

He had to lay out the stakes clearly for Guang Chengzi and the others, making them understand the importance of defeating the Intercepting Teaching.

After hearing this, Guang Chengzi and the other two wore grave expressions. They now realized that the struggle with the Intercepting Teaching was tied to the future of the Chan Sect.

Chijingzi spoke up: "Eldest Senior Brother is absolutely right. The Disciples of Intercepting Teaching see this as a battle of pride, but we cannot afford to be careless. Whether in fair competition or any other form, we must not lose to the Intercepting Teaching."

At that moment, a torrent of immense magical power descended from the heavens, carrying an aura of unrivaled dominance, and blasted toward Meng Chen.

Vaguely visible within the torrent were glimmers of countless treasures, unleashed and merged into the river of power, becoming part of it.

This strike was extraordinarily formidable, gathering three thousand different types of Magic Treasures into a single Myriad Treasure River, as if three thousand great Daos were attacking simultaneously.

"Eldest Senior Brother, be careful! It's Daoist Duobao of the Intercepting Teaching!"

Though the attacker was nowhere in sight, Guang Chengzi identified him by the signature Myriad Treasure River.

Faced with such a terrifying blow, Meng Chen merely shook his head: "Duobao, I can't be bothered to reason with you. Since you've made your move, then stay here as well!"

Boom!

The moment his words fell, an Apricot-Yellow Great Bell inscribed with flowing runes appeared where Yu Shuixian and the other four stood. He simply reached out and grasped the massive Myriad Treasure River in his hand.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The treasures within the Myriad Treasure River detonated directly, unleashing unparalleled power. Clusters of fireballs, more terrifying than stars, exploded, battering against Meng Chen's hand.

At the same time, a slightly plump Daoist appeared beside Pilu Xian like a phantom. He punched out, shattering time and space into dust, and struck the Apricot-Yellow Great Bell.

Daoist Duobao had intended to use the moment Meng Chen was entangled by the Myriad Treasure River to rescue Pilu Xian and the others.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Duobao's fist hammered against the bell, producing a series of chimes. Yet his full-powered strike could not budge the Seal of Earth. Worse, his fist was stuck to the bell.

His punch sank into the bell's body, and a tremendous suction force from the bell locked his hand firmly in place.

On Meng Chen's side, he simply squeezed, and the Myriad Treasure River shattered completely, exploding into fine dust.

"Not good!"

Daoist Duobao's expression shifted drastically. Realizing escape was difficult, he abandoned his right hand, fleeing from under the Seal of Earth.

Bang!

The moment Duobao left the seal's suppression, his fist burst into a mist of blood.

Daoist Duobao, facing Meng Chen, was utterly defeated!