Nine Dharma Forms

Meng Chen had no idea how earth-shattering his actions were. Even the sages were stunned by the Dharma Forms he had cultivated.

"The Seal of Earth—that's the Seal of Earth, isn't it? That child Meng Chen has actually cultivated the Seal of Earth to such a level. This is no longer mere Daoist art; this is the Dao itself!"

Sage Jieyin stared at the Dharma Form behind Meng Chen with a complicated gaze. A junior, yet possessing such profound mastery of Daoist arts—it was impossible not to be shocked.

Yuanshi Tianzun smiled with a hint of false modesty. "Chen'er has always been diligent and never slackens in his cultivation. This Seat, as his teacher, has not actually taught him much. Let my junior brother laugh at me!"

Hearing Yuanshi Tianzun casually call him "Chen'er," Sage Jieyin grumbled inwardly but maintained a benevolent expression on the surface.

"Senior Brother's disciples are all talents, especially Junior Nephew Meng Chen. It may not be impossible for him to become the third-generation chief disciple of my Xuanmen in the future."

Master Tongtian, of course, would not be swayed by such petty tricks. He simply did not care. Even if his disciples were outmatched and overshadowed by the Teaching Sect's disciples, that was only natural.

Was he himself not unable to defeat Ancestor Hongjun? Should he therefore be jealous or bear a grudge against Ancestor Hongjun?

"Junior Brother Jieyin, your words are mistaken! In terms of kinship, the various sects of Xuanmen are one family. But each sect has its own doctrine and its own Sect Master. Even This Seat has no right to meddle in the internal affairs of other sects."

Yuanshi Tianzun did not speak with veiled sarcasm toward Sage Jieyin. Instead, he directly and plainly clarified the relationship between the sects.

The Human, Teaching, Intercepting, and Western sects were all independent, each with its own sovereignty. The Teaching Sect fully respected the sovereignty of other sects and would not issue orders to them.

As for the so-called third-generation chief disciple of Xuanmen, it did not exist now and would not exist in the future.

In truth, even if the other sages wanted Meng Chen to manage their sects, Yuanshi Tianzun would not agree. What benefit was there in being the chief disciple of three sects? Meng Chen was always a disciple of the Teaching Sect, not a disciple of any other sect.

If Meng Chen treated the disciples of other sects too well, what would the Teaching Sect disciples think? They would feel that Meng Chen was selling out the Teaching Sect's interests to curry favor with other sects.

If Meng Chen favored the Teaching Sect, there was nothing more to say. The disciples of other sects would fan the flames and stir up trouble before their own Sect Masters, and Meng Chen's position as chief disciple of three sects would be gone.

Even if Meng Chen kept a perfectly balanced hand, the Teaching Sect disciples would still resent him for not securing benefits for their own sect.

Human hearts—Yuanshi Tianzun had seen too many of them.

Yuanshi Tianzun had no such grand ambitions. He only hoped that Meng Chen would manage the Teaching Sect's own small patch of land well and grow into a qualified Teaching Sect Master. That was enough.

Yuanshi Tianzun's clarity and rationality left Sage Jieyin feeling as though he had nowhere to exert his strength. The Intercepting Teaching was being tightly suppressed by Our Lady of Wudang, and the Teaching Sect had no desire for supremacy. When would the Teaching and Intercepting sects ever fall out?

Sage Zhunti did not have as much inner drama as Sage Jieyin. His attention had always been on the Intercepting Teaching—it had so many talents!

For the West to flourish, what it lacked was not those with great magical power, but talents from all walks of life.

Letting every living being in the West have elixirs to eat, a Daoist Temple to live in, and a Dao Companion to accompany them—that was the first step toward the West's great rise.

Alchemists, artifact refiners, formation masters, immortal plant masters, spiritual medicine masters, financial masters... What the West needed were these talents capable of developing the economy and advancing the civilization of cultivation, not mere thugs who only knew how to fight and kill.

The Intercepting Teaching was full of such talents.

Zhao Gongming—clearly a master of financial management; Daoist Duobao—sure to grow into an excellent artifact refining master in the future; Lü Yue—though a Plague Immortal, medicine and poison were inseparable; if he could refine plague toxins, he could refine elixirs; Han Zhixian—an expert in cultivating immortal fields and increasing the yield of immortal herbs; Long-Eared Dingguang Immortal and Yu Shuixian—both well-versed in the arts of male-female dual cultivation; with them, the birth rate of Western living beings would double...

Compared to these talents, Meng Chen was far too ordinary.

What use was just being good at cultivation? What Sage Zhunti wanted were people who could create value for the West. A sharp glint flashed in Sage Zhunti's eyes as he racked his brains, thinking about how to pack up all the Intercepting Teaching's talents and take them to the West.

Boom!

At that moment, another Dharma Form rose behind Meng Chen.

This Dharma Form was a mountain peak, its body covered in the principles of the Great Dao, standing proudly in the world like the spine of heaven and earth. As the mountain moved, the entire world began to overturn, nearly collapsing.

The Innate Heaven Overturning Dharma Form!

Yuanshi Tianzun had not yet refined the Seal of Heaven Overturning. However, the divine ability of the Seal of Heaven Overturning was not born from the Magic Treasure of that name. Yuanshi Tianzun had first comprehended the divine ability of the Seal of Heaven Overturning, and then used the principles of that ability to refine the Acquired Supreme Treasure, the Seal of Heaven Overturning.

Having cultivated the Innate Heaven Overturning Dharma Form, Meng Chen's magical power had once again increased ninefold.

The Innate Heaven Overturning Dharma Form stood towering and majestic, as if Mount Buzhou had been moved to Sacred Spring Peak. Some of the sage disciples who had already broken through looked up at the extraordinary phenomenon of Meng Chen's breakthrough, their minds shaken.

Was this still their peer, still their senior brother?

They felt that, compared to Wu Liangzi, Meng Chen seemed more like a guest of the Purple Cloud Palace.

However, just as the disciples were observing Meng Chen's cultivation, another roar sounded, and yet another Dharma Form appeared above Meng Chen's head.

This Dharma Form was as powerful and as massive as the Innate Wu Ji Dharma Form and the Innate Heaven Overturning Dharma Form. It was a burly man with bronze skin and bulging muscles, holding a giant axe in his hand. The axe's light dazzled, cutting through Yin and Yang, dividing the Five Elements, constantly bearing the omen of World Creation.

The Innate Strength Dharma Form!

The disciples were already numb with shock. Time and again, time and again, every breakthrough Meng Chen made caused his magical power to surge. They dared not imagine how far his magical power would increase after he completed all his breakthroughs.

At this point, Sage Laozi and Master Tongtian also began to pay attention to Meng Chen.

They had not paid attention before because they felt it was unnecessary. No matter how much Meng Chen broke through, he was ultimately just an ant. But after seeing Meng Chen break through repeatedly, they saw in him the possibility of becoming a sage.

Of course, this possibility was not high—less than one in a hundred million. Without the Primordial Violet Qi, the chance of becoming a sage through one's own power, while not nonexistent, was close to zero.

But just as the disciples had not yet recovered their senses, a crack sounded from within Meng Chen's body, and another Dharma Form rose.

The Innate Yin-Yang Dharma Form!

The Innate Yin-Yang Dharma Form was surrounded by Yin-Yang Energy. Its left eye governed life, its right eye governed death. Wherever the left eye looked, life flourished; wherever the right eye looked, deathly stillness filled the air.

But this was not the end.

With the condensation of the Innate Yin-Yang Dharma Form, more Dharma Forms were cultivated by Meng Chen: the Innate Four Symbols Dharma Form, the Innate Chaos Dharma Form, the Innate Karma Dharma Form...

In the end, a total of nine Dharma Forms rose above Meng Chen's head. Each Dharma Form was ninety thousand miles tall, radiating a terrifying pressure. With Sacred Spring Peak as the center, countless living beings trembled in fear beneath that pressure.

"Fusion of Dharma and Self—complete!"

Meng Chen murmured softly. The Nine Dharma Forms entered his body simultaneously, completing this session of enlightenment.