The Words "Dao" and "Fa"

"The two characters 'Dao' and 'Dharma' are too powerful—these Great Dao Divine Scripts far surpass the others.

The character 'Dao' governs over a hundred Great Dao Divine Scripts, including 'Immortal,' 'Demon,' 'Martial,' 'Blade,' 'Spear,' 'Pill,' 'Talisman,' 'Calamity,' 'Slaughter,' and 'Destruction.' The character 'Dharma' governs nearly a hundred Great Dao Divine Scripts, such as 'Knowledge,' 'Wisdom,' 'Speed,' 'Agility,' 'Flash,' 'Defense,' 'Qi,' 'Strength,' 'Burst,' and 'Resistance.'

When the two sides met, it was like the Qi Sect vs Sword Sect Competition—they had to fight to the death, yet neither could overcome the other. Characters are merely manifestations of the Great Dao; the Great Dao is eternal, and even if a character is shattered into radicals, it can recover in an instant.

Seeing so many Great Dao Divine Scripts brawling over Meng Chen, the other disciples were green with envy. But since the scripts chose their master themselves, no one could find a reason to blame Meng Chen.

Wasn't Daoist Duobao of the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching also being fought over by hundreds of Great Dao Divine Scripts?

The character 'Treasure' governed over a hundred Great Dao Divine Scripts, including 'Artifact,' 'Spirit,' 'Rarity,' 'Jewel,' 'Wonder,' 'Pearl,' 'Qi,' 'Light,' and 'Glory.' The character 'Authority' governed nearly a hundred scripts, such as 'Command,' 'Governance,' 'Rule,' 'Decide,' 'Control,' 'Manage,' 'Supervise,' and 'Oversee.' These two groups of scripts were also locked in a fierce battle.

Sage Laozi sighed and said, "One mountain cannot hold two tigers. In the future, these two disciples are destined for a clash."

Yuanshi Tianzun and Master Tongtian heard this and nodded in agreement. They saw clearly how Meng Chen and Daoist Duobao's relationship truly stood.

They wouldn't fool themselves into saying the three teachings were one family, so Meng Chen and Daoist Duobao would surely be as close as brothers.

They knew that was utterly impossible.

"Elder Brother, what does Duobao have to fight Meng Chen, the junior nephew, with?"

After hesitating, Master Tongtian still spoke up.

Even the characters 'Dao' and 'Dharma' had sided with Meng Chen; he truly couldn't see any possibility of Daoist Duobao contending with Meng Chen.

'Dao' and 'Dharma' were the very foundation of cultivation. Though 'Treasure' and 'Authority' were important, how could they compare to 'Dao' and 'Dharma'?

Sage Laozi fell silent at Master Tongtian's question, unable to answer for a long time.

Indeed, what did Daoist Duobao have to fight Meng Chen with?

Not to mention Meng Chen's collection of top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures, but in terms of sheer foundation, Daoist Duobao could never surpass him. Moreover, once Meng Chen took the Innate Spirit Pill and became a Primordial Saint, no matter how hard Daoist Duobao chased, he could never catch up.

Every Primordial Saint had the potential to become a Sage—something no other being could match.

After a long pause, Sage Laozi finally said, "You're right. I was overthinking it. Second Brother, Third Brother, let the juniors collect the Great Dao Divine Scripts! The scripts have already chosen their masters and won't resist them."

Yuanshi Tianzun and Master Tongtian heard this and gave orders to their respective disciples.

"Chen'er, quickly use your dharma power to collect these Great Dao Divine Scripts."

"Duobao, the Great Dao Divine Scripts have acknowledged you as master; you may freely use your dharma power."

The Two Sages of the West naturally had no objections. The remaining hundreds of Great Dao Divine Scripts hadn't chosen any disciples of the Western Church as masters, so waiting further would only waste time.

In fact, they were already eager to take their disciples back to the West and digest the gains from this assembly.

Meng Chen and Daoist Duobao, receiving their respective teachers' commands, breathed a sigh of relief in unison. Neither wanted to wait idly; if they let the Great Dao Divine Scripts fight it out, it might take thousands of years.

Boom!

Meng Chen raised his hand, and a dharma power hand vast enough to blot out the sky condensed in the void. The hand covered the endless heavens, enveloping the characters 'Dao' and 'Dharma' along with all the scripts they governed.

As the dharma power hand pressed down, the Great Dao Divine Scripts sensed Meng Chen's dharma power aura and didn't resist, letting the hand wrap around them.

Meng Chen's dharma power hand swept up many scripts and slowly descended. When the hundreds of Great Dao Divine Scripts reached him, they scrambled to enter his body.

Absorbing so many Great Dao Divine Scripts, countless principles and insights suddenly filled Meng Chen's mind. He longed to go into seclusion immediately and turn these insights into strength.

But this was no time for seclusion. Suppressing his impulse, Meng Chen began to carefully organize these realizations.

Meanwhile, Daoist Duobao also completed his collection.

Having gained a number of Great Dao Divine Scripts comparable to Meng Chen's, Daoist Duobao felt full of confidence in his future. See—even the Heavenly Dao thought he was no worse than Meng Chen.

"Congratulations, Senior Brother Yuanshi, congratulations, Senior Brother Tongtian. With such outstanding disciples, the legacies of the Chan Sect and the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching will surely flourish."

Sage Jieyin stepped forward and offered his congratulations to Yuanshi Tianzun and Master Tongtian. After all, they had taken so much from the Three Pure Ones; a few kind words were only proper.

Yuanshi Tianzun and Master Tongtian smiled and nodded slightly at Sage Jieyin in thanks.

Sage Jieyin continued, "This discussion is now concluded. My fellow disciple and I have urgent matters in the West, so we won't trouble the three senior brothers any longer."

Sage Zhunti stepped forward at the right moment and, together with Sage Jieyin, took their leave of the Three Pure Ones.

Sage Laozi nodded slightly. "May the two junior brothers have a safe journey!"

The two Sages of the West cupped their hands once more, then led the disciples of the Western Church back to the West.

After the Two Sages of the West departed, a flicker of complex emotion passed through the eyes of the Three Pure Ones, but it quickly faded.

In the Three Pure Ones Palace, the disciples of the Teaching of Humanity, the Chan Sect, and the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching gathered together. This was only the second time the disciples had come to the Three Pure Ones Palace since joining. Sage Laozi, Yuanshi Tianzun, and Master Tongtian sat solemnly at the head.

Sage Laozi broke the silence first, his gaze slowly sweeping over the assembled disciples. He said gravely, "You should have all seen the state of the Western Church. Their talents are no fewer than those of our three teachings. You must cultivate diligently and not let the Western Church surpass you."

"We will heed the teacher's (senior uncle's) instruction!"

The juniors replied in unison.

Sage Laozi's gaze swept over the disciples of the Chan Sect and the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching, lingering a moment longer on Meng Chen and Our Lady of Wudang. He continued, "To better teach all beings and expand the influence of the three teachings in the Primordial Wilderness, I have discussed with your other two masters, and we have decided to separate the three teachings. The Teaching of Humanity will move to Shouyang Mountain, the Disciples of Intercepting Teaching to Golden Ao Island in the Eastern Sea, and the Chan Sect will remain at Kunlun Mountain!"

With the calmest words, Sage Laozi announced the most shocking news.

As soon as he spoke, the Three Pure Ones Palace erupted in uproar. The Chan Sect disciples exchanged bewildered glances, unable to understand why the Three Pure Ones had made this decision.

"It's about spreading our branches, of course. Cramming three teachings into one Kunlun Mountain leaves no room for proper growth. In the original timeline, after the Chan Sect disciples attained the Great Luo, they also left Jade Void Palace and established their own Daoist Temples across the Primordial Wilderness."

Meng Chen's heart was perfectly calm. The three teachings were always meant to separate.

They could have claimed more territory and more Calamity Fate in the Primordial Wilderness, yet they insisted on crowding together on Kunlun Mountain, exhausting each other in internal strife—what was the point?

Our Lady of Wudang's face was full of worry as she asked, "May I ask the Grandmaster Uncle, if the three teachings are one family, why must they separate?"

Sage Laozi gave a slight nod, as if pleased with her reaction:

"Each teaching has its own doctrine, its own future. If we three teachings are to increase our influence in the Primordial Wilderness, we cannot remain trapped in one corner. We must leave Kunlun Mountain and step into the Primordial Wilderness. All of you are immortals who have comprehended the laws; you should understand that distance in space is not true distance. Only the distance between hearts is hard to bridge."

With that, he cast a meaningful glance at Meng Chen, as if finding his reaction too indifferent.

Seeing Sage Laozi look his way, Meng Chen showed no panic at all, and said, "The Grandmaster Uncle speaks truly. The three teachings are one family—how could spatial distance make them strangers? Another day, this disciple will surely visit Shouyang Mountain and Golden Ao Island often, to strengthen cooperation with the Teaching of Humanity and the Intercepting Teaching."

Hearing this reply, Sage Laozi nodded in satisfaction.

"Good. The division of the three teachings is not for the sake of separation, but for the future of the teachings and even the future of the Primordial Wilderness. This Seat hopes you will always remember this saying: 'Red lotus, white root, green lotus leaf—the three teachings were originally one family.'"

The disciples' hearts trembled at these words, and then they bowed to the three sages.

"We respectfully heed the teacher's (grandmaster uncle's) instruction!"