Chapter 7

From the Witch-Demon Calamity to the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors, then to the great rise of humanity, Xuandu's cultivation, though already at the Grand Unity Golden Immortal realm, still progressed slowly.

During the Investiture of the Gods Calamity, Laozi of his previous life had sent his Good Corpse, Grand Supreme Elder Lord, onto the Investiture of the Gods List, yet Xuandu's cultivation had still been insufficient.

Therefore, Li Er decided to help Xuandu slay the three corpses and attain the Quasi-Saint realm, displaying the prestige of the Eight Sceneries Palace lineage.

Xuandu was moved to tears and bowed to Li Er again in gratitude.

Li Er responded calmly that it was merely a trivial matter.

Li Er waved his hand, formally accepting Xuandu as his disciple and introducing Yuanshi and Tongtian as his two martial uncles.

Although Yuanshi and Tongtian had already awakened, they did not appear. Xuandu's disciple-taking ceremony had nothing to do with them, and Li Er's earlier words had left them somewhat at a loss.

Xuandu bowed toward his two martial uncles in greeting.

Martial Uncle Tongtian spoke first, welcoming Xuandu and presenting him with the top-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure, the Yin-Yang Furnace, as a meeting gift.

The Yin-Yang Furnace emanated a mysterious aura. Xuandu felt that it was exceedingly precious and asked Li Er whether he should accept it.

Li Er encouraged Xuandu to accept the gift.

Yuanshi had obtained numerous Innate Spiritual Treasures from Treasure-Distribution Rock, and the Yin-Yang Furnace he gifted might contain his insights into artifact refinement, prompting Tongtian's teasing.

Yet Tongtian was also generous, gifting Xuandu a treasure pagoda.

Li Er remarked on the generosity of his two martial uncles. Both spiritual treasures contained profound principles and functions.

Xuandu felt that this meeting gift was far too grand for him to bear! Even as the chief disciple among the Three Sects, he had never received such treatment from Yuanshi and Tongtian.

The seemingly casual bestowal of treasures and teachings actually concealed deeper intentions.

What it revealed was an extraordinary arrangement.

At their level of cultivation, every action carried profound meaning.

It seemed vague, yet their intentions had already been revealed.

Those intentions were that the bond between the Three Pure Ones was gradually growing distant, and they were about to go their separate ways.

Yuanshi and Tongtian regarded Xuandu as the final bond preserving the relationship among the Three Pure Ones.

Why was that? To Quasi-Saint experts of the prehistoric world, the drive to become saints was unstoppable.

Even knowing the cost would be severe, Yuanshi and Tongtian were unwilling to remain at the Quasi-Saint level and watch Li Er become a saint alone.

Though the calamity struggle and sect-founding struggle among the Three Pure Ones were unavoidable, their determination to become saints remained firm.

Thus, the notion that the Three Pure Ones would remain undivided was merely a fleeting fantasy, utterly impossible to realize.

The Heavenly Dao would not permit the Three Pure Ones to dominate alone; room had to be left for the other prehistoric saints.

Heaven and earth would likewise not permit the Daoist Sect to dominate alone; other unorthodox paths had to be left a way to survive.

Thirdly, neither Yuanshi nor Tongtian wished to remain forever beneath saints. As Pangu's Two Pure Ones, they possessed an innate sense of superiority and mission.

Therefore, from their own standpoint, they had no choice but to fight for the status they deserved.

As Pangu's Primordial Spirit, they had the chance to become true innate saints. Such an opportunity was one they had to seize.

They understood that to live between heaven and earth was to know what should and should not be done—and sometimes, to do what one knew could not be done.

Even if the price was the brotherhood among the Three Pure Ones, they were willing to bear it.

They had no regrets.

Compared with Laozi of his previous life, Li Er currently had no conflict with Yuanshi and Tongtian.

There was only the struggle between their two sects, and it did not involve Li Er's Eight Sceneries Palace lineage.

Therefore, whether Tongtian or Yuanshi, their attitude toward Xuandu was far better than originally expected. They truly regarded him as the chief disciple of the Three Pure Ones.

They did not merely teach him verbally, but also imparted their respective specialties, such as artifact refinement and formations, to Xuandu.

Even if friction and disputes arose among their disciples in the future, Xuandu could step forward to resolve them.

The treasures bestowed and arts taught today were the cause; resolving future disputes would be the result.

Li Er understood this and did not have Xuandu reject the opportunity. It was the most tacit understanding between them.

If the Three Pure Ones were to take this step in the future, this was also Li Er's attitude.

Though Xuandu did not know the details, he was exceptionally intelligent and understood that these meeting gifts were unusual.

Thus, he gave Yuanshi and Tongtian a deep bow to express his gratitude.

This scene eased the pressure on Yuanshi and Tongtian. Seeing Li Er's attitude, they felt reassured.

When Xuandu spoke, Yuanshi and Tongtian exchanged a glance, as though they had something to say.

At the summit of Mount Daluo, Li Er began his first sermon as a saint.

His words were humble, respecting the choices of all living beings. Then he resolutely decided to teach them the Classic of Morality.

He told them that this would be the last time he preached to them.

Then, with a thought, the endless purple qi phenomenon behind him instantly surged for thirty thousand li.

Countless living beings sensed this sight and realized that an immense opportunity and fortune was emerging from the direction of Eight Sceneries Palace.

They flocked to Eight Sceneries Palace, as though the scene of great powers gathering at Purple Cloud Palace in the past had reappeared.

At this moment, Li Er resembled the Dao Ancestor of old, opening a truly dazzling golden age.

Every word of the Classic of Morality he spoke was exquisite. Each character condensed Dao intent, transforming into symbols amid Mount Daluo, containing the supreme truths of heaven and earth and reaching the ears of all beings.

At this moment, within the Purple Mansion, not only were the beings of the prehistoric world gathered, but Zhen Yuanzi, East King Duke, West Queen Mother, and others had also assembled to hear the Dao. Like students, they listened to Li Er's teachings.

Several gatherings ago, they had been fellow disciples at Purple Cloud Palace under Li Er, offering him only the courtesies due to an equal.

Yet as time passed, the positions of both sides had undergone an enormous change.

Before long, they realized that without becoming saints, they were as insignificant as ants.

Zhen Yuanzi, East King Duke, West Queen Mother, and many Quasi-Saint giants understood this clearly. Thus, they did not rashly enter Mount Daluo, for that was the place of Yuanshi and Tongtian. They knew that though they were all Quasi-Saints, there was an essential gap between themselves and Yuanshi and Tongtian.

The beings of the prehistoric world knelt in the distance, competing for this sliver of opportunity and fortune.

As a sacred land of humanity, the humans beneath Shouyang Mountain listened with complete concentration. Even if they struggled to understand, they listened with all their strength.

They knew that this fortune had not been opened specifically for them, yet they were fortunate enough to participate.

Interestingly, though humanity possessed innate Dao bodies and weak foundations, they gained the most insight from the Classic of Morality.

The reason was that they had seen and heard little, and their minds were pure.

Thus, humanity was often able to comprehend the Dao deeply.

Because of this, these humans were affected the most. Seizing this opportunity, they shed their mortal bodies and attained the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit.

Over nearly a thousand years, humanity had developed rapidly. Though their strength was still weak, they now possessed an inheritance flame and opportunities to cultivate.

Time flew, and three thousand years passed in an instant.

Li Er's sermon, like Hongjun's sermon at Purple Cloud Palace, lasted a full three thousand years.

Since Li Er began preaching, Mount Daluo in the Purple Mansion had continuously displayed its ninth great wonder.

Unlike the fleeting glimpse when Li Er attained the Dao last time, this wonder endured for three thousand years because Li Er was expounding the Classic of Morality.

Thus, the entire prehistoric world regarded the Purple Mansion as Li Er's Dao field, a sacred holy land of the Daoist Sect.

In the end, even the longest sermon had to conclude.

After three thousand years of expounding the scripture, Li Er finished the Classic of Morality and spoke no more.

Today, beneath Hongjun, the splendor of the Daoist Sect reappeared. Endless merit qi gathered on Mount Daluo and condensed into a dazzling spiritual treasure. This Vajra Ring appeared simple, yet possessed wondrous uses.

Its thunderous roar resounded through the void, and its power was comparable to a supreme-grade Innate Spiritual Treasure.

Although the experts of the Witch Clan and Heavenly Court had not come in person, they could still sense its shocking presence.

Though Li Er had not established a sect, his act of establishing the Dao today was enough to make his Dao field stand alone in the prehistoric world.

Though the Witch Clan did not understand his Dao, they admired Li Er deeply.

After the sermon ended, Li Er said nothing more and immediately led Xuandu back to Eight Sceneries Palace.

At this point, the ninth wonder of Xuandu Purple Mansion vanished, yet the beings of the prehistoric world remained immersed in it for a long time, unable to free themselves.

The Three Ancestors of Humanity led all humans in kneeling to thank Li Er for his grace. Though Li Er had not preached specifically for humanity, his grace had already penetrated their hearts.

As the rising talents of humanity silently recited the Classic of Morality, a powerful aspiration unexpectedly emerged in their hearts: If it can be achieved, I would bow before the Dao for a thousand years, abandon the mortal world, and cease to be human.

In that instant, Nuwa, in the thirty-third layer beyond the heavens, felt it in her heart and spat out blood.

Nuwa was filled with shock and uncertainty. She did not understand why she had suddenly suffered a Dao injury during cultivation, nor why one-tenth of her destiny had flowed away.

She began to ponder and calculate, eventually discovering that this change was deeply connected to Li Er establishing the Dao in the Purple Mansion.

She could not understand why Li Er establishing the Dao would affect the destiny she held over humanity.

When Li Er had approached her of his own initiative, she had only been willing to pay one-tenth of humanity's destiny as the price. Yet now, she had lost that tenth of destiny for nothing, making her words that day seem deeply ironic.

Li Er did not need to rely on any karma at all; humanity itself had willingly offered him its destiny.

This left her incomparably embarrassed.

Nuwa was filled with regret. Pressing a hand to her faintly aching chest, she began reflecting on her decision.

The Classic of Morality made her realize how childish her former belief had been—that she could use humanity's destiny to obtain Li Er's Saint Karma.

Li Er's series of actions made her regret more and more. Had she known this would happen, she would never have demanded that so-called Saint Karma.

What Nuwa did not know was that ever since she left Purple Cloud Palace last time, Li Er had already begun a series of actions and decisions.

First, he had refused to establish the Human Sect. Next, he had severed his third corpse. And now, he had comprehended the Sacred Canon of the Dao, the Classic of Morality, established the Dao, and obtained sixty percent of the Daoist Sect Destiny.

All of this caught Nuwa completely off guard and left her helpless.

He comprehended the profound power of the Daoist Sect, condensing it into the supreme leader of the sect, a trend that shrouded all paths of the Dao.

Hongjun had asked Li Er to establish doctrine, but within Purple Cloud Palace, Nuwa had regarded it as a forced measure.

Now, as humanity's self-faith turned toward Li Er and they understood the deeper meaning of his Classic of Morality, Nuwa felt panic and unease.

She feared Li Er's majesty, especially as she watched humanity's destiny drain away.

Though Nuwa was a saint, she felt immense pressure before Li Er. Especially when she was powerless to act, her heart became even more anxious.

Worries about the future cast a shadow over her heart.

Faced with the critical moment of establishing a sect, Nuwa strengthened her resolve. She had to make Li Er establish a sect, or the layers of karma would become unbearable.

Thus, she resolutely decided to go to Eight Sceneries Palace and seek Li Er.

At this time, Li Er was within Eight Sceneries Palace, teaching Dao arts to his disciple Xuandu.

Xuandu had received profound fortune. One sermon had allowed him to attain the Golden Immortal Dao Fruit.

Starting from nothing, Xuandu had entered the Golden Immortal realm through his own aptitude and fortune.

He had not relied on external aid, but on his own effort and talent.

Such aptitude and fortune made him sufficient to stand alongside the Three Ancestors of Humanity.

The Three Ancestors of Humanity were leaders created by Nuwa. They possessed immense destiny and were the key to humanity's future destiny.

Yet Xuandu, though an Innate Human Race member, could contend with them.

Xuandu's decision to take Li Er as his master brought him enormous change.

Though Yuanshi and Tongtian had also bestowed treasures and teachings upon him, Li Er's influence on Xuandu ran far deeper.

However, when Li Er had accepted Xuandu back then, the Human Sect had already been established, and the relationship among the Three Sects was delicate.

Most importantly, the Classic of Morality only became a sacred canon after the Investiture of the Gods, when the Hundred Schools of Thought rose.

Yet Li Er's teachings to Xuandu, combined with every kind of fortune, still created Xuandu's great fortune of today.

Just as Xuandu was outside Eight Sceneries Palace receiving an honored guest, Nuwa's arrival made him understand certain things.