Discussing Immortal Dao

After everyone had completed their formal greetings, they sat down cross-legged once more, and the scene immediately fell silent. Daoist Nilan swept his gaze around. Seeing that everyone was ready, he said, "Fellow Daoists, today's discussion of the Dao ends here. However, now that heaven and earth have only just opened, although inheritances exist, the laws remain disorderly, and each of us cultivates differently. We are all Innate Gods and Demons, and from the moment we were born, we had already reached the Daluo realm. Yet we know nothing of the road ahead. Only by opening it ourselves can we point out a path forward for all living beings!"

Di Kun's heart stirred at these words. He realized that the end was approaching. If the earlier discussion of the Dao had been meant to leave behind inheritances, then the cultivation realms they were about to discuss would be laying a path of cultivation for all beings in heaven and earth. After all, only once the path of cultivation had been clearly defined could living beings know the direction in which to advance, rather than merely possessing inheritances without knowing how to use them. The methods being passed down now were all paths of Daluo. For weaker beings, even if they possessed an inheritance, without a clear path of cultivation, it would still be difficult for them to reach Daluo.

After all, those present today had basically been born into the Daluo realm. Even if some fell slightly short, they were not far from it. Who had truly risen from weakness? It was merely that their realms were already so high that, even without having experienced it themselves, it was easier for them to see the whole picture from above.

At this moment, Di Kun was wrestling with a crucial question: should he use the word "immortal" to describe these realms? If not, then how should they be divided?

Di Kun silently considered every possibility. He realized that even if they did not use the word "immortal" now, humans of later generations would probably choose it naturally anyway. After all, "a person beside a mountain becomes an immortal"; that concept had already taken root in people's hearts and would be difficult to replace with any other term.

Even if they used another expression, once one reached a certain realm, there would inevitably need to be a representative title. Otherwise, how could different stages and realms be distinguished? As people often said, the Dao was boundless. Mortals, immortal cultivators, immortals, gods and demons, and so on, as passed down in later generations, were all expressions for various stages and distinctions between different realms.

After all, there was an enormous difference between immortals and mortals. When the gap in realm became too great, they might seem as distant and unattainable to one another as legends. Though the exact realms might be hard to know, once the representative title of that stage was mentioned, the other party would understand its meaning at once.

Thinking this, Di Kun stopped dwelling on it and turned his attention to planning another matter.

At this moment, the surroundings became so quiet that it seemed as though time itself had frozen. Everyone was immersed in deduction. Hongjun, seated nearby, was as steady as a mountain. His gaze was sharp as he studied the scene before him, then he slowly said, "We are all Innate Gods and Demons. Yet there are countless Innate Beings between heaven and earth, as brilliant as stars, and they cannot all be collectively called gods and demons. Our cultivation realm may be called Daluo, but it cannot be called the realm of Daluo Gods and Demons. Gods and demons are statuses and identities bestowed by heaven and earth, like jewels upon a crown; they cannot be used to divide realms. Yet without names for the division of realms, it would be like a great building lacking its foundation, something indispensable. What insights do you fellow Daoists have?"

The moment Hongjun finished speaking, the surrounding Innate Gods and Demons erupted into heated discussion. Some said it should be called "god," while others insisted on naming it "demon," but these suggestions were quickly rejected one by one. Gods and demons were merely a collective designation for their group of Innate Beings. Just as yin and yang were originally one, they could not be separated individually.

Moreover, these Innate Gods and Demons were proud by nature. Though they were willing to open a path ahead for all living beings, they absolutely did not want those beings to use the name "gods and demons." Just as everyone argued without end, Di Kun's heart suddenly stirred. He keenly realized that Hongjun had done this deliberately, intending to bring forth the concept of "immortal."

After all, even if the name of this new path was ultimately decided by everyone together, the first person to propose it and take the leading role would forever hold the highest status. Di Kun carefully recalled Hongjun's earlier teachings and discovered that the path Hongjun walked did not seem to be the one he had walked when he had been a Chaos God and Demon.

If the Immortal Dao Hongjun had taught was the Dao he had comprehended during his time as a Chaos God and Demon, then given Hongjun's strength and realm, the Dao he expounded would certainly not have been so shallow. After all, the Daos taught by other reincarnated Chaos Gods and Demons were far more profound than Hongjun's. Thus, Di Kun boldly guessed that the Immortal Dao was very likely a brand-new path Hongjun had comprehended from a fragment of the Creation Jade Disk.

And the reason Hongjun wanted to spread the concept of "immortal" throughout heaven and earth was perhaps closely tied to the Great Dao he pursued. If Di Kun were the one to propose the concept of "immortal," then although Di Kun would thereby occupy a portion of the Fortune of the future Immortal Dao, he would not cultivate the Immortal Dao himself, so he might not pose too great a threat to Hongjun. But if Hongjun proposed it, and he himself cultivated the Immortal Dao, then he would occupy far more Fortune and status. Yet judging from later generations, most Innate Gods and Demons no longer existed in heaven and earth. This seemed to imply that people like Di Kun, who occupied the position of pioneers of the Immortal Dao, had all become Hongjun's mortal enemies.

However, he did not yet know exactly how they had become Hongjun's mortal enemies. Perhaps their beliefs ran contrary to Hongjun's, or perhaps their existence threatened the Great Dao Hongjun pursued. Or perhaps there were secrets and schemes hidden within that no one knew.

Di Kun's thoughts spun like a top. He desperately tried to seize that fleeting spark of insight, yet he could never quite grasp it. Just as he began to feel somewhat despairing, a piece of information suddenly flashed into his mind like lightning.

The information came from Zhou Jun, simple yet shocking: "Ancestor of the Dao! Mysterious Gate of the Immortal Dao! Heaven and earth are heartless, treating all things as straw dogs!"

Di Kun's mind seemed to be split open by a thunderclap, exploding in an instant. His eyes widened as though he had glimpsed an entirely new world.

"So that's it... Ancestor of the Dao? The ancestor of the Immortal Dao!" Di Kun silently said to himself. "To judge heaven and earth through the Immortal Dao, all beings of heaven and earth will be within the Immortal Dao, using all living beings as nourishment to sustain it!"

He finally understood why Hongjun would propose the Immortal Dao, only to massacre all the Innate Gods and Demons afterward. Only then could Hongjun monopolize the Fortune of the Immortal Dao and become the true Ancestor of the Dao. If other Innate Gods and Demons also occupied a place within the Immortal Dao, then he, the ancestor of the Immortal Dao, would be unable to attain the Dao. This was the tribulation obstructing his path.

Moreover, there was another important reason for the fall of all Innate Gods and Demons. When later generations walked their paths, their cultivation realms would all be defined as immortal. In this way, they could absorb the nourishment of the Innate Gods and Demons and incorporate it into the Immortal Dao. If the Innate Gods and Demons did not die, then even if they did not occupy the Immortal Dao, they themselves would still be dangerous to Hongjun. They were born with their own Dao and would never be absorbed by the Immortal Dao. If they attained the Dao, then the Immortal Dao would not rule the world!

The more Di Kun thought about it, the more convinced he became that his reasoning was correct. He could not help sighing, "So this is why Hongjun, after becoming a Saint, wanted to destroy the Witch Clan! Because the Witch Clan does not cultivate the Immortal Dao and runs contrary to his ideals. As for the Demon Race, it is merely a tool he uses against the Witch Clan!" The more Di Kun considered it, the more terrifying Hongjun seemed. He secretly became wary and resolved to hide his trump cards as deeply as possible. Zhou Jun's existence in particular no longer seemed sufficiently secure.

"If my speculation is correct, then I have already become a thorn in Hongjun's side. After all, I have now become the ancestor of a Dao. Even if those who follow my Dao are called cultivators of the Immortal Dao in the future, I will still receive nourishment. And once they reach a certain realm, they will inevitably break away from the Immortal Dao. After all, it is merely a division of realms, not the Dao they walk."

Di Kun tapped his fingers against his thigh, then another thought occurred to him. "If that is the case, then there must be something wrong with the Primordial Violet Qi Hongjun brought out in later generations. After all, those Saints all became Saints through Merit; not one attained Sainthood through their own strength. And they became Saints of the Heavenly Dao. Was it because of the Primordial Violet Qi, or could they have become Saints on their own, with the Primordial Violet Qi being a scheme to prevent them from escaping the Immortal Dao after becoming Saints?" Unfortunately, he was still far too distant from the truth. He had never seen the true form of the Primordial Violet Qi, and no matter how much he thought about it, it remained only speculation. He should resolve the present matter first.

Di Kun glanced at Hongjun and gave a cold sneer.