Chapter 594 Identity Exposed, Merit
Zheng Fa stood in the void, his entire body enveloped in Merit that seemed to be tangible.
He felt conflicted. The tactile sensation on his skin told him that he was surrounded by a warm, open sea, yet his mind was clear, cool, and refreshed. His thoughts raced, and various ideas surfaced in his mind:
The Three Powers...
Creating people...
The Dao Fruit...
The difference between Primordial Wilderness Cultivation Method and Xuanwei Cultivation Method...
One question after another, one answer after another, appeared in turn, turning his mind into a complete mess.
Nuwa's voice resounded in his mind. "The so-called rituals are actually interconnected across the Three Powers. Previously, the Human Race was absent from them, and even we could hardly understand them."
Yes.
With the great Divine Ability of Nuwa and others, even if they had never seen how one could ascend from mortal to immortal, they wouldn't be completely baffled.
According to Nuwa, their previous doubts stemmed from a lack of understanding of something—humans!
This is similar to being unable to solve a problem without the necessary conditions; without Human Race, Nuwa and her ilk would naturally find it difficult to understand the function of rituals.
When the Human Race appeared in the world, Nuwa became a saint and gained a deeper understanding of the Heavenly Dao. Naturally, she immediately understood the essence of the Dao in later generations.
"Rituals originated from Human Race, and their most crucial aspect lies in their application from the inside out."
Nuwa said something somewhat ambiguous, then fell silent, seemingly wanting Zheng Fa to understand it himself.
A thunderclap seemed to resound in Zheng Fa's heart, startling him from his hazy slumber, and he finally understood what the Dao Fruit was.
From the moment they begin cultivating immortality, cultivators have been drawing upon the heavens and earth, absorbing spiritual Spiritual Qi and materials from the outside in.
It's like a plant absorbing nutrients during its growth period.
But now, Zheng Fa is about to bear fruit!
For cultivators themselves, the pursuit at this moment is "oneness"!
The Dharma Body, the Yang Spirit, Law Treasure merged into one, achieving a Dao Fruit that encompassed his entire life's cultivation experience.
But to the outside world, this Dao Fruit is like a seed!
He wants to be in harmony with Heaven, Earth, and Humanity, spreading his Daoist teachings, his beliefs, and his expectations so that Heaven and Earth can witness and everyone can recognize them.
Zheng Fa opened his sea of consciousness, his Yang Spirit, and his Creation Jade Disc, revealing nothing and allowing all living beings in heaven and earth to see his inner and outer self.
Merit flowed like water into his limbs and bones, making his whole body glow with gold.
He's not Shi Nandang!
The moment Zheng Fa revealed all that he had to himself to all living beings in heaven and earth, the < Heavenly Dipper and Earthly Fiend Transformation > naturally could not be maintained.
In the eyes of the Creation Daoist, Shi Nandang's figure seemed to have had his disguise washed away by the seawater in the Merit.
What appeared before them was an unfamiliar, young face.
Another question arose in the mind of the Creation Daoist —who was he?
" Zheng Fa!"
The Gu God and the Golden-Winged Great Peng shouted at the same time, their voices filled with the same hatred.
The Gu God remembered his Cosmos Cauldron.
The Golden-Winged Great Peng also couldn't forget about its Yin-Yang Qi Bottle.
The two looked at each other and suddenly felt a connection between their hearts.
"Is that Zheng Fa?" the Creation Daoist asked in surprise. "How did he get in?"
The White Bone Devil Ancestor gently shook his head. "His transformation technique... I'm afraid it wasn't learned from me."
Now they finally understand that the person who appeared in the Nine Luminaries Heaven from the very beginning was Zheng Fa!
White Lotus stared at Zheng Fa's somewhat unfamiliar face, as if trying to memorize him completely. After a long while, she said, " Loose Immortal has attained Dao is most likely to obtain the Primordial Purple Qi... is it Zheng Fa?"
No one spoke; they all thought it was outrageous.
Which of them hadn't been prepared for the Nine Luminaries Heaven long ago? Yet now, an outsider like Zheng Fa has beaten them to it!
White Lotus's words were squeezed out from between her teeth, like a chilly breeze:
"The person who drove Vast Sun Mountain to the brink of despair?"
"This is the person who stole your Cosmos Cauldron from Gu God, and the Two-Qi Bottle from Roc?"
"This person who has ruined Master's grand plans time and time again?"
He turned to look at the silent Creation and the others. "Are we just going to sit idly by and do nothing?"
The Creation Daoist asked, "What do you intend to do?"
"Stop him from attaining enlightenment!" White Lotus said decisively. "Leaving aside the Primordial Purple Qi, this person's strength far surpasses others in the same realm. If he becomes Loose Immortal, his power will be extraordinary!"
That makes sense, the problem is...
How can we stop them?
White Lotus turned her head again, staring at the Gu God: "That depends on you, Fellow Daoist Gu Divine Way!"
The Gu God was slightly taken aback, then understood. " Silk-thread Worm, Painted-Skin Moth? You knew all along?"
Not only White Lotus, but even the Creation Daoist remained calm.
The Gu God looked around, then at Zheng Fa, before finally scoffing, "I've gone to all this trouble, only to be put on a foolish show for you?"
"All the scheming and infighting we did before is trivial," White Lotus said softly. "If Primordial Purple Qi Shi Nandang, it won't harm Master or us. But if Zheng Fa takes it... we will never be able to explain ourselves!"
The Gu God looked very dissatisfied. "I'm the only one making a move, and you're all just watching?"
The Creation Dao said, "This place is not suitable for fighting; it is most suitable for your methods, Gu God."
The Gu God sneered, "If it were before, I might have believed you were helpless, but do you still think I'm a fool now!"
After a moment of silence, Creation said in a low voice, "But he has the Nuwa by his side."
Even White Lotus looked like she had a toothache.
He wasn't without other ways to interfere with Zheng Fa's enlightenment, but there was one problem—those six powerful figures were still around!
Given the attitude of those six towards Zheng Fa just now, if they were to act rashly, who knows what terrifying things they might encounter!
The Gu God understood, and his tone became even angrier. "You're afraid? Do you think I'm not?"
"Fellow Daoist Gu Divine Way, you don't need to act now. Just interfere secretly when he's facing the most difficult time in his tribulation, and you'll ruin his Dao Path," White Lotus explained in detail. "We've all attained the status of Loose Immortal, so we naturally know how difficult it is."
The Creation Daoist nodded and said, " The Loose Immortal Tribulation consists of three tribulations: Heaven, Earth, and Man. If any one of these tribulations goes wrong, the person will die and their Dao will dissipate."
The Gu God was still somewhat hesitant.
Even others could see that she was afraid of retaliation from Nuwa and the others for hindering Zheng Fa's tribulation.
White Lotus explained, "I also learned about Fellow Daoist Gu Shen's Divine Way Divine Ability from my master. It seems that even after entering the Nine Luminaries Heaven, you have a means of resurrection in the outside world. Even if something happens to you in the Nine Luminaries Heaven, you will not truly perish."
The Gu God continued to sneer, still unwilling to agree.
"This humble monk guarantees that if you succeed, the entire Thunderclap Temple will help you restore your cultivation, and perhaps even advance further," White Lotus added. "Moreover, we are not without assistance here."
Everyone was taken aback and looked at Zhunти and the other person. Even the Gu God's expression was somewhat moved.
Seeing that she was still hesitating, White Lotus raised her voice a little. "Are you just going to stand by and watch him become Loose Immortal immortal Gu God?"
"Aren't you going to avenge the loss of the throne?"
"Fellow Daoist, have you forgotten the hatred of killing your son?"
The Gu God looked up at Zheng Fa and gritted his teeth, saying, "You don't need to provoke me."
Seeing her expression, White Lotus smiled softly and said nothing more, but also looked up at the sky.
In the sky, Zheng Fa's sermon finally began.
At this point, he understood that the so-called rituals were actually a vow of faith.
"Heaven and earth bear witness, and all sages bear witness."
"I, Zheng Fa, am a descendant of the Human Race, inheriting the legacy of our sages, gathering the wisdom of all living beings, Creation Jade Disc, and creating the < Yellow Court Scripture >."
"Today, my practice has been completed, and I have attained the Dao Fruit!"
Within the Cosmos Cauldron, smoke and clouds surged like dragons, soaring straight into the sky.
The six Nuwa, who possessed the power to dominate the Primordial Wilderness, stood silently to the side, seemingly content to play a supporting role, leaving the attention of all living beings in the world to Zheng Fa.
The Human Race remained kneeling on the ground, yet they couldn't help but raise their heads to look at this strange yet familiar kin.
The Merit in the sky was surging with angry waves, as if muffled thunder was rumbling.
"My way has three principles: first, people; second, the masses; and third, innovation."
" Humanity's Dao prospers!"
"The many overcome the few!"
"The new is better than the present!"
Today, in Zheng Fa's understanding, the meaning of the Nine Luminaries Heaven is actually only one:
To let future generations Human Race.
Cultivation is essentially a process of individual empowerment, but the Immortal Way for Human Race is not like that. Compared to the myriad races of the Primordial Wilderness, the advantages of Human Race are their own wisdom and their cooperation and communication with each other.
The so-called test that Nuwa mentioned, and the two words she asked him to do earlier, were essentially meant to make him remember this matter.
He looked towards the Nuwa and saw her smiling slightly at him, seemingly with some satisfaction.
Even many things that were previously unclear now have been explained:
For example, why are there such significant differences between ancient and modern Immortal Method immortality?
The biggest reason is still the Human Race.
When Hongjun preached, the Human Race had not yet been born, and those Cultivation Method were completely unsuitable for Human Race cultivation.
In fact, Tongtian had never heard of any cultivator before becoming Loose Immortal.
Therefore, the methods used in later generations were actually modified specifically for the Human Race.
First, it supplemented some low-level cultivation methods.
Secondly, some of the essence of Hongjun's teachings were incorporated into the cultivation methods of the Human Race.
Simply put, a set of cultivation methods suitable for the Human Race was developed based on the Daoist teachings transmitted by Hongjun.
Even now, when Zheng Fa looks back at those Primordial Wilderness legends, especially the so-called founding of religions by the Taishang Beings, he feels that what they were actually doing was this very thing:
Improve the Daoist methods to make them suitable for the Human Race.
In this way, the Daoist arts can grow and reproduce by using the Human Race as a vessel.
It is precisely for this reason that they are able to gain Merit, just like the Nuwa.
After saying those three sentences, Zheng Fa felt as if his spirit had become one with the heavens and earth, especially with the newly born Human Race.
Although these people hadn't even learned the language yet, they seemed to understand what Zheng Fa was saying, and they danced with joy.
He looked at these Human Race, his tone very soft:
"My path has two great aspirations!"
"My first wish is for Human Race to carry on this legacy and integrate all laws."
"My second wish is for Human Race to overcome all obstacles and usher in a new era."
These bewildered and confused newborn Human Race seemed to truly understand his words. They slowly stood up, their feet firmly planted on the ground, heads held high, looking up at him.
Meanwhile, outside Kunlun Mountain, from all directions, from the highest heavens to the Nine Nether, wails and cries echoed incessantly.
There were the roars of dragons, the cries of phoenixes, and countless mythical beasts crying and wailing, as if they had witnessed the end of the world.
The Wu and Yao races, who had previously fought for the position of overlords of the world, were now weeping bitterly and resentfully.
For all the races of the Primordial Wilderness world, the birth of the Human Race was not a good thing, especially when Zheng Fa proclaimed the way of the Human Race to heaven and earth. In the the Unseen, they truly understood their own predicament.
Not every race is willing to be a supporting character in the world.
No one is willing to become a so-called sage, serving as nourishment for the development of other races.
Blood rained down outside the mountains, the sky was a vast expanse of white, and in a daze, an era came to an end amidst the interplay of red and white.
The Creation Daoist watched this scene in silence for an unknown period of time before speaking in a hoarse voice, "When you attained enlightenment, did you have such a grand spectacle? Did all the races weep?"
Everyone remained silent; clearly, they had never seen anything like this before.
"What does he want to do? The Dao Ancestor of the Human Race?! How is that possible!" The Golden-Winged Great Peng said coldly, "I have never seen such an audacious oath of Dao Fruit!"
His expression was even more unpleasant than others, after all, he was not Human Race and was particularly sensitive to Zheng Fa's thoughts.
"No, how can such a Dao Fruit... gain the recognition of all living beings in heaven and earth?" White Lotus frowned. "This Dao Fruit, which concerns the Human Race, requires an audience of far more than hundreds of millions."
"This kind of Dao Fruit requires the approval of the Human Race in all the heavens and myriad realms!"
These words stunned everyone for a moment before they realized that the audience was extremely important to the ritual, and that without the audience's recognition, it would be impossible to achieve the Dao Fruit!
Therefore, most Dao Fruit cultivators will establish their own forces.
For Dao Fruit like Zheng Fa, with such great ambition for enlightenment, the requirements are even higher.
The White Bone Devil Ancestor shook his head and said, "He has absolutely no chance of succeeding! He doesn't even need the Gu God to intervene."
The others nodded in agreement.
They were all Dao Fruit beings, and they understood this very well.
"If there aren't enough recipients to support the Dao Fruit and Tongtian, then the greater the Dao Fruit, the more empty it becomes!" The White Bone Devil Ancestor sneered. "This person has probably had too many smooth sailing days and lost his mind!"
At that moment, the thousand or so Human Race involuntarily began to whisper and repeat Zheng Fa's Dao Fruit oath.
At first, their speech was very hesitant and their voices were uneven.
Later, it seemed as if they were not only imitating, but even understanding, their movements becoming synchronized and their voices echoing through the valley.
Heaven, earth, and humanity seemed to resonate subtly in these chants.
The aura Dharma Body became even more profound amidst this vibration.
The smoke from the Cosmos Cauldron enveloped him, making him feel ethereal and as if he had become one with all things.
"The ritual is complete?" The Gu God's eyes widened, and he asked hatefully, "Is this because of the Cosmos Cauldron?"
The Creation Daoist stared blankly, then suddenly looked at the newly born Human Race: "Perhaps it's the Cosmos Cauldron, but most importantly, it's these Human Race!"
"... Human Race?"
"In later generations, the Human Race will have flourished, and naturally, a large number of people will be needed to achieve the Dao Fruit," the Creation Daoist said, his tone filled with disbelief. "But here and now, these people represent the entire Human Race."
"..."
"They acknowledged that the Dao Fruit of Zheng Fa's path had been attained."
After hearing the Creation Daoist's conjecture, everyone looked at Zheng Fa and Nuwa with even greater irritation.
Zheng Fa's vow to attain the Dao Fruit has indeed been fulfilled, and has even begun to trigger the Loose Immortal Tribulation:
The Loose Immortal Tribulation, or rather, the tribulation of attaining Dao Fruit, is different from before—previously it was the tribulation of wind, fire, and thunder, but after becoming Loose Immortal, it becomes the tribulation of heaven, earth, and man.
According to classic texts such as the " Scarlet Firmament Jade Register " that directly point to the Dao Fruit, among the three tribulations, the Heavenly Tribulation is to inquire about one's heart, the Earth Tribulation is to test Immortal Body, and the Human Tribulation is to determine life and death.
White Lotus looked at the Gu God, her voice cold, even carrying a hint of fear:
"The greater the vow of Dao Fruit, the stronger the tribulation, and the greater the test of a cultivator's character and Dao techniques." He stared at the Gu God and said, word by word, "This is your chance!"
The Gu God's expression was also very solemn.
"If you can stop him, even if you die here, my master will grant you another chance to attain enlightenment!"
(End of this chapter)