Within Purple Cloud Palace, the sound of the Great Dao gradually faded.
Dao Ancestor Hongjun's final sermon had finally reached its end. He sat upright upon the Cloud Bed, his form nearly transparent, blending seamlessly with the surrounding Dao Charm and the unseen laws of the Heavenly Dao, impossible to distinguish from either.
His gaze swept over the solemn Great Powers below. There was neither joy nor sorrow in his eyes, only an absolute indifference that overlooked eternity and governed heaven and earth.
"The Great Dao has fifty; Heaven derives forty-nine, while man escapes into the one."
Dao Ancestor Hongjun spoke. His voice was no longer confined to Purple Cloud Palace, but like the sacred decree of the Heavenly Dao, it rang clearly within the minds of every living being in the Primordial World at the Golden Immortal realm and above.
"I obtained the Jade Disk of Creation and wield the Heavenly Dao Authority. Now that the three sermons have concluded, the Mystic Gate Great Dao has been imparted.
"To complete the Heavenly Dao and set heaven and earth in motion, today, I shall unite with the Dao!"
The moment his words fell, the entire Primordial World shook violently!
Countless phenomena appeared as the Heavenly Dao reached perfection.
Above the Nine Heavens, Purple Cloud Palace blazed with light, transforming into a dazzling Light Bridge that spanned the skies of the Primordial World. One end connected to Chaos Space, while the other merged into the depths of the Primordial World's void!
Endless profound runes streamed from the Light Bridge, like brooks flowing into the sea, swiftly filling in and perfecting the once obscure and incomplete chains of laws throughout the Primordial World.
For a time, celestial flowers rained from the heavens, golden springs burst from the earth, countless rays of rosy light shone, and Thousand Rays of Auspicious Colors filled the skies!
The spiritual qi across the Primordial World became more docile and orderly than ever before. Many bottlenecks and uncertainties in cultivation seemed to have become clearer at this moment.
Grass and trees rejoiced, birds and beasts bowed in worship, and countless living beings instinctively sensed that a more "complete," more "orderly" era had arrived.
Yet beneath this boundless auspiciousness and order, an invisible, immense, icy "will" rapidly spread through and permeated the entire Primordial World.
It was the will of the Heavenly Dao, the collection of all laws, the net of karma! It was fair and selfless, yet cold and beyond question.
Every Great Power, no matter where they were, clearly felt their connection to heaven and earth grow closer. At the same time, however, it was as though they had been fitted with invisible shackles.
Many rules that could once be forcibly changed or evaded through immense cultivation and divine abilities had now become unbreakable.
Heavenly secrets became clearer, but also more fixed. The course of the future seemed to have been drawn into a more defined river ruled by the Heavenly Dao.
Wanhua's Response, Literary Radiance Drawn Inward
East Sea, Myriad Dao Academy.
The instant Hongjun announced his union with the Dao and the Heavenly Dao Will began its full spread, the Literary Radiance Pillar soaring above the Academy seemed to come under invisible pressure, fluctuating violently!
Its light no longer expanded outward with vigorous force. Instead, it was compelled to contract and condense inward, as though waging a silent struggle against the encroaching order of the Heavenly Dao.
Every disciple within the Academy felt an indescribably heavy pressure descend upon their hearts, as if countless invisible eyes were watching them.
Examining whether the Literary Qi flowing through them and the principles they upheld conformed to this newly born, perfected order of the Heavenly Dao.
The less cultivated disciples turned pale. Their Literary Qi circulated sluggishly, and panic rose within them.
"Focus your spirits and calm your qi. Guard your Literary Hearts!" Xuanjizi's voice, like a stabilizing divine needle, instantly spread through the Academy. "Though the Heavenly Dao is complete, our Dao remains unchanged!
"Though the external world changes, it cannot dim the light in our hearts or strip away the majesty of our principles!"
He was the first to activate his cultivation method. The Literary Palace of the Platform of Seeking, infused with the realm of The Unchanging Change, shone brilliantly.
It emanated a unique Dao Charm of "ever-circulating, yet I remain unshaken," forcefully opening a domain of its own principles beneath the omnipresent pressure of the Heavenly Dao.
Elder Teng, Yun Xi, Jin Li, Mingxin, and the other Core Disciples followed close behind, each displaying their own abilities.
Some used Benevolent Generosity and tolerance to dissolve the pressure; some used Interdependence of Void and Reality to evade scrutiny; others balanced hardness and softness to stabilize themselves.
After its initial violent fluctuations, the Academy's Literary Radiance Dao Charm began to circulate in a more restrained, more resilient manner.
Though it was no longer as unrestrained and flamboyant as before, it was like steel tempered a hundred times over, its core growing ever firmer.
Within Chaos Space, Wanhua's gaze was calm.
He could clearly "see" the invisible net of the Heavenly Dao attempting to penetrate every inch of the Academy, analyzing, assimilating, and even suppressing the utterly different Literary Dao Laws.
He did not resist by force. Instead, he stirred his own Primordial Dao Fruit, resonating with the origin of the Myriad Dao Celestial Tome at the Academy's core, and erected an exceedingly subtle "barrier of principles" around the Academy's perimeter.
This barrier did not block the Heavenly Dao. Rather, it "declared" to it that this place possessed a self-contained system of "principles," and that these principles were not hostile to the order of the Heavenly Dao.
They were another possibility that could coexist alongside it. It was like preserving a region with its own unique textures and colors within a grand painting.
The Heavenly Dao Will swept past this barrier and seemed to experience the faintest trace of "hesitation" and "scrutiny." Yet in the end, it did not forcefully erase it, as if tacitly allowing it to remain.
It continued spreading toward the broader world. A subtle balance was reached in complete silence.
The Heavenly Dao acknowledged the Academy's existence as an "Anomaly," but at the same time placed it under even stricter "observation."
The Reactions of All Sides, Each with Their Own Thoughts
The orthodox Mystic Gate, flourishing in destiny: the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, Jieyin, Zhun-ti, and the other direct heirs of the Mystic Gate felt their destinies become closely linked with the Heavenly Dao the instant it reached perfection.
Their cultivation all advanced. Those destined to become saints in particular felt the call of heavenly fate and the stirring of Primordial Violet Qi.
They looked toward the East Sea with complicated expressions. There was both emotion over their teacher's—or grandteacher's—union with the Dao, and scrutiny over the future circumstances of Wanhua, that "Anomaly," under the order of the Heavenly Dao.
Demon race, Dijun's ambitions surged: sensing clearer heavenly secrets and a more stable order, Dijun and Taiyi exchanged smiles.
The Heavenly Dao's perfection was even more favorable for their establishment of an "order" to rule the Primordial World—the Heavenly Court. As for the Myriad Dao Academy's order, which emphasized "Humanities" and "temperament of the heart,"
Though they remained wary, they believed that its influence would inevitably be restricted beneath the grand trend of the Heavenly Dao.
The Ancestral Witches of the Witch Race, their ferocity faintly emerging: the Witch Race cultivated no Nascent Souls, honoring only Pangu's bloodline and the Power of the Earth. They felt the Heavenly Dao's perfection most directly, and rejected it most strongly.
The omnipresent oppressive force of order made them feel constrained and uncomfortable. Toward the similarly unconventional Myriad Dao Academy, they instead felt less hostility.
They felt a vague sense of kinship, though their paths were utterly different.
Rogue cultivator Great Powers, adapting to the times: top Great Powers such as Zhenyuanzi and Minghe adjusted their cultivation grounds and practices, striving to adapt to this entirely new Heavenly Dao environment.
They understood that defying Heaven had become nearly impossible. Only by following the tide could they preserve their transcendent status in this new order.
Toward the Myriad Dao Academy, they adopted a stance of observation and limited cooperation.
The Union with Dao Succeeds, Hongjun Withdraws
The Light Bridge above the Nine Heavens gradually dispersed, and Purple Cloud Palace vanished into the depths of chaos, leaving no trace behind.
The phenomena across the Primordial World slowly subsided, but the more complete and majestic order of the Heavenly Dao had already fully stabilized.
From that day onward, Dao Ancestor Hongjun had united with the Heavenly Dao and would not emerge except during a Tribulation. The Mystic Gate Immortal Path became the orthodox path of the Primordial World, while the order of the Heavenly Dao enveloped All Heavens and Myriad Worlds.
Like a stubborn rock amid rushing currents, the Myriad Dao Academy tenaciously held its ground beneath this torrent of the Heavenly Dao.
Though the Light of Literary Splendor had drawn inward, it had not been extinguished. Instead, tempered by pressure, its essential purity and resilience became even more apparent.
Xuanjizi felt the Literary Qi around him, suppressed yet circulating with greater purity.
He also sensed the increasingly brilliant intent of "Seeking" within his Literary Palace after enduring this trial, and understanding dawned in his heart: the "Calamity" his teacher had spoken of had arrived, and they had already passed through the initial and most dangerous stage of impact.
Yet this was only the beginning. The Heavenly Dao after the union with Dao, its long-term influence upon "Anomalies," its subtle pressure to assimilate them,
And the Heavenly Punishment or Human Tribulation that might arise in the future from conflicts of principle would all be immense challenges the Academy would need to face for a long time.
Wanhua's voice rang calmly within the minds of Xuanjizi and all the Core Disciples. "The Heavenly Dao is established, and the grand trend has taken shape.
"Yet the path of Dao Struggle has only just begun. Strengthen your foundations, deeply cultivate the Principles of Change, spread the Firewood of Inheritance far and wide, and await the right time."
A new era had arrived.
Could the Myriad Dao Academy and Confucian Dao, this path that emphasized "Man Can Conquer Nature" and "principles above all," carve out a clear road to the heavens of its own within the Primordial World ruled by Hongjun's Heavenly Dao?
All the answers would slowly be revealed amid the storms and glory of the future. From this day onward, the curtain of Dao Struggle had risen.
Before you continue