Below the high platform, countless living beings either closed their eyes in contemplation or murmured to one another, all immersed in the new insights brought by the Tea Dao. Each experienced a serenity and enlightenment unlike the slaughter and strife of the past.
At the same time, several voices entered Li Cha's mind.
"Senior Yun Hua, this junior Taiqing (Yuanshi/Tongtian/Nuwa/Fuxi/Houtu) humbly has some doubts and begs Senior to enlighten us..."
Li Cha's gaze shifted slightly as he swept his eyes over the great powers seated primly below the stage, secretly transmitting their voices. He then glanced up at the sky, understanding at once. Secretly activating the Chaos Pearl, he extended his Spiritual Sense like the most precise compass and carefully sensed his surroundings. After confirming that neither the Heavenly Dao Will nor any other great powers were watching, he willed it into action.
In an instant, Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Fuxi, and Houtu felt their consciousness blur. Drawn by a gentle yet irresistible force, they found themselves in a strange space the next moment.
The space was not large. Flowing Chaos Qi surrounded it, while an open area stood at its center, furnished with a stone table and stone stools. Li Cha sat calmly at the head of the table, smiling at them. This was an absolutely secret space for consciousness exchange that Li Cha had temporarily opened with the power of the Chaos Pearl.
Upon first arriving in this place in their consciousness incarnations, all six were startled. Sensing that this place was completely isolated from the Primordial World, they were inwardly shocked. Only when they saw Li Cha seated at the head did they relax and hurriedly step forward to pay their respects.
"No need for formalities. Sit." With a sweep of Li Cha's sleeve, six meditation cushions condensed from Chaos Qi appeared on either side of the stone table. He personally picked up the pot and poured each of them a cup of Pure Tea, as though they were simply friends gathered for a chat.
"This is my Spirit Treasure Space. It blocks all heavenly secrets and prying eyes. Even the Heavenly Dao cannot detect what is said here." Li Cha leisurely took a sip of tea, set down his Tea Cup, and looked at them. "What doubts do you have? You may ask without concern now."
Nuwa, the most straightforward by nature—or perhaps simply more guileless before Li Cha—was the first to lose patience. "Senior Yun Hua, you mentioned the Heavenly, Earthly, and Human Dao earlier. It truly shook us to the core. Could Senior explain them in greater detail? What is the relationship between these three Dao, and why have things become as they are today?"
Once she asked this, the others also expressed their desire to know.
Li Cha nodded, his expression turning slightly solemn as he slowly began to speak. His voice was especially clear in this space of Chaos:
"Very well. Since you have asked, I shall explain. But remember this: what I say today enters your ears from my mouth. Once you leave this place, treat it as though you never heard it, lest you invite unnecessary trouble."
He first pointed toward the void, toward the invisible Heavenly Dao:
"Heaven, or rather, the Heavenly Dao. It was the first consciousness to arise independently in the Primordial World after Great God Pangu's World Creation. It may be regarded as the 'eldest child' of the Primordial Wilderness. It was originally charged with maintaining and governing the normal operation of the Primordial Wilderness, and possessed supreme might. Its power far surpasses that of a Primordial Grand Unity Golden Immortal."
Then his tone shifted, gaining a trace of chill:
"This 'eldest child' is flawed by nature. It should have been utterly impartial and selfless, caring for and guiding the younger 'brother' and 'sister' born after it—the Earthly Dao and Human Dao—like an elder sibling. Yet it developed the vile ambition to monopolize the Primordial Wilderness and reign supreme alone! Afraid that its younger brother and sister would grow up and share its authority, it began persecuting its sister—suppressing the Earthly Dao—and strangling its brother—sealing the Human Dao!"
Li Cha's gaze passed over the six whose expressions had abruptly changed, lingering especially on the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa.
"If you become a Heavenly Dao Saint, you may appear infinitely glorious, immortal and indestructible. In truth, however, your primordial spirit will be bound to the Heavenly Dao. You may seem transcendent, but you will actually be shackled. Should the Heavenly Dao trigger a Tribulation of Calamity in the future, or should its own operation suffer a grave flaw and require someone to bear Karma and settle causality, the 'Saints' will be the pawns it first pushes out to take the blame and endure the backlash! They say the Heavenly Dao is heartless and treats all things as straw dogs. In its eyes, even Saints are merely somewhat larger, more useful pawns."
These words exploded in the hearts of the six like thunder! The Three Pure Ones and Nuwa in particular had already vaguely sensed that they might become Heavenly Dao Saints. Now that they heard Saints could one day be reduced to pawns used to take the blame, their expressions became exceedingly ugly.
Next, Li Cha pointed downward, toward the boundless earth.
"Earth, the Earthly Dao. It represents the will of the Primordial Wilderness's land: sacrifice, bearing, reincarnation, and tolerance. As the saying goes, great virtue bears all things; the earth gives birth to all things without contention. It should have stood alongside the Heavenly Dao, governing mountains, rivers, the growth of all things, and the final destination of souls. Yet the Heavenly Dao is now too powerful, and the Earthly Dao has been firmly suppressed, unable to awaken on its own even now."
His tone carried a trace of heaviness and reverence.
"The manifestation of the Earthly Dao requires great sacrifice. It requires one of boundless compassion, someone willing to devote themselves and Merge with the Earthly Dao, before it can be awakened and the Primordial Wilderness made whole. This is a path filled with dedication and compassion."
Finally, Li Cha's gaze pierced through the void and saw the will of all beings struggling in the unseen.
"Human refers to the collective will of all beings in the Primordial Wilderness who possess wisdom, emotions, and the beginnings of civilization. This is the Human Dao. It represents Self-Improvement, unyielding resistance, the inheritance of civilization, and the seven emotions and six desires. As the saying goes, Heaven moves with vigor; a noble person strives constantly for Self-Improvement! The Human Dao should have been full of vitality, a source of power that drives the Primordial Wilderness ever forward and creates limitless possibilities."
His voice carried a hint of anger at their failure to fight back.
"The Human Dao of today can be said to have been personally sealed by the Heavenly Dao! The Heavenly Dao fears that the wills of all beings will gather and give birth to power capable of challenging it. Therefore, reviving the Human Dao is extraordinarily difficult. It must either happen within the framework acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao or, in other words, evade the Heavenly Dao's eyes and ears. A suitable opportunity must be found to quietly pry open the seal bit by bit and slowly awaken it."
This explanation of the Three Dao was vast and shocking, leaving Laozi, Yuanshi, Tongtian, Nuwa, Fuxi, and Houtu feeling as though knives twisted in their hearts. They lamented the injustice of the Heavenly Dao.
Tongtian, the most upright and most hateful of evil, was instantly consumed by fury. He slammed his palm onto the stone table. "Outrageous! Such an unjust and immoral Heavenly Dao—this damned position of Heavenly Dao Saint can go to hell! The next time Hongjun preaches the Dao, I will not attend!"
"No!" Li Cha immediately spoke, his tone resolute. "Not only must you go, you absolutely have to go! Other than Houtu, whose opportunity does not lie there, all of you—especially the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa—must go to Purple Cloud Palace, listen to the third Preaching of the Dao, and become Hongjun's disciples!"
"Why?" Even Taiqing Laozi, the most composed among them, revealed a puzzled expression. "If the Heavenly Dao is so intolerable, and Hongjun is its representative, would becoming his disciple not be walking into a trap?"
Li Cha thought to himself, Naturally, it is for the Primordial Violet Qi that serves as the foundation of sainthood, as well as the Innate Spirit Treasures on Treasure Distribution Cliff that are bound to you by causality! But he could not state such details concerning the "future" openly.
He changed his approach and warned them solemnly:
"The reason is causality! You have listened to the Dao at Purple Cloud Palace twice. No matter what, the causality of that 'transmission of the Dao' has already been planted. Hongjun's Preaching of the Dao was not free of charge; behind it lies immense Heavenly Dao causality. Only by becoming his disciples and helping him complete the final step of Unifying with the Heavenly Dao can you resolve this causality."
His gaze was profound as it swept over them.
"Remember this: in the Primordial Wilderness, karmic retribution is most mysterious and severe. This is especially true when becoming Saints, for one must settle the vast majority of one's worldly causal debts. If you do not repay the enormous causality owed to Hongjun for transmitting the Dao, then even if you become Saints in the future through your own power, the Earthly Dao, or the Human Dao, you will still suffer the Heavenly Dao's frenzied backlash and suppression. To be doomed beyond redemption would not be an empty threat!"
Upon hearing the words "doomed beyond redemption," all six were shaken, their expressions growing even more solemn. They knew Li Cha was not trying to frighten them without cause.
Though Tongtian remained indignant, he understood the stakes and could only sit down sullenly.
After pondering for a moment, Laozi solemnly bowed to Li Cha. "Thank you for clearing away our confusion, Senior. Otherwise, we might have fallen into a state of doom beyond redemption without ever realizing it."
Yuanshi, Nuwa, and Fuxi also bowed in thanks.
Li Cha accepted it calmly, then continued, "Go, listen, and become his disciples—that is how you resolve causality. But the Dao ultimately lies within your own hearts. How you choose and how you walk the road ahead will still be for you to decide. Do not let Hongjun's words completely bind your minds."
Hearing this, the six fell into thought and silently committed his words to heart.
At this time, the thousand-year period of Preaching the Dao outside had ended. Li Cha's consciousness returned to his body atop the high platform, and the secret space within the Chaos Pearl dissipated along with it.
Following his earlier announcement, he carefully assessed the comprehension, character, and sincerity toward the Dao of the countless beings who had listened. In the end, he selected thirty-six individuals of decent character who were fated with the Tea Dao and accepted them as Nominal Disciples. He also discovered two outstanding talents, exceptional in both tea arts and character, and made an exception by promoting them to Personal Disciples.
With the disciples chosen, Li Cha's second Preaching the Dao came to a perfect conclusion. Through this sermon, the Yunhua Lineage's prestige and influence took root in the hearts of All Beings of the Primordial World. As for the secret truth of the "Three Dao," it too was quietly planted like a seed in the hearts of a select few supreme powers, such as the Three Pure Ones and Nuwa, waiting for the day it would break through the soil, sprout, and alter the entire landscape of the Primordial Wilderness.
Before you continue