Heavenly Dao Saint's Secret Scheme

The ancient and heavy gates of the PurpleXiao Palace slowly closed, sealing off the chaos within from without. Inside the palace, only the Dao Ancestor Hongjun remained, seated high upon a cloud bed, his form growing increasingly ethereal and distant as he began his initial unification with the Heavenly Dao. The fragmented Creation Jade Disk appeared in his palm, and his spiritual sense sank into it, comprehending every detail of unifying with the Heavenly Dao. This sermon across the Primordial World, taking disciples, bestowing treasures, and appointing Immortal Chiefs, had achieved perfect merit. From now on, as long as he acted according to the Heavenly Dao's plan, he was the Heavenly Dao, the foremost being of the Primordial World.

Li Cha calculated the time. As soon as Hongjun's sermon ended, he quietly moved, arriving near the Treasure Distribution Cliff. He employed his divine abilities to completely conceal his form, aura, and even his karmic ties. As for the treasures, he took none. It wasn't that he didn't covet the myriad spirit treasures on the cliff; truly, the Heavenly Dao is manifest—most of those treasures already had destined owners. Forcibly seizing them would inevitably forge karmic bonds with their future wielders and, worse, prematurely draw the Heavenly Dao's attention and schemes. For his plans, this would be unwise. The less he touched, the more room he would have to maneuver in the future.

He waited there for less than a day. Several extremely swift escape lights broke through the chaos, arriving first. They were precisely the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Fuxi, whom Li Cha had secretly tipped off. After collecting a large number of treasures, they were about to leave when Li Cha's voice transmission stopped them. They stood quietly to the side, watching others scramble for the remaining spirit treasures.

Only after the last guest of the PurpleXiao Palace left the Treasure Distribution Cliff did Li Cha reveal himself, collecting the cliff, the Three Pure Ones, and the others into the Chaos Pearl.

When they opened their eyes again, they were no longer in the chaos but within a nascent world brimming with spiritual energy, where laws were just beginning to manifest and the faint image of the Five Elements stabilizing the heavens could be seen.

"Do not panic. This is my Spirit Treasure Space." Li Cha's voice sounded at the right moment, calming their tense minds.

"Senior, this is...?" Tongtian, the most impatient, looked around this strange world and couldn't help asking.

Li Cha smiled faintly. "Bringing you in here completely conceals the traces of heavenly fate regarding your stay here and your meeting with me. Although Hongjun is busy unifying with the Dao, his spiritual sense can still monitor the Primordial World. It's better to be cautious." As he spoke, he led them to a wooden table, sat down, and personally brewed a pot of Pure Spirit Tea for them.

Hearing this, they all marveled at Li Cha's profound methods and cautious nature. At the same time, they felt a flicker of curiosity about how he knew about the Treasure Distribution Cliff in advance.

As soon as they sat down, Tongtian stood up and bowed, asking, "Senior Yun Hua, we have all taken Hongjun as our master. What should we do next? Please enlighten us." Though Yuanshi and Laozi remained silent, their eyes also held inquiry.

Li Cha's expression turned serious. His hands didn't stop moving as he said solemnly, "Hongjun is about to unify with the Heavenly Dao. After unification, although he won't completely dissipate and his consciousness will remain, he will be bound by the rules of the Heavenly Dao. Unless there is a great upheaval like a Tribulation of Calamity or a massive disturbance in the Heavenly Dao, he cannot easily appear. You three are Pangu's True Lineage, bearing the World Creation Merit. You are destined saints by heaven, meant to wield the authority of the Heavenly Dao. What you must do is, within the grand framework of complying with the Heavenly Mandate, gradually hollow out Hongjun's influence over the specific affairs of the Heavenly Dao, becoming its true spokespersons and executors."

He paused, lifted the teapot to pour, and continued, "You are fated to establish your own teachings and become saints, gathering fortune and destiny. This is the Heavenly Mandate. However, I hope that on your path to sainthood, you choose to walk the Three Corpses Method passed down by Hongjun."

"Oh? Why is that?" The Primordial Lord of Heaven frowned slightly, standing up. His nature was proud, and while he acknowledged the Three Corpses Method, he had his own considerations. "With our foundation and merit, proving the Dao through strength might be insufficient, but if we use the Tea Dao as a foundation, we could create our own path. Why must we take this Three Corpses path?"

Li Cha handed him a cup of Pure Tea, signaling him to sit, then poured for the others before speaking. "The Three Corpses Method, though seemingly taught by Hongjun, actually aligns with the Heavenly Dao's rules of self-perfection, differentiation, and management. Becoming a saint through this method will gain you the closeness and trust of the Heavenly Dao's origin, allowing you to integrate more deeply into and control its authority. However, there is a key point here." His gaze swept over the Three Pure Ones, his tone intensifying. "You must first sever your 'Self Corpse' before you can practice the Three Corpses Method. Remember, the order cannot be wrong!"

A sharp light flashed in Laozi's eyes, as if he understood. "Senior's meaning is... if we sever the Good and Evil Corpses first, and the Self Corpse last, then the self-consciousness will have the smallest share among the three corpses. When they merge, it would be extremely easy to be assimilated by the Heavenly Dao, becoming a mere puppet extending its rules?"

"Precisely!" Li Cha nodded approvingly. "But if you sever the 'Self Corpse' first, using it as the dominant force to then merge the Good and Evil Corpses, your original consciousness will hold absolute sway. At that point, you can place that Primordial Violet Qi within your 'Self Corpse.' This corpse, carrying most of your original consciousness yet being relatively independent, can substitute for your true body, entrusting your primordial spirit to the Heavenly Dao. This way, you gain the authority and immortality of a Heavenly Dao Saint while leaving a crucial trump card for the future."

Tongtian clapped his hands and laughed. "Excellent! This way, the Heavenly Dao thinks it controls us, but it's only the 'Self Corpse.' If the Heavenly Dao ever tries anything untoward, we can simply abandon the 'Self Corpse,' using it as a pawn to thoroughly screw over the Heavenly Dao!"

Yuanshi finally understood the crux of the matter. He nodded slowly, looking at Li Cha with even more respect. This plan was truly far-sighted, complying with the Heavenly Dao's grand trend while laying the groundwork for countermeasures.

"Senior, what about my brother and me?" Nuwa, seeing the Three Pure Ones had their arrangements, stood up with Fuxi and asked.

Li Cha looked at Nuwa, a glint of expectation and gravity in his eyes. "Nuwa, you only need to walk the path of Creation that you feel in your heart. You can comprehend the Primordial Violet Qi Hongjun gave you, but remember, do not use it to achieve the position of a Heavenly Dao Saint! Your Dao is grand and unique; it should not be bound to the Heavenly Dao. If you become a Heavenly Dao Saint, bound by it, then the future of the Primordial World will be destined for a tragic end."

Nuwa's delicate frame trembled slightly upon hearing this. Her beautiful eyes were filled with disbelief. "Senior, isn't this statement too exaggerated? What virtue or ability do I, a mere woman, possess? How could my choice of path affect the entire fate of the Primordial World?"

Li Cha shook his head, his tone incredibly firm. "No, you can. And furthermore, some things can only be accomplished by you. This is your mission, and also your opportunity." He looked up, his gaze seeming to pierce through the Chaos Pearl, seeing the long river of fate in the unseen. "The heavenly secrets cannot be fully revealed. The opportunity has not yet arrived, so I cannot disclose more to you. For now, you only need to hold fast to your original heart, diligently study Creation, and let things take their natural course. As for Fuxi," he turned to Fuxi, "your Great Dao is related to deducing heavenly secrets, and your fate is intertwined with your sister's. In the future, the paths of you two will ultimately converge on one magnificent Great Dao."

The siblings still wore puzzled expressions, but Laozi and Fuxi, being the best at deduction, had a flash of insight and grasped the key. Not integrating into the Heavenly Dao... then in the Primordial World, the only ones that could stand alongside the Heavenly Dao were the Earthly Dao and the Human Dao! The Earthly Dao prioritized reincarnation, sacrifice... which was mostly at odds with Nuwa's Way of Creation. So the answer was almost shouting itself out—the Human Dao! Nuwa's future was intimately connected to the as-yet-unmanifested, infinitely potential Human Dao! Thinking of this, Laozi and Fuxi exchanged a look, seeing the shock and doubt in each other's eyes.

This small meeting inside the Chaos Pearl, though brief, laid a crucial foundation for the future structure of the Primordial World. After Li Cha finished his instructions, sensing the changes in the external aura, he said, "The time is near. You should leave. Remember today's words and act cautiously."

Then, with a thought, he quietly sent the Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and Fuxi out of the Chaos Pearl, returning them to their original escape light trajectories, as if they had never left.

Not long after the five left, the boundless chaotic void and the entire Primordial World suddenly manifested unprecedented phenomena!

Hongjun had begun unifying with the Dao!

Li Cha stood atop a mountain peak, gazing into the distance. His face showed neither joy nor sorrow, only a glimmer of anticipation deep within his eyes. The chessboard was set. Now, it was time to wait for the players to make their moves.