The Second Sermon

Within the boundless Chaos, thirteen figures sped through the void, flying toward Purple Cloud Palace.

Before long, the grand yet ancient Purple Cloud Palace came into distant view.

Its gates stood open, and quite a few figures were already gathered within. Some stood in groups of three or five, while others remained alone. Their auras varied greatly, yet all were renowned Great Powers of the Primordial Wilderness.

Wu Ming entered the hall with the Twelve Ancestral Witches and spotted Zhen Yuanzi and Hong Yun from afar.

Zhen Yuanzi's gaze lingered on the Twelve Ancestral Witches for a moment. The restrained yet increasingly terrifying Law fluctuations around them made his heart tighten slightly.

"Fellow Daoists Zhen Yuanzi, Hong Yun." Wu Ming stepped forward and gave the two a slight formal salute.

Zhen Yuanzi returned the salute. "Fellow Daoist Wu Ming, I trust you have been well since we last met."

Hong Yun wore a mild smile. "Fellow Daoist, your bearing surpasses even that of old."

Wu Ming nodded. "The same may be said of you two, Fellow Daoists."

"It seems that after ten thousand years of secluded cultivation, you two have also made considerable progress."

Zhen Yuanzi nodded faintly. "We have gained a little, but it is far from comparable to yours, Fellow Daoist." He looked toward the Twelve Ancestral Witches behind Wu Ming, whose auras had become even more unfathomable, and could not help but sigh inwardly.

After exchanging a few simple words, Wu Ming and the others took their seats.

As time passed, those who had come to hear the Dao arrived one after another.

When the last Great Power stepped through the palace gates, the two boy attendants, Haotian and Yaochi, emerged.

The gates of Purple Cloud Palace slowly closed, and the entire hall instantly fell silent.

Upon the high platform, Hongjun's figure appeared soundlessly, as though he had stood there since time immemorial.

Everyone hastily rose and bowed. "Greetings, Sage!"

Hongjun raised a hand in a gesture of support. "No need for excessive courtesy. Sit."

Once everyone was seated, Hongjun's calm, unruffled voice rang out and spread through the entirety of Purple Cloud Palace.

"This sermon shall last ten thousand years and shall expound... the Dao of the Quasi-Saint."

Ignoring everyone's reactions, Hongjun began his exposition.

"A Quasi-Saint is one who has already understood the direction of their own Great Dao. Their magical power reaches into the mysteries, and divine abilities arise of themselves..."

"To attain Quasi-Sainthood, one must first clearly discern the road ahead..."

Hongjun's voice echoed through the hall, every word containing the supreme principles of the Great Dao.

Yet as the explanation deepened, the atmosphere within the hall gradually became subtle.

The Three Pure Ones, Nuwa, and the others seated in the front rows all listened with rapt concentration. Dao rhythms rose and fell around them; at times their brows relaxed, at times they furrowed them tightly in thought.

Wu Ming closed his eyes and focused, his primordial spirit operating at full force. He compared and verified the secrets of Quasi-Sainthood taught by Hongjun against the methods of wielding Laws contained within Pangu's inheritance.

With the aid of his primordial spirit, he could understand most of what Hongjun taught. In particular, the sections on how to condense one's own Great Dao and sever external demons gave him new ideas for mastering Laws.

The Twelve Ancestral Witches were much the same. Relying on their powerful primordial spirits and their control over their respective Laws, they strove to comprehend the portions of Dao principles taught by Hongjun and use them to refine their own application of Laws.

Though they could not fully understand the mysteries of the immortal path's Quasi-Sainthood, they measured it against the Laws each of them controlled, striving to absorb whatever in Hongjun's Dao teachings could be drawn upon. Combined with their own paths, it was not without gain.

However, most of the Dao listeners farther back presented an entirely different scene.

Hongjun's words were pearls and jade, and they recognized every single word when taken apart. Yet strung together, they sounded like a heavenly tome—mysterious upon mystery, impossible to grasp.

Some wore pained expressions and scratched at their ears and cheeks.

Others forcibly operated their primordial spirits, trying to commit Hongjun's teachings to memory. Yet those true words containing the ultimate principles of the Great Dao slipped from their memories the instant they entered their minds, leaving not the slightest trace.

This stark polarization made the Great Powers who could not understand even more frantic, their hearts ablaze with anxiety. Yet they could do nothing but watch helplessly as their fellow Daoists in front immersed themselves in the joy of comprehending the Dao.

"What are the Three Corpses? They are the transformations of a person's good thoughts, evil thoughts, and obsessions..."

"Sever one Corpse, and one may attain Early Quasi-Saint cultivation."

"Sever two Corpses, and one may attain Mid Quasi-Saint cultivation."

"Sever three Corpses, and one may attain Peak Quasi-Saint cultivation."

"Once all Three Corpses have been severed and the Dao Fruit is complete, one may attempt Three Corpses Unity, attain the Hunyuan Dao Fruit, and achieve the honored status of a Sage."

Hongjun explained in detail how to identify the Three Corpses, how to gather one's mind and spirit, and how to invoke the power of the Great Dao to sever them.

"Among the Three Corpses, the corpses of good and evil are comparatively easy to sever. Only the self is the most difficult."

"The self is the original self, the true self—the very foundation of a cultivator's existence."

"To sever the self is not to destroy oneself, but to sever that 'self-attachment,' that fixed understanding of one's own existence. Only then may one transcend above it and comprehend the true self."

Hongjun particularly emphasized the difficulty and crucial points of severing the Self Corpse. The mysteries within caused many Great Powers to furrow their brows once more.

Even the Three Pure Ones and the others in the front rows knitted their brows at this point and sank into deep contemplation.

Without anyone noticing, another ten thousand years flowed by.

When the final Daoist Chant faded, the boundless Dao rhythm permeating Purple Cloud Palace gradually subsided.

Hongjun opened his eyes and looked upon the beings below.

"This sermon ends here."

"If any of you have difficulties in cultivation, you may raise them. I shall resolve your doubts."

The moment these words were spoken, the hall fell silent for an instant before someone could no longer hold back.

The first to rise was Laozi.

He cupped his hands in salute. "May I ask, Sage, how does one Slay Three Corpses?"

As soon as this question was raised, everyone's attention focused on Hongjun.

This was the key to the path of a quasi-Sage!

Hongjun looked at Laozi and slowly spoke.

"To Slay Three Corpses, one must rely on external objects."

"Innate Spiritual Treasures may serve as vessels for slaying the corpses."

Innate Spiritual Treasures!

These four words made many people in the hall shudder inwardly!

Within the Primordial World, Innate Spiritual Treasures were exceedingly rare. Most had long since found masters or lay hidden within secret realms. For ordinary Great Powers, obtaining even a single companion spiritual treasure was already a stroke of fortune—where could they find three to slay their corpses with?

Moreover, Hongjun continued.

"A cultivator uses Innate Spiritual Treasures to bear and entrust their own good thoughts, evil thoughts, and obsessions, thereby slaying the Good Corpse, Evil Corpse, and Self Corpse," Hongjun continued to explain.

"The higher the grade of the spiritual treasure, the purer the thoughts it can bear and entrust. The stronger the Three Corpses it produces, and the more stable its foundation."

These words made the hearts of many listeners sink halfway into an abyss.

High-grade Innate Spiritual Treasures were already as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, much less supreme-grade ones.

Could it be that without top-tier Innate Spiritual Treasures, the path of the quasi-Sage was impassable—or even if one walked it, one's foundation would remain shallow?

After Laozi, Primordial Lord rose and offered a salute as well.

"May I ask, Sage, after a spiritual treasure is used to slay a corpse, will it be destroyed or vanish?"

This was likewise a question many people cared about.

If slaying a corpse consumed an Innate Spiritual Treasure each time, the price would be far too great.

Hongjun shook his head. "Throughout this process, the spiritual treasure serves to bear and assist, becoming the place where the Three Corpses are entrusted. Once the corpse slaying succeeds, the spiritual treasure will remain, merging into the Three Corpses, and may still be used at will."

Hearing this, everyone finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

As long as the spiritual treasures were not lost, there was still hope.

Immediately afterward, the Demon Emperor Di Jun rose, his voice booming.

"May I ask, Sage, in the Primordial World, is Slaying Three Corpses the only path by which one may attain the Dao and become a Sage?"